NEWS: AB5 affects more than just Uber
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LIFE: #FridayForFuture Page 4
City Times
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Covering the San Diego City College community since 1945
Volume 74, Issue 1 | September 24, 2019
CAFETERIABEGINSFOODSERVICETHISSEMESTER Ci ty College fa ci ng i ssues w i th ca feter i a openi ng, w hi ch w a s expected ea r ly fa ll B Y A NGE L CAZARE S Arts & Culture Editor
an Diego City College students will have to wait longer to get a fr esh meal fr om the cafeter ia. City College has lacked a cafeter ia for year s and multiple pr ojected deadlines have been missed. Despite that, ther e is a r eason for the delayed r e-opening. Over thr ee year s ago, students wer e told that the cafeter ia was shut down due to r enovations on the A building. However, the r oof of the cafeter ia was the main concer n, accor ding to Chr is Manis, the vice chancellor of facilities management for the San Diego Community College College Distr ict. ?That r oof is the main r eason why I had to close down building D," Manis said. "I can?t have people oper ating inside while that r oof is tor n." Par t of the r eason for the cafeter ia?s r etur n is the completion of the A, D and T buildings r enovation pr oject. However, it is not specifically listed as a pr oject in the plans. What is listed is the r eplacement of the ceiling due to r oof leakage. After wor k began, it was discover ed that a total electr ical r ewir ing of the
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building would be r equir ed, as well as new car pets, lights and air conditioning units. The cafeter ia is not listed as a pr oject in the moder nization of the ADT buildings due to budget. Most of the funding budgeted or iginally was dedicated to r enovating the ADT buildings and child development center, leaving funding for the kitchen at a low pr ior ity due to it not being an official pr oject. Recently the r eopening was delayed again for the fall semester due to the outdated kitchen equipment and the need to find r eplacement par ts. That was complicated by r egulations, along with having to buy those par ts fr om specific vendor s. Accor ding to Manis, the cafeter ia may not be fully open until midsemester. ?I believe the appr oach is that equipment has been pr ior itized and you will see phases wher e the pizza will be offer ed, then the soup and sandwiches, and will slowly integr ate into the kitchen,? he said. Manis didn?t have a specific date but gave a time window of eight weeks wher e students should star t seeing some of these options offer ed.
Students eat lunch in the remodeled dining area of the City College cafeteria. Food service is expected to roll out midway through the fall semester. Photoby Aurora Ruvalcaba/ City Times
STUDENTSFACEFINANCIALHURDLES City College financial aid offices experience delays B Y J AD E B E NN Staff Writer
an Diego City College students ar e dealing with student aid delays due to unfor eseen technical difficulties. ?As of Sept. 9, ... the Cal Gr ant is cur r ently on hold for two to thr ee weeks for technical difficulties,? wr ote the San Diego Community College Distr ict in an email. Students wer e notified that, ?I f you meet all eligibility cr iter ia for Cal Gr ant B or C, you will not see the awar d on your Student Por tal nor in your Financial Aid awar d letter at this time.? The email also stated that the Cal Gr ant awar d disbur sement date is estimated to be no later than Oct. 4. ?(I t is a known) multiweek pr ocess, but it all depends on the time you file and the following pr ocessing time,? said I tza Vilaboy, a student ser vices assistant in the Financial Aid Office.
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Expect a long line when visiting the financial aid office in the opening weeks of the fall term. But that is exactly where students should go if they are experiencing a delay in their financial aid awards. Photo by Aurora Ruvalcaba/ City Times
The Fall 2019 Student Success Completion Gr ant, which is deter mined by Cal Gr ant eligibility, has also been affected and is expected to be deter mined by Oct. 7, with an anticipated disbur sement date of Oct. 18. ?Cir cumstances change, fundings can change, schools change,? Vilaboy said. ?(Dealing with) the communication guidelines, I encour age them to come into the Financial Aid Office or check SDCCD accounts (for mor e infor mation).? Although the Cal Gr ant is a par t of a student?s financial aid package, the campus Financial Aid Office does not pr ocess Cal Gr ant awar ds. ?The emails are related to the Cal Grant, not financial aid,? Vilaboy said. ?It is not a delay. The office disburses before ever y semester. I encour age students to stay tuned to the financial aid website. Offices always disbur se 30 days into the semester.? See F I NANCI AL AI D , page 2
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CITYLIFE
F I NANCI AL AI D Continued from page 1 The Financial Aid Office is open on campus Monday thr ough Thur sday fr om 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fr idays fr om 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Depar tment of Education disper ses the financial aid checks, as it is r elated to the feder al gover nment. Cal Gr ant and fee waiver s ar e all placed under state fees. I f you ar e inter ested in mor e infor mation, visit fafsa.ed.gov.
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sdcitytimes.com | September 24, 2019
CITYTIMESGETSAHOME B Y D I ANGE L A VE RAS Managing Editor
t has been a year of change for City College. The campus has tr ansitioned into its newly r enovated spaces in the A, D and T buildings after a massive two-year constr uction pr oject. I t also means the City Times staff finally has a new home. The City Times, as well as the Digital Journalism pr ogr am as a whole, is now housed in L -117, taking over a space that had pr eviously been the home of EOPS. ?Fr om the moment I came to City College, I have wanted to give the Digital Journalism students a place they could call their own, a home away fr om home on campus,? said pr ofessor and adviser Nicole Vargas, who was hir ed to take over the Digital Journalism pr ogr am a year ago. ?We ar e so happy to finally be her e.? For adjunct journalism pr ofessor Roman S. Koenig,it was a movea long time in the making. Over ten year s ago, Koenig ser ved as journalism adviser and was par t of the committee that planned the r emodel of the spaces for the Digital Journalism and Radio, Television and Film depar tments, which also included a newsr oom for City Times. ?I t was a no- br ainer,? he said about the decision. ?I could not have designed a better space.? I t would be much longer befor e the pr ogr am was actually permitted to move. But with just over a month in its new home, the City Times is up to speed with other student- r un publications in the state. ?The (pr ogr ams) you take ser iously have facilities like this,?Koenig said. Ther e is no question you ar e in the newsr oom fr om the moment you enter the space, thanks to a custom sign and awar ds hanging on the walls. Ar ound the corner is a classr oom, a separ ate newsr oom and r epor ter s wor k stations. Small offices for faculty and editor s r ing the space, as does a multimedia pr oduction studio. After minor r enovations and the addition of a few personal touches, Vargas has a newsr oom fit not only for the staff of the City Times, but also for students fr om SDS Radio and Newscene.Students fr om all thr ee media organizations ar e invited to enjoy the collabor ative wor k space called the student media lounge.
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sdcitytimes.com September 24, 2019 | Volume74, Number 1
SONNYGARIBAY
MONICA PULIDO
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DIANGELAVERAS ManagingEditor
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NICOLEVARGAS Adviser
Copy Editor
MELISA CABELLO-CUAHUTLE
CITYTIMESSTAFF
NEWSEditor
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ANGEL CAZARES ArtsandCultureEditor
VICKYPINEDA SportsEditor
PublishedasTheJay Sees(1945-1949), Fortknightly(1949-1978), City Times(1978-present). IncorporatingnewspapersTecolote, Knight Owl &Flicks. District policy statement: Thispublicationisproduced asalearningexperienceunder SanDiegoCityCollege?sDigital Journalismprogram. All materials, includingopinionsexpressedherein, arethesole responsibilityof thestudentsandshouldnot beinterpreted tobethoseof thecollegedistrict, itsofficersor employees.
Studentsinterested injoiningthestaff of theCityTimes shouldenroll inDigital Journalism(DJRN) 210, Reporting losMonterosFunck, Mikal Garcia, andEditing. Thecourseisoffered inboth thefall andthe Madai Gurrola, Aurora springacademic terms. Studentsmayalsocontributeto Ruvalcaba, Lacey Stefano, Valerie theCity Times throughanapproved honorscontract Vizcarra. experience.
A custom sign welcomesvisitorsto the new City Timesnewsroom. Photo by Diangela Veras/ City Times
Additions to the newsroom put City Times on par with other student-run publications in the state. Photo by Diangela Veras/ City Times
Duringthefall 2019 semester, theCity Timeswill publish Howtoreachus: onlineregularly, or as newsbreaks, onsdcitytimes.com CityTimes startingTuesday, Aug. 20. SanDiegoCityCollege 1313 Park Blvd. | San Diego, CA92101 Newsroom: L-117 TheCity Timeswill publishamonthlyprint editions throughout thefall term, startinginSeptember. Legend E-mail: citytimes@gmail.com magazinewill publishonceinNovember.
Memberships: Signedopinions arethoseof theindividual writersand do JournalismAssociationof Community Colleges not necessarily represent thoseof theentirenewspaper CaliforniaCollegeMediaAssociation staff, City Collegeadministration, facultyandstaff or the Associated CollegiatePress SanDiegoCommunity CollegeDistrict Board of Trustees. CaliforniaNewspaper Publishers Association Letterstotheeditor: Letterstotheeditor arewelcome, 350 wordsor less. The staff reserves theright toedit for grammar, spelling, Designedentirely inthe punctuationandlength.
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CITYNEWS CALIFORNIAAB5 WILLHAVEEFFECTSFARBEYONDUBER 3
sdcitytimes.com | September 24, 2019
Governor passes independent contractor bill B Y SONNY GARI BAY Editor-in-Chief
alifor nia Gover nor Gavin Newsom signed into law Califor nia Assembly Bill 5 on Sept. 18, effectively r estr uctur ing the gig economy that many City College students r ely on for income. The bill, sponsor ed and wr itten by assemblyper son L or ena Gonzalez of Califor nia?s 80th Distr ict in San Diego, would r equir e employer s to r eclassify cur r ent independent contr actor s and fr eelancer s as employees with access to benefits if their duties fall within the usual cour se of the employer ?s business. ?Today we ar e disr upting the status quo and taking a bold step for war d to r ebuild our middle class and r eshape the futur e of wor ker s as we know it,? Gonzalez said in a statement after the bill was signed. ?As one of the str ongest economies in the wor ld, Califor nia is now setting the global standar d for State legislation designed to limit who can be classified as independent contractors could impact Uber and Lyft wor ker pr otections for other states and driversand riders, like those pictured near the campusof City College. Photoby Aurora Ruvalcaba/ City Times countr ies to follow.? with one another and tr y to keep shar e- r ights, ever y one of our jobs is at stake, The goal of the bill, Gonzalez said, is to holder s happy. even mine because we will all become pr event the exploitation of Californians ?I t pr eser ves our cur r ent union demand-wor ker s.? wor king in the gig economy, including jobs,? Gonzalez said about the bill at a AB5 has been cr iticized by many of the dr iver s for companies such as Uber and pr o-union r ally in July. ?Because I guar- wor ker s it intends to help, both people L yft. Many of these wor ker s have seen antee you, if the new nor mal is that if I who pr efer the flexibility of being their pay cut as the companies compete hir e you over an app, you have no independent contr actor s and those who
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ar e afr aid they may lose their gigs as a r esult. Both major r ideshar e companies have indicated that the passage of the bill may mean that it is no longer pr ofitable to offer service in r ur al areas. Some of these communities may lose access to r idesharing altogether. The bill pr ovides exemptions for individuals in cer tain industr ies, including insur ance salespeople, doctor s and br oker s, but would r equir e most employer s, such as the owner s of salons and bar ber shops, to fully hir e and pr ovide benefits to wor ker s if they do not get to set their own r ates. The sudden incr ease in the cost of hir ing wor ker s may lead to job losses in industr ies that have not been exempted. Uber has maintained that it has no intention of hir ing full- time dr iver s, ar guing that as a tech company, dr iving falls outside of the cour se of their usual business. I t will look for alter native methods to maintain the status of its wor kfor ce, accor ding to Uber ?s chief legal officer. Uber has also combined for ces with L yft and Door Dash. The thr ee companies have vowed to pool together $90 million to suppor t a ballot measur e against AB5.
If AB5 w ou ld ch an ge you r em ploym en t st at u s, or im pact you in an ot h er w ay, Cit y Tim es w an t s t o h ear you r st or y. Please em ail cit yt im es@gm ail.com w it h you r n am e an d a br ief descr ipt ion of w h at AB5 w ou ld m ean f or you . You m ay be con t act ed by a Cit y Tim es r epor t er an d you r st or y m ay be u sed in f u t u r e r epor t in g.
STUDENTS, COMMUNITYJAMWITHCITYMUSIC City College music program holds monthly studio recording event for students, community members B Y A NGE L CARAZE S Arts & Culture Editor
or Jackson Taylor, r unning a pr ofessional mixer dur ing a live r ecor ding session is like piloting an air plane. ?(You just have to) keep at it," Taylor said. "I t's all about consistency and putting in hour s just like you would fly a jet.? Students may know about the music pr ogr am at San Diego City College. However, many don?t know about the unique oppor tunities it pr ovides students and community member s. One event that br ings together both is gr owing in popular ity. The Community Recor ding Studio Night br ings together music enthusiasts of all ages to par ticipate in a pr ofessional jam session, using City College?s state- of- the- ar t r ecor ding studio. The event offer s the community a chance to exper ience the music studio and equipment, which r ange fr om the S6 Avid Soundboar d to a wide var iety of instr uments. I t also pr ovides an oppor tunity to ear n the pr ocess of r ecor ding on pr ofessional equipment in a fun envir onment. Taylor, who also goes by Pr oducer
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Emr y, has been involved with the music pr ogr am for a year and has a passion for r ecor ding. Jackson gains valuable hands- on exper ience ever y month as he r uns the boar d for the Community Recor ding Studio Night. He was offer ed his cur r ent position after a pr ofessor noticed that he was taking an inter est in the pr oduction side of r ecor ding and shadowed pr evious r ecor ding technicians. Taylor sees the Community Recor ding Studio Night as a test of his skills. The exper ience has been str essful but r ewar ding as Taylor wor ked the soundboar d with a gr oup of people he didn't know. The fir st Community Recor ding Studio Night was held last spr ing. The event is held monthly this fall and par ticipants have cover ed songs fr om ar tists like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. ?About 20 - 30 students and community member s par ticipated in the (last) event,? music pr ofessor Michael Espar wr ote in an email. This month's studio night will be held on Oct. 2 fr om 5-8 p.m. in r oom C-208. The gr oup will r ecor d a cover of Car los Santana?s hit, ?Black Magic Woman,? in honor of L atinx Her itage Month.
Jackson Taylor controls the soundboard in the music production studio at City College. Photo by Angel Cazares/ City Times
CITYLIFE INFRARED-EQUIPPEDSNACKMACHINESARRIVEATCITY 4
sdcitytimes.com | September 24, 2019
San Diego Community College District confident in protecting privacy of students B Y SCOTT GARD I NI E R Copy Editor
mar t Mar ket vending machines, equipped with camer as, infr ar ed sensor s and finger pr int scanner s, wer e placed in the bottom of the S building over the summer, pr oviding students and faculty with easy access to food items like bottled dr inks, packaged salads and r eady- made sandwiches. ?I think it honestly makes it easier,? City College fr eshman Matthew Flander s said. ?For some vending machines, you pay for it and it won?t dr op or whatnot. I think these ar e a pr etty cool idea. I don?t have a pr oblem with it.? Still, the machines have r aised pr ivacy concer ns as companies tr eat consumer s? per sonal data as a commodity and schools acr oss the countr y tur n to technology such as facial r ecognition to enhance secur ity. To use these machines, students can cr eate an account online at smar tmkt.com or at the kiosk with cash or car d, r egister their finger pr int for convenience, or use their cr edit car d to make a quick pur chase. After ver ifying payment, the door of the machines unlocks, allowing the customer to take the items they want
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dir ectly off of the shelf r ather than waiting for a vending machine to dispense one item at a time. I nfr ar ed sensor s inside the machines ar e designed to monitor each pur chase to ensur e you ar e char ged only for the items you take out. ?Payment infor mation is maintained confidentially and in accor dance with all applicable laws, r egulations and payment car d industr y data secur ity standar ds r elated to the pr otection of car dholder data,? wr ote Jack Ber esfor d, communications dir ector for San Diego Community College Distr ict, in an email. Camer a footage is r ecor ded only dur ing tr ansactions for secur ity pur poses. The footage is not networ ked or shar ed and is deleted after 30 days, the email also stated. Some r etail Smar t Mar ket machines ar e equipped with iVend softwar e that collects data to be used for adver tising and tar get mar keting. However, accor ding to Ber esfor d, iVend is not installed on these machines. ?The feedback we have r eceived so A San DiegoCity College student usesthe Smart Market vending machine. Photo by Sonny Garibay/ City Times far has been ver y positive,? Ber esfor d r educe the impact the unfinished S building was chosen because of the wr ote. shor t window between classes that The Smar t Mar ket smar t vending cafeter ia will have on students. Vice Pr esident of Administr ative many science students have. machines wer e added as a way to Ser vices Roxann Solis explained the
ICYMI: CITYCOLLEGEPROTESTSLACKOFACTIONON CLIMATECHANGEASPARTOF#FRIDAYFORFUTURE B Y M E L I SA CABE L L O - CUAH UTL E News Editor
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an Diego City College students and faculty joined millions around the world in a climate strike that took place on Friday, Sept. 20. Students fr om City College wer e joined by those fr om other community colleges and Mission Bay High School at Mission Bay to pr otest the lack of gover nmental action against climate change. The climate strike was part of a series of marches called # FridaysForFuture, or ganized by teen activist Gr eta Thunber g. Thunber g star ted pr otesting in 2018 in her hometown of Stockholm, Sweden, becoming a vir al sensation on social media. She is known for her bluntness and deter mination to stop the climate crisis, unwilling to back down or change tone even when talking to a U.S. congressman. ?I f you belong to the small number of people who feel thr eatened by us, then we have some ver y bad news for you: ??This is just the beginning. Change is coming - like it or not,? Thunber g posted on I nstagr am. Over four million people fr om over 150 countr ies mar ched. Although it was a youth mar ch, people fr om all ages par ticipated. ?I t?s our Ear th, it?s our issue,? said Nick Acosta, a City College public policy student. ?With us, in our age, it?s our future, so no one could voice our opinions better than us.?
UPCOMING GAMES WOMEN'SVOLLEYBALL SEPT. 24 VS. SOUTHWESTERN@5 P.M. SEPT. 27VS. IMPERIALVALLEY@5 P.M. OCT. 7VS. MIRAMAR@6 P.M.
WOMEN'SSOCCER OCT. 1VS. PALOMAR@3 P.M. OCT. 4 VS. MIRAMAR@3 P.M. OCT. 11VS. IMPERIALVALLEY@3 P.M.
MEN'SSOCCER Two young women protest the lack of governmental action at the #FridayforFuture March that took place at Mission Bay on Friday, Sept. 20. Photoby Melisa Cabello-Cuahutle/ City Times
Although hopeful, students and faculty agr eed climate change is an issue to be active on. ?We have to be mor e involved as City College to br ing attention to the climate cr isis, to be mor e active," said Sabine Kur zSher man, pr ofessor of micr obiology and envir onmental science. "The leader s of City College (need to) br ing in the students, or vice ver sa, the students have to br ing the leader s of City College, because r ight now the leader s of City College ar e not doing anything.?
?I f we give up and stop fighting, it?s over ? ," Acosta said. "We have to believe we can do this and we have to act on that belief. The moment we stop fighting, it?s the moment this is all wor thless." I nter national str ikes will continue dur ing the week as people continue to demand changes in policies to fight climate change.
SEPT. 27VS. SANTIAGOCANYON@4 P.M. OCT. 4 VS. SOUTHWESTERN@1P.M. OCT. 8 VS. MESA@3 P.M.
Compiled by Vicky Pineda, Sports Editor