Jeremy Scahill, author of Dirty Wars, interviewed by Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman & Juan González

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California Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to California

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  • Uc-protest-sign

    Why Are We Destroying Public Education? University of California Students and Staff Prepare for System-Wide Strike to Protest Cuts

    The governing body of the University of California system, the Board of Regents, is preparing to vote on a major tuition hike for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate tuition would rise an average 32 percent, while some graduate schools would begin charging thousands of dollars for programs that are currently tuition-free. The Regents are meeting Thursday at UCLA, where students from across the state are converging for what...
    Nov 17, 2009 | Story
  • Uc-protests1-web

    As UC Regents Approve Major Tuition Hike, Students, Faculty Decry Erosion of Public Education in CA and Nationwide

    Amid thousands of student protesters and armed police standing guard, the University of California’s Board of Regents has approved a 32 percent increase in student fees. The vote will bring the total cost of a UC education to more than $10,000 per year for the first time. We discuss the protests and the growing privatization of public education with UCLA student activist Zen Dochterman and the president of the UC American Federation of Teachers,...
    Nov 20, 2009 | Story
  • Police-uc

    As UC Berkeley Investigates Police Brutality Against Students Protesting Fee Hikes, a Report from Inside the Takeover of Wheeler Hall

    The University of California, Berkeley, is investigating allegations of police brutality against students and workers protesting fee hikes and budget cuts last week. Forty students were arrested Friday night after campus police entered Wheeler Hall, which the students had taken over earlier in the day. The students were part of a statewide movement protesting the UC Board of Regents decision to raise tuition by 32 percent. Independent journalist...
    Nov 24, 2009 | Story
  • Ucsd-blackstudentwalkout

    Following String of Racist Incidents, UC San Diego Students Occupy Chancellor's Office

    Crowds of students stormed and occupied the office of a University of California, San Diego chancellor for six hours Friday after a noose was found hanging from a bookcase in the main library. The noose is only the latest in a string of incidents over the past few weeks. Protests were initially sparked by an off-campus party last month they called "Compton Cookout" that mocked Black History Month and denigrated African American women....
    Mar 01, 2010 | Story
  • Sacbee-prison

    Probe Uncovers Strip Searches, Chains and Racism at California Prisons

    In California, a controversy is escalating over claims of abusive and racist treatment in the state prison system. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state senate leaders announced this week they are backing a full-scale investigation of alleged racism and cruelty by guards at the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. Officials said the move came in response to a two-part exposé published Sunday and Monday by the Sacramento Bee. The Bee investigation...
    May 13, 2010 | Story
  • Bp-students

    Why Is Oil Giant BP Helping Develop California Schools' Environmental Curriculum?

    Should an oil giant responsible for the worst spill in US history play a role in what public school children learn about the environment? Well, if you’re in California, there’s a good chance they will. BP has helped develop the new environmental curriculum for California’s public schools. The curriculum will be taught to over six million pupils in some 1,000 districts. BP employees were part of a state-appointed team that crafted...
    Sep 10, 2010 | Story
  • Gal-gov

    Republican Ex-CEOs Challenge Veteran Dems in California's Heated Gubernatorial, Senate Races

    California’s gubernatorial contest has already become the most expensive non-presidential race in US history. The billionaire Republican candidate, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, has reportedly spent an unprecedented $140 million of her own fortune, nearly fourteen times as much as her challenger Jerry Brown, a longtime California politician, former governor and the state’s current attorney general. Meanwhile, in California’s Senate,...
    Oct 14, 2010 | Story
  • Green-arrested

    Green Party Candidate Excluded from California Governor's Debate

    While governor hopefuls Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman debated on Tuesday night in San Rafael, the Green Party candidate for governor was being arrested outside the hall. Police charged Laura Wells with trespassing after she tried to get into the debate that she was not allowed to participate in. [includes rush transcript]
    Oct 14, 2010 | Story
  • Prop19

    Backing Prop 19, California NAACP Calls Marijuana Legalization a Civil Rights Issue

    California’s Proposition 19 would authorize possession of one ounce of marijuana for personal consumption by people twenty-one and older, legalize marijuana use in private homes, and allow marijuana growth in private residences for personal use. Supporters of Proposition 19 argue that legalizing and taxing marijuana could help the cash-strapped state and reduce arrests of nonviolent drug offenders, who are disproportionately Black and Latino...
    Oct 14, 2010 | Story
  • Roy

    Ananya Roy on California's Education Battle and "Poverty Capital: Microfinance and the Making of Development"

    Protests were held on several California campuses last week as part of the National Day of Action to Defend Public Education and Social Services. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also restored some $300 million of funding following months of statewide protests, rallies and walkouts over the drastic budget cuts. We speak to Ananya Roy, a University of California, Berkeley professor who was a part of the Solidarity Alliance at the height...
    Oct 14, 2010 | Story