AltWeeklies Wire
Todd Smith's Shady Venturenew
If you asked Todd Smith seven or eight years ago what he'd be doing by 2010, the words "online sunglasses entrepreneur" probably would never have come out of his mouth. But after losing his job at Merrill Lynch, he decided to turn his fashionable hobby into a new online business venture.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Charlie Deitch |
01-11-2010 |
Fashion
Tags: stunners, Sunglasses, San Francisco, California, business, web, Bay Area, Pittsburgh, fashion, online
Proposals Target the Gridlock Era in Sacramentonew

A gaggle of good-government activists aims to turn California’s ongoing budget crisis into an opportunity for reform in 2010. Fat-cat corporations, political gadflies, grassroots campaigners and the state’s richest foundations are all in the mix.
Monterey County Weekly |
Robin Urevich |
12-31-2009 |
Politics
Obama Entrapped Me: Medical Marijuana Provider Mounts a Novel Criminal Defensenew

More than most citizens, James Dean Stacy feels betrayed by the candidate for whom he voted for president. Stacy was arrested in September when his medical-marijuana collective, Movement in Action, was raided along with 13 others.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dave Maass |
12-28-2009 |
Drugs
When Will Medical Marijuana Get the High Sign in Monterey County?new
Daniel Maniscalco dreams of getting off the road and opening Monterey County’s first medical pot storefront. “I want to provide medical marijuana patients the medicines their doctors recommend,” he says.
Monterey County Weekly |
Robin Urevich |
12-17-2009 |
Drugs
Democrat John Perez is About to Become Califoria's First Openly Gay Speakernew
John Perez, a political newcomer, should have plenty of time to solidify his power base and build influence. His tenure also promises to increase the influence of the Assembly and help advance the cause of gay rights.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
12-09-2009 |
Politics
California Dopes Out Marijuana Bill as Legalization Petition Gets Passed Aroundnew

Two serious bids to legalize marijuana in California are moving forward simultaneously. And while decisions won't be made for months, both efforts have generated interest from around the world.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Rebecca Bowe |
11-04-2009 |
Drugs
Lessons from California's Political and Economic Disasternew

The tax revolts that started here under Gov. Ronald Reagan and continued to sweep the country and the world under President Reagan never abated. But now that California is showing signs of being the country's first failed state, it has become a cautionary tale for that anti-government ideology.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones and Tim Redmond |
10-21-2009 |
Politics
Lauded Prison Drug-Treatment Services are the Latest Victim of California's Budget Cutsnew
The Amity Foundation's highly regarded Right Turn program, held up as a national model for effective prisoner rehabilitation, is being closed down at Donovan State Prison, making Donovan one of eight prisons statewide that won't provide any sort of professional in-custody substance-abuse treatment.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
10-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How One Runner's Obsession Left Him Missing in the Wildernessnew
John Mintz was lost in the Snow Mountain Wilderness, which straddles three counties and includes 37,000 acres within the larger Mendocino National Forest, with no supplies for an entire week. How did that happen?
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
10-07-2009 |
Culture
Can the Colectivo Tonantzin and the ACLU Beat One City's Anti-Day-Laborer Ordinance?new
The Colectivo has concentrated on fighting for the rights of day laborers in a county that has seen cities pass increasingly stringent ordinances against them. And few are more adamant about running jornaleros out of town than Orange, the Colectivo's new target.
OC Weekly |
Gustavo Arellano |
10-06-2009 |
Business & Labor
How ACORN Foresaw the Foreclosure Crisis in 2001new

The grassroots group helped Oakland pass a tough anti-predatory lending law that would have halted the housing crisis before it started. Then subprime lenders started making campaign contributions in Sacramento.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
09-30-2009 |
Economy
A Year Late, L.A. Tries to Uninvite its Unvetted Pot Shopsnew
The Los Angeles City Council now faces one of its potentially most expensive legal battles ever, a war over medical pot that could draw in shady drug dealers, serious medical-marijuana activists, gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown -- and even U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
L.A. Weekly |
Daniel Heimpel |
09-25-2009 |
Drugs
Can California's Community Colleges Weather the Economic Storm?new
While those in the system figure out how to weather this year's cuts, they anticipate fearsome funding cuts in next year's budget and beyond. But money for community colleges should be structured in much the same way that unemployment insurance is supposed to work, so that it is there when it is needed most -- like it is today.
East Bay Express |
Jay Youngdahl |
09-23-2009 |
Education
The Clash Between the Black Panthers and the Santa Ana Police, 40 Years Laternew

"I think people want to forget this," former Orange County Black Panther head Daniel Lynem says. "If they could wipe it from the history books, they would. And for the most part, they have."
The Harshest Cut: Brutal Devastation of Clear-Cutting in the Sierra Continuesnew
A decade ago, logging and forestry practices in the Sierra were big news. Media reports, protests, and legislative action focused on Sierra Pacific Industries' practice of slicing through entire large tracts of land, hacking down every tree, bush, and seedling and leaving nothing but devastation behind. But most of the news media have long since moved on to other issues -- and the clear-cutting continues.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Cecile Lepage |
09-10-2009 |
Environment