San Jose, CA – On Wednesday, March 26, at noon, around 60 students gathered by the San Jose State University Student Union for a speakout for Mahmoud Khalil and other victims of ICE detainments. The program of the action put forward demands on San Jose State administration and SJSU President Cynthia Teniente Matison for increased protection against ICE, especially for mixed status and undocumented students as well as activists.

The program began with chants. Slogans such as “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state!” and “We want justice you say how, release Mahmoud Khalil now!” Many chants and slogans revolved around SJSU administration’s inaction around ICE activity, particularly its lackluster response and lack of a statement against ICE. One such slogan encompassed these sentiments, “Admin, admin where’s your spine? You're enabling ICE’s crimes!”

The program then had a sequence of several speakers, first with SDS’s treasurer reading out Khalil’s letter from ICE detention.

Oli Harter, SDS’s political organizing co-chair told the crowd, “SJSU administration is all too familiar with silence. They stand on the sidelines, refusing to divest from war-profiteers and refusing to protect students from ICE.”

Harter continued, “SJSU students demand admin take real, material, measures in defending our community from ICE! We demand divestment from Lockheed Martin, we demand removal of student repression through TMP policies, we demand a statement condemning Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest, and we demand accountability from the cowardly dogs hiding in silence: And until then – No justice! No peace!”

Dominique Thomas from Black Women’s Collective stated, “This may feel like a temporary movement to some, but this is representative of a war we have been fighting alongside all of our ancestors. These wars are fueled by capitalism and white supremacy.”

A speaker from UNITE then emphasized that organization’s own demands, which they shared with the broader activist coalition, including full protection for undocumented and mixed status students.

Sofía Calderon, president of Mecha, spoke on how Trump’s policies reflect an increasingly bigoted political climate. “Mahmoud’s story, like many others reflected the experiences of undocumented folks across the country. Families are being torn apart,” she said. “All this rhetoric and these illegal detainment practices are cruel and evil.”

Finn Albano stated, “Lewelyn Dixon, a Filipina aunty who lived in the U.S. for 50 years as a migrant worker on a valid green card who had zero public ties to the pro-Palestinian movement was arrested and sent to a detention facility just as recently as four days ago. She was detained solely because she was a migrant.”

Nikki Flowers said, “I am the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. I look around, and I see the current U.S. administration pushing for registries and identification cards. I see ICE kidnapping and disappearing Mahmoud and Leqaa, who are of a people undergoing genocide right now – Palestinians.”

Then, Rachel Abeyta, intern of Students for a Quality Education, read out a statement from her organization co-signed by SDS, SJP and other student organizations.

Lastly, John Duroyan, president of SDS San Jose chapter, gave a speech putting forward a demand towards SJSU admin to condemn Khalil’s arrest and ICE activity on the Bay Area, as well as repeating an ongoing demand centered around SJSU cutting ties with war profiteers.

After concluding remarks from the chant leaders, the attendees posted sticky notes with various demands around the exterior of the Student Union, demanding divestment, statements condemning the arrest, and freedom for Palestinians and victims of ICE detainment.

The action was called by Students for a Democratic Society, alongside other campus organizations including Black Women’s Collective, Students for Quality Education, UNITE, MeCha, League of Filipino Students, and Students Against Mass Incarceration, among several others.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement

Los Angeles, CA – On April 12 and 13 immigrant rights activists and organizations will be convening at the Emergency Southwest Summit Against Deportations in the historic Chicano community of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California.

This Emergency Southwest Summit is an opportunity for immigrant rights activists to come together in the Southwest, historically significant for Chicanos and Mexicanos, to share lessons on how to organize and successfully fight back against Trump’s and ICE attacks.

Since Trump’s Inauguration, there has been a surge of militant protests and struggle throughout the country, and masses of Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans have taken to the streets to fight the Trump administration’s deportation campaign.

Grassroots and community activists have fought against ICE attacks, leading thousands in marches in cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis and San José. Students have joined mass high school walkouts. Rapid response networks and neighborhood defense groups have sprung into action to keep community members safe from ICE.

The Emergency Southwest Summit Against Deportations will take place over the course of two days on April 12 and 13. This summit is sponsored by Centro CSO, the La Mesa Brown Berets, MEchA Santee HS, and Legalization for All Network. We are calling on all immigrant rights activists in the Southwest and nationwide to join us. We must oppose the use of ICE and the threat of deportations in the U.S. Trump's attacks against undocumented immigrants are a threat to all whether we are immigrants, Chicano, Mexicano or Central American. Build the movement against Trump. No deportations!

Speakers at the summit will include Carlos Montes, lifelong activist in the Chicano movement; Luna Baez, daughter of detained Colorado community activist Jeanette Viguerra; Elvira Arellano, Chicago sanctuary activist, and Amerika Garcia Grewal of the Eagle Pass Border Coalition.

Register online at: https://tinyurl.com/summitagainstdeportations

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #L4A #Featured

Santa Ana, CA – On March 18, over 45 people gathered at El Centro Cultural de Mexico and marched half a mile to the Santa Ana Police Department with the family of Noe Rodriguez to protest his unjust killing.

On December 1, 2024, Rodriguez, who was unarmed, was shot over 30 times. The protesters held signs reading “Justice for Noe Rodriguez” and “24/48. Release the names, release the tapes” as they chanted “SAPD you can’t hide! We charge you with homicide!” while they made their way to the front of the police station.

The protest was kicked off by Abraham Quintana from Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC), who stated, “ We are here today to raise the demands of families impacted by police violence, as well as raise demands for our 24/48 campaign, to make a change in police policy regarding officer-involved shootings.”

Quintana went on to explain how Santa Ana PD has not released any sort of police report or officer names to the family of Noe Rodriguez; instead, the information they have released are attempts to slander Rodriguez by discussing his old criminal cases out of context.

CSO OC member Rain Mendoza read and translated Erika Armenta’s speech on the impact this killing has had on their daughters, “Since Noe’s life was taken by Santa Ana PD, our daughters are deprived of the joy of growing up next to their father, of living moments with him. They are deprived of the possibility of their father seeing them as accomplished women and seeing their triumphs. My daughters cry for the loss of their father because he will never return, nothing can bring him back, but we can take comfort in the fact that justice can be served in his memory.”

Armenta ended with some of her demands, saying, “We need to demand that these police killings stop and that they really try to de-escalate. Families like mine are left to pick up the pieces and we have to balance the fight for justice with the fight to stay alive. The police need to take responsibility for their actions, and we need to demand transparency.”

CSO OC speaker Manaal Subhani shed light on other crimes committed by the Santa Ana PD, stating, “In 2017 SAPD falsely claimed that 18-year-old Steve Salgado was armed when Detective David Prewett shot and killed him. They tried to justify that killing by saying Salgado was a gang member at a complex where families and children were present, even though it was the police who did the shooting!”

Subhani also spoke on sexual assault crimes and cover-up committed by Santa Ana PD, recounting the Culichi Town incident.

“In August of 2020, a family including two 15-year-old girls went out to dinner at the Culichi Town restaurant. Off duty police officers including Oscar Lizardi, Jonathan Perez, Dorin Buchanan, Jonathan McKee and Mark Campi sat a few tables away. We know from 911 calls that the family made that each time the girls got up to use the bathroom, one of these officers would sexually harass the girls. When the family called police to respond to the incident, investigators covered for their friends on the force. They muted their body cameras when speaking to each other, and when the family tried to show police cell phone footage of the off-duty officers, the investigators stood in ways that did not allow their cameras to pick up the footage,” said Subhani. The crowd present shouted “Shame!” in response to the crimes committed by SAPD.

Gabriel Quiroz Jr. of Centro CSO's Boyle Heights chapter said, “We aren’t asking for radical things. We want transparency when a police officer kills one of our community members. These are basic things!”

The protesters marched back to El Centro Cultural de Mexico chanting along the way, “When SAPD shoots to kill, families pick up the bill!” and “What do we want? Community control of the police! When do we want it? Now!”

The protest was organized by CSO OC and the wife of Noe Rodriguez. Community members, activists, and Noe’s family were in attendance.

CSO OC, along with working with families impacted by police violence, are working towards fighting for justice, raising the demands of impacted family members, and fighting for community control of the police.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, March 20, postal workers in Los Angeles joined a national day of action to protest against the government’s threat to privatize the U.S. Postal Service. The theme of the protest was “U.S. mail is not for sale.”

Workers from various postal locations rallied and marched at the entrance and along the sidewalk at a post office on Central Avenue, waving homemade signs at the cars passing by and handing out informational flyers to workers who were walking into the station.

The day of action comes after the Trump administration has threatened to transfer the U.S. Postal Service, which currently operates as an independent agency under the executive branch, to the control of the Commerce Department. This could allow for privatization, which would likely raise prices and limit access to services in certain areas.

“Rain, sleet or snow the mail always goes,” said Tarsha Davis, a four-year USPS worker and American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 64 shop steward who works out of the Central Avenue building, “I’m here to protect the postal service, to make sure the people still have the service as well as employees having their jobs. Family and homes are gonna be affected in so many ways, whether it’s workers getting a check in the mail or people receiving the mail.”

Workers are concerned that if the USPS were to be privatized, the service would be motivated by profits rather than providing an essential service. Tyatta Jordan, an 18-year USPS worker and APWU Local 64 shop steward said, “U.S. mail is not for sale. We have to protect the people’s post office. We want to make sure that we keep our jobs, we want to keep it a public service and we don’t want to turn it into a business where they raise prices.”

Jordan is also concerned that privatization would threaten the rights they have as union workers, stating, “It can affect our union because if we go private they can lay off people, they can get rid of our CBA [collective bargaining agreement] and union all together. Without the union we stand no chance.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #Labor #Featured

San Jose, CA – On March 19, a crowd of 100 people gathered in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in the heart of downtown to protest the bombing of Gaza and the strikes on Yemen that have killed at least 400 Palestinians and 50 Yemenis.

Protesters held signs reading “We will not be complicit,” “Divest from Alphabet and Microsoft” and “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands.” They displayed a banner with “I support Palestinian Human Rights” for passing traffic to read and chanted “Free Palestine.”

Philip Nguyen, an SEIU 521 steward said, “The ceasefire was only temporary to reset Israel’s military forces – that much is clear now more than ever. Our taxpayer dollars are lining the pockets of war profiteers to sell bombs and drones.” Nguyen continued, “Our duty here is to fight like hell to turn off that money faucet! To boycott, to divest!”

Mike Annab, a Palestinian American community member with San Jose Against War, said, “The Palestinian and American people share a lot in common; they both share a love of freedom and liberty and a disdain for injustice and oppression.” Annab continued by encouraging the crowd, “You’re here. You showed up. Keep showing up for Gaza.”

Andy Schaefer of San Jose Against War highlighted the connection between Trump’s attacks domestically and abroad saying, “An attack against one is an attack against all. Whether reactionaries target our immigrant communities, as they did when ICE illegally kidnapped and assaulted Ulises, or if they target our Palestinian communities, as they did when they illegally kidnapped Mahmoud Khalil, or illegally kidnapped Leqaa Kordia, it’s clear that nobody is safe.”

Lena Hanson, a San Jose community member, addressed the crowd about their recent experiences in the West Bank recounting, “I held the hand of a dear friend two days before he died from cancer. He left behind a wife and four young children. Israel did not allow him to go into Jerusalem to get lifesaving treatment because that is what an occupying force does.”

Hanson continued, “We are witnessing Israel trying to normalize apartheid and we cannot let this happen – no normalizing genocide, no normalizing occupation!”

Drusie Kazanova, another organizer from San Jose Against War, commented on the attacks on the resistance, “Let us not be fooled – these attacks do not indicate the strength of the Zionist regime and its sponsor, the U.S. On the contrary, these shameful acts of cowardice are the signs of a dying empire. Just as an animal lashes out when mortally wounded, so do these paper tigers resort to genocidal violence when fighting a losing battle.”

Kazanova finished with a call to action, “As people living here in the belly of the beast, we must stand in solidarity with Gaza, Yemen, and the rest of the Axis of Resistance. We must continue to put pressure on our government, on corporations, on the media, and on all forces committing or enabling these genocidal attacks. We refuse to be complicit.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #Palestine #AntiWarMovement

San Jose, CA – On March 14, a crowd of 100 people braved the March winds to speak out in defense of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the Palestine solidarity movement at New York’s Columbia University who faces deportation on the grounds of his political work. Khalil has not been charged with any crime.

Between chants of “Free Mahmoud Khalil,” community members spoke of the history and ongoing reality of political repression of mass movements by the U.S. and its allies.

Haddy Barghouti, a Palestinian transfer student at San Jose State University and political director of San Jose State University Students for Justice in Palestine, stated, “Khalil, like thousands of other Palestinian prisoners, has been unjustly detained under Israel’s brutal occupation. He is a victim of systematic oppression, locked away without due process, without justice. His freedom and the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners is essential to our cause. We cannot stand for a world where innocent people are imprisoned for resisting an occupation that has stripped them of their land, their dignity, and their rights.”

Allie Chen, a member of San Jose Against War told the crowd, “This assault on Mr. Khalil’s First Amendment rights, which again are the same as yours and mine, has the potential to reverberate and impact American citizens as well.”

Philip Nguyen, also of San Jose Against War said that Trump “plans to use the same forces that terrorize our undocumented community members to also target people who speak out against atrocities that the U.S. government is complicit in. The billions in funding that go to aid and abet Israel, ICE and the militarization of the border could instead be used to fund the people’s needs here, to funding universal healthcare, education, housing and public transportation.”

Nguyen ended with a call to build the organized movement, stating, “The fight continues, so I call onto you to get organized. Help build the movement for anti-war and divestment from genocide in San Jose and beyond.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement

Santa Ana, CA – On March 8, over 80 people gathered at Santa Ana’s Memorial Park to rally for International Women’s Day. The attendees raised flags and signs in support of LGBTQ rights, Palestinian liberation, and reproductive rights.

The crowd erupted in chants of “When women’s rights are under attack what do we do? Stand up! Fight back!” and “Mujeres unidas jamas seran vencidas!” as emcee and Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) member, Rain Mendoza, kicked off the rally.

Mendoza opened the event by saying, “It is important for us to continue commemorating this day as we continue to fight for our rights and for our lives. That is why you will always find us, working-class women and queer people, in the heart of the struggle.”

The stage was lined with signs called for supporting the women of Gaza, stopping the deportation of mothers, and protecting trans rights. Erika Armenta, wife of Noe Rodriguez, who was killed by the Santa Ana Police Department on December 1, 2024 spoke about his murder. Armenta stated, “Since his life was taken, I have to act as a mother and father to my daughters. They will never see their father again because the Santa Ana police chose violence instead of de-escalation.”

Armenta continued, “When you look at the families fighting for justice across the country, you will see wives, daughters, mothers, sisters. We are left to pick up the pieces of police killings. We are left to balance being mothers and fighters for justice.”

Armenta also raised her demands for the unedited police report and the body cam footage of Rodriguez’s killing to be released, along with new police policies of de-escalation and bilingual instructions from officers. She has been asking SAPD for the report since his killing and they have not given it to her. Rodriguez spoke only Spanish, but SAPD gave orders only in English and shot him over 30 times. CSO OC is supporting her with these demands as a part of their 24/48 Police Accountability campaign.

Maria Torres from Nuestras Manos started with “Arriba las mujeres!” She spoke about being a mother to three wonderful children and being an organizer for domestic workers for more than 25 years.

Torres stated, “I am a leader and community organizer. I am a proud member of Nuestras Manos. We are here to help you with any situation you may be dealing with your employer, like wage theft or any other issue. We will walk with you through the issue and teach you your rights as a worker.” She read a poem dedicated to women field workers, saying that she wanted to read it to honor women field workers who, like her grandmother, barely learned how to read or write. She ended with “Fuck you Trump, we are here, and we are not going anywhere!”

FRSO’s speaker, Diana Terreros, then spoke on Trump’s attack on women and trans rights through executive orders and court cases that eradicate reproductive healthcare for women, narrowly define sex and gender and ban trans women from women’s sports. She linked these actions to the ruling class defending their interests as capitalists: “The U.S. ruling class will continue to repress and punish anything that does not fit into the patriarchal, heterosexual nuclear family model that is essential to capitalism. We cannot rid the world of patriarchy and LGBTQ oppression while there is still a ruling class to benefit from it.” With a rallying call to the attendees, she concluded “the path forward for true women’s liberation, true LGBTQ liberation, and an end to national oppression is socialist revolution!”

Speaking on the Trump administration's attacks on trans women and trans rights, Michelle Darmary from Alianza Translatinx said that these policies “create a climate of fear where every step outside feels like a perilous journey.” She stated, “They may try to bury us, but they do not know that we are seeds, seeds planted in the fertile soil of resistance, watered by the tears of our ancestors, nourished by our unwavering love of our community, we will rise.” She ended with a powerful stance as a trans woman. “We will not be silenced, we will not be erased, we will not be denied, we are women, we are trans and we are here to stay.”

Then, Folk for Falastin, who strive to embody the Palestinian resistance through the preservation of their culture, gave a powerful and beautiful musical performance interspersed by chants of “Free! Free! Palestine!”

Manaal Subhani from CSO OC spoke on immigration by saying that the state needs immigrants as a labor force, but “immigrants cannot be reduced to workers for the United States. Immigrants contribute to innovation, culture and society. Immigrants are people, that’s why they matter! That’s it.” Subhani also spoke on the work of the Orange County Rapid Response Network, which significantly reduced the number of transfers from county jails to ICE custody, from 492 people in 2019 to just 17 in 2022, adding, “this is what we can do when we act united for change.”

The rally presented a strong call of solidarity among the different areas of struggle for women’s liberation. CSO OC will continue to fight for Chicana liberation through the fronts of community control of the police and immigration. Follow them on Instagram at cso.oc, Facebook at Orange County CSO, or reach them through email at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

The event was organized by CSO OC and featured speakers from the domestic workers group, Nuestras Manos, Orange County’s first trans-led organization; Alianza Translatinx, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and CSO OC along with a musical performance from Folk for Falastin. Resources and know your rights cards were shared at a table by OC Rapid Response Network.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #CSOOC

Los Angeles, CA – On March 8, activists from Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization met up in Boyle Heights for their eighth annual celebration marking International Women’s Day. This year’s event featured a panel with speakers from different areas of work that Centro CSO is focused on such as immigration, education, and police brutality, as well as a labor activist from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a keynote speaker from the LAUSD school board.

The event was held at Casa 0101, a local theater in Boyle Heights. The speakers shared how they got involved in activism, and what it’s like to be women fighting for a cause like education or working in the labor movement.

Amanda Diaz Sanchez, an immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO said, “As we fight for immigrant rights, being a woman in the movement means always having to recenter women’s issues. In our movement, reproductive justice and paid family leave are always seen as separate issues, but being a woman who has experienced these issues means bringing that back and connecting the dots to other things that are happening to us.”

Hannah Keith, a shop steward and trade union activist out of UPS Olympic spoke out about the discrimination she faces as a trans woman, saying, “There are a lot of coworkers who have a problem with the way that I am, but they’ll still come to me for help as a shop steward. And I have no problem helping them, because I know my co-workers who are uncomfortable with me being trans aren’t the enemy, it’s the supervisors, but in order for me to help them confront the boss I have to meet them where they’re at.”

After the panelists concluded their portion of the event, Dr. Rocio Rivas, an LAUSD school board member, gave the keynote speech for the event. She spoke about her upbringing, and how public education was something she fell in love with at a young age, saying “Education can be a tool for escaping oppression. They wanted to keep us ignorant, not giving us the education we deserved. That was the beginning of my activism.” She went on to say, “When we have this knowledge, we know how to fight back against what they’ve been doing to our people for centuries.”

When asked about the event, Juliana Regalado, an activist with Centro CSO and the emcee for the evening, said, “It’s important to celebrate women’s contributions and achievements throughout history because it shows us how far we’ve come and what work still needs to be done. This was an excellent event, and it felt good celebrating and uplifting a few of the many strong women I organize with.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #CentroCSO #FRSO

San Jose, CA – During this week’s city council meeting, March 11, dozens of community members made public comments to demand that the city divest over $50 million from corporations with direct ties to Israel's genocide against Palestine.

Drusie Kazanova, a member of San Jose Against War, stated, “It is clear that the diverse and multicultural community of San Jose refuses to be complicit in genocide,” citing a divestment petition with over 1500 signatures, and endorsements from over 50 local businesses and community organizations. “I call on you to exercise your leadership and stand with your constituents by divesting all city funds from Israel's genocide against Palestine,” said Kazanova.

Philip Nguyen, a SEIU 521 steward, stated, “Divestment was effective in helping stop apartheid in South Africa, and it will be effective now.” San Jose adopted its “South Africa-free investment policy” in 1985 after a protracted struggle for divestment from apartheid, setting a clear precedent for today's divestment demand.

Uriel Magdaleno, a community organizer with Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, asked, “What is preventing the city council from divesting from genocide? We should focus more on prioritizing what benefits our entire community. I want to commend the city council for recently passing a resolution to reaffirm the city’s status as a sanctuary city. We also further funded the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network,” referring to a local network that mobilizes when ICE activity is reported in the region.

“We need to prioritize expanding capacity of free legal services here for our immigrant community,” continued Magdaleno.

Public comment sparked further discussion from the city council. Councilmember Peter Ortiz, representing San Jose’s District 5, called on Maria Öberg, the city’s finance director, to speak on the city's current policy on social responsibility as it relates to investment and contracting. Öberg noted that the current investment policy has a social responsibility clause, meaning “if [the city] evaluates two investments that have the same generic terms and interest rates, we would favor buying a green bond for example.” Ortiz then asked Öberg to investigate any concerns in regards to entities that the city is invested in.

Councilmember Ortiz finished by thanking the community members for speaking, saying, “Thank you people for coming, I think it’s timely to have this conversation – not just on this issue, there's a lot of things corporations are doing right now that are impacting our community. For example, a lot of these companies are investing in measures to come after our immigrant population, in the east side – a conversation is warranted. Thank you so much.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement

San Jose, CA – On Monday, March 10, around 1500 bus and light rail operators and mechanics for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), walked off the job. The workers are represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265. This is the first strike at the VTA since its founding in 1973.

Around 9 a.m. upwards of 70 ATU rank-and-file members could be seen picketing in front of the VTA headquarters as the strike began. Pickets were held at four other light rail and bus yards beginning at 4 a.m.

VTA and ATU have been in contract negotiations since August. After six months of bargaining, the ATU members decided to call a strike – which was approved by more than 96% of the union’s membership. The strike vote came after negotiations fell through and their contract expired last week.

SEIU 521, representing roughly 200 of VTA’s office workers, bus and light rail yard maintenance roles are also currently negotiating with VTA management and may be affected by the ongoing strike.

Raj Singh, ATU Local 265 president and business agent, picketed with rank-and-file members in front of the VTA headquarters and said, “Our current demands at this point are fair compensation, but our top priority is our arbitration clause – a dispute resolution process. Over the last year and half the agency has decided that on a handful of items that they were not going to participate in our arbitration proceedings.”

Singh continued, “I don’t understand why they don’t realize how unfair it is for [management] to just unilaterally decide if an issue has any merit or not. In a sense, it makes it so that all our employees are essentially at-will employees if we can’t challenge the decision that they come out with in regard to discipline issues.”

With the workers on strike, transit riders will need to plan alternatives to get to school and work. ATU has announced 24-hour picket lines at the VTA headquarters as well as at four transit yards until another tentative agreement is reached between ATU and VTA.

#SanJoseCA #CA #Labor #Transit #ATU #Strike #Feature

Behind the drop in the stock markets was the growing realization of the economic costs of Trump’s trade wars and the growing possibility of a recession. The worry is that Trump’s tariffs will lift import prices, causing inflation to go up and production to go down because of higher costs. This so-called “supply-shock” would be a (hopefully) milder version of the COVID-19 pandemic impact in 2020.

On Monday, the Canadian province of Ontario imposed a 25% surcharge on the electricity it exports to the United States in response to Trump’s tariffs. About 1.5 million households and businesses in the states of Michigan, Minnesota and New York use Canadian electricity. The Premier of Ontario also said that they could shut off electricity exports altogether if Trump escalated his trade war on Canada.

The same day, China’s previously announced response to Trump’s tariffs also went into effect. It consisted of 15% tariffs on chicken, wheat and corn and 10% tariffs on soybeans, pork, beer and fruit. China also limited purchases of Chinese goods by 15 U.S. companies and banned ten from doing business in China. These agricultural tariffs are both an attempt to hit back at U.S. farmers, which is one of Trump’s bases of support, and reflect the progress China has made in applying technology including AI, global positioning (what we call GPS, but China has its own system by Baidu), and drones to agriculture.

Further, Trump’s 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel for all countries are scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday. The tariffs on aluminum will hit Canada the hardest, as they are the single largest country exporting aluminum to the United States. In fact, Canada’s exports are about the same as total U.S. production of aluminum. While steel imports are only less than a quarter of total U.S. steel consumption, Canada is still the largest exporter of steel to the United States, with Mexico as number two.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Trump #Tariffs #StockMarket

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, February 27, at 6 p.m., Chicanos packed an East Los Angeles town hall meeting that was put on by the Civilian Oversight Commission of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and LA County. Over 60 Chicanos from East Los Angeles and the immediate surrounding area joined the meeting, both in person and virtually, to denounce the attacks on Raza by the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

The town hall meeting was held at the East Los Angeles Service Center, with every seat filled and a large queue online. LA County officials held the event in response to consistent organizing by Centro CSO. In October 2024, the Dodgers won first the pennant and then the World Series. On both days, Chicanos took to the streets of East Los Angeles to peacefully assemble, wave flags, dance and celebrate. This joy was met with brutal repression by sheriff's deputies, who attacked Raza with tear gas and other munitions. On the night of October 20, the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department indiscriminately fired tear gas into the crowd of families, including children. Two Centro CSO members were teargassed alongside them.

Since that day, Centro CSO and other East LA community organizers, like Lorraine Quinones, have fought nonstop to get justice. The East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (ELASD) were also seen wearing Fort Apache pins that night, which is a racist logo tracing its origins back to the 1970 Chicano Moratorium when East LA deputies beat and killed Chicanos.

Centro CSO has spent months organizing to get justice for the Chicano Dodger fans and to ban the Fort Apache Logo. Carlos Montes, a longtime Chicano revolutionary, was on the panel at the town hall, where he provided context on the history of repression by the Los Angeles and East LA Sheriff’s Department of Chicanos. He also talked about how even in the face of brutal oppression by the state, Chicanos have always risen up and fought back.

After the panel, community members from East LA and Boyle Heights gave public comments. Arcelia Covarrubias, whose 28-year-old son Adrian Rios was killed by ELASD, said, “I am here to support Centro CSO because they have always been there with me throughout my process. You guys showed a picture of the East Los Angeles Sheriff's station. Well, that was my son Adrian Rios’s last stop.”

Rios had been picked off the street by ELASD and taken to their station in East Los Angeles. He was later “found” unconscious in a cell with bruises all over his body,

“I used to believe in the system honestly – no, he was at the worst place, he was in the hands of murderers, my son's blood is at that station from the Bandidos,” said Covarrubias. The Banditos are a gang embedded in the sheriff’s department.

Antonieta Garcia, the co-chair of Centro CSO’s education committee said, “We need the Fort Apache logo banned and to be removed from the community and to never to appear again.”

Garcia was out there with her daughters celebrating the Dodgers and said during the public comment, “When I saw the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in riot gear and shooting teargas, I literally had to remove my daughters and run home.”

Dozens of Chicanos spoke against the actions of the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and painted a broad picture of harassment and oppression. Impacted families spoke of the harassment they received from the sheriff's department after their loved ones, like Anthony Vargas and Fransico Nunez, were killed by LASD. Members of the Civilian Oversight Commission, and even journalists like Cerise Castle, who have long documented the deputy gangs within LASD, have faced threats and harassment.

Centro CSO is also part of Check the Sheriff Coalition, which supported and showed up to the event.

Overall, the town hall meeting was a big success for Centro CSO, which organized for months, tabling, flyering and using social media to get Raza out to the town hall. It was a big deal to even get LA County to come to East Los Angeles to hear firsthand from Raza. The fight to ban Fort Apache continues, as will the greater battle to win community control of ELASD, as the Chicanos neighborhood of East LA has been demanding that the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department be cleaned up.

Centro CSO is an affiliate of NAARPR and upholds the demand of community control of police. If you would like to join Centro CSO, you can find them on all platforms under the username of “Centro CSO.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #InJusticeSystem #CentroCSO

The first crack was a drop in the labor force participation rate, meaning that fewer people were working or looking for work. The 0.2% drop, while small, would have increased the unemployment rate by the same percentage, to 4.3% if those who stopped looking for work kept looking.

A second crack was the very large increase in the number of people who reported working part time because they couldn’t find full-time work, which increased by 460,000 people. This number boosted the broadest measure of unemployment, which includes these involuntary part-time workers, along with those who gave up looking and those who want to work, but just didn’t look in February, to 8%. This was the highest level since October of 2021, when the economy was recovering from the 2020 recession.

In the report, the federal government also shed 10,000 jobs in February. The report is based on a survey taken during the second week of the month, which was before Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) took a chainsaw to federal workers. February’s loss, which was the biggest in over three years, is most likely because of the federal government’s hiring freeze that began on day one of the new administration. But the report on March and April is likely to show much larger losses, dragging down future jobs numbers. Besides the direct loss of federal jobs, a roughly equal number of private sector jobs could be lost as Musk’s DOGE canceled payments to many government contractors, including for work already done – a tactic that Trump was infamous for in his business as he tried not to pay contractors for work already completed.

In another warning of future weakness, job cut announcements came to more than 170,000 in February. This was double the rate of a year ago, and the largest amount since July of 2020, right after the recession.

Last but certainly not least, future tariff increases by the Trump administration are coming in hot and heavy for the next month. These include 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel for all countries on March 12. Then in April, the 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian cars and other products meeting the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) standards for North American production will go into effect.

On April 2, Trump will get a report on all other countries’ tariff rates, which will be inflated by including non-tariff taxes such as value-added taxes, or VATs. Trump has threatened to match these “tariff” levels, which are all higher than the U.S. which does not use the VAT.

Trump has also threatened, without a date or rate, to impose tariffs on copper, cars, semiconductor chips, medical drugs, and countries with taxes on digital services. The latest is that he has threatened 250% tariffs on Canadian lumber and dairy exports to the United States.

Next week, the monthly report on consumer prices will come out. While most of Trump’s tariffs were not implemented in February, except of a 10% tariff across the board on imports from China, the inflation rate is expected to rise as businesses raise prices in advance of tariffs.

Besides boosting prices, Trump’s tariffs will act as a drag on the economy. The auto industry will be especially hard hit, as the integrated supply chains between Canada, Mexico and the United States start to unravel. Everything that uses aluminum will be hit, with 45% of U.S. aluminum coming from Canada alone. Canada also supplies almost a third of all lumber used in the United States, which will raise costs and slow construction of new homes.

If left unchecked, Trump’s tariff tantrums will go from accelerating the economic decline of the United States to pulling at the very fabric of the globalized U.S. economy.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy

McFarland, CA - On March 2, nine community members from the South Bay took part in a car caravan from Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose to the Golden State Annex ICE detention center in McFarland. The community members rallied near the detention center to show support for Ulises Peña Lopez, a South Bay man who was recently brutalized by ICE, resulting in his hospitalization. Lopez was transferred from the hospital directly to the detention center without his family or legal team being notified.

 On February 21, Lopez was in his vehicle and getting ready to leave his home in the South Bay, when ICE agents arrived and arrested him. Despite Lopez invoking his rights to remain silent, to speak with a lawyer, and to not exit his vehicle without seeing a warrant, ICE officers violently smashed his car window with a baton, dragged him out of his vehicle, and beat him in an alley.

 According to his family, Lopez has several preexisting health conditions, including a blood clot, heart issues, a spinal disorder, and knee injuries. This brutal attack by ICE caused Lopez to collapse and struggle to breathe, resulting in his hospitalization. ICE shackled Lopez to his hospital bed and denied him access to his lawyer and his family, as well as to food, water and medication.

 ICE waited until Lopez’ family went home for the night on February 22 before transferring him to the Golden State Annex detention center, over 200 miles away, without first notifying Ulises’ attorney or family.

 On March 2, nine South Bay community members made the four hour drive to Golden State Annex, which is run by private prison corporation GEO Group, in order to show support for Ulises and his family and to advocate that he be released and allowed to return home to his community in the South Bay.

 People rallied near the detention center with signs and banners reading, “Free Ulises.” Sebastian Salinas, community organizer with Silicon Valley Immigration Committee, read a statement from Lopez’ family about his case.

 “Ulises is not just a victim of this abuse; he is our beloved brother, husband, father, friend and nephew,” read Salinas. “He is deeply loved by all who know him, and this violent act against him has left our entire family and community heartbroken and enraged.”

 ICE’s brutality against Lopez comes in a wave of increased ICE activity in the South Bay. The Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, a local coalition that has been organizing in defense of Lopez, reported in late January that ICE had detained multiple people, primarily in San Jose’s predominately Chicano East Side neighborhood.

 The Rapid Response Network is circulating a toolkit for the Free Ulises campaign, where supporters can find his family’s GoFundMe, as well as call-in and email-in templates to contact ICE and elected officials to demand his release.

#McFarlandCA #CA #ImmigrantRights

In the last 15 years, major workers’ strikes have been on the upswing since an all-time low in 2009. That year, there were only five major strikes, with 12,500 worker out on the picket line. The total number of days of work lost because of strikes that year was only 124,000.

But the number of strikes, striking workers, and days out on strike is still much lower than the recent peak in 1974, when there were 424 major strikes. That year, almost 1.8 million workers, or more than six times as many as 2024, were out on strike and almost 32 million days of work didn’t happen.

In terms of sectors, 14% of the workers on strike last year were in manufacturing, almost the same as their share of workers which was 13.8% in 2023 (latest data available).

Government workers, who make up only 11.8% of the workforce, were more likely to go on strike, with 42% of strikers working for a government at local and state levels. Government workers are more likely to be in a union, with 32% of government workers belonging to unions as opposed to less than 6% for the private sector workers.

However, the ratio of government to private sector workers on strike can vary a lot. In 2023, private sector strike numbers surged, with the strikes at UAW and Kaiser Permanente. However, in 2018 there was a wave of public school teacher strikes, with statewide strikes by teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, along with local strikes in many other states driving up strike days among government workers.

#SanJoseCA #CA #Labor #Strike #BLS

Napa, CA – The month of March began with a powerful display of solidarity in Wine Country, as community members rallied and marched in support of their immigrant neighbors.

On March 1, a sunny Saturday afternoon, the streets of downtown Napa buzzed with tourists sampling wine and fine dining. But cutting through the soft background of jazz music, the chants of “From Napa Valley to LA, immigrants are here to stay!” rang out, demanding attention.

Marching alongside other local organizations, including North Bay CSO, demonstrators made their way down Napa’s busy restaurant-lined streets. Workers stepped out to high-five marchers, offering gestures of support. The procession continued past the Napa Police Department and City Hall before culminating at Memorial Park, overlooking the Napa River.

A CSO member and Napa resident originally from Michoacán, Mexico, reflected on the significance of the march, stating, “Napa is an interesting place with a lot of Trump supporters. Their hate is ridiculous, especially in a land that doesn’t belong to them, it can feel intimidating, but at the same time, it motivates me to be loud and let it be known that immigrants are here to stay.”

She added, “The fact that so many people are marching today makes me feel hopeful. This is why I show up.”

Another CSO member, Xulio Soriano, reminded the crowd of the land’s deeper history, stating, “The Wappo are the original people of this land. They cared for the river and the soil – the same land that makes ‘Wine Country’ so fertile today. I am an immigrant, and I am here to stay!”

Napa Valley is often seen as a playground for the wealthy, a destination for indulgence. But on this day, the community sent a clear message: Wine Country runs on immigrant worker power, and they will not be ignored.

#NapaCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #CSO #NBCSO #Feature

The fall in spending was led by durable goods, especially cars and recreational vehicles, which fell by 3% from December. Concerns about rising inflation from Trump’s tariff plans, a slowing labor market as seen in rising claims for unemployment insurance, and concern about DOGE cuts, beginning with $420 million in government contracts, all weighed on consumer willpower to spend.

Consumer spending in the United States has become more and more reliant on purchases of the top 10% of households by income. Fueled by gains in the stock market, cryptocurrencies and real estate, the top 10% have unleashed what the Wall Street Journal called a “cash cannon.” At the same time, most people are being squeezed by higher prices, including interest costs and home insurance, which are not counted in official government inflation figures. Rising debt problems, longer lines at food banks and drooping consumer confidence measures are all signs of this.

While President Trump likes to compare himself to President McKinley, his attempts to cut the trade deficit through higher tariffs and decreasing government spending by slashing federal employees and cutting contracts is more like Herbert Hoover, whose policies helped turn a bad recession into a depression in the 1930s.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy

The Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees or UCFE is counted separately and takes a week longer to report. New claims for UCFE show a 20% jump since Trump’s inauguration, more than the increase in UI claims. But this number is likely to understate the impact of the federal employees firings, as they may be denied UCFE because their termination letter says that they are being fired because of poor performance.

The DOGE chainsaw wielded by Elon Musk and backed by Trump is spreading to the private sector through suspension of grants and less overall spending by former federal employees. New claims for unemployment insurance in the Washington, DC aera, where many federal employees live, are rising even faster than the country as a whole. Washington DC new claims have almost doubled since Trump took office.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Unemployment

San José, CA – El domingo 9 de febrero, el Comité de Inmigración de Silicon Valley, junto con más de 200 miembros de la comunidad, realizó una protesta y una marcha en contra de la agenda del presidente Trump y el reciente aumento de actividad de ICE en Eastside San José.

La acción – realizada en Eastside San José (ESSJ), lo cual es una comunidad compuesta por chicanos y latinos – fue parte de la Semana de Acción de la Red de Legalización Para Todos.

La protesta empezó con consignas dirigidas hacia ICE y Trump, seguidas por un breve programa de oradores.

Uriel Magadaleno del Comité de Inmigracion de Silicon Valley habló sobre la presencia de ICE en Eastside, comentó, “Es a través de la lucha del pueblo y el movimiento popular que resistiremos a Trump y las instituciones racistas que él intentará usar y atacarnos. Necesitamos formar comités de defensa en nuestros vecindarios.”

“Necesitamos proteger a nuestra comunidad inmigrante de ICE,” continuó Magdaleno. Comentó a continuación acerca de la actividad de ICE en ESSJ, llamando a un boicot contra la tienda Target en la esquina de Story y King para “exigir que dejen de colaborar con ICE, permitiendo que se estacionen en su estacionamiento.”

Ese sitio de Target ha sido el punto focal de recientes marchas en ESSJ, ya que ha permitido que ICE lleve a cabo operaciones detrás de la tienda y en su estacionamiento.

Cesar Ruiz de Agenda Humana habló sobre la importancia de organizar a los jóvenes y cómo tenía orgullo de ver “estudiantes de preparatoria realizar paros estudiantiles para los derechos de los inmigrantes” en las últimas semanas. También contó cómo estuvo involucrado en las Mega Marchas del Primero de Mayo de 2006. Ruiz continuó enfatizando la importancia del Primero de Mayo y la lucha por los inmigrantes y los trabajadores, diciendo, “Estamos aquí por el largo plazo, estamos aquí para luchar, estamos aquí para ganar.”

Las Mega Marchas de May Day de 2006, también conocidas como, “Un día sin inmigrantes,” fueron en respuesta a un proyecto de ley propuesto en el Congreso, HR 4437. Este proyecto, también conocido como el Acto de Protección de la Frontera, Antiterrorismo y Control de Inmigración Ilegal de 2005, habría convertido en felones a cualquier persona indocumentada y a quienes les brindaran ayuda

Veronica Ibanez de Papeles Para Todos habló sobre por qué es tan importante organizar por los derechos de los inmigrantes, y sobre todo de los indocumentados, explicó, “Yo he vivido aquí por 25 años, y no he podido regresar a mi país de origen, mis padres ya fallecieron y no pude estar allí.” Ibanez continuó, “Eso es por qué sigo luchando por los derechos de los inmigrantes, porque tenemos el derecho de visitar nuestro país de origen y regresar a casa.”

Los manifestantes marcharon de la Plaza de Herencia Mexicana, un monumento en Eastside San José, hasta la esquina de Story y King, un sitio conocido por ser el punto de partida de las Mega Marchas del Primero de Mayo de 2006. Durante la marcha, manifestantes corearon, “Abajo, abajo la deportación, arriba, arriba la inmigración” y “¡San José, escucha, estamos en la lucha!”

Al alcanzar la esquina de Story and King, la marcha continuó hacia el Target dentro de la plaza en la intersección. Mientras los manifestantes pasaban por delante, gritaron, “¡Target, escucha, estamos en la lucha!”

Después de concluir las consignas contra Target, los participantes se reunieron en la esquina de Story y King y continuaron con la manifestación.

Magadeleno concluyó la acción diciendo a la gente presente que ahora es más importante que nunca organizarse y que debemos construir un frente unido en contra de Trump.

#SanJoseCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #SVIC #L4A #PPT

The day after Trump announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico, on February 1, a Canadian utility with U.S. customers announced that their rates would be rising with the new tariffs. Outdoing this was Nucor, the largest producer of steel in the United States, which has raised the price of its steel four times since January. The company plans to get ahead of Trump’s planned 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel, which are to take affect March 12, even though their steel in made in the United States and not subject to tariffs. They are using the same playbook as in 2018, during the first Trump administration. When Trump put 25% tariffs on imports of steel, domestic steel producers raised their prices an average of 22%, boosting profits but not production.

Last but not least, the price of gasoline is about to begin its seasonal rise. On average, the price of gas hits a low in February, and then starts to rise during the spring and summer. While this is not the fault of any of Trump’s policies, it certainly goes against his pledge to bring down the price of gasoline.

Candidate Trump pledged to bring down prices as president. This was a big part of his victory last November, as voters turned away from the Democratic Party candidates, who were deaf to working people’s complaints about inflation. But like a true politician, Trump is turning away from this goal and actually acting to make it worse with reciprocal tariffs on all countries to go into effect in April.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, one of some 13 billionaires helping billionaire Trump to manage the federal government, recently said, with a smiling face, that Trump’s actions were “disinflationary.” What he meant by this is that Trump’s DOGE chief, Elon Musk was taking an axe to federal payrolls, cutting or putting on leave some 30,000 and threatening 2 million others with layoffs.

The spreading uncertainty and pain is already reducing spending, which will tend to limit price rises at the cost of disrupting the lives of tens of thousands of civil servants. Trump is stripping away the mask from the time when two-faced politicians used to assure the people while carrying out the wishes of billionaires. But now with the billionaires in charge, there is no more pretense, so they smile while wielding a chainsaw to our jobs and pocketbook.

#SanJoseCA #CA #CapitalismAndEconomy #Inflation #Trump