The State Central Committee of the California Peace and Freedom Party, meeting in Los Angeles over the Memorial Day weekend, passed the following resolution on the struggle at Pacifica Radio:
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  Peace and Freedom Party California State Central Committee
  Resolution, 30 May 1999

 Resolution on Pacifica Radio

The Peace and Freedom Party State Central Committee calls for Pacifica Radio's democratization so that it truly serves as the voice of the voiceless; that KPFK, KPFA and KFCF be free speech community radio for California, forums for the diverse progressive movements to debate strategy and educate the public.
 

  In particular:

  We condemn Pacifica's recent actions at KPFA and support the staff's three demands,

     - reinstate of Nicole Sawaya

     - independent mediation of underlying issues;

     - rescind disclipinary actions against KPFA staff, including firing of Larry Bensky.

  We oppose the governance changes of February 1999 that made the Pacifica Foundation's governing board self-selected, and call for elected local governing boards with an appropriate democratic national structure.

  We oppose Pacifica Foundation's apparent strategy of transforming itself from a network of community stations with some central services to a "liberal" national programming service with a few owned and operated stations.

  We condemn Pacifica's gag rule and the implementation of it at KPFK, with General Manager Mark Schubb censoring national programs that mention the dispute at KPFA.
 

 This resolution was adopted unanimously at the State Central   Committee meeting of 30 May, 1999.
  Reported by Kevin Akin,
  Recording Secretary.

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Getting a variety of state, national and international left organizations to take positions against Pacifica management can only
help in the struggle, though obviously we will not win the war by passing resolutions. The staff and community need to carry the
struggle forward on the air and on the ground, BOTH involving as many people as possible by using tactics and demands everyone agrees to AND deepening the understanding of people new to the struggle by raising issues they might not immediately agree to.

The Peace and Freedom Party, founded in 1967 as an electoral expression of the anti-war and civil rights movements, is currently the only socialist, feminist party on the ballot in California, but it will lose its ballot status if it does not increase its
registration by 15,000 (from its current 72,000 registrants) by October 5th of this year. For more information check out our web site at www.peaceandfreedom.org, phone 510/465-9414, or write to P.O. Box 24764, Oakland CA 94623 or to P.O. Box, 741270, Los Angeles, CA 90004.

/Dave Kadlecek
(chair of Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party)