State of California

Dispute with UC Lingers; Senator Calls For Mediated Settlement

Dispute with UC Lingers; Senator Calls For Mediated Settlement

By David GreenwaldDecember 21, 200836 comments
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In July, roughly 8,500 University of California (UC) service workers went out on strike in protest of poverty wages. At this point there is no agreement between the workers and the UC Regents. Now, a mediated settlement has been presented to the UC administration. Senator Leland Yee, who joined workers represented by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME 3299) on the picket lines in July, is calling on the University to accept this new proposal.

AG Brown’s Surprising Friday Evening Announcement on Prop 8

AG Brown’s Surprising Friday Evening Announcement on Prop 8

By David GreenwaldDecember 20, 200816 comments
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In my new job, I get a lot of press releases from statewide officials. On a Friday evening I was not really expecting big news, although it has been an unusual week in the Capital with the budget battle waging. Still you have to believe that if the Attorney General is sending out a Friday at 5 pm press release, he’s hoping to bury the news.

In General the Attorney General defends statewide propositions that get challenged in the legal system, regardless of his personal beliefs. And there might be some wiggle room here since you have two conflicting aspects of the California constitution.

Electoral College: California Selects Obama

Electoral College: California Selects Obama

By David GreenwaldDecember 16, 20080 comments


On Monday, California formalized what the voters had done on November 4, casting its 55 electoral votes to President-Elect Barack Obama.

The ceremonial procedure took place on the floor of the California Assembly where electors gathered from across the state along with numerous elected officials. The media turnout for the event was somewhat lower than normal because the Republicans chose the same time slot to announce their budget priorities.

Cal-OSHA Again Shuts Down Farm Labor Contractor Responsible for 17-Year-Old Worker’s Death

Cal-OSHA Again Shuts Down Farm Labor Contractor Responsible for 17-Year-Old Worker’s Death

By David GreenwaldJuly 6, 200892 comments

A few weeks ago, the Vanguard reported on the sad story of a 17-year-old farm worker who died of heat stroke after working for hours in the heat without adequate water, rest, or shade. (Click here to listen to our interview with Marilyn Calderon of the United Farm Workers).

On Friday, the Sacramento Bee reported on an update to the situation. The Merced Farm Labor had been allowed to reopen and send its laborers back to the fields as of June 26 after demonstrating to CAL-OSHA that it met all the requirements for heat protection for its workers. The company had been shut down because it was not requiring its employees to receive heat training.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Farm Worker Who Died Due to Heat Stroke

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Farm Worker Who Died Due to Heat Stroke

By David GreenwaldJune 19, 2008140 comments

In one of the worst human rights abuses I have heard of in recent memory in this area, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed yesterday at the Merced Superior Court for the death of 17 year old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez. The lawsuit is for wrongful death, general negligence and premises liability.

Maria Isabel, a 17-year-old farm worker from Oaxaca collapsed on May 14 while working for a Merced Farm Laborer in a vineyard owned by West Coast Grape Farming outside of Stockton. Maria Isabel, who was two-months pregnant, had worked nine hours in temperatures that reached 100 degrees inside the vineyard. Her body temperature was 108.4 degrees when she was finally taken to a hospital nearly two hours after collapsing. She died on May 16.