The defense of the KPFA and Pacifica broadcast platform is critical to the people of the Bay Area and the country. The imminent threat to all media voices that challenges the fascist government is real. Techno fascist billionaires are taking over CBS, CNN and trying to take over Paramount to make it like Fox.
KPFA was established by anti-war activists to oppose war and imperialism and we must continue this historic mission.
The attacks on Black representation in the South and threat of martial law and likely ICE raids on polling booths during this upcoming election are a threat to KPFA and all the people of this country.
KPFA and Pacifica need to build deeper links with the trade union movement, environmental and immigrant rights groups and build a working people’s broadcast platform. I will work to get more financial support from labor which is fighting for living wages and against union busting and billionaires who want to use AI to eliminate all workers. We need education on AI & tech and how it is being used by the state and billionaires to destroy our democracy and lives.
I support a multi-media platform covering May Day, Women’s Day, Juneteenth and streaming it live.
KPFA must expand local community programming with regular news groups contributing from S. Bay, Peninsula, Central Valley, North Bay and San Francisco. I will support building town hall meetings in these communities to hear what issues they want covered and build support groups in each of these regions that can support KPFA.
We need a Committee at KPFA to provide information and link all these immigrant activists groups together building on our media platform. We need to defend our reporters who are facing increasing attacks and should have supported KPFA reporter Frank Sterling who was targeted, beaten and arrested for his reporting.
The elimination of authority of the local station boards by our new bylaws is a dangerous centralization of power. We need more transparency and reports to the listeners by the KPFA management with questions from our members and listeners on the air.
Only building a strong democratic KPFA and Pacifica can withstand the growing repression and plans of the government to shut down all broadcast platforms that challenge war, xenophobia, racism, union busting and defense of our climate.
I am part of the Pacifica Mission Coalition which defends a democratic structure for Pacifica and are against the elimination of any oversight and control of local elected station boards.