Spartan Daily Vol. 162 No. 31

By Kaya Henkes-Power STAFF WRITER

a mile from San José State on Wednesday evening.

The conditional permit that was unanimously approved will double the square footage of the property and remove two billboards, a 800-square-foot storage building and a tree, according to the agenda of the City of San José.

Conditional permits allow a city to examine special uses that could be essential or wanted in an area, according to training by the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research.

The current square footage of

the area is 1,200 square feet and will increase to 3,183 square feet, according to the same agenda.

Angela Wang, the planning project manager, spoke about the project and what would come from this permit.

“This conditional use permit is also to allow early morning operations of the new convenience store,” Wang said.

This permit is also to approve the sales of beer and wine in the area, according to the agenda of the City of San José. “The police department has revealed the project is neutral to the sale of alcohol and the early morning operation hours,” Wang said.

She said there is a mitigation management and operations plan prepared for this project. Mitigation plans help to create

a foundation for a community to reduce losses, reconstruction and damage, according to a California Governor's Office of Emergency Services webpage.

Similarly, operational planning is when a department works to employ a strategic plan, according to the webpage by Planful.

“The plan includes measures such as installing security cameras, cleaning trash and graffiti,” Wang said.

She said the plan also includes a staff training program to ensure there is no detriment to the general welfare of the area or its residents.

Wang said there will be a total of 2,000 square-foot sales area with 110-square feet dedicated to beer and wine sales.

Armando Gomez, a representative from Robinson

Oil Corporation, spoke to the planning commission about the history of the business.

“Robinson Oil Corporation manages about 40 different Rotten Robbies,” Gomez said.

He said the company has been in operation for 75 years and is based in Santa Clara.

Sylvia Ornelas-Wise, vice chair of the planning commission of the City of San José, said she is concerned about the monitors on the gas pumps.

“The operations are so early in the morning and some (monitors) are so loud, (the businesses) have the volume up really loud for the neighborhood,” she said.

Erin Graziosi, president of Robinson Oil Corporation, said the current pumps will remain. “We’re not at this point

looking to replace the pumps,” Graziosi said. “Some of the new versions do have large screens, but at this time we have no plans to replace them.”

She said years ago they tried to replace the pumps, but received various neighborhood complaints and made the decision to shut them down.

“We’re kind of in the process of updating our brand and bringing those stores to meet today’s needs of our customers, employees and neighborhoods,” Gomez said.

#1: An array of silver and gold jewel studded rings rest inside a wooden display case at the Gershel Brothers table located on Seventh Street Plaza.

#2: Students wait in line and enjoy a sweet icy treat from the Kona Ice truck.

#3: Blue screen-painted sheets of paper hang on metal wire racks, outlined in words and shapes.

#4: Delicate hand-drawn greeting cards from Le Petit Elefant display colorful cartoons and sweet messages.

#5: A collection of green, gray, brown and black hats decorated with various icons sit alongside metal keychains on The Hungry Sloth table during the Night Market on Wednesday afternoon.

#6: Political science senior Olivia Markel and business marketing junior Katherine Galindo pour sand into their succulent bowls during the market.

New NFL rule could ruin the game

By Jonathan Canas STAFF WRITER

The NFL has once again shown why they should change their name to the “No Fun League.”

NFL owners unanimously approved a rule that bans the hip-drop tackle, according to a March 25 article by Associated Press News.

A hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps a ball carrier and swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto the ball carrier’s legs during the tackle, according to the NFL website.

After the new rule becomes active, a hipdrop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down if a defender uses it. I can see this already backfiring and becoming a controversial topic after referees inevitably mess up on a call.

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, has claimed player safety was the reason this move was banned.

The hip-drop tackle was used 230 times last season and resulted in 15 players

missing time with injuries. The NFL has analyzed more than 20,000 tackles over the past two seasons and determined this technique causes lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles, according to the NFL website.

Obviously players’ safety should be a top priority, but that’s not why the NFL

Correction

On Tuesday, April 9, the Spartan Daily published a story titled, “Council approves youth services,” in which the atricle should have been accredited to staff writer Kaya Henkes-Power.

The Spartan Daily regrets this error.

banned the hip-drop tackle. They want to see points on the board because that is what attracts viewers and earns them money.

This ban makes the defender’s job harder than it already is. If a tight end gets around the cornerback or safety then that’ll be an even tougher job for the defender because of the size disparity.

On average cornerbacks weigh around 200 pounds whereas tight ends can weigh up to 254 pounds, according to Eco Sports.

The old saying applied to sports of “defense wins championships”, is fading away as rules favoring offense emerge.

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has been against the rule

change. NFLPA Executive Director Lloyd Howell said he doesn’t believe the rule can be enforced fairly, according to a March 25 Fox Sports article. Multiple players have expressed their disdain for the rule change.

Former NFL defensive end JJ Watt went on social media to say how the game is becoming more like flag football.

This ban is bound to cause confusion between the hip-drop tackle and a regular tackle, especially among the referees. Now they have even more power to affect the outcome of a game instead of the actual teams.

As they have in the past, referees are going to call

the flag on the new rule relentlessly so that everyone understands that the ban is permanent.

Defenses now have to adjust and coach up new ways to tackle an opponent, which wouldn’t be hard to do if it weren’t for the confusion surrounding the rule and how it will be enforced.

This isn’t the first time the NFL has had a rule change that affects defenses. Some notable changes have been the ban of the horsecollar tackle and the tuck rule.

It’s true that those changes didn’t interfere with viewership but this new hip-drop tackle is much more confusing to enforce on the field.

If player safety is the sole reason for this new ban then the NFL wouldn’t have expanded the season to 17 games nor would they be trying to extend it to 18 games.

Trying to extend the NFL season while banning the hip-drop tackle and claiming to prioritize player safety is hypocritical.

The board at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) thought about changing the same rule but the committee decided it would be too difficult to legislate the rule on the field, according to CBS Sports.

The NCAA manages programs that benefit student-athletes and support member committees that make rules and policies for college sports according to its website.

Notable players, the NFLPA and the NCAA are in agreement when it comes to the hip-drop tackle rule and how this will only cause confusion. This will eventually blow up when the outcome of a game is decided on a flag.

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San Jose State's senior running back Kairee Robinson (right) weaves past a tackle while driving into the endzone.