On July 13th 2011 in San Francisco, Alex Benshimol and Doug Gentry, a married California couple, will face every same-sex binational couple’s worst nightmare: a deportation hearing. As anyone following this issue knows, for years there has been little hope for same-sex binational couples seeking to reside together in the US. Many are legally married like Alex and Doug, but are still treated as legal strangers in the eyes of our own government. For many years, and certainly since DOMA became law, our families have been discriminated against.  At best, our foreign partners and spouses have managed to stay in the US with temporary visas related to work or study, but are deprived of access to a “green card” on the basis of their relationship. These couples cannot build a future together and live with tremendous insecurity. Far more often we are forced to live apart in different countries; exiled to one of the more than 20 countries in the world that respect our families; or forced to live in the United States in the shadows with constant uncertainty; fear of deportation and ruin hanging over our heads. This destroys marriages, and tears apart our families. It is a humanitarian crisis that must come to an end. Alex came into the U.S. 12 years ago from Venezuela and overstayed a tourist visa, an immigration violation that straight binational couples can easily remedy once married; as a gay married couple, Alex and Doug do not have that option. We believe the political will of our elected leaders must be directed at this issue so that DOMA is repealed quickly. All American citizens deserve the right to pursue life and happiness with the liberty and equality guaranteed us all by our Constitution. We need our elected officials to show leadership and resolve on this issue. The Obama administration has the power to protect couples like Alex and Doug so they are not torn apart by deportation.  Join us in declaring that the cruel discrimination that has been inflicted on us by unjust laws MUST finally come to an end. Please join Out4Immigration, Stop the Deportations, GetEQUAL, Marriage Equality USA, and your fellow citizens in urging President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano to take action to recognize Doug and Alex’s marriage and prevent another family from being torn apart!  

The Retired Police Canine Foundation is supporting this petition and this is the goal: Give retired law enforcement, Military and off-duty k9s the same exemptions as service animals – let them live anywhere with their owners and accompany their owners on public transportation.   In most places an off-duty police or military k9 is considered a pet when not on duty but a service animal can accompany their civilian owner in public and on public transportation. An off-duty police or military k9 can be denied housing but a civilian service animal can not. These rules are doing a disservice to these American heroes and their handlers. Police and military k9s are highly trained and certified by state, local and in some cases national organizations. Police and military k9s off duty or retired are a deterrent to crime and terrorism. K9s are one of the most effective crime fighting tools. They are in most cases trained to search for lost children and the elderly. They faithfully serve our country and community. Having an off duty or retired k9 living in your building or riding on a train or airplane with you offers you and your community an extra layer of protection and safety.  Military personal are returning from serving our country suffering from PTSD and are unable to adopt there k9s because they cannot find housing that will accept the type of dog that they have. Police officers are experiencing the same resistance.These heroes  and their retired and off duty k9s protect your community and our nation from all kinds of threats.  Military working dogs fearlessly serve our nation saving thousands of lives each year. These animals deserve to remain with their handlers and need to be exempt from outdated housing rules and public transportation ordinances. These heroes deserve the same exemptions as civilian service animals when they are with their respective handler.  www.policek9help.com    

The "Coltrane Church" has been in the Fillmore since 1971 and is the oldest and only church born out of the music of John Coltrane. The present political climate of profit over people continues to devastate the African American population of the Fillmore, leaving the "Coltrane Church" to stand alone as the sole historic proprietors of the music and culture of jazz as a means to enlighten. The managers of the West Bay Conference Center are seeking to DOUBLE the amount of our rent and our lease is up, leaving us with our backs against a wall. Tell the West Bay Conference Center to honor their community subsidized rental rates and KEEP THE COLTRANE CHURCH IN THE FILLMORE. The San Francisco Fillmore district formerly known as the "Harlem of the West" and the African American population in the district of "The Fillmore"contributed to the culture of blues, jazz and gospel music. Presently the population and culture of the African American community has all been but destroyed, along with its learning institutions, churches and venues of musical expression. The Coltrane Church has and will continue its stance against this kind of injustice. As the Apostles of Sound and Agents of Social Justice, the John Coltrane Church is the last voice for justice and equity on Fillmore Street. Let your voice be heard by signing the petition in full support of the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church remaining in the West Bay Conference Center.  2016 brings us into our 48th year of service. Thank you for signing the petition and helping us to continue serving the global community.    

The citizens of the United States of America request that Congress stop attempting to legislate away individual freedom with regards to healthcare.  Those of us that choose to utilize natural forms of medicine instead of pharmaceuticals have that right as sovereign entities.  Congress shall not impede upon this by forcing pharmaceutical drugs on citizens that wish to refrain. As adults, we have the right to choose what enters our bodies, and do not want Congress to ban Kratom, or many other herbal remedies that we utilize within our private homes.  Please urge your colleagues to respect this. Please vote no against any bill criminalizing natural remedies for pain, cancer, asthma, allergies, etc.  Some Americans have chosen alternative therapies, and we have a right to continue to do so.  Do not allow them to strip anymore freedom from our private homes.  We no longer wish to be forced into America's pharmaceutical epidemic.  Please sign the FDA's letter encouraging that Kratom remain a legal substance available to all Americans.      You can also text " resist" 50409 and it will walk you through how to contact and send a letter to your reps https://whoismyrepresentative.com/ https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/9ba5da_3ba321b19edf4c779fa59ba78582f470.pdf?mc_cid=d251e1cbc8&mc_eid=fa9b1d0aad   PRESERVE CONSUMER ACCESS AND SCIENTIFIC RESERCH INTO INNOVATIVETREATMENTS FOR OPIOID ADDICTION AND PREVENT DRUG ENFORCEMENTAGENCY OVERREACHJoin Reps. Mark Pocan and Frank LoBiondo in Urging the Drug Enforcement Agency to Utilize AllAvailable Scientific Evidence When Making Final Scheduling Decisions on KratomDear Colleague:I invite you to join us in sending a bipartisan letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency to encourage them to employall the available scientific information on kratom before making any final decisions on the scheduling of this naturalproduct under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).Last year, the DEA attempted to expedite scheduling of kratom as a Schedule I substance without any publiccomment or input. A group of 50 bipartisan Members of Congress urged them to halt the expedited process toensure that the public and scientists were able to provide comment and input before this significant decision wasmade. Ultimately, the DEA heard Congress’ concerns and pulled the expedited schedule.Now, the DEA has used the formal process to analyze whether kratom should be on listed under the ControlledSubstances Act (CSA). Kratom is not an opioid, it is a natural supplement made from the leaves of a tropical treenative to Southeast Asia and a relative of the coffee plant. Kratom leaves are often brewed like a tea, or crushed andmixed with water. In the U.S., kratom has been used as an herbal supplement by consumers for managing theirpersonal health and well-being. Numerous scientific studies, including studies funded by the NIH, have shown theaddiction potential for kratom is substantially lower than that of “narcotic-like opioids” and it does not produce thedeadly respiratory depressant effects that is the primary cause of opioid overdose deaths.1 2As our country continues to deal with the damage and pain the opioid crisis is causing our communities, it isimportant to consider all scientific research that has been conducted on the use and safety of kratom. To date, theFDA public health advisory of kratom encouraged the public to “conduct the research that will help us betterunderstand kratom’s risk and benefit profile.”3 However, should the DEA schedule kratom through the CSA, it willgreatly reduce the public’s ability to conduct this important research. We remain concerned that any scheduling ofkratom would likely “create a substantial illicit market” where consumers would be put at significant safety risks, ordrive consumers to the dangerously addictive and potentially deadly use of opioids.Please join us in this effort to ensure the DEA takes into all available scientific evidence regarding the safety andefficacy of kratom. We need to continue to conduct research and find innovative treatments for individuals sufferingfrom opioid and other addictions—a significant public health threat. If you have questions or would like to sign onto the letters, please contact Leslie Zelenko in Rep. Mark Pocan’s office at 202-225-2906 or Eric Arndt in Rep.Frank LoBiondo’s office at 202-225-6572.Sincerely,Mark Pocan Frank A. LoBiondo 1 Kruegel AC and Grundmann O. The medicinal chemistry and neuropharmacology of kratom: A preliminarydiscussion of a promising medicinal plant and analysis of its potential for abuse. Neuropharmacology. 2017 Aug 19.2 Kruegel AC, Gassaway MM, Kapoor A, Váradi A, Majumdar S, Filizola M, Javitch JA, Sames D. Synthetic andreceptor signaling explorations of the mitragyna alkaloids: Mitragynine as an atypical molecular framework foropioid receptor modulators. J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Jun 1;138(21):6754-64.3 Federal Drug Administration. “Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. on FDA advisory aboutdeadly risks associated with kratom” November 14, 2017.https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm584970.htmMember of Congress Member of CongressThe Honorable Robert PattersonAdministrator (Acting)Drug Enforcement AdministrationU.S. Department of Justice8701 Morrissette DriveSpringfield, VA 22152December X, 2017Dear Acting Administrator Patterson:Recent reports indicate the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has sent over their Eight Factor Analysis(8FA) of mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine, more commonly known as kratom. As you review theanalysis, we urge you to take all the available scientific information on kratom into consideration beforemaking any final decisions on the scheduling of kratom under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).As you are aware, the CSA sets specific and intentionally restrictive standards for scheduling ofsubstances in Schedule I, including conclusive scientific and legally defensible proof that the substancehas (1) a high abuse potential; and (2) there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or othersubstance under medical supervision.Kratom is not an opioid, it is a natural supplement made from the leaves of a tropical tree native toSoutheast Asia and a relative of the coffee plant. Kratom leaves are often brewed like a tea, or crushedand mixed with water. In the U.S., kratom has been used as an herbal supplement by consumers formanaging their personal health and well-being. Numerous scientific studies, including studies funded bythe NIH, have shown the addiction potential for kratom is substantially lower than that of “narcotic-likeopioids” and it does not produce the deadly respiratory depressant effects that is the primary cause ofopioid overdose deaths.4 5We additionally ask that you fully review the 8FA on kratom authored by a leading independent authorityon addiction and safety of substances, Jack E. Henningfield, that was submitted to the DEA inconjunction with a previous review of kratom.6 The conclusions of Dr. Henningfield’s 8FA, that mirroredthe CSA requirements both the FDA and DEA should use in scheduling recommendations, document that“placement of kratom in the CSA is not warranted from a public health perspective, and is likely to causepublic health problems that do not currently exist.”Equally important, Dr. Henningfield’s research directly contradicts claims being made about deathsallegedly caused by kratom; that kratom is dangerously addictive; and that kratom has the same opioidlikeeffects in depressing the respiratory system. The fact that kratom may be mixed or blended with othertoxic doses of prescription drugs or other illegal substances is not an appropriate basis for scheduling 4 Kruegel AC and Grundmann O. The medicinal chemistry and neuropharmacology of kratom: A preliminarydiscussion of a promising medicinal plant and analysis of its potential for abuse. Neuropharmacology. 2017 Aug 19.5 Kruegel AC, Gassaway MM, Kapoor A, Váradi A, Majumdar S, Filizola M, Javitch JA, Sames D. Synthetic andreceptor signaling explorations of the mitragyna alkaloids: Mitragynine as an atypical molecular framework foropioid receptor modulators. J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Jun 1;138(21):6754-64.6 Pinney Associates (Henningfield JE and Fant RV, principal authors) (2016) Assessment of Kratom under the CSAEight Factors and Scheduling Recommendation. In Hogan Lovells US LLP Comment on FR Doc #2016-24659.https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DEA-2016-0015-23186 or http://www.pinneyassociates.com/our-work/under the statute. The FDA and DEA have sufficient statutory authority to interdict such illegalcompounding, and we support the aggressive use of these powers to interdict those responsible for suchadulteration and contamination of kratom products.As our country continues to deal with the damage and pain the opioid crisis is causing our communities, itis important to consider all scientific research that has been conducted on the use and safety of kratom. Todate, the FDA public health advisory of kratom encouraged the public to “conduct the research that willhelp us better understand kratom’s risk and benefit profile.”7 However, should the DEA schedule kratomthrough the CSA, it will greatly reduce the public’s ability to conduct this important research. We remainconcerned that any scheduling of kratom would likely “create a substantial illicit market” whereconsumers would be put at significant safety risks, or drive consumers to the dangerously addictive andpotentially deadly use of opioids.The DEA has a limited amount of resources, and we feel taxpayer dollars should be prioritized to preventthe sale of illegal substances like heroin and fentanyl. These substances are causing the deaths of up to 90Americans each day. Resources must be focused on preventing access to these most dangeroussubstances. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to create a balanced regulatoryscheme for kratom, as a dietary supplement, to ensure consumer safety and quality.Again, we strongly encourage the DEA to use all available scientific evidence on kratom when making afinal decision about whether to place the plant on the CSA list or not. We look forward to your timelyresponse.Sincerely, 7 Federal Drug Administration. “Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. on FDA advisory aboutdeadly risks associated with kratom” November 14, 2017.https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm584970.htm

Dear SF Mayor　Ed Lee,Please do not accept the comfort women statue donations, and veto the Resolution #171070.　 Dear Osaka Mayor  Hirofumi Yoshimura,We suppor your decision to dissolve the sister city agreement with SF, if SF mayor accepts the comfort women statue donations. エド・リー　サンフランシスコ市長 慰安婦像寄贈受け入れの決議を拒否して下さるようお願いします。   吉村洋文　大阪市長 サンフランシスコ市長が慰安婦像寄贈を受け入れた場合、姉妹都市を解消するという吉村市長の判断を私たちは支持します。   * Inscription of the statue 慰安婦像の碑文    

On Friday evening, March 21, 2014, Alejandro “Alex” Nieto, 28 years old, was killed when he was struck by 14 to 15 bullets (of a total of 59 shots) fired by four San Francisco Police Department officers, on Bernal Hill Park, without justification. (More details here: Alex's Story)  Elvira and Refugio Nieto (Parents of Alex Nieto) and the Justice & Love for Alex Nieto coalition demand the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the Mayor of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Park's Alliance to support and install a permanent memorial for Alex Nieto at the site of his killing on Bernal Heights Park. The family is asking for the memorial as a minimal gesture of acknowledgement of the senseless and brutal killing of their beloved son and for restoration by the City of the harm caused by SFPD to Alex Nieto and his family and community. For two years and a half, Alex Nieto’s family and community members have maintained a memorial and altar for him at the site of his killing. Establishing memorial altars at sites of tragedy is a sacred tradition of Latino communities with deep ancestral and spiritual roots. If the City wants to begin mending broken trust with the Nieto Family and their community, the very minimum the Mayor and Supervisors could do is to provide the permits and resources to establish a permanent memorial for Alex Nieto on the hill.

I love San Francisco, and have been proud to call it home for nearly 20 years. We have a golden opportunity to show off our best features to all the visitors making their way here for the Super Bowl. We should put our best foot forward. The Super Bowl 50 committee has requested SFMTA remove overhead Muni lines along Market Street. Dismantling public transit in this heavily trafficked corridor in preparation for that influx of people is not the way to showcase our city. We will need more ways to move people around the city, not fewer. The overhead power lines are a part of the city and its character, they are far from “unsightly.” Plus, the streetcars they service are a great bit of San Francisco charm. I live on one side of the city and work on the other. Commuting on MUNI during this period was already going to be difficult, but this proposal would make it nigh impossible. And the cost of this request is expected to run “seven figures” and necessitate “lots of overtime.” This disruption will last much longer than the 8 days leading up to the game.  I urge the Citizen Advisory Council recommend SFMTA reject this proposal on December 3rd.   (Photo credit: torbakhopper)

4-8 Guy Place is an intimate open space and site of the last natural habitat in Rincon Hill.  This parcel is home to a stately and landmark 70 year old Green Ash tree in Rincon Hill.  Along with two large Avocado trees, these trees provide a living canopy for a vulnerable population of Allen's Hummingbird and other avian wildlife.  The trees also serve as a visual respite from a monotonous urban landscape for local residents. City plans call for removal of this ecological niche, death for the hummingbirds, wildlife and subsurface ecological system -- to be replaced by a series of cold and colorless concrete and metal columns using toxic Boston Ivy dangerous to children and pets. We feel the plans of Greater Rincon Hill Community Benefit District and the Recreation and Parks Department subverts the purpose of open space in an urban setting, encroaches on fragile, ever-shrinking natural habitats and increases the local carbon footprint.  We strongly feel this small ecosystem should be incorporated into the redesign plans for Guy Place Park in Rincon Hill.

Petitioning San Francisco City Government Officials SAVE SAN FRANCISCO's TREES and PREVENT HEAVIER TRAFFIC and INCREASED POLLUTION San Francisco will be losing 194 mature trees by the Spring of 2016. The public only became aware when 30-day notices were posted on the trees to be cut down. San Francisco already has an extremely low tree canopy of only 13.7% as compared to 25%, which is desirable for a Western City. In comparison, Los Angeles currently has roughly a 50% cover, Newark, NJ, has about 62% cover, Chicago nearly 62% and Boston about 68%. All these trees are being sacrificed for the construction of a public project called the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), which will be in the middle of Van Ness. It will cost $260 Million and be under construction for approximately 3+ years. The detrimental traffic situation created will affect the entire Bay Area during construction, only to end up with two less lanes for vehicles when completed. Residents and small businesses along Van Ness will suffer tremendously. Approximately 107 parking spaces will be eliminated, and there will be only two places where left turns will be allowed. Besides the increased congestion on Van Ness, this will create more traffic problems on the already overburdened parallel streets. The City Government claims this project will save 30% in bus commute time, however, this is only because the local buses that run along Van Ness will make 9 stops instead of 16 stops. This will be physically challenging for senior citizens and the disabled, who will have to walk several blocks and cross to the middle of an extremely busy street to board a bus. The city says it plans to plant many more trees. However, California is in a severe drought environment, and small newly-planted trees need frequent watering to get established in our urban eco-system. Mature trees already have well developed root systems and do not need watering. Mature trees are extremely beneficial to a healthy environment. They provide oxygen, reduce pollution and noise, sequester carbon dioxide -- thus fighting climate change and storing heat of the sun, providing cool shade. They provide a crucially stable habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies and greatly improve the quality of life for urban dwellers. There is an Alternative Design (#2) that would build the BRT curbside. This would be a far better choice because it would save 194 mature trees, and not cause the traffic on Van Ness and parallel streets to become much worse than it already is. The curbside plan would not cost $260 Million, and San Francisco could use those funds saved for making improvements to all the roads we travel on every day that are riddled with potholes and rough patches. Please sign this petition to tell the SF Government Officials to build the BRT at curbside, saving 194 trees, preventing heavier traffic and increased pollution. And in the future to consider the fate of mature trees when planning projects, keeping the public better informed throughout the process.