San Diego, CA
UC San Diego workers plan Monday strike as result of protest crackdowns
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A rolling strike by unionized academic workers upset about the University of California’s response to pro-Palestinian protests at various campuses will spread to three more campuses next week, including UC San Diego, union officials said Friday.
According to United Auto Workers Local 4811, workers will hit the picket lines Monday morning at UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara, with UC Irvine workers joining the lines Wednesday.
The wave of strikes began at UC Santa Cruz, then spread this week to UCLA and UC Davis.
According to the union, UAW represents 8,000 at UC San Diego and 5,000 workers at UC Irvine along with 3,000 at UC Santa Barbara. The union has a total of 31,500 members at all six of the universities now targeted by the strikes.
“For the last month, UC has used and condoned violence against workers and students peacefully protesting on campus for peace and freedom in Palestine,” Rafael Jaime, president of UAW Local 4811, said in a statement. “Rather than put their energies into resolution, UC is attempting to halt the strike through legal procedures. They have not been successful, and this strike will roll on. We are united in our demand that UC address these serious ULPs, beginning with dropping all criminal and conduct charges that have been thrown at our members because they spoke out against injustice.”
UAW Local 4811 is asking the UC schools to give amnesty to all academic employees and students who faced arrest or disciplinary actions for protesting at campuses. The union also wants the students to have guarantees of freedom of speech and political expression on campus and is asking for researchers to be able to opt out of funding sources tied to the Israeli Defense Force.
Students at UCSD established a “Gaza Solidarity” encampment on the campus’ Library Walk on May 1.
Dani Miskell, Reporter
The UCSDivest Coalition, organizers of the encampment campaign, called on UCSD to “end their silence and publicly condemn the destruction of over 80% of schools and all 12 universities in Gaza in a systematic dismantling of infrastructure that UN experts have termed scholasticide,” a statement from the organization read.
On May 6, the California Highway Patrol encircled a group of protesters at the encampment, taking down tents and arresting 65 protesters, along with one injury.
Morgen Chalmiers, a UCSD student and one of the protest organizers, described the arrests as a violent action against peaceful students.
“Today, we saw UCSD administration willfully endanger communities of color, undocumented individuals, and other marginalized groups, whom we know are at a disproportionate risk of state violence,” Chalmiers said. “Today, we also witness the invasion of Rafah by the Israeli Occupation Forces, who train San Diego police, and we recognize the ties between militarism, police violence, and repression on our campus and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
Authorities declared the encampment an unlawful assembly at about 5:45 a.m. Monday. Officers ordered the protesters to leave.
Chancellor Pradeep Khosla released a statement Sunday calling the protest an “illegal encampment,” and that the tents on Library Walk pose “an unacceptable safety and security hazard on campus.”
On May 8, more than 1,000 protesters marched at UCSD as a continuation of the ongoing demonstrations in support of the people of Gaza, as well as condemnations of school administration following the arrests.
Again, on May 10, UCSD students and faculty staged a walkout which saw more than 100 members of the UCSD community chant and march to Chancellor Pradeep Khosla’s home off campus. Many wore keffiyehs or academic dress and carried signs calling on the university to sever financial ties with Israel.
ABC 10News
The UC system has blasted the union’s allegations and filed unfair labor practice complaints of its own, saying the union’s labor contract has a no-strike provision and that the union’s demands are outside the scope of union labor issues. The university has also rejected calls for amnesty.
“We are disheartened that UAW continues publicly escalating its unlawful strike in violation of its contracts’ no-strike clause and encouraging its members to disrupt and harm the ability of our students to navigate finals and other critical year-end activities successfully,” UC officials said in a statement Friday. “UAW’s goal to `maximize chaos and confusion’ has come to fruition, creating substantial and irreparable impacts on campuses and impacting our students at a crucial time of their education. We are hopeful PERB (Public Employment Relations Board) will intervene and ask the court to end this precedent-setting, unlawful action.”
The state’s Public Employment Relations Board previously declined the university’s request for an injunction that would have blocked the strike, but UC officials said the board issued a complaint against the union saying the walkout is “contrary to the no-strike clauses in their collective bargaining agreements.” Union officials said PERB has also called for both sides to meet and discuss the issues, forcing the university to the table rather than just seeking an injunction.
The union represents teaching assistants, readers, tutors, student researchers and academic researchers.
The dust has settled from San Diego’s frantic search to fill its massive $118 million budget shortfall.
Mayor Todd Gloria’s initial budget proposed sweeping cuts to libraries, parks, recreation centers and city arts programs.
But the San Diego City Council’s final budget — with the help of some creative money shuffling — restored some of that funding.
With the budget battle over, residents now can review how the solution city leaders landed on will affect them. Here’s the impact on your community services once the budget takes effect July 1:
Which library branches will see reduced hours
Six libraries will have reduced hours: Central, along with branches in University Heights, Allied Gardens, La Jolla, Point Loma and Rancho Bernardo.
In all, San Diego has 36 branch libraries and the main Central Library.
Excluding University Heights and Allied Gardens, these libraries will deal with their cuts by opening only for half days on Saturdays. That will bring these libraries from operating 51 hours a week down to 47 hours.
University Heights and Allied Gardens will eliminate their Monday hours entirely. That will bring their weekly hours down from 51 to 42.5.
Seventeen other libraries across the city will maintain the same operating schedule of Tuesday through Saturday, totaling 42.5 hours.
The mayor proposed reducing library hours in North Park, Mira Mesa and Linda Vista. Those branches will remain open for 51 hours a week after the council’s revisions.
List of rec centers with fewer hours
Thirteen recreation centers will see their operating hours cut from 60 hours a week down to 40:
- La Jolla
- Ocean Air
- Pacific Beach
- North Clairemont
- Ocean Beach
- Canyonside
- Carmel Mountain Ranch/ Sabre Springs
- Hilltop
- Rancho Bernardo Glassman
- Scripps Ranch Community
- Kearny Mesa
- Allied Gardens
- Tierrasanta
Three other rec centers will be reduced to 40 operating hours a week, but their cuts will be smaller, because they already had less than 60 operating hours per week:
- Cabrillo
- San Carlos
- Serra Mesa
Rec centers in districts 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 were all facing reductions to operating hours. Each district saw at least one center restored to 60 hours, except for District 7.
The mayor proposed cutting operations for another nine recreation centers to 40 hours per week, but the final budget maintained their 60 weekly hours:
- Carmel Valley
- Pacific Highlands Ranch
- Robb Athletic Field
- Canyonside
- Doyle
- Gil Johnson Mira Mesa
- Hourglass Field
- Nobel Athletic Fields
- Standley
In the May revised budget from the mayor, he proposed that these facilities have their hours reduced to 40 hours a week.
The following rec centers — located in districts 4, 8 and 9, the lowest-income areas of the city, as well as District 3 — will see no change in operating hours:
- Adams Recreation Center
- Azalea Recreation Center
- Balboa Park Activity Center
- Bay Terraces Community & Senior Center
- Black Mountain Multipurpose Center
- Chollas Lake Park
- City Heights Recreation Swim & Tennis Center
- Colina Del Sol Recreation Center
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center
- Encanto Recreation Center
- Golden Hill Recreation Center
- Dolores Magdaleno Memorial Recreation Center
- Mid-City Gymnasium
- Montgomery-Waller Recreation Center
- Morley Field Sports Complex
- Neal Petties Mountain View Community Center at Neal Petties Mountain View Community Park
- North Park Recreation Center
- Paradise Hills Recreation Center
- Park de la Cruz Community Center
- Penn Athletic Field
- Presidio Recreation Center
- Col. Irving Salomon San Ysidro Community Activity Center
- San Ysidro Teen Center
- San Ysidro Larsen Field Community Center
- Silver Wing Recreation Center
- Skyline Hills Recreation Center
- Robert Egger Sr. South Bay Recreation Center
- Southcrest Recreation Center
- Stockton Recreation Center
- Willie Henderson Sports Complex
San Diego has 60 rec centers across the city.
How much money is there for arts funding?
The city partially preserved arts funding thanks to an agreement with the private Prebys Foundation. The agreement will help fund community events and arts programs, but it represents less than what was available in the current fiscal year through the city’s three main grant programs.
This year, the city doled out $11.8 million in arts-related grants. Next year, there will be around $9 million available — including $3 million from Prebys and nearly $6 million from the city.
The budget also included $50,000 for each council district to award through arts, culture and community festivals grants. Each district has another $100,000 available in a second pot called community programs, projects and services funds.
Each councilmember can award funds from both pots to programs of their choosing.
The city and the Prebys Foundation have yet to determine how they’ll distribute grants. Officials have said Prebys will not give money to the city to hand out — the organization will deliver grants directly.
Councilmember Kent Lee, who helped spearhead the public-private partnership, said grant recipients will get less than they received in the past.
“But, now, for one, they will know they get something,” he said. “And two, it will be more predictable,” Lee said.
“All of these organizations went through this entire process already,” he said. “They were just waiting for a budget amount to determine what their funding would be when the mayor was proposing we give nothing,”
Katie Lowe survived a helicopter crash during the popular off-roading race in Mexico called the Baja 500.
Lowe was flying in the chase helicopter when it crashed during a refueling incident.
Katie is deeply grateful everyone survived and for everyone who helped them along the way.
As a team air medic for the Baja 500 race, Katie Lowe never thought her crew would be in need of medical assistance.
“Unfortunately, we were the ones that got injured,” Katie Lowe said.
“There were strong winds,” Edwin Lopez who witnessed the crash said. “I believe that played a huge factor in them spinning.”
Edward Lopez runs the helicopter fueling base. He watched from the ground as the disaster unfolded.
“They just went up in the air again and that’s when we noticed the spinning going on and them hitting the ground,” Lopez said.
Katie said as the helicopter was swept up, she looked to brace herself.
“I just have never felt that before, not knowing whether or not I was going to live or die so it was pretty scary and I’m just grateful to be alive.” Katie said. “I felt like I couldn’t take a deep breath because or catch my breath because every breath I took was so severe.”
Lopez remembers the helicopter crashing to the ground and rolling over. Upon seeing the pilot bleeding from his head, she said her medical instincts kicked in.
“But once I clicked out, I landed on my hands and knees and I went to try to go over towards him and the pain in my back was just so severe,” Katie said.
“As that’s happening, we’re already running towards them,” Edward Lopez said.
Lopez was among the rescue team that pulled them to safety.
Once they turned off the engine, they pulled both of them out of the helicopter. Katie and the pilot were both flown back to Brownfield Airport where her husband Mike was waiting for her.
“We’re incredibly grateful for everything that everyone did to take care of her and get her home,” Lowe said.
Katie sustained compression fractures to her T7 and T8 vertebrae, along with a rotator cuff tear, and a labrum tear.
The pilot also sustained a laceration in his forehead and a broken nose.
Katie said they’ve been checking in on each other every day.
“I just feel lucky to be alive,” Lowe said.
Katie said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Katie said she’s overwhelmed with the love and support she’s received from friends and the community.
Now she’s focused on getting an adjustable bed to begin her road to recovery and she said any help from the community would be much appreciated.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The crew of the Coast Guard Forrest Rednour caught 17 suspected migrants aboard a panga-style vessel about 10 miles off Sunset Cliffs Sunday.
At around 1:18 a.m., the Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center watch standers received notification from a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento HC-130 Hercules aircrew of a vessel near the southwest of Point Loma.
The team found 17 suspected migrants abroad, claiming Mexican nationality and one unaccompanied minor claiming Guatemalan nationality.
They were later transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations for transport to Ballast Point, where they were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody.
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Which libraries and rec centers will be hit by council-approved budget cuts?
