Monthly Archives: November 2018

#NEVERAGAIN, March For Our Lives, Mass shootings

Desmond Tutu awards peace prize to Parkland shooting survivors

Repost from NBC News

“I am in awe of these children,” Tutu said at the ceremony on Tuesday.

Image: March For Our Lives
Emma Gonzalez and other Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students conclude the March For Our Lives in Washington on March 24. Shawn Thew / EPA file
By Associated Press, Nov. 20, 2018 / 9:56 AM PST

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Parkland students who created an international movement to raise awareness for gun violence after a deadly school shooting were awarded the International Children’s Peace Prize on Tuesday.

During a ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu presented the award, calling the student organization March For Our Lives one of the most significant youth-led mass movements in living memory and its founders “true change-makers.”

“I am in awe of these children, whose powerful message is amplified by their youthful energy and an unshakable belief that children can — no, must — improve their own futures,” Tutu said.

In the moments after 17 of their classmates and teachers were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, Delaney Tarr, Ryan Deitsch and Jaclyn Corin and more than a dozen others sprang to action, doing countless media interviews, grilling lawmakers about gun reform during town halls, and sparking massive walkouts and peaceful protests at schools across the country.

Matt Deitsch, a Parkland alumnus whose two younger siblings were students at the time of the shooting, immediately left college to help form March For Our Lives.

Hogg, Gonzalez, Corin and the Deitsch brothers were in South Africa to accept the award. Gonzalez said the award “serves as a major reminder that the universe is on the side of justice and that we will win because our cause is one of peace.”

Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed, also spoke during the ceremony. The group was joined by two students from Chicago Strong, a youth-led initiative to end gun violence in their hometown, who have worked closely with their cause.

Cameron Kasky
Cameron Kasky, center, speaks at a news conference on June 4, 2018, in Parkland, Florida, where a group of school shooting survivors announced a multi-state bus tour to “get young people educated, registered and motivated to vote.” Wilfredo Lee / AP

Since the Valentine’s Day massacre, the students have gained international attention, raised millions of dollars from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney for their grassroots movement and made a slew of television appearances.

Hundreds of thousands attended their Washington, D.C., march this spring to raise awareness about gun violence and advocate for safer schools. Many of the students have called for a ban on assault rifles and universal background checks. The organization says more than 25 states have passed legislation consistent with their cause, including Florida.

Over the summer, the students hit the road, visiting 80 communities in 24 states to help register young voters and spread their message about gun violence. Their tireless efforts even landed them on the cover of Time magazine.

Marc Dullaert, founder of KidsRights and the International Children’s Peace Prize, said the students “transformed a local community protest into a truly global youth-led and peaceful protest-movement.”

In Parkland on Tuesday, a charity group pledged $1 million to create artworks to help the community heal.

Bloomberg Philanthropies said it’s making the grant to Parkland and Coral Springs for their project, “Inspiring Community Healing After Gun Violence: The Power of Art.” Five artists and teams will create temporary projects for public display. Community workshops and talks will discuss using art for emotional healing.

Most of the 17 victims were from the cities.

The charity was founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who started the news agency bearing his surname. He has been an outspoken supporter of groups with the goal of decreasing gun violence.

Keeping Watch on Earth News

Council: Let’s get creative so that we don’t have another dirty election in 2020

An email sent to Benicia City Council and staff by Roger Straw (also published in the Benicia Herald and Vallejo Times-Herald)

Massive intrusion of big money in our local election

By Roger Straw, November 12, 2018
Roger Straw, The Benicia Independent

In an online forum, Vice Mayor Steve Young congratulated City Council members-elect Strawbridge and Largaespada, and wrote, “While I was a strong supporter of Kari Birdseye, and joined all the candidates in decrying the over the top PAC spending and the false charges made against her, the voters have spoken….I pledge to work with both of the new Council members on issues of mutual agreement, and to disagree where I must. There are lots of issues to address in the City, and it’s time now to buckle down and get to work.”

Admirable of Steve, and necessary for all Council members going forward.  I’d like to write about one of those issues the Council needs to buckle down and get to work on.

There are lessons to be learned from this contentious election.  Many of Kari Birdseye’s supporters have, like Steve, expressed deep disappointment over the massive spending in our local election by a political action committee (PAC) organized by Valero Services Inc. and a coalition of labor groups.  The PAC spent more than 3 times the combined spending of the four candidates, over $200,000.  That’s about 10 times what each of the 3 major candidates spent.  Many in Benicia are concerned about this as a possible trend, given the “Citizens United” decision of our U.S. Supreme Court which allows corporations and PACS to spend without limit in our elections.

Online expression of these concerns and post-election analyses has been criticized.  One responder wrote, “Losers are right to be disappointed, but me thinks they give too much credit to Valero.”

I’m sure there are multiple factors for the Council race outcome, so I’ll agree that Valero – and labor – doesn’t get ALL of the “credit.”  But I’d prefer to term it “discredit.”  Valero/Labor money from Benicia, Texas, Sacramento and Los Angeles – paying for smears, misinformation, scare tactics and professional and pervasive print, digital, phone and canvassing support for chosen candidates (and AGAINST a singular candidate) – was surely one of the major factors.  And the message they will take away is that they won.  We can expect huge PAC influence again in 2020.

What, if anything, can our community do to prepare?  I’m not at all sure.  Maybe it falls to our newly elected Council – including Strawbridge and Largaespada who were publicly and highly critical of the Valero/Labor PAC’s tactics – to take a new look at our 2008 campaign finance ordinance.

Do Council members ONLY object to the negativity and false charges thrown around by the PAC?  Or do they ALSO object to the massive intrusion of big money into our local elections?  Given the legality of such outside meddling under current U.S law, how can our Council members get creative to prepare for another election in which big business and big labor outspend a candidate by a factor of 10?  How can we get creative on this… before 2020?

Roger Straw
Benicia

Air monitors, Air pollution, Benicia City Council, Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO), Valero Benicia Refinery

Mayor Patterson: Air monitors and public health – Council agenda for Tuesday

From an E-Alert by Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson

Much more than fence-line air monitors…

Monday, November 19, 2018

Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia Mayor 2007 - present
Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia Mayor 2007 – present

The regular council meeting will be at 7:00 and the agenda and staff reports and recommendations are online here.

The main item of interest is the “report” to Council about progress on installation of air monitors by Valero.  The report came about because of the request by the Industrial Safety Ordinance working group – a citizens’ steering committee which researched and developed a draft Industrial Safety Ordinance in response to the near catastrophic melt down of Valero Refinery in May of 2017 and subsequent plumes of black smoke.

The request to the city council was – and is – to have an outside subject matter expert with legal skills to review the proposed ISO and determine its legal sufficiency and report to the council.  For some reason staff does not make this clear but rather states that it is a vote up or down on the ordinance. This is incorrect.

The request to have an expert opinion report on the need, adequacy and value of the Industrial Safety Ordinance is meant to have a neutral party report to council.  I made a request for considering the ordinance in May of 2017 and soon realized that this would not be addressed quickly.  Therefore, I advised the Benicians for Safe and Healthy Community and thus they took the initiative to research, interview, have an expert panel discussion and draft the ordinance.  Naturally, this was done to expedite the process.  The small step of seeking outside advice on the draft Ordinance was voted down by the council majority.

A couple of common objections to the Industrial Safety Ordinance are:

  1. An ISO is not necessary now that the state has adopted many of the Contra Costa County ISO regulations.  It should be noted that none of the cities or county have rescinded their ordinance because they still find it meets specific needs and is subject to better reporting to local government.
  2. Now that the fence-line monitors are in place there is no need for the ISO because the county’s Program 4 suffices.  Actually this is a requirement of the state to coordinate state and local regulations and is incorporated by reference into the draft ISO.  The county does not have regulatory authority, but rather coordinates.  For instance, the county reports on inspections and status of required reports.  The coordination with local government to date has been a booth at the 2018 Peddlers’s Fair.  CalEPA requires a full public participation program for the community air monitor(s) to be implemented.  Neither the community air monitor nor the public participation program has been done.

In short the proposed Industrial Safety Ordinance is much more than fence-line monitors at the refinery or portable emergency air monitors.  It is providing a seat at the table participating with the county and state regulators and the regulated industries.  It is a guarantee to get reports and posting them on city website rather than chasing down reports at the county or state and often with broken links.  It is a fee structure to pay for continuous staff level of engagement rather than driven by budget constraints.  It is memorializing our affirmative duty to protect public health.  It establishes a collaborative relationship with regulators and the regulated refinery and not a co-dependent relationship.

Air monitors, Air Quality, Benicia CA, Benicia City Council, Community-wide air monitoring, Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO), ISO Working Group

Important Benicia City Council meeting this Tuesday Nov. 20

By Roger Straw, Monday, November 19, 2018
[Editor:  Highly recommended: Mayor Patterson’s Air monitors and public health – Council agenda for Tuesday.  Also, see Kathy Kerridge’s  invitation to this meeting.  – R.S.]

Valero and City staff report on air monitor progress required by ISO denial

You may want to attend the Benicia City Council meeting this Tuesday evening, November 20, or watch it on Benicia TV.

Last June, City Council chose NOT to review a draft Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO) prepared by a local citizen activist Working Group.  However, the presentation and discussion at Council that night highlighted a unanimous concern that Benicia needs better air quality monitors and better communication between Valero refinery and the City.

At the end of the Council’s discussion last June, Council members Campbell and Schwartzman demanded that Valero install certain air monitors and undertake improved communications with the City in six months, OR ELSE.  Or else, that  is, they would vote in favor of an ISO to better protect the interests of the City.

Well, the six months has passed, and this Tuesday City Council will hear reports and discuss progress made – or not made.  As always, public comments, written or spoken, are welcome.  (See “Where to write…”)

IMPORTANT PREPARATION MATERIALS: see the Nov. 20 staff report and attachments here, beginning on p. 6 of the agenda.

City Council will meet at 7 pm on Tuesday November 20 in chambers at City Hall, 250 East L Street.  The meeting will be broadcast live on your tv at home on Comcast channel 27 or AT&T U-Verse channel 99 or via live streaming on your computer at Benicia TV, https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/btv.