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A third Castro Starbucks?
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Clinton's LGBT rights speech
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Chita Rivera speaks.
The
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Disabled new targets of anti-gay initiatives
Castro is Occupied
by Seth Hemmelgarn
Feds to meet with Ammiano on pot laws by Dan Aiello
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n t i - g a y activists have added people with disabilities to their targets in the latest attempts to undo Senate Bill 48, also known as the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Karen England Respectful Education Act. SB 48 requires that students learn about the historical contributions of LGBT Americans and people with disabilities, among others. In the coming months, Californians could face multiple bids to gut the state law, which was authored by gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and is set to go into effect January 1. A proposed initiative filed with the state attorney general’s office Tuesday, December 6, brings to five the total number of efforts to diminish SB 48’s impact. One of the most recent proposals, “Repeal SB48,” filed by Richard Rios, chair of the Christian Coalition of California, strikes people with disabilities from the groups whose historical contributions have to be taught to students. In another part of his proposal, Pacific Islanders are removed from the law, among other changes. He previously submitted documents to exclude LGBTs. Many feel excluding LGBTs and others from the law means children won’t get an accurate picture of history. Rick Jacobs, chair of the Courage Campaign, a nonprofit that’s been part of a coalition supporting SB 48, said Rios “would like to have a law that tells the history of a country that never existed and certainly doesn’t now.” It’s not clear why Rios, who submitted his latest proposal to the attorney general’s office November 21, wants to exclude people with disabilities. He didn’t respond to interview requests for this story. When it came to excluding LGBTs, he previously expressed concern over parents’ religious beliefs being contradicted. Whatever his motivation this time, Lauren Steinberg, who has a physical disability and identifies as gay, said Rios’s proposal angered her. Steinberg is the systems change advocate for the Berkeley-based Center for Independent Living, which provides support and other services for people with disabilities. She said Rios’s proposal “does students a huge disservice.” A child may be the only See page 2 >>
Vol. 41 • No. 49 • December 8-14, 2011
A Jane Philomen Cleland
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hen members of Occupy Castro stopped in front of the Castro Country Club Saturday, December 3 they were met by Deke Johnson, center, who said he is “in contract” to buy the building that houses the sober community space and coffee shop. Johnson took to the microphone, saying, “I am that man!” after activists called him out for possible plans to evict the manager of the country club from the upstairs apartment. In fact, Johnson, who said he would be keeping the clean and sober space, offered no such reassurances that he would allow the manager to stay in the unit. A similar LGBT-inspired Occupy march also took place in Los Angeles over the weekend.
fter more than two months of confusion amid a crackdown by the federal Department of Justice on medical cannabis dispensaries, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano is expected to meet soon with the Jane Philomen Cleland U.S. attorney’s office, Assemblyman the Bay Area Reporter Tom Ammiano has learned. The private meeting is expected to take place next week between Ammiano, the San Francisco Democrat, and Melinda Haag, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. The decision by Haag to meet with Ammiano comes just one week after See page 16 >>
City mulls restrictions for Castro plazas by Matthew S. Bajko
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moking and camping would be banned and set hours for sitting on benches and chairs would be imposed at the Castro’s two street plazas under new rules proposed by District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener. The restrictions would apply to Jane Warner Plaza on 17th Street near Market and across the street at Harvey Milk Plaza above the Castro Muni station. The ordinance would specify that Jane Warner Plaza, the city’s first Pavement to Parks project, falls under the rules that apply to the city’s public parks. Wiener introduced the proposed rules on November 15 at the request of the Castro/ Upper Market Community Benefit District, which oversees maintenance of the outdoor areas. The Board of Supervisors is expected to begin holding hearings on them in early 2012. “This legislation will set basic standards for the plazas so that everyone can enjoy them. For example, the legislation will extend the ban on smoking that’s already in existence in parks and other public spaces, will ban camping (as already banned in parks), and will prevent large shopping carts from coming into the plaza,” Wiener explained to his constituents in his latest email newsletter. “I worked closely with the Castro Community Benefit District and other neighborhood stakeholders to come up with this legislation.” Until now the plaza has fallen into a legal limbo as it is a former street. City officials have
Rick Gerharter
People playing a game of dominoes in Jane Warner Plaza are undisturbed by a passing MUNI F line streetcar.
been unclear on what city codes applied to the parklet. “It is still a street as far as the city code is concerned,” explained Andrea Aiello, the CBD’s executive director. “This is an attempt to put some clear rules in place.” No smoking signs are already posted at the plazas, but users routinely flout the ban. Once the regulations are passed, the rule will be able
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to be enforced and citations issued to violators. “I get calls all the time from people saying people are smoking here and they shouldn’t be smoking here,” said Aiello. The new rules also specify that sitting on chairs or benches in either plaza would only be allowed between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sleeping See page 16 >>