Fall 2019 Issue 3

SF State’s student-run publication since 1927

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019

CITY

State Senate to vote on NRA: SF gig worker bill this week threat?

CITY

BY ELIZA FLYNN

BY JUAN CARLOS LARA

STAFF REPORTER

Scores of independent contractors across the job spectrum appear days away from becoming redefined as employees and securing better work benefits in California.

State legislators are set to vote on Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), which would grant labor rights and protections to independent contractors while upending the business models of companies reliant on their labor. A vote may take place before Sept. 13 and send the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared his early support Labor Day. “Corporate profits have gone through the roof while worker pay has remained in the basement,” Newsom stated in his own Sacramento Bee op-ed.

“Contributing to this imbalance is the misclassification of workers, where companies eager to save on labor costs identify workers as ‘independent contractors’ rather than employees.”

The bill would require employers to use a three-part test when classifying a worker as an independent contractor.

They must be free from a com-

STAFF REPORTER

T

he San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 3 to approve a resolution declaring the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist group.

An independent contractor for food delivery giant DoorDash bikes along Market Street Sept. 7 to deliver an order. (Photo by Leila Figueroa / Golden Gate Xpress)

pany’s direction and control, do zero work outside “the usual course of business” and have already worked independently in the industry they’re being hired in.

If a worker does not meet all three standards, they’re considered an employee,

according to the bill. An employer must then pay toward their employee benefits, such as minimum hourly wage, health insurance, Social Security and paid sick leave.

Ride-hail and food delivery giants Uber, Lyft and Doordash have com-

mitted $90 million toward funding a ballot measure opposing the legislation if it passes. These companies’ executives in particular have warned that the bill would slim their profit margins and compromise the flexibility they CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

CAMPUS

CSU to provide free legal immigration services

BY MJ JOHNSON CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

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alifornia State University announced Aug. 28 a plan to provide free immigration legal services to students and employees.

As part of this plan, attorneys, paralegals and accredited representatives will visit campuses on a regular ba-

VOLLEYBALL •PAGE 8

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sis and provide direct legal counsel.

CSU allocated $7 million in this year’s budget to fund the services.

The office of the chancellor has been working with the California Department of Social Services to implement the plan for legal services since 2018.

“I am delighted that we will be able to increase the availability of immi-

THISTLE •PAGE 5

gration legal services to the California State University community,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said in an Aug. 28 press release. “We remain committed to ensuring that all CSU students have the opportunity to pursue their higher education goals regardless of their country CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

STUDENT RAPPER •PAGE 6

The resolution asked that San Francisco assess its vendors and contractors to detect possible financial ties with the NRA. It also stated that the city should take every reasonable step to prevent any such contractor or vendor “from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization.”

It concluded by calling on other cities, states and the U.S. government to take similar steps.

Supervisor Catherine Stefani said before the vote that the Gilroy Garlic Festival mass shooting prompted her to introduce the resolution. At the July 28 festival, a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle shot and killed three people, two of whom were minors, and injured 17 others.

“The NRA exists to spread disinformation and knowingly puts guns in the hands of those who would harm and terrorize us by blocking common-sense gun violence prevention legislation and by advocating for dangerous legislation,” Stefani said, referencing the “stand your ground” and open-carry laws.

The city’s resolution condemned the NRA for its far-reaching advocacy of gun ownership, stating such advocacy resulted in terrorists becoming armed.

It also accuses the association of deceiving the public on the dangers of gun violence.

San Francisco had 18 gun-related deaths this year, according to Joseph Tomlinson, a public information officer for the San Francisco Police Department.

“I think (the declaration) is fair, but the NRA isn’t actually funding terrorism,” SF State student Fif Gallagher said. “But they are an important cog in the horror machine here.”

In response to the resolution, the NRA’s official Youtube channel published a video titled, “Wayne LaPierre: NRA’s 5 Million Members Are Not Terrorists.”

“This is a reckless assault on a freedom-loving organization, its members and the principles our nation stands for,” the video’s description stated. “We remain undeterred, guided by our values and belief in those who want to find real solutions to violence.”

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Campus construction still has a way to go

BY FELICIA HYDE STAFF REPORTER

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onstruction of new student housing that began last semester has surpassed the halfway mark, and construction of the new Liberal and Creative Arts (LCA) Building that began at the same time is about one-fourth done, according to administrators involved with the project.

“The Holloway student housing is about 55% complete, and the Liberal Arts and Creative Building is about 25% complete,” Barry Jodatian, associate vice president of Capital Planning, Design and Construction said.

The mixed-use student housing project is being built at the corner of Holloway and Varela avenues, located across Holloway from the Administration Building. The facility will house more than 560 students in addition to providing retail space and neighborhood services, Jason Porth, vice president of University Enterprises, said.

“We anticipate that construction will be complete in the summer of 2020 and it will be ready to welcome its first residents for the fall 2020 semester,”

Porth said.

The new LCA Building, SF State’s first new academic building in 25 years, should be finished shortly thereafter at the end of fall 2020.

“A variety of factors, including state agency approvals, complex soil conditions and the availability of key subcontractors to perform specific components of the construction, have all added some time to the project schedule,” Porth said.

According to Sami Reist, chair of the Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts (BECA) department, the BECA department will see the greatest transformation among academic departments out of all the other in-progress construction projects.

The new LCA Building will be the View of construction on Tapia and Holloway, the new Liberal and Creative Arts building on Sept.

BECA department’s new home, west 9, 2019. (Photo by Paisley Trent / Golden Gate Xpress) of its current operation in the Creative radio station, a media presentation versity colleagues in Capital Planning, Arts Building. room, an audio recording studio and Designing and Construction are makWith the new building comes new top of the line newsroom. ing every effort to keep the project equipment to the department, such as Reist said the LCA building is sched- moving along, and as progress contina TV newsroom, media production uled for completion in December of ues, we will be sure to keep campus lab and radio station, Reist said. The 2020 and will be available for use by community apprised of key milestones planned four-story building will hold the spring 2021 semester. and the completion date,” Porth said. the KSFS low-power FM student-run “The construction team and our uni-

City Eats reimagined, alongside Bricks

BY NOOR BAIG STAFF REPORTER

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esident dining centers City Eats and Bricks got a makeover this summer with renovations and updates welcoming students back for the new semester.

City Eats, now featuring more vegan and pescatarian dishes, will stay open until midnight and allow students to pack meals to go.

“Before I felt like student voices weren’t really heard, and now they’re really trying,” resident assistant Summer Smith said. “They’re really trying to listen more, incorporate more and really make this a campus that feels like it can be a home.”

The interior of the dining hall was also revamped to accomodate a more open floor plan, new murals, brighter lighting and updated menu options.

The glass wall that once separated the two seating areas is now open, and all food stations are against the walls rather than scattered throughout the room.

“It’s great that I don’t have to walk all the way around if I see my friend,” Smith said. “But also, when it’s really packed in there, the wall kind of separated that noise so you could hear yourself in a conversation.”

New food stations include the Blue Onion for made-to-order vegetarian and vegan foods, Fuse for stir fry and an ice cream machine.

The remodeling of the main dining room and Crossroads room in City Eats began this summer and was completed on Aug. 19, City Eats General Manager HeeBong Hyun wrote in an email.

Bricks, formerly the go-to late-

night pizza spot for residents, now functions as a convenience store where students can get coffee and snacks. Colorful beanbags have replaced the tables, and the store will serve as an event and recreation space as the year goes on.

Hyun said no major renovations have been made to Bricks yet.

“Thus far the feedback has been very positive from the students and guests alike,” Hyun wrote. “We continue to find means to improve the surroundings and food choices to encourage community and wellbeing.”

Another change as of last spring, is that City Eats now provides boxes to take food to-go. Resident assistant Putri Khoiriyah said she suggested to-go boxes last year to accommodate Muslim residents who were fasting until sunset in observance of Ramadan.

City Eats was closed by the time students broke their fasts, and the only meal plan option was pizza from Bricks, which wasn’t nutritious enough to make up for a day of fasting, Khoiriyah said.

“I love the late-night option that they have until midnight,” Smith said.

“Because last year it would close at 8 p.m. and people would get out of class so they couldn’t eat.”

Khoiriyah said the new accommodations have allowed her more flexibility within her busy schedule as a resident assistant, helping her save money by not having to rely on the Village Market for late-night meals.

However, she said she would like to see halal and kosher options for residents who have religious or health restrictions.

Natalie, Téa and Ariana (R-L) are freshmen Biology majors eating breakfast before class at City Eats in SF State on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (Photo by Kameron Hall / Golden Gate Xpress)

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3•CAMPUS

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019

New School of Cinema director strives to create equity, inclusiveness in industry

BY FELICIA HYDE STAFF REPORTER

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iant lime green bordered letters spell “director” across her floral sequined chest.

Her black fur-covered ankles completed the eccentric outfit. A grin flashed across her face, welcoming all into her world of creativity.

For the first time the School of Cinema will have a woman of color as its director, Celine Parrenas Shimizu.

Shimizu plans to use her passion for the cinematic arts and implementation of communication plans, such

as a new monthly newsletter and first annual convocation, to create a diverse and inclusive culture to generate awareness of inequality and misrepresentation within cinema.

“The School of Cinema aims to make accessible the means of production and the historical, critical and theoretical studies of film to all students in order to help envision a just, inclusive and equitable industry and discipline,” Shimizu said.

Over 1,000 students, 23 tenure track

and tenured faculty and 18 lecturers make up SF State’s cinema department, which offers multiple outlets of creative expression through production, studies and animation.

Shimizu, 49, grew up in Manila in the Philippines during the reign of Ferdinand Marcos in the 70s and early 80s, a time where movies were considered sensitive because of President Marcos’s familiarity with film to create propaganda under martial law.

Global culture and the colonial relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines became evident to Shimizu when her parents left to the United States to pursue post-doctorate degrees.

She said when she immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts, in the mid-80s, she was struck by the lack of narratives about people of color in popular culture despite compelling narratives overflowing in her neighborhood.

Movies were not a simple part-time hobby for Shimizu. They blended into her lifestyle and her passion for cinema flourished into what has now become her career.

Documentaries such as “Surname Viet Given Name Nam” (1989) and “Shoot for the Contents” (1992) by Trinh T. Minh-ha, former SF State cinema professor and Shimizu’s undergraduate thesis advisor, were a couple from the long list of inspirational films which sparked her love for cinema.

As a teen she spent time in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before eventually making her way to California where she attended UC Berkeley for undergrad. She began her undergraduate as an English and art major while being involved in activism and advocacy alongside gender and racial issues, in addition to founding a women of color magazine and film festival. She attended UCLA Film School for her MFA, and Stanford for her Ph.D. All of her interests — art, literature and activism that is evidenced by five books and several films she has completed since — came together when she discovered ethnic studies during her

sophomore year at UC Berkeley.

Specifically, her work took her to UC Santa Barbara where she taught for about 15 years, but packed her life and made a move to the Bay Area after unexpectedly losing her youngest son, Lakas, to common viral intestinal illness in 2013.

“Everything changed and I uprooted my work to the Bay Area for my own sake and for my family,” Shimimzu said.

As a Filipina immigrant, she found herself instantly attached to SF State for the diverse empowering environment where both had a passion for social justice and multiethnic identities.

“She’s an amazing and powerful woman,” said Lauren Friedauer, a graduating cinema major. “She gets things done and isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in. She’s gonna bring tons to the table and hopefully fight for more benefits for the department.”

Shimizu believes some of the most pressing matters of today are “Race, gender, sexuality in global culture” and that film can be a solution for such problems.

“I recruited her from Santa Barbara and she became a full professor who’s very accomplished. We both work on race, pornography and gender,” said Daniel Bernardi, SF State’s previous School of Cinema chair four years ago.

“All chairs should have a vision and I agree with her that educating the public through film is it.”

Currently she is working alongside a student on a film financially supported by the Marcus Funds for Excellence and conducting research for a film about the severity of young African American males being criminalized.

Shimizu wants to focus on bringing people from various backgrounds to work under one creative collective.

“Film is so powerful that it must be deployed so we can learn about others who we do not know in a way where we are not colonizing them but expanding our world views,” Shimizu said.

said. “Immigration law is very complex and unfortunately we’ve seen too many instances where somebody gets the wrong help, then it’s harder to do damage control.”

The Dream Resource Center (DRC), which provides resources to undocumented students and staff on campus for academic growth and personal success, will partner with Immigrant Legal Defense to coordinate the legal services.

Students, staff and faculty with immigration legal concerns will receive counseling in person or at Immigrant Legal Defense’s Oakland office. Although attorneys will provide legal counsel on all immigration issues, priority will be given to undocumented students, according to the DRC website

detailing the services.

“Students and especially undocumented students have so many obstacles and barriers in their lives due to their lack of status,” Pinto said. “So helping to remove that can better help them to focus on their schooling or other opportunities they’re working on.”

CSU estimates 9,500 students statewide receive the AB-540 waiver for undocumented students to pay resident fees instead of non-resident fees.

According to Golden Gate Xpress reporting in 2018, the DRC approximated 500 to 700 undocumented and DACA-receiving students attend SF State.

Improving Dreams, Equity, Access and Success (IDEAS) is a student organization that advocates for student immigration rights and provides a safe

space for undocumented students on campus. IDEAS was a key proponent for the DRC space in 2017, according to Maya Ochoa, external affairs coordinator of IDEAS. Ochoa said the university has made significant steps in the last few years to support undocumented students, but there are still ways to improve.

“There are students here without DACA status who need legal services — they don’t have the luxury of the protections under DACA,” said Ochoa, a junior Chinese language major and DACA recipient. “These legal services aren’t just for students, they can find help for their family members. It’ll be a way for them to help their community.”

Celine Parrenas Shimizu, looks to create an inclusive culture to generate awareness of inequality within cinema. (Photos by James Wyatt / Golden Gate Xxpress)

CSU to provide $7 million in legal help

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 of origin. This inclusive foundation extends to our employees, who demonstrate their dedication to student achievement and success on a daily basis.”

Four providers will service CSU campuses throughout the state. Immigrant Legal Defense, a nonprofit based in the Bay Area, will provide direct legal services to eight campuses in Northern California and the Central Valley including SF State. Immigrant Legal Defense will gradually roll out its services based on the needs of students on campus, according to managing attorney Barbara Pinto.

“Having an attorney can really make a difference and have a positive impact on somebody’s case,” Pinto

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4•CITY

TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Impact of planned development apprised

BY WILSON GOMEZ STAFF REPORTER

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ousing developers plan to transform one of San Francisco’s last stretches of undeveloped land into a residential neighborhood, but doing so would compromise the surrounding air quality, bicycle safety, flow of traffic and noise levels.

The San Francisco Planning Department published these findings in an Aug. 7 analysis of the environmental impacts that would come with building housing atop the western segment of the 28-acre Balboa Reservoir. The deadline to publicly comment on the findings is Sept. 23.

Located across from the City College of San Francisco Ocean Campus, the Balboa Reservoir comprises an eastern and a western basin that together provide CCSF’s student body with approximately 2,000 parking spaces.

The Planning Department’s analysis, called a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (DSEIR), studies two proposals for building housing on the western basin. Each would build residential units, a child care facility, a public community room, retail space and a 2-acre park.

Developer Avalon Bay and nonprofit

BRIDGE Housing are proposing the first option: build 1,100 residential units, up to 550 residential parking spaces and a 750-space public garage. The second option, proposed by city planners, would build 1,550 residential units, 650 residential parking spaces and no public parking.

The DSEIR concludes that both proposals would produce unpreventable negative impacts for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Construction would generate air contaminants, particularly toxic to vulnerable populations like young children, according to the DSEIR. Construction could also create noise levels that violate the standards of San Francisco’s noise ordinance, the report states.

Upon project completion, nearby public transit would face significant delays. Travel times could more than double for nearby Muni buses like the K/T, 29, 43 and 49 during peak hours, according to the DSEIR. Congestion along Lee Avenue could also create potentially hazardous conditions for bikers.

Yet, despite its warnings, the DSEIR dismisses the most contested factor of the project: parking.

The proposed elimination of 1,007 student parking spaces has been the

The Balboa Reservoir housing proposal would eliminate 1,007 parking spaces currently used by City College of San Francisco students. (Photo by William Wendelman / Golden Gate Xpress)

most controversial aspect of the project since its 2009 inception. Longtime CCSF advocates have warned at dozens of community meetings that removing parking would bruise CCSF enrollment, which numbers at tens of thousands of students every semester.

“It’s like the city of Hercules comes to campus every day,” said CCSF Music Department Chair Madeline Mueller, a longtime opponent of the project.

Yet the DSEIR states that while parking fills up 78% to 90% of Ocean Campus’ parking in the first week of instruction, the figure plummets to 50% to 60% afterward. It concludes that “secondary impacts related to the loss of City College parking would be less than significant, and no mitigation measures are necessary.”

But that hasn’t convinced Mueller and other local CCSF advocates.

“My house is empty most of the day,” Mueller said. “Does that mean it should be taken over?”

Community members against the project have publicly commented that developers should offer 100% affordable housing, given that the western basin is owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

The project, which would transfer public land into private hands, states that it offers 50% affordable housing.

But developers are subsidizing only 33%, leaving San Francisco to shoulder the last 17%.

All the while, that affordable housing is reserved for those who earn 55%

to 120% of the Area Median Income, or $47,400 to $103,450 for one-family households.

“It doesn’t allow for affordable housing for very low income people,” said Jean Barish, a former CCSF biology teacher. “It doesn’t meet the needs that the city [has] for low-income housing, which is one of our most desperate needs.”

Nonetheless, housing advocates, such as Corey Smith of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, said that building homes is critical in solving San Francisco’s housing crisis.

“I feel like [the project] is trying to balance a lot of different concerns and different constituencies while also coming to the very real reality of people needing places to live,” Smith said.

Mueller said that the proposal could potentially offer housing for faculty, staff and students “that would be truly affordable.”

“We are trying to get the word out to students to show up at Planning Commission meetings, in particular the one scheduled for Sept. 12, and express their concern,” Mueller said.

The Sept. 12 Planning Commission hearing on the DSEIR will take place at 1 p.m. in Room 400 at City Hall. The public comment period for the DSEIR will end on Sept. 23.

The Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee will meet on Sept.

30 to discuss the project at the City College Multi-Use Building, Room 140, at 6 p.m.

Labor law decision draws closer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 currently allow workers.

Making ride-hail drivers full-time employees would require Uber to establish on-demand employment and hire “far fewer drivers” than currently working for them, Uber said in a statement on Medium.

Uber added that the bill would prompt the company to introduce scheduling, impose rigid shifts and prevent drivers from working for other ride-hail companies.

“If Uber, Lyft and Taskrabbit treat all their workers as employees, all that would mean is less people would do those jobs,” said William Evermon, an SF State junior who used to work for TaskRabbit. “At

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the same time, it’s always good to give guarantee to somebody via the minimum wage. It’s always unpredictable how much you’ll make under the current circumstances, and I feel minimum wage does alleviate that in some ways.”

Uber and Lyft executives have shown willingness to compromise with the state senate, but legislators have not publicly reciprocated it.

Three executives from the companies published an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle proposing that they could provide work improvements in place of AB5. They offered paid time-off, retirement planning, lifelong learning, higher pay, better earnings transparency and assistance in creating a driver association to represent driver interests.

Uber drivers averaged $11.77 an hour between 2015 and 2017, earning less than at least 90% of American workers, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute.

“What we bring and what we’re bringing to the bottom line needs to be factored in in any kind of provision that we get from the company aside from just the hourly wage,” said Rudee Lipscomb, who has worked in marketing as an independent contractor for 15 years.

“We’re taking care of our own overhead. We’re taking our own employment taxes out of it. It needs to be a bit more of a shared solution if companies are going to be using freelancers as much as they’re starting to.”

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GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019

SCIENCE & TECH•5

GOLDEN Finding a thistle in a tidal marsh GATE PRESS W

X

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Carly Wipf cwipf@mail.sfsu.edu

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Frank Sumrall fsumrall@mail.sfsu.edu

ONLINE MANAGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Sahar Swaleh sswaleh@mail.sfsu.edu

ART DIRECTOR Paisley Trent ptrent@mail.sfsu.edu

CITY NEWS EDITOR David Mamaril Horowitz dhorowitz@mail.sfsu.edu

CAMPUS NEWS EDITORS MJ Johnson mjohnson23@mail.sfsu.edu Paisley Trent ptrent@mail.sfsu.edu

OPINION EDITOR Andrew R. Leal aleal@mail.sfsu.edu

BY KARAMEL NUNEZ MARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

hile scouring tidal marshes, areas of low land that are flooded during high tide, researchers look into how the Suisun thistle, a once widespread plant species, is now only located in small sectors.

“This project sort of fell into my lap when I started here,” said Morgan Stickrod, an SF State graduate and one of the Suisun thistle researchers who works in professor V. Thomas Parker’s lab.

In the early 2000s the U.S. government declared the Bay Area native plant species, known scientifically as Cirsium hydrophilum, endangered. The thistle, according to Stickrod, is of high priority for researchers because it grows in tidal marshes, which are affected heavily by climate change and rising sea levels.

The species hasn’t been studied much by others, leaving many open questions about its genetics, population and ecology — factors that would already be known for most plants, he said.

The primary focus of my research started with me taking a more broad look at the marsh, [asking myself] why is [the Suisun thistle] endangered?” Stickrod said. “Why can it only be found in these tiny pockets of land?”

Stickrod’s study began with him looking into the dispersal dynamics, which is how all plant species spread out within the marsh.

“I’ve taken soil seed bank cores, which

Suisun thistles, now endangered, grow in tidal marshes located in the Bay Area. They are especially vulnerable the effects of climate change. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Stickrod)

means you take multiple soil cores at different parts of the marsh that correspond to different levels of daily inundations,” Stickrod said. “As the tides come in, the marsh gets submerged, so you get these zones that start to show what things can grow there.”

These observations of the tidal marsh started to show predictable vegetation patterns highlighting main areas where the Suisun thistle would grow.

“The thistles tend to only occur in the middle areas of the marsh,” Stickrod said. “Looking at the soil seed banks there’s plenty of seeds sitting in the soil, but only a handful of them are

SF’s push for zero plastic

SPORTS EDITOR Jimmy DeRogatis jderogatis@mail.sfsu.edu

COPY EDITOR Cody McFarland cmcfarla@mail.sfsu.edu PHOTO EDITOR Paige Acosta racosta3@mail.sfsu.edu

XPRESS ADVISERS PRINT ADVISER

Gary Moskowitz gmoskowitz@sfsu.edu

MULTIMEDIA ADVISER Sachi Cunnigham sachic@sfsu.edu

PHOTO ADVISER

Kim Komenich komenich@sfsu.edu

@ggxnews @ggxnews

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able to germinate successfully within those zones. Looking at how the seeds are dispersed we’re hoping to find out what’s limiting the thistle, what’s stopping it from growing throughout certain areas of the marsh.”

The use of a broader scale experiment, Stickrod said, will help the lab pinpoint what’s affecting the population growth of the thistle.

Stickrod said he and his colleagues hope that by the end of the study they’ll be able to take all their research and create a long-term management plan for the Suisun thistle.

BY KARAMEL NUNEZ MARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

Mason jars filled with with plastic straws at Java Beach Cafe. (Photo by Sandy Scarpa/ Golden Gate Xpress)

an Francisco instituted its newest regulations to reduce single-use plastics within city limits.

The Plastic, Litter and Toxics Reduction Law prohibits food and beverage vendors, event producers and retailers from distributing any single-use plastic ware or accessories.

After nearly three years of work the Surfrider Foundation, a team of scientific, environmental and legal experts who work both to protect the ocean’s marine life and raise enough awareness to further their movement in banning non-compostable items. The San Fran-

cisco chapter of the foundation has taken initiative by adopting laws that ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastic.

In addition to enforcing a reduction law, by Jan. 1 all straws and foodware sold or distributed in San Francisco have to be a certified product under the Biodegradable Products Institute.

Restaurants and shops on SF State’s campus have started to make the transition, joining the Vendor Sustainability Project. Places like the Gold Coast Grill have installed a self-service bar for utensils and napkins with signs di-

S

recting customers to ask workers for straws. Other shops like Natural Selections are posting the new regulations on the storefront informing customers of changes to come.

With new rules in place for food establishments to uphold, some smaller businesses in San Francisco are finding it more challenging to make the switch.

Maria Rocha, a supervisor at Noe Valley Bakery, said there is also a learning curve for customers.

“It’s a lot more difficult when the customers who are regulars come in,” Rocha said. “They’ll completely ignore the signs we’ve put up and ask why we didn’t give them a lid. And we now have to work out where to put compost bins in the front of the store so that customers throw things away properly.”

Changing products from plastic to a compostable material also means providing people with easily accessible bins to dispose of the items. Even though these materials are able to biodegrade, without being picked up and transferred to proper facilities, many of these items stay intact.

“We have a small bin for compost, but it’s kind of in the back of the store — I don’t know if people notice it or not,” Dani Lavelle, an employee at Subs Inc., said. “I also don’t know how much of our stuff is actually compostable or biodegradable…but most customers seem to just throw everything away into the trash regardless.”

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6•ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Student rapper balances school and music

BY BRIANA BATTLE STAFF REPORTER

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.P.E, also known as Ray Molano, began writing raps 15 years ago and has not looked back since. Just this past Friday, he dropped a track called “El Pensativo.” ​Molano, 26, is originally from San Jose, California. As a child, he listened to a lot of old school R&B, and he aspired to be a singer.

He would take his parents’ cassette tapes and record over them, singing along to The Temptations and Marvin Gaye. At the age of 11, he decided that he wanted to become a rapper. ​“The moment that I got my hands on 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’,’ and I saw the way that he put words together, I was like, that’s exactly what I want

Ray Molano, a student musician, stands with the gator statue. (Photo by William Wendelman / Golden Gate Xpress)

to do,” Molano said about the album that inspired him. ​Molano chose to come to SF State because of the College of Ethnic Studies and the school’s history of activism.

His interest in Latino studies was piqued when he took a Chicano Studies course at age 17.

He plans on graduating in spring 2020 as a Latino studies major with a minor in race and resistance studies. ​“I wanted to be around people that were actually in their communities doing the work as opposed to just talking or reading about it,” Molano said. “The research is important, but I just wanted to be active.”

Molano said his favorite part about

being a student at SF State is the people. After graduating, he plans to focus fully on making music. ​“One of the things that I heard from one of the professors is that when it comes to grad school, you have to want it, and if you don’t want it, don’t pursue it,” Molano said. “And what I really, really want is music, so everything is going into my music and my career after I graduate.”

When he was younger, Molano ​ wasn’t the best student. He wasn’t interested in the things he was taught in school, and spent most of his time with headphones in, listening to music. ​In his music, Molano usually writes about his life experiences. Recently,

for the first time, he wrote a song in the moment instead of after the fact. ​“I’m somebody who overthinks quite a bit and is very, very anxious, so writing like that is really new to me,” he said about writing his new song. “I’m not really good at writing like that because I’m always just in the moment, and I can’t sit down and write, but this time, yeah, I was able to write something that was in the moment.”

His music is currently available on multiple streaming platforms, including Spotify, Soundcloud and Google Play. Information about Molano and his work can be found at www.alwaysprotectagainstevil.com.

‘It’ should leave it in the past in Chapter Two

BY ANDREW R. LEAL OPINION EDITOR

“

It Chapter Two,” a horror movie with few scary moments and even more laughs, is out in theaters this week. The movie is a sequel to the 2017 movie “It.” Both movies are adaptations of the 1986 Stephen King horror novel “It,” which is about a monster that takes the form of a clown named Pennywise and uses fear to kill kids in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, as was the plot of the first film.

Twenty-seven years later the clown is back and draws the kids, now adults, back to Derry to deal with it once and for all in Chapter Two. Director Andrés Muschietti and screenwriter Gary Dauberman, who both worked on the first movie, return to their roles in “It Chapter Two.” Chapter Two fails as a sequel to its predecessor because so much time is dedicated to explaining what happened in the past and no time is dedicated to properly flesh out the characters as adults.

The film picks up with every member of the Losers Club promising to return to their hometown if Pennywise ever returns to take his revenge.

“It Chapter Two” brings us into a reality where the kids have grown up and put the terror from the first film behind them. But when Pennywise sum-

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mons the outcasts, they are forced to reunite and the long-awaited ensemble stumbles incoherently toward a sloppy reunion.

After 27 years without contact, the Losers Club are forced to rectify why such a tight-knit group became strangers in adulthood, forcing them to confront the shared trauma they have all repressed and forgotten.

The events are awkwardly mixed up every time the film cuts back and forth from the adventures of the adult Losers to the experiences of their younger selves.

The directors should have commited to one of two things: the adults fighting Pennywise or the town dealing with the horrific trauma dealt to its community so long ago. Either story would have been a good movie to make, but unfortunately, they chose neither.

But there are good moments in “It Chapter Two.” The movie shines best when the adults are together. They all play off each other nicely. This probably wasn’t hard for James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain, since the two also starred in this year’s X-Men movie, “Dark Phoenix.”

Every actor effectively portrays the aged version of their younger counterpart from the first movie. Not only do the adults have the look, but their mannerisms match too. Adult Eddie, played by James Ransone, is the spitting image of the hypochondriac kid por-

trayed by Jack Dylan Grazer in “It.” Bill Hader, who really captivates the audience with his spot-on take on Richie, is the comedic driving force. But the jokes aren’t squarely left to him.

“It Chapter Two” doles out many comedic moments, but does so at the expense of its horror. There is a surprise death scene in the tail end of the film, but it ends with a joke about an outdated 80s haircut that ruins the weight of the otherwise scary scene.

Pennywise is not pulling any punches when he terrorizes the Losers as adults, but the scares mostly end up being creepy or weird and not really horror-esque when the movie has time for him. He is best used when scaring new kids.

The jump scares are all that is truly scary about “It Chapter Two.” “It Chapter Two” is a definite watch if you’re a fan of the first film and are intrigued to learn how the story ends, but has less appeal to casual moviegoers and traditional horror fans.

If you like comedy over scares in horror movies, want to see more of the kids from the first movie and don’t mind sitting through almost three hours of conflicting narratives, go see “It Chapter Two.”

9/9/19 8:44 PM

OPINION•7

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019

Cannabis prohibition, its politics and historical racist undertones

BY KERASA DIMITRIOS TSOKAS STAFF REPORTER

W

hen it comes to the judicial system, race stands as a sort of systematic barrier for people of color. You can look to examples like the differences in crack vs. powder cocaine; but in most recent years the most glaring case of this discrepancy has become obvious: the marijuana industry.

Black and white people smoke marijuana at roughly the same rate, black smokers at 14% and white smokers at 12%, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Black people, however, are 3.73 times more likely to get arrested for marijuana.

The war on drugs and its connection to black people is nothing new, thanks to past administrations in the United States government.

“We knew we couldn’t make it il-

legal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities.”

That quote is from Nixon’s advisor, John Ehrlichman, who is said to have simply shrugged after revealing this information.

This action of setting black people up for failure is still present in today’s society. Police officers will purposefully put blunts and even meth inside someone’s car or pocket to be able to arrest them. More often than not, these people are black.

The legalization of marijuana remains as a long-standing debate between politicians, citizens and the marijuana industry itself.

Out of the 25 potential candidates for the 2020 presidential

election, 19 support federal legalization of weed. The support for federal legalization of marijuana was not always this widespread though.

While more high-profile crimes are going on in cities, police forces use billions of federal dollars to make arrests against marijuana users and sellers. A lot of money is also being given to keep these marijuana offenders behind bars.

Center for American Progress estimates that legalizing marijuana would save about a total net amount of $13.7 billion dollars. This would, in turn, send more than 650,000 students to public universities every year simply because of the enforcement decrease and tax revenue.

While some candidates have dipped their toes into the debate over taxing marijuana or for favorability within the race, some candidates have been backing marijuana legalization for years.

Beto O’Rourke, Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders are three candidates who have been longterm marijuana supporters.

“Our criminalization of it seems stupid and racist, particularly now that it’s legal in some states,” Yang says on his website.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classifies marijuana, along with heroin, LSD and ecstasy, as Schedule 1 drugs.

Schedule 1 drugs are defined as having a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use or chance to be researched.

Sanders even voiced his concern with this scheduling by stating, “right now, marijuana is listed by the federal government as a Schedule 1 drug — meaning that it is considered to be as dangerous as heroin. That is absurd.”

DNC debates requires primary changes

BY ANDREW R. LEAL OPINION EDITOR

T

he deadline to qualify for the third round of Democractic primary debates passed on Aug. 27, with 10 candidates making the cut. Among the presidential hopefuls left out was Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who technically failed to meet the requirements laid out by the Democratic National Committee.

Arbitrary rules excluded her from the debate, rules set to prevent underdogs from competing with established candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

The DNC must broaden the ways candidates can qualify by accepting more polls and looking for other means of measuring popularity. This time around, scrutiny is on democrats to show that they aren’t rigging the democratic primary process.

The 2016 general election was riddled with skepticism about the legitimacy of the American voting process due to Russian interference, which led to a two-year-plus investigation, mean-

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Democratuc presidential candidates answer a question by a show of hands on the first night of the DNC debate June 26, 2019. Photo courtesy of PBS.

while DNC members worked internally to suppress one candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, in favor of another, Hillary Clinton, who ended up being the democratic nominee, according to reports from the Washington Post.

The DNC seems unable to understand there is scrutiny surrounding it this time around. To qualify for the third round of democratic primary debates, candidates needed to have at least 130,000 individual donors and to poll at least 2% in four different DNC approved organizations, according to rules set in May 2019. The specific type of polls would come from national organizations or states that include Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and/or Nevada.

No specific reasons have indicated the approved polls were chosen over others. And the burden on how a poll is determined to be legitimate, since that would be a concern, should be on the DNC to accept or deny with clear reason given why.

Gabbard, a low-profile representa-

tive from Hawaii before the 2020 primary, met the donor requirement, but had just two qualifying polls in before the deadline. If it weren’t for the DNC limiting the number of polls to 20 approved organizations, Gabbard would have qualified based on more than two dozen other national and early state polls, according to The Hill.

Two from the list of polling organizations include the Boston Globe and The Economist, which are both reputable entities, but apparently not in the eyes of the DNC. Surely, the DNC should include polling from news organizations with a legacy of trust in its list of approved organizations.

But, if established news organizations aren’t enough for the DNC, how about the world’s largest search engine?

After the second round of democratic primary debates, which had notable democrats like Sen. Kamala Harris and Biden, Gabbard was the most searched candidate in all 50 states, ac-

cording to Google Trends.

If the most searched candidate on Google is shut out from the debates, the DNC needs to look at its debate qualifications from this point on. Yet, Gabbard will not be on stage Sept. 12 for the third round of debates.

MATTER OF FACT It is Xpress policy to acknowledge inaccuracies.

In the Aug. 27 issue of Xpress, a photo caption misidentified a man named Kyle Crier as Miles. Another photo caption misspelled Reginald Parson as Reginold. Xpress regrets these errors.

To get in contact with the newsroom, please email ggxnewsroom@gmail.com.

9/9/19 8:44 PM

8•SPORTS

TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2019 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Volleyball secures season opening sweep

BY JIMMY DEROGATIS SPORTS EDITOR

S

F State Women’s Volleyball team came away with a split decision on Friday in a twogame matchup on day one of last weekend’s Seaside Invitational at the Golden Gymnasium in San Diego.

The Gators started strong once again to start the 2019 season, sweeping Southern Nazarene 26-24, 25-20, 2518 in match number one, before losing the finale of the Friday tournament to Matilda Cassel Ledin plays against the Regis Rangers in Denver, Colorado for their debut game Point Loma, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22.

Sept. 6, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Christine Jacobsen) With a season opening sweep, the Gators now have five consecutive regular season victories going back to last season as well as securing their third consecutive season opening victory.

Fourth year head coach Matt Hoffman, along with emerging star and

Gators start season with draw in Denver

BY ALONSO FRIAS STAFF REORTER

T

he women’s soccer team traveled over 1,250 miles for their opening season game against the Regis Rangers in Denver, resulting in a 1–1 draw.

Going in, head coach Brittany Cameron wanted to bring the ideology that the distance traveled shouldn’t affect the team.

“It’s the same game we play every day, one ball [and] two goals ... We have great core team principles that the team has set in place to be successful,” Cameron said.

Cameron, a former professional goalkeeper and University of San Diego graduate, joined the women’s soccer staff in spring 2018, and was promoted to head coach in June.

leader of the team, senior middle blocker Bailey Johnson, were a motivating force behind this year’s Women’s Volleyball team. Johnson’s kill provided the offense early for the Gators, followed by freshman Trinity Barr with her first recorded kill in her collegiate volleyball debut. The Gators would go on to lead by a score of 3-1 following the Barr kill. Hoffman had some inspiring words for the newcomer Barr.

“Trinity had a good first day for us, she played well. I feel like when she starts to go out there and get a little more comfortable, competing a little bit more, it can only keep getting better for her from here,” Hoffman said. “What impressed me about our win was that we really played our style of game that we wanted to play, we play with a lot of grit, and really fought through some tough moments.”

The Rangers scored first at the 37th Morgan Spears, freshmen, dives for the ball alongside Jade Gillespie, junior at the Seaside Invitaminute with a goal from Carly Bych. tional. (Photo courtesy of Christine Jacobsen) The equalizer from the Gators came at the 56th minute from Matilda Cassel Ledin, a junior and international relations major.

SF State showed persistence throughout the course of the game, taking a total of seven shots and two corner kicks. Cameron said she felt “great about starting off” and that the “team has been coming together.”

The Gators had one day of rest in Colorado and then had their next game on Sunday against the Colorado School of Mines, 13 miles west in Golden, Colorado. The Gators fought hard at Stermole Soccer Stadium but lost 2-0.

The Women Gators will return to host The Academy of Art this Wednesday 11 a.m. at Cox Stadium.

The Antonio Brown saga: A tantrum that propels a franchise, plummets another

BY DIEGO FELIX STAFF REPORTER

I

n a dramatic affair fit for a Shakesperian tale, the Oakland Raiders released Antonio Brown just for him to sign with NFL’s regal dynasty, the New England Patriots a couple of hours later.

The drama started with Brown missing Raider’s training camp in August due to a foot injury, which was later revealed to be severe frostbite.

On Aug. 9, he filed a helmet grievance against the NFL, attempting to wear the old helmet he wore throughout his career. This issue flared into threats about retirement, leading him to skip team practice in protest.

Mike Mayock, the general manager of the Oakland Raiders, talked to reporters, saying the team supported Brown’s decision over the helmet dispute. But they did not support missing practice, especially with a new team.

“So, from our perspective, it’s time for him to be all in or all out,” Mayock said.

On Aug. 22, Brown missed a walkthrough when the Raiders traveled to Winnipeg for their second preseason

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game against the Green Bay Packers, which ultimately resulted in Brown receiving a fine.

In response, Brown posted a letter on his Instagram from Mayock about being fined $40,000 for missing practice on Aug. 18, and $13,950 for missing a walk-through on Aug. 22. Brown wrote in the caption in all caps, “When your team want to hate but there’s no stopping me now devil is a lie. Everyone got to pay this year so we clear.”

Reportedly, Brown confronted Mayock during practice and got into a heated argument where teammates had to separate the two men. Brown called Mayock a “cracker,” threatened to punch him in the face and ultimately punted a football, telling Mayock, “Fine me for that!” according to a report.

On Sept. 5, reports surfaced that the Raiders would either suspend Brown or release him. Brown did not attend Thursday’s practice.

On Sept. 6, ESPN Josina Anderson reported that Brown was back on Friday and issued an apology to the team with the captains standing with him.

Head coach Jon Gruden responded that Brown would not be suspended and is cleared to play against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

It seemed as if the storm had finally passed right before their season debut.

But Brown posted another video on his Instagram that seems to show a recorded phone conversation he had with coach Gruden about his state of mind, and if he really wants to be a Raider.

There’s no confirmation about when the phone call took place. On Saturday morning, Brown asked the Raiders via Instagram to release him after he learned that his contract was no longer guaranteed.

Brown signed a three-year, $50.125 million deal with Oakland March 13 including $30.125 million guaranteed.

“I’m not mad at anyone. I’m just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong. Release me @raiders,” he wrote on Instagram.

The Raiders announced that they released the disgruntled wide receiver just three hours after his social media post.

Then, before any bar stool fan could joke about how Bill Belichick and his unwashed hoodie will swoop up Brown for mere pennies, it happened. The rich got richer, feasting on the spoils of war without confrontation.

Brown signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the New England Patriots, who are now the favorites to win the Super Bowl for a seventh time. On the verge of greatness, timeless Tom Brady and company are poised for their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, a feat only the Bills of the 90s accomplished.

This deja vu moment is eerily similar to Randy Moss’ signing with the Pats in 2007 after leaving Oakland in a hot mess of boiling drama. A league record 23 touchdowns and a perfect regular season later, football fans are biting their tongues to see if another scrappy underdog can end this regal dynasty just for one year, just like in 2007.

9/9/19 8:44 PM