Honolulu has already banned foam containers with chlorofluorocarbons, due to health concerns. It’s time to go one step further in protecting our land. Polystyrene foam containers are still made with the carcinogen styrene and do not break down safely, leaving our beaches and land scattered with toxic foam bits and endangering species that try to consume the foam. On May 28, 2014, I introduced Bill 40 in the City Council. This bill would ban food vendors from the use of any polystyrene foam containers. The Bill requires that all disposable food service containers must be made of compostable material that will break down into usable compost in a safe and timely manner without leaving any toxic residue. This new regulation will apply to all disposable food service containers from a restaurant or takeout food operation as packaging to serve or transport food. This will include plates, cups, bowls, trays, and hinged or lidded containers. I’m asking my colleagues on the City Council to pass this bill without delay!

The Senate Standing Committee on Governmental Organization is holding a committee hearing on AB 2174 on June 10, 2014. The staff employed at 745 Franklin Street in San Francisco were not given advance notification of the State's intent to sell our parking lots and have not been offered any cost of living increase or alternate parking arrangements. If our parking lots are sold, employee parking expenses will increase by $3,000 - $6,000 per year. We in the Employment Development Department feel very strongly that these parking lots are needed as they are an essential part of allowing state employees to continue being able to work in San Francisco and provide vital services to the people of San Francisco and the State of California.

Ban wolf hunting. Yes, I love wolves; I'm a big animal lover. Save the wolves

My petition is about the abuse and mistreatment of pa inmates by prison official and correctional officers , unexplained beatings and premature deaths.

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas) is bad for Massachusetts in at least these ways: - It uses a complex mix of chemicals that can get into the water table and escape into the environment - chemicals that fracking companies want to keep as trade secrets so we don't even know how dangerous they might be. - It disturbs the surface at the point of extraction. - The process may encourage earthquakes and other instability. You may not think of Massachusetts as a high earthquake zone, but in fact there was a large earthquake in colonial times that did a lot of damage (see http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/massachusetts/history.php), and the activity of fault systems under Massachusetts is not well understood. - The fuel extracted will be burned, contributing to global warming. This is a time when we should be switching to renewable energy sources, not maximizing extraction of fossil fuels. - The fuel must be transported, most likely by pipelines, which are themselves destructive of the environment. They also risk leaks and thus contamination from unintentional release into the environment. Massachusetts aims to be a leader in solar and other renewable and clean energy sources. Fracking is not consistent with that aim. We should ban fracking now.

31,000 people die every year due to gun violence, 71,000 are injured and every 3 hours and 15 minutes a child is killed or injured by a gun. The gun lobby wants to ban all research by the CDC on the effects of gun violence in our country. Don't let them do it.

I have been affected by motorcycles, mopeds and cyclist splitting lanes dangerously close to vehicles for many years. Riders weave in and out of traffic driving at high speeds making it unsafe for vehicles. Cyclist do the same while running red lights. Lane splitters are also at risk passing parked vehicles and vehicles in the left lane at the same time. Lane splitting is illegal everywhere except California. It doesn't mean cyclist are being safe. Motorists including, motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles should adhere to ALL motorist laws.

NPR has announced the cancellation of "Tell Me More," just days after announcing NPR's new CEO, a former MTV and E! Entertainment executive. This is the third NPR show focused on meaningful conversations about race to be cancelled in recent years. After "The Tavis Smiley Show" was cancelled, Smiley said NPR failed to "meaningfully reach out" to listeners of color. Former "News & Notes" host Ed Gordon said, "Sometimes, I feel this show is being allowed to die on the vine." The National Black Church Initiative is calling on its 15.7 million members to stop giving money to NPR until "Tell Me More" returns to the air. This show is invaluable for listeners of all races. I want to hear more of the honest conversations I can only find on Michel Martin's "Tell Me More."

This sounds like the plot of an Orwell novel, but it's exactly what happened to Richard Paey — and it's the fate of any Florida citizen under the state's draconian mandatory minimum drug laws.

Brad Stone's "The Everything Store" describes Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' relationship with publishers as "a cheetah [pursuing] a sickly gazelle." Now we're seeing the same people who published activist heroes like Lawrence Lessig get shut out by the biggest bully in publishing.

I had low cholesterol and blood pressure, didn't have diabetes, and was a non-smoker. But I lost my career because of stroke. So if you think it couldn't happen to you, think again. More research should be done for its causes and treatment--immediately!

The Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Inc. (GMHC) is the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention care and advocacy. Its mission is to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected. On Wednesday, May 5, 2014, the Vice-Chair of the GMHC Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) was terminated from all services provided by GMHC for his advocacy of all GMHC clients. There is a growing concern within the GMHC Community that those clients who publicly voice their opinions and advocate regarding issues of clients' concerns are now being marginalized, intimidated, harassed, and unfairly punished for their actions. We recently saw the push-back from the board from any real input by the clients in the recent CEO selection process that ended up with more questions being raised than answers regarding a “New Direction” for the agency. In the minds of many, the GMHC Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) has been hijacked with the assistance of the CAB Chair and the staff liaison to the CAB. This is not the first time that the staff liaison to the CAB has been accused of discriminatory treatment, when a HIV negative client file complaint that he was being discriminated against based on his negative status. goo.gl/yAED4x--The issue of a mandatory separate entrance being used by those clients who come for their HIV related services is also discriminatory and only serves to fuel the stigma of HIV/AIDS. (highlight and right click)>>> http://goo.gl/nDEdG2 goo.gl/MVOpFj --The media have also reported on whether funds raised for programs and services at the agency are being spent as intended. The issue of transparency and openness at the agency are other issues brought to the attention of the board by clients in the past. Whatever happen to that “New Direction” that was touted in a press release by the board upon the announcement of a new CEO search? That “New Direction” and a litany of issues raised by the CAB has either been summarily dismissed or totally ignored by the GMHC Board and the senior management team. We ask that you stand up for what is right in your support for all GMHC clients against discrimination, for freedom of expression and due process at the agency. The petition will go to the GMHC Co-Chairs of the Board, Roberta Kaplan, Esq. and Michael C. Harwood, Esq, its CEO, Mr. Kelsey Louie, Ms. Lynnette Ford, MSW, MA, Managing Director, Program Services and Evaluation, and a copy to Mr. Eric T. Schneiderman, New York State Attorney General. We demand: 1. That CAB leader Joseph Sellman be reinstated immediately as GMHC client and member of the GMHC CAB. 2. That the GMHC Staff Liaison to the CAB, David Hind, be disciplined for his unprofessional conduct and harassment of a GMHC client and having submitted a false and misleading statement that was racist in tone against Joseph Sellman. 3. That the issue of a separate and discriminatory entrance being used by GMHC Clients at 446 West 33rd Street, NYC be eliminated immediately. Respectfully, The Action Committee for Justice and Transparency at GMHC