The Progressive THINKERS: March Against Poverty

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

March Against Poverty

Press Release

From James Hartline, Candidate

San Diego City Council - District 3

May 6, 2008 (10am.pst)

March Against Poverty, Two Events, May 8th and May 15th, 12noon both days

City Heights Retail Village, Fairmount Ave. & University Ave. (in front of Albertsons)

200 San Diegans will be participating during the two events.

James Hartline, candidate for the San Diego City Council, District 3, will be participating in a two-part community event to bring public awareness to the grave conditions of poverty and environmental contaminations that are devastating the District 3 community of City Heights. 200 San Diegans have signed up to join candidate James Hartline for two "March Against Poverty" events that will occur on Thursday, May 8, 2008 and Thursday, May 15, 2008. Both events will begin at 12noon in front of the Albertsons Grocery Story located in the City Heights Retail Village. The City Heights Retail Village is located at the corner of Fairmount Ave. and University Ave.

While wealthy politicians like San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders live in District 3, just a few blocks away from City Heights, hundreds of City Heights families will send their kids to bed without nutritious dinners. Within a few blocks of City Heights, million dollars homes are located in Mayor Sanders' neighborhood of Kensington. While these homes are reminders of the vast wealth that is concentrated within District 3, hundreds of City Heights children are suffering with chronic asthma because there is mold covering hundreds of apartment buildings and homes in the poverty-stricken areas of City Heights.

In addition to all of the overwhelming poverty that is unneccesarily plaguing City Heights, parents are now forced to forego buying basic food purchases at Albertsons, the only major retail grocery store in City Heights. Albertsons is aware that they are the only store that many of the mothers in City Heights can easily get to, yet they continue to drastically mark up their prices on basic food items. This is one of the most grievous examples of corporate greed being inflicted upon the poorer families in San Diego.

In 2006, Supervalu and CVS purchased Albertsons for $17.4 billion. With that purchase, Wholesaler Supervalu said it would triple its retail operations to 2,656 stores with an estimated $44 billion in revenues by adding the 1,124 stores in Albertsons' portfolio, including Acme Markets, Bristol Farms, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's Supermarkets and Star Markets. That makes Supervalu the second-biggest grocer behind Kroger Cos., with 2,510 supermarkets and 792 c-stores and sales of $45.8 billion for the first nine months of fiscal 2005.

James Hartline and the large contingent of concerned San Diegans will be marching on behalf of the families in City Heights who are crying out for help in this time of great financial distress. Up to this point, those cries for help have fallen on the deaf ears of the San Diego City Council and the mayor's office. Councilwoman Toni Atkins has been the District 3 Councilwoman for nearly eights years. During that time, millions of tax dollars have been poured into one of Councilwoman Atkins' favorite projects, the San Diego Gay and Lesbian Center, located in the District 3 neighborhood of Hillcrest. While the Gay and Lesbian Center has received millions of dollars thanks to Councilwoman Atkins, City Heights families have continued to suffer malnutrition, devastating poverty, an epidemic of mold-causing asthma, gang-related crimes, and non-existent business investments within City Heights.

The March Against Poverty events to be held on May 8th and May 15th will involve over 200 marching citizens during the two day event, as well as a number of candidates for public office and supporting churches. 200 T-Shirts with "March Against Poverty" printed on them have been donated for the two events.

For further information or interviews:

James Hartline

office: 619-255-9378

cell: 619-793-9661

March Against Poverty

Sponsorship & Supporters List

James Hartline, Candidate, San Diego City Council, District 3

Priscilla Schreiber, Member, Grossmont Union High School District

Gregory Thompson, Candidate, Governor, State of Missouri

Bill Daniel, Candidate, San Diego City Council, District 7

Diane Chapman, Owner, Flex Systems, Inc.

The Hillcrest Mission