Finally yesterday’s media blackout on the march on the state capitol is over with. Unfortunately, the two sources I was hoping would end that blackout–the LA Times and San Francisco Chronicle–are still missing in action. Sure, the Chronicle has an article on students protesting cuts in education, but it’s about a protest that occurred across the border in Nevada to lobby Republican Governor Jim Gibbons; 35 students from a high school in Ely did this, and the absence from school apparently counted as a school activity. In any case, it’s an AP wire article.

Allow me to back up a bit. The march at the state capitol was held to protest possibly looming cuts in education at the college level. It was held to demand a return to non-fee-based, free access to education at the college level. Granted, Governor Schwarzenegger spared community colleges in his latest budget. Our fear was that we may be next. So, the Student Senate for California Community Colleges called for a march to be held yesterday (beginning at Raley Field in West Sacramento). The march culminated with a rally at the west side of the state capitol.

Instead, the paper that broke the media blackout was the Sacramento Bee. I’m not a real fan of the Bee–especially since it’s home to Broder lovechild Dan Walters–but the paper can be good on occasion.

The march went well enough, but I returned home to what seemed like a media blackout on the march. I did see one report last night–on KTVU, which did about a minute-long segment–but little else.

The downside of the Bee article in question is that it seems to merely touch base on the protest in the broader sense of Mac Taylor’s revelation that the State is still $8 billion in the red.

The article, in addition, doesn’t mention who all made speeches: among them, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, SF Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (who for her part urged us all to “hold our nose” and vote for Arnold’s Special Favors in May), Hawthorne Assemblyman Curren Price (who was there to promote AB 462, which would levy a one-percent tax increase on the rich to help pay for education), and various members of the Student Senate of California Community Colleges (among them Vice President Troy Carter) and speakers from various other community colleges, not to mention the president of the California Students’ Association.

It doesn’t mention the presence of an local of the AFL-CIO. It doesn’t mention that SEIU set up a table to hand out free sack lunches to workers, students, and anyone else who wanted one. It doesn’t mention the presence of International ANSWER, the Peace & Freedom Party, the Socialist Worker’s Party, or the Party of Socialism and Liberation. Come to think of it, it doesn’t mention much of anything at all other than the fact that students marched, chanted slogans, and waved around placards.

The Bee article, though, does contain a video report, which I would recommend watching to get a better idea of how the march and rally went down if you couldn’t make it out.

More personally, though, there was a stark contrast to the participation by students from CCSF–which I heard had to take eighteen buses up to the march–and our contingent from Shasta College, which couldn’t even get one bus completely full. Students from as far south as Los Angeles and quite possible San Diego traveled four or five hundred miles to show their support for higher education, and more students from Shasta College couldn’t be convinced to take a lousy three-hour road trip.

Granted, I’m well aware of the limitations faced by students here; a lot of them, in addition to working full time, also attend school full time. A lot of them are older and have children. My biggest fear, though, is that more people didn’t come because of apathy or ignorance than because of irreconcilable circumstances.

The march was a rousing success, though I was slightly disappointed that the rally at the state capitol ended before 1:30 when it was supposed to continue for another half-hour.

Cross-Posted from No Special Favors.

(CYD is one of the larges Dem. organizations and regularly works in the trenches for progressive change. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

I am the VP of Membership for the California Young Democrats

This weekend in Anaheim, CYD President Tim Steed addressed the California Democratic Executive Board delegation in Anaheim and was the strongest voice addressing the general session in support of Proposition 92 – the Community College Initiative (on the February 5th ballot), taking a public stand for young people in California.

Last week at our biennial Lake Tahoe retreat and Executive Board meeting the California Young Democrats overwhelmingly endorsed Proposition 92. This initiative is the most progressive expansion of public education in a generation and the first chance our state has had to roll back the regressive and unjust fee hikes of the last several years.

In his address to the CDP board in Anaheim, President Steed said, “I come from a family where four of us got our start in the community college system. It was our gateway to the American Dream, we must do all we can to ensure millions of other Young Californians have the same access to the American Dream as me and my family had”.

( join us on the flip side…..)

CYD had a strong presence at every caucus meeting, bringing the message of college students and community college graduates (yours truly included) to the CDP.

During the Resolutions Committee Meeting; Andrew Acosta, the campaign manager for the Yes on 92 campaign in his address to the committee identified Christopher McDonald, the California College Democrats Political Director as, “the face of Proposition 92”.
Chris (the face) is a student at Sierra College outside of Sacramento and hopes to transfer to a UC next year. “Proposition 92 will end the rollercoaster ride of college tuition in our community college system and create stability for the 2.5 million students who attend annually.” said McDonald.

The California Young Democrats are working to ensure that young people are heard on this important issue.

CALL TO ACTION–go to www.Prop92Yes.com and personally endorse the initiative, write a letter to the editor or plan a voter registration drive in support of Prop. 92.

CYD will fight hard against all tuition increases, especially when UC Regents and CSU trustees are so out of touch with reality…UC chancellors’ pay could increase up to 17% in 2008 (11/10/07 By Eleanor Yang Su, San Diego Union-Tribune) “UC’s proposal comes on the heels of California State University’s decision in September to raise campus presidents’ salaries by an average of 12 percent.”

CYD, the largest caucus in the California Democratic Party- needs your support for a sustainable future. Go here to donate today!