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  • Stop the evictions and discrimination against New Roots farmers in City Heights

    Stop the evictions and discrimination against New Roots farmers in City Heights

    New Roots farmers are fighting illegal evictions by the City Heights Community Development Corporation (CH-CDC), a local nonprofit.

    New Roots farmers at risk of eviction

    New Roots was established in 2008 by International Rescue Committee as a farm for the immigrant and refugee population in San Diego. This farm was run well until 2018 when it was transferred to CH-CDC. Since then rents and water bills have skyrocketed, while service from CH-CDC has been non-responsive.

    A group of 26 farmers signed a petition seeking to address issues of safety, security, and sanitation around the farm at the end of October 2023. In response, the CH-CDC has issued a no-fault eviction notice to one of the leaders, is pressuring farmers to sign leases for 2024 (without any translation service and, in some cases, a full copy of the lease), and attempting to break this union by only speaking with English- and Spanish-speaking members. They’ve gone so far as to unilaterally ban volunteers from visiting the garden without 60 days express permission from CH-CDC, something that has not happened in the farm’s history. This is a clear case of retaliation and union busting.

    Tuesday, December 5th we reported this mismanagement, harassment, and abuse of refugees at New Roots Community Farm to City officials. We have received no responses from CH-CDC which document any breach of New Roots code which would justify evicting Fatima, nor any legal documentation of a lease with the City of San Diego over the land at 5326 Chollas Parkway which grants CH-CDC administrative ability to do so. The only responses we’ve received from the City focus on the real estate implications in this fight, with no comment on the humans being threatened.

    15 civic organizations and over 200 San Diegans are also keenly interested in why CH-CDC is spending this holiday season attempting to bully refugees off their farm plots; more are signing on each day. Can you join this movement to save New Roots?

    Take Action

    Sign the petition

    We’ve contacted CH-CDC directly and sent out letters to all the City Council reps, Mayor, and the City Attorney asking for information.

    Click here to view those letters and add your signature.

    It’s been one week and we’ve had 15 organizations and over 200 San Diegans sign-on in support.

    Make phone calls & send emails

    Call and email the the contacts below:

    619-961-1070

    avillanueva@cityheightscdc.org
    cc: nsalgado@cityheightscdc.org

    619-236-6699

    seanelorivera@sandiego.gov
    cc: rmarin@sandiego.gov

    Refer to this list of demands when crafting your message:

    1. Renounce the eviction against Fatima and the unionized farmers.

    2. Insist CH-CDC publicly disclose why it believes it has any legal authority over this land.

    3. Stop using coercion and intimidation to pressure farmers to sign leases and waivers of liability written in languages they don’t understand.

    4. Cease discriminatory practices favoring specific individual farmers and groups based on language, ethnicity, and national origin.

  • Drop the Charges, UCSD!

    Drop the Charges, UCSD!

    This weekend, three academic workers and UAW 2865 members at the University of California San Diego were arrested in retaliation for union activity. The University has continued to repress union members, notably bringing code of conduct violations against 67 workers last month, as it refuses to adhere to the contract these workers won in a strike last year.

    Click here to sign the UAW petition to the University of California.

    Click here to sign the petition to the San Diego District Attorney.

    The San Diego chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America denounces in the strongest possible terms the actions by the UCSD administration that led to these arrests, and calls on the University to drop the charges and to adhere to the signed contract.

    In the time since the strike, the University has reneged on the legally binding contract that workers won, and has refused to fulfill its obligation to pay its workers properly. Instead, the University chose to have three academic workers arrested in order to stamp out dissent to the administration’s unlawful behavior. By making these arrests, the University is using the campus police force exactly as it was intended to be used — not to promote safety, but rather to harass, intimidate, and suppress workers simply demanding what they were promised.

    These arrests represent a shocking escalation of repression and union busting by the University. It is clear that it will take further struggle on the part of the workers — not only to cease the repression and drop all charges, but to force the University to finally comply with the contract. DSA San Diego membership stood with the UAW on the picket line in Fall 2022. Should they choose to strike again, we will stand with the workers once more and support them for as long as it takes to win. We will mobilize the full force of our membership to the picket lines if that is what it takes.

    Finally, we call on our membership to attend the UAW rally on July 10th at noon at the San Diego Central Courthouse to show our support for the union and the three workers unfairly targeted with state repression.

  • DSA San Diego Calls on San Diego City Council to Reject Amendments to the Surveillance Ordinance

    As a member of the Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology (TRUST) Coalition, DSA San Diego members have worked to pass a series of reform ordinances through the San Diego City Council.  After 2 years of diligent work involving community input and legal review, the City Council was cowed by the Police Officers Association to insert amendments which severely weaken this ordinance.  These amendments allow blanket-exemptions in oversight for technologies introduced to the city by Federal investigators.  The city will have no oversight or knowledge of the Surveillance Technologies introduced by federal law enforcement partners.

    This lack of oversight and control is unacceptable and endangers San Diegans.  Federal agencies have frequently engaged in predatory and invasive surveillance of our Muslim neighbors in the wake of 9/11. The Smart Streetlight in front of the First and Grape Planned Parenthood is still on and selling its data to a private company in Florida.  Abortion seekers traveling to San Diego are endangered by this technology, which can be used to criminalize them in their home state.  In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, federal agents ramped up brutalization of organizers and protestors, while the recent Egbert v Boule has further limited protections for Americans in the borderland region.  San Diego requires stronger oversight to protect its vulnerable populations. San Diego City Council must proactively fight for the rights of Muslims, of BLM organizers and those seeking reproductive healthcare.  DSA San Diego calls on City Council to reject the proposed amendments to the Surveillance Ordinance.  Locate your City Council Member, submit an e-Comment and leave a message, ping your Councilmember on Twitter and plan to show up to the City Council meeting and demand a strong surveillance ordinance.

  • Roe is gone – come together and fight

    The Supreme Court just overturned Roe v. Wade, and while abortion currently remains legal in California, this cannot stand. The time to hit the streets is now.

    Even worse, Justices Thomas and Kavanaugh stated in their concurring decisions that federal protections for same-sex relationships and marriage and contraception may also be subject to reversal. Members of DSA San Diego must mobilize against this violent attack on abortion and reproductive rights, queer rights, trans care, and so much more.

    *** Gather with DSA members and members of our community tonight, June 24 at 7 pm at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway. ***

    They have the courts, but we have the people.

    Free abortion on demand and without apology. Nothing less.

    In solidarity,

    DSA San Diego

    PS: Not able to show up in person? Visit protectabortion.org to sign our national petition and learn about more ways to help.

  • Drop the Charges Against Local Activists Defending our Community!

    You can sign onto this letter: https://forms.gle/rvYjfMUdyjAa5Q33A 

    We demand that all charges against local activists from San Diego and Los Angeles defending our community from violent far-right extremists be dropped! We denounce the unprecedented conspiracy charges and the unreasonably high bail against transgender activists. 

    On January 9, 2021, violent far-right extremists went to Pacific Beach to disrupt and terrorize the local community – but local activists counter-demonstrated to show that hate is not welcome in our communities. In response, not only did SDPD use force solely against the counter-demonstrators, but now almost a year later is going after local activists alleging criminal conspiracy based largely on allegations of wearing black and liking social media posts. This is obscene and tyrannical overreach, and if it succeeds, it will set a deadly precedent for people opposing hate all across the country! 

    Local San Diego and Los Angeles community organizations say NO to these charges, and NO to the repression of local activists. We demand the charges be dropped!

    We encourage community members to support the defendants in the coming months, prioritizing their leadership in this struggle, donating to their support funds, and speaking out against the repression of local activists for defending our communities!

    P.S: please lend your support by donating to their support funds: link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4, link 5, link 6

    Signed

    Organizations

    Democratic Socialists of America, San Diego

    Socialist Rifle Association, San Diego

    Freestoresd

    Individuals

    Adam K

    Kris Marvel

    Gerard Dalbon

    A Bridges

    amanda eff

    Christina Crews

    Johnny Tran

    Valerie Orozco

    Johanna Verdugo

    Kevin

    Kate Burns

    Laura

  • CalCare Car Caravan

    AB 1400 or CalCare is California’s single payer bill. It would create a single tax-funded health insurer that covers all Californians for all types of care without out-of-pocket costs.

    Supporters of AB 1400 are organizing a day of action in Sacramento and across the state on January 8th. In San Diego we will be holding a car caravan of supporters (staying in our cars limits the risk of spreading COVID). We’ll gather at the north end of the Zoo parking lot near the Therapeutic Recreation Services Building at 3325 Zoo Drive in San Diego. Then we’ll drive downtown and circle Assemblymember Weber’s office on Front Street.

    Please RSVP and join us on January 8th at 11:30!

  • San Diego needs a Green New Deal for Public Schools

    Public schools across the nation have suffered from decades of disinvestment, redlining and cycles of poverty and trauma. The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to meet the moment and prioritize our students. Every student, regardless of background, should be able to enjoy clean air and learn in a safe school environment, free from mold or broken windows. The Democratic Socialists of America launched our Green New Deal for Public Schools (GND4PS) campaign to support this act nationally, with DSA San Diego supporting the effort locally.

    The ambitious new legislation — which aims to invest $1.43 trillion over 10 years in public schools and infrastructure to combat climate change — would make a transformative and unprecedented investment in public school infrastructure by upgrading every public school building in the country, addressing historical harms and inequities by focusing support on high-need schools, and hiring and training hundreds of thousands of additional educators and support staff. If enacted, the legislation would fund 1.3 million jobs per year and eliminate 78 million metric tons of CO2 annually, the equivalent of taking 17 million cars off the road.

    The climate crisis continues to worsen as the government fails to reel in corporate greed. We need to put our children and their futures at the forefront of our decision-making. The Green New Deal for Public Schools Act represents the level of school infrastructure investment that is urgent and necessary. What this comes down to is whether we’re willing to provide our kids with the resources they need to realize their brilliance and have a livable planet. To win it, we need to organize communities, educators, parents, and students. Join us!

    Take Action – Contact your Congressional Representatives >

  • Tell City Council to vote NO on 20 more years of fossil fuel control of our energy grid!

    The Mayor’s office is pushing forward a plan that would mean 20 more years of SDG&E – a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a multinational fossil fuel conglomerate – as the utility with exclusive rights to provide San Diego’s electric and gas services.

    Under SDG&E, San Diegans pay the highest rates for electricity in the continental US, while SDG&E rakes in hundreds of millions in profit per year. With SDG&E as our utility, there is no chance of San Diego taking the decisive action required to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

    Thankfully, City Council can put a stop to this deal. This is where you come in – we need YOU to send a message to your council member, demanding they vote NO on this new deal!

    Fill out the form below to send a message to your council member.

    If you would prefer to call your council member, you can find your City Council district and contact information using this interactive map.

    Below is an example of a call script you could use when contacting your council member:

    Hi my name is ____, and I’m a constituent of District ____ calling to urge Councilmember _____ to vote NO on Mayor Gloria’s new deal with SDG&E. For decades SDG&E shareholders and executives have profited at the expense of San Diego ratepayers. It is unjust for San Diegans to be forced to pay the highest rates in the continental United States, while Sempra profits more than $1,000,000 each day. We should not have to pay twice as much as Sacramento and 50% more than Los Angeles. You have the opportunity to reject profits being pulled from our pockets by an unaccountable corporation. Please fight for your constituents and reject Mayor Gloria’s flawed agreement. Thank you.

    You can find more background information on our main campaign page: https://dsasandiego.org/energy-democracy

  • Tell City Council: San Diego Deserves a Public Energy Utility

    The City of San Diego’s 50-year franchise agreement with SDG&E for electric and gas services  is set to expire in June. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to change the direction of San Diego’s energy future, to turn away from a private company owned by a fossil fuel conglomerate, towards a publicly owned and operated utility responsive to the people’s demands for lower utility bills, climate justice, and clean energy.

    We don’t want a new franchise agreement with any private company – so we need our City Council members to vote NO on any bids, and to start working on establishing a public energy utility immediately!

    For more information on how to take action, visit https://dsasandiego.org/energy-democracy

  • Call in for Public Power: Thursday, Dec 17, 10 am

    This Thursday, December 17 at 10 am newly elected Council President Jennifer Campbell has called a special meeting to open the electricity and gas franchise agreement bids that her predecessor refused to docket due to a deeply flawed process. We encourage all members and supporters of our public power fight to please call in to offer your public comment.

    Phone in Testimony
    After the meeting begins at 10 am, when the Clerk introduces either the item you would like to comment on or the comment period for, Non-Agenda Public Comment or Closed Session Public Comment, follow the instructions within the  “Public Comment Instructions” by dialing the number below to be placed in the queue.

    1. DIAL 619-541-6310
    2. Enter the Access Code: 877861 then press ‘#’.

    Proposed talking points – personalize for greater effect:

    1. The last council president refused to docket the opening of these bids for good reason. The process for developing the invitation to bid and determining the city’s best course of action was extremely flawed, with members of the community given almost no time to absorb and respond to the report prepared by the city-contracted consultants. The advisory body focused on sustainable energy could not meet quorum most of the year given the last mayor’s failure to fill vacancies, and ergo never discussed or provided their advice to council on the merits of the consultant’s report, recommendations, and potential opportunities.
    2. It is clear that in an economic crisis where thousands of San Diegans are experiencing heightened instability that the best path forward for utility service most just and equitable to members of our community is the path away from corporations who extract the City’s franchise fee from our pockets and build their own profits into the revenue model. The City should not be balancing its budget on the backs of the working class.
    3. We urge members of City Council to position any next steps within the context of a binding commitment to public operation of our electricity and gas utilities. Interest rates are at an historic low, there is no better time to begin this transition.