A state agency created to preserve open space and habitat in the San Gabriel Valley is pouring millions of dollars into a controversial and costly San Gabriel River interpretive center even as it plans to build two more interpretive centers in the same east Los Angeles County area. The San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy’s $30 million San Gabriel River Discovery Center, proposed for the Whittier Narrows Natural Area and wildlife sanctuary on the San Gabriel River, was approved in January by a joint powers authority led by the conservancy. Construction of the Discovery Center would require demolition of the one interpretive center that currently serves the immediate area, as well as the bulldozing of wildlife habitat within a county Significant Ecological Area. Yet the conservancy, through another joint powers authority, has plans to build two more interpretive centers, each less than three miles from the proposed site of the Discovery Center. The Watershed Conservation Authority, led by the conservancy, plans to build the “Duck Farm on the San Gabriel River,” an interpretive center with many elements similar to those of the Discovery Center. And the authority has included as part of its proposed update to the Whittier Narrows Master Plan a “welcome center” to be built within the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, which includes the natural area. The County of Los Angeles and two municipal water districts are pouring millions more public dollars into the Discovery Center even as taxes and water rates increase. “It’s indefensible and obscene,” said Gloria Valladolid, board member of the Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area. “When each passing day seems to bring news of more budget cuts to education, other basic services and even emergency services, to build even one of these projects would be questionable. “But to take millions of dollars from the community, destroy an existing interpretive center and then build three redundant facilities — is this really the way to manage public resources?” Questions have also been raised regarding the propriety of the $3 million grant the conservancy gave itself and its partners to build the Discovery Center. A request under the California Public Records Act revealed that the conservancy provided the $3 million for the Discovery Center even though the project “was not included in the [conservancy’s] regular competitive grant process” — a process the agency spent tens of thousands of tax dollars to develop and implement. In a letter accompanying materials provided in response to the request, Belinda Faustinos, executive officer of the conservancy, the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority and the Watershed Conservation Authority, stated that no application was submitted for the grant to the Discovery Center and that the grant program guidelines “do not apply to this particular project.” “It’s this kind of lack of accountability that leads to taxpayer cynicism and distrust of government,” said Friends board member Valladolid. “The conservancy was created to preserve, restore and protect open space and habitat to benefit the community and the environment upon which we all depend. It certainly wasn’t created to take our tax dollars and dot the land with buildings.” For more information, please visit http://naturalareafriends.net.

By a WSWS reporting team, 6 March 2010 http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/isse-m06.shtml and 7 minute video at: http://wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/vide-m06.shtml (Photo at original wsws site) The events in San Diego were among the largest demonstrations in the state. Tens of thousands of students, parents and workers demonstrated throughout the country against school closings, tuition hikes, and teacher layoffs. (See, “Students and staff protest against education cuts in US”) Among the main speakers at the San Diego rallies were members of the International Students for Social Equality, the student organization of the Socialist Equality Party. The ISSE, which helped organize the demonstration at SDSU, called for a break with the Democratic Party and for a socialist movement to defend education. Despite their size, the San Diego rallies went largely unreported in the media. If their numbers were mentioned, they were generally reported as “hundreds.” This was part of what appeared to be a general attempt by the media to downplay the significance of the demonstrations. The first speaker at the SDSU rally was Priscilla Diaz, a straight-A high school student who was denied admittance to SDSU because of budget cuts. The university cut its total enrollment by 4,500 this year, and expects to cut another 11,000 over the next two years. The other speakers included representatives of the March 4 UCSD educational committee as well as various other student groups on campus. These groups, to the extent that they had any explicit political perspective, called on students to lobby their local representatives and the Democratic Party to carry out reforms. Several of the speakers called for repealing a rule that requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature to raise taxes. Trade unions in the state have championed this as a measure that would save education. Speaking on behalf of the ISSE were Andre Damon and Emanuele Saccarelli, a professor of political science at SDSU. Damon argued that pressuring the Democratic Party was completely unviable, saying, “We have a Democratic president, the California State Senate is Democratic, Congress is controlled by the Democrats, yet these cuts are still being implemented.” “We need a new political party, one that represents the entire working class; the people who have been the victims of budget cuts, school shutdowns, and unemployment,” Damon said. Saccarelli strongly condemned the Campus Faculty Association trade union, of which he said he was a “captive member,” for refusing to support the walkout. Once the rally had taken place, the union sought to take credit for it, and to persuade students to send protests to Democratic politicians. Saccarelli said that the unions only seek to divide and repress workers, citing the fact that the United Auto Workers called police on its own members at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California who “wanted to do something besides close the plant.” He further denounced the Democratic Party and Obama. Saccarelli noted that Obama had come out explicitly to endorse the mass firing of teachers in a Rhode Island school district, holding this up as a model of education reform. Obama claims that “students and teachers ought to be accountable,” Saccarelli said. “How come the billionaires and the hedge fund managers and the generals and the war criminals are never held accountable, but only the teachers?” The demonstration in downtown San Diego began with a rally at Balboa Park, which drew between 1,500 and 2,000 people. The group then marched downtown to the governor’s office, picking up even more members. The path of the rally went past high schools, and hundreds of high school students joined as classes were let out. Ricardo, a senior at San Diego State University and member of the International Students for Social Equality, was among those who addressed the rally at the governor’s office, calling for a socialist movement to unite all workers to defend public education. “It is not a matter of what must be cut,” he said. “Instead, it is a question of the necessary political strategy to oppose all cuts.” “We are always being told that there is no money for education and other basic services. This after the treasury has been emptied to bail out the banks and fund two criminal wars,” he said. For a video of these remarks, see, “ISSE members speak at San Diego rallies” at http://wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/vide-m06.shtml

The CSUN protest was huge and relevant, because it was only loosely planned and as a fraction broke off, it walked into the community, drawing supporters.)

Between 4 and 6pm of this last thursday, over one thousand people marched in downtown Santa Barbara. Prior to the large march taking place, a group of 250 students without permits marched to the beach shutting down Santa Barbara's state street. Prior to the gathering downtown, at least 500 students gathered at the UCSB campus. Half a dozen speakers, from students orgs and unions, spoke. Megan White, vice president of UCSB Campus Left, gave a speech. Filipino activist Walden Bello,n on the UCSB campus that day, gave a rousing speech. Student activists also stormed into 2 different large theater halls and called for students to walk out of those classes that were stilling being held. Here are flickr photos from one grad student at the protest: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhsprague/sets/72157623432879091/ Articles on the protest in local papers: UCSB Daily Nexus: Students Manifest Dissent During Rally http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=20420 The Daily Sound: Locals take to streets in protest of education cuts http://www.thedailysound.com/News/030510Protest SB Independent: Protesting the Plight of Public Education: Hundreds of Students, Parents, Teachers March on Downtown and UCSB http://www.independent.com/news/2010/mar/04/protesting-plight-public-education/

I don't know this guy's name, sadly. He is a nursing student at CSULA. It was getting dark, I was not in an idea location for good video, and the sound quality isn't perfect, but it is so worth a listen. This guy was just phenomenal. If anyone knows his name, please post it. images from the student protest downtown LA. These images are small because it's taking too long to upload the larger ones. If anyone wants a copy of any of them, just email. 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php 4th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235731.php 5th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235751.php 6th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235771.php 7th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235793.php 8th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235814.php 9th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235834.php

images from the student protest downtown LA. These images are small because it's taking too long to upload the larger ones. If anyone wants a copy of any of them, just email. 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php 4th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235731.php 5th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235751.php 6th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235771.php 7th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235793.php 8th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235814.php

These images are small because it's taking too long to upload the larger ones. If anyone wants a copy of any of them, just email. 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php 4th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235731.php 5th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235751.php 6th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235771.php 7th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235793.php

Sábado / Saturday

COSTA MESA (CA) - "The Costa Mesa Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint from 8 p.m. today to 2 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Peterson Place." (http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2010/03/05/publicsafety/dpt-duicheckpoint030610.txt)

MODESTO (CA) - "Modesto police will be out looking for drunken drivers Saturday night at a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the city." (http://www.modbee.com/2010/03/03/1073190/police-planning-dui-checkpoint.html)

PONTOON BEACH (IL) - "The checkpoint will be held beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday at an intersection in the Pontoon Beach area." (http://www.bnd.com/2010/03/05/1161419/state-police-to-dedicate-safety.html)

Video available here: http://video.indymedia.org/en/2010/03/955.shtml

These images are small because it's taking too long to upload the larger ones. If anyone wants a copy of any of them, just email. images from the student protest downtown LA 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php 4th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235731.php 5th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235751.php 6th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235771.php

These images are small because it's taking too long to upload the larger ones. If anyone wants a copy of any of them, just email. 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php 4th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235731.php 5th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235751.php

Sorry these too so long to get posted. images from the student protest downtown LA 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php 4th set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235731.php

images from the student protest downtown LA 1st set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235615.php 2nd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235635.php 3rd set: http://la.indymedia.org/news/2010/03/235655.php