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VOTER GUIDE 2019
NEWS
MONDAY OCTOBER 28 - THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2019
Latinx town-hall discusses 2020 census effects Journalists host a conversation on the importance of census. NATHAN NGUYEN Editor
ANGEL RAMIREZ Staff Writer
“Imagine all the people that live in this country, and in other parts of the world, that wish they were here and have that privilege of voting,” said Yarel Ramos, a journalist from the American Spanish-language network, Univision. Ramos hosted the discussion forum, “Destino 2020,” at the Titan Theater with a panel of guest speakers; including California Director of Civic Engagement at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, Ely Flores, Fullerton School Board Vice President, Jeanette Vazquez, and Associated Students’ President, Aaron Aguilar. A campus town hall meeting was held on Oct. 25 to discuss the 2020 elections, census, citizenship and what is at stake in the near future for the Hispanic community. “I think it has a lot to do with the Latino population being so strong and being at the forefront of everything that happens here at CSUF,” Ramos said.
NATHAN NGUYEN / DAILY TITAN
Yarel Ramos (left) hosted the panel discussion with (left to right) Ely Flores, Jeanette Vazquez and Aaron Aguilar.
Attendees had a chance to ask the panelists questions about changing the census, getting more people involved, and students receiving their basic needs. The 2020 U.S. Census, which will take place on April 1, 2020, is conducted every decade to “determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives,” according to the census’ website. In the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, it states that the country must conduct a population count every 10 years. “Next year may be the most important year, politically of our lifetime,” Ramos said. Vazquez said the event is not
NATHAN NGUYEN / DAILY TITAN
Latino Communications Institute and Al Dia helped put the event together.
just about the 2020 elections, but about the census and why it is just as important. “It’s about collaborating to make sure that we’re sending a strong message to the community about how important this
is,” Vazquez said. “Specifically, we’re here because we want to make sure that Latinos not just come out and vote, but also that they participate in the count.” Vazquez emphasized how the census impacts funding
for cities, universities, school districts and non-profit organizations. “Many of the services that are going to be vital in the economy in the next 10 years and our families will depend on this,” Vazquez said. Vania Patino is a producer for Al Día, a student-produced bilingual newscast. She said that the Al Día team is always looking to engage the Latino community and the Latino voter. “I feel like a lot of times, the attacks that are on our community happen because we are — not uneducated, but there’s a lack of communication to underrepresented communities,” Patino said. Melina Cabrera, vice president of the Latino Business Student Association at Cal State Fullerton, said she didn’t know a lot about the census. “I felt like this is a really good opportunity for them to inform the public about this,” she said. Cabrera explained how it was important for people to educate minority groups outside of just the Latinx population, and include all those affected by these issues. “There’s a lot of voices in California that aren’t being heard, so you need to get out there and really use your voice to advocate for other people,” Cabrera said.
A guide to all of Gov. Newsom’s new laws New legislation covers everything from school start times to gun control. CELESTE SHARP Asst. Editor
OLIVIA HAWKINS Staff Writer
California Governor Gavin Newsom has recently signed a series of bills into law that tackle issues related to gun control, animal rights and even roadkill – here’s a guide.
Gun Control Newsom has signed multiple pieces of legislation regarding gun
control that both restrict the sale of firearms and addresses the use and issuing of gun violence restraining orders. Assembly Bill 61 expands the existing law that allows immediate family members and law enforcement to file gun violence restraining orders to allow school faculty and coworkers of the subject to
request one as well. The law allows someone to file for a gun violence restraining order against someone if they have frequent interactions with that person. Once administered, the restraining order would prevent the subject from possessing a firearm if there is “substantial likelihood that the individual poses a significant
danger.” Senate Bill 61 prevents anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing a semiautomatic centerfire rifle. The law also limits people to one gun purchase per month, and it will go into effect July 1, 2021. Assembly Bill 879 requires the purchase of firearm precursor parts — like unfinished frames and
MONDAY OCTOBER 28 - THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2019 receivers —to be through a licensed parts vendor. Beginning in 2024, the law will require a vendor to have a valid firearms precursor license to sell more than one precursor part within a 30-day period. The law will require an application process for businesses to become licensed firearm precursor part vendors. Starting in 2025, the law also requires a vendor to keep records of purchased and transferred precursor parts and submit those records to the Department of Justice. Animal Rights Assembly Bill 44 is a victory for animal rights activists as Newsom has made California the first state to ban the sale of new fur products. The law will also make it illegal to manufacture fur products for sale in the state, and will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. Rather than seeking criminal prosecution, the law will make a violator of the law subject to civil penalties, and would require that those penalties be placed into the Fish and Game Preservation Fund. Senate Bill 313 prohibits circuses operating in California from using any animals other than domesticated dogs, cats and horses. Anyone who does not follow the new law is subject to a monetary penalty for up to $25,000. Senate Bill 395 was passed by Newsom and will create a pilot program where in certain areas, people can salvage an animal for consumption that was accidentally killed as a result of a vehicle collision on a roadway within California. Animals that are able to be salvaged include deer, elk, pronghorn antelope and wild pigs. Other Bills signed Assembly Bill 218 will extend the definition of childhood sexual abuse which significantly extends the statute of limitations on the crime. Rather than giving the plaintiff eight years to seek damages, they
will now have 22 years from the day the victim becomes an adult. The law also extends the time the plaintiff can file should they find out any mental illness or psychological issue came as a result of the offense to five years instead of three. Senate Bill 328 will require middle schools and high schools, both public and charter, to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m respectively. The new school start times go into effect July 1, 2022. Melissa Burnett, Montclair resident and mother of a son in second grade said the later start times would actually benefit her because of the hours she works. The law also suggests that the state’s department of education to post “specified information on its internet website, including research on the impact of sleep deprivation on adolescents and the benefits of a later school start time.” Reproductive Rights Senate Bill 24 requires all student health care clinics on all University of Caifornia and California State University campuses to offer abortion by medication techniques to students. It will also create the College Student Health Center Sexual and Reproductive Health Preparation Fund, which the Commission on the Status of Women will be required to administer. Funds should be made available to campus by Jan. 1, 2020. Detention Centers and For-profit prisons Assembly Bill 32 will get rid of for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers in California starting Jan. 1, 2020, and by 2028, both will be phased out. In a press release, Newsom explained why he moved in on ending private for-profit prisons. “During my inaugural address, I vowed to end private prisons,” Newsom said. “They contribute to ‘over-incarceration,’ including those that incarcerate California inmates and those that detain immigrants and asylum seekers.”
NEWS
VOTER GUIDE 2019
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VOTER GUIDE 2019
NEWS
MONDAY OCTOBER 28 - THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2019
Orange County to replace polling places in 2020 Voting centers will now allow voters to participate regardless of their district. BRANDON PHO MADELINE GRAY Editors
Orange County voters will be able to cast a ballot at any polling location, regardless of where they live by next year, under a massive county election system overhaul at a time where different areas of the region have become key competitive battlegrounds in national, state and local elections. In an attempt from the Orange County Registrar of Voters — and other counties across the state — to pull away from past issues of having multiple polling places in a single neighborhood or other traditional areas, which confuses voters. The Registrar of Voters wants to catch up to recent trends that show voting by mail has become increasingly popular with people. Voters under the new system will also have the option of a longer, 11-day voting period. The exact locations of these new centers are still unclear; despite promises by the Orange County Registrar of Voters to have nearly 200 locations countywide by 2020. “It’s more convenient for voters that they can just go anywhere in the county, which would make voting seem like not as much of a hassle,” said Emily Riseling, Cal State Fullerton student and music major. The 21-year-old senior believes these new guidelines may draw a younger voter turnout. “I know a lot of people my age who don’t vote because they don’t want to deal with either waiting in lines or taking the time out of their day to go vote.” Riseling said it’s nice to have a number of voting options to accommodate her schedule.
The new voting system will be fully implemented by 2020 amid revelations that voter registration in the county has tipped from being dominated by registered Republicans to Democrats. Of the county’s 1.6 million registered voters, around 562,000 of those are registered as a Democrat (34%) and around 553,000 (33%) are registered as a Republican, according to the county’s voter registration data. Around 437,000 (26%) are registered as no party preference, with outlier political parties like the Green Party comprising smaller percentages of the county’s registered electorate, according to the same data. Democrats overtook Orange County’s historically Republican-elected U.S. House District of Representatives Congressional seats in 2018, winning four of the seats in the November midterm elections. The Democratic party now holds every single one of the county’s seven congressional seats. This is the first election since 1940 in which not a single Republican will represent Orange County in Congress, the third largest county in California, where Democrats now maintain a political stronghold. Still, Democrats have much to worry about, wrote Democratic Party of Orange County chair Ada Briceño in an October opinion piece for the nonprofit news agency, Voice of OC. “Despite Democrats’ voter registration advantage in Orange County, an astonishing 70% of local offices like city council and school board seats are disproportionately held by Republicans,” Briceño wrote, adding that Orange County Democrats face contested Congressional races next year. Each of the four battleground districts have a Republican voter registration advantage, Briceño added, “and national Republican
BRANDON PHO / DAILY TITAN
A collection of ballots headed to be counted.
BRANDON PHO / DAILY TITAN
Neal Kelly, Registrar of Orange County Voters, at the polls in 2018.
BRANDON PHO / DAILY TITAN
groups are preparing heavy investments into these races. We should expect a challenging election cycle.” The changes to Orange County’s election process are part of a larger state initiative to begin rolling out voting centers in place of traditional polling places through the Voter’s Choice Act, which became law in 2016.
Reformatting of the election system, while it might have a positive effect on the outcome of voter turnout, will draw concerns from communities of color, said Mindy Romero, director for the California Civic Engagement Project at the University of Southern California. “There’s unfortunately a terrible history in our country around
suppression of the African American vote,” Romero said. Romero said something about a change this significant, that would potentially involve removing a neighborhood’s polling place in favor of a vote center that could be further away from their home. “Trust is a really big factor,” she said. While Romero noted that the county registrar’s head, Neal Kelley, has been one of the leading supporters of the act for a couple of years, and that he’s put in thought about his approach to voter outreach because of the size of Orange County. “I know he’s been reaching out to different groups, from what I understand, and trying to partner on the outreach and communication, but the effort’s going to need all of the outreach it can get,” Romero said. She added that there is no maximum to the amount of outreach that she wants. The funding landscape across the state for nonprofits and advocacy groups to do outreaching themselves “is pretty dry,” she said. “There are many positives to the Voter’s Choice Act, but voters need to know about it,” she said. “There has to be outreach to groups to let them know this change is happening, to let them know how important it is that they reach their communities.”
MONDAY OCTOBER 28 - THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2019
OPINION
VOTER GUIDE 2019
5
True socialism is not an ideal social structure Capitalism is the only viable market for freedom.
MELISA RYBALTOWSKI Asst. Editor
In light of the current political climate in the United States, many individuals are now considering political ideologies that stray from mainstream ideals. The Republican and Democratic Parties no longer satisfy the needs felt by millennials, and the idea of socialism has gained momentum. However, whether millennials truly understand the implications of socialism is up for debate. In 1924, Angelo Rappoport published the “Dictionary of Socialism,” in which he provides no fewer than 40 definitions of the ideology. Its defining principle is equality, as well as self-attributed qualities of democracy, individual freedom, self-realization and community. However, these concepts that supposedly define a social structure are too vague, and the lack of specificity impedes individuals from truly grasping an ideal that has launched so many nations into self-destruction. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, socialism is an economic and political current of thought that advocates for the “collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.” This definition provides a basic understanding of socialism, which, in a general sense, has otherwise been wrongly construed in the United States. However, in 2018 the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation conducted a survey among millennials in the United States and found that 52% claimed they
ELIZABETH CASTILLO / DAILY TITAN
would rather live in a socialist (46%) or communist (6%) country. Results like these illustrate that a vast majority of millennials are oblivious to the implications of living in a socialist country, and have never heard of the atrocities committed in communist states. The largest working class in America would rather live subject to a socialist economy than in a capitalist society that allows for a free-market system and respects the rights of law, private property and limited state intervention. In other words, they would rather work to share all they earn and pay for the necessities of others, rather than administer personal finances as they please. According to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, the attraction felt by millennials toward socialism has ”less to do with their familiarity with the ideology and more to do with their discontent with the current economic system,” meaning the free-market capitalist system on which they blame the current state of
the nation. Artist Andrea Junker tweeted the question, “Why the hell is it ‘if you can’t pay rent, buy fewer lattes’ and not “if you can’t pay your employees a living wage, buy fewer yachts’?” The emerging artist makes a point. But, one might counter and say, “That’s capitalism.” In the United States, nobody’s obligated to the welfare of anyone; capitalist societies are the epitome of “every man for himself.” As a member of the Impeachment Task Force, Junker has often promoted measures to reform the democratic process within the government, proving that even the purest forms of democracy fail to satisfy the expectations of individuals seeking progress. However, the issues at hand stem from the ideals upon which this nation was founded, and to demand institutional change at a foundational level is to incite revolution upon those very same ideals. But, as can be seen in Venezuela, revolution comes at the price of steep poverty.
Countries that are praised for their social welfare and are often mistakenly considered socialist, such as Norway and Denmark, actually exercise free-market economies, which are the very opposite of socialist economic ideals. Socialism may sound noble in theory, but its faults outweigh its promises. In 1944, Henry A. Wallace, 33rd vice president of the United States, was quoted in the New York Times and said that the dangerous Americans are those who “demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection.” While truer words have never been spoken, aside from acknowledging the confines of social status, few things can be done unless an individual is willing to join the oppressor. In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, socialism is explained through scenarios in which, for example, workers must sell their labor to capitalists in order to make a living. Capitalists control the means of production to which workers find themselves subject, putting themselves above the working class. The distinction is evident, society is categorized into capitalists and its workers. Governments, whether democratic or not, are structured by governors and subjects. It’s true, capitalism accommodates asymmetric decision-making power, but, when considered carefully, one will find that all forms of government, regardless of where they fall in the political spectrum, are structured by ranks of power that prove to be asymmetric. The only self-governed society is one in which there exists no government, a society defined by anarchy; therefore, the pretensions of socialist inclination are exactly that — pretension. Illusions of what could be if society were different, formed in denial of reality.
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VOTER GUIDE 2019
OPINION
MONDAY OCTOBER 28 - THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2019
Republican partisanship is a lifeline for political careers Party loyalty must not interfere with the values of politicians.
ELIZA GREEN Editor
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U.S. President Donald Trump once made a claim that if he stood in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shot somebody,he wouldn’t lose any voters. This is sadly and shockingly true, not only about voters, but also about support from members of the Congress. Polarization and staunch partisanship aren’t novel concepts in Congress, however an interesting shift is happening. In true politician form, lawmakers are focusing more on what their party and constituents want from them instead of what their own convictions or the Constitution requires of them. Republican members of Congress are compromising values in order to support a president who has demonstrated a corrosive pattern of bigotry, hubris and immaturity. Rather than opposing this behavior, many politicians are publicly supportive of acts that they condemn privately. Although pandering to
constituents is a trademark politician move, bending longheld beliefs and suppressing the horror they are actually feeling about Trump’s actions have crossed a line. While this spineless act of cozying up to Trump is being done by prominent Republican lawmakers, it is important to recognize the reality that the same partisan politics would be occurring if the tables were turned. President Trump’s most staunch supporters in Congress, as well as members of his cabinet and legal team, in many cases wanted no part of Trump’s agenda until he rose to power. Once that happened, suddenly many saw their opportunity to kiss up to Trump rather than stand against decisions he has made. Many aspects of Trump’s policies and actions since stepping into the Presidency in 2016 have not been in line with tradition beliefs and policies of the Republican Party. Trump is pushing the limits of powers given to the Executive branch and testing the centric conservative belief in increased state power as well as challenging conservative belief of free trade, reduced social security spending, and approaches to foreign policy and diplomatic relationships with countries such as Ukraine, Russia, and North Korea. Rather than cling to the values and policies Republican lawmakers desire to implement, they are settling for the counterfeit psuedo-conservative policies of the president.
OPINION
MONDAY OCTOBER 28 - THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2019
VOTER GUIDE 2019
7
CINDY PROAÑO / DAILY TITAN
Trump has proven that many of those who oppose him, even in small ways, are greatly punished. Criticism from politicians not in Congress has been met disqualification from cabinet appointments or even removal from office. Congressional leaders as well as many other public figures have faced vengeful tweets or reluctance from the president to be heard out. The biggest fear from Congressional Republicans however lies in their chances of being reelected in their district without the support of the president and his die-hard base. Rather than stand up to this bullying and juvenile intimidation, many politicians have instead decided to inflate his already massive ego and send empty words of support solely to protect themselves and their career. Perhaps Trump’s most adamant supporter, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), is a perfect
example of this. Well respected from a bipartisan standpoint, late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) gave some final advice to Graham just before his death in August of 2018. McCain warned Graham to “help (Trump) where he can, just don’t get sucked up into his b-------.” Graham later reiterated this advice that same day, telling reporters “So I’m going to help (Trump) where I can, and not get sucked into all the other drama.” Since this statement, Graham has very clearly been sucked into all of the drama. Before Trump was elected, Graham was a noted voice of dissent calling him a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.” His quick turn of support brings up questions about integrity and morality. To take a recent example, Trump compared this impeachment inquiry against him to a
lynching. This incredibly troubling rhetoric that undermines almost a century of gruesome racially-motivated murders should have met opposition from Graham, but instead, received his unquestioned support. Graham, from South Carolina which has a painful history of this crime, went out of his way to justify this comparison. Weight is added when it is considered that Trump has made white supremacist remarks before, and has been supported by members of the Ku Klux Klan. This aside, Graham has made other questionable defenses, which can only be seen as a ploy with the sole purpose of securing his reelection in 2020 so long as he attains Trump’s endorsement. The juxtaposition between Graham’s approach to the Bill Clinton impeachment and that of the Trump impeachment paints a very questionable
picture of when and who morals apply to. Graham fought for the impeachment and removal of Clinton in 1998. Today, Graham claims that the impeachment inquiry against Trump contains allegations that are either false or unwarranted attacks against the president. While Graham is arguably one of the examples, the same argument can be made for other lawmakers. The overwhelming proof of wrongdoing in the whistleblower’s complaint, private testimony, telephone transcripts and even Trump’s own admittance should be enough to drive Republican lawmakers to at least question his integrity and competence. Instead, — at least to the public — countless lawmakers remain defenders of the president. Another prominent example is Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy.
While McCarthy took a hard stance against Hillary Clinton during the private email scandal, he seems publicly unbothered by Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, going so far as to claim that the transcripts are harmless. While this is the natural outcome of centuries of push and pull between opposing parties, the enhanced divisive nature of President Trump’s language has left many politicians in an unfortunate position of having to choose between their career and their values. Many have not made the honorable choice in order to secure the power that is desired, creating an even more drastic pendulum swing between the two main vessels of power in Congress. Sadly, it is very unlikely that the nature of the Capitol will become any less polarized as it is now. If anything, the divisiveness will only increase.
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