Militarism in Latin America

Wednesday, June 12, Stanford graduate student Alfonso Gonzalez discusses Central American militarism in light of his recent fact-finding mission to El Salvador, and the Committee for a New Colombia provides an update on Columbia, at an event sponsored by the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador and the San Francisco chapter of Farabundo Martí para la Liberación National. 7-9 p.m., Centro del Pueblo, 474 Valencia, S.F. $3 donation. (415) 420-4203.

Berkeley needs sunshine!

Thursday, June 13, join a coalition of Berkeley residents, civic-organization representatives, and journalists in a meeting with public officials to demand better access to city government and to discuss the creation of a draft Berkeley Sunshine Ordinance. 7 p.m., City Hall, Sixth floor, conference room, 2180 Milvia, Berk. Free. (510) 540-8543, berkeleysunshine@yahoo.com.

Protest police brutality

Thursday, June 13, demonstrate against police brutality alongside the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Bay Area Police Watch, Art and Revolution, and others, at a march and rally featuring family members of Idriss Stelley, Gregory Hooper, Richard Tims, and others killed by San Francisco police, as well as live music and more. Assemble 5:30 p.m., Fourth St. and Mission, S.F.; march 6 p.m.; rally 6:45 p.m., City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, S.F. (415) 951-4844, ext. 228.

'Redefining Environmentalism'

Thursday, June 13, world-renowned environmentalist Paul Hawken (The Ecology of Commerce and Natural Capitalism) addresses the challenges faced by today's environmental movement and strategies for tackling them, at a benefit for Urban Ecology. 7 p.m., Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina and Laguna, S.F. $17, $15 advance. (510) 251-6330 (information) or (415) 345-7575 (tickets).

Transgender rights and the left

Thursday, June 13, queer activist and Bay Area Radical Women member Amy Gray leads a discussion on the transgender rights movement and discrimination within the feminist, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and labor movements. Dinner 6:15 p.m., discussion 7 p.m., New Valencia Hall, 1908 Mission, S.F. Free, $6.50 donation for dinner. (415) 864-1278.

Liberation radio

Friday, June 14, San Francisco Liberation Radio 93.7 FM, the longest-running micropowered radio station in the city, celebrates its ninth year with a birthday benefit featuring talks by SFLR cofounder Richard Edmondson and Free Radio Berkeley founder Stephen Dunifer plus live music, DJs, yoga and tai-chi demonstrations, vegan food, and more. 7:30 p.m.-1 a.m., CellSpace, 2050 Bryant, S.F. $10-$50. (415) 386-3135.

Youth resisting militarism

Friday, June 14, JustAct: Youth Action for Global Justice presents "A Celebration of Global Youth Movements and the Resistance to Militarism," including members of Silicon Valley De-Bug, Olin, Nosei, the Institute for Multiracial Justice, and others, as well as live hip-hop and spoken word by A Company of Prophets, music by Francisco Herrerra, and graffiti by Invisible Fire Movement. 6-8:30 p.m., San Francisco Women's Building, 3543 18th St., S.F. $5-$25 donation. (415) 431-4204 ext. 210.

'Subverting Democracy'

Sunday, June 16, BBC commentator and author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy Gregory Palast, former assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development turned whistle-blower Catherine Austin Fitts, and WBAI-FM reporter Robert Knight speak at "George Bush the Second: Subverting Democracy from Florida to Venezuela," a forum benefiting Media Alliance and Friends of Free Speech Radio. 7 p.m., Mission High School, 2750 18th St., S.F. $12. (415) 546-6334, ext. 309.

Focus on Iraq

Monday, June 17, the Town Hall Committee Against War and Hate presents "Iraq: Why Continue the Tragedy?," a discussion on the effects of the U.S. depleted-uranium bombing campaign during the Gulf War and the subsequent embargo, as well as the U.S.'s threatened escalation of its offensive against Iraq and what we can do to stop it. Speakers include Paul George of the National Network to End the War Against Iraq and Mahmood Suleiman, a former member of the U.N. World Health Organization who is still in touch with family members in Iraq. 7-9 p.m., Centro del Pueblo, 474 Valencia, S.F. Free to $10 donation. (415) 705-0693.

Public power in San Francisco

Monday, June 17, the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission unveils the first draft of its public power feasibility study, which is expected to be available for public review on the LAFCO Web site (www.ci.sf.ca.us/lafco) by the end of the day June 14. 6:30 p.m., City Hall, Board of Supervisors' Chambers, Room 250, 1 Carlton B. Goodlett Place, S.F. (415) 554-7702.

'The Path to Renewable Energy'

Monday, June 17, learn about the potential to replace San Francisco's dependence on two aging power plants and a tenuous connection to a statewide power grid with solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources at "Solving San Francisco's Power Crisis: The Path to a Renewable Energy Future," a forum presented by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and featuring special guest Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Advance registration is highly recommended. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, S.F. $35. (415) 781-8726, ext. 110; www.spur.org.

Save the whales

Tuesday, June 18, Sue Arnold of Australians for Animals talks about the drastic drop in the California gray whale population and why their survival is at risk. 7:30 p.m., Fort Mason Center, Room C-370, Marina and Laguna, S.F. Free. (650) 556-0464.

'Pacifica Now! Conference'

Tuesday, June 18-Friday, June 21, Alliance for a People's Pacifica holds the Pacifica Now! Conference and Festival to prepare for the Pacifica national board meeting. Highlights include guest speakers Sup. Tom Ammiano and Pacifica national board chair Leslie Cagan, workshops and discussions on local stations' challenges to corporate dominance, diversity on the airwaves, and other topics, and a performance by the San Francisco Mime Troupe. Keynote address Tues/18, 7:30 p.m.; conference Wed/19-Thurs/20, 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri/21, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; New College of California theater, 777 Valencia, S.F. $60 donation for all three days, $20 for one day, and $10 for evening events. (510) 527-1884, www.newcollegenews.net/pacificanow.html.

Multiracial campaigning

Wednesday, June 19, S.F. Progressive Alliance hosts a community forum on how to build a multiracial progressive electoral campaign. 6:30-9:30 p.m., Centro del Pueblo, 474 Valencia, Second floor auditorium, S.F. Free. (415) 248-1763.