Take Over P G & E

The potential bankruptcy of the California utility whose negligence likely plays a role in California’s wildfires is an opportunity for the public to gain control of the state’s energy destiny

Cal Fire found that three separate wildfires across the state in 2017 were caused by PG&E, and the utility could be liable for up to $12 billion in damages from more than 800 civil lawsuits., Mario Tama/Getty Images

There is strong evidence that the wildfires raging through California right now—killing at least 80 people, with at least an additional 1,000 missing as of November 18—have been sparked at least in part by the large investor-owned monopoly utility, PG&E. Further, PG&E’s apparent negligence and its consequences aren’t new. Cal Fire found that three separate wildfires across the state in 2017 were caused by PG&E, and the utility could be liable for up to $12 billionin damages from more than 800 civil lawsuits. With that backdrop, PG&E teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, and the California Public Utility Commission is now thinking of breaking up the utility. But the commission shouldn’t stop at breaking up PG&E. The public should take it over.

Democracy Blocked

We changed our country for the better on November 6th, 2018.

We elected hundreds of new, diverse representatives and passed ballot measures that will impact thousands of lives right away and in the years to come.

But gerrymandering still kept too many voters from having their voices heard. 

Gerrymandering had an undeniable impact on these midterms. The results in Pennsylvania and North Carolina show exactly what I mean:

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court struck down the state's unfair maps, declaring them unconstitutional and ordering them redrawn before the 2018 election.

That decision resulted in a fair representation of Pennsylvania voters' choices. On Election Night, Democrats picked up 4 seats in Pennsylvania -- sending 9 Republicans and 9 Democrats to Washington. A result that fits the state.

But in North Carolina, where maps have been ruled unconstitutional but weren't redrawn in time for the election, fair representation broke down. Despite winning nearly 50% of the popular vote, Democrats won only 3 of 13 congressional seats.

These two states are proof that when gerrymandering goes unchecked, votes don't count the way they should. That's not how democracy should work -- and that's why our fight is just beginning,

From a neighborhood list serve.
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. -Martin Luther King Jr. In today's highly politically-charged environment, and with countless examples of corporate, and government waste and greed it's easy to understand why some people partake in resistive efforts, and in extreme cases taking political "pot shots" against many. SMUD is a customer-owned, public utility. We customers benefit not only from lower costs, but also much from the numerous ways that SMUD "gives back" to improve our community. Believe what you wish and espouse what you may. However, make no mistake about it that the competetive threat to SMUD is real. This threat has been increasing ever since AB 1890 (California Electric Utilty Deregulation) was first introduced in the late 1990's. At that time, the viabilty of SMUD's future existence and it's roughly 30 percent lower residential electricity costs were threatened. SMUD didn't advertise at that time, and laws prevented it. The ENRON scandal stalled it and caused the voting public and many lawmakers to question the move. In efforts to stave off the threat and to position themselves, many utilities diversified and split up factions of their business. We saw the creation of specific and separate entities such as power generation, power contracts, transmission, and distribution create even more fractured subentities. The bottom line is this all ended up in driving up consumer costs. Don't believe me? Let's see if this helps; A single residential customer kwh in the late 1990's was AND expected to slightly go lower in the approximately 3-4 cents range. Look at your bill to see today's cost. Thank you California Lawmakers, NOT! Some things were not broken. Utilities had to restucture rates to prevent competitors "cherry-picking." As an example, Commercial rates were reduced as they had been subsidizing "lower" Residential rates. Our costs further increased.

Air Quality

Northern California. Wed. Nov.14. 

PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE NOVEMBER ORGANIZING MEETING -- SATURDAY, 11/17, 11AM

LOCATION CHANGE!: Sac State remains closed this weekend due to the poor air quality. As a result, we will be moving our Progressive Alliance November Organizing Meeting to Paul & Leisa's house on Cameron Park Lake: 3025A Cambridge Rd., Cameron Park 95682. Hope you can join us!

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Joins Climate Change Activists In Protest At Na...

Trump Deploys Troops to Southern Border

DOD FORMALLY APPROVES MILITARY-HOSTED IMMIGRANT CONCENTRATION CAMPS AS NON-MILITARY SITES FILL UP

By Courage to Resist.  October 23, 2018

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, once again declared that active duty US military personnel need to be deployed to the southern border in order to repel, “the assault on our country.” (Militarytimes.com, October 18, 2018)
October 25, 2018 update: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis today authorized 800 active-duty troops, to bolster the roughly 2,100 National Guardsmen who have already been sent to the border.

It’s easy to attack a ragtag group of immigrants, traveling in a public caravan, seeking asylum, and this kind of rhetoric plays well to his anti-immigration base, leading up to the midterm elections. However, it’s more than just rhetoric.
This summer, the Trump Administration ordered the military to detain tens of thousands of immigrants in tent cities across the United States. Eight military installations were identified, primarily those near the southern border with unused air strips. The military agreed, and the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services (HHS) got onboard.
Military brass suggested that these camps would not violate the constitutional prohibition against using the military to police and enforce domestic immigration law, based on the fact that the military has occasionally provided shelter to people during humanitarian crises, for short periods of time. Apparently, because the military helped out a bit following a hurricane then long term immigrant concentration camps are just fine.

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Choosing Democracy: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 'We Have To Keep Organiz...

Choosing Democracy: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 'We Have To Keep Organiz...: DSA's newest Congresswoman In a galvanizing victory speech to an electrified crowd of admirers, Ocasio-Cortez waved away the l...

You're Invited -- Free Screenings of "THE BLEEDING EDGE" Thursday & Friday Nights!

Progressive Alliance Voter Guide

Daily Show, Happy Halloween Reminder: "Race Is Not a Costume"

Work Together- Defeat Trump

Help Us Defeat Trump !!

Not printed nor distributed at any candidate’s expense or direction. 

Trump's Enablers Produced the Hate in Pittsburgh

Sasha AbramskyWe don’t yet know everything that motivated the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers. And, truth be told, we may never know exactly what psychological aberrance led to his deadly rampage this Saturday morning.

Bower’s twitter postings, however, give at least a partial window into his soul. The man is a rabid nationalist. He believes that Jews seek to control the world. He is convinced that Jews, via HIAS, the refugee-rights and -resettlement organization formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, are bringing in “invaders”—such as the caravan of destitute and terrified Central American families walking their way north through Mexico.

Bowers is a Nazi sympathizer. And, unlike Cesar Sayoc, the man suspected of mailing more than a dozen pipe bombs to political and media figures around the country over the past week, he hates Trump, believing that Trump isn’t nearly nationalist enough and, in fact, is controlled by a cabal of globalist Jews.

But here’s the thing: While Bowers might fashion himself as an anti-Trump figure, the reemergence of deadly anti-Semitic violence perfectly fits the awful political moment Trump himself is presiding over. The viciously nationalist rhetoric Trump now uses at his rallies, his onslaught against “globalists”—the word itself, along with “cosmopolitan” has always been anti-Semitic code for “Jewish”—his demonizing of immigrants, of refugees, of asylum seekers, his accusation that George Soros is somehow behind the caravan of Hondurans and Guatemalans, this is quite simply fodder for anti-Semites. “Soros” to anti-Semites in 2018 is a similar slur to “Rothschild” in the previous century.

Most American Jews are all too aware of what Trump’s rhetoric and actions can lead to. While much of the Orthodox community supported him in 2016, the overwhelming majority of Jewish voters did not. An American Jewish Committee poll last year found that 77 percent of US Jews opposed Trump. In solidarity with other immigrants’ rights organizations, groups like HIAS have continually sounded the alarm on the toxic nature of Trumpism. And the rabbi of the synagogue that was attacked today himself penned an article earlier this year warning of the dangers of both the gun culture and the anti-immigrant moment. “Our school students deserve better. Immigrant families deserve better. We deserve better,” he wrote.

Defeat the Trump Fear Campaign- Vote !

antiracismdsa: Defeat the Trump Fear Campaign- Vote !: Contrary to the current Trump Administration statements, we are not being invaded by people from Central America .    President Trump ...