by Matt Stannard [http://www.shareable.net/blog/why-cities-should-use-public-banks-instead-of-big-banks]:
The Public Banking Institute (PBI) [http://publicbankinginstitute.org/] is a non-partisan think-tank, research and advisory organization dedicated to exploring and disseminating information on the potential utility of publicly-owned banks, and to facilitate their implementation. For more information about public banking, please check out PBI's "Public Banking in America Legislative Guide" [http://cloud.snappages.com/8b4c3506d1b4d4ec3a752345750368b42852dd73/Legislative%20Guide%20030911%20FINAL.pdf].
---
Of all the public entities that have fallen victim to the big bank-induced economic downturn, cities have the most compelling stories of being burned. If “all politics is local,” this is even more true for economics, at least where people’s ordinary lives are concerned. City budgets contain the life blood of communities. School districts, contracts with utility companies, waste services, and street repairs all filter locally. City social services are often the first line of response for people in need. City councils also fund soup kitchens, domestic violence shelters, and animal shelters.
So we should take good care of our cities, right? We shouldn’t throw them to the wolves when it comes to funding essential services, right? Matt Taibbi’s well-read Rolling Stone article, “The Scam Wall Street Learned from the Mafia,” details the struggle of municipalities, schools, and other public entities after big private banks induced them to gamble their public funds on the direction of the market -- often resulting in debts that far exceeded their budgets and the original cost estimates for the projects they were seeking to fund [http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-scam-wall-street-learned-from-the-mafia-20120620]. Taibbi’s article specifically described how “banksters,” as populists are wont to call them these days, conned Jefferson County, Alabama, to spend $5 billion for a sewer project estimated at $250 million.
Trey Bundy and Shane Shifflett of California Watch recently detailed the story of American Canyon High School in Napa Valley [http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/School-districts-pay-dearly-for-bonds-4237868.php]. When Napa Valley’s school district needed a new high school, and taxpayers didn’t want to pay for it, the district took out a $22 million loan payable in 2049. The amount to be repaid 21 years in the future? $154 million. Bundy and Shifflett note that over 1,300 districts across the country are doing the same thing -- engaging in capital appreciation bond borrowing to finance their publicly necessary building projects. Some jurisdictions are banning this kind of borrowing, but no one is offering an alternative. Tax increases are unpopular and, apparently, politically unrealistic. Cutting budgets in other areas is impossible now -- there's virtually nothing left to cut.
Public school districts should not have to refinance their outstanding bonds in order to reduce the interest burdens on their debt. A school district should not be spending $2 million annually to pay interest on their debt [http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Better-Way-To-Finance-Pu-by-Rudy-Avizius-120715-548.html]. And a big part of the problem is that conventional thinking sees the only route for the financing of public projects as a trip to big, private banks to apply for a loan, the interest of which will go into the hands of private investors and entities with no connection to the community where the project is located. The case of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge retrofit illustrates this principle. Six billion dollars of interest and financial fees went to private investors [http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2009-12/unparalleled-bridge-unprecedented-cost]. Had a public bank financed the project, the interest would have been paid to that bank, which would then have returned the vast majority of that money to the state’s treasury.
A different paradigm should frame the issue of access to credit for the public good than that which governs credit for private investment. Rather than a utopian dream, public banking is an option that actually works -- as evidenced by the most solvent bank in the country, the Bank of North Dakota (BND) [http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/11/04/18725113.php]. During the 2008 economic crisis, North Dakota had its largest budget surplus in state history.
The profits of public banks are returned to the public, whereas privately owned banks increase taxpayer costs through compound interest and are compelled to return profits to shareholders. Public banks issue credit at low-cost or no-cost to cities and states. Public banks can offer “bridges” to residential, agricultural, and public works financing, as the BND did during the Great Depression. BND also partners with the private sector, encouraging entrepreneurial startups and providing check-clearing, liquidity, and bond account safekeeping to private banks. While it is true that cities’ budgets are bare, this is not because there’s “no money” available. What we need is to move away from the model perpetrated by the large, unaccountable entities like private banks and credit bureaus that got us into this mess in the first place. City governments should divest from big private banks. Cities and states should create public banks modeled after the BND, and demand transparency, accountability, and democracy from the institutions that have an outsized influence on the health of local economies. This is a better way for cities to meet their needs in the twenty first century. We already know that it works.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
"10 Ways to Create Community in a Suburban 'Hood" by Ross Chapin
Ross Chapin is an architect and author of Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-scale Community in a Large-scale World. This article originally appeared on Pocket Neighborhoods [www.pocket-neighborhoods.net/blog].
Building a community from scratch is daunting, but the good news is that vibrant communities can grow from existing neighborhoods over time through the actions of people who live there, often without much money being spent.
Right here, right now: 10 ways to build community.
1. Move your picnic table to the front yard.
See what happens when you eat supper out front. It’s likely you’ll strike up a conversation with a neighbor. Invite them to bring a dish to share. Your kids will probably love it, too.
2. Plant a front yard vegetable garden.
Don’t stop with the picnic table. Build a raised bed for veggies; plant edible landscaping and fruit trees. If you’re inclined, invite your neighbors to share your garden. Along with carrots and sweet peas will come conversation and friendship — a bountiful harvest. [http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/pamela-omalley-chang/yard-for-share-my-hyperlocavore-garden]
3. Build a room-sized front porch.
The magic of a good porch comes from the way it is both private and public, belonging to the household while being open to passersby. It may be the most essential element for bringing life to a neighborhood. Its placement, size, relation to the interior and the public space, and height of railings are both an art and a science. First thing to remember: make it more than a tiny cover for fumbling for keys; make it room-sized — a veritable outdoor living room. [http://www.pocket-neighborhoods.net/blog/?p=76]
4. Add layers of privacy.
Curiously, giving your personal space more definition will foster connections with neighbors. A secure space will be more comfortable and more often used, which will increase chances for seeing your neighbors, even if this is a passing nod. But rather than achieving privacy with a tall fence, consider an approach with layers: a bed of perennial flowers in front of a low fence, with a shade tree to further filter the view. These layers help define personal boundaries, but are permeable at the same time. Here’s a challenge: can you create six layers between the street and the front door?
5. Take down your backyard fence.
Join with your neighbors to create a shared safe play space for children, a community garden, or a wood-fired pizza oven. In Davis, California, a group of neighbors on N Street did just that [http://cms.yesmagazine.org/planet/10-tips-for-creating-community-where-you-live/%22http://www.nstreet]. Twenty years later, nearly all the neighbors around the block have joined in. If that’s too radical, consider cutting your six-foot fence to four feet to make chatting across the fence easier, or building a gate between yards.
6. Put up a book-lending cupboard.
Take a book, lend a book. Collect your old reads and share them with passersby in a book-lending cupboard mounted next to the sidewalk out front. Give it a roof, a door with glass panes, and paint it to match the flowers below. Or, change the story: read a poem, write a poem. Create a poetry cupboard with poems to share. (See Oregon’s City Repair for other inspiring neighborhood-building ideas like this. Check them out! [http://cityrepair.org/])
7. Organize summer potluck street parties.
Claim the street, gather the lawn chairs, and fire up the hibachi! Take over the otherwise “off-limits” street as a space to draw neighbors together.
8. Build resilience together.
Create a neighborhood survey of assets, skills, and needs for times of crisis. Frame it around “emergency preparedness,” but watch how it cultivates community. [http://cms.yesmagazine.org/resolveuid/a7bbe5cb4f21f78b8aa817ca58794a12]
9. Create an online network for nearby neighbors.
Expand the survey into an active online resource and communication tool. Find a new home for an outgrown bike. Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog. Organize a yard sale. Take advantage of free neighbor-to-neighbor networking tools such as Nextdoor to facilitate communications and build happier, safer neighborhoods. As they say, “online chats lead to more clothesline chats.” [https://nextdoor.com/about_us/]
10. Be a good neighbor.
It’s easy to focus on your own needs and concerns, but a slight shift in outlook can make a big difference in the day-to-day lives in a neighborhood. Check in on your elderly neighbor if her curtains aren’t raised in the morning. On a hot summer day, put out a pitcher of ice lemonade for passersby, or a bowl of cool water for dogs on walks. To be sure, grievances among neighbors are common. But when there is a base of goodwill in a neighborhood, little squabbles won’t escalate into turf fights, and neighborhoods can become what they are meant to be — places of support, security and friendship.
Building a community from scratch is daunting, but the good news is that vibrant communities can grow from existing neighborhoods over time through the actions of people who live there, often without much money being spent.
Right here, right now: 10 ways to build community.
1. Move your picnic table to the front yard.
See what happens when you eat supper out front. It’s likely you’ll strike up a conversation with a neighbor. Invite them to bring a dish to share. Your kids will probably love it, too.
2. Plant a front yard vegetable garden.
Don’t stop with the picnic table. Build a raised bed for veggies; plant edible landscaping and fruit trees. If you’re inclined, invite your neighbors to share your garden. Along with carrots and sweet peas will come conversation and friendship — a bountiful harvest. [http://www.yesmagazine.org/blogs/pamela-omalley-chang/yard-for-share-my-hyperlocavore-garden]
3. Build a room-sized front porch.
The magic of a good porch comes from the way it is both private and public, belonging to the household while being open to passersby. It may be the most essential element for bringing life to a neighborhood. Its placement, size, relation to the interior and the public space, and height of railings are both an art and a science. First thing to remember: make it more than a tiny cover for fumbling for keys; make it room-sized — a veritable outdoor living room. [http://www.pocket-neighborhoods.net/blog/?p=76]
4. Add layers of privacy.
Curiously, giving your personal space more definition will foster connections with neighbors. A secure space will be more comfortable and more often used, which will increase chances for seeing your neighbors, even if this is a passing nod. But rather than achieving privacy with a tall fence, consider an approach with layers: a bed of perennial flowers in front of a low fence, with a shade tree to further filter the view. These layers help define personal boundaries, but are permeable at the same time. Here’s a challenge: can you create six layers between the street and the front door?
5. Take down your backyard fence.
Join with your neighbors to create a shared safe play space for children, a community garden, or a wood-fired pizza oven. In Davis, California, a group of neighbors on N Street did just that [http://cms.yesmagazine.org/planet/10-tips-for-creating-community-where-you-live/%22http://www.nstreet]. Twenty years later, nearly all the neighbors around the block have joined in. If that’s too radical, consider cutting your six-foot fence to four feet to make chatting across the fence easier, or building a gate between yards.
6. Put up a book-lending cupboard.
Take a book, lend a book. Collect your old reads and share them with passersby in a book-lending cupboard mounted next to the sidewalk out front. Give it a roof, a door with glass panes, and paint it to match the flowers below. Or, change the story: read a poem, write a poem. Create a poetry cupboard with poems to share. (See Oregon’s City Repair for other inspiring neighborhood-building ideas like this. Check them out! [http://cityrepair.org/])
7. Organize summer potluck street parties.
Claim the street, gather the lawn chairs, and fire up the hibachi! Take over the otherwise “off-limits” street as a space to draw neighbors together.
8. Build resilience together.
Create a neighborhood survey of assets, skills, and needs for times of crisis. Frame it around “emergency preparedness,” but watch how it cultivates community. [http://cms.yesmagazine.org/resolveuid/a7bbe5cb4f21f78b8aa817ca58794a12]
9. Create an online network for nearby neighbors.
Expand the survey into an active online resource and communication tool. Find a new home for an outgrown bike. Ask for help keeping an eye out for a lost dog. Organize a yard sale. Take advantage of free neighbor-to-neighbor networking tools such as Nextdoor to facilitate communications and build happier, safer neighborhoods. As they say, “online chats lead to more clothesline chats.” [https://nextdoor.com/about_us/]
10. Be a good neighbor.
It’s easy to focus on your own needs and concerns, but a slight shift in outlook can make a big difference in the day-to-day lives in a neighborhood. Check in on your elderly neighbor if her curtains aren’t raised in the morning. On a hot summer day, put out a pitcher of ice lemonade for passersby, or a bowl of cool water for dogs on walks. To be sure, grievances among neighbors are common. But when there is a base of goodwill in a neighborhood, little squabbles won’t escalate into turf fights, and neighborhoods can become what they are meant to be — places of support, security and friendship.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Localization orgs helping to bring $289 BILLION to Equity, Environment, and Jobs in the Bay Area!
"Take Action: Direct $289 BILLION to Equity, Environment, and Jobs in the Bay Area!"
2013-07-04 message from Bay Localize [www.baylocalize.org/]:
Yes, $289 billion...do we have your attention? That's the funding at stake in the Bay Area's Sustainable Communities Strategy. The regional plan is supposed to reduce greenhouse gases, fund transportation, and build more affordable housing so we can all continue to live in the Bay Area. The regional The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is voting on the plan July 18th!
The 6 Wins for Social Equity Network of community advocates, including Bay Localize, developed the Equity, Environment and Jobs (EEJ) Scenario which reduces greenhouse gas emissions the most! The agencies' own study shows that the EJJ Scenario will also mean better health and more protections for disadvantaged communities, But, it's notthe plan the agencies are moving forward with. We need community members to tell your elected officials on the MTC that you want the Equity, Environment, and Jobs Scenario!
Take action to bring EEJ Scenario into Plan Bay Area
[salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50598/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11078]
Speak Up Today for a Healthier, Greener and More Equitable Bay Area!
6 Big Wins for Social Equity Network: [http://www.publicadvocates.org/6-big-wins-for-social-equity-network]
2011-07-18 "Community Advocates Take on Powerful Bay Area Agencies"
by Parisa Fatehi-Weeks from "Ella Baker Center for Human Rights" [http://ellabakercenter.org/blog/2011/07/community-advocates-take-on-powerful-bay-area-agencies]:
The summer has been a turbulent one for Bay Area social justice advocates engaged in a high-stakes struggle with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). The two agencies are tasked with reshaping our transportation system, as well as housing options for the region’s growing population, over the next 25 years. They will be spending billions of dollars of public funds. But will they improve our region, or continue more of the same failed policies, leading to longer commutes and more traffic, more segregation by race and income, and worsening air quality and public health? It’s still too early to tell, but I can tell you this much: we haven’t been standing by hoping for the best. Instead, a coalition of community groups called the 6 Wins for Social Equity Network (PDF: [http://www.publicadvocates.org/sites/default/files/library/6_wins_networks_overview.pdf]) is fighting for a better future, one in which people of all backgrounds and incomes live together and ride transit together, in which the people who commute to work in opportunity-rich cities can live with their families in affordable housing near their jobs. Convincing MTC and ABAG to give this more equitable and environmentally-friendly future a chance hasn’t been easy this past month, and the campaign is far from over. Here’s a quick recap of the summer’s ups and downs:
* A last-minute disclosure of five “alternative scenarios.” Early in June, we learned that MTC and ABAG had developed five “alternative scenarios” in the community planning process. Even though MTC and ABAG’s own advisory groups had asked for an equity-maximizing scenario, low-income communities of color hadn’t been included in the work developing concepts. We had only a few days to analyze what had been done, and soon realized that none of the five took adequate steps to advance social equity.
* Development of an “Equity, Jobs, and Environment” Scenario. Our network of organizations quickly put together a recommendation for a sixth option that would: a) maximize the funds needed to operate local transit service and b)provide affordable housing in both job-rich suburban communities and the urban core. Because it advances multiple regional goals, we called it the Equity, Jobs, and Environment Scenario. We described it in a letter sent to MTC and ABAG that was endorsed by 20 organizations. We also advocated for its inclusion at the June 10 MTC/ABAG meeting. We wanted to show that we weren’t just there to complain; we were there to offer a new solution, proving that we should have been involved in the planning process from the outset. It seemed to work. Our demand to maximize social equity was heard loud and clear, and received explicit support from a handful of MTC commissioners and ABAG board members.
* A threat to our sixth scenario. Even after receiving the support of their own advisory groups and over 20 organizations, a June 16 memo on MTC and ABAG’s website indicated that the agencies’ executive directors had rejected an equity-maximizing scenario after all. They proposed going back to the full MTC Commission and ABAG Administrative Committee on Wednesday, June 22, with the same five scenarios as before, leaving out the Equity, Environment and Jobs Scenario that many of us worked so hard to put forward.
* A partial win on June 22. At the June 22 meeting, our coalition came out in force, pressing for the equity scenario in comments and by carrying bright orange signs. Despite this effort, MTC and ABAG did not vote to approve a stand-alone equity scenario. Instead, they chose to move forward with staff's proposed five alternative scenarios. But here’s something to celebrate: they did so with the assurance that staff would take our ideas and "incorporate equity into all of the scenarios." More important, they directed staff to explore a sixth equity scenario and come back with more details so they could consider it at an upcoming meeting in July. We will have to hold them accountable for this in the coming month.
We expect this issue to be revisited at the ABAG Executive Board meeting on July 21 at 7:00pm, and an MTC meeting on July 27 at 9:30 a.m. We need to keep pushing by showing MTC and ABAG that Bay Area residents care about transit, housing, and climate justice. If you want to join us and our partners in the networks advancing 6 Big Wins for Social Equity (PDF), please contact me at [pfatehi@publicadvocates.org] or Lindsay Imai at [lindsay@urbanhabitat.org].
2011-06 photo showing ACCE community activists at an MTC meeting:
2013-07-04 message from Bay Localize [www.baylocalize.org/]:
Yes, $289 billion...do we have your attention? That's the funding at stake in the Bay Area's Sustainable Communities Strategy. The regional plan is supposed to reduce greenhouse gases, fund transportation, and build more affordable housing so we can all continue to live in the Bay Area. The regional The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is voting on the plan July 18th!
The 6 Wins for Social Equity Network of community advocates, including Bay Localize, developed the Equity, Environment and Jobs (EEJ) Scenario which reduces greenhouse gas emissions the most! The agencies' own study shows that the EJJ Scenario will also mean better health and more protections for disadvantaged communities, But, it's notthe plan the agencies are moving forward with. We need community members to tell your elected officials on the MTC that you want the Equity, Environment, and Jobs Scenario!
Take action to bring EEJ Scenario into Plan Bay Area
[salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50598/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11078]
Speak Up Today for a Healthier, Greener and More Equitable Bay Area!
6 Big Wins for Social Equity Network: [http://www.publicadvocates.org/6-big-wins-for-social-equity-network]
2011-07-18 "Community Advocates Take on Powerful Bay Area Agencies"
by Parisa Fatehi-Weeks from "Ella Baker Center for Human Rights" [http://ellabakercenter.org/blog/2011/07/community-advocates-take-on-powerful-bay-area-agencies]:
The summer has been a turbulent one for Bay Area social justice advocates engaged in a high-stakes struggle with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). The two agencies are tasked with reshaping our transportation system, as well as housing options for the region’s growing population, over the next 25 years. They will be spending billions of dollars of public funds. But will they improve our region, or continue more of the same failed policies, leading to longer commutes and more traffic, more segregation by race and income, and worsening air quality and public health? It’s still too early to tell, but I can tell you this much: we haven’t been standing by hoping for the best. Instead, a coalition of community groups called the 6 Wins for Social Equity Network (PDF: [http://www.publicadvocates.org/sites/default/files/library/6_wins_networks_overview.pdf]) is fighting for a better future, one in which people of all backgrounds and incomes live together and ride transit together, in which the people who commute to work in opportunity-rich cities can live with their families in affordable housing near their jobs. Convincing MTC and ABAG to give this more equitable and environmentally-friendly future a chance hasn’t been easy this past month, and the campaign is far from over. Here’s a quick recap of the summer’s ups and downs:
* A last-minute disclosure of five “alternative scenarios.” Early in June, we learned that MTC and ABAG had developed five “alternative scenarios” in the community planning process. Even though MTC and ABAG’s own advisory groups had asked for an equity-maximizing scenario, low-income communities of color hadn’t been included in the work developing concepts. We had only a few days to analyze what had been done, and soon realized that none of the five took adequate steps to advance social equity.
* Development of an “Equity, Jobs, and Environment” Scenario. Our network of organizations quickly put together a recommendation for a sixth option that would: a) maximize the funds needed to operate local transit service and b)provide affordable housing in both job-rich suburban communities and the urban core. Because it advances multiple regional goals, we called it the Equity, Jobs, and Environment Scenario. We described it in a letter sent to MTC and ABAG that was endorsed by 20 organizations. We also advocated for its inclusion at the June 10 MTC/ABAG meeting. We wanted to show that we weren’t just there to complain; we were there to offer a new solution, proving that we should have been involved in the planning process from the outset. It seemed to work. Our demand to maximize social equity was heard loud and clear, and received explicit support from a handful of MTC commissioners and ABAG board members.
* A threat to our sixth scenario. Even after receiving the support of their own advisory groups and over 20 organizations, a June 16 memo on MTC and ABAG’s website indicated that the agencies’ executive directors had rejected an equity-maximizing scenario after all. They proposed going back to the full MTC Commission and ABAG Administrative Committee on Wednesday, June 22, with the same five scenarios as before, leaving out the Equity, Environment and Jobs Scenario that many of us worked so hard to put forward.
* A partial win on June 22. At the June 22 meeting, our coalition came out in force, pressing for the equity scenario in comments and by carrying bright orange signs. Despite this effort, MTC and ABAG did not vote to approve a stand-alone equity scenario. Instead, they chose to move forward with staff's proposed five alternative scenarios. But here’s something to celebrate: they did so with the assurance that staff would take our ideas and "incorporate equity into all of the scenarios." More important, they directed staff to explore a sixth equity scenario and come back with more details so they could consider it at an upcoming meeting in July. We will have to hold them accountable for this in the coming month.
We expect this issue to be revisited at the ABAG Executive Board meeting on July 21 at 7:00pm, and an MTC meeting on July 27 at 9:30 a.m. We need to keep pushing by showing MTC and ABAG that Bay Area residents care about transit, housing, and climate justice. If you want to join us and our partners in the networks advancing 6 Big Wins for Social Equity (PDF), please contact me at [pfatehi@publicadvocates.org] or Lindsay Imai at [lindsay@urbanhabitat.org].
2011-06 photo showing ACCE community activists at an MTC meeting:
Monday, June 17, 2013
The Permablitz! Creating a Permaculture Urban farm in one day (more or less)
See [www.permablitz.net] for more details.
2013-06-17 "The Permablitz: Transforming Urban Homesteads in a Single Day"
by De Chantal Hillis [http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-permablitz-transforming-urban-homesteads-in-a-single-day]:
Do you remember that 'night before Christmas' feeling... the one you used to get as a kid? The night before my Permablitz, an 'I don't know if I can wait until morning' impatience had me pacing, while a slightly buzzy feeling took hold. Yep, it was 'the night before Christmas' all over again -- even though it was mid-August, and I was 32 years old. Why was I so excited? To make a long story short, I knew that before the sun had set on my (suburban) home the next day, my medium-size backyard would have been transformed into a mini-farm, an urban homestead to rival the best of them. And it would all happen in a day. The plan was: my entire front yard lawn would be ripped out and a pretty but water-hungry gardenia bed would be demolished, along with quite a lot of decorative landscaping. In its place, a front yard orchard would be planted. A newly installed chicken run would weave through this, cementing our reputation as complete eccentrics within the neighborhood. Next to front-yard chickens, the raised garden bed (complete with wicking system) would look almost normal. The plans for the backyard were even more ambitious. At the rear of the house, a series of raised garden beds (to be built from old railway sleepers) were to encircle our traditional Australian, 1950s style 'Hills Hoist' clothes line. Massive water tanks would be installed at the side of the house. These would catch the run-off from the roof of both the house and garage. With the right kind of irrigation system (our problem, to be solved later on), we would be able to direct all the water from the roof back into the garden onto our vegetable beds. What made everything so exciting was the fact that everything was going to happen in 24 hours. I was about to become the 100th person in Melbourne, Australia, to host a Permablitz. I would not be paying builders and gardeners, because 50 volunteer gardeners were going to arrive in the morning and make it all happen free of charge. I was only paying around $500 for materials, because many of the materials that I needed had been scavenged or donated. If I were to actually pay a tradesman or two to do all this work, the project would take months, and the cost of labour would run to many thousands of dollars. If I were to do all the work myself, it could take years, and I would (probably) lose my mind in the process. Luckily, I was part of a movement of volunteers who were determined to bring food production to the cities. It was Permablitzing, and it was a very, very good idea. What is a Permablitz? As a concept, a Permablitz is very similar to the barn raisings of 18th and 19th century rural America. Barn raisings were big events for country folk because, back then, a barn was an essential piece of infrastructure for a farming family. Barns were used to keep animals sheltered and safe from predators, and to store vital farm equipment and stock fodder. A barn was also far too big -- and far too expensive -- for an individual family to build by themselves.
In order to overcome these challenges, and to provide farming families with barns, a tradition called barn raising developed during which all the people within a rural area would come together to build a barn for a household within that community. Old-timers who had helped to build many barns over the years would lead the process, instructing younger and less-experienced individuals, who provided the raw manpower that was needed to get the job done. Everyone helped out in whatever way they could -- by bringing pies or tools; donating nails; and giving, lending, and contributing what they had. People were not paid for their participation because, in those sorts of communities, everyone knew that ‘what goes around comes around.’ They knew that their neighbors would one day help them, if and when they needed a barn of their own. Food and fun were part of the barn-raising process; these were festive events with a big communal lunch and a celebratory atmosphere. These days, many urbanites choose to grow food, keep bees or chickens, and harvest rainwater. They seek a degree of self-sufficiency which will allow them to reduce their eco footprint while connecting with the pleasures of the land. Unfortunately, a whole lot of lonely, back-breaking work is usually required in order to make that dream a reality. Because most people need a 'real' job to keep the cash rolling in, weekend and holiday time are often sacrificed in order to get large-scale projects finished. It’s not unusual for small-scale urban growers to spend weeks, months, and even years setting up composting systems, building poultry runs, and connecting water tanks. That's why Permablitzing makes sense. During a Permablitz, an army of volunteers, friends, and neighbors descend on a home and transform the yard (back, front, or both) into a food-growing wonderland. Permablitzing is a way of turning lawn into micro-farm and suburban house into urban homestead. The term 'Permablitz' is, in fact, a portmanteau of the words 'Permaculture' and ‘Backyard Blitz.’ Permaculture is a design system for sustainable agriculture. Backyard Blitz was an extra-cheesy Australian reality TV show wherein a team of pro gardeners and landscapers would descend upon a backyard and give it a one-day makeover.
Reflecting on the Permablitz concept, Asha Bee wrote: “Basically, a Permablitz is a permaculture-inspired backyard makeover where people come together to share knowledge and skills about organic food production in urban gardens while building community and having fun. The basic idea is that by converting their lawns into organic food-producing gardens, people will be able to back away from a dependence on industrial agriculture and the shipping of food back and forth across the world. At the same time, it makes organic eating accessible to more than just the upper-middle class. The whole Permablitz thing started with a group called Codemo (Community Development and Multicultural Organisation) a local community group composed primarily of South American immigrants and a permaculture geek named Dan Palmer. Dan started hanging out with the Codemo crew -- some of whom expressed an interest in growing food in their backyards. The first permaculture backyard makeover was held at the home of Vilma from El Salvador. And Permablitzes have been spreading all around Melbourne since. Permablitzes involve a combination of learning, practicing, and socialising. I'd say the social community-building aspect is just as important, or even more so, than the garden makeover itself. In our socially atomised suburbs, with our tall fences separating our yards from our neighbours', its rare to get to know those living closest to us.” And while Permablitzes do involve hard work, they are also an incredibly fun, deeply emotionally fulfilling way to spend a Saturday or Sunday. Gardening in the sunshine is a wonderful activity. Conversations are free-flowing and pleasant; it is easy to get to know new people as you work together building poultry runs, shoveling dirt, or hammering together together a henhouse. I have seen children have an absolute ball rolling around in piles of straw. When a watering system sprung a leak at the last Permablitz I attended, all the kids jumped under it for a bit of midsummer water play. In an era where both children and adults spend the majority of their lives indoors, Permablitzing gives people the opportunity to form a connection to the natural world.
Permablitzing is also a great way to learn new skills. Volunteers get to see chicken coops built, water tanks connected, and raised garden beds wicked. If you have never used a power tool before, a Permablitz is the ideal place to practice wielding a cordless drill with the assistance of a friendly mentor. If you have wielded a cordless drill before, chances are, there will be someone at the Blitz with the kind of skill and knowledge that helps you move to the next level. Turning oneself into an apprentice for a day is a great way to swap sweat work for knowledge. Planning a Blitz is, I admit, a huge undertaking. It is more than exhausting, it takes weeks of preparation, and it requires massive amounts of cooking. Blitz hosting is not for the faint-hearted. But, for me, hosting a Blitz was an amazing experience. It was Christmas and New Years' rolled into one. It was a party and a working bee rolled into one. Like a wedding, it was a commitment to the future. It's a great thing to see your child collecting snails with someone else’s child. It's fun to get covered in mud, to work up a sweat, to exhaust yourself planting trees and to watch the sun go down with a beer in your hand. It beats watching television. More than one hundred Permablitzes have been held in Melbourne, Australia, so far.
The more skilled and experienced guide the process. Photo credit: mooimadeit.com. Used under Creative Commons license.
Before and after a Permablitz. Photo credit: Permablitz.net. Used under Creative Commons license.
A good old-fashioned barn raising. Photo credit: Wikipedia.org. Used under Creative Commons license.
2013-06-17 "The Permablitz: Transforming Urban Homesteads in a Single Day"
by De Chantal Hillis [http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-permablitz-transforming-urban-homesteads-in-a-single-day]:
Do you remember that 'night before Christmas' feeling... the one you used to get as a kid? The night before my Permablitz, an 'I don't know if I can wait until morning' impatience had me pacing, while a slightly buzzy feeling took hold. Yep, it was 'the night before Christmas' all over again -- even though it was mid-August, and I was 32 years old. Why was I so excited? To make a long story short, I knew that before the sun had set on my (suburban) home the next day, my medium-size backyard would have been transformed into a mini-farm, an urban homestead to rival the best of them. And it would all happen in a day. The plan was: my entire front yard lawn would be ripped out and a pretty but water-hungry gardenia bed would be demolished, along with quite a lot of decorative landscaping. In its place, a front yard orchard would be planted. A newly installed chicken run would weave through this, cementing our reputation as complete eccentrics within the neighborhood. Next to front-yard chickens, the raised garden bed (complete with wicking system) would look almost normal. The plans for the backyard were even more ambitious. At the rear of the house, a series of raised garden beds (to be built from old railway sleepers) were to encircle our traditional Australian, 1950s style 'Hills Hoist' clothes line. Massive water tanks would be installed at the side of the house. These would catch the run-off from the roof of both the house and garage. With the right kind of irrigation system (our problem, to be solved later on), we would be able to direct all the water from the roof back into the garden onto our vegetable beds. What made everything so exciting was the fact that everything was going to happen in 24 hours. I was about to become the 100th person in Melbourne, Australia, to host a Permablitz. I would not be paying builders and gardeners, because 50 volunteer gardeners were going to arrive in the morning and make it all happen free of charge. I was only paying around $500 for materials, because many of the materials that I needed had been scavenged or donated. If I were to actually pay a tradesman or two to do all this work, the project would take months, and the cost of labour would run to many thousands of dollars. If I were to do all the work myself, it could take years, and I would (probably) lose my mind in the process. Luckily, I was part of a movement of volunteers who were determined to bring food production to the cities. It was Permablitzing, and it was a very, very good idea. What is a Permablitz? As a concept, a Permablitz is very similar to the barn raisings of 18th and 19th century rural America. Barn raisings were big events for country folk because, back then, a barn was an essential piece of infrastructure for a farming family. Barns were used to keep animals sheltered and safe from predators, and to store vital farm equipment and stock fodder. A barn was also far too big -- and far too expensive -- for an individual family to build by themselves.
In order to overcome these challenges, and to provide farming families with barns, a tradition called barn raising developed during which all the people within a rural area would come together to build a barn for a household within that community. Old-timers who had helped to build many barns over the years would lead the process, instructing younger and less-experienced individuals, who provided the raw manpower that was needed to get the job done. Everyone helped out in whatever way they could -- by bringing pies or tools; donating nails; and giving, lending, and contributing what they had. People were not paid for their participation because, in those sorts of communities, everyone knew that ‘what goes around comes around.’ They knew that their neighbors would one day help them, if and when they needed a barn of their own. Food and fun were part of the barn-raising process; these were festive events with a big communal lunch and a celebratory atmosphere. These days, many urbanites choose to grow food, keep bees or chickens, and harvest rainwater. They seek a degree of self-sufficiency which will allow them to reduce their eco footprint while connecting with the pleasures of the land. Unfortunately, a whole lot of lonely, back-breaking work is usually required in order to make that dream a reality. Because most people need a 'real' job to keep the cash rolling in, weekend and holiday time are often sacrificed in order to get large-scale projects finished. It’s not unusual for small-scale urban growers to spend weeks, months, and even years setting up composting systems, building poultry runs, and connecting water tanks. That's why Permablitzing makes sense. During a Permablitz, an army of volunteers, friends, and neighbors descend on a home and transform the yard (back, front, or both) into a food-growing wonderland. Permablitzing is a way of turning lawn into micro-farm and suburban house into urban homestead. The term 'Permablitz' is, in fact, a portmanteau of the words 'Permaculture' and ‘Backyard Blitz.’ Permaculture is a design system for sustainable agriculture. Backyard Blitz was an extra-cheesy Australian reality TV show wherein a team of pro gardeners and landscapers would descend upon a backyard and give it a one-day makeover.
Reflecting on the Permablitz concept, Asha Bee wrote: “Basically, a Permablitz is a permaculture-inspired backyard makeover where people come together to share knowledge and skills about organic food production in urban gardens while building community and having fun. The basic idea is that by converting their lawns into organic food-producing gardens, people will be able to back away from a dependence on industrial agriculture and the shipping of food back and forth across the world. At the same time, it makes organic eating accessible to more than just the upper-middle class. The whole Permablitz thing started with a group called Codemo (Community Development and Multicultural Organisation) a local community group composed primarily of South American immigrants and a permaculture geek named Dan Palmer. Dan started hanging out with the Codemo crew -- some of whom expressed an interest in growing food in their backyards. The first permaculture backyard makeover was held at the home of Vilma from El Salvador. And Permablitzes have been spreading all around Melbourne since. Permablitzes involve a combination of learning, practicing, and socialising. I'd say the social community-building aspect is just as important, or even more so, than the garden makeover itself. In our socially atomised suburbs, with our tall fences separating our yards from our neighbours', its rare to get to know those living closest to us.” And while Permablitzes do involve hard work, they are also an incredibly fun, deeply emotionally fulfilling way to spend a Saturday or Sunday. Gardening in the sunshine is a wonderful activity. Conversations are free-flowing and pleasant; it is easy to get to know new people as you work together building poultry runs, shoveling dirt, or hammering together together a henhouse. I have seen children have an absolute ball rolling around in piles of straw. When a watering system sprung a leak at the last Permablitz I attended, all the kids jumped under it for a bit of midsummer water play. In an era where both children and adults spend the majority of their lives indoors, Permablitzing gives people the opportunity to form a connection to the natural world.
Permablitzing is also a great way to learn new skills. Volunteers get to see chicken coops built, water tanks connected, and raised garden beds wicked. If you have never used a power tool before, a Permablitz is the ideal place to practice wielding a cordless drill with the assistance of a friendly mentor. If you have wielded a cordless drill before, chances are, there will be someone at the Blitz with the kind of skill and knowledge that helps you move to the next level. Turning oneself into an apprentice for a day is a great way to swap sweat work for knowledge. Planning a Blitz is, I admit, a huge undertaking. It is more than exhausting, it takes weeks of preparation, and it requires massive amounts of cooking. Blitz hosting is not for the faint-hearted. But, for me, hosting a Blitz was an amazing experience. It was Christmas and New Years' rolled into one. It was a party and a working bee rolled into one. Like a wedding, it was a commitment to the future. It's a great thing to see your child collecting snails with someone else’s child. It's fun to get covered in mud, to work up a sweat, to exhaust yourself planting trees and to watch the sun go down with a beer in your hand. It beats watching television. More than one hundred Permablitzes have been held in Melbourne, Australia, so far.
The more skilled and experienced guide the process. Photo credit: mooimadeit.com. Used under Creative Commons license.
Before and after a Permablitz. Photo credit: Permablitz.net. Used under Creative Commons license.
A good old-fashioned barn raising. Photo credit: Wikipedia.org. Used under Creative Commons license.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Public Banking
2013-06-05 "Direct Deposit The Public Banking Institute says there's a way to build a stronger and more resilient local economy" by Leilani Clark from "Northbay Bohemian" [http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/direct-deposit/Content?oid=2427542]:
With a price tag of $6 billion, the Bay Bridge retrofit is one of most expensive engineering projects in California's history. And in the end, taxpayers will pay nearly double that cost—an amount that won't be paid off until at least 2049—with a huge chunk of interest paid to the banks funding the project.
If a state-owned bank had backed the project, say proponents of a growing public bank movement, the interest could have gone back into public coffers, benefiting California taxpayers rather than bank shareholders.
"We've given a free pass to Wall Street," says Marc Armstrong, executive director of the Public Banking Institute. "We're paying them millions in interest. We've never held that piece under the microscope, and it's about time that we did. If we funded the Bay Bridge retrofit ourselves, the net cost would be zero because we'd be paying interest to ourselves."
Unlike privately owned banks like Bank of America, a publicly owned bank is ostensibly run for the people of any sized government—county, state, national—or community able to meet the requirements for setting up a bank. Currently, private banks are the only entities large enough to handle the huge amount of funds generated by cities, counties and states. But what if tax revenues were placed in a public bank, one run by salaried public employees with a transparent pay structure? What if these tax revenues then became a source of credit to be lent out to the community for things like infrastructure or student loans?
This story of lost potential was just one of the items discussed at the second annual Public Banking Conference, held June 2–4 at Dominican University in San Rafael. Over 300 people attended the conference to learn about banking with public—and not private—interests as the priority.
High-profile supporters like Matt Taibbi have come out in support of the idea. Taibbi, the Rolling Stone investigative journalist who famously described Goldman-Sachs as a "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money," spoke at the conference's "Funding the New Economy" conversation on opening night. Taibbi has made a career of calling out the malfeasance and misdemeanors of too-big-to-fail banks, and "corruption at the molecular level of the economy."
Armstrong and his cohort have been working to educate the world on public banking since 2009, after getting their sea legs at an Economics of Peace conference at the Praxis Institute in Sonoma. They were inspired by Ellen Brown, author of Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free. President of the Public Banking Institute and a featured speaker at the conference, Brown has argued that banking should be a public utility, and money a public asset, protected from the "parasitic pyramid scheme" of loans and interest perpetrated by private banks.
The movement has a precedent. Formed in 1919, the Bank of North Dakota is the nation's only state-owned bank. In 2008, as other state legislatures contended with huge revenue shortfalls, the state of North Dakota came out on top, with low foreclosure rates and a large surplus.
The history of the Bank of North Dakota is detailed in an April 2013 American Prospect article, in which writer Abby Rapoport describes how the bank was founded over 90 years ago when populist farmers grew tired of being exploited by the big banks. With a deposit base of $5 billion, which comes from state taxes and funds, the bank partners with community banks and credit unions to provide loans to farmers, students and others, who then pay interest that goes back into the public coffers, to be used to fund more lines of credit.
Called "Bolshevik" and "socialist" by detractors at the beginning, the bank now has supporters among the state's most conservative, who've seen the economic benefits of keeping capital in-house.
In the end, Armstrong says, big banks are looking for short-term profits, rather than what might work for the good of individual communities, and that's why public banks deserve a second look.
"The Wall Street banks are redirecting a lot of the money that we're putting in as deposits to other countries," Armstrong explains. "They're buying bonds in Brazil or funding Chinese manufacturers. That credit is not being used for the good of the people that pay the taxes that are deposited into the bank in the first place."
With a price tag of $6 billion, the Bay Bridge retrofit is one of most expensive engineering projects in California's history. And in the end, taxpayers will pay nearly double that cost—an amount that won't be paid off until at least 2049—with a huge chunk of interest paid to the banks funding the project.
If a state-owned bank had backed the project, say proponents of a growing public bank movement, the interest could have gone back into public coffers, benefiting California taxpayers rather than bank shareholders.
"We've given a free pass to Wall Street," says Marc Armstrong, executive director of the Public Banking Institute. "We're paying them millions in interest. We've never held that piece under the microscope, and it's about time that we did. If we funded the Bay Bridge retrofit ourselves, the net cost would be zero because we'd be paying interest to ourselves."
Unlike privately owned banks like Bank of America, a publicly owned bank is ostensibly run for the people of any sized government—county, state, national—or community able to meet the requirements for setting up a bank. Currently, private banks are the only entities large enough to handle the huge amount of funds generated by cities, counties and states. But what if tax revenues were placed in a public bank, one run by salaried public employees with a transparent pay structure? What if these tax revenues then became a source of credit to be lent out to the community for things like infrastructure or student loans?
This story of lost potential was just one of the items discussed at the second annual Public Banking Conference, held June 2–4 at Dominican University in San Rafael. Over 300 people attended the conference to learn about banking with public—and not private—interests as the priority.
High-profile supporters like Matt Taibbi have come out in support of the idea. Taibbi, the Rolling Stone investigative journalist who famously described Goldman-Sachs as a "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money," spoke at the conference's "Funding the New Economy" conversation on opening night. Taibbi has made a career of calling out the malfeasance and misdemeanors of too-big-to-fail banks, and "corruption at the molecular level of the economy."
Armstrong and his cohort have been working to educate the world on public banking since 2009, after getting their sea legs at an Economics of Peace conference at the Praxis Institute in Sonoma. They were inspired by Ellen Brown, author of Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free. President of the Public Banking Institute and a featured speaker at the conference, Brown has argued that banking should be a public utility, and money a public asset, protected from the "parasitic pyramid scheme" of loans and interest perpetrated by private banks.
The movement has a precedent. Formed in 1919, the Bank of North Dakota is the nation's only state-owned bank. In 2008, as other state legislatures contended with huge revenue shortfalls, the state of North Dakota came out on top, with low foreclosure rates and a large surplus.
The history of the Bank of North Dakota is detailed in an April 2013 American Prospect article, in which writer Abby Rapoport describes how the bank was founded over 90 years ago when populist farmers grew tired of being exploited by the big banks. With a deposit base of $5 billion, which comes from state taxes and funds, the bank partners with community banks and credit unions to provide loans to farmers, students and others, who then pay interest that goes back into the public coffers, to be used to fund more lines of credit.
Called "Bolshevik" and "socialist" by detractors at the beginning, the bank now has supporters among the state's most conservative, who've seen the economic benefits of keeping capital in-house.
In the end, Armstrong says, big banks are looking for short-term profits, rather than what might work for the good of individual communities, and that's why public banks deserve a second look.
"The Wall Street banks are redirecting a lot of the money that we're putting in as deposits to other countries," Armstrong explains. "They're buying bonds in Brazil or funding Chinese manufacturers. That credit is not being used for the good of the people that pay the taxes that are deposited into the bank in the first place."
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
2013 Poverty Summit in Sonoma County
2013-06-01 "Nurturing Equity in Our Communities; North Bay summit promotes equity as key to economic growth"
by Bonnie Allen from "Sonoma County Gazette" [http://www.sonomacountygazette.com/cms/pages/sonoma-county-news-article-1507.html]:
To download the "The State of Working Sonoma 2013: Income Inequality, Poverty, and Low-Wage Employment", go to [www.livingwagesonoma.org]. For more information about the North Bay Organizing Project, see [www.northbayop.org]
---
Good news: Unemployment in Sonoma County has declined to less than the national average, and far less than the rest of California. But how good is the news really?
For those who might not have thought economic inequality was a concern for Sonoma County, the April 27 People’s Equity Summit—sponsored by a coalition of nearly 20 labor, faith, environmental and community organizations under the umbrella of the North Bay Organizing Project (NBOP)—was an eye opener.
A report by East Bay researcher Ginny Brown based upon U.S. Census data from 2007 to 2010 found stagnant wages and increasing poverty, with real median income falling, deepening disparities along racial and gender lines, and a rising cost of living—especially health care—that is increasing burdens on working families in the county.
Most job growth occurred in the low-wage sector at the expense of middle-class jobs, resulting in an hourglass economy with high and low wage jobs and very little in between. Nearly 50 percent of new jobs are projected to pay less than $15 per hour.
Equitable and ‘Just Growth’ -
Chris Benner’s keynote speech, “Just Growth,” based on his book of the same name, pointed to other troubling trends nationwide: Increasingly, record growth in GDP parallels slow growth in jobs. Job growth has gotten slower with each recession since 1961. The economy has been restructured, and income inequality has grown.
In many ways, inequality drove our economic crisis, said Benner, an associate professor and researcher at the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis. But there’s a way out, he said. It centers on restoring that equality, or equity.
Benner and co-author Manuel Pastor spotlighted four communities around the country that defied the downward trends. Among them was Jacksonville, Florida. A historic site of brutal racial repression, Jacksonville has transformed itself. It did this, interestingly, by expanding its city limits to the entire county.
Thus, suburbanites, city dwellers and the rural poor were brought together to find common goals. Negotiating for a larger common good has increased equity among residents—and it’s been good for growth and prosperity in Jacksonville. Benner saw a lesson here: the more diverse the decision-making body, the greater the social equity and economic growth in those communities.
Benner noted that growing populations—and economies—tend to be diverse ones. So we’d better find solutions that incorporate that diversity.
Following the keynote speech, workshops addressed inequity in several areas, with organizers giving concrete examples of what works to bring about equity in the areas of transportation; workforce diversity; organizing around race, class and gender; the school-to-prison pipeline; and labor and immigrant rights.
Immigrant Rights and Comprehensive Immigration Reform -
Jesus Guzman came to the United States when he was a year old. He’s as American as, say, John McCain.
Yet Guzman is an undocumented immigrant. The 23-year-old student, program manager at the Graton Day Labor Center and chair of the NBOP immigrant rights task force, invited participants at the immigration rights workshop to write what they knew about their immigration history on a sheet of paper and tape the paper to an appropriate place on a time-line of immigration history. Those who preferred were invited to draw their story.
One hauntingly simple drawing showed a flag of El Salvador. It showed a stick figure with a gun in the process of shooting at another stick figure. It showed more stick figures lying on the ground, with their eyes exed out to show they were dead.
It’s easy to paint the undocumented with a broad brush, but many are hardworking young adults who came to the U.S. as children and have few ties to their country of birth. NBOP is working to give them a path to citizenship by lobbying for comprehensive immigration.
Their successes to protect immigrant rights at the local level include getting the police to recognize the Mexican Matricula card as valid ID in traffic stops, so that those carrying them would not have their vehicles impounded during a routine traffic stop because of having no driver’s license. The task force is also lobbying local elected officials to end law enforcement’s practice—not required by law—of holding undocumented lawbreakers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Labor Organizing in the Service Sector -
Immigrants, documented or not, struggle to make ends meet in the mostly service sector jobs available to them. Union membership has declined since its heyday in the 1950s. There’s a reason for this, said Wei-Ling Huber, president of Unite Here Local 2850, representing employees in restaurants, hotels, airports and the textile industry who are mainly immigrants, women, and people of color.
Manufacturing jobs became unionized during an era when a manufacturing job was the route to a middle-class income. Workers fought hard for this right.
But manufacturing jobs have been disappearing for decades. Service jobs—such as those in restaurants and hotels—once considered low paying and unskilled work— can become good jobs if the immigrant workforce is unionized. A living wage and good benefits for these jobs is crucial to rebuilding the middle class.
With the help of unions, Huber said, “we can create jobs that are similar in income to the old manufacturing industry.”
“One example is San Francisco hotels, where nearly every hotel is unionized. So we have a cook making $23 per hour, compared to a cook in Santa Rosa, who’s making about $10.” A barista makes $15 per hour and a housekeeper, $18.50. For each job, $2 per hour goes into pensions and benefits.
According to Marty Bennett, research and policy analyst for the union, hotel employees in strong union cities where most employees are in unions make an average total compensation of $3 per hour more than employees in weak union cities.
Union organizing in the service sector is hard, said Huber. Employees are easily intimidated. Some are undocumented and many immigrant workers have limited English skills. They can be fired without cause at any time.
Bennett said it was the union’s focus on training its members as organizers and building community-labor coalitions to support labor organizing that enabled Unite Here’s success, in Las Vegas and San Francisco, and close to home at the Petaluma Sheraton, Sonoma County’s first union hotel. “We are one of the unions that are growing, because of our emphasis on organizing.” Honoring its diverse makeup, the union also bargains for the rights of undocumented and immigrant workers.
Locally, the union has the wind at its back, thanks to an agreement that ensures a free and fair election process for union representation for 1,200 employees to be hired at their new Rohnert Park casino in October. With a living wage and comprehensive medical and retirement benefits, these tax-paying employees could add to Rohnert Park’s troubled tax base and could be a source of economic growth in Sonoma County.
by Bonnie Allen from "Sonoma County Gazette" [http://www.sonomacountygazette.com/cms/pages/sonoma-county-news-article-1507.html]:
To download the "The State of Working Sonoma 2013: Income Inequality, Poverty, and Low-Wage Employment", go to [www.livingwagesonoma.org]. For more information about the North Bay Organizing Project, see [www.northbayop.org]
---
Good news: Unemployment in Sonoma County has declined to less than the national average, and far less than the rest of California. But how good is the news really?
For those who might not have thought economic inequality was a concern for Sonoma County, the April 27 People’s Equity Summit—sponsored by a coalition of nearly 20 labor, faith, environmental and community organizations under the umbrella of the North Bay Organizing Project (NBOP)—was an eye opener.
A report by East Bay researcher Ginny Brown based upon U.S. Census data from 2007 to 2010 found stagnant wages and increasing poverty, with real median income falling, deepening disparities along racial and gender lines, and a rising cost of living—especially health care—that is increasing burdens on working families in the county.
Most job growth occurred in the low-wage sector at the expense of middle-class jobs, resulting in an hourglass economy with high and low wage jobs and very little in between. Nearly 50 percent of new jobs are projected to pay less than $15 per hour.
Equitable and ‘Just Growth’ -
Chris Benner’s keynote speech, “Just Growth,” based on his book of the same name, pointed to other troubling trends nationwide: Increasingly, record growth in GDP parallels slow growth in jobs. Job growth has gotten slower with each recession since 1961. The economy has been restructured, and income inequality has grown.
In many ways, inequality drove our economic crisis, said Benner, an associate professor and researcher at the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis. But there’s a way out, he said. It centers on restoring that equality, or equity.
Benner and co-author Manuel Pastor spotlighted four communities around the country that defied the downward trends. Among them was Jacksonville, Florida. A historic site of brutal racial repression, Jacksonville has transformed itself. It did this, interestingly, by expanding its city limits to the entire county.
Thus, suburbanites, city dwellers and the rural poor were brought together to find common goals. Negotiating for a larger common good has increased equity among residents—and it’s been good for growth and prosperity in Jacksonville. Benner saw a lesson here: the more diverse the decision-making body, the greater the social equity and economic growth in those communities.
Benner noted that growing populations—and economies—tend to be diverse ones. So we’d better find solutions that incorporate that diversity.
Following the keynote speech, workshops addressed inequity in several areas, with organizers giving concrete examples of what works to bring about equity in the areas of transportation; workforce diversity; organizing around race, class and gender; the school-to-prison pipeline; and labor and immigrant rights.
Immigrant Rights and Comprehensive Immigration Reform -
Jesus Guzman came to the United States when he was a year old. He’s as American as, say, John McCain.
Yet Guzman is an undocumented immigrant. The 23-year-old student, program manager at the Graton Day Labor Center and chair of the NBOP immigrant rights task force, invited participants at the immigration rights workshop to write what they knew about their immigration history on a sheet of paper and tape the paper to an appropriate place on a time-line of immigration history. Those who preferred were invited to draw their story.
One hauntingly simple drawing showed a flag of El Salvador. It showed a stick figure with a gun in the process of shooting at another stick figure. It showed more stick figures lying on the ground, with their eyes exed out to show they were dead.
It’s easy to paint the undocumented with a broad brush, but many are hardworking young adults who came to the U.S. as children and have few ties to their country of birth. NBOP is working to give them a path to citizenship by lobbying for comprehensive immigration.
Their successes to protect immigrant rights at the local level include getting the police to recognize the Mexican Matricula card as valid ID in traffic stops, so that those carrying them would not have their vehicles impounded during a routine traffic stop because of having no driver’s license. The task force is also lobbying local elected officials to end law enforcement’s practice—not required by law—of holding undocumented lawbreakers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Labor Organizing in the Service Sector -
Immigrants, documented or not, struggle to make ends meet in the mostly service sector jobs available to them. Union membership has declined since its heyday in the 1950s. There’s a reason for this, said Wei-Ling Huber, president of Unite Here Local 2850, representing employees in restaurants, hotels, airports and the textile industry who are mainly immigrants, women, and people of color.
Manufacturing jobs became unionized during an era when a manufacturing job was the route to a middle-class income. Workers fought hard for this right.
But manufacturing jobs have been disappearing for decades. Service jobs—such as those in restaurants and hotels—once considered low paying and unskilled work— can become good jobs if the immigrant workforce is unionized. A living wage and good benefits for these jobs is crucial to rebuilding the middle class.
With the help of unions, Huber said, “we can create jobs that are similar in income to the old manufacturing industry.”
“One example is San Francisco hotels, where nearly every hotel is unionized. So we have a cook making $23 per hour, compared to a cook in Santa Rosa, who’s making about $10.” A barista makes $15 per hour and a housekeeper, $18.50. For each job, $2 per hour goes into pensions and benefits.
According to Marty Bennett, research and policy analyst for the union, hotel employees in strong union cities where most employees are in unions make an average total compensation of $3 per hour more than employees in weak union cities.
Union organizing in the service sector is hard, said Huber. Employees are easily intimidated. Some are undocumented and many immigrant workers have limited English skills. They can be fired without cause at any time.
Bennett said it was the union’s focus on training its members as organizers and building community-labor coalitions to support labor organizing that enabled Unite Here’s success, in Las Vegas and San Francisco, and close to home at the Petaluma Sheraton, Sonoma County’s first union hotel. “We are one of the unions that are growing, because of our emphasis on organizing.” Honoring its diverse makeup, the union also bargains for the rights of undocumented and immigrant workers.
Locally, the union has the wind at its back, thanks to an agreement that ensures a free and fair election process for union representation for 1,200 employees to be hired at their new Rohnert Park casino in October. With a living wage and comprehensive medical and retirement benefits, these tax-paying employees could add to Rohnert Park’s troubled tax base and could be a source of economic growth in Sonoma County.
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