alerts

by deborah giattina

Help Honda workers

Thursday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 31, show your solidarity and rally with the unionized employees of Berkeley Honda. The unionized service department mechanics, service writers, detailers, and parts technicians – represented by the Machinists Union (IAM Local 1546) and Automotive Teamsters Local 78 – have been involved in a dispute with the new owner over labor contracts since July. Thurs/29, 4:30-6 p.m. and Sat/31, 1-2:30 p.m., Berkeley Honda, corner of Parker and Shattuck, Berk. (510) 548-9334, beactive@sbcglobal.net.

Road to New Orleans relief

Thursday, Dec. 29, attend a Common Ground meeting and discuss the group's Bay to Gulf People's Pipeline project, which brings relief aid to residents of the New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers, and get involved with its January mobilization effort. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Green Party headquarters, 1028-A Howard, SF. (415) 575-5545, baytogulftrip@riseup.net.

Spawn watch

Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30, watch coho salmon make their way upstream while enjoying a nature walk with SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network). Learn about the stream ecosystems these endangered fish inhabit and how you can protect them from extinction. Tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., meet at San Geronimo Valley Cultural Center, 6350 Sir Francis Drake, San Geronimo. $10, $6 for children, free for members, no one turned away for lack of funds. For reservations call (415) 488-0370 ext. 107, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or e-mail spawn@spawnusa.org.

Critical Mass for Katrina survivors

Friday, Dec. 30, protest the federal government's lack of support for Hurricane Katrina survivors at the last Critical Mass ride of the year. Though few new housing options have been provided, on Feb. 7 the Federal Emergency Management Agency is currently set to cut off the aid that allows survivors who lost their homes to stay in hotels . Bring signs demanding justice that you can wear while riding. 5:30 p.m., Justin Hermann Plaza, corner of Market and Embarcadero, SF.

Kashmir earthquake benefit

Saturday, Dec. 31, spend your New Year's Eve partying to the grooves of Sila and the Afrofunk Experience. DJ Jeremiah from Liberia and DJ Mpenzi from Kenya spin African music, and the Afrofunk Sisters perform. The evening's proceeds go to help children devastated by the Oct. 7 earthquake in Kashmir. 9 p.m., Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. $25. Tickets available from the club and at www.ticketweb.com. (415) 552-7788, (831) 917-1197, hannaharthur@aol.com, silaband.com.

Party out of bounds

Saturday, Dec. 31, ring in the New Year at an anarchist collective's warehouse party featuring politically conscious hip-hop artist Emcee Lynx. DJ Malatesta and Drowning Dog of Entartete Kunst spin trip-hop, downtempo, and grime; Ryan Harvey and Mark Gunnery of Riot Folk play an acoustic set. An open mic session kicks off the evening. 8:30 p.m., 252 Ninth St., SF. circlealpha@yahoo.com.

Fowl films

Wednesday, Jan. 4, attend a screening of Fostering Cruelty in Chicken Production, a short documentary made by East Bay Animal Advocates that claims to reveal violations of animal cruelty and unfair labor practices laws by Foster Farms. Afterward, watch a documentary produced by Compassion Over Killing, 45 Days: The Life and Death of a Broiler Chicken, which has a pretty much self-explanatory story line. 7 p.m., Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakl. $5 donation. (510) 451-5818, www.humanisthall.net, www.fosterfacts.net, www.chickenindustry.com.

Grants for environmental justice

Deadline: Jan. 19. Turn in your applications for the Environmental Justice Grant and Zero Waste and Urban Sustainability Grant. With $13 million in funds received from the state in 1998, the San Francisco Department of the Environment awards grants to proposals for reducing waste and pollution in the Hunters Point, Bayview, and Potrero Hill neighborhoods, which have been unduly burdened by Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s fossil fuel-burning power plant. For more information, go to www.sfenvironment.com.

Promote safe-sex education

Ongoing through Feb. 14. Help promote safe-sex education to youth by entering the Advocates for Youth "Respect Yourself. Protect Yourself" design contest and potentially win $250 to $500. To enter go to the organization's Web site and download the design tool complete with marker, eraser, and predrawn condoms. Entrants must be between the ages of 15 and 24, but older entrants are welcome to submit designs for fun. For more information, go to www.advocatesforyouth.org.

Mail items for Alerts to the Bay Guardian Building, 135 Mississippi St., SF, CA 94107; fax to (415) 255-8762; or e-mail alerts@sfbg.com. Please include a contact telephone number. Items must be received at least one week prior to publication date. Call (415) 255-3100, ext. 573, for more information. For more events, see the Benefits listings in the Calendar section.