Monthly Archives : March 2014

The Cesar Chavez Movie and Why It Matters


On Friday, March 28, the movie about the iconic labor leader Cesar Chavez and the farm worker movement will be released nationwide.  The reason I will be viewing it several times is: it is a family affair and it’s personal.  This is why the movie, “Cesar Chavez” matters.  As an organizer for the CWA Local 9423, the challenges to organizing…

Seize the Moment for Women’s Health Care


The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare,  is doing something for women you may not be familiar with, but you should be. The ACA does a lot to address what’s wrong with our system of health care in America, and one of the most important ways in which it does that is a huge victory for women’s health.  While Obamacare will…

17 Million Reasons to Raise the Minimum Wage


I have 17 million reasons for wanting to increase the minimum wage. Yes, 17 million—the number of children whose lives would be a little more secure if their moms and dads earned at least $10.10 an hour.  When I was in junior high, my daddy had a heart attack. He was home for a while, the medical bills piled up,…

Policy Watch: Your weekly tip sheet for what’s going on in your community.


Mountain View Strengthening the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance The City of Mountain View is moving to make life easier for those displaced by the rapidly rising rental market. The Council will take up amendments to the current ordinance, which requires landlords to provide relocation assistance to households that earn less than 50% of the area median income (AMI) when four…

City is Losing in Police Numbers Game


SJPOA exposes false claims from Sam Liccardo that San Jose has help coming to deal with skyrocketing crime. New city projections released at a Willow Glen community meeting show 100 less officers in San Jose by June of 2016.   Tweet

Whopper of the Week: The Fly’s Assertions Just Don’t Fly


On March 12th, the Fly, a column posted on the blog San Jose Inside, presented an article titled, “Odd Bunch: Republican Sheriff Laurie Smith, Organized Labor.  The piece focused on the fact that Cindy Chavez and other Democrats and labor leaders supported the re-election of GOP Sheriff Laurie Smith. The article is loaded with whoppers, but the most scale-busting lunker…

Republic Tries to Skirt Living Wage


We live in an incredibly labor-friendly area, where workers are respected for what they do, and are generally compensated quite well for their hard work.  That’s not always the case though, especially when greedy, out-of-state employers operate in our area.  Workers need to have safeguards in place that protect them from being exploited by these types of employers. Tweet

SJ Minimum Wage Success Inspires Others


It’s been a year since San Jose voters overwhelmingly decided to raise the City’s minimum wage to $10 an hour, and guess what?  Not only has the sky NOT fallen, as critics warned, but the economy and low wage workers are better off than they were a year ago. Some of the major supporters of Measure D, as it was…

40 Days for Life is a Misnomer, to Say The Least


We are in the midst of what Anti-Choice bullies call the “40 Days for Life” protests, which began on March 5 and run through the end of Lent on April 13. The word “life” is apparently open to interpretation by these people because the lives of women don’t seem to be included.  Across the country, extremist demonstrators are protesting at health clinics…

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