Alameda Public Affairs Forum Events Archive

Fukushima Presentation

Editor — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:30:48 GMT

Presentation by Andrew Lichterman May 14, 2011

Fukushima Q&A

Editor — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:14:01 GMT

Fukushima in California

Editor — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:38:07 GMT

Andrew Lichterman speaks, May 14, 2011

Rebirth of the American Labor Movement from Wisconsin to California

Editor — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:43:00 GMT

This forum, delivered on March 12, 2011, featured Sal Rosselli, Steve Early, Carl Fenimore and Cal Winslow, and was moderated by Arthur Lipow

Bob Blauner Q&A

Editor — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:17:00 GMT

Bob Blauner audio clip (II)

Editor — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:02:00 GMT

Resisting McCarthyism: To Sign or Not to Sign the Loyalty Oath

Editor — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:29:00 GMT

Alameda Public Affairs Forum, May 8, 2010
Bob Blauner
Prof. Emeritus. U.C. Berkeley, on his new book.

Jack Rasmus returned to the Forum to speak on the economic crisis we are experiencing

Editor — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:08:00 GMT

Jack Rasmus, professor of economics at St. Mary’s, has written extensively on the global economic crisis. He presented his findings on the recent downturn and where the economy is heading; and offered a program for emerging from this crisis. He has recently authored a book, “From Epic Recession to Economic Depression” – his book is available for sale.

Behind the Tea Party Movement (Part II)

Editor — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:23:00 GMT

This is the Q&A portion of the event.

Listen to the Podcast:

Behind the Tea Party Movement -- Where the Red Highway Took Me and Where it is Going

Editor — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:16:00 GMT

April 10 Alameda Forum:

Speaker/Author/Commentator --

Rose Aguilar

Three years ago, Rose Aguilar packed her VW bus and set out on a journey to the Red states of America. The result was her amazing book, RED HIGHWAYS: A LIBERAL'S JOURNEY INTO THE HEARTLAND. Well before the "Tea Party" made its formal appearance, Rose had discovered the people and the discontents behind it and documented it all in her book.

Rose, who is the host on KALW's "Your Call" spoke to the Alameda Public Affairs Forum over a year ago. Now she agreed to return and talk about the "tea party" in light of her historic journey into American heartland.

Those of you who have read her know she is a great speaker and has a lot to say about the upheaval in American politics that has biven birth to the "tea party". Just what is it? An incipient fascist movement? A new populist insurgency? And most important of all, how should progressives respond to it?

Listen to the talk and the Q&A:

Why Are We In Afghanistan?

Editor — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:56:22 GMT

View this compelling video from our February 13, 2010 Forum.

Why Are We In Afghanistan? is an education resource for communities, unions, veterans and active duty military, classes, and anyone who wonders why we are in Afghanistan, and what to do about it.

U.S. military action in Afghanistan originated in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. That was then. This is now. Reasons for the war have become more cloudy as other factors have developed. This video looks at domestic pressures and geo-strategic interests that keep the U.S. in the region, and the long history of U.S. foreign interventions that forms that broader context for this war. We also see today's peace movement continuing another long tradition -- popular resistance to war. Why Are We In Afghanistan? is an education resource for communities, unions, veterans and active duty military, classes, and anyone who wonders why we are in Afghanistan, and what to do about it.

To view this video in both express and full-length versions, click on: Center for Study of Working Class Life.

Burdens of Proof: Iran, the U.S. and Nuclear Weapons -- a Global View

Editor — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:45:00 GMT

"Burdens of Proof", a new book by Michael Veiluva, offers a rare and unique set of insights into the ongoing and complex political and legal implications surrounding the United States and Iranian political negotiations over Iran's growing nuclear program. Grabbed from today's political headlines, author Veiluva adds valuable information that will inform and enlighten anyone concerned with today's international political situation.

Michael Veiluva is General Counsel to the Western States Legal Foundation (WSLF), a non-profit, public interest organization founded in 1982, which monitors and analyzes U.S. nuclear weapons programs and policies. Mr. Veiluva has served on numerous agency panels, as well as litigated many environmental lawsuits. Recently, Mr. Veiluva srved as co-counsel in a lawsuit to challenge George W. Bush's unilateral abrogation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Mr. Veiluva has authored monographs and is published in several professional journals. He holds a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and is adjunct faculty with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Veiluva maintains the Iran Daily Opinion Service blog.

Here Michael Veiluva's talk on this current issue.

The Alameda Public Affairs Forum honors Jean and Jim Sweeney with a Good Citizenship award for Community Service

Editor — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:56:00 GMT

We honor the magnificent contribution that Jean and Jim have made to the city of Alameda in preserving a defunct 21.4 acre rail yard, known as the Beltline, for park land. Their efforts to preserve this land for public use grew out of recognition of the natural beauty of the site and the need to preserve open space for the citizens of Alameda to enjoy. When Alameda Beltline Railroad Company ceased operations, they offered the land to a developer for $18 Million dollars. Before that transaction could be made, Jean sponsored a citywide ballot initiative to preserve the land as open space. With the help of Jim and others in the community, the initiative was certified and the voters overwhelmingly approved the measure in 2001. While researching the history of the Beltline, Jean unearthed the original 1924 agreement that stated the city of Alameda had the option to repurchase the Alameda Beltline Railroad at the original cost of $30,000.00, plus the cost of extensions and investment costs (determined to be $996,207.00). The case was recognized as one of the top ten real estate cases of 2003 by the California Real Property section of the California Bar Association. The case went to trial court and the California Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the City of Alameda on June 6, 2009; the railroad company did not appeal. The efforts of Jean and Jim are an inspiration to all local community activists who wish to preserve the beauty of our island environment.

Jean Sweeney is a retired Montesorri teacher, active member of the Rotary Club and the Clara Barton Foundation. Jim Sweeney is a retired Navy Judge Advocate, an active member of Kiwanis Club, the Navy League and American Legion Post 647. Both Jean and Jim have been residents of Alameda since 1972. They have two daughters and six grandchildren. They are involved with the Restoration Advisory Committee, which oversees the cleanup of the Alameda Naval Airs Station superfund site (a.k.a. Alameda Point), and active in local issues.

Revolt At Berkeley: Restoring Democracy to Education and Keeping Education for the Public

Editor — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:34:00 GMT

Will future generations of children born in California have the opportunity to receive a decent education? Our Education System is under attack at all levels, from K-12 through Post Graduate. During the current economic crisis, jsut the time when we need to braoden the reach of learning to ever larger numbers of students, institutions of learning are forced to cut their budgets, eliminate programs, lay off teaching and administrative staff, while increasing the costs for incoming students. What does it mean for democracy when quality education is outside the grasp of our young people, and all those seeking to retrain themselves, to find work in new field? How does firing teachers and cutting staff help improve and deliver education? Why is there money for foreign military action, but none for health and education on our own shores? Why are the big banks bailed out, while the public schools are gutted? We will hear from speakers who helped to organize and participation in the UC Strike that took place September 24, 2009, about this crisis and what can be done.

Panelists include Tanya Smith (President of UPTE Local 1), Jack Gerson (Oakland CTA), Professor Lyn Hejinian (Chair, UC Solidarity Alliance), and Nick Kardahji (Graduate Student at UC Berkeley).

UC Berkeley Strike -- Noon Rally speeches

Editor — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:44:00 GMT

Have we returned to the 1960's? No, but the fertile ground that sparked the Free Speech Movement saw action in the form of a massive rally in Sproul Plaza, complete with impassioned speeches and an afternoon march.

What was it all about? Professors and union workers are being laid off. Students are not being admitted. Tuition and Fees are going up, Up, UP. So are the incomes of the Regents. Programs are being cut in the area of arts and humanities. Big bucks are being funneled into research and development. Corporations are heavily invested in the public education system, and yet, education, as a consumer product, is being taken out of the reach of the average person.

Hear speeches from the noon-time rally of 9/24/09 at UC Berkeley.

Disarmament Work in a Global Economic Crisis: Connecting Issues; Building Movements

Editor — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:11:00 GMT

A critical look at the Obama Administration's disarmament policy and an insider's view of the challenge facing advocacy groups and activists during the current political and economic climate.

Andrew Lichterman is Western States Legal Foundation’s principal research analyst. Mr. Lichterman writes extensively on U.S. nuclear weapons and military space programs and their impacts on international arms control regimes and on prospects for disarmament, both in WSLF publications and for other outlets. Mr. Lichterman serves on the Global Council of Abolition 2000, and is a member of the editorial board of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation Information Bulletin. He taught law for many years, including courses on environmental law, legal history, and the rights of demonstrators. Mr. Lichterman holds a J.D. from Boalt Hall, U.C. Berkeley, and a B.A. from Yale.

This talk was co-sponsored by the Western States Legal Foundation: http://www.wslfweb.org/

For more information on this topic, see: http://www.wslfweb.org/docs/nifcommentary09.pdf
and http://www.wslfweb.org/docs/rhetoricvreality.pdf

How to Think About Nuclear Disarmament in the 21st Century

Editor — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:06:00 GMT

The goal of “general and complete disarmament” has been deliberated in the international community for eight decades. It has been on the agenda of the UN General Assembly for almost 50 years and remains the “ultimate goal” of multilateral disarmament efforts. It appears in a dozen multilateral disarmament-related treaties and even some bilateral strategic nuclear agreements. Yet the goal is not widely understood and is often dismissed as utopian. Meanwhile, with war spreading across the Middle East, and continued threat of nuclear armament by some of these nations, it is difficult to see how, if at all, the world will be able to achieve a productive global dialog on the issue that will result in actual disarmament!

Randy Rydell is Senior Political Affairs Officer in the Office of Mr. Sergio Duarte, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the United Nations. He served from January 2005 to June 2006 as Senior Counselor and Report Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Blix Commission) and Senior Fellow at the Arms Control Association in Washington, D.C. He Joined the UN secretariat in 1998, where he has served as an advisor to Under-Secretary-General Jayantha Dhanapal and his successors. He has also served as Secretary of the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament matters (2001) and as a Visiting Lecturer at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.

Pakistan and Afghanistan! Obama's and America's Next Vietnam?

Editor — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:39:00 GMT

VIETNAM REPLAYED? President Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan and Pakistan sends a signal to the anti-war activists who supported him in the election that he meant what he said during the 2008 Presidential Campaign. Nothing could be clearer: he intended, if elected, to escalate the war in Afghanistan and to support the nuclear armed regime in Pakistan with economic and military aid. In 1962, President Kennedy took up the failing cause of French imperialism in Vietnam. In 1967, a bipartisan majority in Congress passed a resolution in response to an entirely bogus incident in the Tonkin Gulf--foreshadowing the manufactured "WMD" excuse used by George W. Bush to invade Iraq.

Today, a bipartisan majority in Congress supports Obama's war in Afghanistan. Will Pakistan become a replay of the catastrophic Vietnam intervention, drowning the Obama Administration--and America--in a quagmire from which there is no exit, possibly leading to wider war? What should anti-war progressives do?

Conn Hallinan is a foreign policy analyst for Foreign Policy In Focus, a freelance medical writer, and a lecturer in journalism at UC Santa Cruz.

"Red Highways: A Liberal's Journey Into the Heartland" -- Implications for the Obama Administration

Editor — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:37:00 GMT

"A San Francisco radio host grown tired of media stereotypes, Rose Aguilar packed up her van, picked up her boyfriend, and set out on a six-month road trip through the red-state West to find out what voters there really care about. Equal parts travelogue, political reportage, and personal discovery, RED HIGHWAYS challenges conventional wisdom and calls for a more thoughtful and productive dialogue between Red and Blue America."

Rose Augilar is an American journalist and political blogger from San Francisco. Aguilar currently hosts "Your Call", a daily public affairs radio show on NPR-affiliate KALW 91.7 FM. "Your Call" features in-depth conversations about everything from the Iraq war and poverty, to the environment and the arts. Rose is a contributor to the book "Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland." She also writes for Alternet and offers political analysis for the BBC. Rose sits on the board of the Women's Intercultural Network (WIN), a non-porfit organization working to connect girls and women across borders. WIN most recently hosted women's rights activists from Uganda and Afghanistan. Rose speaks about the media, women's issues, and politics on panels and at conferences.

Tyranny of Oil: The World's Most Powerful Industry--And What We Must Do To Stop It

Editor — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:10:00 GMT

Antonia Juhasz talks about her recent book. "The Tyranny of Oil" describes the Reagan Administration's setup for the dismantling of anti-trust legislation, how the Clinton Administration let the so-called "Enron loophole" slip through, and how the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations allowed thousands of oil company mergers. Ms. Juhasz will give us a picture of what we can expect from the Obama Administration, with regard to foreign and domestic policy with regard to the oil industry.

Antonia Juhasz is a policy-analyst, author and activist living in San Francisco. She is a Fellow at Oil Change International and Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies. She has taught at the New College of California in the Activism and Social Change Masters Program. In addition to "The Tyranny of Oil", Ms. Juhasz is the author of "The Bu$h Agenda: Invading The World, One Economy At A Time"

A Critical View of Obama's Economic Recovery Plan

Editor — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:05:00 GMT







Jack is back! By popular demand, Jack Rasmus, one of America’s leading economists will speak on President Obama’s Economic Recovery plan and present an alternative plan for rescuing working people and the middle class. The San Francisco Labor Council has recently adopted his alternative plan framework.

Jack Rasmus holds a B.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Political Economy, and is currently Professor of Economics at St. Mary's College, Moraga. Jack is the author of The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George Bush, 2006. Books and CDs and articles will be available for purchase at the Forum.

Deadlock in California: What's Behind the Breakdown of California Government

Editor — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:18:00 GMT

The State of California has just begun to issue I.O.U.s rather than paychecks. Among other things, this means that County goverments will not receive money to run social programs, State Health programs are in jeopardy, college programs and students will not be funded, the courts will be in limbo, and you won't get your state income tax refund. We welcome Peter Schrag back to the Forum to speak on how the political deadlock in Sacramento is affecting cities, education and social services.

Peter Shrag was the editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee for nineteen years and has written a column for the paper since then. He is the author or many books, including: California: America's High Stakes Experiment; Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future and Final Test: The Battle for Adequacy in America's Schools.

Alameda on the Edge; Alameda's Budget Crisis, the Impact on Public Services and the Future of Alameda Point

Editor — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:53:00 GMT

Hear the segment where George Humphries talks about contamination at Alameda Point:

David Howard of Save Our City Alameda
Domenick Weaver of Alameda Fire Fighters Local 689
George Humphreys of Restoration Advisory Board
and others

There has been much discussion of the impact of our city budget crisis on our public services. At risk are the Mastick Center, Library services, Fire protection, Alameda Hospital and the public schools. The City Council majority says the crisis is due to the global fiscal crunch, yet wants to accept a development master plan for Alameda Point that will bond the city to future indebtedness in the amount of either $240 million dollars (what the city staff tells the public) or $700 million dollars (what the SunCal Companies draft master plan indicates) for renewal of the infrastructure. This is a huge public subsidy to the SunCal Companies, financially backed by D. E. Shaw, a hedge fund that is a major stock holder in at least one company that has filed for bankruptcy. SunCal has defaulted on a number of projects in and out of California. Why is the City Council continuing to business with SunCal/D.E.Shaw?

The city leaders admit that Alameda is facing serious cutbacks, yet continue to spend money on consultants, over-paid senior managers, a swollen Redevelopment agency bureaucracy that has its own city hall (“City Hall West”), etc. Further impacting the City and potentially putting it into bankruptcy are lawsuits for over $24 million arising out of the mismanagement and negligence of the elected officials and city staff (AP&T, Pleasanton sales tax, the Dr. Attari case).

Hear various stakeholders speak to these issues with audience participation.

See/hear the presentation by Domenick Weaver on Fire Services:

Click To Play

See/hear the presentation by David Howard on redevelopment's impact:

Click To Play

See/hear the presentation by Dorothy Freeman on the stalled Estuary Park plans:

Click To Play

Alameda On The Edge: George Humphreys on Contamination At Alameda Point 1/24/09

Editor — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:02:00 GMT

The subject of cleanup at Alameda Point is kind of complicated, or as some people would say, “hard to get your arms around.” The R.A.B. stands for Restoration Advisory Board, and it is required by the Base Realignment and Closure legislation that congress passed. And we have community members, we have institutional members, the different regulatory agencies: E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the City consultant, the Navy’s consultants. We meet on the first Thursday of each month.

I think first of all, to get a feeling for the contamination on the Point, you have to get a little bit about the history of Alameda Point.

The original Island of Alameda extended about to where Main Street is now on the South side and about to Webster Street on the North side. So, in the 1920’s and 30’s, that was all filled in up to about Main Street. Then after the Navy took over the Point, in 1941, the rest of Alameda Point was filled in. So there’s about 1,750 acres out there, which represents about a third of the size of the island of Alameda.

In the 1890’s, there used to be an oil refinery out there, which, on the map, would be over in the vicinity of the dark blue area on the right in the south, and that was Pacific Coast Refining (the forerunner of Chevron). And there was also a borax plant there, and that was more or less at the tip of the original island. And then, over in Oakland, there was a producer gas plant that made producer gas by gasification of coal, by blowing steam onto hot coal.

So, as a result of those operations, there was deposited in the marsh area, there, what they call a marsh crust now. It is contaminated with polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and these are coal tar chemicals. There is a marsh crust ordinance, which prohibits property owners from digging or drilling into this layer. So, this material is down about 20 feet or 25 feet from the existing grade level out there.

So then, when the land was filled in, they dredged material out of the estuary, and so these residues that had been deposited by the discharges from the oil refinery and from the coal gasification plant, were dug up from the estuary and became part of the soil that was used to fill in site 25. That’s what they call the Coast Guard Housing site, and also sites 30 and 31. Site 30 is the school site, where Island High School is, and site 31 is the Marina Village Family Housing, and where it says EDC-4 is where the Alameda Housing Collaborative is. So all of that soil was contaminated, to some extent, with these polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

Once the Naval Air Station started operating, different wastes and spills were generated, including aviation (petroleum) fuels, chlorinated solvents (used to clean parts during maintenance operations), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) used in transformers, pesticides, ordnance wastes and radium used to paint aircraft instrument dials.

So we have what they call CERCLA (Superfund) sites, or Installation Restoration (IR) sites—there’s 35 of those sites. In addition to that, there are 24 petroleum fuel sites, which are not covered by Superfund [legislation]. And there are various Transfer Parcels. These include what they call Economic Development Conveyance Parcels, there are 20 of those; there’s 3 Public Benefit Conveyance parcels; and 6 Fed-to-Fed Transfer Parcels. So, on your map, if you see the area that’s kind of in a light cream-colored area, where the runways were, that’s the Fed-to-Fed Transfer Parcels. That, and IR Site 2, which is Fed site 2A, there—the green area. So, that area is the area that’s designated as a wildlife sanctuary and that’s where the Veterans’ Administration wants to take over to build a clinic, columbaria, hospital and so forth.

Now, the Navy’s approach is to have many contractors. Probably they have as many as 10 or 15, at least, different consultants. And sometimes they have three or four consultants on the same site. And they generate vast amounts of reports. I have my family room just about filled up with reports. Fortunately, we’ve got a new chairman now, so someone else will be getting those reports. But anyway, they’re very good at producing these reports. They are available at the so-called Repository Library, which is at City Hall West. I don’t know if you are familiar with that or not, but it used to be the Navy Headquarters, and it’s—I’m trying to see on the map here exactly where it would be—it is where you see the number 12 there, in the blue area, right above that kind of horseshoe shaped building. That’s City Hall West. Anyway, it’s only open on weekdays and during normal working hours, so if anybody is employed, they wouldn’t be able to get access to it in the evening or on weekends. They used to have all these reports in the main library, but they ran out of space to hold them, so they only have a few reports up there, the most recent reports, and the rest of them got thrown away, I guess.

Okay, I’d like briefly to talk about some of the more important sites out there:

Sites 1 and 2 you see on the northwest corner of the Point (Site 1 is in purple, and Site 2 is in green—and incidentally, part of that site is actually in the city of San Francisco; the city boundary line goes diagonally through the corner of that). Those two sites were used to dispose of all of the waste generated at Alameda Naval Air Station. Site 1 was operated between 1943 and 1956. Site 2 operated from 1956 to 1978. The Navy would like you to think that those are mainly household wastes, but includes all kinds of industrial wastes and debris, possibly ordnance wastes, asbestos, waste solvents; anything that was generated at the Point was dumped out there. In fact, waste came from Treasure Island and Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, also, and got dumped out there. So, those are two important sites. They are particularly important because of their proximity to San Francisco Bay and the wetlands area. Also, they are subject to potential liquefaction and lateral displacement during a major earthquake.

Site 25, which on the map is way over on the right, near the estuary. The Coast Guard Housing—I think it’s called “North Housing Area.” And that site has surface contamination with these polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). It also has, underneath it, a plume of ground water contamination, and that plume extends also under site 30, which is the school property, and under the Marina Village Family Housing, and also over under FISCA formerly Fleet Industrial Supply Complex Alameda (now Alameda Landing) and part of Bayport.

Site 5 is a large building (formerly used for aircraft maintenance), there, which you see sort of in the middle of the light blue area. That’s about a 20 acre-sized building, which has underneath it a plume of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs). These are solvents heavier than water and sink to the bottom. And the Navy has, for the last several years, been cleaning this up by what they call six-phase soil heating (a variety of electrical resistance heating). They have driven sheet piles into the ground, and then they apply six-phase power to that to heat the soil up, to cook these materials out of the soil. There are also areas of contamination around that building, including petroleum contamination.

Two other sites that are significant are what they call Operable Units (OU) -2A and -2B. OU-2B is the blue area over to the right of the Seaplane Lagoon. OU-2B has a large plume there, and has one of the highest calculated cancer risks: something like 6 x 10-2; in other words, almost 1 chance in 15 of contracting cancer, as a result of residential (30 year) exposure to that plume. The Navy has, for the last three or four years, been doing what they call a Data Gap Investigation of that site, and have identified three areas of high concentrations of contamination. And, also, the plume extends over under the sea wall and underneath the sediment in the Seaplane Lagoon.

The Navy is looking right now—they’re about to institute Nano Zero Valent Iron (NZVI) tests. These nano particles are several hundred nonometers in size—a nanometer is 10-9 meters; so these are extremely small iron particles, coated with polyethylene glycol. And they think that this will knock the chlorine off of these chlorinated solvents. We just attended a meeting last week on this, and Federal E.P.A. was skeptical as to whether it would actually clean up some of the contaminants there, including vinyl chloride, which is sort of a breakdown product from some of these heavier solvents.

OU-2A is the location of the former oil refinery and has a large area of tarry refinery wastes TRW underneath it.

Another significant site is the Seaplane Lagoon, which is IR site 17, you see, in kind of a Kelly green, down at the bottom? And the Navy is presently, or they have been for the last few months, excavating what they call “debris piles.” These are two piles of material that were dumped along the north side of that lagoon. And some time this year, they’ll start dredging out two corners of that lagoon (the northeast and northwest corners). They plan on dredging out something like 115,000 cubic yards of material.

I asked them how much they had spent so far on the cleanup. They had spent $381 million through the end of fiscal year 2008, and they have budgeted another $42 million for this fiscal year, which would end in September. So, that totals to $423 million.

You may well ask, “how much longer will the cleanup take?” The Navy’s most recent Site Management Plan shows completion in October 2014, or five years from now. Personally, I would guess ten years, because some of the larger cleanups haven’t yet started, and some involve more experimental approaches. Once can expect some setbacks and unanticipated problems, (such as previously undiscovered areas of contamination) to arise.

Some of the things that they have cleaned up: they have cleaned up two former gas stations; they have cleaned up site 14, it’s a site marked in red that’s out along the estuary (a former fire training area contaminated with dioxins) that has been cleaned up; they have cleaned up site 15, which was a transformer storage area contaminated with PCBs; they’ve removed a pesticide storage shed; they’ve done fairly good work on cleaning up the petroleum sites; they’ve removed two water tanks that were contaminated with lead paint; they’ve done time-critical removal actions: they removed two feet of [contaminated] soil and replaced it with clean soil around buildings in the Coast Guard Housing area—but there’s still contamination that hasn’t been tested or removed that’s under the buildings, and under the roads, and so forth. For the last year, the Navy has been excavating storm drains and surrounding soil between Buildings 5 and Building 400, along the west hangar zone and extending to the seaplane lagoon. These storm drains and surrounding soil are potentially contaminated with radium dumped into drains in Building 5 and Building 400.

At site 1, they did some trenching out there, and found that about 25% of the material they dug up was contaminated with radium. The radium originated from painting instrument dials on aircraft during World War II, and thereafter. It seems to have been generally spread around out there. They remove stuff on the surface, but they don’t seem to want to go deeper than two feet. The whole area out there is pretty well contaminated with that. Incidentally, radium-227, the isotope of concern, has a 1,600-year half-life. That means the 1,600 years from now, the radioactivity levels will still be half of what they are today. There’s also a solvent plume that they plan to treat with in situ chemical oxidation. They have a contactor in place that’s supposed to dig back 200 feet from the shoreline and place that material further back inland, and then they’re going to cover it up with four feet of soil. The RAB had taken the position and the City took the position that they should dig everything up and haul it away, but that has not been persuasive—we’ve made that argument a couple of times, and also with regard to site 2.

A couple of points here, that, in thinking about this: one is that the Navy’s cleanup program is based on the City’s reuse plan as modified by Roma Associates. If the plan shows a golf course, they say “oh, we don’t have to clean this up to very high standards, because it’s just going to be used for recreational purposes.” Or, if it [the plan] shows commercial/industrial use, then they say they don’t have to clean it up as much. So, even though SunCal may be planning to build apartments or condominiums, or what have you, on top of that land, if the City’s plan shows a use that doesn’t require as much cleanup, well that’s what the Navy is cleaning up to, because they don’t have any other plan to work to.

SunCal’s plan has moved much of the residential and commercial development away from the north side (nearer the estuary) because of potential flooding problems and because this area is more susceptible to liquefaction during earthquakes. They are focusing on the area nearer the seaplane lagoon, where most of the Navy’s larger structures are located, because of better foundation conditions. However, these areas are also more heavily contaminated because that’s where the Navy’s industrial operations were carried out.

I think they’re doing a reasonably good job in the core area, which is down where most of the buildings are, where the City Hall West is and Building 5, and so forth. However, certain areas have not been, in my judgment, adequately characterized. Sites 1 and 2, despite—we’ve asked many times, but they have never actually taken samples in those landfills—they only sample around the outside. They take groundwater samples quarterly, but the monitoring wells are about 100 yards apart. They have taken like only about seven samples in this whole large area where the runways were. In the Seaplane Lagoon, they have only sampled the top few feet. So, in some areas, it’s almost as if they don’t want to find out what’s there.

With regard to the wildlife, one of the things that they’ve assumed, in doing their ecological risk assessments, is that the wildlife, whether they are looking at least terns or surf scoters, they assume that the wildlife is only there 10% of the time! I keep asking, well, won’t the wildlife move from the Seaplane Lagoon out to Site 1, Site 2, Site 24, or someplace else. Basically, it means they only have to clean it up to a level 10 times higher than it would be if they assumed that the wildlife stayed in one place all the time. But the wildlife is moving around and is visiting all these different areas that are cleaned up to this higher level. So, that’s something that I think is probably not correct.

Generally, the Navy has taken the position that they only are interested in the top two feet. For example, they removed the two feet of soil on the Coast Guard Housing Area, and they talk about cleaning up two feet of radioactively contaminated soil at Site 1 and Site 2. And this seems to go back to some precedent that EPA set back East on a site that was contaminated with mercury, where they only required the cleanup to two feet. So, this seems to be kind of a magic number for soil contamination. So, there will be restrictions placed on some of these properties that you can’t dig any holes deeper than two feet, or something like that. Which I think is probably not prudent.

Another thing that happens is they have a background contamination level, and some of the items that they look at, for example arsenic, when they do a hazards index calculation on that, they subtract out the concentration of arsenic that is in the background, so the total risk may be higher than what’s shown in the calculated risk.

This completes my summary on the contamination at Alameda Point and the status of the cleanup efforts to date.

The preceding is an edited transcript of a presentation made at the Alameda Public Affairs Forum on January 24, 2009. The complete presentation is available as a DVD/CD combo; copies can be obtained by writing to the Alameda Public Affairs Forum (2422 San Antonio Ave, Alameda, CA 94501) for $15.00 (check or money order; includes shipping and handling). This segment of the January 24th 2009 Alameda Public Affairs Forum presentation can be heard as a podcast at the following internet web address: archive.alamedapublicaffairsforum.org/2009/01/24/alameda-on-the-edge-alamedas-budget-crisis-the-impact-on-public-services-and-the-future-of-alameda-point.aspx

George Humphreys is a member of the R.A.B. (Restoration Advisory Board. He worked for 38 years as a project engineer for Kaiser Engineers in Oakland. He has worked on nuclear test-reactors and power reactors, water desalination, solid waste landfills, nuclear waste repositories and Superfund sites, including Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Fresno Sanitary Landfill. He is a registered professional engineer, in both mechanical and nuclear engineering, as well as an inactive member of the State Bar Association. He received his doctor of jurisprudence from University of San Francisco, and is a graduate of the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology.

Hear the Podcast:

See/hear the presentation:

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Coming Clean; Breaking America's Addiction to Oil and Coal

Editor — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:40:00 GMT

Michael Brune, Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network and activist

Americans are awakening to just how costly and destructive our fossil-fuel habit has become-to the environment, our national security and stature, our health, and especially our pocketbooks. We want to take action, to move our country down the path to clean energy, but we're not sure how. In his new book, "Coming Clean", Brune provides the road map, showing how we, as motivated citizens, can promote real solutions and collectively pressure government and corporations to change their energy priorities. Brune tracks the myriad ways our thirst for dwindling supplies of oil and coal corrupts national policy and international finance, harms poor communities worldwide, and wreaks havoc on the climate. He describes the most promising developments in renewable energy sources, biofuels, and efficient design, and outlines an inspiring vision of the clean energy future within our reach.

Michael Brune is executive director of Rainforest Action Network and provides strategic direction for its Freedom from Oil campaign. Mr. Brune and his organization, Rainforest Action Network, have had stunning success in convincing corporations-including Home Depot, Citi, and Bank of America-to green their business practices, and his activist skills and passion are at the heart of this book. Offering well-tested action strategies, "Coming Clean" is rooted in the author's faith that Americans acting together can create profound change.

For more information about Rainforest Action Network, see the website: www.ran.org

The American Economy After the Elections.

Editor — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:47:00 GMT

panelists Jack Rasmus, Ph.D., Jack Gerson, Ph.D., Sean Olender, Attorney and Writer

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2008

Aside from the Presidential Election, no one story dominates the news more than the continuing saga of our failing global economy. The repercussions of the current economic crisis will be played out not over a period of a few months, but for years.

Find out what factors (e.g., hedgefunds, bonded indebtedness, lack of regulations on financial institutions, mortgage risk, etc.) have played into our financial breakdown and join us in a discussion of solutions given the post-election political climate.

The New Arms Race

Editor — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:24:00 GMT

Jacqueline Cabasso, Andrew Lichterman; co-authors of Nuclear Disorder or Cooperative Security? (2007)

Current events in Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, as well as other hotspots, have brought into sharp focus that there is indeed a new arms race in progress. “The endless quest for nuclear superiority is part of the larger gamble that U.S. elites are making with all our futures: that the pursuit of global military dominance will allow them to shore up their slipping economic hegemony for a few decades more. Nuclear weapons ultimately back massive U.S. conventional forces and an aggressive military posture world wide. As the Air Force Strategic Planning Directive for Fiscal Years 2006-2023 made clear, nuclear weapons provide “… a credible deterrent umbrella under which conventional forces operate and, if deterrence fails, strike a wide variety of high-value targets with a highly reliable, responsive and lethal nuclear force... Desired effects include: Freedom for U.S. and Allied forces to operate, employ, and engage at will…” (from the Spring 2008 information brief, entitled Nuclear Weapons Forever: The U.S. Plan to Modernize its Nuclear Weapons Complex, published by Western States Legal Foundation)

Jacqueline Cabasso, a leading voice for nuclear arms abolition, has been involved in nuclear disarmament, peace and environmental advocacy at the local, national and international levels for more than 25 years. She has served as Executive Director of the Oakland-based Western States Legal Foundation since 1984. At the national level, she serves on the Steering Committee of United for Peace and Justice. Ms. Cabasso has participated as an accredited NGO representative in more than a dozen negotiating and review sessions of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. She represented WSLF in the first preparatory meeting for the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in Vienna last May. Ms. Cabasso has written and co-authored numerous articles for publications including the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the journal Social Justice.

For more information about the work of the Western States Legal Foundation, please see the website: http://www.wslfweb.org/

*Note: We apologize, but due to a technical failure at the venue our recording engineer was unable to capture this event, and we are unable to provide an audio podcast or any other recording of this Forum.

The Pornography of Power

Editor — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:37:00 GMT

Robert Scheer, journalist, syndicated columnist and author

Over the past four decades, veteran reporter Robert Scheer has built a reputation as one of the leading journalists in this country, from his time as a war correspondent to his widely read columns today. He is the editor of truthdig.com. Over the years, he has interviewed Presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton. He is the author of seven books. His latest book is The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America. We are happy to welcome him back to the Alameda Public Affairs Forum to speak about his new book.

For more about Truthdig, see the website: http://www.truthdig.com/

Ecotopia Revisited - watch video

Editor — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:41:00 GMT

Join us, via video podcast, as we hear Ernest Callenbach reflect on his writings in view of the emerging geopolitical, environmental and economic crises we face in the 21st century:

Alameda Public Affairs Forum, in co-sponsorship with Books, Inc. of Alameda, presents:

Ernest Callenbach,

Author and Visionary

"Ecotopia Revisted"

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Alameda Free Library, Conference Rooms A&B

1550 Oak Street, Alameda, CA

Bay Area author Ernest Callenbach's seminal novel, Ecotopia (1975), does imagine such a world. Ecotopia, the portrait of an ecologically sustainable society in a future ages, was initially rejected by virtually every publisher in New York. Callenbach then self-published the book.

It went on to become an underground classic, was ultimately issued in mass-market paperback by Bantam, and is still used in classrooms all over the country. It has sold over a million copies, has been translated into nine languages, including Japanese, and was influential in Germany at the time their Green Party emerged.

In 1981, Callenbach published a prequel, Ecotopia Emerging, which tells how 'Ecotopia' comes into being.

Ecotopia Revisited - download audio

Editor — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Alameda Public Affairs Forum, in co-sponsorship with Books, Inc. of Alameda, presents:

Ernest Callenbach,

Author and Visionary

"Ecotopia Revisted"

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Alameda Free Library, Conference Rooms A&B

1550 Oak Street, Alameda, CA

Today everyone knows that the future of human society is threatened by global warming and other environmental disasters. Imagine a society where community consciously makes ecological choices over profit! Bay Area author Ernest Callenbach's seminal novel, Ecotopia (1975), does imagine such a world. Ecotopia, the portrait of an ecologically sustainable society in a future ages, was initially rejected by virtually every publisher in New York. Callenbach then self-published the book. It went on to become an underground classic, was ultimately issued in mass-market paperback by Bantam, and is still used in classrooms all over the country. It has sold over a million copies, has been translated into nine languages, including Japanese, and was influential in Germany at the time their Green Party emerged. In 1981, Callenbach published a prequel, Ecotopia Emerging, which tells how 'Ecotopia' comes into being.

Financial Crisis in America: The Global Context

Editor — Sat, 10 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Jack Rasmus, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at St. Mary's College, Moraga

"The spector hovering above the U.S. economy today is one in which the spearding financial crisis, and the still-deepening credit contraction which is a direct consequence of that financial crisis, is producing a qualitatively different kind of recession--i.e., a significantly deeper and longer economic contraction than has been previously the case with typical post-World War II recessions." from "Financial Crisis, Epic Recession and Depression", a recent article by Jack Rasmus.

Jack Rasmus holds a B.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Political Economy, and is currently Professor of Economics at St. Mary's College, Moraga. Jack is the author of The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George Bush, 2006.

California Budget Crisis: How Tax Reform Can Solve It

Editor — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Lenny Goldberg, Executive Director of the California Tax Reform Association

The budget crisis has been ongoing in California for more than a decade, but now, with the downturn in the economy, there is much more at stake. It is ironic that California is one of the wealthiest states in the country, yet continues to struggle to finance basic infrastructure. The California State Budget impacts cities, counties, schools (K-12 and college/university), and hospital districts. Found out how Tax Reform could bring about positive change for the people of California.

Alameda Schools Funding Crisis

Editor — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 07:00:00 GMT

What can Alameda parents and citizens do about the funding crisis at our local public schools? Join us at this town meeting held March 8, 2008, as we explore the issues.

The AUSD school board is talking about increasing taxes (Alameda Sun, January 24, 2008) in response to Sacramento's education cuts. Yet, millions of our local tax dollars, every year, are redirected to subsidies under the name of "redevelopment." Alameda's redevelopment agency siphons taxpayer dollars to help fund development, such as the new Civic Center garage. Analysis of filings made by the city of Alameda during the years 2004-2007 show that over $1.2 billion dollars worth of Alameda properties have had a portion of their owner' property taxes redirected to the redevelopment agency, and the State Controller's report on California Redevelopment Agencies shows that the City has amassed $285 million in debt--unapproved by voters--through the redevelopment agency. The total bonded indebtedness of the City, including redevelopment debt, is over $550 million. Roughly $12 million of local tax dollars annually is diverted to redevelopment, more than enough money to make up for the current school deficit. Under Measure C, passed in 2004, AUSD persuaded voters to approve a $63 million bod issue to maintain our schools, yet an existing redevelopment pass-through agreement from 1991 provides money to maintain AUSD educational facilities. If you are looking for tax dollars to fund education and city services, you cannot ignore the incredible diversion of taxpayer funds from these areas to redevelopment.

Stem Cell Research, Cloning and Human Genetic Engineering: The New Eugenics?

Editor — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 07:00:00 GMT

M. L. Tina Stevens, Ph.D. (SFSU) and Diane Beeson, Ph.D. (CSUEB), representing the Alliance for Humane Biotechnology.

About the presentation: In 2004, Californians passed Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The act committed an estimated $6 billion of taxpayers’ money and created the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Not well understood is that the initiative prioritized research in human cloning, accelerating market eugenics and increasing the demand for cloning’s raw material: women’s eggs. Come hear a fascinating discussion of the implications of these developments for women’s health, for human reproduction, and for our human future.

Tina Stevens is an historian of U. S. history with a specialty in the History of Bioethics and Biotechnology. She received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley where she was a Mellon Dissertation Fellow. She holds a masters degree in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, where she specialized in Law, Medicine, and Society. She lectures in history at San Francisco State University and also has taught courses in U.S. history at California State University, East Bay, and in Bioethics and Society at UC Berkeley. Dr. Stevens was a visiting scholar at Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge, England and at UC Berkeley's Center for the Study of Law and Society. She has served as a consultant for the Judicial Council of California/Administrative Office of the Courts, and the National Center for State Courts, both located in San Francisco. Her book, Bioethics in America: Origins and Cultural Politics (Johns Hopkins University Press, paperback, 2003) was nominated for both the Frederick Jackson Turner Book Prize in American History and the History of Science in America Book Prize.

Diane Beeson is Interim Chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Services at California State University, East Bay. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, where she specialized in medical sociology. She was a Pew post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco's Institute for Health Policy Studies from 1985-1987. Her main research interest for nearly three decades has been the social challenges of new reproductive technologies. For much of this time she was affiliated with UC Berkeley's Institute for the Study of Social Change researching social implications of genetic testing. In 1996 and 1997 she was a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Center for Genomics, Ethics and Society. She has served as a consultant on projects related to genetic testing for numerous organizations, including the National Society of Genetic Counselors, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Energy. She has served on peer review committees for the National Human Genome Research Institute and has authored numerous articles in professional journals and anthologies.

Breaking Down Big Oil: How the Industry Works and How to Stop It from Driving War, Destroying the Climate and Decimating Our Democracy

Editor — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Antonia Juhasz, policy analyst, activist, and author of The Bu$h Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy At A Time

In her book, The Bu$h Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy At A Time, Antonia Juhasz revealed the "oil time-line" driving the war, and how the Bush administration has fundamentally tranformed Iraq's economy, lockin in sweeping advantages to its corporate allies--including increased access to Iraq's oil. The Bush administration has expanded its target to the whole Middle East through the U.S.-Middles East Free Trade Area. Juhasz brings to sharp focus the dangerous fallacy that the United States can combat terrorism and spread democracy through its so-called "free trade" policies.

Antonia Juhasz is an activist, policy analyst, and author. She is a Fellow at Oil Change International and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies.

See more about Antonia and her work at www.priceofoil.org

The Care Crisis: How Women Bear the Burden of a National Emergency

Editor — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Professor Ruth Rosen, Visiting Professor of History and Public Policy at UC Berkeley, Professor Emerita at the University of California at Davis, is a pioneering historian of gender and society, and an award-winning journalist. She has taught American history, women's history, history and public policy, and immigration studies for over two decades. Ms. Rosen has written hundreds of op-ed columns for the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and other newspapers. Among her books are these: The Lost Sisterhood: Prostitution in America (1982); The World Split Open: How The Modern Women's Movement Changed America (2001).

With President Bush's recent veto of the latest attempt to bring a children's health care program initiative to legislation, we find the United States back at "square one" with regard to any kind of comprehensive health care program for its citizens. Individual states, such as California and Oregon, are working on bills that will provide health care for some, but not all. Meanwhile, how does the health care crisis impact the economy and quality of all our lives, and who bears the burden?

"For four decades, working women have poured into the paid labor force. Yet American society has done precious little to restructure the workplace or family life. The result? Working mothers are burdened and exhausted, families are fractured and children are often neglected. The dirty little secret, we repeatedly tell each other, is that it is both profitable and convenient to our government, business and many men, for women to wear themselves out tryting to do the unpaid work of careing for children, caring for the elderly and caring about the social networks of our communities. It's as though Americans are trapped in a time warp, certain that women will still do all this caring, even though they can't, because more than half are outside their homes working in the paid workplace. And so, we have the mounting Care Crisis." --Ruth Rosen

Global Citizenship vs. A New Arms Race - Part II

Editor — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 19:55:00 GMT

Jan Kavan, Diplomat of the Czech Republic, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly

In the age of "globalization," we have not yet realized and embraced a global dialogue. Russia, China and the United States are now vying for domination and have begun a new arms race--flouting all treaties and agreements to the contrary. Many areas of the world continue to suffer from poverty, human rights violations, war, oppressive and authoritarian governing, toxic waste build-up, genocide and other horrors, while other areas of the world hold all the wealth.

Join us as we explore the role of the United Nations and the UN Millennium Development Goals with regard to human rights, world government oversight, and paths to peace in the face of a new arms race. Mr. Kavan will speak on the threat of a new cold war brewing between the United States and Russia.

Mr. Jan Kavan, Czech diplomat and politician, advocate of democracy and human rights, was President of the fifty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly from 2002-2003. He served as the Czech Republic's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and Security Policy from 1999-2002, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998-2002, most recently serving as a Deputy in the Czech Parliament. While Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Kavan also served as his country's representative to the European Union's Convention on the future of Europe, holding the posts of Vice-President of the State Security Council, Chairman of the Committee for Intelligence Activities and Executive Vice-Chairman of the Government Committee for European Integration. Between 1996 and 2000, Mr. Kavan represented the Czech Social Democratic Party as Senator in the upper House of Parliament. An author of "Charter 77", Mr. Kavan has been active in the area of human rights and is a staunch opponent of the United States plan for ballistic missile defense in Eastern Europe.

Global Citizenship vs. A New Arms Race, Part 1

Editor — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Jan Kavan, Diplomat of the Czech Republic, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly

In the age of "globalization," we have not yet realized and embraced a global dialogue. Russia, China and the United States are now vying for domination and have begun a new arms race--flouting all treaties and agreements to the contrary. Many areas of the world continue to suffer from poverty, human rights violations, war, oppressive and authoritarian governing, toxic waste build-up, genocide and other horrors, while other areas of the world hold all the wealth.

Join us as we explore the role of the United Nations and the UN Millennium Development Goals with regard to human rights, world government oversight, and paths to peace in the face of a new arms race. Mr. Kavan will speak on the threat of a new cold war brewing between the United States and Russia.

Mr. Jan Kavan, Czech diplomat and politician, advocate of democracy and human rights, was President of the fifty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly from 2002-2003. He served as the Czech Republic's Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and Security Policy from 1999-2002, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998-2002, most recently serving as a Deputy in the Czech Parliament. While Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Kavan also served as his country's representative to the European Union's Convention on the future of Europe, holding the posts of Vice-President of the State Security Council, Chairman of the Committee for Intelligence Activities and Executive Vice-Chairman of the Government Committee for European Integration. Between 1996 and 2000, Mr. Kavan represented the Czech Social Democratic Party as Senator in the upper House of Parliament. An author of "Charter 77", Mr. Kavan has been active in the area of human rights and is a staunch opponent of the United States plan for ballistic missile defense in Eastern Europe.

Debate on Alameda's Measure A

Editor — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Panel Discussion, Moderated by Rev. Pam Kurtz

The City of Alameda's Charter Article XXVI, together with Alameda Municipal Code Chapter XXX, Article III, "Multiple Dwelling Units", embody what is colloquially referred to as "Measure A." Do we all really know what Measure A does? And if it is amended, what will happen then?

Format: Opposing positions are invited to provide two speakers, each of whom will be allotted 15 minutes for their presentation. A coin toss will be used to select the opening speaker, and after the first hour, there will be 45-60 minutes of open forum questions and discussion from the audience, directed to the presenters. The event will last no more than two hours.

Context: There has been a lot of discussion, for several years now, about development, redevelopment, growth, and its economic and environmental impact on the community of Alameda. There has also been a lot of talk about providing "affordable housing" in Alameda. What does it all really mean? How does it affect you and the quality of your residency in Alameda? Find out about Measure A in a fair and balanced forum setting, where you can have the opportunity to ask questions and make observations.

Wal-Mart, the Face of 21st Century Capitalism, Part 2

Editor — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 07:05:00 GMT

Part II of this video.

Professor Nelson Lichtenstein, Labor Historian UCSB

Wal-Mart has revolutionized marketplace economics in the Twenty-First century. The ACFTU (All-China Federation of Trade Unions), with whose representatives Professor Lichtenstein met on a recent trip to China, is a state run union that works on behalf of Chinese Manufacturers. Wal-Mart sources its merchandise in China and depends upon cheap labor for the goods sold here in the United States. Chinese workers are forbidden to organize independent trade unions. Our own Port of Oakland is a major link in the supply chain of Chinese goods to the United States for Wal-Mart. This is an important example of how "local" affairs can only be examined in their "global" context.

Nelson Lichtentstein is a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he directs the Center for Work, Labor and Democracy and is a Fellow of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. He is an expert on U.S. labor, political economy and social thought. Mr. Lichtenstein has written five books, including most recently, "American Capitalism: Social Thought and Political Economy in the Twentieth Century" and "State of the Union: A Century of American Labor." He has also edited several publications, among them "Wal-Mart: The Face of 21st Century Capitalism?" Mr. Lichtenstein is a fellow at the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. He was awarded the Philip Taft Prize for the Best Book in Labor History in 2003.

Wal-Mart: The Face of 21st Century Capitalism, Part 1

Editor — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Professor Nelson Lichtenstein, Labor Historian UCSB

Wal-Mart has revolutionized marketplace economics in the Twenty-First century. The ACFTU (All-China Federation of Trade Unions), with whose representatives Professor Lichtenstein met on a recent trip to China, is a state run union that works on behalf of Chinese Manufacturers. Wal-Mart sources its merchandise in Chine and depends upon cheap labor for the goods sold here in the United States. Chinese workers are forbidden to organize independent trade unions. Our own Port of Oakland is a major link in the supply chain of Chinese goods to the United States for Wal-Mart. This is an important example of how "local" affairs can only be examined in their "global" context.

Nelson Lichtentstein is a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he directs the Center for Work, Labor and Democracy and is a Fellow of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. He is an expert on U.S. labor, political economy and social thought. Mr. Lichtenstein has written five books, including most recently, "American Capitalism: Social Thought and Political Economy in the Twentieth Century" and "State of the Union: A Century of American Labor." He has also edited several publications, among them "Wal-Mart: The Face of 21st Century Capitalism?" Mr. Lichtenstein is a fellow at the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. He was awarded the Philip Taft Prize for the Best Book in Labor History in 2003.

The Threat of US War With Iran

Editor — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Professor Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics, University of San Francisco, author of Peace From Below, co-author of Tinderbox and Non-Violent Social Movements.

Prof. Zunes first spoke at the Forum in July of 2006, at which time his topic was "The U.S. and Iran: Nuclear Proliferation, Terrorism and Regime Change." Much has happened in the past year with regard to U.S. foreign policy toward Iran, and we look forward to being updated on the current looming crisis.

Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco, where he has taught since 1995. He serves as an advisory committee member and Middle East editor for the Foreign Policy In Focus Project and as an associate editor of Peace Review. Professor Zunes is the author of scores of articles for scholarly and gerneral readershiop on Milddle Eastern politics, U.S. foreign policy, international terrorism, social movements, and human rights. He is the principle editor of Nonviolent Social Movments (1999) and the author of the highly-acclaimed Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (2003), and the forthcoming Western Sahara: Nationalism and Conflict in Northwest Africa (Syracuse University Press). Dr. Zunes has made frequent visits to the Middle East and other conflict regions, where he has met with top government officials, academics, journalists and opposition leaders. Dr. Zunes is a foreign affairs columnist for the National Catholic Reporter and a regular contributor to the Common Dreams website and Tikkun magazine. He serves on the advisory committee of the Tikkun Community, the academic council of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict and as a consultant for a number of peace and human rights organizations, in both the United States and overseas.

From War to Peace: An Offering of Poetry and Music to Soothe a Suffering World

Editor — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Jan Dederick, Elisabeth Eliassen, Kathryn Neale Manalo, Stephen McDermott Myers, Readers.

Jeremy Cohen and Andrea Liguori, Musicians.

From the earliest days through the present era, people have sought solace through music and poetry about the horrors of war, the precariousness of armistice, uncertainty of a post-war future, and visions of peace. Join us as we honor these voices and visions with an evening of poetry and music.

The podcast will only present the spoken word readings from this evening.

No Child Left Behind? What Is the Conservative, Corporate Agenda for Destroying Our Public Schools?

Editor — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Panel Discussion with Kathy Emery, Jack Gerson, Marsha Feinland and Gretchen Mackler-Lipow.

Throughout the country and here in Alameda, a Federal law entitled "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) requires testing that undermines your child's education. This law is part of a corporate agenda to destry public education in the United States. Additionally, in California cities, including Alameda, redevelopment drains our schools and other public services of much needed tax revenue funding. Hear our panel of speakers explore these issues vital to every person.

Kathy Emery has taught high school history for 16 years, has a Ph.D. in Education from UC Davis, and is currently working with Teachers for Social Justice and the San Francisco Organizing Project. Ms. Emery is co-author with Susan Ohanian of "Why Is Corporate America Bashing Our Schools?" This book has received the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contributions for Honesty in Public Language. Ms. Emery heads the San Francisco Freedom School summer program.

Jack Gerson teaches at Castlemont Leadership Prep High School in Oakland, California, whre he is the lead math teacher and a member of the school district's math curriculum council. He is on the Executive Board of the Oakland Teachers' Union (the Oakland Education Association), and has been an active opponent of the state takeover of Oakland public schools and of the role of the Broad and Gates Foundations in imposing privatization via a "business model" for public schools. He has an M.S. in mathematics (Stanford) and a Ph. D. in biostatistics (Berkeley).

Marsha Feinland and Gretchen Mackler-Lipow are retired activists and teachers.

US Weapons of Terror, the Global Proliferation Crisis and Paths to Peace

Editor — Sat, 19 May 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Jacqueline Cabasso of Western States Legal Foundation

Jacqueline Cabasso; co-author of Nuclear Disorder or Cooperative Security? (2007) speaks about the current struggle to keep the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty alive and well in the 21st Century during the Bush Administration's War on Terror and continuing struggle in Iraq.

"In recent years ... regressive U.S. policies… along with the acquisition of nuclear weapons by North Korea, the ongoing confrontation with Iran over its quest to acquire a uranium-enrichment capability, and the intense disappointment of Arab states regarding the failure to take steps to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, have caused many to fear for the survival of the nuclear non-proliferation/disarmament regime. two episodes dramatized the crisis: the 2005 NPT Review Conference ended without reaching any substantive agreement, largely because the United States refused to permit any reference to commitments made at previous conferences; and heads of state at the 2005 World Summit were unable to agree on a single word regarding nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. ” (from Nuclear Disorder or Cooperative Security? 2007)

For more information about the work of the Western States Legal Foundation, please see the website: http://www.wslfweb.org/

The Crisis in Africa: Oil, Islam and Darfur

Editor — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 07:00:00 GMT

With the world riveted on all the upheaval in the Middle East, it is easy to lose sight of the role Africa plays on the world stage, particularly with regard to the struggle for oil and mineral rights, within a complex matrix of ethnic conflict. Join us for a panel discussion on the Crisis in Africa with Professors Martha Saavedra, Barry Schutz and David Skinner.

Professor Martha Saavedra is the Associate Director of the Center for African Studies at University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Saavedra's research includes agrarian politics and ethnic conflict in Sudan, and gender and sports in Senegal and elsewhere in Africa. She is currently working on the question of Islam, sport and gender in Africa. She serves on the executive board of the West African Research Association.

Professor David Skinner has researched the development and significance of Islam in West Africa. Dr. Skinner teaches African and West African history and politics and modern world history at Santa Clara University.

Professor Barry Schutz is currently Adjunct Professor of Government at Mills College and of Political Science in the Stanford Continuing Studies Program. He is also Visiting Scholar in African Studies at Sanford University. He is a retired Senior Analyst from the Office of African Analysis at the Department of State. Specializing in African affairs, he is a former Professor of Strategic Studies at Georgetown University National Security Studies Program, the National Defense Intelligence College and the Naval Postgraduate School. He is currently working on a book on Oil Politics in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Fight Against Capital Punishment, From Baghdad to San Quentin

Editor — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Barbara Becnel was in attendance at the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, as one of his chosen witnesses. After a prolonged and agonized execution process, Mr. Willams was pronounced dead. Join us as Ms. Becnel discusses the broader implications of the "theater of death".

Barbara Cottman Becnel has worked as a legislative and public policy analyst in Washington, D.C., focusing on youth unemployment and urban economic development. She has also served as program manager and senior research analyst for the Los Angeles County Private Industry Council. For the past ten years, Ms. Becnel has worked to develop innovative youth violence programs for nonprofit groups in the Bay Area, South Central Los Angeles and other parts of the nation.

Ms. Becnel has written over 100 feature stories for newspapers and magazines, as well as 12 nonfiction books on a variety of subjects, including drug addiction and treatment, parenting practices, youth violence prevention and the culture of adolescent street gangs.

Recently executed San Quentin death-row prisoner and reformed street gang leader Stanley “Tookie” Williams conceived the Internet Project for Street Peace and the curriculum is based on the nine anti-gang and anti-violence books for youth that he and Ms. Becnel co-authored. These extraordinary accomplishments garnered Mr. Williams and the Neighborhood House of North Richmond (a grass-roots social service agency of which Ms. Becnel is executive director) Nobel Peace Prize nominations in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Copies of Blue Rage, Black Redemption; A Memoir by Stanley “Tookie” Williams and Life In Prison, co-authored by Mr. Williams and Ms. Becnel, will be available for purchase at the event.

Taking Our Country Back From the Right: A Strategy for Liberals and Progressives for the Coming Two Years

Editor — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:00:00 GMT

"We have learned to expect that argument both from alleged 'centrists' in the Democratic Party like Majority Leader of the House of Representatives Stenny Hoyer, who managed to keep the funding for the war in Iraq moving smoothly through a Democratic controlled Congress, and from the “liberal wing” of the Democrats, who imagined that they had won a great victory when they got Nancy Pelosi elected Speaker of the House (before she became an enabler of Bush’s militarism, pro-torture policies, and invasion of domestic civil liberties, while strenuously insisting that 'impeachment was off the table').

"But now we are also hearing it from many progressives: particularly those who correctly feel that they made a mistake in 2000 in backing Nader not only in the states where it was “safe” to do so (namely, where it was so clearly either Bush or Gore who would win that a protest vote was not going to impact at all) but also where it was not so safe—Florida and Ohio." --Rabbi Michael Lerner, from a recent article

So, where does liberal, progressive America go from here? Is there a way to pull America back from the far right agenda to a more centrist position? Join us as we hear Rabbi Lerner's thoughts on how to approach the next Presidential election.

Michael Lerner is an American rabbi, political activist, the editor of Tikkun, a progressive Jewish and interfaith magazine based in Berkeley, California, and the rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue of San Francisco. He has written numerous books on various subjects, including The Left Hand of God (2006) and The Politics of Meaning (1996). Rabbi Lerner founded the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP) in 2005, an international political and social justice movement based in the United States that seeks to influence American politics towards more humane, progressive values. The organization also challenges what it perceives as the misuse of religion by political conservatives and the anti-religious attitudes of many liberals. In the international sphere, the NSP seeks to foster inter-religious understanding and work for social justice.

Playing President: Close Encounters with Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Bush I, and How They Didn't Prepare Me for George W. Bush

Editor — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Robert Scheer, author and columnist

The State of Surveillance: Government Monitoring of Political Activity in Northern and Central California

Editor — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 07:00:00 GMT

Mark Schlosberg, Police Practices Policy Director, ACLU Northern California