Events at the Capitol

2nd annual California Children's Rally

2009-06-24T21:53:25Z

A swarm of children took over the Capitol Tuesday to defend education in the face of massive budget cuts.

Ranging in age from eight years old to 18 years old, students from all over California sought to answer the question, "What is the purpose of public schools?"

The Children's Rally, coordinated by Sandra Tsing Loh, an author and member of the Burning Moms organization, is a congregation of young students as participatory citizens in the political dialogue of their state legislature.

The Burning Moms originated as a group of parents, fathers included, who had frustrations about the education system in California. “I'm a Proposition 13 baby, and my children continue to be affected by the way funding is done in California,” said Loh.

The purpose of the event was to, “Get our children in the habit of coming to the Capitol and meeting with their legislature,” Loh added.

The style of activism is “more hands-on, more creative, and uses what we know about the Internet,” she said. The Burning Moms work in a Burning Man spirit, the week-long annual event in the Black Rock desert of Nevada that celebrates art and community, and commissioned students to install a giant, interpretive art piece on the Capitol steps.

This year the Children’s Rally coincided with Senator Gloria Romero’s informational hearing on SB 604, which would obtain input from students, parents, teachers, and members of the public about the mission of public education in California, and include a preamble to the Education Code.

Senator Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, highlighted the purpose of the hearing in an interview, “We want to hear from students; they are rarely represented in California.”

In the span of an hour and a half, several elementary, middle and high school students took the stand to testify on their school experiences and to provide feedback for reform measures. Almost every student addressed increasing sizes in classrooms and a general lack of funding.

“It is important that a classroom has proper equipment, but equipment is nothing if there isn’t a teacher who has a good salary,” said 11-year-old Amira Telloch.

Telloch continued to express her hopes for the future of education, “It is also important to have a fun, nice, clean and safe school system that celebrates diversity, encourages ideas, is open to change, listens to all ideas from adults and children, and provides a good education for all children who seek one.”

Heather Wiley Cox, a soon-to-be fifth grader in Burbank County, was deeply concerned about the trouble students will have as a result of bigger classrooms. “There will be more children that will have trouble focusing and will be getting less assistance from their teachers,” she said.

She touched on Proposition 13 and addressed the legislative body saying the proposition, “corrupted your inability to balance our state’s budget,” and she demanded, “Roll up your sleeves, drop your agenda, and take a good look at what our state needs.”

The audience was taken aback by the passion and eloquence in her speech, as with many other young students, hearing the word "wow," circulate the room quickly.

After the hearing the children and their parents convened on the West Steps of the Capitol for a kazoo parade. State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell, led the tune, "Saints go Marching In," for the kazoo parade and expressed his gratitude for student participation in the day’s events.

Assembly woman Julia Brownley also made an appearance at the event. Sandra Tsing Loh led her to the interactive art installation equipped with a spinning wheel to see what will be cut next from the budget. The installation was political in nature, commenting on legislation that “goes nowhere” at times, said Assembly woman Brownley.

Senator Romero said she is trying to combat this by focusing the Education Code with a mission statement, “If we had a clear direction and purpose, I think we could begin to answer the question and to provide for stronger certitude as to what we expect from our public school system.”

This direction begins with the students themselves. The diversity in their backgrounds, coming from magnet, public, and technology specific schools showed the solidarity among young people in regards to the future of education. “You talk about how if you do this you will be saving the future of the state, but you are cutting the education of the children that are the future of the state,” said Wiley Cox.

Students from Los Angeles to San Francisco were able to mingle with important state figures yesterday, and their voices were heard. In these trying times, young students are recognizing the difficulty of looking to the future of education, and they are doing something about it.

For more information, click the following links:
California Children's Rally
The Burning Moms
Senate Bill Number 604

In solidarity for Iran's distressed

2009-06-21T04:43:47Z

Clad in green clothing and ribbons, hundreds gathered at the west steps of the Capitol Friday, to bring awareness to the current unrest in Iran. Their signs called for freedom, nonviolent resistance and a plea, “Obama Please Help Us.”

Speakers detailed the series of events over the past week in Iran, highlighting violence and the concern of Iranian voters. An enthusiastic speaker read a numbered manifesto in Farsi, listing desires for the future of Iran.

Included in this list was the wish for a leader elected by the people. Many people voiced their concerns over the alleged unfair election. Others began a series of chants that called for “Freedom from Dictatorship,” that soon evolved into reciting death wishes for political leaders in Iran.

In the midst of this, a man with long black hair, draped in an American flag, ran through the crowd and to the top of the capital steps. He opened his arms in the air, and pleaded to the crowd in Farsi to leave politics outside of the dialogue.

This majestic image was of Babak Parham, a local electrician. “This issue is about basic human rights,” he commented. “We need to look to the future and focus on civil society in Iran. This is a great event to bring our voices together.”

Ali Mackani, one of the organizers of the event, and local entrepreneur and businessperson, said, “You know over the last week and a half, as part of just looking at my friends’ Facebook, and what we heard through the internet, I just felt like we have to do something.” The event was organized to pay respect to the efforts of people “risking their lives, because they feel they’re doing something for freedom,” Mackani said.

It is evident that the internet has become a central medium of disseminating information from Iran to the outside world. Mackani, and many of the organizers interviewed, referenced Facebook and Twitter as sites of gathering knowledge about what is happening in Iran.

“Without it I don’t think the youth of our community would actually know what’s happening,” he said.

Amidst the crowd of supporters were Iranian American youth of all ages holding signs and chanting with their relatives. “Facebook,” said one teen, “is not just for chatting.”

Many others commented on the power of Twitter to allow them to stay connected to friends and bloggers in Iran out of concern for their families. “If it weren’t for Twitter right now, we would not have the video and information that we have,” remarked an anonymous organizer.

Most of the interviews, in fact, were conducted under anonymity. “People have a reasonable concern over safety, not necessarily for themselves in the U.S., but for potentially their families in Iran, said an anonymous activist. She continued, “There’s obvious concern over people being hurt and the Islamic Republic going after people. We want to ensure our own safety if we choose to travel there, and our families’ there.”

Fortunately, some have been able to reach relatives through phone and Skype, an online communication program, successfully.

The gravity of events in Iran has a great impact on the Iranian American community in Sacramento. For some of Mackani’s relatives, current events in Iran echo images of the Iranian revolution in the 1980s. “What I’m hearing from family and friends is that it has the same feeling: underground movement, rooftop chanting.”

Ali Mackani hoped to reach out to influential leaders through the rally. “We want the international community to look at this in a very serious light,” he said.

He anticipates the international community to negotiate and discuss Iran’s future based on vocal activism from communities like Sacramento. “It’s not just an Iranian movement; it’s an American Iranian movement, it’s an American movement. Everyone that cares about humanity is getting involved in this,” said an anonymous rally participant.

These globally conscious citizens were able to raise awareness, horns honking in concert with the chanting by the streets. The organizers wanted to “spread the news that this is happening," said a woman anonymously, “so the people see what we’re doing here and that we care.”

She has also received feedback from Iran in messages that state, “Thank you for keeping us in your hearts and minds and we hear you.”

Sacramento Iranian Americans are having an impact overseas. They are in contact with activists, translating their messages to their local communities, and furiously re-tweeting pictures and eye-witness accounts. Micro-blogging macro issues, Sacramento area Iranian Americans are actively seeking peace for their homeland.

Balancing the budget topples hopes

2009-07-01T19:16:00Z

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of workers with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) congregated at the steps of the Capitol to voice their frustrations with how the state legislature is handling the budget.

Yvonne Walker, President of the SEIU, opened the rally with a fiery speech about how state workers “are on the tipping point,” with the continued proposals to cut state workers’ pay and adding a third furlough day.

Walker described the two-day furlough already in place for state workers as “the equivalent of one month’s pay.” She explained an additional day of unpaid leave would increase the financial burden on state workers, causing some to lose their homes.

Workers were well aware of this possibility as they walked circles around the Capitol lawn, some waving signs that read, “The future face of poverty.”

The impacts of pay-cuts have had severe effects on the lives of the workers.

“I have two children and I cannot afford a fifteen percent pay cut as a single mother,” said Kendra White, a tax technician. She added, “I already can’t pay my bills,” though the further proposed cuts have yet to be implemented.

Richard Wilcox Jr. is an employment program representative who processes employment insurance claims forms. He attended the protest in solidarity for his fellow workers.

“Some of them are at a point where they are actually filing for unemployment insurance claims forms,” seeking the exact help they provide as a part of their job, he said.

Some of the rally attendees held up signs that referenced the safety and well-being of their children. “I’m having to make choices about my kids being in daycare, and in a potentially dangerous situation” said Angela Ramirez, a DMV employee.

“I had to actually check with child services to see if it was okay to leave her home for a few hours out of the day until the lunch hour when I could come home,” Ramirez said.

She touched on current situations at her office that reflect the effects of the budget cuts on the community as a whole. “We’re backlogged, and customers are disappointed that the services are taking a lot longer.”

These services include filing paperwork dealing with DUI offenders. “Getting drunk drivers off the road is getting longer. The paperwork is taking longer,” she remarked.

“We’re doing a disservice to the community, not only the workers but the state of California,” Ramirez said.

Members of the SEIU have pin-pointed many ways to re-direct pressure off of state workers. “We’ve identified $34.7 billion in private outsourced contracts,” Walker said, hoping that the amount of money pouring into private contracts is reduced.

“One idea which I have,” said Wilcox, “is basically we start taxing oil companies for the oil that they drill out of ca public land.” The same is currently done in Alaska where they “actually make enough money where every year the Alaska state government sends its citizens checks.”

While he does not think the possibility of drilling an equivalent amount of oil in California is possible to generate that income, “it could at least offset the hurt.”

The SEIU planned to have a candle-light vigil and spend the night on the Capitol lawn, but some of the coordinators called it off because it looked like the legislature was not going to be in session that evening.

The protest at the Capitol Tuesday evening was a precursor to today’s rally. The SEIU expects over 2,000 workers to convene at the Capitol around noon to rally against the projected cuts.