INTELLIGENCE POLITICAL ALERTS
LET MY PEOPLE GO: RIP DARONDO Though he was not widely known in his youth in San Francisco in the 1970s, moody funk and soul singer Darondo achieved fame in the late Aughts, pushed to the forefront after being rediscovered by tastemaker DJ Gilles Peterson. Darondo, the impassioned songwriter behind “Didn’t I” (a lateyears cult hit), was born William Daron Pulliam in 1946, and died of heart failure on June 9.
BEST BAY AREA MUSICIAN TWEETS FROM THE PAST WEEK: @NanosauR
The good Vines™ are killing me
@Glamirock
I can say music has kept alot of us here
@HETHERFORTUNE
*chugs another glass of Carlo Rossi* *stares at self in mirror*
@giraffage
now accepting applicants for twerk team apply within
@DJCarnita
Theres something abt playing all female soul records all night & having straight guys shake yr hand for it that is particularly gratifying.
CALIFORNIA’S BATTLE-TORN OPEN RECORDS LAW The California Public Records Act, which guarantees citizens access to government records, came under the knife last week when a “trailer bill” attached to the new state budget contained changes that would have made it optional for local public agencies to comply with certain provisions of the law, like a requirement that agencies issue a response to records requests within 10 days. Billed as a cost-saving measure, the change drew major opposition from the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association and all of California’s major newspapers. The state Assembly backed down in response and agreed to keep those provisions of the law intact. But disagreement remains over whether state funding should be used to reimburse local agencies for CPRA compliance. Senators Mark Leno and Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg introduced a constitutional amendment that would insert the CPRA provisions into the state constitution, but at the same time would shift the cost burden of compliance to local agencies.
BIG UPS, ‘WEST SIDE’ Maria, meet Tony. SF Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas has used his leverage as composer Leonard Bernstein’s protégé to gain permission for a rare performance — the first time the full score has been performed, actually — of Bernstein’s beloved music for West Side Story. The staged concert, running June 27-30, will be a tearjerking treat for lovers of both the play and movie (pictured). MTT “wanted these concerts to be infused with young energy and Broadway voices.” For that purpose — and, hey, relevance! — he’s enlisted statuesque actor Cheyenne Jackson (Glee, 30 Rock), a SF Pride 2013 Celebrity Grand Marshall, to sing the part of Tony. Alexandra Silber sings as Maria. www.sfsymphony.org
WEDNESDAY 26
STILL FREEING PUSSY RIOT While traveling through Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourthlargest city, theater critic Robert Avila (see his travelogue in this issue) snapped this photo of graffiti in support of feminist punkrock activists Pussy Riot. “The first word means ‘free,’ of course,” Avila says.
ONE-THIRD OF SF HOMELESS ARE LGBT Every couple years, the San Francisco Human Services Agency goes out and conducts a count of the city’s homeless population. The results of the most recent count identified 6,436 homeless individuals on the streets of San Francisco, more than half of whom were without shelter. While historically the homeless population has been overwhelmingly white and African American, this year, the proportion of Latino survey respondents doubled, according to HSA statistics. Most surprising: 29 percent identified as LGBT. When asked via tweet about this statistic and the need for special LGBT-targeted services, the city’s “homeless czar” Bevan Dufty cited a 24-bed LGBT-focused shelter in the works with Dolores Street Services, which comes before the Planning Commission for approval on August 15.
GET YOUR HIRSTORY The Museum of Transgender Hirstory and Art, aka MOTHA: how was there not one already? Luckily Executive Director Chris E. Vargas and several other intrepid, outspoken souls have launched this project, whose location is currently roving about the city in one-off presentations and eye-opening exhibits. Last Friday’s ribbon-cutting and inaugural affair at YBCA was star-studded and juicy — visit the MOTHA table at the Trans March in Dolores Park on Fri/28. www.sfmotha.org
4 SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN
EDITORIALS
NEWS
FOOD + DRINK
THE SELECTOR
MUSIC
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ARTS + CULTURE
REPORT BACK FROM GEORGE ZIMMERMAN TRIAL First Congregational Church, 2505 Harrison, Oakl. stopmassincarcerationbayarea@gmail.com. 7-9pm, free. Cephus Johnson, the uncle of Oscar Grant — who was fatally shot by a BART police officer in 2009 — will share his observations so far in the murder trial of George Zimmerman. He flew to Sanford, Florida for the trial as part of a delegation of activists who remain committed to demanding justice for Trayvon Martin, the African American youth who was gunned down by Zimmerman. Other speakers at this event will share information about California’s Pelican Bay State Prison, where inmates are gearing up to launch a hunger strike in early July. Sponsored by the Stop Mass Incarceration Network.
THURSDAY 27 FILM SCREENING: “WILD THINGS” Goldman Theater, David Brower Center. 2150 Allston Way, Berk. Browercenter. org. 6-8:30pm, free. Many ranchers are rejecting the traditional practice of killing large carnivores, like wolves, to protect livestock. They’re increasingly turning to new technology, and this new Natural Resources Defense Council film introduces audiences to progressive ranchers learning to coexist with these animals. The film features scientists, conservationists and even former Wildlife Services trappers who believe it’s time for a major change in the way we treat these magnificent wild creatures. Screening is free, RSVP recommended. DANIEL ELLSBERG IN SUPPORT OF BRADLEY MANNING First Unitarian Universalist Society, 1187 Franklin, SF. sanfranpda@aol. com. 7-9pm, free. Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers, will speak on the trial of whistleblower Bradley Manning. Michael Thurman, of the Bradley Manning Support Network, will provide information on the Bradley Manning Contingent at the Pride Parade. Sponsored by Progressive Democrats of America San Francisco and Unitarian Universalists for Peace San Francisco. STAND WITH PORT OF OAKLAND FAST FOOD WORKERS Port of Oakland Administrative Building, 530 Water Street, Oakl. www.facebook.com/UniteHere2850. 4-6pm. The National Labor Relations Board has charged Subway and Jamba Juice at the Oakland Airport with breaking labor laws, and a separate Port of Oakland investigation found that these employers violated the living wage and fired workers who complained about it. But so far, the employers haven’t complied with orders to pay back wages and reinstate the terminated employees. On the one-year anniversary of the campaign for fair food at the Oakland Airport, workers from Unite Here 2850 and supporters will rally and call on the Port to enforce the law.
SUNDAY 30 JOYSTICK WARFARE: ON THE LEGALITY AND MORALITY OF COMBAT DRONES Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. (650) 326-8837. 11am-noon, free. Paul George, a grassroots human rights activist and organizer and the Director of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, will speak on the use of drones in U.S. military operations. Sponsored by the Humanist Company of Silicon Valley.
FILM
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