Can San Franciscans Demand the Facts about City College?

Can San Franciscans demand the facts about City College?  I hope so.  With that in mind, I wrote to Supervisor Rafael Mandelman:

Dear Supervisor Mandelman,

At the forum on February 22nd ("Making Sense of What's Happening at City College") you made a very valid point about the need to have a panel that includes the City College Administration and the Board of Trustees--and I think you also said the mayor.

As you know, I tried very hard to get someone from the Administration and Board of Trustees there, and Leslie Milloy told me no one from the Administration was available on the date of our meeting (always the fourth Saturday of the month).  She asked about March, and I did send out a message to her shortly after the panel, which generated so much interest.  She hasn't responded yet.

I started contacting people in early January, and the only two trustees who even  responded to the  invitation to participate on February 22nd were Ivy Lee and John Ricco, neither of whom was available that day.  

Now we'd like to endorse and help promote a more inclusive panel.   Do you have any suggestions on how we could proceed?  We really do think that we as tax payers who always support City College should be given a forum to hear several perspectives and have the chance to ask questions.

Could you, Joe Adkins, Erin Mundy, Tom Temprano and others on your staff help make this happen?  

What we envision is a major panel discussion at the Koret Auditorium again on making sense of what's happening at City College--perhaps indicating that this is a forum the citizens of San Francisco are calling for.  We want civil discourse, and we also want to assert our rights as citizens to be informed.

We would be very grateful for your help with this.  I know we can't really schedule anything until we know about the coronavirus, but I'd like to start getting the "team" together.

Many thanks,

Tina Martin

WEN's Hack-athon for Environment-related Problems Disproportionately Affecting Women

Last night (Tuesday, March 10) After we were welcomed and told to wash our hands, WEN (Women's Environmental Network) provided another stimulating evening with Anya at the helm and Kathie Piccagli and me representing Mothers Out Front. Before breaking into groups to problem solve, we met women from various environment-focused organizations and saw the "Corona Dance,". Then we introduced ourselves in a way that was fun and revealing. (Details later.) 

Note charming Anya's new hair cut, improving the environment in a unique way.

The Department of Public Health Order C19---02 and My Letter to the Editor

Over the weekend, the Department of Public Health issued the ORDER OF THE HEALTH OFFICER No. C19-02 with instructions for City-owned facilities to cancel all non-essential group events to facilitate social distancing, which will help prevent further spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Bravo to Tony Bravo for his plea “Don’t let virus fears kill local arts scene.”  I certainly sympathize with people with an autoimmune condition like those Erin Allday wrote about in “Isolation a risk amid virus fear” on March 8th, but I see signs that the epidemic of fear is worse than the epidemic of the coronavirus. I recently went to a sing-along for Baby Boomers at the Anza  Public Library, where they were discouraging large unnecessary gatherings but seemed to understand that a sing-along doesn’t fall into that category! Later I heard that a book discussion group is being cancelled there.  A friend scheduled to interview former SF Columnists, Leah Garchik and Ruthe Stein for Word Week in Noe Valley let me know that that, too, has been cancelled. 

I still plan to BART to two meetings pertaining to the climate change emergency that I wish people would take more seriously—the Last Chance Alliance today and the Women’s Environmental Network tomorrow.  It’s thanks to the latter that I learned about the Corona Dance, which puts washing hands into movements and had  242,793 views the last time I looked.

Let’s sing along to that as we wash our hands.

Environmental Justice Meeting across the Bay--No Drilling Where We're Living

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tkcngxcevmcnolg/AAA1HnE8u8r8Ta6FR2QvHz67a?dl=0

Kathie Piccagli and I wore our Mothers Out Front tee-shirts and carried our sign to Oakland for the hearing at the California Department of Conservation/Geologic Energy Management Division, where more than 100 people showed up to say "No drilling where we're living." Children ranging in age from 8 to 11, grandmothers, and medical staff were among those speaking about the impact drilling has on the people living in the communities where it's going on. Lots of environmental organizations were there, and only one representative from the oil industry--Bob Brown from WSPA, Western State Petroleum Association. Kathie Piccagli spoke, showing our sign and reinforcing the message that there should be at least a 2500 ft. set-back.

Not Really San Francisco but San Franciscans Chew and View

Our Francophone (soi-disant), Francophile group Chew and View usually meets in San Francisco to enjoy amuse-gueules and chat before we look at some kind of emission in French.  But we also have a member in Berkelely and a member (the founder and wit that named our group) in San Rafael, where we went today and feasted on the view--of trees and of food--at the home of Jana and Jeff.

Here's the Chew.

What Jennifer Siebel Newsom Really Said to Anti-Vaccination Protesters

This morning's SF Chronicle said that First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom "last week offered aid and comfort to anti-vaccination activists." 

I looked up what she'd really said and done: 


SACRAMENTO — 

 

California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom told anti-vaccine protesters rallying outside her Sacramento-area home that her husband’s administration is looking into their concerns about California’s new laws limiting who can be exempted from shots required for school, while also saying she believes there needs to be more dialogue about whether some immunizations are unnecessary.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-24/vaccine-critics-assurances-jennifer-siebel-newsom-governor-california

Why are people who think drug companies and clinics are overdoing the vaccinations automatically dismissed as nuts?  Even if they're wrong, why shouldn't the state look into it?

Book Passage at the Ferry Building--"Frida in America" by Celia Stahr

Last night's reading/presentation at Book Passage (Ferry Building) for "Frida in America" by Celia Stahr re-united the author with her agent, translator, and the granddaughter of Lucienne Bloch, whose diary provided so much of the information on Frida Kahlo's travels her first three years in the United States. Of course, Will Maynez was on hand! I'm looking forward to reading this book, which just came out.