THE PIONEER Covering the East Bay community since 1961
California State University, East Bay
News, Art, & Culture for the East Bay
THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
www.thepioneeronline.com
Summer 2016 Issue 5
Music professor honored with concert
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CIGARETTE TAX LOOMS FOR CALIFORNIA
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURA ROSS
Allen Gove
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REPUBLICAN CONVENTION COMEDY OF ERRORS
By Kali Persall
MANAGING EDITOR ILLUSTRATION BY ARIANA GONZALEZ/THE PIONEER
lion for support of the CSU Student Success Network, led by faculty, staff and administrators across campuses, and administered by the Education Insights Center at CSU Sacramento. Gov. Brown’s busy summer continued on Friday when he signed six gun-control bills that included a new law requiring anybody who purchases ammunition to undergo a background check, something that you only had to be 21 years old to do prior. The governor didn’t approve all of the gun bills; he vetoed five of them, including a
Cal State East Bay has lost an icon. On June 23, Allen Gove, a Cal State East Bay professor emeritus of music, died in Castro Valley after he suffered two strokes last month, according to his daughter Carolyn Pexton. Gove was 86 and would have turned 87 at the end of July. According to the CSUEB Office of Academic Affairs, Gove played the cello for 65 years and taught music at East Bay for almost 30. He arrived at East Bay in 1966, when it was known as Cal State Hayward, and he served as the chair of the music department from 1974 to 1981, before he retired in 1992. Gove was well-known by many for his interest in chamber music, a form of classical music performed by a small ensemble — usually a string quartet, according to Pexton. During his career at East Bay, Gove established the school’s first chamber music program and library, which was later emulated by Humboldt State University, according to the Office of Academic Affairs. Gove was a prankster, a family man and a devoted instructor, according to Pexton. She remembered how her father sat for hours at their dining room table with blank music paper, tailoring the arrangements to specific students and the challenges they faced. “He treated each one in a special way,” said Pexton. “He didn’t have a cookie cutter approach to teaching music. He tried to tune into who that student was as a person and what they needed.” Pexton recalled her father often arrived at school early and stayed late, spending hours arranging music and mentoring students. In a July 8 message from the music department, Mariko Abe, music department administrative support coordinator, said Gove was also an advocate for student rights during a budget crisis at East Bay. “He wasn’t someone who would just check a box,” said Pexton. “He really stood up and voiced his opinions and really tried to make it better...and he did make it better. That was really the heyday of the Cal State music department, when my dad was chairman.” Gove performed with the Oakland Symphony and played with iconic singers like Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee and Dionne Warwick, according to the Office of Academic Affairs. He also recorded
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Netflix and steal?
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WARRIORS LOSE FAMILIAR FACE
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City Manager retires, replacement named By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Hayward lost one of its top officials on July 1 when City Manager Fran David retired and yesterday she was replaced. Hayward Assistant City Manager for the past six years, Kelly McAdoo was named to the vacant role according to Mayor Barbara Halliday. David served as the assistant city manager and acting city manager from 2006 to 2010 before she officially took over the role in 2010. However, according to the Hayward City Council, David can serve in her role as late as Sept. 30. A Cal State University Hayward alumna, David has been in the public service department throughout the Bay Area for the better part of four decades. She was employed by the cities of Daly City, Oakland and Berkeley as well as San Mateo County in similar public service roles, according to the city of Hayward. David was credited with some unique initiatives during her six-year tenure as Hayward city manager, which included a public art program to deter and combat graffiti and developed an executive team that, according to Hayward officials, is “recognized throughout the region and helped guide the city to a stronger, more sustainable financial future.” In a statement she said this was a difficult decision to make, partly because, “I consider Hayward to be one of the best governed communities in California.”
Password sharing not exactly illegal By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The internet clutched its collective pearls last week when a federal ruling seemed to make it illegal to share a Netflix account password. There must have been a huge sigh of relief from customers when they found out that was not the case. There was much more to the ruling than account password restrictions. The new law was intended to protect the corporate end of the company, not the customers. In a statement to Business Insider
Magazine last week, Netflix officials stated, “As long as they aren’t selling them, members can use their passwords however they please.” According to the ruling, the July 5 decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of San Francisco was for a specific case from 2004. The case stemmed from David Nosal, an employee of Korn Ferry, a human resource consulting firm. After he left the company in the mid 2000’s, Nosal had two Korn Ferry employees download information for him and another employee let others use her company login information to access information. Netflix prides itself on allowing users to stream shows or movies simultaneously on multiple devices, so how could they be against password sharing? They aren’t, and their executives confirmed that last week with their statement clarifying so.
If Netflix password sharing was illegal, I would be on the top ten most wanted list. Since I began using the streaming service in 2010, I have only used other people’s passwords. It’s not that I can’t afford it, I just love free things. Maybe that’s not what was intended but that is definitely how it has worked out. One of my friends has a Netflix account that his whole family has the password to and they fight over who can watch things at the same time, which is two devices by the way. Netflix accounts can stream simultaneously on two different devices, whether it is in the same room or across the country. All you need is the login and password information. HBOGo is another streaming service that threw their hat into the proverbial ring when they too denounced customers selling their passwords last week, and said the account should be used by a single
SEE NETFLIX PAGE 7
Governor Brown signs budget, gun bills By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for California Gov. Jerry Brown, in his attempt to make the state “financially secure and safer.” On June 27 Gov. Brown signed the 2016-2017 state budget, which has increased to nearly $170.8 billion from just over $167.5 billion in 2015-2016, according to the California Department of Finance. Then last week, the governor signed six gun-control bills into law after a recent string of shootings throughout the United States with automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Despite the $3 billion extra dollars for the state, colleges and universities didn’t see much of a financial boost. According to the budget, higher education funding in the state increased from $14,862,085 last year to $14,632,795 this year, just a little more than a $200,000 increase and only 8.7 percent of the entire budget. The total funds, $9,357,352 for the 23-campus California State University system, includes $3,223,425 from the general fund, special funds and selected bond funds while the remainder includes federal funds, other non-governmental cost funds and reimbursements, according to the budget. The 2015-2016 CSU state budget was significantly less, at $8,902,622. The total number of positions within the CSU system increased from 44,483 to 46,608 last year, with 144,021 total positions at all California colleges and universities, up from 137,115 in 20152016.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
California Gov. Jerry Brown talks about the state's drought situation last year. The budget listed three major program changes that were awarded over the last two years. The first is a $12.5 million increase in order to increase enrollment by at least 5,194 full-time students from 2015-2016 to 2016-2017. The second is a $35 million increase based on a one-time contingency that states the CSU Trustees adopt plans and timeframes for graduation rates that meet the state’s expectations, which are currently undetermined. The last change was an increase of $15 million to the general fund for use determined by the Trustees and an increase of $1.1 mil-
2 OPINION
THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
THE PIONEER
Sleeping in a glass bubble One student’s experience living in her car By Brenda Brown CONTRIBUTOR Daylight slowly makes its way in through the car window on a recent chilly morning in San Leandro. It’s time to wake up and start the day. Muscles stiff, I sit in my car for a half an hour and gaze at people coming and going, as if in a trance. Every morning this week, the routine has been the same. I am a 54-year-old college senior with a 3.27 GPA, and I’ve recently become homeless and have been living out of my car since June 30. I had been renting a room from a couple in their home and paid $570 monthly. They initially wanted the extra income, but after ten and a half months, they told me they wanted to remodel and I was asked to leave. Since losing my own apartment in October of 2010, I have rented rooms from friends of friends, and through Craigslist and referrals. I have moved frequently, and have no family in the Bay Area to help. I spent 14 months looking for work, but found nothing. So I decided to finish school, live on financial aid and student loans and not look back. Rent is high everywhere, and I have yet to find anything I can afford. Living in a car is not fun, but it beats a tent outdoors, or a shelter. I have sought out help through Student Services at CSUEB, and have so far just been provided with listings of
food banks, places to take showers and some local shelters. I have been taking my showers at a 24 Hour Fitness gym, where I’m a member, but living in a car can be depressing. I spend so much extra time digging through the clutter and things in my car, trying to keep it in order and make it appear as if I am living a perfectly normal life. It reminds me of my 80-year-old mother, who is in the beginning stages of dementia, looking aimlessly for things she’s misplaced. More than ever, I now appreciate the usefulness of a dresser drawer or cabinet space in a bathroom, or to be able to stretch out and rest my body
“I am a 54-yearold college senior with a 3.27 GPA, and I’ve recently become homeless and have been living out of my car since June 30.” properly. Having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night is the worst. In my small 2-door car, the seat only reclines back so far. Plus it feels like I’m sleeping in a glass bubble. I am truly vulnerable and pray that God will watch over me so that I won’t fall prey to some heartless devil of a humanoid. I put up my sun visors
Correction In last week’s issue of The Pioneer, we published an opinion piece about the California vaccine exemption law, which went into effect on July 1. The statement that California is the 18th state to prohibit religious personal or moral beliefs as exemptions from vaccines was incorrect. It is the third state, after Mississippi and West Virginia.
at night, to shield some of the light from my laptop and to obscure people attempting to look in at me as they pass by. I sometimes feel like an animal in a cage or like I am on display. Praying helps to quiet my mind. Living on financial aid and student loans alone is not enough, unless you are fortunate to have family, friends or parents willing to temporarily support you. I chose to rent my own rooms as opposed to share space with younger students, because as an older student I felt that the age difference would be difficult for everybody involved. It is hard to seek employment when you do not have a place to live. I also have physical disabilities that don’t allow me to stand or sit for long periods of time. If you think there is no mental wear and tear that goes along with homelessness, think again. I have overcome drug addiction — 17 years clean as of April. I quit smoking cigarettes eight years ago and live with body aches and arthritis. Being a student, first at Chabot and now Cal State East Bay, has given me a purpose in my life. It helps me to remain strong and focused. While being in this situation, I have asked myself again and again, what is my part in my being here? Where did I go wrong? Where did I go right? How did this happen to me? I had been employed since the age of 12, but I lost the most recent job that I held for eight years in Oct. 2008, as well as the apartment I lived in for five years and most of my home furnishings, savings, credit rating and good standing with the IRS. My unemployment stipend ran out, the first eviction came in 2010 and the $5,000 I had
in savings was quickly spent on credit card payments in good faith that I would soon become employed, which did not happen. I had never had a problem getting a job before, but the longer I was unemployed, the more difficult it became to get an interview. I tried temp agencies, did job workshops and sent countless applications and online resumes. But I realized I was now a number, not a person. I attended Wichita State University in Kansas in the early 80s, but didn’t finish. “Why didn’t I finish college when I was younger,” I thought? Maybe then I would not have been laid off. I’d experienced homelessness previously, when I was in active addiction, but it was never as scary then as it is now. I was too numbed by the drugs to experience any real fear. I was young and felt that I would live for forever. I’m grateful that I have a car and have managed to take good care of it. It is paid for, and I have insurance and a driver’s license. I typically pray that if I encounter cops while living in my car, I am not treated like a criminal because I am Black and homeless, although a recent encounter with campus police assuaged my fears. They were nice and more than understanding. One officer referred me to Ruby’s Place, a homeless shelter in Hayward, which was unfortunately full when I called. While I don’t necessarily want to put myself on display by writing this, I have lived long enough to understand that my situation is temporary. If my story can help someone else in the long-run, then it will have not been in vain.
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NEWS 3
THURSDAY JULY 21 , 2016
THE PIONEER FROM THE WIRE
BART: Agency needs to fill 62 jobs by November By Erin Baldassari EAST BAY TIMES Facing a shortage of roughly onethird of its professional engineering and technical staff, aging infrastructure and growing capital needs, BART has an ambitious plan to fill more than 60 vacancies by November, agency officials said. The BART board of directors last week approved up to $500,000 to contract with specialized search firms to recruit and vet skilled candidates for the agency. Staff will use the firms to fill roughly 30 positions as a pilot program, but it actually needs twice as many new employees. The positions include computer systems engineers, traction power specialists, train control and systems integrations engineers, and mechanical and environmental engineers, among others, said Tamar Allen, BART’s chief engineering officer. “It’s tough to find skilled engineers,” she said. “And, there are a whole bunch of factors that complicate our ability to hire and bring them in.” Some of the positions require state certification, which limits the pool of applicants. Housing prices and the high cost of living in the Bay Area make it harder to recruit applicants from out of state, said Lori Lovett, the agency’s assistant chief engineering officer. And, with Google, Uber and other tech companies close by, it’s hard to match the salaries or the allure of private-sector positions, Allen said. “We’re growing and dealing with all of the issues you have with midlife transit operations,” Allen said. “And we can’t match the pay and ben-
A BART train arrives at the Daly City station in February. efits of the private sector. We can’t even get close.” It’s a problem that’s not unique to BART or to the Bay Area, said Edward La Guardia, a 31-year-veteran of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, who ran the engineering department for 13 years. One of the biggest problems, he said, is there are only a handful of colleges and universities nationwide that offer
rail-related curriculum, and the offerings are scarce, meaning most employees must acquire skills on the job. Once employees sign on to a transit agency, they often stay where they are, said Jim Kinahan, who worked for the Chicago Transit Authority for 33 years and taught a maintenance course at Loyola University Chicago for 20 years. “I’m a lifer. My father worked for the CTA. He had 32 years in him,” Kinahan
PHOTO BY LOUIS LAVENTURE/THE PIONEER
said. “I was a legacy type ... but I don’t know what motivates the new generation.” Neither of his two daughters took jobs in the transportation sector, Kinahan noted. He said it often feels like an “old boys’ network” that doesn’t reflect the diversity of most transit agencies’ riders. Further complicating matters is a problem facing transit agencies across
the country as significant numbers of employees reach retirement age, taking with them institutional knowledge of the nuances particular to each system, Kinahan said. BART’s human resources department estimated that another third of the engineering department will retire in the next three to four years, though Lovett said even more are eligible. Although transit is changing, and agencies are developing more sophisticated intelligence systems and are growing more automated, many young engineers don’t immediately think of railroad transit as innovative, said Jack Clark, executive director of the Transportation Learning Center, a national organization that focuses on workforce development in public transportation. “A lot of people see these as jobs of the past, but they’re really not,” Clark said. “They’re jobs of the future.” BART does have a summer internship program and a junior engineering program, which brings engineers from four-year colleges and universities to BART, where they participate in a structured two-year program to qualify as first-level engineers. But Lovett said what the agency really needs is to replace its more senior staff, employees who could serve as group and division leaders. Meanwhile, Lovett said the agency is trying to figure out “how to work smarter and not harder” while being ruthless in prioritizing projects. “We’re looking at risks and making sure we’re prioritizing safety first,” Lovett said. “We would like to go faster in capital renewal, but sometimes, when we have to prioritize day-to-day issues, the capital projects come out slower.”
Cemetery employees dispute labor practices
PHOTO BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER
Business representative for the Service Employee Union International Local 265 Isaiah Martin, left, pickets with his older brother Micah, and Union Representative Michael Tynan disputing unfair labor practices Wednesday afternoon at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward. Union members began picketing in April over alleged “grievances”. Be sure to check back next week for an update on the situation between the employees and Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services.
4 OPINION
THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
THE PIONEER
California to vote on $2 cigarette tax By Wendy Medina COPY EDITOR
A $2.87 tax on a pack of smokes could be in California’s near future. As of June 30, the “Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Amendment,” officially became eligible for the November ballot, which aims to wean people off of smoking by almost tripling the tax on cigarette and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Cigarettes have not seen a tax increase for almost 20 years, according to the California Legislature. A state general fund of 10 cents tax was implemented in 1959, and the California cigarette tax has risen just three times from 1988 to 1998, plateauing at 87 cents tax per pack. For smokers, the bill is another nuisance to prevent them from keeping their habit. But this prop also begs the question: Is it really about trying to get people off smoking, or just another way for the government and various other agencies to make a couple extra billion dollars of revenue? The Save Lives California coalition, a partnership of healthcare organizations and services, started the initiative. Their website promotes their mission: To “save lives” by reducing cigarette purchases to protect children, who often pick up smoking at a young age, and fight cancer. Billionaire Tom Steyer, environmentalist and potential 2018 gubernatorial candidate, has backed the campaign since its inception in October 2015 and has donated $1 million to the cause. The tax is estimated to generate $1.8 billion, according to the Office of the Attorney General. The revenue from Prop 56 will help fund health care, dental disease and smoking prevention programs and provide for medical research on tobacco-related diseases like cancer, heart
ILLUSTRATION BY ARIANA GONZALEZ/THE PIONEER
and lung disease through the University of California. Mike Roth, communications spokesman for Save Lives California stated that the reason for this initiative’s fruition is illustrated by the increase in tobacco-related deaths. He said that because so many more Californians die from tobacco use than any other affliction, like car accidents, guns or drugs combined, the objective of SLC is to try to reduce the body count of the number one preventable cause of death. “Taxpayers spend $3.2 billion annually to fund for research on cigarette-related diseases,” he told The Pioneer. The funds from this initiative should take that bit of weight
off taxpayer’s shoulders and highlighted the advocacy for protecting kids’ lives. Public health lobby organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Assn., the California Medical Assn., the American Lung Assn. and the Service Employees International Union have endorsed and sponsored the ballot. Former mayor of San Francisco, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, has partnered with Save Lives California’s “Yes on 56” campaign. There are others however, who wholly dissent the $2 tax. “Your wealthy people won’t be deterred one iota from buying cigarettes,” said Jon Coupal, president of Howard
Jarvis Taxpayers Association, in an article from SFGate. “This is felt by the working class. And, the perverse nature of this tax is that the antismoking programs it funds will be reliant on revenue from an activity they are trying to stop.” The highest cigarette tax in the nation is New York’s current $4.35. According to the Center for Disease Control, NY’s adult cigarette smokers range 14.4 percent. California’s 12.8 percent smoking rates have steadily declined, having dropped 51 percent since the California Tobacco Control Program began in 1989, according to the California Department of Public Health. The initiative also makes vaping
synonymous with tobacco and tobacco products, since vape products are included within this tax. Vape organizations and smoke-free alternative organizations are among the list who want to fight this, yet can only do so much without deep pockets. “Public health benefits every time a smoker switches to vaping,” said Gregory Conley, president of American Vaping Association in an article on CNBC. “By recklessly campaigning to equate the taxes on deadly cigarettes with smokefree vapor products, it is clearer than ever that so called ‘anti-smoking’ activists have officially gone off the rails.” Nonetheless, there is none other who will fight like Big Tobacco. Altria, R.J. Reynolds and their subsidiaries — manufacturers of Marlboro, Parliaments, Camels and countless other brands — dropped a $16.9 million-backed campaign to fight Prop 56 on July 15. After months of silence since the initiative was introduced, Big Tobacco’s coalition rebuttled with a hard blow. Adding insult to injury, the anti-tax group raised this money in a day, as compared to the months of contributions from the pro-tax group. The nearly $17 million of donations “will go toward advertising, polling and mailers opposing the measure,” according to Altria spokeswoman Beth Miller. “The committee, which includes educators, health care professionals, law enforcement, labor, small businesses and taxpayers, intends to conduct a vigorous campaign to educate voters on the facts of the initiative and why it deserves their ‘no’ vote on Election Day,” Miller said in a statement. Gov. Jerry Brown also recently signed a law that increased the age to buy any tobacco products from 18 to 21, effective June 9. Voters will have the chance to decide if Gov. Brown will get to uncap his pen to this additional measure in November.
FEATURES
Youth Radio makes waves in Oakland By Wendy Medina COPY EDITOR As an avid wanderer of the city of Oakland, many times I have walked past a swanky-looking structure on Broadway that reminded me of the San Francisco offices on Market Street. The “Youth Radio” sign that hung over the entrance never proved enticing enough for me to inquire more because, like the SF-based offices I’ve come across, I figured you had to have substantial experience in the music business or at least some sort of degree suitable to operate radio material. It wasn’t until Shyra Gums, one of my classmates who worked at Youth Radio provided our class with an opportunity to tour the facility, that my fascination solidified. Upon entering into the first floor, I was instantly immersed in a relaxed workspace with a couple of high school students bumping music and working on Macs. Pimped out conference and interview rooms were set up with what looked like the latest sound equipment, and a mixing room embellished with thousands of vinyls. A chill atmosphere reverberated throughout the entire building, on the same wavelength as the on-air hip-hop broadcasting that could be heard on every floor, through the stairwell and the basement. YR broadcasts online, through podcasts and other media outlets like NPR and KQED. Throughout the tour, Gums told us about her involvement in YR, which began when she was a junior in high school, when she was introduced by a friend. She ascended to the title of communications project associate, which deals with marketing and managing social media, as well as a youth advisory board member. This creative platform has opened performance, networking, traveling and leadership opportunities, as well as oth-
ILLUSTRATION BY DINA ARAKCHEEVA/CONTRIBUTOR
er potential job positions from different companies and organizations for Gums. “[It also provided] the opportunity to help me get into college, and find [communications as] my major I wanted to study,” she said. Youth Radio’s roots started in Berkeley in 1993 by award-winning journalist Ellin O’Leary and was created to facilitate the youth in finding their way to the proper education and career paths that correlate with their passions. It was “during a period of heightened youth violence and homicide [that] Youth Radio was established as an outlet for Bay Area youth to process their experiences and provide an alternative perspective to the prevailing media dialogue,” according to their website.
In 2007, YR relocated to the Broadway Street office where it now resides. Having flourished into Youth Media International, YR receives funding from many individual donors as well as major corporations such as The Kaiser Foundation, National Science Foundation, the Gap Foundation and many other sizable partners. Prior to my visit, I had never been in a recording studio and standing there was surreal, especially knowing Lil B once graced Youth Radio with his presence, as well as others like Nick Cannon, IAMSU!, T.I., Dr. Cornell West, Brad Pitt and Josh Johnson. We even got a chance to chat with a legend — DJ Fuze, the DJ of the rap group Digital Underground, which was responsible for launching
Tupac Shakur’s career. A veteran in his own right, DJ Fuze continues to spin at clubs around Oakland and teaches DJ classes at Youth Radio. Digital media and production, journalism, fine arts, peer teaching, performing arts promotion, program development, culinary arts — really anything that has to do with creative expression — are the fields of work available to the youth. Youth Radio works with teenagers to help them achieve their dreams by building their skills and experience through a safe haven of sorts. Something I noticed was the ambience of empowerment these kids get from the mentors and other industry professionals working behind the scenes; be it working side by side, displaying their awards,
pictures and art on the walls, and the overall sense of community that couldn’t be mistaken. “The heart of its pioneering efforts is to train young people from under-resourced public schools, community-based organizations, group homes and juvenile detention centers in broadcast journalism, media production and cutting-edge technology,” according to Public Radio Exchange. Through this healthy and powerful medium of expression to voice their perspectives, Oakland teens essentially begin on their careers by acquiring the connections and know-how to delve into the world of music, video production, web design and the array of other fields that are branched to radio. O’Leary’s previous experience and legacy within broadcasting agencies have also provided additional possibilities for the youth of the organization. YR recently became the official youth desk of NPR. Through the initial steps of reaching out and pitching stories to platforms like NPR, KQED, and PBS, lends the chance “to continue conversations with the staff at those media platforms and to continue those collaborative relationships,” said Gums. After the tour, I couldn’t help but think the next G-Eazy was amongst the mix. Gums herself is a rapper with two mixtapes under rapper name Shy’an G, recorded at YR, and has even been featured on Thizzler on the Roof, a Bay Area hip-hop and rap media source. It was inspiring to see all these youth working on something with so much passion, because I know first hand how important and life-saving creative outlets are. Youth Radio’s Remix Your Life, an artistic creation and performance program, puts together a showcase that participates in Oakland’s First Friday event, during general programming of the session. The next show will be on August’s First Friday, right next door to Youth Radio, at the Youth Radio Arts Venue.
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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
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6 OPINION
THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
THE PIONEER
May the frauds be ever in your favor Republican Convention an embarassment By Kali Persall MANAGING EDITOR On Monday, Stephen Colbert, host of the “The Late Show” on CBS, donned an electric blue wig and matching eyebrows in the image of Caesar Flickerman, the vivacious talk show host from “The Hunger Games” movie and took the podium at the Republican National Convention. After he dubbed it the “2016 Republican National Hungry for Power Games,” he was escorted off the stage with the parting phrase, “Look, I know I’m not supposed to be up here but let’s be honest, neither is Donald Trump.” While arguably the most creative idea, surprisingly, this wasn’t the most comedic event of the evening. Even more memorable was the speech delivered by Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, who ripped off key phrases from First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Obama’s speech inspired respect and oozed originality. “Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and if you don’t agree with them.” Trump’s speech, on the other hand, set off alarm bells. “From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect.” While it was clear to viewers that the speech had been plagiarized, Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort called the accusation “absurd” and denied the allegations in an interview with CNN on Tuesday. No repercussions have been named at this time for Trump, and her husband is now the official nominee for the
GRAPHIC BY TAM DUONG JR/THE PIONEER PHOTOS BY OLIVER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNA, CAROLYN COLE/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS, ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS, MARC NOZELL VIA FLICKR
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump headlines the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio taking place from July 18-21. Republican Party. The Trump campaign has been nothing short of a series of blunders, but this latest stunt even eclipses Trump’s official appointment of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate on July 15.
Gov. Pence originally endorsed Ted Cruz for president, according to the Washington Post, but switched his allegiance to Trump after he won the May 3 Indiana primary. The partnership is odd, considering
Pence’s conservative, religious convictions have constantly seeped into his politics, and Trump is a notorious flip-flopper on issues like women’s reproductive rights and gay marriage. Pence signed the controversial Re-
Canine enthusiast wins Best of the East Bay award
PHOTO COURTESY OF HIKESDOGSLOVE.COM
Bailey, Caroline Stanley's dog poses for a photo while overlooking Oakland from Upper Knowland Park Wednesday.
By Clinton Louie CONTRIBUTOR Caroline Stanley spent the past six years researching local hikes around the East Bay. A lifelong pet owner, Stanley was always in pursuit of hikes to take her 11-year-old labrador rescue dog, Bailey on. Last September, Stanley decided to create her website, www.hikesdogslove. com. “I was just sick and tired of looking at these websites, trying to find places where I can take Bailey and finding out that they were not accurate,” she said. “I either found out that I couldn’t take Bailey hiking there, or that it wasn’t dog friendly at all.” Sometimes the directions to the trails weren’t properly listed or the information was old and outdated. On July 1, the 29-year-old Oakland native learned that she had won Diablo Magazine’s 2016 award for Best of the East Bay Outdoor Resource for her website. “I don’t know how I got the award,”
Stanley said. “I never asked my followers to promote the website.” It was through Instagram that an editor from Diablo Magazine contacted her in March and asked if they could use one of her Instagram photos for their publication. A few weeks later, a senior editor from the magazine asked if he could write a story about her. After the story was published, the magazine contacted her and announced that she had won an award. “I never realized that I was nominated, let alone won the award,” Stanley said. “I just got a call from the magazine, and they let me know that I had won.” As a lifelong dog lover, Stanley always recommended hikes to friends with dogs, and decided to put that information to good use. She wanted something short, succinct and informative when she decided on the name of her website, “Hikes Dogs Love.” Her website launched in Oct. 2015, and started off with a few recommended hikes, and now has over 100 trails that Stanley has personally visited. Unlike other dog-friendly sites, she does not just list areas, but includes short descriptions and original photographs. “I’ve gone to all the parks on my website,” said Stanley. “I pride myself on taking pictures of the park and including accurate information and must-see attractions on these hikes.” The Hikes Dogs Love website currently features 39 hikes. Stanley’s information comes at a crucial time for dog owners in the Bay Area. Places such as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area announced in April that it would
restrict dogs being off-leash in areas such as Ocean Beach, Fort Funston and Crissy Field in San Francisco. Restrictions are currently enforced at these sites from the months of July through May of next year, due to ongoing environmental plans. There aren’t many resources available that feature dog-friendly hikes in the East Bay. One of these sites, odogparks.org only features 12 parks in the Oakland and Alameda areas. There are a few major parks, but much of the smaller parks are not included on websites and regularly feature cities like San Francisco while ignoring Oakland and the larger East Bay community. Stanley makes it a point to go out and find hikes in the East Bay that allow her to spend time with Bailey. Stanley’s website features not only hikes, but a map that showcases places to take dogs. She updates the website on potential dangers that may come up, such as toxic algae bloom that has littered much of the East Bay Regional Parks’ lakes. Her website also describes activities to take dogs on, such as train rides, camping and even canoeing. Hikes Dogs Love has an active Instagram account of about 1,748 followers and features pictures of hikes that she has gone on. Stanley mentioned she mainly attracts followers from California, but also people from Europe and abroad. According to Stanley, her website couldn’t have happened without the aid of Bailey. When Stanley’s previous dog passed away, she wanted to adopt a dog. After looking for a number of months,
she found Bailey on Petfinder.com and went to the Manteca Animal Shelter. At the time, Bailey was five years old and suffered from stomach and thyroid problems, but that did not deter Stanley from adopting her. The shelter told Stanley she had to wait about two weeks before adoption, as Bailey needed to gain weight before she could be adopted. Bailey turned out to be a very special dog, according to Stanley. Although Bailey initially couldn’t walk more than two city blocks, she now hikes for ten miles at a time with no dip in energy. Even at the age of 11, Bailey can go for long hikes. “She came fully trained, and is the best dog ever,” Stanley said. “I know that I couldn’t have trained her as well myself.” Now, when she takes Bailey out on trails, occasionally people will walk up to them and recognize them. “I’m always surprised to see people recognize Bailey,” she said. “They’ll say that they follow my Instagram account or website.” Stanley stressed that her website isn’t only for dogs. “I pick these parks because they have nice trails that are enjoyable to walk,” she said. Stanley also vets these parks, because not all of them are safe. “There’s a park not too far away from my house that allows dogs, but I don’t feature it, because it’s a high crime area and there was a shooting there not too long ago. I want to make sure my readers visit safe, clean parks that are good, not only for dogs but for families as well.”
ligious Freedom Restoration Act in March 2015, which many interpreted as a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Under the law, businesses were allowed to refuse service to same-sex couples by citing a conflict with their religion. He also sponsored an amendment to the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 that would prohibit the use of funds for Planned Parenthood, stating in a court transcript, “I long for the day that Roe v. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history.” In a Washington Post article, Alexandra Petri described the Trump and Pence partnership as an act of “painful duty.” She went on to say Pence is like a “ventriloquist’s dummy who is slowly realizing that he has made a horrible mistake” and Trump is the “man you have to marry to keep your family from ruin.” The Democrats aren’t faring much better. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders doused “The Bern” campaign and left followers in the ashes when he endorsed Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee last Tuesday. Bernie supporters expected a fight to the end, given Sanders’ promise to contest the Democratic National Convention, regardless of his success in the primaries. As a diehard Bernie supporter from start to finish, I can’t help but feel betrayed. This leaves Clinton, the former secretary of state — who narrowly evaded criminal charges for mishandling classified information through private email servers — as the face of the Democratic Party. Clinton has yet to choose a running mate, but many are pulling for the progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who endorsed Clinton on June 9. An official decision will come on Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. As for voters, they face a familiar, dreaded situation: A choice between the lesser of two evils; the red or the blue pill, or in the Hunger Games world, death by a genetically engineered wolf mutt or poisoning by a handful of nightlock berries. May the odds be ever in your favor.
Fremont senator’s law goes into effect By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Last year Sen. Bob Wieckowski, a Democrat from Fremont, wrote a bill, SB 510, that limits the amount of money that can be garnished from a person’s wages who is considered low-income. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law in Oct. 2015 and on July 1 it went into effect. The law is geared to help people who have their working wages garnished to repay debt. According to Wieckowski, the law “honors local minimum wage ordinances to avoid instances where 100 percent of a person’s wages above the minimum wage is garnished.” In many instances, the garnishments are more than the total income, which is why he created the bill, to help people pay off their debt and still maintain an income, according to Wieckowski. The old law took up to 25 percent of a person’s post tax income, but could not go under the state minimum wage level; however, the new law is a tiered system that will proportionally increase with the increase or decrease in a person’s wages. Wieckowski said the bill was supported by several organizations and people throughout the state, including Attorney General Kamala Harris, California Treasurer John Chiang and the California Labor Federation.
NEWS 7
THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
THE PIONEER
Technology offers hope for end of animal testing By Patricia Torres THE MERCURY NEWS Hoping to make the lab rat a thing of the past, scientists at Lawrence Livermore Lab in this East Bay Area city are testing technology that replicates vital human tissues on microchips. Animal rights advocates are encouraged that the technology may one day end experiments on mice, rats, snakes and other animals used to test products and develop drugs in laboratories around the world. The “Human on a Chip” program shifts the experiments from living animals to the lab by replicating cells of human organs and tissues, exposing them to chemicals and using electrical signals to measure the response. While labs and university researchers in other parts of the United States are using similar technology to test different organs of the body, scientists at Lawrence Livermore are focusing on four vital body functions: the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, blood-brain barrier and heart. The chips allow scientists, for example, to measure how certain body parts react to caffeine, heart medicine or other more dangerous toxins. In one early experiment, scientists applied capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers hot, to cells of the peripheral nervous system and were able to measure a response. The cells can survive and function on chips for several weeks in some cases, so many different kinds of experiments can be done to measure how exposure to drugs or chemicals affects cells and to evaluate cell recovery, with no human or animal test subjects necessary. Lawrence Livermore gets its human
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JANET STEPHENS
A Lohund-Wister rat used for testing at the Lobund Laboratory at Notre Dame University in South Bead, Indiana. tissues from AnaBios Corp., a San Diego company. The tissues are derived from organ donors, and unlike tissues grown from stem cells, these are mature and can provide a more reliable response to stimuli. Still under testing and far from being widely used, the process also has the ability to speed up development of medical countermeasures to toxins and provide more accurate data than animal testing does.
“Animal testing can be more complicated and costly, whereas these chips can be much more reliable” said Kris Kulp, a lab scientist who is part of the project. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 9 out of 10 drugs that pass animal tests fail in humans because they don’t work or are dangerous. With this acknowledgment, various agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and National Institutes of
Health, have made efforts to reduce the use of animal testing. Last month, President Barack Obama signed an updated Toxic Substances Control Act, originally approved in 1976, that includes a provision calling for restrictions on animal testing. “We are familiar with this new direction that science is taking, and we’re very excited about the possibility that it can replace animals in chemical testing, drug development and other areas,” said
Kathy Guillermo, vice president of laboratory investigations for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Joyce Tischler, general counsel for Animal Legal Defense Fund, said her group is excited about alternatives to animal testing. “This also means that the science, environmental and animal welfare communities are all on the same page, which is to protect human life from chemicals and diseases,” Tischler said. “We would just like to see it without the use of live animals.” More than 100 million animals are killed in experiments each year in the United States, according to the Laboratory Animal Resource Center at the University of California at San Francisco. Lawrence Livermore Lab is spending nearly $2 million a year on the project, called iCHIP (in-vitro Chip-based Human Investigational Platform), which is now in its third year, said Elizabeth Wheeler, principal investigator. The bulk of the chemicals used at Lawrence Livermore come from the Forensics Science Center, one of two U.S. labs certified for identifying chemical warfare agents. The U.S. Army in 2013 used the “Human on a Chip” technology to test chemicals used in warfare. Wheeler said her group has no plans, nor is it legally allowed, to experiment with warfare agents. She said the long-term goal is to collaborate with other research centers studying the technology on other parts of the body. “We hope to integrate them all together and re-create the human body and the reactions it has to link multiple chips to capture interactions between different organs,” Wheeler said.
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Netflix From Page 1 household family, whatever that means. I get it, I’m not naive, this is about money and business. Why would somebody be allowed to take money from a streaming service? Shouldn’t everybody need their own account to access them? Probably, but that is a problem Netflix created by promoting password sharing and not limiting the access to just one individual. The bottom line is, if I pay for it, you can’t tell me how to use it. If I want to rent out my password, or charge people to use it, I will, but I can’t because I don’t have one; I steal one, technically. As a college student, freebies are an aphrodisiac. I can barely afford my life, so when I get a chance at a free service, I jump on it. Now that this ruling is official, makes me even more defiant. Now I am determined to never pay for a password.
Governor From Page 1 law that would have made it legal to use restraining orders to take guns from people labeled “dangerous,” according to the governor’s office. Gov. Brown told reporters his intentions
Professor From Page 1 music for Aaron Neville, the “Star Wars Trilogy” and the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” After his retirement in 1992, Gove hosted private lessons at his Castro Valley home with up to 20 students per week, accord-
were to increase public safety and protect the rights of gun owners. According to the governor’s statement, some of the new laws will include, “A new state database of ammunition owners, a ban on possession of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 bullets and restrict the loaning of guns without background checks to close family members.”
ing to Pexton. Shortly before his hospitalization, he still taught six to seven students per week. Gove played in a chamber music quartet with several former students at his home just two days before he suffered the first stroke on June 11. The family will host a celebration of Gove’s life in the form of a concert on Sunday at the Cal State East Bay Music Building Recital Hall.
8 SPORTS
THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016
THE PIONEER
Soccer gets new coach Men’s squad lands new leader in Bielski By Marissa Marshall STAFF WRITER The California State East Bay men’s soccer team got a new head coach in Michael Bielski. The Pioneers parted ways with former head coach Andy Cumbo in April, when he received an offer for a full-time teaching and head Michael Bielski coaching position at Las Positas College in Livermore. Cumbo coached the men’s team for seven years, and after three months of searching by CSUEB Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Joan McDermott, they found their man. Bielski comes to East Bay from Colorado, where he coached at Otero Junior College in La Junta. According to eastbaypioneers.com, McDermott said she believes Bielski is “Well-equipped to grow our men’s soccer program into a consistent contender at the Division II level.” The new coach brings a winning history to the CSUEB program. His previous record with Otero is impressive at 72-25-5 that includes two National Junior College Championships. He also has a lot of experience himself having played professionally for several leagues throughout California. The returning players on the team got the chance to meet Bielski in the beginning of June before he was hired. Bielski explained how he “Spent an hour with the team and introduce myself and let the guys ask me any questions.” One of the Pioneers defenders, incoming senior Steffan Sauer had great things to stay about his new coach. “I feel very good about our new coach,” said Sauer.“He seems to be a coach who communicates a lot, which is something I value a lot. I did not expect
PHOTOS COURTESY OF COREY CARTER AND THE SPORTING NEWS
Left: Nate Thurmond waves to fans at the Golden State Warriors championship parade in Oakland last June. Right: Thurmond plays defense against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1969 season with the Wariors.
Warriors lose a legend Nate Thurmond, 1941-2016 By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTO COURTESY OF EASTBAYPIONEERS.COM
CSUEB’s new men’s soccer coach Michael Bielski (center) talks to his Otero Junior College team during a home game in La Junta, Colorado last season. to have a new coach for my senior year and it was difficult to accept at first, but I am open minded and am ready for the changes. He is a good fit for us.” Although his first time as a head in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Bielski, used to be an assistant coach for another team in the CCAA, the California State Monterey Bay Otters for six years. He is not new to the conference.
“It is a privilege to be able to come back home as I am from the East Bay and coach at such a competitive level,” said Bielski. East Bay’s overall record was 5-12 last year and Bielski is looking to change the atmosphere around the men’s squad. “We want a successful season and I believe once we get used to each other, him and work hard, we can have just that,” said Sauer.
The off-season has been eventful for the Golden State Warriors but things took a turn for the worse over the weekend. The Warriors announced Nathaniel “Nate” Thurmond, 74, died from leukemia on Saturday in San Francisco. Thurmond played 14 seasons in the NBA from 1963 to 1977, 11 of which were with the Warriors. He worked in several roles for Golden State after he retired in 1977 including a community liaison and an analyst for television and radio broadcasts. Thurmond never won a championship as a player but he got to be a part of one when the Warriors captured their first championship in more than 40 years when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015. The seven time all-star was one of the best players in the history of the league and was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame and named one of the 50 greatest players in the league’s history in 1996. At six-feet-eleven-inches, Thurmond was
a beast down low. He dominated the forward and center positions and is one of just five players in league history to average 20 rebounds in a season and record 40 or more rebounds in one game. Golden State Owner Joe Lacob said in a statement, “We’ve lost one of the most iconic figures in the history of not only our organization, but the NBA in general, with the passing of Nate Thurmond. Nate represented this franchise with class, dignity and humility as both a player and community relations ambassador for over 40 years. Without a doubt, he is one of the most beloved figures to ever wear a Warriors uniform and both a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame person, hence his #42 jersey hanging from the rafters at Oracle Arena.” Several former teammates, current and former players took to social media to express their appreciation for Thurmond including NBA Hall of Famer, Warriors Executive and the man whose silhouette is the NBA logo, Jerry West. “He played with unbelievable intensity and was simply a man among boys on most nights, especially on the defensive end,” West said in a statement. “On the other hand, off the court, Nate was about as caring and loving as they come, extremely kind and gentle.”
U.S. women’s gymnastics Olympic team finalized in San Jose “Fierce Five” on their way to Brazil By Angelica G. Allen CONTRIBUTOR
And they’re off! From the Bay to Brazil, the new fierce five who competed for and won a spot on the USA Olympics Women’s Gymnastics team are Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman. Their three replacements are MyKayla Skinner, Ragan Smith and Ashton Locklear, who could have become the first Native American to compete on an USA gymnast team. The Olympians and their alternates fought for a chance to compete for gold medals during this year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The trials occurred on July 8th and 10th at the SAP Center in San Jose and were full of oohs, awes and falls. 2012 Olympics veteran Gabby Douglas fell off the balance beam on both nights but excelled in the
floor exercise and uneven bars to get herself a spot on the team. Yet some still questioned how Douglas earned herself a trip to Rio, despite placing seventh after the final rotation. Simone Biles dominated both nights with nearly perfect performances (Biles slipped off the beam on Sunday), and Laurie Hernandez became a fan favorite; the audience clapped to the music of her floor number and gladly cheered whenever she stuck her tumbling and vault routines. Hernandez is also the first Latin woman to make the USA Olympics Women’s Gymnastics team in 30 years. Kocian scored her way to Rio and teammate Raisman, another gymnast from 2012’s squad, also made the cut with stellar performances on the floor that got her some high scores. On the first night of trials, she opened with an unbelievable pass that helped to earn herself Gold in London. This pass consists of a Roundoff-One and a Half Stepout, a Roundoff-Back Handspring, an Arabian Double Front and ends with a Punch Layout all in just the beginning seconds of the routine. Raisman improved what was
deemed “impossible” and once again made it possible, Gold Medal Worthy. San Jose became a part of what was called “Gym City USA” for not only the trial nights but throughout the entire weekend too. Events like the fan fest, parade of olympians and the watch parties welcomed fans of the competitors and former Olympics champions. With Rio in mind, this Brazilian inspired free fair had Carnival dancers, games, sand sculptors, food trucks, a photo booth, and rock climbing. People could have volunteered for the Fan Fest, Media, Transportation, Hotels and Exit Giveaways, and if they signed up for at least three shifts, they received two exclusive tickets to the parade of olympians, an event with 140 past USA Olympics Gymnasts. All-American former medal winners and favorites like Mary Lou Retton (1984) and Shawn Johnson (2008) made an appearance. This invite-only event was hosted inside the SAP Center and was accompanied by musical guests Katherine McPhee, La’Porsha Renae, Laura Marano and Scotty McCreery.
COURTESY OF THE BRAZILIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE