On Wednesday August 20th people will share stories about how they have experienced racism in the areas of education, housing employment, law enforcement relations, health, or immigration. This rare listening and documentation session will take place at United Presbyterian Church in Watsonville, 112 E. Beach Street, starting at 6:30pm. You can share your stories anonymously, if you choose.

The four listening and documentation sessions are leading to a county-wide dialogue in October. For questions and more information, call Simba Kenyatta at 831-459-9349 or email skenyatta [at] cruzio.com

Audio: Simba Kenyatta on indynewswire | July 30th: Santa Cruz | August 20th: Watsonville

LRDP-Resistance Media writes, "It comes as no surprise to us that the city council and the Coalition to Limit University Expansion (CLUE) have settled their lawsuit with UCSC over the campus expansion under the 2005 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). But, despite the city's capitulation and Chancellor Blumenthal's speculation that the Tree Sitters 'have accomplished their goals,' we will not be coming out of the trees. The city does not speak for us, nor do they speak for the Coast Redwoods, the Mountain Manzanita, Burrowing Owls, Red-legged Frogs, Bobcats, Coyotes, Gray Foxes, California Myotis or any of the other living creatures who call the exceptional habitat of North Campus their home.

"The city's lawsuit was never intended to protect the unique ecosystem of North Campus that UCSC plans on destroying. The destruction of the forest was always the main issue behind us climbing into the Redwood trees at the site of the first proposed 2005 LRDP building. We look forward to working with the city and with CLUE on the legal battles that will be waged when the UC's plans are put before the Santa Cruz Local Agency Formation Commission. But we cannot rely on politicians and bureaucrats to protect the things that are truly important: clean air, clean water, animal habitats and the experience of being surrounded by the beautiful hundred-year old redwood and chaparral forest that are in danger of being destroyed forever. Those are the values that have called us into the trees, and those are things that cannot be quantified or litigated." Read More

see also: A Glimpse at UCSC's North Campus | Aug 13th and Sep 17th: Upper Campus Forest Walk

Consensual Liberation through Intimate Tactics Collective (C.L.I.T. Collective) is a collective of folks who have come together to open dialog about Sexual/Intimate Violence. CLIT Collective is hosting a series of classes as part of Free Skool Santa Cruz from July through September. A workshop on consent and sexual/intimate violence will be held on Wednesday, August 13th at 6:00pm in the library of the Zami! Co-op.

The workshop will continue to explore patriarchy in a local and global framework as well as its role in radical communities, and in a historical context in relation to Sexual Violence. Participants will also discuss the realities and misunderstandings of Sexual Violence committed by acquaintances as opposed to Sexual Violence committed by strangers. Read More

Radio Trabajadora escribe, "Este es un show de radio en Radio Libre Santa Cruz, escuchen a 101.1 FM o freakradio.org todos los martes de 6-7:30 pm. Durante este show hablamos sobre AFSCME Local 3299 y las ultimas noticias de la pelea por un contrato. Tambien hablamos de los trabajadores de la union UNITE HERE! en Oakland y la accion que el 8 de Agosto van a tener en el aeropuerto de Oakland. Y de la accion que los Teamsters tubieron hace como dos semanas en los Puertos de Oakland. Y finalmente tuvimos una entrevista con James sobre los trabajadores de El Balazo que fueron detenidos por la migra. escuchen! Listen!"

On August 7th, police raided a home on the 700 block of Riverside Avenue in Santa Cruz. It is the same home that was raided on February 24th, 2008. In the February raid, police assert that the home, or the people who were inside of it, were somehow connected to what they proclaim are animal rights activists that held a protest that allegedly ended with a scuffle at a UC Santa Cruz researcher's house. The raid on August 7th was apparently carried out by at least the Department of Justice, FBI, and UCSC police.

While police removed belongings from the front house on the property, other people were loading their items into trucks parked in front of the house. The people in the back house happened to be moving out at the same time that the police decided to raid the house in the front. Apparently nobody was home at the front house during the raid. Read More and View Photos

"We don't need another parking lot" read one of over 30 stenciled cardboard signs erected on the evening of August 1st across the fences of various failed businesses in Santa Cruz by a group of bicyclists as part of a "Going Out of Business & Green Futures" community ride.

Part protest against car culture, part living art project, and part prank, the bicyclists visited the sites of former gas stations, drive thrus, auto-dealerships, and more, planting wild flower seeds, and other decorations depicting a deteriorating economy and hopes for a greener, wilder future. "Property is Theft", "My heroes carry guns in the their minds", and "Community Garden Coming Soon!" read some of the signs posted outside fenced off buildings and pavement cracking open with weeds. Read More and View Photos | More Photos

On the heels of May Day marches for immigrant rights around the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted raids targeting El Balazo Taqueria chain in the Bay Area on May 2. ICE officers stormed 11 different chain locations in at least six cities. According to detainees, the agents came in and locked the doors. No one was allowed to leave as every taqueria employee on duty in all locations was interrogated.

ICE claimed to have had warrants for "wanted criminals" and insisted that it didn't do a haphazard sweep. But according to its own press statement, ICE arrested 62 people, all of them Latino. The detainees were taken to the ICE office in downtown San Francisco.

Immigrant workers across the country are facing the same type of repression—from Iowa and Texas to right here in Santa Cruz County. In San Francisco, politicians (including Mayor Gavin Newsom) and the corporate media are conducting a publicity campaign blaming immigrants for the problems of crime and poverty in Bay Area cities.

A forum took place on August 7th at the Beach Flats Community Center in Santa Cruz to hear El Balazo workers and movement activists talk about the impact of the raids and the progress of the defense campaign, and to discuss the way forward in the struggle for immigrant rights. Read More

Animal Liberation Press Office writes, "The home of one UC Santa Cruz vivisector and the automobile of another were burned early Saturday [August 2nd], in what local authorities are calling attacks by animal liberationists. No communiques claiming the actions have yet been received by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office as of Sunday afternoon [emphasis added]. According to a San Jose Mercury News reporter, the automobile of a vivisector whom police refused to name was completely destroyed, while the damage to the home of animal abuser David Feldheim was limited to a door frame and smoke damage. Feldheim is fond of terrorizing and killing mice in his research, which according to his website, involves the "viral introduction of genes into living mouse brains."

"The attacks occurred four days after a customer at Caffe Pergolesi, a downtown Santa Cruz coffeehouse, found fliers listing the names, home addresses, home phone numbers and photos of thirteen UC-Santa Cruz vivisectors. Police believe unidentified animal rights activists created the fliers, which were made to appear as "wanted posters." The fliers warned: "Animal abusers everywhere beware; we know where you live; we know where you work; we will never back down until you end your abuse." Read More

Will Potter, an independent journalist who focuses on how the “War on Terrorism” affects civil liberties, writes, "First, it should be noted that no animal rights group like the Animal Liberation Front has claimed responsibility. Yet the FBI has recklessly labeled this “eco-terrorism,” just like the recent Seattle arson, before the smoke had even cleared. We’ve seen plenty of instances when the government later says “oops, it wasn’t ‘eco-terrorism’ after all.” And we’ve seen other instances, like the attempted murder of Judi Bari, when the FBI framed activists. In short: reporters, activists, and the general public need to slow down, step back, and stop blindly trusting the “official” story provided by the FBI."

see also: Faculty Rally at UC Santa Cruz in Support of Firebombed Colleagues | Commentary by Will Potter, GreenIsTheNewRed.com | Corporate Coverage and Discussion

In Santa Cruz, a banner has been hung over Highway One expressing solidarity with the movement opposing Interstate 69, also known as the NAFTA Superhighway. Portions of the route in Indiana would run through wetlands, farmland, forests and karst terrain, threatening rare species and underground water systems. Urban planners predict the highway will require annual subsidies of $2 billion and accelerate suburban sprawl and automobile dependency. Others believe that by subsidizing trade, I-69 will further undercut union jobs in the United States.

Ominous Clouds of the Awaiting Storm writes, "In response to the call out for a national day of mobilization against the construction of I-69, we in Santa Cruz exhibit our solidarity with those in Indiana and throughout the country who are directly resisting this destructive expansion. Let our humble banner fly as a sentiment of our appreciation and love for all creatures alive enough to face the machines of industry that would bury us under their concrete." Read More

see also: Information on Interstate 69 || Stop I-69 (Roadblock Earth First!) || Issues One and Two of the "Roadblock Report" || Anti-I69 Protesters Storm Cato Institute in DC || Farcical, Militarized Groundbreaking for I-69

On the July 25th indynewswire on Freak Radio, danielsan spoke with Carmina Eliason, curator of the multimedia exhibit Remembering the Struggle, opening August 1st in Watsonville, which showcases art and history about the Watsonville Cannery Strike of 1985-87.

Carmina speaks about the strike itself, which put more than a thousand workers on the picket line for 18 months back in the mid-80's. She describes the end result as something like a tie, but talks about the lasting impact of the strike, where twenty years later there are still strong feelings on both sides. Carmina also discusses the roots, evolution and process of the upcoming exhibit and the ongoing gathering of materials to display and present at the Pajaro Valley Gallery to educate people about the strike and its impact. Read More and Listen to Audio

Viernes Cultural of Watsonville will be hosting a community celebration event to honor the former strikers, also on August 1st at 5pm at the Watsonville Downtown Plaza, with a procession from the Plaza to the Gallery at 6:30pm. Remembering the Struggle will run July 30th through September 21st and admission is free.

The Sprockettes, Portland's all female mini-bike dance team, rolled their veggie oil powered bus into Santa Cruz to give two free performances at the Bike Church on July 22nd. Operation Bike Nation 2008, stopping in bike-friendly towns from Santa Cruz to Seattle, features sex-positive club music while The Sprockettes dance in hot pink and black clothing and do tricks on mini-bikes.

The Sprockettes say their mission is to support and interact with the communities around them, advocate bicycle riding, promote positive self-image for all body types, encourage a healthly and physical lifestyle, and to organize and operate their dance troupe in a collective fashion. Read More and View Photos

see also: Introduction to Bicycles with Free Skool Santa Cruz, Summer 2008

anonymous writes, "On July 21st all four ATMs were smashed at the River St Wells Fargo in Santa Cruz California.

"This minor act of sabotage was committed in solidarity with all those kidnapped, detained, and deported in the United States.

"Wells Fargo is one of the top five shareholders in the GEO Group, a private prison corporation that runs the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma Washington, where nearly 1000 people are imprisoned every day for the crime of being undocumented.

"ICE is the foremost domestic terrorist organization in North America—this is not an exaggeration, the terror and panic sown by ICE raids in immigrant communities is unparalleled. ICE are the henchmen of Capital: a work force that can be constantly threatened with deportation and therefore brutally exploited is a major triumph for capitalism." Read More

On the July 18th indynewswire, danielsan of 101.1 FM Freak Radio Santa Cruz spoke with Julia Harumi Mass, staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC), to discuss a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in an attempt to learn more about the Homeland Security agency ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE and its supporters consistently say that round-ups and raids are conducted for reasons of national security because they prioritize immigrants with criminal backgrounds. However as Mass explains, the reality is far different. In Santa Cruz County, the September 7 and 8, 2006 raids resulted in 106 arrests, yet only seventeen people went through a removal proceeding process, while everyone else was deported without a hearing.

From start to finish, ICE raids are founded on racial profiling, unconstitutional entry, search, and detention, lack of due process, unequal enforcement of the laws, abuse of authority and inconsistency... all in the name of homeland security. Read More and Listen to Audio

see also: Union-busting by Any Other Name... | Santa Clara County Supes React to ICE Raids

8,500 University of California workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) initiated a five-day strike at UC’s ten campuses and five medical centers. The strike, which began on July 14th, concluded on July 18th. At issue are poverty wages as low as $10 per hour. Many employees work 2-3 jobs and qualify for public assistance to meet their families’ basic needs.

UC wages have fallen dramatically behind other hospitals and California’s community colleges where workers are paid family-sustaining wages that are on average of 25% higher. In addition, when workers have stood up for better lives for their families and better working conditions, the University has retaliated by violating labor laws.

96% of service workers are eligible for at least one of the following forms of public assistance: food stamps, WIC, public housing subsidies and subsidized child care, creating a potential burden for CA taxpayers. Increasing wages would not only help lift workers out of poverty, but could positively impact CA and the low- and moderate-income areas where UC workers live as they contribute more to their local economy. Read More

Coverage: UC Berkeley | UC Santa Cruz 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | AFSCME on FRSC | UCLA | UC San Diego 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Video: Facing Poverty At UC | AFSCME Local 3299 | Previous Coverage

Glen Chase, a Professor of Systems Management, has released a report identifying the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) eradication program as a fraud. "CDFA claims the moth is an emergency and pretends that they can eradicate it in order to steal $100's of millions from taxpayer emergency funds, set aside for real emergencies."

"CDFA's fraudulent goal of eradication is based on a fake emergency, which was confirmed invalid by The Monterey and Santa Cruz County Superior Courts when both ruled that the CDFA violated California's Environmental Law by claiming an emergency exemption and spraying pesticides on populated areas." Both courts also found that no damage from this moth had occurred, contrary to CDFA's claim.

After the court rulings and after 31 cities passed resolutions to stop the spray of pesticides from this program, the CDFA gave up the aerial spray of synthetic pheromone based pesticides directly on cities. CDFA claimed it was the only method to eradicate the moth within the window of opportunity of only months that existed for eradication.

Now the CDFA reports they will instead use an untested sterile moth release program that won't be fully operational for three years, in 2011. "How the window of opportunity to eradicate the moth magically jumped from just months to years is a story that the CDFA is still working on." Read More and Download the Report

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Read about Santa Cruz IMC's Regional Integration with Indybay.org || Lee sobre CMI Santa Cruz que se esta Integrando con Indybay.org