Art by Perri PK McCary using drafting and design programs that incorporate A-I tech.
Generations have fought for peace, racial and social justice, and the freedom to speak truth to power — the beating heart of the Pacifica Mission.
Join the struggle!
VOTE
with the Pacifica Mission Coalition!
You have the power to decide the future of your station!
Choose: Grassroots community radio NOT Top-down corporate, centralized media
MONEY OUT OF PACIFICA POLITICS
Unlike many other membership non-profits, such as the Sierra Club, Pacifica does not use its own member communications channels to inform listeners about the candidates for the board.
As a result, the elections have long been skewed to favor deep-pocket backers of slate who can afford to pay for print mailers and PR-written emails, just like in the governmental elections. This has been worsened by the nationalization and centralization of governance, taking it away from local members and requiring a costly national campaign.
Help level the playing field by defraying the costs of election communications by our slate, by clicking below.
No donation is too small — or too large! There is no fee being charged by the crowdfunding platform, but it asks for a tip with the default set to 10% of your donation. There’s an option for a “custom tip” which you can set by percentage or amount as you wish.
Pacifica Mission Coalition Candidates
Pacifica National Board (PNB)
What We Stand For:
Mini Voter Guide
Keep this list handy for when your ballot arrives.
Pacifica National Board
Julianne Malveaux — Chair • Perri PK McCary — Vice Chair • Our candidate Kamau Harris for Treasurer removed from ballot • Our candidate Donna Carter for Secretary removed from ballot
( Staff at all five stations vote for 2) Video of our first PNB candidate town hall: Clickhere.
PNB Listener Reps by Station
KPFA: Our candidate Cheryl Davila removed from ballot • KPFK: Our candidate Michael Novick removed from ballot • KPFT: Our candidate Vi PatelAdams kept off ballot • WBAI: Two candidates James Sagurton or Sharonne Salaam kept off ballot • WPFW: Our candidate Michele Tingling-Clemmons kept off ballot.
KPFA Local Station Board
Our candidate Steve Zeltzer for Chair removed from ballot • Stan Woods — Outreach Coordinator
KPFK Local Station Board
Jack Neff — Chair • Rick Cooper — Vice Chair • Doug Barnett — Secretary • Bella De Soto — Community Outreach Coordinator • Cliff Olin — Membership & Fundraising Coordinator • Oscar Ulloa & Canek Huerta-Martinez — Staff Reps
Waiting for confirmation from KPFT LSB candidate.
WBAI Local Station Board candidates who have authorized the use of their names so far: For LSB chair – Bounubti Kamenthou or Michael D. D. White; for vice-chair, Eleanor Forman or Denise Joyce; for secretary, Kay Williams; for Outreach Coordinator – John Brinkley or Chuck Fall; for Membership & Fundraising Coordinator, Jack de Palma or Bruce Greif. Staff members vote for two LSB staff reps; Gloria Guillo, Elaine Lloyd-Nazario (Rev. Queen Mother Imakhu) and/or Max Schmid.
You only get one chance to vote — vote for all our candidates. Look for an email or text from the Pacifica Foundation Inc. that was sent out on August 15, (invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com), subject line “Vote Now,” with a link to the e-ballot August 15. Votin runs through September 30. If you cannot find your link to the ballot, contact the NES and election buddy with the “request ballot” link below.
“ Pacifica is not simply a radio network. It is a democratic experiment. Its stations belong to the listeners, staff, programmers, volunteers, and communities who sustain them. ”
MIT PhD Economist; President Emerita, Bennett College; Dean, New College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State U, L.A.; Founding member, African American Women For Reproductive Freedom; syndicated newspaper columnist and media commentator on CNN, PBS, and BET; Lead Lecturer, Harvard W.E.B. DuBois Lecture Series; Vice Chair, board of Economic Policy Institute; longtime analyst and commentator on Pacifica Radio, currently hosting the Julianne Malveaux Show on WPFW in Washington, DC.
Diversity
“ Pacifica’s greatest strength lies in its ability to bring diverse voices together in service of its mission. ”
Community builder; mediator; educator; mentor; journalist; storyteller; longtime advocate for public participation in community media. Member, KPFT Local Station Board; Founder, The Peace Hour; Creator, The Sankofa Initiative; Co-founder of Think Peace International; founding member and former international trustee of the United Religions Initiative, working in interfaith cooperation and global peacebuilding.
Transparency
“ Accuracy… Accountability… Transparency… At the foundation of any membership organization is the zealous stewardship of its finances. ”
WPFW Programmer and Chair, WPFW Local Station Board; professional accountant and data analyst (Howard University); has worked for non-profit organizations and in the banking, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. “This varied work history has allowed me to understand what works best across industries and organizational structure.” Proponent, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
Free Speech
“ The media are under attack and Pacifica’s existence as a unique listener-supported and volunteer-produced platform is so important. I support its democracy, diversity, free speech, and community-oriented programming, governed by the listeners and programmers. ”
Director and Audit Committee member, PNB; Member, KPFA LSB; anti-war activist; R.N., labor organizer (CA Nurses Assn.). As a Bay Area nurse, won contracts that set the stage for unorganized nurses around the country to form unions and win better working conditions, improved patient care, and higher wages and benefits.
Q: Will all these candidates appear on my ballot?
A: No. Eight PMC candidates were either removed for causes we think are unjust — including violations of their freedom of speech — or they could not get on the ballot due to a problem-ridden nomination process. And no write-ins are allowed! The result? WBAI and WPFW listeners have no PNB rep to vote for. And there is only one candidate for PNB Secretary and Treasurer and other offices… Where is your right to choose?
Local Station Board member and Spanish language programmer, KPFK. Labor organizer and community activist. M.A., Political Science. Worked in El Salvador with NGOs and government institutions to support human rights, gender equity, social inclusion, and regional development. In the U.S., focused on community organizing, worker empowerment, immigrant outreach, and strengthening civic participation.
Equal Representation of Station Staff
“ Whether paid or unpaid, all staff work together professionally to create great radio. Producers, hosts, engineers, office staff — we all share the effort that results in the unique character of each local station. It is absurd that there will be only 2 staff representatives for 5 stations; each station deserves a representative of its own. ”
Director, PNB; Member, Local Station Board, WBAI; co-producer/host of EcoLogic. Member, Radical Elders; Democracy Watch News; Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community. A longtime environmentalist working with New York’s United 4 Clean Energy and the National Radioactive Waste Coalition.
Listener Reps to the PNB & LSB Candidates
KPFA
Defend Journalists Around the World
“ The media follow the lead of the orange predator-in-chief’s propaganda, spewing misinformation and untruths. Journalists around the world are being murdered, especially in Palestine and Lebanon, and our voting, choice, and civil rights are being dismantled, while Islamophobia and racism continue to rise. ”
KPFA LSB member (Rescue Pacifica); former Councilmember, City of Berkeley; Founder, Climate Emergency Mobilization Task Force; Berkeley Equity Summit Alliance & Mobilize Berkeley; Board member, Interfaith Council of Alameda County; Network of Electeds & Staff, Consider The Homeless; Friends of Adeline & Bear Roots Resource Center.
KPFA Local Station Board
KPFA Local Station Board Candidates
What happened to Rescue Pacifica?
We’re still here, and still fighting for a stronger KPFA. But we’ve joined with allies from KPFK, KPFT, WBAI and WPFW to form the Pacifica Mission Coalition. Our goals remain the same:
• Keep KPFA true to its peace-and-justice heritage (militarists and interventionists already rule the corporate media; they do not belong on KPFA). • Make the station more responsive to community input (restore a democratic Program Council). • Conduct active outreach to younger generations. • Maintain collaboration (not rivalry) with KPFA’s sister stations.
This year, we’re fielding two candidates for the KPFA Local Station Board (LSB):
Steve Zeltzer
removed from ballot for LSB Chair
Labor journalist, host of Work Week Radio on KPOO-FM (San Francisco), and a member of the Pacifica Media Workers Guild (Communications Workers of America).
Note: Steve is one of several candidates removed from your ballot.
Stan Woods
for LSB Outreach Coordinator
Member, Democratic Socialists of America; retired member, ILWU Local 6; current KPFA LSB member.
“ I recruited interns for the station from Columbia College and an audio engineering school, and worked to bring Dorsey High seniors to the station to share their podcasting skills and learn about radio… I recruited unpaid talent — a program director, operations manager, custodian, news director, social media kit designer, and IT and engineering volunteers… ”
Former interim General Manager (iGM), KPFK (unpaid), Sept ’22–Nov ’24; former PNB Director. Editor/publisher, Turning The Tide: Journal of Inter-communal Solidarity. Anti-fascist, internationalist, labor activist, and advocate of grassroots community media. While KPFK iGM, cut expenses and balanced the budget; added local news and fresh voices on the environment, single-payer healthcare, Indigenous struggles, Chicano activism, hip-hop, Black liberation, immigration, and police abolition, plus disability rights, LGBTQ, and labor shows, and youthful voices in English and Spanish, including the Radio Free Palestine marathon. After his removal as iGM, most of these shows were eliminated, replaced by syndicated programs, and local news replaced by news from KPFA, Berkeley.
Los Angeles vies with New York and Houston as the most diverse city in the country, with the largest Latin@, Asian/Pacific and Indigenous populations in the US, yet undemocratic changes to the structure and a lack of transparency and accountability have left KPFK bereft of the full diverse spectrum of Angeleno voices on the air.
The UCLA Center for Economic Research has called to end what they term the “Los Angeles Black Jobs Crisis,” but you won’t hear those words on the so-called Pacifica Evening News, piped in from Berkeley, or on the current truncated labor program.
You could see the giant plume of smoke from the Boyle Heights warehouse fire, or smell the stench of the rotting food if you lived or worked nearby, but you couldn’t hear much information about it on the 6pm newscast because KPFK doesn’t have a local news program.
KPFK dropped its locally produced environmental programming just in time to be unable to cover the devastating urban wildfires in Altadena and the Palisades. It dropped the disability rights and resources program Access Unlimited, and can’t help that community respond to attacks on differently-abled people by Donald Trump and RFK Jr. It dropped the program by the national executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration even though Trump is targeting Haitian and Somali immigrants and refugees for deportation.
If you want revitalized community oriented programming, participatory democracy, financial transparency and oversight, and real accountability at KPFK, exercise your power and vote for the Pacifica Mission Coalition slate for the Pacifica National Board and the KPFK Local Station Board!
Vote for Jack Neff, an environmentalist activist engaged in solidarity with Indigenous sovereignty, for LSB Chair.Vote for Rick Cooper, a seasoned community radio station founder and consultant, for Vice-Chair.
Vote for Doug Barnett, Quaker peace activist in South LA and former LSB secretary, for that position on the new LSB.
Vote for Bella De Soto, a full-service professional bookkeeper, former Outreach committee chair, and internationalist, for LSB Community Outreach Coordinator.
Vote for Cliff Olin, a bilingual former teacher, labor, community and media democracy activist, and fundraiser for multiple non-profits, for Membership and Fundraising Coordinator.
Defend staff members’ rights and push to restore full representation on the local and national boards for staff from every station. Paid and unpaid staff members, vote for Oscar Ulloa and Canek Huerta-Martinez for Staff Reps on the KPFK LSB.
Los Ángeles compite con Nueva York y Houston por ser la ciudad más diversa del país, albergando las mayores poblaciones latinas, asiáticas/del Pacífico e indígenas de EE. UU.; sin embargo, cambios antidemocráticos en su estructura, sumados a la falta de transparencia y rendición de cuentas, han privado a KPFK de reflejar en el aire el espectro completo y diverso de las voces Angelinas.
El Centro de Investigación Económica de la UCLA ha pedido poner fin a lo que denominan la “crisis de empleo para la población negra de Los Ángeles,” pero esas palabras no se escuchan ni en el llamado Pacifica Evening News —transmitido desde Berkeley—, ni en el actual programa laboral, que ha sido recortado.
Si vivías o trabajabas cerca, podías ver la enorme columna de humo del incendio en el almacén de Boyle Heights o percibir el hedor de los alimentos en descomposición; sin embargo, apenas recibías información al respecto en el noticiero de las 6 p. m., ya que KPFK carece de un programa de noticias locales.
KPFK eliminó su programación ambiental de producción local justo cuando más se necesitaba para cubrir los devastadores incendios urbanos en Altadena y Palisades. Canceló Access Unlimited, un programa dedicado a los derechos y recursos para personas con discapacidad, dejándolas sin apoyo frente a los ataques de Donald Trump y RFK Jr. También eliminó el programa dirigido por el director ejecutivo nacional de la Black Alliance for Just Immigration (Alianza Negra por una Inmigración Justa), a pesar de que Trump está señalando a inmigrantes y refugiados haitianos y somalíes para su deportación.
Si deseas una programación revitalizada y orientada a la comunidad, democracia participativa, transparencia financiera, supervisión y una rendición de cuentas real en KPFK, ¡ejerce tu poder y vota por la lista de la Pacifica Mission Coalition para la Junta Nacional de Pacifica y la Junta Local de la Emisora (LSB) de KPFK!
Vota por Jack Neff —activista ambientalista solidario con la soberanía indígena— para la presidencia de la LSB.Vota por Rick Cooper —experimentado fundador y consultor de radios comunitarias— para la vicepresidencia.
Vota por Doug Barnett —activista cuáquero por la paz en el sur de Los Ángeles y exsecretario de la LSB— para ocupar nuevamente ese cargo en la nueva junta.
Vota por Bella De Soto —contadora profesional integral, internacionalista y expresidenta del comité de enlace comunitario— para coordinadora de Enlace Comunitario de la LSB.
Vota por Cliff Olin —exmaestro bilingüe, activista laboral, comunitario y por la democratización de los medios, además de recaudador de fondos para diversas organizaciones sin fines de lucro— para coordinador de Membresía y Recaudación de Fondos.
Defiendan los derechos del personal y luchen por restablecer la representación plena en las juntas locales y nacionales para el personal de todas las emisoras. Personal remunerado y no remunerado: voten por Oscar Ulloa y Canek Huerta-Martínez como representantes del personal ante la Junta Local de la Estación (LSB) de KPFK.
AVISO LEGAL: Esta comunicación no es oficial de Pacifica Foundation, Inc. ni de ninguna de las cinco emisoras de radio de Pacifica Foundation, Inc. (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio). Las opiniones y los hechos expuestos en este sitio pertenecen exclusivamente a sus autores y NO deben considerarse verídicos ni reflejo de la postura editorial o política de Pacifica Foundation, Inc., ni de ninguna de las cinco emisoras de radio de Pacifica Foundation, Inc. (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), ni de las opiniones de su dirección, de la Junta Nacional de Pacifica, del personal de las emisoras o de otros miembros oyentes.
KPFT
Amplify Marginalized Voices
“ [We must have] deep respect for marginalized voices, not as symbolic inclusion, but as essential contributors to the mission. Pacifica’s history is rooted in this principle, and I believe KPFT and the Foundation’s future depends on continuing it with intention. ”
Former programmer and member, KPFT Local Station Board. Media activist and community social justice organizer. “I have spent much of my life in spaces where ordinary people use media to educate, organize, and build power. That experience has shaped how I understand media institutions: they thrive when they stay accountable to the communities they serve, when they protect diverse voices, and when they maintain clarity of purpose even in moments of internal change.” Our candidate for KPFT LSB Chair, Nancy Saibara-Naritomi, kept off the ballot.
WBAI
There are two candidates within the coalition for most positions at WBAI. Pacifica Mission Coalition is a “big tent”, with differences among us, yet able to work together nationally with a common purpose and goal to restore members’ democratic rights to participate in the governance of their station, to strengthen democracy, diversity and transparency, particularly regarding financial matters, including local oversight of finances; and to fulfill and rejuvenate the Pacifica Mission with a new generation of engaged content providers and problem solvers.
Save Our Stations!
“ Many Pacificans realize we cannot survive in our present format. Rather than change, some seem to want to fully control and/or liquidate major assets like WBAI to pay for it. I believe some on the Pacifica National Board (PNB), with a supermajority obtained through alleged Bylaws violations, may have that in mind. ”
Director, PNB; Member, WBAI LSB. A 55+ year listener who joined governance 12 years ago, serving on most committees with a focus on Finance, including years chairing the National Finance Committee, and serving as PNB Treasurer. Also served as volunteer assistant to a former WBAI General Manager for ten years.
— OR —
Fight Racist Corporate Media
“ My son Yusef was one of the five innocent boys wrongly arrested and convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park… During the long struggle to defend the falsely accused African American and Latino boys — and ultimately to clear them of all wrongdoing — WBAI was a powerful and indispensable ally. WBAI helped get the truth out when most other media were joining the voices of accusation and refusing to air the truth. ”
Former Director, PNB, and member, WBAI LSB. Founder, People United for Children, serving kids in NYC’s foster-care system who were being fed into the carceral system; this work reunited thousands of children with their biological parents and helped drive policy changes in the child-welfare system. Founding member, Justice 4 the Wrongfully Incarcerated. Member, Mohammed Bah Legacy Project, providing medicines, medical supplies and equipment, and school supplies to West African countries.
WBAI Local Station Board Candidates:
Our candidates for LSB officers and staff reps include the following; others have not yet authorized their names to be on the slate promotion: for LSB Chair: Bounubti Kamenthou or Michael D. D. White; for LSB Vice-Chair: Eleanor Elizabeth Forman or Denise Joyce; for secretary: Kay Williams; for Outreach coordinator, John Brinkley or Chuck Fall; for membership and fundraising coordinator: Jack De Palma or Bruce Greif. For paid and unpaid staff rep on the WBAI LSB, Gloria Guillo,Elaine Lloyd-Nazario (Rev. Queen Mother Imakhu) and/or Max Schmid (staff members only, rank candidates for two staff seats on LSB).
WPFW
Local Working Class Community Radio
“ After learning about the dangers asbestos posed to workers and their families, I began hearing ads seeking workers to renovate public schools, including asbestos removal. I searched for ways to alert the community about the dangers, found WPFW… I became a listener, then member… and was the original host of To Heal DC, a show on ‘Health Care in the Nation’s Capitol’ that’s still airing weekly. ”
Labor and social justice activist. First shop steward, FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) Employees Association, UAW Local 2320. Member, DC Statehood Party.
Restore Members’ Democratic Rights to Participate in the Governance of OUR Stations!
Pacifica Mission Coalition candidates stand for restoring listener and staff members’ democratic rights to participate in the governance of our stations and to be fully informed on issues facing our foundation. We will strengthen equity, diversity, and inclusivity in Pacifica and in society; establish local financial transparency and oversight; take money out of Pacifica elections; and meet community needs at each station with local news, incisive analysis and discourse, and stimulating cultural expression.
Money Out of Pacifica Politics!
Real democracy is not possible unless we take money out of elections! Pacifica must inform members about all board candidates like other membership non-profits, and host live candidate forums on-air so all candidates can reach their fellow members.
Meanwhile, our coalition has to raise $14,000+ to print and mail a single postcard. Don’t let deep pockets determine the election results!
DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Pacifica Foundation, Inc. website nor an official website of any of the five Pacifica Foundation, Inc. Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio). Opinions and facts alleged on this site belong to the author(s) of the website only and should NOT be assumed to be true or to reflect the editorial stance or policy of the Pacifica Foundation, Inc., or any of the five Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), or the opinions of its management, Pacifica National Board, station staff, or other listener members.
