Author Archive for Brenda
Lobbying Against the War
The sun was shining in Washington D.C. as PSR-LA staffers, Jonathan Parfrey and Sharmeen Premjee, and I traveled by cab past the city’s monuments, museums and stately marble buildings. It was impossible not to think of Rome. But this was America’s Capital, fat with prosperity, blessed with peace and untouched by war since 1864. Other [...]
Iran and the Bomb War is not the answer
In a region decimated by war and conflict, a U.S. led bombing campaign against Iran would make matters worse—especially for U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress must oppose U.S. bombing and instead work for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue by urging the administration to engage in talks with the Iranian government. [...]
655,000 Iraq War Deaths Watch Ideologues Slander Good Science
On October 10, 2006 the esteemed medical journal The Lancet released an epidemiological study concluding that 655,000 Iraqis died from war-related injury and disease from March 2003 to July 2006. This shockingly high figure has drawn attacks from the Bush administration and right-wing pundits. Speaking as a medical doctor, I wish to set the record [...]
Goings On Around the Office
Abuzz with activity, PSR-LA has recently hired two bright young people, said adieu to two great workers, and seen interns and volunteers come and go. First, we wish to welcome Margaret Wacker M.D. to the PSR-LA board of directors. Dr. Wacker, a neurosurgeon affiliated with Kaiser Permanente in San Bernardino, helped develop the recent conference [...]
Did You Miss These Events?
PSR-LA’s October conference on Iraq was the last in a long season of events. Martha Dina Arguello helped coordinate the May 6 World Asthma Day in Los Angeles — a day of action to unite children, adults, and advocates working to combat asthma in Southern California. On June 10, PSR-LA hosted our groundbreaking new military [...]
2006 California Legislative Wrap-up
P SR-LA was at the forefront of a number of legislative battles in Sacramento this year. There were many victories and a few defeats. To follow is a snapshot of how our busy year in Sacramento went. Signed AB 32: A landmark global warming initiative that imposes the nation’s first cap on greenhouse gas emissions. [...]
We Asked and You Answered
Many thanks to our renewing and first-time members who gave during the annual giving campaign. Your support helped us to achieve our goal of hiring a peace organizer. Paul Kawika Martin joined PSR-LA in February and has played a strong role in the peace and security movement in Los Angeles. In our winter newsletter we [...]
Clean up the Air While Protecting Children’s Health
The Children’s Health and Petroleum Pollution Remediation Act of 2003 (SB 981, Nell Soto) would improve air quality and create a public health grant program for the intervention, treatment and education of sensitive populations suffering from respiratory illnesses such as asthma. The grant program would be funded by a 30-cent fee, paid by refinery operators, [...]
Keep Radioactive Waste Out of Unlicensed Landfills
New State Water Board information has revealed approximately half of California’s landfills are contaminated to some degree with radioactivity. Such facilities are neither licensed nor designed to dispose of this type of waste. Hazardous waste landfills, which are lined to avoid the migration of contaminants into underlying groundwater or soil, have been proven to leach [...]
Elimination of a Developmental Toxin Found in Medical Devices; Clean Up Dry Cleaning
Two key bills have been introduced this year by Assemblymember Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach). The first, AB 1139, would rid California hospitals of a toxin known to cause reproductive damage. Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, or DEHP, is added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic medical devices such as IV bags, flexible tubing, blood bags, respiratory therapy equipment, and other [...]
The Healthy Schools Bill of 2003
The Healthy Schools Bill of 2003 (AB 1006, Judy Chu) would eliminate the worst pesticides from use in schools, including those known to cause developmental damage and cancer. Since children and teachers spend as many as eight hours a day in classrooms, PSR-LA believes this bill is crucial to achieving a safe, nontoxic learning environment. [...]
Mission Statement
To prevent what we cannot cure, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles brings together health professionals and the diverse communities of Southern California. We work toward a socially just world free from violence, weapons of mass destruction and environmental threats to human health. To prevent what we cannot cure, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles brings together health professionals and [...]
Cal/EPA Adopts Tougher Environmental Justice Guidelines
After sixteen months of critical public comment forums throughout the state, the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) Advisory Committee on Environmental Justice voted to adopt their draft “Recommendations to the Interagency Working Group.” In an impassioned September 29-30 public hearing in Oakland, California, hundreds of community activists, industrialists, and government agencies testified in support of [...]