Alerts Archives — Page 2 of 10 — San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966

Alerts: June 25 – July 1, 2014

Michael Redmond

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June 24, 2014

THURSDAY 26

Climate Forum: Confronting Oil, Coal and Gas, Direct Action Movements at the Point of Extraction

The Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics, 518 Valencia, SF. tinyurl.com/oilcoalforum. 6:45pm, donation requested. The oil and natural gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has become one of the most pressing issues in the Bay Area and California. It is a major cause of water and air pollution and is highly resource-intensive. Nevertheless there is low awareness about its harmful effects, and state policies still allow its proliferation. This panel will discuss fracking and other hazardous resource extraction processes in the U.S. and educate participants in the first steps for taking action.

Plastic Paradise: Film and discussion

Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo, Berk. (510) 548-2220, tinyurl.com/plasticfreejuly. 7-9pm, free. Plastic Paradise is a new documentary about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This event helps prepare for Plastic-Free July—an annual event originating in Australia—that aims to educate the public about how much plastic we use, and explains how we can eliminate as much as possible from our lives. The film screening will be followed with a discussion led by Beth Terry, author of Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too. Sponsored by Green Sangha, the City of Berkley, and My Plastic-Free Life.

FRIDAY 27

Trans March youth and elder brunch

Dolores Park, 19th and Dolores, SF. tinyurl.com/transmarchbrunch. 12-3pm, free. Right before the Trans March, this brunch gives LGBTQ youth and elders the opportunity to learn from each other. There will be food, games, icebreakers, an art station, face painting and more. The sober event is designed for self-identified LGBTQ people, ages 24 and under. Hosted by LYRIC, OpenHouse and Trans March.

Sunday 29

Meeting: Syria — Eyewitness Report

Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakl. http://tinyurl.com/pjkvv5f 10:30-12:30pm, free. Rick Sterling, a founding member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, spent two weeks in Syria as part of a peace and reconciliation delegation, and he returns to discuss the conflict there and why it matters to progressives in the United States. For a firsthand account of the hostilities in the region—at no cost—be sure to stop by the Niebyl-Proctor library early to ensure you get a seat.

Guardian Intelligence: June 25 – July 1, 2014

Michael Redmond

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June 24, 2014

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The Bay Guardian is moving — into the mall. Yeah, we know, it struck us the same way initially. But the space we’ll be sharing with our sister newspapers within San Francisco Media Company, San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly, on the fifth floor of the Westfield Mall is a nice, sprawling sets of offices that previously housed the San Francisco State University extension program. As we make our move on the afternoon of June 27, however, our SFBG.com website will be down for a few hours in the evening while our servers transition to their new digs. And the next time you’re in the mall, you can wave to us from the food court.

ARCHIVES IMPERILED

A sad note during Pride celebrations: The vast and essential GLBT Historical Society this week sent word out that its building’s rent had jumped an unaffordable 30 percent, and that it would have to find a new home within 18 months. The nonprofit society’s historical archives contains more than 80,000 photographs dating from the 1880s, 5,000 posters, 4,000 magazines, and tens of thousands of other artifacts. Anybody got a free basement? For more info and to see how you can help, see www.glbthistory.org.

ALL THE ‘T’

Award-winning documentary What’s the T?, which follows five local transgender women and allows them to tell their own stories, is streaming on Hulu.com as part of the Web TV site’s Pride week. “To understand the ladies of What’s the T? is to love them,” says San Francisco-based filmmaker Cecilio Asuncion of his film’s subjects. Look for all five to be riding in the Pride parade Sun/29.

FREE LUV

The ULUV Music Day Sat/21 saw more than 100 musicians performing in parklets, BART stations, coffee shops, and other public locations in every neighborhood in San Francisco. Culminating in a musician flash mob at Dolores Park and a proclamation from the city, the day was organized by Michael Starita and Robin Applewood of ULUV, a charitable organization designed to build community and financial support for Bay Area musicians (ie, let’s stop them from feeling the need to move to LA). The organization’s next event will be a happy hour on July 16 featuring Nathan Blaz of Georgrapher, location TBA. Check www.uluvmusic.com for more.

SAVE LOST WEEKEND!

Dateline: San Francisco. Chilling news, via Facebook, on the “all the cool shit is in danger” front, with a post by Valencia Street stalwart Lost Weekend Video. “Times are tough at Lost Weekend Video! We’ve seen business suddenly drop by 30 percent just in the last few months, on top of the 60 percent hit we’ve already taken over the last few years. This has thrown us into a pretty immediate crisis.” The post went on to say the video store is hoping to bring in a co-tenant to share costs (similar to the partnership between Le Video and Green Apple Books) and ended on a cautiously optimistic note: “We’re a year away from 20, it’d be nice to see it!” Reached at Lost Weekend Monday afternoon, co-owner David Hawkins said, “We realize that you can’t probably sustain a full-scale video store in the city the way you used to. So it’s just a matter of trying to come up with the right formula.” See www.sfbg.com/pixel_vision for more.

MARTHA DOES THE MISSION

What kind of San Francisco dining establishments are good enough for a notoriously choosy lifestyle guru worth $300 million? The same ones populated by 20-something Missionites, it turns out: After checking out Mission Chinese on her last jaunt through town, Martha Stewart was spotted this past Thursday and Friday at Ichi Sushi and Tartine; she posted a photo of a ham and cheese croissant from the latter, noting it was “worth the wait.” Fifty bucks to anyone who gets her drunk at 500 Club next time.

DAM RIGHT

It’s obvious why the recent eco-activist documentary DamNation has won so many dam(n) awards. Last week, the David Brower Center in Berkeley screened the film, which was released May of this year. The “powerful film odyssey across America” explores how dams affect rivers, fish, the environment and more. The cinematography feels like a Wes Anderson film, and Ben Knight’s witty yet informative narration is laced with sass. And if the politics and beautiful images aren’t enough to draw you in, the interviews, photo montages of activists running naked through pre-dam Glen Canyon, and videos of the crew trespassing to graffiti dams and film explosions will. Go to damnationfilm.com to learn more or to host a screening.

COFFEE SPIES

You love Philz. We love Philz. Everybody loves Philz! Apparently, Phils loves us too, enough to peer deep into customers’ data anytime they connect to its Wi-Fi — and to sell it to the highest bidder. Specifically, news outlets have reported, the hand-pour masters partnered with Euclid Analytics to track and sell the Media Access Control (MAC) address of devices connected to its Wi-Fi. After the news blew up on ABC 7, Philz backed down, and announced it’d sever its icky Big Brother partnership. We’d like that Turkish with no sugar and no spying, please.

GOLDEN NO MORE?

Basketball news site the RealGM is reporting a spicy rumor: that the Golden State Warriors will change their name to the San Francisco Warriors after their move across the Bay. The team’s new Mission Bay stadium might have something to do with the switch. RealGM tweeted the photos, too, with a big SF over a basketball as the new logo.

ILLEGAL MONKEYS

An iPhone app that lets users auction off their parking spots might sound like a novel idea, especially in parking-deprived San Francisco. Unfortunately for Paolo Dobrowolny, co-founder and CEO of the MonkeyParking app that does exactly that, the practice is also illegal. City Attorney Dennis Herrera issued a cease-and-desist demand against MonkeyParking. “Technology has given rise to many laudable innovations in how we live and work — and Monkey Parking is not one of them,” Herrera said in a statement. “It’s illegal, it puts drivers on the hook for $300 fines, and it creates a predatory private market for public parking spaces that San Franciscans will not tolerate.”

Alerts: June 18 – 24, 2014

Michael Redmond

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June 17, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 18

Glenn Greenwald: Snowden, the NSA and the US Surveillance State

The Nourse Theatre, 275 Hayes, SF. (773) 583-7884 tinyurl.com/glengreenwald. 7-9pm, $6. Greenwald, who received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service along with his UK Guardian colleagues, will recount his Hong Kong meeting with Edward Snowden, discuss new information on the National Security Agency’s abuse of power and examine the bigger picture implications of the NSA’s surveillance. Greenwald will also be signing his new book, No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State. This event is sponsored by Haymarket Books, The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, Metropolitan Books, The Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School and KPFA.

Film and Discussion: DamNation

The David Brower Center, 2150 Allston, Berk. (510) 809-0900 tinyurl.com/damfilm. 7pm, $10 advance, $12 at door. Award-winning film DamNation explores America’s pride in large dams and the ways that we rely on rivers. The film looks at the effects of dams on fish and landscapes, as well as the values that come along with dams. Guests include Matt Stoecker, DamNation Producer/Underwater Photographer, Jason Rainey, Executive Director of International Rivers, and Steve Rothert, California Regional Director of American Rivers.

THURSDAY 19

Labor in the Food System

120 Kearny No. 3100, SF. (510) 654-4400 tinyurl.com/foodsys. 6-8:45, free. This panel will explore all levels of food production, from farm to government, and will have speakers from the various levels. They will discuss wages, food distribution, food processing and more. The panel is put on by Food First, which aims to end hunger-inducing injustices. Speakers include James Cochran, Gail Wadsworth, Margaret Reeves and Paul Ramirez.

Do Good Lab’s International Development Trivia Night

Soda Popinski’s, 1548 California, SF. tinyurl.com/oslg7d5 6-9pm, $15 per individual or $60 per team. Trivia is fun, but doing it for a cause with five other friends is even better. On Thursday, Do Good Lab will hold its International Development Trivia Night in collaboration with FUNDAESPRO, a women’s empowerment organization based in Guatemala City. For $60—$10 per person—teams can compete to raise money for the organization, which provides childcare for working mothers and literacy education to women. Better yet, all tips to the bar (staffed by with special guest bartenders) will go toward FUNDAESPRO’s childcare and education centers.

Guardian Intelligence: June 18 – 24, 2014

Michael Redmond

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June 17, 2014

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GET SMOKEY

The 77th season of the always free, always packed Stern Grove Festival kicks off this Sunday, June 22 with an afternoon of hits like “Shop Around” and “You Really Got a Hold On Me” from R&B legend and former Miracles frontman Smokey Robinson. The man’s still going strong at age 74, so what excuse do you have not to trek out to the park to see him? The show kicks off at 2pm with opener Patti Austin; get there early if you’re interested in visibility. For info: www.sterngrove.org.

TRANSIT SWITCHEROO

Last week, the Bay Guardian hosted a feisty community forum titled Bikes, Buses, and Budgets: How to create the transportation system San Franciscans need. One audience member piped up during our question-and-answer session with a bold proposal: Stakeholders should be made try out different modes of transit to understand the challenges people encounter getting around. Think cops on bikes joining the clutch of cyclists making their way up Market Street at rush hour, or top-ranking Muni officials sent to languish on the T-Third platform after dark, when the train runs excruciatingly slow. It’s like that old saying, bus a mile in another person’s shoes …

WEED COP RETIRES

Captain Greg Corrales of Park station is retiring, news likely so spur whoops, hollers, and massive rips from oversized blunts from the stoners of Hippie Hill. Corrales has long run undercover stings to catch pot deals, because you know, that shit’s SO DANGEROUS. Though undercover pot stings are so Summer of Love, we will miss Corrales’ colorful newsletters, which he paraphrased in his farewell email. “On Wednesday, after turning in all my gear, I opted to check conditions on Haight Street one last time…I was unable to spot any suspicious scoundrels skulking sinisterly. Purveyors of pernicious poison, in possession of passels of The Weed with Roots in Hell were nowhere to be seen. I knew then that I could go home.”

SHINY NEW APPLE

As part of a new deal to save beloved local video store, Le Video, Green Apple Books is set to open a new store location August 1. But because every minor update about the marriage (okay, okay, co-habitation) of two of our favorite indie stores is exciting, seeing the new store’s logo made us go “squee!” The new location will be called Green Apple Books on the Park, and a blog post from the store says it will feature more “breathing room” for events. Because as we all know: reading is sexy, but it’s even sexier to read together. (Fun fact: Guardian publisher Marke B. managed Green Apple’s previous Sunset outpost, Ninth Avenue Books, in the 1990s.)

ELDERLY UBERS SPURNED

Uber drivers are part of two systems: the fancy-pants town cars of UberBLACK and the regular-Joe cars of UberX. In a new email from Uber to its drivers, the company laid out plans to phase out cars older than 2006 by January, 2015 and cars older than 2011 in June, 2015 from UberBLACK. All those UberBLACK drivers stuck with cars older than 2011 will be pushed onto UberX, and take a big ol’ hit to their profits as well. Uber’s recent valuation of $17 billion (a figure that’s been disputed) is apparently giving it the clout to push out thousands of drivers nationwide.

GLASS SKEWERED

Last week the Daily Show with Jon Stewart fired a shot straight at Google Glass and everyone’s favorite Glasshole: Sarah Slocum (she of the “hate crime” attack at Molotov’s bar in Lower Haight). “These Philip K. Dicks are on a mission to bring us all into the future,” correspondent Jason Jones narrates. One person defends Google Glass to Jones as an interface between the user and the real world, in an example of the all-too-common tech evangelist gobbledygook. Jones calls him out: “Do you guys hear yourselves talk? Interface between you and the real world… those are called eyes.”

WE WERE QUEER HERE

San Francisco has a lot to offer on the surface (killer views, tasty snacks, etc.), but it also has a remarkably rich hidden history. Get a peek behind the curtain Sat/21 at “Step Back: A Walking and Reading Tour of Old Queer North Beach,” led by author Nan Alamilla Boyd (Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965) that explores the historic ‘hood’s queer past. Meet at City Lights Books at 4pm and get ready for pop-up performances — by the likes of Lil Miss Hot Mess, Kat Marie Yoas, Maryam Farnaz Rostami, and others — bringing bygone eras to life. And talk about radical: it’s free! www.radarproductions.org

CONDOR FLIES

Historic strip joint the Condor Club — first “home of topless” and launchpad for famous erotic dancers like Carol Doda (pictured) is celebrating its 50th anniversary Thu/19, 8pm-2am, with a hot-hot-hot burlesque extravaganza. Tireless drag heroine D’Arcy Drollinger will play Doda herself, with performances by Los Shimmy Shakers, Roxanne Redmeat, Sugarcane Jane, Princess Pandora, and many more. Period attire encouraged! See www.condorsf.com for more details.

HELLO 70

A group of local nightlife players have purchased the set of huge warehouse structures on Pier 70. “Dating back to the turn of the 19th century, the structures that remain at Pier 70 are rooted deep in San Francisco’s ship building history,” they say. “These buildings are now being re-purposed for unique, one-of-a-kind events — for 30 to 13,000.” So far, the “soft launches” have included a free movie screening of seminal Steve McQueen action flick Bullitt. But starting 1pm, Sat/21, an enormous “Community Showcase” featuring more than 50 local vendors, a car show, giant rollerskating rink, free salsa lessons, and live performances will introduce everyone to the new spaces. Bonus: at 8pm a “Great Gatsby Spectacle” brings back the roaring ’20s with live bands and DJs and dancers, and features a screening of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. www.facebook.com/pier70partners

Guardian Intelligence: June 4 – 10, 2014

Michael Redmond

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June 3, 2014

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TREASURE HUNTING

In less than two weeks, @HiddenCash, the anonymous millionaire who is stashing money around and then using Twitter to post context clues, has amassed a social media following of more than 441,000. On June 2, an update on the masked money fairy’s feed showed no signs that his “social experiment for good” would be slowing down. “Our only event this week is in San Francisco,” confirmed @HiddenCash, responding to rumors that wads of dough would be stashed elsewhere. Also: “We have copycats. But more exciting news coming soon!” As this game unfolds, what’s it mean that it’s being played in a city where income inequality is highest in the nation? See www.sfbg.com/politics for more.

#YESALLWOMEN

Activists gathered outside 24th and Mission streets on May 30 for a rally to speak out against sexual violence against women. The action was inspired by the #YesAllWomen online meme. While the outpouring of anger about violence against women stemmed from the deaths of Isla Vista victims killed by 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, who was obsessed with punishing women who rejected his affections, #YesAllWomen is also meant as an answer to #NotAllMen, a commonly uttered phrase in conversations about male sexist behavior.

MIME 55

The venerable San Francisco Mime Troupe has announced the play it will be performing throughout the Bay Area this summer: “Ripple Effect.” Says the troupe’s release: “Skyrocketing rents. Loss of diversity. Evictions, Google Glass wearing nouveau riche, The War on the Poor. What is The City coming to? The Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe (www.sfmt.org) opens its 55th season with ‘Ripple Effect,’ a musical comedic tale of intersecting lives and cultures that reflect the familiar neighborhood tensions that are polarizing San Franciscans today.”

STOP BEING POOR

“Google Google Apps Apps” was the quintessential jam of summer 2013 — simultaneously a call to the dance floor and a call to arms against rapidly gentrifying San Francisco. Now, gender-defying musicians Daddie$ Plastik and Persia are ready to release their follow-up, “Stop Being Poor.” They’re kicking it off with a Stop Being Poor art show featuring more than 20 artists and performers exploring the wealth divide in today’s San Francisco. Opening party Fri/6, 6-10pm, free. Runs through June 8 at Incline Gallery, 766 Valencia, SF. www.inclinegallerysf.com.

LIGHT IT UP

Sometimes BART and Muni trains can be heard moving under the streets of Market, but soon you’ll see them move too — with lights. A new proposed art installation called Lightrail would string thousands of LEDs along Market street which would light up, mirroring movement of underground trains. “By beautifully visualizing the real-time movement of underground trains, LightRail will transform San Francisco’s preeminent thoroughfare—our Champs-Elysées– into a scene of wonder and awe for millions of people, re-establishing Market Street as a place of destination rather than a mere route of passage,” say those proposing of the project.

BOTTLEROCK, REBOOTED

The Cure playing for over two hours Friday night (6/31) was a highlight of this year’s re-booted BottleRock Napa Valley festival — that is, until the bummer of a 10pm curfew kicked in and organizers cut the band off. Still, the 40,000+ crowd sang along to “Why Can’t I Be You” with aplomb. On Saturday, classic hip-hop act Outkast received a rather tame reaction from the (rather pale) crowd despite putting on a stellar show. Still, popular consensus suggests that the three-day festival deserves a grade of Way Better Than Last Year. More coverage on at www.sfbg.com/noise

DRINK FOR CHARITY

Nothing like supporting good causes simply by bellying up to the bar: Negroni Week, from June 2 through June 8, will see more than 1200 bars around the world serving up the classic gin-vermouth-Campari cocktail and donating $1 or more from each Negroni sold to local charities. At Tosca and 15 Romolo your mild alcoholism can help fund the SF-Marin Food Bank; Blackbird, the American Diabetes Association, and so on. See www.negroniweek.com for more. Tosca Negroni pic by Tablehopper

BOOZY TREAT

Our cover story this week points out more than 50 local treats for under $10. But we had to put in a good word for one of our favorite summer treats of all that fell a bit out of that price range. For $9–$12, nothing beats the boozy kick of a one of Ice Cream Bar‘s “remedies.” The cool Cole Valley hotspot mixes booze into shakes and fountain drinks, yielding genius items like the “Angostura Phosphate” (pictured) — Angostura bitters, lemon juice, fountain syrup, acid phosphate, gum foam, and soda. Yum. Photo by ??

Q NO MORE

Oh noes! That 16-year-old shrine to funky homestyle eats, Q Restaurant (www.qrestaurant.com), recently announced it’s closing shop permanently, leaving many Inner-Richmond residents crying out “We’re still cool, we swear!” In a farewell letter to the neighborhood, owners Andrew and Brinn said they decided it’s “time to move on to life’s next adventure…we will miss you tremendously. Now, go out and save the world!”

Alerts: June 4 – 10, 2014

Michael Redmond

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June 3, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 4

Transportation planning: District 8 open house

LGBT Center, 1800 Market, SF. sftransportation2030.com 5:30-7pm, free. District 8 Sup. Scott Wiener, representatives of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and representatives from San Francisco Public Works will hold this District 8 community meeting about Transportation 2030, a strategic infrastructure investment program proposed for the November’s general election ballot. The night includes a presentation of the plan and a question and answer session.

THURSDAY 5

St. James Infirmary’s 15 year anniversary

Temple Nightclub, 540 Howard, SF. inticketing.com. 9pm-3am, $20 general admission. St. James Infirmary Presents its XV Dirty Dance Party Fundraiser. St. James Infirmary is the first occupational safety and health clinic for sex workers in the United States, providing free, confidential, nonjudgmental medical and social serves for current or former sex workers of all genders and sexual orientations and their partners. $40 VIP admission includes one free lap dance.

SATURDAY 7

Annual Fillmore summer kick-off fest

Hamilton Recreation Center, 1900 Geary, SF. noon-5pm, free. This year’s Grillin’ in the Mo’ will jump off with legendary blues singer Freddie Hughes (Bring My Baby Back) and the House of Hughes Band. The annual Fillmore Summer Fest Kick-Off is a free blues concert and family BBQ celebrating the start of summer events in the Fillmore District and summer enrichment programs for Western Addition youth. Grab some food, fly a kite, make gigantic bubbles, and enjoy some blues with Freddie Hughes and jazz by Fillmore’s own Bay Area Jazz Trio.

TUESDAY 10

Voices from the Edge

Mission Workshop, 40 Rondel Place, SF. tinyurl.com/voicedge. 6-9pm, free. This is a local arts and media showcase sponsored by Independent Arts & Media (IAM). Mix and mingle with local art and media makers, and celebrate the indy creative spirit IAM helps keep alive and well in San Francisco. Independent Arts & Media’s mission is to support independent, non-commercial arts and media projects and producers for the purpose of building community and civic participation, and facilitating cultural engagement and free expression. Featuring music, art, video, food, drink and community.

Alerts: May 21 – 27, 2014

Michael Redmond

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May 20, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 21

San Francisco Tomorrow annual awards dinner

Delancey Street Restaurant, 600 The Embarcadero, SF. www.sftomorrow.org. 5:30pm, $50. San Francisco Tomorrow will hold its annual awards dinner to recognize individuals for their service to the city. Recipients for this year include Rebecca Evans and renowned journalist and editor Tim Redmond of 48hills.org and formerly San Francisco Bay Guardian, and the keynote address will be delivered by former Mayor Art Agnos. San Francisco Tomorrow depends on this event to gain support for their continued efforts to protect the environment, elect responsible and responsive public officials and promote excellence in public transportation.

THURSDAY 22

Justice Now’s Spring Fling

Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, 2323 Mission, SF. www.justicenow.org. 5pm-late, free. Justice Now is an Oakland-based nonprofit and law clinic focused on the needs of women prisoners, providing legal services and advocating for healthcare access, defense of parental rights, sentencing mitigation and other needs. Ten percent of the evening’s proceeds for food and drink will be donated to Justice Now. The bar is known for its good beer, cocktails by the pitcher, and an elaborate menu with everything from homemade corndogs to a jelly donut and fried chicken “sandwich.”

Harvey Milk’s 84th birthday bash

Beaux, 2344 Market, SF. www.milkclub.org. 6-9pm, free. Harvey Milk believed in LGBT leadership and the radical idea that LGBT people should be elected, and hold public office. He lived and died fighting for that dream. Join the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, former State Senator Carole Migden, State Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, and Supervisor and assembly candidate David Campos for a celebration of Harvey’s life on what would be his 84th birthday.

FRIDAY 23

Homelessness in SF: Panel discussion and speak out

St. Anthony Foundation Dining Hall, 150 Golden Gate, SF. (415) 346-3740. 3-5pm, free. As thousands lose their homes in San Francisco, and fewer find pathways out of homelessness, this panel will discuss how the city is responding and where experts believe efforts should be focused. This is event is put on by the Coalition on Homelessness, as part of its Free School series.

SATURDAY 24

Demonstration: Empty the Tanks

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 1001 Fairgrounds, Vallejo. tinyurl.com/kx2jcpk. 10-1pm, free. This day is being organized to stand up against marine mammal captivity. The abuse and exploitation of these sentient beings has no place in the 21st century. On May 24th, protests and educational events will be held all over world in front of marine mammal parks and aquariums. The only way to close their doors for good is to get the general public to stop buying tickets. Please wear blue and join for a non-violent peaceful demonstration. Stand with us to tell the captivity industry that enough is enough.

Alerts: May 14 – 20, 2014

Michael Redmond

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May 13, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 14

Growing Green Awards

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk. www.nrdc.org. 6-9pm, $30/$20 for students. Author and advocate Anna Lappe serves as master of ceremonies for this year’s multimedia awards ceremony, celebrating leaders in sustainable food and agriculture. Presented by the Berkeley Food Institute and Natural Resources Defense Council. Food and wine reception follows.

THURSDAY 15

Global Day of Action Against Fast Food Industry

Downtown Oakland. sandra.eboc@gmail.com. 11am, free. Join fast food workers and allies from 36 countries and 150 U.S. cities for a day of action to call attention to some of the worst corporate behavior and income inequality. The first action will be in East Oakland at 6am and the second will be downtown at 11 am.

Community Forum on Proposed Development for 16th and Mission Plaza

Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St., SF. www.plaza16.org. 6-8pm, free. The proposed housing development near Mission and 16th Sts. will be too expensive and too big, shadowing Marshall Elementary School for five months of the year. Learn more about how this project will negatively impact neighborhood residents, community organizations, and mom and pop businesses. Be part of a community-based effort where the needs of people come before the needs of multimillion-dollar profits.

Fundraiser to support farming veterans

Goldman Theater, David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berk. 5:30-7:30pm, $100. Show your support and celebrate the accomplishments of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, portrayed in the award-winning documentary Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields. Meet the veterans in the film who are part of a new generation of sustainable farmers, ranchers and artisan food producers.The evening will feature veteran-produced, farm-fresh tapas, beverages (wine, beer and mead!), as well as stories told by vets-turned-farmers. Meet the filmmakers, and watch the film, documenting how vets with post-traumatic stress disorder have found peace through sustainable agriculture.

Alerts: May 7 – 13, 2014

Michael Redmond

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May 6, 2014

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THURSDAY 8

12th Annual Human Rights Awards

Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon, SF. www.humanrightsaward.org. 6-8:30pm, $115. Each year, the Human Rights Awards honors the inspiring individuals and organizations who create radical change and real democracy. This year, we are honoring the 50 year anniversary of the Freedom Schools, anti-GMO activist María Estela Barco Huerta, and the Cuban Five, Cuban intelligence agents arrested in the United States while infiltrating anti-Castro organizations openly plotting attacks against the Cuban people. The evening will feature dining, dancing, and a presentation of the awards.

Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education

Modern Times Bookstore, 2919 24th St., SF. www.moderntimesbookstore.com. 7-9pm, free. For some Latinas, college, where they are vastly underrepresented, is the first time they are immersed in American culture outside their homes—and where the values of two cultures often clash. Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education is an anthology exploring this experience. This event will feature four Bay Area based contributors to anthology — Blanca Torres, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Erika Martinez and Yalitza Ferreras. Join us to hear more about the anthology and a discussion.

FRIDAY 9

Dirty Energy, Clean Solutions: Climate Conference 2014

Unitarian Universalist Church, 1187 Franklin, SF. www.350bayarea.org. 7-9:30pm, $30 or $23 for students. Friday night will be the kick-off event for a three day interactive conference that will feature activists and leading scientists addressing technical and political climate topics in the Bay Area and beyond. Topics to be addressed include fracking, fossil fuels, and clean energy solutions, plus workshops and training sessions on how to live green. Expert scientists and activists will present cutting-edge information that will significantly raise our effectiveness as climate activists.

SATURDAY 10

Public Update and Open House on Ocean Beach Projects

County Fair Building, 1199 9th Ave., SF. www.spur.org. 9am-12pm, free. The Ocean Beach Master Plan, a vision for San Francisco’s western coast, recommends ways to improve coastal access, restore ecological function and protect critical infrastructure in the face of chronic erosion and sea level rise. Three projects — addressing coastal management, transportation, and open space — are currently underway to carry those recommendations forward. The project teams will be on hand to discuss their work and get your ideas and feedback.

TUESDAY 13

Examining Racial Equity in SF Education

California Historical Society, 678 Mission, SF. brownvboardat60.eventbrite.com. 5-8pm, free. Join the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, the University of San Francisco School of Education and Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth for a conversation honoring the 60th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education court decision. The event will focus on the continuing legacy of Brown v. Board of Education and the successes and continued challenges of achieving racial equity in the San Francisco schools. The evening will include historical context, student reflections, and an interactive panel discussion.

Guardian Intelligence: May 7 – 13, 2014

Michael Redmond

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May 6, 2014

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LAST CHANCE TO VOTE!

The San Francisco Bay Guardian is pleased to salute small businesses and recognize local merchants who are creating jobs, keeping neighborhoods lively, and contributing to the community. This year, our third Small Business Reader’s Choice Award will be given. What is your favorite small business in the San Francisco Bay Area? Our 2014 Small Business Awards Issue hits stands May 14. Voting will end at midnight on Thursday, May 8. To qualify as a small business your nominee must employ no more than 100 people. One entry per person, please. Visit sfbg.com for more.

FIGHTING FOR $15

The fight for a higher minimum wage is gaining steam throughout the Bay Area. Public employee union SEIU 1021 is gathering signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that would raise San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15. And while Oakland while mayoral candidate Dan Siegel released a policy paper pushing for a $15 an hour minimum wage, a potential initiative for the November ballot seeks to raise Oakland’s minimum wage from $8 to $12.25 per hour. Meanwhile, Oakland City Council considered an ordinance that would enact a citywide minimum wage of $10.20, but the proposal was held in committee.

CASH-STRAPPED DOCTORS

Resident physicians and interns at Oakland’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital are seeking federal mediation in ongoing labor contract negotiations. The starting salary for resident physicians is $52,000 — not much for someone tasked with, you know, saving lives, while shouldering the burden of hefty med school loans when Oakland rents are skyrocketing.

DRONE ZONE

So the annual Maker Faire won’t be coming to the San Mateo Fairgrounds until May 17-18, but here’s a heads up that drones will play a starring role in this year’s maker-movement fest. There will be an outdoor drone flying area, two indoor drone areas, and an official drone-flying competition, hosted by a maker known as Game of Drones. One can even play drone beer pong. Visit makerfaire.com for more.

DON’T B3 3VIL

One local artist is disrupting tech shuttle riders on their own turf: the Internet. Artist David Harris’ project DONTB33VIL mimics login credentials of the WiFi routers provided by the tech buses. When Google and Facebook employees login to WiFi, all they’ll see is an approximation of the sidewalk their cell phone or laptop is near. Harris said wants to confront tech shuttle riders with an “indeterminate symbol of failure, suggesting that something in their highly-customized interface has gone wrong, while not saying exactly what or why.”

SEXY POLITICKING

State Assembly candidate and San Francisco Supervisor David Campos’ newest fundraiser will be hosted by the local pornographers at Kink.com, at the Armory Club on May 7. The porn-purveyors known for ball-and-gag videos, submission wrestling and sex robots, will feature a gyrating (non-nude) exotic dancer, photos with porn luminaries, and a tour of the historic Armory. “He is one of the rare politicians who has ever reached out to me,” Kink.com CEO Peter Acworth said, “and is unafraid of the association.”

HOME SELLERS FLEE

SF homeowners who sell tend to leave the city, according to new numbers from Paragon Real Estate group. Their findings are like a mini-horror story centered around SF’s gentrification: *

60 percent of sellers are relocating outside San Francisco *

47 percent of buyers are employed in tech *

26 percent of homes are getting snagged with “all cash” offers

GET YOUR GROVE ON

Don’t have $400 lying around to shell out for Outside Lands tickets on Craigslist? You’re in good company. Luckily, there’s Stern Grove, the summer-long, admission-free festival that provides killer live performances without killing your hopes of ever sending your unborn kids to college. This year’s lineup of Sunday afternoon shows, announced May 1, includes such heavy hitters as Smokey Robinson, Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, Darlene Love, Allen Stone, and plenty of other local stars, like LoCura, Vetiver, and, of course, the SF Symphony. Pack a picnic, bring a jacket (this is summer in San Francisco, after all) and get there early if you actually want to see the stage — all performances start at 2pm. More deets: www.sterngrove.org.

RAISING REEL HELL

Here’s your latest chance to see excellent, locally-made romantic drama Love and Demons on the big screen: it’ll make its way up to the Smith Rafael Film Center Sun/11 (www.cafilm.org) for a screening with director-writer-star JP Allen and other cast and crew members in person. An intriguing look at modern love, the film follows a dissatisfied couple on the verge of breaking up — until a pair of meddlesome demons enter the picture, nudging these hapless San Francisco mortals into some really ill-advised life choices. Made creatively on a shoestring, Demons is full of recognizable SF locations — and preserves for posterity some that are no more, including the thematically apropo Red Devil Lounge.

CHASE TARGETS SEX WORKERS

Chase Bank unleashed the wrath of the porn industry by taking steps to cancel the accounts of hundreds of sex workers, effective May 11. The bank reportedly explained its decision to bewildered customers by saying their work was deemed to be “high risk.” As a private bank, Chase has no legal obligation to do business with anyone, but the implications are disturbing. What if other major banks refuse service to porn actors due to their chosen line of work? Can a person even function without a bank account?

Alerts: April 30 – May 6, 2014

Michael Redmond

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April 29, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 30

Nature slideshow: The Wilds of San Francisco and You

474 Valencia, Suite 295, SF. www.wildequity.org. 6:30-8:30pm, free. San Francisco has 32 pockets of undeveloped land set aside for the preservation of the natural world. These pockets hold the last remnants of wildness once found across the lands where we now live, but do we have room in our parks and our hearts for nature in this city? Please join Brent Plater, Executive Director of the Wild Equity Institute, for a photographic exploration of the remaining wild areas in San Francisco, discuss the threats they face, and learn how you can help these areas thrive.

THURSDAY 1

May Day: Worker’s rally

City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, SF. 11:30-1:30pm, free. May Day is International Workers Day and in San Francisco, like many other places around the world, workers come out to support each other and rally for better benefits and safer work environments. Workers, community advocates, community members and environmentalists, along with hundreds of supporters, will come together in front of City Hall to celebrate the achievements the labor movement has made throughout the years.

FRIDAY 2

Tenant rights training

San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin, SF. www.tenantstogether.org. 1-3pm, free. Issues such as eviction lawsuits (and threats thereof), rent increases, cost pass-throughs, unsafe living conditions, and security deposit theft are some of the major problems tenants face in San Francisco. This workshop will teach basic San Francisco tenant rights and identify the major nonprofit groups who specialize in assisting tenants with their rights. The workshop is oriented for nonprofit community service providers who want to better help and refer their clients who are having tenant problems. All are welcome.

SATURDAY 3

Elections 2014: Meet the Candidates

Starry Plough Pub, 3101 Shattuck, Berk. (510) 465-9414. 2-4:30pm, free. The 2014 candidates from the Peace and Freedom Party and the Green Party for California leadership will be at a forum on Saturday to express their solutions for the problems that our state currently faces. The Peace and Freedom Party is committed to socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism, racial equality, and internationalism. Come to hear their responses to defeat the “corporate capitalism” that runs our state.

TUESDAY 6

The Case for Six Californias

595 Market, SF. www.commonwealthclub.org. 6pm, $20 or $7 for students. Come hear the argument for the infamous “six Californias” idea you’ve seen circulating all over your Facebook feed. Tim Draper, the main proponent behind the potential ballot initiative, will be speaking about how our state has become ungovernable, and why splitting up into smaller states would be beneficial for everybody. It’s a radical idea, but could it work? Come with your questions and criticisms for this radical proposal that could be on the ballot this November.

Alerts: April 23 – 29, 2014

Michael Redmond

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April 22, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 23

SF Public Defender’s Justice Summit

Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Public Library. www.tinyurl.com/justsummit. 30 Grove, SF. 9am-3pm, free. The Jury Is Out: The San Francisco Public Defender’s Justice Summit is a free public event exploring today’s most compelling criminal justice issues. Speakers will include San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Nell Bernstein, author of Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated, Quentin Kopp, retired judge and former San Francisco supervisor, and more. The keynote speaker will be Gloria Killian, who was unjustly convicted of masterminding the 1981 robbery and murder of an elderly man and exonerated in 2002. Today, Killian is an attorney and the author of Full Circle: A True Story of Murder, Lies and Vindication.

THURSDAY 24

Forum on economic inequality

Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin, SF. 7-9pm, free. San Francisco now ranks as the second most economically unequal city in the country. Tech companies get tax incentives. Rents rocket. So what’s next? Join Tim Redmond, editor of 48 Hills and past editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, to discuss this critical question.

Postal workers against privatization

Staples, 1700 Van Ness Avenue, SF. 10am-4pm.free. www.stopstaples.com. U.S. Postal Service workers unite again in an effort to combat the growing tide of privatization. The U.S. Postal Service and office-supply retail chain Staples have cut a deal that will replace some full-service post offices with smaller centers inside Staples stores — not staffed by USPS employees. Thus, postal service union members are organizing a national day of action targeting Staples stores nationwide.

FRIDAY 25

Poetry against displacement

Manilatown Heritage Foundation, 868 Kearny, SF. manilatown-heritage-foundation.org. 6-8pm, $5. In the spirit of activists Al Robles and Bill Sorro, the Manilatown Heritage Foundation invites you the community to join poets and musicians as they speak out against eviction and displacement in San Francisco. This event will honor tenants who are fighting eviction in San Francisco with poetry and music. Poets/Performers include: Alejandro Murguia, Avotcja, Caroline Calderon, Luta Candelaria, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jorge Argueta, Oscar Penaranda, Lou Syquia, James Tracy, Rupert Estanislao, Michael Warr, Po’ Poets of POOR Magazine, Marvin K. White, Neeli Cherkovski, Alan Kaufman, Genny Lim, Pete Yamamoto, Jack Hirschman, Agneta Falk, Pearl Ubungen, E Bone 415, Tommi Avicolli Mecca, and more.

SATURDAY 26

California on fire: climate chaos, inequality, urban transformation

McCone Hall, UC Berkeley campus, Berk. Californiastudiesassociation.berkeley.edu. 9am-5:30pm, free. Registration required. This daylong annual conference of the California Studies Association will examine fire from a wide variety of perspectives. How is it linked to climate change? Insurance policies? Real-estate prices? Join a wide array of academic experts for what promises to be a day of fascinating discussion.

SUNDAY 27

People’s Park 45th Anniversary

Celebration People’s Park, 2556 Haste, Berk. noon-6pm, free. Join the celebration of People’s Park’s 45th anniversary with live music, speakers, dancing, drumming, free food courtesy of Food Not Bombs and more — all in honor of one of the world’s most unique social experiments.

Alerts: April 16 – 22, 2014

Michael Redmond

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April 15, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 16

Making your own decisions: Forum on reproductive health

UC Hastings, Alumni Reception Center, 200 McAllister, SF. Adoll@ProChoiceAmerica.com. 6-8:30pm, free, RSVP required. NARAL Pro-Choice California will host this discussion on women’s reproductive rights and what it means for all of us. With an open discussion about the current legal and medical environment of reproductive health and the future of the reproductive rights movement, the panel will feature Margalynne Armstrong, associate professor of Law, Santa Clara University; Dr. Andrea Jackson, medical director of the San Francisco General Hospital Women’s Clinic; and Becky Roosevelt, program officer of Reproductive Health and Rights for the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund.

THURSDAY 17

Serve the People 2.0: Asian American activism

International Hotel, 868 Kearney, SF. emily@cpasf.org. 6:30-9:30pm, $5-20 donation. Attend this two-day event to meet community activists, organizers, students, and scholars to learn what’s happening locally and nationally in the Asian American community. All proceeds go to the Southeast Asian Freedom Network’s national tour for the film Cambodian Son, about the deportation of Cambodian poet Kosal Khiev.

How Private is your DNA?

Brower Center Theater, 2150 Allston, Berk. www.synbiowatch.org. 7:30pm, free. Since the initial draft of the human genome in 2000, the increasing speed and lowering cost of genome sequencing has resulted in a vast increase in the amount of genetic data being produced. Whether and to what extent we own our own genetic information are contested questions that raise serious issues about how individual privacy can be maintained and protected. Join leaders in the field for this critical conversation on emerging technology.

SATURDAY 19

Fourth Annual World Naked Bike Ride – Earth Day Ride

Justin Herman Plaza, SF. www.facebook.com/wnbrsf. Noon, free. The naked bike ride is back again for this year’s Earth Day, in all its bare-assed glory. Join in on the fun, bearing as much skin as you want. But it’s not just about naked cycling! The WNBR is a fun way to protest the nastiness of the oil industry, with its spills and carbon pollution. And as a cool bonus, the ride happens to take place on legendary environmental activist John Muir’s birthday.

MONDAY 21

Nomi Prins: All the Presidents’ Bankers

The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar, Berk. www.kpfa.org. 7:30pm, $12 in advance, $15 at door. Join Nomi Prins, American author, journalist, and senior fellow at Demos, as she discusses the dangerous relationship between money and politics. She has worked as a director at Goldman Sachs and as an analyst at Bear Stearns, and uses her Wall Street experience to share these important and disturbing stories.

Alerts: April 9 – 15, 2014

Michael Redmond

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April 8, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 9

Town Hall Meeting for Pedestrian Safety

Muslim Community Center, 4760 Mission, SF. gmackellen@eagsf.org. 6-8pm, free. Responding to the recent trend of pedestrian collisions in San Francisco, a coalition of neighborhood leaders has called for a Pedestrian Safety Town Hall. Supervisors Campos, Avalos, and Chiu will be in attendance, along with leaders from SFMTA and the SFPD, to discuss and propose ways to protect pedestrians against automobile accidents in San Francisco.

THURSDAY 10

Community Forum: Activism Against Displacement

LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market, SF. www.urbanidea.org. 5:30-7:30pm, free registration online. Responding to the ’80s office high-rise boom, Proposition M has defined development and infrastructure in the City’s downtown to this day. Now, in the midst of another boom of development and evictions, Central City activists are proposing a Housing Balance Act, to link the rate of market development to a balanced affordable and middle-income housing. Join in the discussion to be part of the effort and find out more.

Panel Discussion: What the frack?!

1011 Market, 2nd Floor, SF. www.sfcamerawork.org. 6-8pm, free. Featured photographer Sarah Christianson will be present along with participants from Earthjustice and The Sierra Club to discuss fracking, a harmful oil and and natural gas extraction technique. The talk will examine how the scars from previous oil booms are healing, what new wounds are being inflicted, and who is on the forefront of the movement to safeguard California against environmentally harmful oil development.

SATURDAY 12

Cesar Chavez Holiday Parade and Festival

Dolores Park, Guerrero and 19th, SF. www.cesarchavezday.org. 10am-5pm, free. Celebrate the life of labor activist and civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez. The parade will begin assembling at 10am at Dolores Park, and there will be a street fair featuring food, music, entertainment, and arts and crafts booths from noon until 5pm on 24th St. between Treat and Bryant.

An evening with Matt Taibbi

First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing, Berk. www.kpfa.org. 7:30pm, $12 in advance, $15 at door. From the award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author of The Great Derangement and Griftopia comes THE DIVIDE: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap. Matt Taibbi, one of the most widely read journalists in America who is best known for his work at Rolling Stone, will speak about his new book, which offers a galvanizing exploration of how our growing wealth gap isn’t just warping our economy, but transforming the meaning of rights, justice, and basic citizenship. Taibbi will be joined by Donald Goldmacher, Producer and Director of Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?

Alerts: April 2 – 8, 2014

Michael Redmond

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April 1, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 2

Anti-eviction march

24th and Mission BART Station, SF. evictionfreesf.org. 11:30am, free. Eviction Free San Francisco will lead “a spirited lunchtime march and picket” to the Mission offices of Vanguard Properties, in response to an Ellis Act eviction that has been filed against longtime tenant Benito Santiago, a Duboce Triangle resident who was born and raised in San Francisco.

THURSDAY 3

Public meeting on tech shuttle plan

City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett, SF. 3pm, free. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will vote on a controversial pilot program that will allow private shuttles, such as Google buses, to use Muni bus stops for a fee of $1 per stop per day. The program, approved by the San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency in January, has been appealed on the grounds that it should undergo a full environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. The Board will vote on whether the appeal should move forward.

FRIDAY 4

IMPACT

Laney College, 900 Fallon, Oakl. www.destinyarts.org. 7:30pm, $20. This is the opening night of IMPACT, a full-length work featuring a cast of 42 talented youth ages 9 to 18 performing a combination of hip-hop, modern and aerial dance, theater, spoken word, rap and song. This group has chosen to take a stand around issues that have powerful impact on themselves, their communities and their world: Environmental destruction, unhealthy food and water, negative attitudes about their bodies, and violence of all kinds.

Talk: Robots and new media

Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall, UC Berkeley. 2594 Hearst, Berk. robotsandnewmedia.com. 9am-5pm, free. The Center for New Media at UC Berkeley will host this daylong symposium to explore “a new range of more social, personal, expressive, nurturing, and emotional robotic platforms and applications.” Featuring talks by philosopher Hubert Dreyfus of UC Berkeley, Mark Pauline of Survival Research Labs, UC Berkeley robotics professor Ken Goldberg and more.

SATURDAY 5

SF LGBT Center’s Annual Soiree

City View at Metreon, 135 4th St, SF. tinyurl.com/lgbtsoiree. 6:30-8pm VIP reception; party admission 8pm-midnight; $150 or $95 respectively. Come out in support of San Francisco’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Community Center, which offers free services like career counseling, job fairs, social activities, mentorships, youth meals, daycare and a space for LGBT people to organize and secure equal rights. With a hosted bar, gourmet morsels, silent auction, music, dancing and live entertainment it promises to be a fancy affair.

SUNDAY 6

Ending Solitary Confinement Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall, 1924 Bonita, Berk. www.bfuu.org. 2pm, $5-10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. Laura Magnani of the American Friends Service Committee will be speaking on Solitary Confinement in California prisons, and what we can do to work to abolish it or promote its more limited use. She will be joined by Marie Levin, sister of a prisoner who has organized and participated in prisoner hunger strikes in the past few years.

Alerts: March 26 – April 1, 2014

Michael Redmond

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March 25, 2014

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THURSDAY 27

The Road To Single-Payer: Truly Universal Healthcare Unitarian Universalists Center, 1187 Franklin, SF. sanfranpda@aol.com. 7pm, free. As the basic flaws of the Affordable Care Act become increasingly obvious, more people are demanding a truly universal healthcare program based on single-payer financing. Bills have been introduced in Congress and several states are moving toward implementing their own single-payer system. Single-payer will not happen by itself. At our March 27 Forum, leading single-payer activists will describe how their organizations are working to bring about real healthcare reform in the US and how we can support their efforts.

FRIDAY 28

A Sliver of Light: Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran Los Altos High School, 201 Almond, Los Altos. www.commonwealthclub.org. 7pm, $20 or $8 for students. In summer 2009, Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd made international headlines when they were hiking and unknowingly crossed into Iran. The three Americans were captured by border patrol, accused of espionage, and ultimately imprisoned for two years in Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison. Together they share their harrowing story of hope and survival.

MONDAY 31

Cesar E. Chavez Holiday Breakfast Mission Language and Vocational School, 2929 19th, SF. www.cesarchavezday.org. 8-10am, $60. There will be a breakfast concocted by the Latino Culinary Academy to commemorate and celebrate the life and work of civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. The event will include the presentation of the Cesar E. Chavez Legacy Awards and special guest speaker Juanita Chavez, daughter of civil rights leader Dolores Huerta and niece of Cesar Chavez. All proceeds benefit the Cesar E. Chavez Holiday Parade and Festival.

TUESDAY 1

Other Voices: Build Democracy, End Corporate Rule Community Media Center, 900 San Antonio, Palo Alto. www.peaceandjustice.org. 7pm, free. Right now, there’s a true grassroots effort in the works to end corruption by putting an initiative on the November ballot called Build Democracy, End Corporate Rule. The goal of this effort is to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Join us for this live TV broadcast and take part right in the studio with us. We devote a substantial portion of every forum to dialogue with our audience members. So come with your questions, comments and ideas and be a part of it!

Alerts: March 19 – 25, 2014

Michael Redmond

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March 18, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 19

Get educated with affordable housing experts St. Philip’s Church, 725 Diamond, SF. 7pm, free. Hosted by the Noe Valley Democratic Club, this public forum on (the lack of) affordable housing in the Bay Area will bring together a host of experts coming to the table from a variety of perspectives. Panelists will include Doug Shoemaker of Mercy Housing, Teresa Yanga of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing, Tim Colen of the San Francisco Housing Action Committee, Fernando Marti of the Council on Community Housing Organizations and Sara Shortt of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco. It’s a tight squeeze out there, but knowledge is power — and this is an opportunity to get educated, ask questions and join forces with longtime community members who are searching for answers. For more info, contact molly@ffrsf.com.

Meeting on the future of the Tenderloin Tenderloin Police Station, 301 Eddy, SF. 11am-noon, free. San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood has been at the center of many community dialogues recently as rising rents have placed tremendous pressure on nonprofits and arts organizations in the surrounding area. Neighborhood residents, social service providers, arts groups, and local businesses may wish to attend this meeting, which will include presentations on the arts center at 950 Market Street, current projects associated with the Civic Center Community Benefit District, and other updates. For more information, call (415) 820-1412.

THURSDAY 20

How to deal with your debt once and for all The Green Arcade, 1680 Market, SF. www.thegreenarcade.com. 7-9pm, free. George Caffentzis — a contributor the newly released The Debt Resisters’ Operations Manual, and author of In Letters of Blood and Fire: Work, Machines, and the Crisis of Capitalism — will speak at the Green Arcade on providing tools for debtors everywhere who want to understand how the system really works. In the past 30 years, wages have stagnated nationwide and average household debt has more than doubled. This new book offers detailed strategies, resources, and insider tips for dealing with some of the most common kinds of debt, including credit card debt, medical debt, student debt, and housing debt.

SATURDAY 22

Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair The Crucible, 1260 7th Street, Oakl. 10am-6pm, free. www.bayareaanarchistbookfair.net. Now hosted in new East Bay digs, the 19th annual Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair is free and open to the public. It’s a gathering for folks who are interested and engaged in radical movements and organizing around social and economic justice. The book fair provides a space to connect, learn and discuss, through book and information tables, workshops, panel discussions, skill-shares, films, and more.

MONDAY 24

East Bay forum on raising the minimum wage Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St. Berk. www.tonythurmond.com/march_24. 6-8pm, free. Join District 15 Assembly Candidate Tony Thurmond for an open panel on raising the minimum wage. With the state minimum wage to reach $10 in early 2016, this discussion will take into account that, as big of step that may be, it still won’t amount to a living wage for many Bay Area residents. Join in to have your say, share a personal story, and connect with community members who are pushing for higher wages across the board.

Alerts: March 12 – 18, 2014

Michael Redmond

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March 11, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 12

San Francisco Neighborhoods on the Brink Bird and Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery, SF. www.birdbeckett.com. 7pm, free. A panel discussion on displacement, gentrification, rising rents, and the loss of affordable housing. Join us to discuss the dilemma facing longtime residents and renters of modest means — and the gutting and gentrification of San Francisco — as real-estate speculation and a quickly widening income gap drive rents to dizzying heights while the rental supply dwindles. Ellis Act evictions are buffeting many of our neighbors, and the lack of affordable housing affects us all.

THURSDAY 13

Screening: Terms and Conditions May Apply Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar, Berk. www.bfuu.org. 7pm, $5-10 donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. Have you ever read the “Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies” connected to every website you visit, phone call you make, or app you use? Of course you haven’t. But those agreements allow corporations to do things with your personal information you could never even imagine. What are you really agreeing to when you click “I accept”? Find out in this disquieting exposé.

FRIDAY 14

Visual Activism Symposium Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St., SF. www.sfmoma.com/events. 9am-7pm, free with pre-registration. Join us for a symposium exploring the relationship between visual culture and activist practices. Art can take the form of political and social activism, and activism often takes on specific, and sometimes surprising, visual forms. How is our broader visual culture shaped by activist practices that circulate in public space? Scholars, artists, and activists address these and related questions in a series of presentations, performances, workshops, and interactive projects.

SATURDAY 15

International Day Against Police Brutality Arroyo Park, 7701 Krause, Oak. www.march15oak.noblogs.org. 12pm, free. March 15th has been designated as International Day Against Police Brutality since 1997, as an initiative by radical groups in Montréal and Sweden. Police brutality is nothing new to Oakland, and for the second year in a row we will observe the International Day Against Police Brutality with a demonstration beginning at Arroyo Park in east Oakland. A rally will start at noon, followed by a march starting at 1pm.

SUNDAY 16

Anonymous Internet Communication Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph, Oak. cuyleruyle@mac.com. 10:30am-12:30pm, free. It’s no secret that the NSA was and is secretly spying on people here at home and around the globe. The justification given for this activity is that it can prevent terrorism and crime. While we wait for Congress or the courts to do something, we can right now actively protect our individual privacy, using freely available technical tools and best practices. Keith Davis will discuss the motivations for Internet Anonymity and the different levels of privacy that can be obtained. He also will provide caveats and warnings associated with the use of privacy tools and practices.

Alerts: March 5 – 11, 2014

Michael Redmond

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March 4, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 5

Debate: Supervisors Campos and Chiu Run for Assembly Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro, SF. www.phdemclub.org. 7:30pm, free. Potrero Hill Democratic Club presents what promises to be a lively debate between two members of the Board of Supervisors running to succeed Tom Ammiano in the State Assembly, District 17: David Campos and David Chiu. The two Davids, both Harvard-educated attorneys, agree on a lot — but the debates are a forum where their differences can be brought into sharp focus. Which David do you want to represent you in Sacramento?

THURSDAY 6

Trans in the Tenderloin since the 1960s The GLBT Historical Society, 4127 18th St., SF. www.glbthistory.org. 7-9pm, $5 general admission, $3 for students. Hear about San Francisco’s transgender Tenderloin history, from the era when “screaming queens” acted up at the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot to today. Stories will be shared by four individuals with decades of firsthand experience in the neighborhood: a former sex worker, an ex-hair fairy and veteran transwoman activists. Moderated by GLBT History Museum curator Don Romesburg, this roundtable will feature Tamara Ching, Felicia Elizondo, Ronnie Lynn and Veronika Fimbres.

Where has all the water gone? Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall, 1924 Bonita, Berk. www.transitionberkeley.com. 7pm, $5-$10 suggested donation. Join Transition Berkeley will host this evening of film and conversation about water. Watch part of “Last Call at the Oasis,” and join in on a discussion about solutions. Speakers will include Matt Freiberg of the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition as well as experienced gardeners and homeowners who have mastered water conservation techniques.

SATURDAY 8

Protest Against The Nudity Ban Jane Warner Plaza, Market and Castro, SF. www.mynakedtruth.tv. 12pm, free. Please join us for another protest against the nudity ban on International Women’s Day. We will be focusing on women’s rights to body freedom and lack thereof. Please join us naked, dressed, or top-free. It is legal for women to be top-free in San Francisco.

TUESDAY 11

Day of Action: Third Anniversary of Fukushima Meltdowns Japanese Consulate, 50 Fremont, SF. nonukesaction.wordpress.com. 3-4:30pm, free. Three years ago, an earthquake and tsunami ravaged Japan. The after effects are still felt today, as radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant continues to threaten lives. We are taking to the streets to demand action against the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which has been bungling the remediation efforts. Join for an assembly of short speeches and delivery of a letter to the Consul, then march to Union Square to rally in support of Japan.

Alerts: February 26 – March 4, 2014

Michael Redmond

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February 25, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 26

Hoodies Up! A Day of Remembrance for Trayvon Martin Fruitvale BART Plaza, Oakl. www.stopmassincarceration.net. 4pm, free. On the two-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death, join others in sending a message that we will not stand by in silence while youth of color are brutalized, locked up, and murdered. Now is the time for youth, professors and students, artists and writers, athletes, musicians and prominent voices of conscience to rise up in spirited resistance with the clear objective of stopping mass incarceration, criminalization, and the murder of our youth. Wear your hoodie and join the rally to commemorate Trayvon and the many others like him.

Protest the NSA Four Seasons Hotel, 757 Market, SF. codepink.nancy@gmail.com. 6:30-7:30pm, free. National Security Agency Deputy Director Chris Inglis stepped down from his post last month, but he continues to defend the work of the NSA and criticizes the important documents leaked by Edward Snowden. Documents leaked by Snowden show that the NSA created a formula for generating random numbers to create a “back door” in encryption products. RSA became a distributor of that formula by putting it into a software tool called Bsafe that is used on personal computers and other products. Inglis will be in San Francisco to attend the RSA Conference.

THURSDAY 27

Keep the Warriors off the Waterfront Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin, SF. sanfranpda@aol.com. 7pm, free. Former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos will be speaking against the proposed building by the Golden State Warriors which will include a 12-story basketball and entertainment complex, a 175 feet high residential tower, a hotel, a 500 space private parking garage, and a 90,000 feet shopping mall on the waterfront and on the Bay itself. Is this what we want for San Francisco’s future? Come hear Agnos challenge the corporate vision of our city.

FRIDAY 28

The Congo in Crisis 2969 Mission, SF. www.answercoalition.org/sf. 7pm, $5-10 suggested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds).More than 5 million people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) over the past 15 years. Why is this history rarely reported in the corporate media here? What is the role of the U.S. government and its allies in this ongoing crisis in the Congo and the region? Come listen to speakers Maurice Carney and Akbar Muhammad discuss this little known tragedy.

SATURDAY 1

March Against Corruption: San Francisco Justin Herman Plaza, Market and The Embarcadero, SF. tinyurl.com/marchcorruption. 12pm, free. The March Against Corruption is an international campaign to raise awareness about the corrupting influence of money in politics, to organize the public to speak out against and resist the power of special interests, and to work toward abolishing the corrupt relationship between private wealth and public policy. We welcome all individuals and groups to participate in this nonviolent struggle to create the mass movement we need to end the corruption of our corporate plutocratic state.

Alerts: February 12 – 18, 2014

Michael Redmond

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February 11, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 12

10th Anniversary: Winter of Love City Hall Rotunda, Civic Center Plaza, SF. (415) 554-5977. 5-6pm, free. Celebrate 10 years since the historic day when then-Mayor Gavin Newsom took a courageous stand against marriage discrimination in San Francisco, and married thousands of same-sex couples in San Francisco’s City Hall. A decade later, loving same-sex couples can legally marry in San Francisco and throughout California. It’s time to celebrate with family and friends. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will attend.

Winning Divestment: Student Struggles for Peace and Justice Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission, SF. MEPeaceSF@AFSC.org. 6-8:30pm, free. A panel discussion will bring activists together to address the power, controversy and effectiveness of divestment as a tool for economic activism in different movements: the movement against apartheid in South Africa, the struggle for Palestinian rights, the global movement to avert the climate crisis. Film clips will accompany the panel, followed by an open conversation moderated by journalist, activist, and author Nora Barrows-Friedman.

THURSDAY 13

Kamala Harris: Do Your Job, Prosecute Killer Cops! State Building, 1515 Clay, Oak. www.justice4alanblueford.org. 3-5pm, free. The Justice for Alan Blueford Coalition (JAB) submitted a letter to CA Attorney General Kamala D. Harris at the State March Against Police Brutality on October 22, demanding that she prosecute Miguel Masso for the murder of Alan Blueford. Since then, she has responded by refusing to reopen the investigation. Join in a statewide campaign to demand that Attorney General Harris do her job and investigate citizen deaths.

FRIDAY 14

Dance Across the Golden Gate Bridge Southeast End of Golden Gate Bridge, SF. www.onebillionrising.org/events. 8am, free. One Billion Rising for Justice is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places. This year, they are escalating their efforts, calling on women and men everywhere to rise, release, dance, and demand justice. Join them for an early morning dance across the Golden Gate Bridge.

SUNDAY 16

Radical Women & Freedom Socialist Party Meeting New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk, SF. www.radicalwomen.org. 1pm, free. Obamacare: not as universal as you may think. The focus of this month’s meeting of the Radical Women & Freedom Socialist Party is a leftist critique of the Affordable Care Act, plus cost-effective alternatives that would provide humane treatment to all. Come and discover the criticism you aren’t used to hearing about in the news.

Alerts: February 5 – 11, 2014

Michael Redmond

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February 4, 2014

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THURSDAY 6

Speaking event: After the Arab Spring 312 Sutter, 2nd Floor Auditorium, SF. www.globalexchange.org/events. 7-8pm, $15 or $5 for students. Three years ago, the Arab Spring started with a single protest in Tunisia and quickly spread across the rest of the region, bringing with it promise of a brighter future. As part of the national Engage America Series, internationally renowned blogger and professor Marc Lynch will discuss the current state of affairs in the Middle East, what’s gone wrong across the region, and what it means for the United States.

FRIDAY 7

Speaking Event: Islamaphobia Holy Spirit Parish, 2700 Dwight Way, Berk. (510) 499-0537. 7pm, free. Newman Nonviolent Peacemakers and the Fr. Bill O’Donnell Social Justice Committee are honored to present Attorney Zahre Billoo, who will examine the roots of anti-Muslim hate (or Islamaphobia), the funding which makes it possible, how it overlaps with other forms of bigotry, and how best to challenge it.

SATURDAY 8

LGBTQ Rally for Winter Olympics UN Plaza, 7th St and Market, SF. maketheworldbetterSF@gmail.com. 11-1pm, free. Show your support for the victims of escalating fascism in Russia on the opening day of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Recent legislation from the Kremlin unfairly persecutes the LGBTQ community in Russia, with sweeping laws that repress virtually any expression of queerness. Join the rally — and stand up for people who are prohibited for standing up for themselves.

Citywide Tenant Convention Tenderloin Community School, 627 Turk, SF. www.sftu.org. 12pm, free. The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition was formed by tenant organizations and their allies, who banded together and led the successful fight to curb condo conversions. Its mission is to organize against soaring evictions and rent increases which have resulted in the displacement of thousands of residents. Help build tenant power in SF, and participate in crafting a ballot measure to protect tenant concerns.

Stop privatization of public goods Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission, SF. (415) 282-1908. 1-6pm, $10 donation (no one turned away for lack of funds). Veolia is a multinational corporation that works to privatize water supply, waste management, transport services, and energy. They are currently pushing for water privatization in Richmond, CA, working against unions and environmental groups. A Veolia VP was also hired to represent BART management during the recent negotiations. Educate yourself and learn more by attending this conference.

Alerts: January 29 – February 4, 2014

Michael Redmond

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January 28, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 29

“Flying Paper” film screening and discussion Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission, SF. www.missionculturalcenter.org. 7pm, $5–$20 sliding scale. “Flying Paper” is the uplifting story of Palestinian children in Gaza on a quest to shatter the Guinness World Record for the most kites ever flown. It showcases the creative resilience of these children despite the difficult realities in their daily lives. The film was co-produced with young Palestinians in Gaza, trained by the filmmakers through a youth media program called Voices Beyond Walls. Featuring a discussion with co-director Roger Hill.

“We are Palestine” film screening ANSWER Coalition Office, 2969 Mission, SF. www.ANSWERsf.org. 7-8:30pm, $5–$10 donation (no one turned away for lack of funds.) “We are Palestinian” was filmed in 1973 and includes an excellent chronology of events leading to the establishment of Israel by using rare historical footage. The film also explains the role of Britain and the US in establishing and supporting the Israeli state, and documents the resistance by the Palestinian people against settlement and expulsion. A discussion will follow the film led by Richard Becker, author of “Palestine, Israel and the US Empire.”

FRIDAY 31

International Day of Action Against Corporate Globalization San Francisco Federal Building, 90 Seventh St, SF. www.tradejustice.ca/tpp/jan31. 4:30pm, free. Join a broad coalition of community, environmental and social justice groups in protest against Fast Track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that has been described as “NAFTA on steroids.” Protesters will meet at Congresswomen Pelosi’s office, then peacefully march to Senator Feinstein’s office at One Post, SF.

SATURDAY 1

Una Plaza Para la Comunidad/A Plaza for the Community Sixteenth and Mission BART Plaza. 1-3pm, free. This gathering, hosted by The Plaza 16 Coalition/La Plaza 16 Coalición, is being called to advocate for the use of the 1979 Mission SF site to supply much-needed affordable housing for the neighborhood, as well as more public spaces and a local ecosystem of mom and pop business that can meet the needs of the neighborhood. The coalition feels that the proposed $82 million development with 351 housing units does not meet the need for affordable housing.

SUNDAY 2

What’s happening to City College of San Francisco? Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph, Oakl. Gene Ruyle (510) 428-1578. 10:30am-12:30pm, free but donations are welcomed. CCSF has been under extreme pressure from a private accrediting agency that is threatening to close the college. Rick Baum, a part-time instructor of Political Science at CCSF for over 15 years, will give an overview of the current situation that CCSF is facing, and answer questions.

Alerts: January 22 – 28, 2014

Michael Redmond

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January 21, 2014

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WEDNESDAY 22

Housing forum at an historic location I-Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny, SF. 630pm, free. Join Sup. David Campos and others for a community forum on the housing affordability crisis in San Francisco at the Manilatown Center, the site of the historic International Hotel housing battle. Other panelists will include Gen Fujioka of the Chinatown Community Development Center; Lisa Gray Garcia aka Tiny, POOR Magazine and Angelica Cabande of the South of Market Community Action Network. The evening will also mark the debut of the “I-Hotel Anti-eviction, anti-gentrification Hit Squad” spoken word group.

Community forum on surveillance in Oakland Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce boardroom, 475 14th St., Oakl. www.lwvoakland.org. 6pm-7:30pm, free. The League of Women Voters of Oakland plans to host this discussion about Oakland surveillance. How does a city like Oakland respond to residents’ demands for more effective crime prevention and reduction while protecting everyone’s civil liberties? How will the Domain Awareness Center impact Oakland? How much surveillance is enough — or too much — to enhance our law enforcement capabilities? Bring your ideas and a friend to discuss these important issues with knowledgeable resource people and fellow Oaklanders.

TUESDAY 28

Economic Strategies for Japantown’s Cultural Preservation SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission, SF. www.spur.org/events.12:30pm, $10 non-member fee. This meeting is intended to help promote new strategies in improving and preserving the economic and cultural heritage of Japantown. The event will include speakers Bob Hamaguchi and Karen Kai of the Organizing Committee, Diana Ponce de Leon of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, as well as Shelley Caltagirone and Steve Werthelm from the San Francisco Planning Department. Show your support and help guide the future of this historic neighborhood, while remembering its past.

WEDNESDAY 29

Spaghetti Dinner and a Fight for Global Justice and Anti Capitalism Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin, SF. www.sf99percent.org. 6-9pm, $20 requested donation. The San Francisco 99% dinner will feature a hearty meal plus a program featuring Jerry Mander, author of The Capitalist Papers: Fatal Flaws of an Obsolete System, political satirist Will Durst, poetry from Revolutionary Poets Brigade, and recognition of local activists. No one turned away for lack of funds. Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalists for Peace-San Francisco.