San José, CA – On Oct. 1, millions of Americans without health insurance overloaded the opening of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or so-called Obamacare) online exchanges. Almost 3 million people tried to log on to the national www.healthcare.gov web site, while the California web site www.coveredca.com had more than 5 million hits.

San José, CA – At midnight on Oct. 1, the federal government began a partial shutdown. Later that morning, hundreds of thousands of federal workers showed up to wind up work – putting up closed signs at national parks and monuments across the country and updating web pages saying that many functions were no longer available. Then they went home for an indefinite furlough without pay.

San José, CA — On Sept. 29, the House Republicans passed a temporary spending bill for ten weeks, starting Oct. 1 if the Affordable Care Act (often called Obamacare) is delayed for a year. With the Democrat-controlled Senate already having turned down similar measures and a veto promise from President Obama, the federal government is headed for its first shut down since 1996.

Labor Force Participation Rate drops to 35 year low

San José, CA – On Sept. 6, the Labor Department announced that the official unemployment rate dropped to 7.3% in August, down from 7.4% in July. But even though 110,000 fewer people were working in August than July, 310,000 people gave up looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed. The Labor Force Participation Rate, or the fraction of the adult population who are either working or looking for work, fell to 63.2%, the lowest since August 1978.

San José, CA – Another protest for demanding justice for Trayvon Martin was held here, Aug. 6. About 100 protesters of all nationalities gathered at San José City Hall for a rally and then marched through the streets of downtown San José, past the Federal Building and ending with a speak-out at César Chávez Plaza.

San José, CA – On July 19, some 25 people gathered at the San José Peace and Justice Center to watch the film USA vs. Al-Arian. The event was organized by the South Bay Committee Against Political Repression (SBCAPR) and emceed by Donna Wallach of the SBCAPR.

San José, CA – A week after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, another rally and march drew more than 250 people, three times the size of the week before. The protest continued to be majority African American with a large number of Chicanos, Mexicanos and Latinos. Many of the protest signs were in Spanish. There were also more middle-aged and older people and a sprinkling of families with children at the rally. At the top of the demand list was that the Department of Justice file civil rights violation charges against George Zimmerman.

San José, CA – On July 14, almost 100 protesters, more than half African American, marched through the streets of downtown San José to protest the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who was on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin. The protest began at the San José City Hall, where Reverend Houston of the House of San Kofa told the crowd, “It is necessary that our voices be heard!”

San José, CA – On July 1, interest rates for federally subsidized student loans to pay for college are set to double, rising from 3.4% to 6.8%. This will affect almost 10 million students who will be taking out new loans this coming year. Over the life of their loans, this rise in interest rates could add about $4000 to the cost of college for a student entering college in the fall of 2013.

Lucha y Resiste! comentario

El 17 de abril, un grupo bipartidista de ocho senadores lanzó su propuesta de “reforma integral de inmigración.” Si hay partes de la propuesta que mejore las vidas de millones de indocumentados, pero también incluye muchas partes malas que no pueden ser compatibles. Lo que hay que hacer es la reconstrucción de un movimiento amplio y militante por la legalización y contra más militarización de la frontera y contra de la represión laboral. Tenemos que darle fuerte para movilizar el 1 de mayo y mantener la presión sobre los políticos para llegar a un mejor proyecto de reforma migratoria.