Hate messages sprayed on California mosque

Islamophobia Watch, June 5, 2009

A Southern California mosque was vandalized with graffiti including expletives and threats early Thursday, shortly after President Barack Obama's address in Egypt to the Muslim world.
A police officer on patrol at 4 a.m. spotted the hate messages painted on the front wall of the Islamic Center of Cypress, said Sgt. Tom Bruce. The paint was still wet, he said.
Rusty Kennedy, executive director of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, said the graffiti was about 4 feet or 5 feet tall and spread over up to 30 feet of the wall.
In an e-mail to Muslim-American community leaders, Kennedy reported that the graffiti read in part: "We will kill you all" and "U.S. military is going to kill you all."
Kennedy said it was likely the graffiti was prompted by Obama's outreach to the Middle East. The vandalism occurred about an hour after Obama's speech at Cairo University in Egypt aired live on the West Coast.
"I think that in the realm of hate crime you see there is often a reactionary element to it, so the Obama initiative ... may very well have been what triggered this hate crime," he said.

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The battle for our schools heats up in LA

By Randy Childs, Socialist Worker, April 9, 2009

As budget cuts loom, there's a climate of uncertainty in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
There's the ominous possibility of massive layoffs affecting the people who serve the children of LA in our schools, including more than 3,600 classroom teachers. There's also the prospect that even deeper cuts could be precipitated by a state budget revision expected in May from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's already slashed billions from education.
On the other hand, there is the possibility that thousands of these jobs could be saved immediately using federal stimulus money.
And most importantly, there are the early stirrings of a potentially massive movement that is pushing demands that LAUSD slash its bureaucracy and the state raise taxes on California's millionaires in order to stop the cuts to our schools.
At the center of this struggle is United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which represents more than 45,000 teachers, counselors and health care providers in LA public schools.

Continue reading 'The battle for our schools heats up in LA'. . .

Anti-war march held in Los Angeles to mark Iraq war anniversary

Xinhua, March 22, 2009

Shouting "Occupation is a crime" and holding banners such as "Bring All the Troops Home Now," thousands of demonstrators held an anti-war rally in Hollywood, Los Angeles on Saturday.
The demonstrators marched along the famous Hollywood Boulevard to demand an end to the six-year war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Our resources are being squandered on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when we have a devastating economic crisis at home," said "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan, who spoke at a rally on behalf of Global Women's Strike. Her son was killed in Iraq in 2004.

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High School Students Take Up Guerilla Gardening

Uprising Radio, March 13, 2009

In a practice known as guerrilla gardening, groups of environmentalists, armed with seed bombs, seek out neglected plots of land in urban sprawl areas, and transform them into green spaces. Operating in a legally gray area, this form of environmental activism is simple and provocative. In recent years, guerrilla gardening has become a worldwide phenomenon with environmentalists planting in plots from Melbourne, Australia to right here in Los Angeles. Beginning less than a year ago, Los Angeles Guerrilla Gardening has taken to direct-action digs in cities such as Hollywood and Silver Lake. South Central Resistance, another Guerilla Gardening group, was formed more recently after high school youth were questioned about their gardening activities on the corner of Slauson Avenue and Figueroa Street by the Los Angeles Police Department. Undeterred by the police harassment, South Central Resistance organized on a platform that includes “protect the plants,” and “encourage others to care about the environment.” This Sunday, South Central Resistance will be hosting “The Big Dig,” at the corner of 40th and Broadway planting their mission to “green the hood for the common good.”

GUESTS: Blanca aka Treehugger, Yarisell aka Farewell to Spring, David aka Sparaxis.

The Big Dig is happening this Sunday March 15th from 4 - 8 pm on the corner of 40th and Broadway. For more information call Treehugger at 323-635-7635.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/southcentralyouthgarden and http://socalguerrillagardening.org/ or email southcentralresistance62@gmail.com.

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LA teachers sit in over layoffs

Sarah Knopp, a public school teacher in Los Angeles, reports on her union's sit-in at a school board meeting to protest planned layoffs.
By Sarah Knopp, Socialist Worker, March 12, 2009

Fifty teachers along with parent supporters disrupted a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Board meeting March 10 and occupied the boardroom in an attempt to stop a vote on sending out "reduction in force" notices to almost 9,000 district employees.

Continue reading 'LA teachers sit in over layoffs'. . .

California legislature adjourns with no budget; governor prepares to lay off 10,000

By Jordan Rau and Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times, February 17, 2009

In addition to shutting down public-works projects, Schwarzenegger administration moves toward massive state layoffs as legislators again fail to garner the final GOP vote needed to pass a budget.

Continue reading 'California legislature adjourns with no budget; governor prepares to lay off 10,000'. . .

LA Teachers on the March

Randy Childs, a member of the United Teachers Los Angeles, reports on the fight to stop the city and state from trying to balance the budget on the backs of teachers.
Socialist Worker, February 4, 2009

An estimated 15,000 teachers and supporters converged on downtown Los Angeles on January 29 to protest the severe cuts looming over the city's already underfunded public schools.
The demonstration was organized by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), the union representing over 45,000 teachers employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
LAUSD officials are demanding higher class sizes, layoffs and cuts in teacher pay and health benefits in order to close an estimated $500 million deficit. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, just proposed $7 billion in statewide education cuts for next year.

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