Californians Reflect on Fight to Free Mandela, End Apartheid
In the wake of Nelson Mandela's death, those who were involved in the fight to free him from prison and to divest from companies doing business in South Africa under apartheid are remembering that struggle. In 1979, Berkeley became the first city in the U.S. to pass divestment legislation. In 1984, San Francisco longshoremen famously refused to unload South African cargo. In 1986 -- after years of protests against the South African government -- then Govorner George Deukmejian signed a bill that enabled California's enormous pension funds to divest.
L.A. Social Workers Strike Over Pay, Case Load Burden
More than 1,000 social workers took to the picket lines in Los Angeles on Thursday, the first strike against the county in more than a decade. Service Employees International Union Local 721 represents more than 3,500 social workers and their supervisors -- but this labor action could spread, because all SEIU members are being urged to respect picket lines.
High-Speed Rail Officials Insist Project is on Track
California's High-Speed Rail Authority says it isn't slowing down. A week after a judge refused to grant the Authority access to billions of dollars in state bond money, the board's chair says they'll simply reapply for that funding.