#occupywallstreet - 30% of California towns have occupy group

Here in California, the movement is exploding. In a recent study called "Diffusion of the Occupy Movement in California," UC Riverside researchers surveyed 482 incorporated towns and cities in California and found that 143 - nearly 30 percent - had Occupy sites on Facebook between December 1 and December 8.

Read article:

http://www.truth-out.org/small-occupy-movements-across-country-accumulate-victories/1324565239

#occupyoakland - stronger than ever

Goon of 1% becomes a recruiting poster
http://www.occupyoakland.org/

#occupyhomes reclaiming foreclosed homes in 20 cities

‘Occupy’ protesters reclaiming foreclosed homes in 20 cities | The Raw Story: "The 99 percent movement, which has been evicted from many of their encampments across the country, is finding common cause with thousands of homeowners who are also being evicted from their homes."

'via Blog this'

People react to the pepper-spraying of the bill of rights

https://twitter.com/#!/joeja/status/138723884282290176/photo/1
Read more here: http://occupywallst.org/article/occupy-uc-davis-calls-nov-28-general-strike-shut-d/

What the 1% thinks of the Bill of Rights

https://twitter.com/?photo_id=1#!/KristineFrazao/status/138736648795062273/photo/1

More cowardice from 1% thugs

Berkeley - Huge turnout for #transit #civilrights FTA discussion

http://twitpic.com/7ek4q4

Huge turnout of community advocates at last night's @FTA_DOT meeting on #transit#civilrights.

Police move to disband UC Berkeley 'Occupy' camp - San Jose Mercury News

Police move to disband UC Berkeley 'Occupy' camp - San Jose Mercury News: "BERKELEY, Calif.—Police in riot gear moved Wednesday night to break up a demonstration at the University of California at Berkeley that started when anti-Wall Street protesters tried to establish an encampment on campus.
Television news footage from outside the university's main administration building at 10 p.m. showed officers pulling people off the steps and nudging others with batons as the crowd chanted, "We are the 99 percent!" and "Stop Beating Students!""

'via Blog this'

Transit cuts punish the most vulnerable

Nov. 14: Federal Transit Administration Information Session in Berkeley | Public Advocates: "In 2010, Oakland activists successfully diverted $70 million from BART’s costly Oakland Airport Connector to preserve existing transit service. Bus riders in Los Angeles have used these protections to trigger a federal investigation of LA Metro’s elimination of nearly 1 million hours of bus service.

Rising fares have made it too expensive for low-income families to ride the bus. Cuts to transit service have isolated millions of people from jobs, schools and health care. Communities of color continue to receive an unequal share of funding to improve mass transit service."

'via Blog this'

Modesto: $60M in "leftover" #transit money went to roads

Daily Planning News: "In the past decade, the 10 agencies have used more than $60 million of leftover transit money on streets, according to StanCOG reports. That's more than one-third the $170 million total, all of which theoretically could have gone to buses and dial-a-ride.
"

'via Blog this'

Banksters' attempt to intimidate #occupyoakland will backfire

Occupy Oakland: "This morning [25-Oct-2011] at 5am over 500 police in riot gear from cities all over central California brutally attacked the Occupy Oakland encampment at 14th & Broadway. The police attacked the peaceful protest with flash grenades, tear gas, and rubber bullets after moving in with armored vehicles. Apparently the media was not allowed in to document this repression, and the police established barricades as far apart as 11th and 17th. Over 70 people were arrested and the camp gear was destroyed and/or stolen by the riot police."

'via Blog this'

San Diego: Help stop sprawl

A ‘People’s Plan’ for San Diego TRANSIT: Request for Support | transitsandiego: "Our San Diego regional leaders are set to approve a sprawl-first model of sustainability that will set a precedent for the nation. Instead of achieving sustainability goals, this Plan will only serve to promote further sprawl and greenhouse gas emissions, perpetuating poor land use and traffic congestion.

...
We still have an opportunity to press for a better solution. Email SANDAG and tell them NO on the 2050 RTP/SCS/EIR – not when there’s a better alternative."

'via Blog this'

Traffic congestion costs you $750 per year

Press Release — Urban Mobility Information: "The 2011 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, illustrates congested conditions in 2010 on a number of levels:
The amount of delay endured by the average commuter was 34 hours, up from 14 hours in 1982.
The cost of congestion is more than $100 billion, nearly $750 for every commuter in the U.S.
“Rush hour” is six hours of not rushing anywhere.
Congestion is becoming a bigger problem outside of “rush hour,” with about 40 percent of the delay occurring in the mid-day and overnight hours, creating an increasingly serious problem for businesses that rely on efficient production and deliveries."

'via Blog this'

Public #transit money "discovered." #occupywallstreet is working

$9 billion is looking for a job - latimes.com: "The Brown administration is sitting on $9.1 billion in infrastructure bonds that have been sold and are costing the state a ton in debt payments. A rough estimate is $630 million a year.
"

'via Blog this'

#occupysf continues to grow

Huffington Post

#occupywallstreet in 72 cities

San Francisco (sfexaminer.com)

via http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/cities-that-have-joined-the-occupied-movement

SF officials back free public transit for youth - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

SF officials back free public transit for youth - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco officials are urging the city's transportation agency to let kids under 18 ride public transit for free."

'via Blog this'

Transit discounts for the poor urged at gathering of the faithful - San Jose Mercury News

Transit discounts for the poor urged at gathering of the faithful - San Jose Mercury News: ""Transportation is at the center of opportunity," Hietala said.
PACT's strict format, in which politicians are asked to commit to the group's agenda with a clear yes or no, sometimes produces a lot of tension, but Sunday's meeting ended with the officials and group agreeing the discounted rates are a good idea, even if finding the money would be difficult.
Monica Kessling, a German immigrant who lives in San Jose, told the group of accidentally cutting her finger and, after a trip to a hospital emergency room, walking two hours to a homeless shelter because she didn't have the money for bus fare.
Today, the 51-year-old Kessling earns about $700 a month cleaning houses and working at a church, but she says the $70 bus pass she relies on to get around takes a big chunk of her disposable income.
"Seventy dollars is a lot of money," she said. "A discount would be helpful.""

'via Blog this'

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Communities Urge Congress: “Don’t X Out Transit”

Yesterday's "Don't X Out Transit" rally in Los Angeles. Photo: Crystal McMillan / Bus Riders Union

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Communities Urge Congress: “Don’t X Out Transit”: "This proposed 30 percent cut in funding would cause an approximate $7 million reduction in service, which equals almost 1 million revenue miles annually, affecting 3 million passengers. This would cause a loss of approximately 50 jobs within our agency.

- San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego, CA"

'via Blog this'

Support grows for making Muni rides free for kids

Sarah Rice / Special to The Chronicle

Five-year-old Phaedra Powers-Miguel exits the J-Church Muni line with her mother, Krystyna Miguel.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/20/BAG11L71BV.DTL#ixzz1YZKbZ9DV
Support grows for making Muni rides free for kids: "San Francisco -- A growing number of city leaders want to make riding Muni free for those 18 and younger, but doing so would cost $6 million to $13 million annually."

Make Muni fare-free

Faced with rising Muni costs and dwindling school transportation resources, parents and lawmakers are pushing a $7.3 million plan to provide every student in The City with free public transit.



Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/09/bankrollers-needed-make-muni-free-san-francisco-students#ixzz1YUqzvUkH

Attn: Climate delayers, feel free to buy beach property

Rising Seas Expected to Wash Out Key California Beaches: Scientific American: "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Rising seas forecast from climate change will likely wash away some of California's most iconic beaches by century's end, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate, roads and tax revenues, a new study found on Wednesday."

'via Blog this'

BBC News - Pakistan floods 'hit 14m people' (year ago)

BBC News - Pakistan floods 'hit 14m people': "Gen Nadeem Ahmed, of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said 12 million people had been affected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, where 650,000 houses were destroyed."

A year ago, Pakistan was hit by horrifying flood. What has changed? Oil-trolls and climate-delayers still saying it is not happening, and the U.S. still bombing people "suspected" of being against democracy.

'via Blog this'

#Tarsands = Game-Over for the biosphere

It’s Time to Think Big on Transit | California Progress Report

It’s Time to Think Big on Transit | California Progress Report: Traffic is killing us. It eats up our time, it thins our wallets as our cars idly burn through expensive gasoline, and it spoils the air we breathe. We need a path to real public transportation alternatives in order to get out of our cars and on with our lives.

Transit activists rally in Los Angeles for a federal probe - latimes.com

Transit activists rally in Los Angeles for a federal probe - latimes.com: The union and several other activist groups at what was billed as a "transit justice town hall," accused the county transportation agency of hurting poor riders by aggressively pursuing new rail projects while slashing bus service. The groups say the cuts unfairly hurt low-income, nonwhite residents and insist that bus service needs to be expanded.

Transit ridership surges throughout Bay Area - San Jose Mercury News

Transit ridership surges throughout Bay Area - San Jose Mercury News: "In a remarkable turnaround for transit agencies that have repeatedly slashed services, raised fares and lost state and federal funding, transit ridership is steadily rising throughout the Bay Area. Caltrain ridership was up almost 12 percent and BART almost 8 percent in weekday use in June compared with the same month a year ago. The Valley Transportation Authority saw an increase of more than 7 percent and the ACE commuter train of more than 14 percent, while SamTrans ridership was up 0.4 percent."

What Carmageddon taught us about behavioral economics | MNN - Mother Nature Network

What Carmageddon taught us about behavioral economics | MNN - Mother Nature Network: "Our car-centered commuter culture is a case of the endowment effect writ large, at metropolis scale, across a century of transportation convenience. There is, without question, some real value in owning a car. There’s true freedom in being able to hop behind the wheel and just go. But the costs are at least as huge — fuel bills, pollution, sprawl, oil addiction, traffic fatalaties at a routine pace that would amount to an actual catastrophe if we treated them as anything other than the necessary cost of keeping us motoring. And our sense of the scale of our loss, should anything challenge our car-centered world order or change its priorities, is far beyond what actually occurs."

Anti-Sprawl Group Calls SD Transportation Plan 'Disastrous' | KPBS.org

Anti-Sprawl Group Calls SD Transportation Plan 'Disastrous' | KPBS.org: "San Diego’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) today drew fire from a group that called it illegal and environmentally disastrous. The Cleveland National Forest Foundation also offered an alternative plan that would implement all the mass-transit proposals in the 40-year RTP during the coming 10 years."

Free Shuttle Bus Service, Richmond Circular Shuttle Bus Home

Free Shuttle Bus Service, Richmond Circular Shuttle Bus Home:
"SHUTTLE SERVICE WITH CONNECTION TO
RICHMOND BART, CIVIC CENTER,
MARINA BAY & MORE!
FREE SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE
NO RESERVATION REQUIRED"

Metrolink has record ridership during I-405 closure - Railway Track and Structures

Metrolink has record ridership during I-405 closure - Railway Track and Structures: "With almost 20,000 boardings over the weekend, Metrolink experienced the highest weekend ridership it has seen in its 19-year history. This weekend's numbers are almost 50 percent higher than the same weekend last year and 10 percent higher than the previous weekend record set when Metrolink offered train service to and from the U2 concert in Anaheim.

'The availability of public transportation during the closure of I-405 played a significant part in the increases, but there are other factors as well. The popularity of the $10 Weekend Pass and the beach trains between San Bernardino and San Clemente, all make a difference,' said Richard Katz, Metrolink board chair.

"

No fare? You die.

Mike King: A Life Worth Less Than Train Fare: "Another young, unarmed black man, Kenneth Harding, has been gunned down, shot numerous times in the back as he fled, his empty hands in the air in broad daylight. His crime had been a simple train fare evasion for which San Francisco police executed him in the street."

Streetsblog San Francisco » Mica Transpo Bill Would Have Dire Impact on California Transit

Streetsblog San Francisco » Mica Transpo Bill Would Have Dire Impact on California Transit: "Public transit programs in California could take a $468 million annual hit under the proposed transportation bill unveiled last week by Rep. John Mica (R-FL). The Mica plan would also potentially result in the loss of 17,565 annual jobs, according to an analysis [pdf] by Transportation for America. Overall, T4A predicts the scaled-down bill would result in a 37 percent reduction in federal investments in public transportation when compared to current levels."

#Carmageddon -- free #transit to the rescue

Metro to beef up mass transit for Carmageddon | abc7.com: "The free rides and extra services begin in the San Fernando Valley, where riders can park for free when they hop on the Orange Line. That will take them over to North Hollywood and its Red Line subway - also free - which then connects to the Purple Line subway. That will take riders to the Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue station in Koreatown, and at that point they can take Metro bus lines on key routes in L.A. to get to the Westside for free."

Bus cuts hurts workers most

Bus Riders Union featured in New York Times | The Labor Community Strategy Center: "On Monday, July 4th, the New York Times featured a story on the front of their National section that highlighted the impacts of service cuts on riders. 'People are going to be paying more for less service', said Esperanza Martinez, Lead Organizer of the Bus Riders Union."

San Francisco group pushing to make Muni system free | abc7news.com

San Francisco group pushing to make Muni system free | abc7news.com: "SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco community group is trying to push the idea of a free Muni system.

On Monday, the group called 'Power' will ask riders at Mission and Geneva whether they would like Muni to be free."

Sign the Petition - INVEST IN TRANSIT

Sign the Petition - INVEST IN TRANSIT: "Our economy. California is projected to grow by a whopping 20 million people by 2050. Without good public transportation, regions will be crippled by congestion and productivity will plummet due to poor access to labor and resources. Plus, investing in transit creates good, green jobs.
Our environment. Transportation is the largest source of California’s greenhouse gases, which means we can't fight climate change without making it possible for more people to drive less. And we'll all breathe cleaner air with less cars on the road.
Our quality of life. Effective public transportation is good for everyone, no matter the age or income. It's how seniors and people with disabilities live independently. It’s how families save money and commuters avoid the stress of sitting in traffic. It’s the cornerstone of vibrant, walkable communities."

Rocky Neptun, free transit advocate, blasts San Diego corruption

the need to implement a tough global warming mitigation agenda for our children’s future, sustainable power and water on a local level, the closing of the San Onofre nuclear power plant, the need for rent control and free public transportation to make San Diego affordable,” Neptun asserted,

Read whole article - OceanBeachRag

San Diego - Transit First

The San Diego City Council will be asked on Monday to send a strong “transit before highways” message to the regional planning agency that is drawing up the county’s transportation plans for the next 40 years.


Read article SignOnSanDiego

Livability Trend Puts Walking Expert in Demand - NYTimes.com

Livability Trend Puts Walking Expert in Demand - NYTimes.com: "Today, with the health, environmental and quality-of-life benefits of walk-able neighborhoods, they can't get enough of Burden. Even in car-dependent Southern California, where he spent a few of his roughly 340 days a year on the road this spring, city planners are literally walking the talk alongside him."

Building More Roads Only Causes More Traffic | Fast Company

Building More Roads Only Causes More Traffic | Fast Company: "A quick drive on one of Los Angeles's many freeways illustrates the fact that having more roads doesn't necessarily prevent traffic. Now a study from the University of Toronto confirms it: Expanding highways and roads increases congestion by creating more demand. And building out public transportation systems doesn't help either; there will always be more drivers to fill up any new road we build."

Old? young? poor? disabled? - stay prisoner in your home

Inland Empire seniors have nation's second-worst access to public transit, study says - latimes.com: "Seniors living in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area have the second-worst access to public transit in comparable areas across the nation, a new study shows.

More than 278,000 seniors between 65 and 79 in that area -- 69% -- are projected to have 'poor transit access' by 2015, according to 'Aging In Place, Stuck without Options' from the advocacy group Transportation for America."

Lessons We’re Learning Riding Mass Transit | zen habits

Lessons We’re Learning Riding Mass Transit | zen habits: "5. That transit can be more convenient than cars. Sure, it’s nice to be able to hop in your car and go somewhere quickly, no matter the weather. That’s convenient. But there are inconveniences with cars that we forget about: the frustrations of parking (especially in San Francisco), traffic jams, rude drivers, car accidents, flat tires, car maintenance, having to stop for gas, having to actually drive instead of relaxing on the trip, sitting all the time instead of moving around, and more. Again, I’m not judging cars, but all of that, if you think about it, makes riding on a bus or train actually seem nice."

Try Metro free for three days!

Thanks for your interest - Try Metro free for three days!: "Take advantage of this special limited-time offer to Go Metro. Just complete our Free 3-Day Pass request*. We'll mail you a TAP card good for three days of travel on Metro bus and rail lines all over LA County. Just like that.

Ready to start saving? Go Metro.


 

*Open to Los Angeles County residents only. Limit one free pass per household. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery."

Free bus reaches 4 million riders

Whoever said there’s no such thing as a free ride must not have used the Wheels bus service’s ECO pass.

The bus service on Monday celebrated reaching four million riders in the Hacienda Business Park Owners Association’s area alone.

PleasantonPatch

Pushing back against MTA Service Cuts | The Labor Community Strategy Center

Pushing back against MTA Service Cuts | The Labor Community Strategy Center: "Our press event at the corner of King and Crenshaw in South Los Angeles shined a light on the real faces of the riders who will be directly impacted by these cuts - household workers, cafeteria workers at UCLA, students, unemployed people and more. We had a good turnout of media and after speeches by Sunyoung Yang, Barbara Lott-Holland and Rosa Miranda, reporters accepted our invitation to ride the bus with us."

Carfree in California

Shareable: The iPhone is the New Prius: "Two years ago, my California driver’s license expired. Living in Chicago at the time, where the smart resident uses bikes or public transit to avoid traffic, I hadn’t found a compelling reason to get behind the wheel of our car in months. With plenty of other pressing tasks on my to-do list, renewing or replacing an expired out-of-state license quickly plummeted to the bottom of my priorities. Two years later, the license is still expired, and I’m happier, healthier and richer for it. There’s something liberating about not having to deal with the stress and the hassle associated with driving--check-up and repairs, yearly registration, insurance bills, parking tickets--thousands of dollars a year thrown away to maintain a convenience that felt more like a burden. As gas prices creep towards $5 a gallon, I can’t help wonder how many of the folks who are considering switching to a hybrid to save cash and the environment are doing so more out of inertia than need."

Waste not, want not. Why have nuclear danger and waste energy in traffic?

Rocky Neptun has been the volunteer director of the San Diego Renters Union for almost 10 years and now the members have asked him to run for mayor, not only to bring the issues of rent control and free public transportation into the public debate but to focus attention on the continuing operation of the nuclear power station at San Onofre, which, in their view, poses a danger to their families.

“We have waited for the prominent environmental groups, like the Sierra Club or the Environmental Health Coalition, to act,” Jean Rogers, stands and tells the group, “but there is this eerie silence.” She talks of how incredible it is that many weeks after the Fukishima nuclear power plant disaster there is not a mainstream movement here in San Diego to shut down San Onofre.

Read more IndyBay

And millions more could be saved by abolishing fares

Parked: Bay Area transit agencies duplicate costs such as those for vehicle maintenance yards, but merging these costs could save much-needed money. (Examiner file photo)

Merging administrative costs could save Bay Area transit agencies $100M | Will Reisman | Transportation | San Francisco Examiner: "Bay Area transit agencies spend significantly more in administrative costs than their peers across the nation, expenditures that knowledgeable observers believe could be slashed by merging some functions of the region’s 28 different operators.

Area transit agencies spend nearly 20 percent of their collective budgets on administrative functions such as purchasing, planning, dispatching and marketing, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area’s lead transportation group."

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/transportation/2011/02/merging-costs-could-save-transit-100m#ixzz1HR6kESv5

Coastal panel backs Kehoe's 'transit first' bill in 11-1 vote - SignOnSanDiego.com

Coastal panel backs Kehoe's 'transit first' bill in 11-1 vote - SignOnSanDiego.com: "DEL MAR — The California Coastal Commission gave a ringing 11-1 endorsement Thursday to a bill by Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) that would require all state coastal areas to build out their mass transit before widening major highways."

Kids love the bus - make it fare free!

Parents of children who need to ride Muni should sign them up for a FREE Fast Pass on March 10 at 16th and Mission 3-5 p.m. There'll be more opportunities: on March 17 in the Mission and on March 14 and 21 at Mendell, Palou and Third Street in Bayview Hunters Point. Look for the “Get Your Free Fast Pass” banners. – Photo: Alie Slavin

San Francisco – Banners reading “Get Your Free Fast Pass” will cover the BART station at 16th and Mission Street Thursday, March 10, from 3 to 5 p.m. for the first in a series of community bus pass clinics planned in the coming weeks. Dozens of bus riders with the MORE Public Transit Coalition are setting up community clinics in the Mission, Bayview and Chinatown for low-income families to fill out the applications for the free Muni youth passes. SFBayview.com

How to end auto traffic congestion

If buses and trains were fare-free, many more people would ride them. And traffic, congestion, pollution, and new freeway construction would be reduced.


Opinion: Freeway or free way | Del Mar Times

REGION: Bill would mandate transit improvements before freeway expansion

REGION: Bill would mandate transit improvements before freeway expansion: "A state Senate bill that takes direct aim at North County's Interstate 5 expansion plans was introduced Thursday by Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego.
The bill, SB 468, would mandate mass transit improvements along California's coast before any freeway lanes can be added in the same areas, according to Kehoe's office."

Southwestern Water: Going, Going, Gone? - NYTimes.com

Dust billowed as a farmer plowed a dry field in near Buttonwillow, Calif., in April 2009, when the drought was in its third year.

Southwestern Water: Going, Going, Gone? - NYTimes.com: "The glum projections of the growing gap between demand for water in the Southwest and the dwindling supplies have never been optimistic, but two new studies— one a research report based on satellite data, and the other an analysis of rainfall, water use and the costs associated with obtaining new water — make earlier forecasts seem positively rosy."

Green Caltrain | BayRail Alliance Blog

Green Caltrain | BayRail Alliance Blog: "Over 800 of us have sent letters to decision-makers to support Caltrain and prevent drastic cuts. Over 200 of us attended the Caltrain grassroots summit. The outpouring of community support is visible and making a difference. Now it’s time to show up and speak to the decision makers face-to-face if you can. Please plan to attend one or more of these meetings Thursday Feb 3 and over the next 3 weeks to tell decision-makers to avoid drastic cuts to Caltrain."

ThinkProgress » After Lobbying To Kill The Stimulus, Koch Meeting Attendees Guarded By Police Saved By Stimulus

Stimulus-Funded Riverside County Sheriffs Guarding The Resort Hosting The Koch Brothers

ThinkProgress » After Lobbying To Kill The Stimulus, Koch Meeting Attendees Guarded By Police Saved By Stimulus: "The Koch gathering was highly guarded by a phalanx of police officers, a helicopter, and even a no-fly zone around the resort. David Dayen, who chronicled much of the demonstration, reported that the city of Rancho Mirage contracts its police force from Riverside County sheriffs. Ironically, Koch’s front groups lobbied aggressively to kill some of the funding for the very sheriffs who worked tirelessly to ensure safety at the event."

SF Supes Urge Free Muni Passes for Poor Youth - The Bay Citizen

SF Supes Urge Free Muni Passes for Poor Youth - The Bay Citizen: "A growing number of low-income youth who depend on public transit in San Francisco are finding it harder to afford the trip to class, but a resolution introduced by Supervisor David Campos last week could pave the way toward providing free Muni passes for the rest of the school year to thousands of students who are regular Muni riders."

Californians to protest against Koch brothers in Rancho Mirage | Greenspace | Los Angeles Times

Californians to protest against Koch brothers in Rancho Mirage | Greenspace | Los Angeles Times: "Environmentalists, labor union members and liberal activists across Southern California are mounting a protest Sunday in Rancho Mirage against billionaire 'tea party' funders Charles and David Koch and their semiannual confab of conservative activists.

The brothers, who own oil refineries across the U.S., helped fund last November's Proposition 23, the failed ballot initiative to delay California's landmark global warming law, AB 32. They are major backers of groups that seek to refute scientific evidence of global climate change."

Studying Impact of ‘Superstorm’ on California - NYTimes.com

Studying Impact of ‘Superstorm’ on California - NYTimes.com: "SACRAMENTO — California faces the risk not just of devastating earthquakes but also of a catastrophic storm that could tear at the coasts, inundate the Central Valley and cause four to five times as much economic damage as a large quake, scientists and emergency planners warn."

Is climate science disinformation a crime against humanity? | Donald Brown | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Is climate science disinformation a crime against humanity? | Donald Brown | Environment | guardian.co.uk: "Although there is an important role for scepticism in science, for almost 30 years some corporations have supported a disinformation campaign about climate change science.

While it may be reasonable to be somewhat sceptical about climate change models, these untruths are not based upon reasonable scepticism but outright falsification and distortions of climate change science."

To lure new riders, Coaster and Breeze lower prices Jan. 20 - SignOnSanDiego.com

Photo from http://www.gonctd.com/

To lure new riders, Coaster and Breeze lower prices Jan. 20 - SignOnSanDiego.com: "OCEANSIDE — As gas pump prices continue to rise, North County Transit District is preparing to roll back fares on its Coaster trains and Breeze bus system to 2007 prices."