-Caveat Lector-
from:
Sentient Times - December 1998
1257 Siskiyou Blvd., #86
Ashland, Oregon 97520
541.488.0929
541.488.0216FAX
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.projecta.com/access
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Arcata Voters Overwhelmin Support Ballot Measure on Democracy & Corporations
The First Ballot Initiative of its Kind in US History
by Paul Cienfuegos
"The Arcata Initiative is a unique historic event. It is wonderfully
encouraging to see what ordinary citizens can do to challenge corporate power
in the interest of true democracy."
- Howard Zinn
"The Measure F questions address some of the major issues of the contemporary
world. The conflict between democracy and corporations is apparent. Its
significance is measured by the power of these unaccountable private
tyrannies, granted extraordinary rights by radical judicial activism that tore
to shreds the foundations of classical liberalism and Enlightenment values. On
the scale and import of this power, comment is hardly necessary. The
implications are vast for every aspect of human life ... The achievements and
plans in Arcata provide an inspiring model of what popular democracy can
achieve in constructing a world designed for human beings, not profit and
power — for today and for the long-term future."
- Noam Chomsky
0n Tuesday, November 3rd, the small city of Arcata, California made history.
By a vote of 3,193 to 2,056 (61% to 39%), the citizens of Arcata left no doubt
that they consider the power of large corporations in our society and in our
community to be a very significant issue which needs to be addressed in a
meaningful way.
"The Arcata Advisory Measure on Democracy and Corporations" (known as Measure
F) was sponsored by Citizens Concerned About Corporations, a spin-off project
of Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County which has been active in the local
area since 1996.
Measure F calls on the City Council to:
1) Co-sponsor (in cooperation with the drafters of this Initiative) two town
hall meetings in the five months following passage of this ballot measure on
the topic "Can we have democracy when large corporations wield so much power
and wealth under law?"
2) Immediately act to establish, through the creation of an official
committee, policies and programs which ensure democratic control over
corporations conducting business within the city, in whatever ways are
necessary to ensure the health and well-being of our community and its
environment.
3) Immediately forward copies of this ballot measure to all of our elected
representatives at the county, state, and federal levels, and to members of
the press.
We were overwhelmed by the level of excitement expressed by local residents
about Measure F It won local endorsements from the Central Labor Council of
Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, Mayor Jim Test, ViceMayor Jason Kirkpatrick,
city council candidate Bradley Freeman, the Associated Students of Humboldt
State University, two local businesses, and many individuals. Nationally it
also garnered attention. Three of our favorite citizen activists endorsed it:
Jim Hightower (who had us on his talk show thrice), Howard Zinn, and Noam
Chomsky. The San Francisco Bay Guardian also endorsed it on its cover dated
October 28, and will be running a major article About it soon. Finally, in
Seattle, a group of citizen activists has already begun planning a similar
ballot initiative for an upcoming election.
The only opposition we encountered was from the Arcata Chamber of Commerce
(which did not organize against us), and from the Times-Standard, the local
corporate daily owned by MediaNews Group Corporation, the seventh largest
newspaper owning corporation in the country, based in Colorado.
With a steering committee of six dedicated individuals, only one of whom had
ever worked on an initiative campaign, we tackled task -after task with gusto.
We placed over 100 yard signs across the community. We hung leaflets on
thousands of doorknobs. We brought Richard Grossman (Co-Director of The
Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy) and Dan Hamburg (Green Party
candidate for governor of California) to speak at a major forum entitled
"Reckoning
With the Corporate Attack on Democracy." We tabled, leafleted, bannered,
fundraised, and too much more even to think about. (We're all very exhausted!)
Now the real work begins: launching a city-wide democratic conversation on the
proper role of corporations in our society and our community. Given our rights
as We The People of Arcata, and our responsibilities to protect our community
from harms caused by our corporate creations, how well have we been doing?
What would self-governance look like if giant corporations no longer
participated in our political and cultural institutions? Did previous
generations of Arcatans struggle to keep corporations subordinate to citizens?
We intend to engage the entire city in this discussion. As far as we know,
this is the first American city ever to attempt such a process.
In January, we will be meeting with the entire City Council to discuss how to
begin implementation of Measure F Our goal is to hold the first town hall
meeting by the end of February, but the city's bureaucratic requirements may
slightly delay this date. After both town hall meetings are completed sometime
in April, the City will create the Arcata Commission on Democracy and
Corporations, which will have its first meeting sometime during the summer of
1999.
For more information about Democracy Unlimited or its spin-off project,
please send $2 to POB 27, Arcata CA 95518, or check out our new web site:
www.monitor.net/democracyunlimited. Or better yet -join our small but busy
organization ($25/$15 for low income) and receive four newsletters, and
discounts on a plethora of articles, books, and audio tapes.
Paul Cienfuegos has been active in a variety of social change movements since
the late 1970's. He-has worked on many diverse issues including ancient forest
protection, Native sovereignty, nuclear disarmament, and ecological
restoration. Paul is the founding director of Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt
County, based in Arcata, CA. He can be reached at (707) 822-2242;
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
p. 18
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Aloha, He'Ping,
Om, Shalom, Salaam.
Em Hotep, Peace Be,
Omnia Bona Bonis,
All My Relations.
Adieu, Adios, Aloha.
Amen.
Roads End
Kris
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