Expand Social Security!
No Cuts to Medicaid!
Medicare for All!
Jobs for All & Economic Fairness!
2:00 PM OCCUPY THE FEDERAL BUILDING PLAZA (7th & Mission St./Civic Center Bart/Muni).
Assemble at the SF Federal Building where hundreds of us will peacefully deliver our strong message to government representatives of No Cuts to Medicaid; Expand Social Security and Medicare for All while a rally is held outside in the Federal Building Plaza. We will then march to the Financial District.
3:30 PM OCCUPY WALL STREET WEST
We will march to several wretched symbols of corporate and financial corruption .— Westfield Plaza (to support SEIU Local 87), Wells Fargo Bank (to demand cancellation of student debt), and Verizon (to demand end to attacks on 45,000 union workers) .— then to the Occupy SF area at the foot of Market St.
4:30 HYATT REGENCY
5:00 PM INTO THE NIGHT CELCEBRATE & DEFEND OCCUPY SF
We will gather for a protest action at Hyatt Regency Hotel (foot of Market St.), a notorious symbol of corporate greed, to express our solidarity with Hotel Workers Local 2 before assembling for a rally/ concert in Justin Herman Plaza to support Occupy SF.
This is a peaceful & family-friendly day of protest.
Contact Amber Parrish Bauer
SF Labor Council
415 440-4809
Endorsers forming:
* San Francisco Labor Council & San
* Mateo County Central Labor Council,
* AFL-CIO
* Veterans for Peace, Chap.162, East Bay
* Single Payer Now
* California Alliance for Retired Americans
* Independent Living Resource Center,
* San Francisco
* Jobs with Justice
* MoveOn.org
* SF Living Wage Coalition
* U.S.Labor Against War
* Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace & Justice
* State Council, Peace & Freedom Party
* ANSWER
Friday, December 2, 2011
2011-12-02 "Majority of Solano County mortgages underwater" by Rachel Raskin-Zrihen from "Vallejo Times-Herald" newspaper
[http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_19456890]
Just over half of all homes with a mortgage in Solano County are underwater, according to an industry study released this week.
And that's the good news.
In the Vallejo-Fairfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, 51.1 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage -- or 46,575 properties -- were in negative equity for the third quarter of 2011. That compares to 52.9 percent, or 48,263 properties, the previous quarter.
The number of residential properties in near negative equity -- another 4.9 percent, or 4,503 homes -- remained unchanged from the year's second quarter. This means about 56 percent of Solano County homeowners are underwater or are nearly so, with less than 5 percent equity.
This doesn't surprise incoming Solano Association of Realtors President Paul Winders of Around Town Realty. Saying he was speaking only as a Realtor, Winders credits the improvement to the number of local troubled mortgages that sold for a loss or were foreclosed on in recent months.
"So many were short sold or foreclosed and therefore fell off the statistics, and a lot of new owners and investors bought at the new, lower price and may now have some equity," Winders said. ''It's a good sign and means the market is adjusting."
Though experts have predicted a real estate turnaround for years, Winders said he believes that locally the bottom has been reached and things may be heading up.
"I believe it's beginning to turn up, especially the low end... the under $175,000 range, single family homes," he said. ''The higher end, like the Vista in Vallejo and Waters End in Benicia and some of the newer homes off Redwood (Street) and Ascot (Parkway), I'm not seeing an upward surge in prices at this point."
Winders also said he believes most home sales in Solano County are being made to owner/occupants, not investors, due in part to incentives banks are offering in closing cost credits and in setting aside a time period before offering to properties to investors.
Though an improvement locally, the Vallejo-Fairfield figures keep it among the hardest hit and slowest to recover from the nationwide housing crisis.
According to industry analyst firm CoreLogic, 10.7 million, or 22.1 percent, of all residential properties with a mortgage nationwide were in negative equity at the end of the third quarter. This is down slightly from 10.9 million, or 22.5 percent, in the second quarter. Add this to the 2.4 million borrowers at near-negative equity, and it accounts for some 27.1 percent off all mortgaged residential properties. That's down slightly from 27.5 in the previous quarter.
Negative equity, or being ''underwater" or ''upside-down," means borrowers owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.
"Although slightly down, negative equity remains very high and renders many borrowers vulnerable when negative economic shocks occur, such as job loss or illness," CoreLogic chief economist Mark Fleming said in a statement. ''The nearly $700 billion mortgage debt overhang has touched many corners of the market, and this overhang is holding back the recovery of the housing market and broader economy."
New real estate industry report highlights [Source: CoreLogic]:
--California, which has been in the top five for negative equity since tracking started in 2009, was surpassed in the year's third quarter by Georgia, which entered the top five for the first time.
--Nevada now has the highest negative equity percentage with 58 percent of all of its mortgaged properties underwater, followed by Arizona (47 percent) and Florida (44 percent). The top five is rounded out by Michigan (35 percent) and Georgia (30 percent).
--There are 8.6 million conventional loans in a negative equity position that have an average mortgage balance of $272,000 and are underwater by an average of $70,000.
--There are 1.5 million FHA loans in a negative equity position that have an average mortgage balance of $170,000 and are underwater by an average of $26,000.
[http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_19456890]
Just over half of all homes with a mortgage in Solano County are underwater, according to an industry study released this week.
And that's the good news.
In the Vallejo-Fairfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, 51.1 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage -- or 46,575 properties -- were in negative equity for the third quarter of 2011. That compares to 52.9 percent, or 48,263 properties, the previous quarter.
The number of residential properties in near negative equity -- another 4.9 percent, or 4,503 homes -- remained unchanged from the year's second quarter. This means about 56 percent of Solano County homeowners are underwater or are nearly so, with less than 5 percent equity.
This doesn't surprise incoming Solano Association of Realtors President Paul Winders of Around Town Realty. Saying he was speaking only as a Realtor, Winders credits the improvement to the number of local troubled mortgages that sold for a loss or were foreclosed on in recent months.
"So many were short sold or foreclosed and therefore fell off the statistics, and a lot of new owners and investors bought at the new, lower price and may now have some equity," Winders said. ''It's a good sign and means the market is adjusting."
Though experts have predicted a real estate turnaround for years, Winders said he believes that locally the bottom has been reached and things may be heading up.
"I believe it's beginning to turn up, especially the low end... the under $175,000 range, single family homes," he said. ''The higher end, like the Vista in Vallejo and Waters End in Benicia and some of the newer homes off Redwood (Street) and Ascot (Parkway), I'm not seeing an upward surge in prices at this point."
Winders also said he believes most home sales in Solano County are being made to owner/occupants, not investors, due in part to incentives banks are offering in closing cost credits and in setting aside a time period before offering to properties to investors.
Though an improvement locally, the Vallejo-Fairfield figures keep it among the hardest hit and slowest to recover from the nationwide housing crisis.
According to industry analyst firm CoreLogic, 10.7 million, or 22.1 percent, of all residential properties with a mortgage nationwide were in negative equity at the end of the third quarter. This is down slightly from 10.9 million, or 22.5 percent, in the second quarter. Add this to the 2.4 million borrowers at near-negative equity, and it accounts for some 27.1 percent off all mortgaged residential properties. That's down slightly from 27.5 in the previous quarter.
Negative equity, or being ''underwater" or ''upside-down," means borrowers owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.
"Although slightly down, negative equity remains very high and renders many borrowers vulnerable when negative economic shocks occur, such as job loss or illness," CoreLogic chief economist Mark Fleming said in a statement. ''The nearly $700 billion mortgage debt overhang has touched many corners of the market, and this overhang is holding back the recovery of the housing market and broader economy."
New real estate industry report highlights [Source: CoreLogic]:
--California, which has been in the top five for negative equity since tracking started in 2009, was surpassed in the year's third quarter by Georgia, which entered the top five for the first time.
--Nevada now has the highest negative equity percentage with 58 percent of all of its mortgaged properties underwater, followed by Arizona (47 percent) and Florida (44 percent). The top five is rounded out by Michigan (35 percent) and Georgia (30 percent).
--There are 8.6 million conventional loans in a negative equity position that have an average mortgage balance of $272,000 and are underwater by an average of $70,000.
--There are 1.5 million FHA loans in a negative equity position that have an average mortgage balance of $170,000 and are underwater by an average of $26,000.
A group of corporate-fascists are getting prepared to destroy the political career of Solano County Board of Supervisor Linda Seifert, who has tried time and again to protect the ecology and freedoms of the people in Solano County.
Steve Messina is prepared to sell out the future long-term health to private investors. He is already talking with corporations involved with toxic pollution, hoping that these anti-life industries will "bring jobs" despite having a track record employing outside the locality where they set up shop.
2011-12-02 "Benicia's Messina to challenge Seifert for seat on the Solano County Board of Supervisors" by Tony Burchyns from "Vallejo Times Herlad" newspaper
[http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_19455142]
The race for the Solano County Board of Supervisors has begun, with Benicia school board trustee and former mayor Steve Messina announcing his bid to unseat first-term incumbent Linda Seifert.
The District 2 seat is one of three up for grabs in the June 5 primary. Candidates would need to win a majority of votes to avoid a November runoff.
Seifert, of Green Valley, announced her re-election intentions last month. Seifert won her first four-year term when she defeated John Silva in 2008.
Messina served on the Benicia City Council for a decade, including eight years as mayor from 1999 to 2007. He was elected to the Benicia Unified School District board in 2009.
Rumors circulated for months that Messina may enter the race. Messina said he was planning on a formal announcement next week, but the news slipped out Wednesday after he told the online Benicia Patch that he was selling his Double Rainbow ice cream shop.
"I'll be putting all my energies into the school board, the fair board and most important, running for the board of supervisors in June 2012," Messina was quoted as saying.
He also said he has formed a campaign committee and is raising money.
Reached by phone Thursday, Messina told the Times-Herald that he launched his campaign website this week.
Messina said he has spoken to current and past supervisors about the job.
"It's a lot of work," he said. "But in all public service the rewards are when you accomplish something. That makes it all worthwhile."
Asked for her reaction to Messina's announcement, Seifert said she hopes voters will be swayed by her ongoing work on the board. Issues such as water quality, public safety and preventing First Five funding cuts have been among her priorities, she said.
"My goal for running for the board position in the first place was to work for open and transparent government," Seifert said. "I have worked every day to achieve that."
District 2's boundaries will shift in the next election, losing about 5,000 Vallejo voters to District 1 and picking up constituents around Fairfield.
As a result, Vallejo voters who supported Seifert in 2009 won't have a chance to vote for her again next year, even though technically Seifert will represent them until the end of her term.
Seifert downplayed any perceived disadvantage she and other board incumbents may face.
"I've worked on issues of common concern," she said, adding that her time in office has made her recognizable.
Other seats that will be in play include Vallejo's District 1 and District 5, which encompasses eastern Solano County, including Dixon, Rio Vista, Elmira and parts of Vacaville and Suisun City.
Supervisor Barbara Kondylis, of Vallejo, has announced she won't seek another term. So far no candidates have announced.
Meanwhile, Supervisor Mike Reagan, of Vacaville, remains unopposed in his re-election bid.
The candidate filing deadline in all three races is March 9.
Steve Messina is prepared to sell out the future long-term health to private investors. He is already talking with corporations involved with toxic pollution, hoping that these anti-life industries will "bring jobs" despite having a track record employing outside the locality where they set up shop.
2011-12-02 "Benicia's Messina to challenge Seifert for seat on the Solano County Board of Supervisors" by Tony Burchyns from "Vallejo Times Herlad" newspaper
[http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_19455142]
The race for the Solano County Board of Supervisors has begun, with Benicia school board trustee and former mayor Steve Messina announcing his bid to unseat first-term incumbent Linda Seifert.
The District 2 seat is one of three up for grabs in the June 5 primary. Candidates would need to win a majority of votes to avoid a November runoff.
Seifert, of Green Valley, announced her re-election intentions last month. Seifert won her first four-year term when she defeated John Silva in 2008.
Messina served on the Benicia City Council for a decade, including eight years as mayor from 1999 to 2007. He was elected to the Benicia Unified School District board in 2009.
Rumors circulated for months that Messina may enter the race. Messina said he was planning on a formal announcement next week, but the news slipped out Wednesday after he told the online Benicia Patch that he was selling his Double Rainbow ice cream shop.
"I'll be putting all my energies into the school board, the fair board and most important, running for the board of supervisors in June 2012," Messina was quoted as saying.
He also said he has formed a campaign committee and is raising money.
Reached by phone Thursday, Messina told the Times-Herald that he launched his campaign website this week.
Messina said he has spoken to current and past supervisors about the job.
"It's a lot of work," he said. "But in all public service the rewards are when you accomplish something. That makes it all worthwhile."
Asked for her reaction to Messina's announcement, Seifert said she hopes voters will be swayed by her ongoing work on the board. Issues such as water quality, public safety and preventing First Five funding cuts have been among her priorities, she said.
"My goal for running for the board position in the first place was to work for open and transparent government," Seifert said. "I have worked every day to achieve that."
District 2's boundaries will shift in the next election, losing about 5,000 Vallejo voters to District 1 and picking up constituents around Fairfield.
As a result, Vallejo voters who supported Seifert in 2009 won't have a chance to vote for her again next year, even though technically Seifert will represent them until the end of her term.
Seifert downplayed any perceived disadvantage she and other board incumbents may face.
"I've worked on issues of common concern," she said, adding that her time in office has made her recognizable.
Other seats that will be in play include Vallejo's District 1 and District 5, which encompasses eastern Solano County, including Dixon, Rio Vista, Elmira and parts of Vacaville and Suisun City.
Supervisor Barbara Kondylis, of Vallejo, has announced she won't seek another term. So far no candidates have announced.
Meanwhile, Supervisor Mike Reagan, of Vacaville, remains unopposed in his re-election bid.
The candidate filing deadline in all three races is March 9.
2011-12-02 "Occupy SF Protesters to Open People's Reserve Credit Union" by Erin Sherbert
[http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/12/occupy_sf_peoples_reserve_credit_union.php]
A few weeks ago, we got a real kick out of the fact that Occupy Oakland deposited a $20,000 donation it received into Wells Fargo -- one of the many big banks the movement has been actively protesting since September. Say what you want about Occupy SF camp (it's dirty and filled with homeless people) -- at least protesters there are practicing what they preach.
Members of Occupy SF announced their ambitious plans to turn protesters into bankers by creating the People's Reserve Credit Union. According to Occupy SF's Facebook page:
The goal of this project is to encourage San Francisco residents, businesses, as well as nonprofit and city agencies to keep their money out of the big banks and to redistribute that money locally. Initial services will include micro-loans for the working poor and homeless, and subsidized student loans at low interest rates.
The credit union is being created with the help of Supervisors John Avalos and Eric Mar. The group filed its paperwork and has already crafted a thoughtful mission statement: The credit union will serve as a replicable model for other financial institutions to reinvest wealth in their local communities. They will support microenterprise, provide educational loans, and foster community improvement projects.
Jason Macarthur, a protester with Occupy SF, listed the goals that the organization plans to achieve within the first year. That includes starting with 500 members with plans to grow to 2,000 members before the end of next year.
Other plans include:
* Accumulate capital assets of $7 million or more, through investments by different organizations, members, et al.
* Open two credit union branches within the city of San Francisco. The first branch location in the mid-Market Street corridor , in the former Social Security Administration storefront (MOCD) , with the assistance of other local nonprofits. Each branch will have a cafe within it and a commercial kitchen available to rent.
* The credit union will employ students and homeless, creating 60 part-time jobs.
* Issue 300 to 500 micro-enterprise loans (max. $5,000).
* Add 1,000 people overall to the city employment payroll.
* Finance and start a food co-op large enough to support a neighborhood.
"Out in the Excelsior, we're underserved by traditional banks .... We have a lot of the same kinds of businesses. Whenever we have a storefront open up, I always expect it's going to be filled by a 99-cent store -- and it too often is," Supervisor Avalos said. "There's a real need to have more diverse neighborhood-serving businesses."
According to Occupy SF volunteers, investors are already lining up to help with the program. "We believe the credit union serves as a model for other financial institutions to reinvest wealth in their communities," said Brian Mckune, an Occupy SF organizer. "We want to show them that there is a way to reduce the impact of large banks on the community at large, and the leakage of local funds internationally caused by the large banks, keeping the money where it belongs."
Who's going to be the first to sign up?
[http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/12/occupy_sf_peoples_reserve_credit_union.php]
A few weeks ago, we got a real kick out of the fact that Occupy Oakland deposited a $20,000 donation it received into Wells Fargo -- one of the many big banks the movement has been actively protesting since September. Say what you want about Occupy SF camp (it's dirty and filled with homeless people) -- at least protesters there are practicing what they preach.
Members of Occupy SF announced their ambitious plans to turn protesters into bankers by creating the People's Reserve Credit Union. According to Occupy SF's Facebook page:
The goal of this project is to encourage San Francisco residents, businesses, as well as nonprofit and city agencies to keep their money out of the big banks and to redistribute that money locally. Initial services will include micro-loans for the working poor and homeless, and subsidized student loans at low interest rates.
The credit union is being created with the help of Supervisors John Avalos and Eric Mar. The group filed its paperwork and has already crafted a thoughtful mission statement: The credit union will serve as a replicable model for other financial institutions to reinvest wealth in their local communities. They will support microenterprise, provide educational loans, and foster community improvement projects.
Jason Macarthur, a protester with Occupy SF, listed the goals that the organization plans to achieve within the first year. That includes starting with 500 members with plans to grow to 2,000 members before the end of next year.
Other plans include:
* Accumulate capital assets of $7 million or more, through investments by different organizations, members, et al.
* Open two credit union branches within the city of San Francisco. The first branch location in the mid-Market Street corridor , in the former Social Security Administration storefront (MOCD) , with the assistance of other local nonprofits. Each branch will have a cafe within it and a commercial kitchen available to rent.
* The credit union will employ students and homeless, creating 60 part-time jobs.
* Issue 300 to 500 micro-enterprise loans (max. $5,000).
* Add 1,000 people overall to the city employment payroll.
* Finance and start a food co-op large enough to support a neighborhood.
"Out in the Excelsior, we're underserved by traditional banks .... We have a lot of the same kinds of businesses. Whenever we have a storefront open up, I always expect it's going to be filled by a 99-cent store -- and it too often is," Supervisor Avalos said. "There's a real need to have more diverse neighborhood-serving businesses."
According to Occupy SF volunteers, investors are already lining up to help with the program. "We believe the credit union serves as a model for other financial institutions to reinvest wealth in their communities," said Brian Mckune, an Occupy SF organizer. "We want to show them that there is a way to reduce the impact of large banks on the community at large, and the leakage of local funds internationally caused by the large banks, keeping the money where it belongs."
Who's going to be the first to sign up?
2011-12-02 "SF Trade Unions March And Rally With Occupy SF"
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuonXYt68yI]
Hundreds of trade unionists and community activists rallied and marched in San Francisco on December 2, 2011 around attacks on labor and social services. The march ended up at Occupy San Francisco with performances of musicians including David Rovics.
The Democratic mayor Ed Lee continues to plan a police attack on the SF Occupy site.
Production of Labor Video Project www.laborvideo.org laborvideo.blip.tv
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuonXYt68yI]
Hundreds of trade unionists and community activists rallied and marched in San Francisco on December 2, 2011 around attacks on labor and social services. The march ended up at Occupy San Francisco with performances of musicians including David Rovics.
The Democratic mayor Ed Lee continues to plan a police attack on the SF Occupy site.
Production of Labor Video Project www.laborvideo.org laborvideo.blip.tv
2011-12-02 "SFSU Students Protest Fee Increases, Commence OccupySFSU Encampment"
by Kat Anderson from "Fog City Journal [http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/3219/sfsu-students-protest-fee-increases-commence-occupysfsu-encampment/]:
Kat Anderson is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law and Stanford University. She has made San Francisco her home since 1988.
---
As many as 200 students called on San Francisco State University President Robert Corrigan yesterday to sign a letter rejecting a CSU trustees-approved 9 percent hike in tuition fees. Photos by Luke Thomas.
Two hundred San Francisco State University students gathered at Malcolm X Plaza yesterday to protest yet another tuition fee increase approved by CSU trustees. The 9 percent hike will take effect in Fall 2012, amounting to an average increase of $500 per student, per semester.
The latest 9 percent fee increase adds to a 12 percent hike approved in July.
The OccupySFSU students proclaimed solidarity with Occupy movements everywhere. In turn, several OccupySF activists participated in the students’ demonstration and helped set up the encampment at Malcolm X Plaza, which started its first night after the rally and march. Among the speakers was Sean Semans, who has been an OccupySF resident for weeks. He carries an 18-unit course load at SFSU. He explained that he cannot afford to miss any more school especially given the high cost of his education, so he is helping to set up the encampment at SFSU and will participate in the OccupySFSU General Assembly. Semans warned students there is a hidden cost associated with the fee increases: increases to the interest rate on unsubsidized student loans.
Another OccupySF activist, “Magick,” called for an occupation of the entire city. She pointed out that every movement that has been successful has been so because of the support of students. “America has been dumbed down…to laborers and consumers,” she said. “We need to change that. Let’s use our critical thinking.” Key to the movement’s success, according to Magick, is consensus-based democracy.
Magick, an activist and organizer, said under the US capitalist system, "humans are expendable," that corporations exploit labor with the acquiescence of corrupt politicians.
A student speaker said, “We are here today to remind our administration of who truly runs the university – us, the students and the faculty and staff. It is we who operate this community…We are reawakening the radical spirits of this university. Join us!”
Senator Leland Yee’s staffer, Melissa Apuya, brought greetings from the Senator and explained that he introduced legislation to make sure that activity that would be legal for a person to engage in on public property would remain legal on public university property and that there should be no student discipline for engaging in such activity.
“Dylan,” a Spartacus Youth Club member proclaimed that all education should be free and that campuses should be controlled by students, teachers and workers. He closed by saying that “capitalist Democrats” are just as dangerous as Republicans.
The protesters marched on the Cesar Chavez Student Center while shouting, “We are the 99 percent.” Standing before two Chase bank ATMs, speakers declared that executives of big banks and corporations (which include trustees and regents of CSU and UC) use their influence to keep from funding the needs of the state. “Cuts to education in this state are a political choice; not a necessity,” shouted one student.
SFSU students target two Chase Bank ATMs, wrapping them in cling film.
As the crowd shouted, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out,” several students wrapped cling wrap around the Chase ATMs to bar access. Next, the group headed across campus to the Wells Fargo and Bank of America ATMs. Students passed out flyers entitled “Meet the 1%” containing images of Monica Lozano and Bill Hauck. Lozano is a UC Regent and Bank of America board member. In her role as BofA board member, Lozano presided over thousands of foreclosures, the flyer states.
“It is estimated our state has lost $4 billion in property tax revenues – money that could have gone to fund public education and essential services…BofA is one of the top-5 private sellers of student loans and holds a sizable chunk of the nation’s $1 trillion dollar student loan debt,” the flyer reads.
Bill Hauck is a CSU Trustee and former President of the California Business Roundtable, “an organization dedicated to advancing the interests of big business in California that claims 23 corporate members including Wells Fargo.” Wells Fargo received $369 billion in federal taxpayer bailout funds, has profited $32.4 billion since the bailout, and paid $27.2 billion in 2010 bonuses and compensation, according to the flyer.
The student protesters then covered the BofA and Wells Fargo ATMs with the Lozano and Hauck “Meet the 1%” flyers “to remind you all of their bad deeds.” Students waiting to use the ATMs were urged to take their money out of the “big banks” and join a credit union. It was declared that “every day is bank transfer day. Tell the banks ‘fuck you,’ you can’t have my money!”
SFSU students affix "Meet the 1%" flyers to Wells Fargo and Bank of America ATMs.
SFSU students covered the ATMs with "Meet the 1%" flyers.
Next, the students mobilized in front of the Administration building. They clarified their demands: reverse CSU’s 283 percent increase in tuition fees since 2002; rehire the 4,000 CSU faculty terminated since 2008; reduce class sizes and restore canceled classes; cap CSU executive salaries and bonuses; reinstate affirmative action to ensure access for all students. They read aloud an open letter to CSU President Robert Corrigan.
Corrigan came out to speak with the students. They urged him to work to reverse the tuition increases. Corrigan refused, laying blame at the feet of Sacramento legislators who refuse to raise taxes and who voted for deep spending cuts in education, including $650 million in cuts to the CSU budget. Corrigan sees tuition hikes as the only solution short of changing the attitudes of the legislators, especially the Republicans.
SFSU President Robert Corrigan responds to questions posed by students. He said the SFSU budget has been reduced by the California Assembly to 1998 levels. "The money's got to come from some place," he said. Questions posed to SFSU President Robert Corrigan were broadcast live (online) by SFSU students.
Following the hour-long debate with Corrigan, the student activists returned to Malcolm X Plaza and set up the OccupySFSU encampment. About 10 tents were pitched.
The OccupySFSU General Assembly meets every Monday and Thursday at noon. See [www.occupysfsu.org] for more information.
More Photos
SFSU students began their rally and protest at Malcolm X Plaza.
SFSU students continue their protest inside Cesar Chavez Student Center.
SFSU students listen attentively to SFSU President Robert Corrigan.
Budget Crisis or Priority Crisis? The State of California is #1 in prison spending and 48th in education spending.
Walk Out.
SFSU students set up up their OccupySFSU protest encampment outside Cesar Chavez Student Center.
Kat Anderson is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law and Stanford University. She has made San Francisco her home since 1988.
---
As many as 200 students called on San Francisco State University President Robert Corrigan yesterday to sign a letter rejecting a CSU trustees-approved 9 percent hike in tuition fees. Photos by Luke Thomas.
Two hundred San Francisco State University students gathered at Malcolm X Plaza yesterday to protest yet another tuition fee increase approved by CSU trustees. The 9 percent hike will take effect in Fall 2012, amounting to an average increase of $500 per student, per semester.
The latest 9 percent fee increase adds to a 12 percent hike approved in July.
The OccupySFSU students proclaimed solidarity with Occupy movements everywhere. In turn, several OccupySF activists participated in the students’ demonstration and helped set up the encampment at Malcolm X Plaza, which started its first night after the rally and march. Among the speakers was Sean Semans, who has been an OccupySF resident for weeks. He carries an 18-unit course load at SFSU. He explained that he cannot afford to miss any more school especially given the high cost of his education, so he is helping to set up the encampment at SFSU and will participate in the OccupySFSU General Assembly. Semans warned students there is a hidden cost associated with the fee increases: increases to the interest rate on unsubsidized student loans.
Another OccupySF activist, “Magick,” called for an occupation of the entire city. She pointed out that every movement that has been successful has been so because of the support of students. “America has been dumbed down…to laborers and consumers,” she said. “We need to change that. Let’s use our critical thinking.” Key to the movement’s success, according to Magick, is consensus-based democracy.
Magick, an activist and organizer, said under the US capitalist system, "humans are expendable," that corporations exploit labor with the acquiescence of corrupt politicians.
A student speaker said, “We are here today to remind our administration of who truly runs the university – us, the students and the faculty and staff. It is we who operate this community…We are reawakening the radical spirits of this university. Join us!”
Senator Leland Yee’s staffer, Melissa Apuya, brought greetings from the Senator and explained that he introduced legislation to make sure that activity that would be legal for a person to engage in on public property would remain legal on public university property and that there should be no student discipline for engaging in such activity.
“Dylan,” a Spartacus Youth Club member proclaimed that all education should be free and that campuses should be controlled by students, teachers and workers. He closed by saying that “capitalist Democrats” are just as dangerous as Republicans.
The protesters marched on the Cesar Chavez Student Center while shouting, “We are the 99 percent.” Standing before two Chase bank ATMs, speakers declared that executives of big banks and corporations (which include trustees and regents of CSU and UC) use their influence to keep from funding the needs of the state. “Cuts to education in this state are a political choice; not a necessity,” shouted one student.
SFSU students target two Chase Bank ATMs, wrapping them in cling film.
As the crowd shouted, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out,” several students wrapped cling wrap around the Chase ATMs to bar access. Next, the group headed across campus to the Wells Fargo and Bank of America ATMs. Students passed out flyers entitled “Meet the 1%” containing images of Monica Lozano and Bill Hauck. Lozano is a UC Regent and Bank of America board member. In her role as BofA board member, Lozano presided over thousands of foreclosures, the flyer states.
“It is estimated our state has lost $4 billion in property tax revenues – money that could have gone to fund public education and essential services…BofA is one of the top-5 private sellers of student loans and holds a sizable chunk of the nation’s $1 trillion dollar student loan debt,” the flyer reads.
Bill Hauck is a CSU Trustee and former President of the California Business Roundtable, “an organization dedicated to advancing the interests of big business in California that claims 23 corporate members including Wells Fargo.” Wells Fargo received $369 billion in federal taxpayer bailout funds, has profited $32.4 billion since the bailout, and paid $27.2 billion in 2010 bonuses and compensation, according to the flyer.
The student protesters then covered the BofA and Wells Fargo ATMs with the Lozano and Hauck “Meet the 1%” flyers “to remind you all of their bad deeds.” Students waiting to use the ATMs were urged to take their money out of the “big banks” and join a credit union. It was declared that “every day is bank transfer day. Tell the banks ‘fuck you,’ you can’t have my money!”
SFSU students affix "Meet the 1%" flyers to Wells Fargo and Bank of America ATMs.
Next, the students mobilized in front of the Administration building. They clarified their demands: reverse CSU’s 283 percent increase in tuition fees since 2002; rehire the 4,000 CSU faculty terminated since 2008; reduce class sizes and restore canceled classes; cap CSU executive salaries and bonuses; reinstate affirmative action to ensure access for all students. They read aloud an open letter to CSU President Robert Corrigan.
Corrigan came out to speak with the students. They urged him to work to reverse the tuition increases. Corrigan refused, laying blame at the feet of Sacramento legislators who refuse to raise taxes and who voted for deep spending cuts in education, including $650 million in cuts to the CSU budget. Corrigan sees tuition hikes as the only solution short of changing the attitudes of the legislators, especially the Republicans.
SFSU President Robert Corrigan responds to questions posed by students. He said the SFSU budget has been reduced by the California Assembly to 1998 levels. "The money's got to come from some place," he said. Questions posed to SFSU President Robert Corrigan were broadcast live (online) by SFSU students.
The OccupySFSU General Assembly meets every Monday and Thursday at noon. See [www.occupysfsu.org] for more information.
More Photos
SFSU students began their rally and protest at Malcolm X Plaza.
SFSU students continue their protest inside Cesar Chavez Student Center.
SFSU students listen attentively to SFSU President Robert Corrigan.
Budget Crisis or Priority Crisis? The State of California is #1 in prison spending and 48th in education spending.
Walk Out.
SFSU students set up up their OccupySFSU protest encampment outside Cesar Chavez Student Center.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
2011-12-01 "(De)Occupy CCC Teach-In"
Thursday 3:30 - 4:30 PM.
Contra Costa College in the Fireside Room [2600 Mission Bell Drive in San Pablo.]
We are calling it the DeOccupy CCC Forum because we are emphasizing the fact that this land is already under occupation by the bodies of government and institutions which do not represent our interests: the interests of the 99%. In this sense the Occupy movement is really about deoccupation.
This teach-in is being organized by the La Raza Student Union of CCC. Food and refreshments will be provided.
We would greatly appreciate if you can attend, to teach those who are ignorant and to express solidarity with your brothers and sisters in the struggle.
Contra Costa College in the Fireside Room [2600 Mission Bell Drive in San Pablo.]
We are calling it the DeOccupy CCC Forum because we are emphasizing the fact that this land is already under occupation by the bodies of government and institutions which do not represent our interests: the interests of the 99%. In this sense the Occupy movement is really about deoccupation.
This teach-in is being organized by the La Raza Student Union of CCC. Food and refreshments will be provided.
We would greatly appreciate if you can attend, to teach those who are ignorant and to express solidarity with your brothers and sisters in the struggle.
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