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THURSDAY APRIL 6, 2017
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Spring 2017 Issue 2
New BART station opens in Fremont Pioneer updates on America's president
SEE OPINION PAGE 2
What happened? On Feb. 10, an amendment to the financial trust of President Donald Trump was made to allow him to take money from any of his more than 400 businesses he owns.
TRUMP HEALTHCARE PLAN BAD FOR WOMEN
SEE OPINION PAGE 3
SAN QUENTIN NEWS DISCUSSES PRISON ISSUES
PHOTO BY EVELYN TIJERO/THE PIONEER
SEE SPANISH PAGE 6
DESPITE STRUGGLES, I'LL BE AN A'S FAN FOR LIFE
A view of the new BART station named Warm Springs-South Fremont on Tuesday. The new station opened with limited service on Friday and plans to be fully functional by 2018, according to BART.
Limited service expected until 2018 By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SEE SPORTS PAGE 8
BASEBALL WINS SERIES AT HOME OVER THE WEEKEND
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Cal State East Bay announces 'Spring Mayhem' lineup
Richmond rapper IAMSU!
By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF On Friday the Associated Students Inc. Special Events announced the lineup for Cal State East Bay’s 2017 ‘Spring Mayhem’ concert, scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 29 in the University Amphitheater. This year’s roster includes Jeremih, K Camp, MadeinTYO with Richmond’s own IAMSU! to headline the event. This is the first year the event will require tickets for admission, which are free for students with a horizon email account. Each student can also receive two guest tickets for the event. Last year’s event featured hip-hop artists Kin Ink and Ty Dolla $ign, the latter of which recently collaborated with Bay Area icon E-40 on last year’s track ‘Saved’.
A huge glass rotunda with bright red letters that spell Warm Springs South Fremont greeted riders on March 25 when the new BART station opened for business. It’s been seven years, just less than $800 million and the new station is running, but not without hiccups. The new station, does not yet offer full service. According to multiple
BART statements, during weekdays, riders that board at the new station can go anywhere on the Daly City line from Warm Springs. But if you're on the Richmond line, you have to get off at the Fremont station and transfer to a northbound train. Then at 6 p.m. and on weekends, the schedule flips and will function this way until 2018 when the station will be fully functional. Many riders that talked to The Pioneer on Monday were confused by the system. One of those riders is Zachary Burnett who is a Fremont resident that works in Antioch and was looking forward to the new transit option for his Monday through Friday commute to work.
“880, 580 and 680 are all so congested, it just makes more sense for me to take BART and avoid the traffic,” Burnett said. “But having to get off at Fremont and switch trains to get to the last stop is crazy to me. It actually adds time to my commute.” Burnett said the transfer process adds about 30 minutes to his commute that is already more than an hour long by car or train. According to BART spokesman Jim Allison, the project was completed $100 million under budget thanks to the process going smooth and not requiring extra construction or service. However, there are not enough trains
SEE BART PAGE 4
Water polo falls to conference rivals Postseason still in reach for women By Marissa Marshall STAFF WRITER The California State East Bay women’s water polo team is now 1-1 against their Women’s Water Polo Association Conference rivals, Sonoma State University. On Friday, the Pioneers went head to head against Sonoma (7-16 overall, 0-1 conference) in Pioneer Pool on the Hayward campus. East Bay won their previous matchup against the Seawolves 8-6, during the UC San Diego Triton Invitational on Feb. 12, but this time around Sonoma got the upper hand on the Pioneers. “We have to keep working hard, and continue to do our homework,” junior utility player Alicia Tully said. “We have been working on staying positive and I think we have the aspect down, we just have to keep going and hope the positive energy translates.” Sonoma got on the board first when sophomore driver Taylor Brown, scored an unassisted goal in the first minute of the first period. Shortly after East Bay responded with two goals by senior driver Nicole Williams and senior two-meter Olivia Mackell. The two teams attacked each other on offense with power and aggression, and neither team allowed the lead to get more than 2 points.
PHOTO BY KEDAR DUTT/THE PIONEER
Cal State East Bay senior two-meter Olivia Mackell looks for an open teammate during the home game against the Sonoma State University Seawolves on Friday at Pioneer Pool on the Hayward campus. The Pioneers fell to the Seawolves 11-10 and are now 10-12 this season. The Seawolves scored another goal after Williams’ and Mackell’s goals and it gave them the lead 3-2 as they headed into the second period. In the second quarter both East Bay and Sonoma scored 3 goals a piece, but Sonoma continued to stay ahead, as they led 6-5. The third period was a completely different story, though. The Pioneers
gained momentum in the period and outscored the Seawolves 4-1. Senior utility player Brandi Carroll was assisted by freshman utility player Auriel Bill and scored in the first 14 seconds of the period to tie the game 6-6. Carroll scored another goal in the quarter, as so did sophomore driver
SEE WATER POLO PAGE 7
On Jan. 11 Trump signed over all operations of his businesses to his two oldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, who currently run the day-to-day operations along with Trump’s CFO Allen Weisselberg. The trio would act as trustees of the companies until the end of Trump’s presidency, according to multiple statements from Trump. At a press conference on Jan. 11 Trump told reporters, “I hope at the end of eight years I’ll come back and say ‘oh you did a good job.’” However, since Trump is allowed to access the finances, he will have also be able to see information about the status of the companies. According to documents released by Trump’s administration in January before he took office, Trump tried to distance himself from his business ventures in order to eliminate a conflict of interest. The new amendment, according to the documents signed and released by his lawyers on Feb 10, “shall distribute net income or principal to Donald J. Trump at his request” or whenever his sons and attorney “deem appropriate.” According to Forbes Magazine, Trump is the richest president in U.S. history and it creates some unique challenges when it comes to disassociating from his businesses and eliminating conflict of interest. According to the White House, most presidents use a blind trust to eliminate conflict of interest, which they define as when a person in public office gives up their interests in their businesses for their elected duration. In a blind trust, the party is not allowed information as to how the business is performing. The White House said George Bush, his son George W. Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton all used blind trusts with the exception of personal real estate, cash accounts, life insurance, bonds and mutual funds. However, according to Forbes Magazine, Barack Obama decided against a blind trust and instead used bank accounts, treasury notes, index funds and college savings, which were all deemed not a conflict of interest and satisfied all of the pertaining laws. Before he became president, Trump was one of the best-known people in the real estate industry, amassing a net worth of $3.9 billion, according to Forbes. His businesses range from hotels and casinos to real estate property, golf courses and even bottled water, Trump Ice. According to the Trump organization, he is listed as a chairman, trustee, president or member of more than 530 businesses or organizations and has at least partial ownership of more than 400 of those. Many critics, like The New York Times and The Washington Post, bashed the plan saying it allowed him access to financial information about the businesses, which creates a conflict of interest. Trump and his representatives still have not addressed the issue but did release a statement through Trump Spokeswoman Amanda Miller, who in late March said, “President Trump believed it was important to create multiple layers of approval for major actions and key business decision.”
By Louis LaVenture Editor-in-Chief
2 OPINION
THURSDAY APRIL 6, 2017
THE PIONEER
‘Trumpcare’ failure buys Planned Parenthood more time EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
By Kali Persall
Louis LaVenture
MANAGING EDITOR On March 24, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a photo of 30 white, middle-aged men considering a bill that would affect the future of healthcare in America, including women’s reproductive rights. The photo, which was upsetting do to the lack of female representation, depicted members of the House Freedom Caucus — a congressional group of conservative Republicans within the GOP who vote together on bills and amendments — voting on The American Health Care Act (AHCA), the proposed Republican replacement policy for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The AHCA — or ‘Trumpcare’ — proposed to cut premium costs, increase health care options and eliminate the individual mandate penalties under the ACA, and yanks federal funding from family planning services that provide abortions, like the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The act included a provision that would prohibit states from using federal money allocated by the AHCA for family planning services, reproductive health and related medical care that provide abortions, according to the bill text. As a woman who has relied on a variety of Planned Parenthood services, including cervical cancer screenings, birth control and wellness checkups over the past decade, I cannot understand why the Republican agenda is so fixated on dismantling an organization, which claims to serve 2.5 million men and women annually. Abortion services only constitute three percent of what Planned Parenthood provides patients, and yet defunding the organization has long been one of Trump’s major campaign promises. However what Trump fails to realize is that women’s health care is more than just policy. Forty-one percent of Planned Parenthood services are devoted to sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, 10 percent to cancer screening and prevention, 12 percent to other women’s health services and 34 percent to contraception, according to a Planned Parenthood services report. These statistics cannot begin to cap-
louis.laventure@csueastbay.edu
MANAGING EDITOR
Kali Persall
kali.persall@csueastbay.edu
ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Casey Peuser
casey.peuser@csueastbay.edu
SPANISH EDITOR
Daisy Ortiz daisy.ortiz@csueastbay.edu
STAFF WRITERS
Marissa Marshall marissa.marshall@csueastbay.edu
Tishauna Carrell tishauna.carrell@csueastbay.edu PHOTO COURTESY OF TNS
ture the stories of men and women, like myself, who have benefitted from a number of crucial services that we wouldn’t have been able to afford anywhere else. Many people like myself expected the Freedom Caucus, which according to the Pew Research Center consists of the most conservative of House Republicans, to rule in favor of the bill, however, they denied it. The bill needed 215 votes to pass, with no more than 22 Republicans voting against it, according to the New York Times. Politico, a journalism company that reports political news, reported they were 25 votes short. The original voting day was postponed from Thursday to Friday by House Republican leaders, due to a lack of majority approval, according to the Atlantic, a news organization that reports on politics, business, culture and technology. Trump himself admitted in a Feb. 2016 CNN debate that Planned Parenthood helps millions of women with cancer screenings and other services, but in the same breath said he would defund it because he is pro-life. In early March, the White House offered to continue funding the nonprofit if it agrees to stop providing abortions, according to the New York Times. Planned Parenthood, which receives
$500 million a year in federal funding — none of which is used for abortion services — reportedly denied the proposal according to the New York Times. For seven years, Republicans criticized ‘Obamacare’ for it’s high premiums and lack of healthcare options while “Repeal and Replace” has become the new mantra of Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who championed the bill. While ‘Obamacare’s’ flaws begged for improvement, 20 million Americans gained insurance through the law, according to Fortune Magazine. A cost estimate report for the AHCA released by the Congressional Budget Office last month predicted that under the new law, 14 million people would become uninsured next year and 24 million by 2026. However Republicans weren’t deterred by the AHCA’s denial to earmark women’s health services for cuts. On March 30, Senate Republicans led by Pence voted to overturn an Obama administration measure that will allow the individual states to prevent family planning centers that offer abortion services from receiving Title X grant money, according to the New York Times. Title X is a provision of the Public Health Service Act, which provides grants for family planning services, including contraception and disease screenings and treatments, according
to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The March 30 vote was tied at 5050 with all Democrats voting against, until Pence broke it in favor of Republicans, according to the New York Times. The bill will now go to the president for final approval. While federal health care reform remains in flux, states are taking matters in their own hands. On March 17, Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino introduced Senate Bill 320, which would require student health insurance plans offered through the California State University, University of California and California Community College systems to cover abortions through state funds, according to the bill. Colleges within these systems with on-campus health centers would also be required to offer nonsurgical abortion methods. While it remains to be seen how things will play out in our national health care laws, one thing is for certain; Trump and Pence drew a line in the sand on women’s health care and made it clear that our leaders do not have women’s best interests in mind. Our current political administration represents women about as well as that photo of 25 men sitting around a table deciding what women can do with their bodies did.
Students define their own ‘college experience’ By Tishauna Carrell STAFF WRITER On September 16, 2012, I became the first person in my family to go to college. When I moved away from my hometown in Long Beach, it was a dream come true. The 17-year-old me wanted to experience life without having parental guidance 24 hours a day, seven days per week and wanted to have a real “college experience.” I envisioned going to football games, wearing cute college gear found in stores like Forever 21, joining at least two clubs and meeting a ton of people, just like I had seen on TV and in movies. I think having the traditional college experience is important. This is the only time where you can make mistakes, spend more time with your friends, dye your hair different colors and party as much as you want because after that, you become focused on starting your adult life, employers expect you to not have dyed hair and hanging out with friends becomes difficult due to everyone going on different paths. For the most part, I probably had a more typical college experience than some students. I lived in the dorms, went to some fraternity parties and tried Cream, a trendy ice cream sandwich chain located in Berkeley. But these experiences took a downfall as soon as my friends and I got into our major classes and became overloaded with homework and studying.
Once my classes became more time consuming, I focused on maintaining my grade point average above a 3.0 just in case I wanted to go to graduate school in the future, which resulted in me only concentrating on schoolwork rather than having fun. I missed out on exploring popular spots in Northern California such as Mission Peak, Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, going to concerts, traveling to different destinations during spring break or the nightlife of Downtown San Jose. During my college years, I had to retake math classes and switched my major from Business Administration to Communication, which resulted in me becoming a fifth-year student. Unlike most of my peers, I don’t mind being a fifth-year; if anything I’m grateful. If I had graduated in 2016, I would be like a deer in headlights and I would not have been as prepared to continue life outside of college as I am now. My ultimate career goals are to be a full time blogger or a content creator for a fashion or entertainment magazine. The additional year gave me a chance to continue to work with my internship as a Social Media assistant and to become a staff writer for The Pioneer, experiences employers look for in that field. Because of these experiences, I am confident in turning my resume into employers after I graduate college. However, I’m ready for a new chapter in my life after college. Over the past three years, I’ve worked hard to keep my grades up by spending most of my time in the library. My class-
es are not hard, but rather time consuming with long pages of reading for midterms and weekly quizzes. Because of this, I barely spent time venturing out exploring the Bay Area with my friends. I didn’t go out as often because I didn’t want a hangover to prevent me from doing homework. But I had a plan: this quarter I would spend a little more time sinking my teeth into the college experience I’d been missing out on the past few years. My plan was solid. I’ve been visiting the communications department since spring 2016 to help choose classes that will fit my career goals and that will keep me on track to graduate by spring 2017. I was told in last year that I would only need to take 12 units during spring this year and this was music to my ears. I would be able to focus on my style blog and I could take more time to explore the Bay Area and spend time with my friends before I move back to Long Beach. Sadly, my quarter did not go as planned due to miscommunication with communication department advisers. Upon starting this quarter I realized my plan wasn’t foolproof: I had a remaining class that I’d need to take this coming fall quarter to graduate. This was an issue for me, purely because you need 12 units in a quarter to qualify for financial aid, and this one class would not meet those qualifications. I have relied on financial aid all five years to make ends meet. One class in fall quarters means I
would have to pay full tuition and my rent all just to finish up one class to obtain my degree, something I can’t afford. Thankfully, after speaking to my adviser about my financial situation I was able to take my remaining class this spring quarter, leaving me with 16 units and barely any free time. The scenario I just explained is not new to me nor to East Bay. I’ve heard my friends and classmates speak on being a fifth-year due to lack of proper advising, not knowing about extra classes they needed to take and not getting into the classes they needed, which led them to be fifthyears. The Complete College America, a nonprofit organization that works with states to make sure their citizens are eligible to get a college degree, determined in a 2014 study that most students who attend four-year public universities do not graduate within the four-year mark. Students don’t graduate on time due to the lack of a clear plan or advising, changing majors, changing universities and taking unnecessary courses, according to USA Today. In order to avoid delayed graduation or taking unnecessary classes, meet with a counselor and keep track of any changes they make to your schedule and make sure they properly filed them. In the future, when you’re being told something you knew wasn’t right, you can use it as proof and help you continue on with the plans you had.
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OPINION 3
THURSDAY APRIL 6, 2017
THE PIONEER
Campus sports culture eludes students By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Every year I watch the NCAA men’s basketball tournament commonly known as ‘March Madness’. This consists of 68 NCAA Division I basketball teams competing in a winner-take-all; one loss and you are out tournament to determine a national champion. My eyes always drift towards the fans during the game. Teenage and twenty-something college students often with their shirts off, covered in paint of their school colors and screaming in support of their team like it is the most important thing in the world. Then I get sad, because I realize I will
never have this experience in college. I transferred to East Bay from Ohlone College in Fremont, which are both great schools, but not known for their sporting dominance. Both of my colleges do not have football teams either, CSUEB hasn’t had a team since 1993 and Ohlone team was dismantled after the 1982 season. Both schools have confirmed the primary reasons include the lack of funding as well as Title XI requirements. Title XI requires a school to have an equal number of spots for women and men, since football rosters reach up to 70 plus people, it would be almost financially impossible to add that many women’s sports to balance the opportunities. All legalities aside, I always wanted to
SAN QUENTIN NEWS
meet up with friends, get decked out in school gear and walk over to the 70,000 plus seat stadium to cheer on our student athletes that represent us. However, for students at a school like East Bay, an NCAA Division II institution, the school spirit just isn’t there. Maybe it is because we are a commuter school where the majority of students come to class and leave after. According to the NCAA, at traditional schools that have big-time sports programs, tens of thousands of students live on campus and games are rites of passage, not just sporting events. According to CSU Mentor, at East Bay there are currently 15,528 students and just 15 percent of them live on campus. At East Bay, on a good day, there are
about 100 people at a game, and that is considered a big crowd. A far cry from the tens of thousands that big schools like Stanford and Cal draw to their football and basketball games on a regular basis. As I watched the men’s college basketball national championship game on Monday that saw North Carolina defeat Gonzaga, I was reminded again of the missing part of my college experience. They showed a remote camera feed of the Dean Dome during the telecast, which is the home court of the North Carolina Tarheels. It was packed, not an empty seat, full of 20,000 plus students dressed in powder blue and white, jumping, screaming, yelling and cheering on their team as
they watched the game on monitors. Their gym was sold out and the team was all the way across the country. This is something I will never get to experience and sure it sucks, but more so it makes my college experience incomplete. As an older student who didn’t live in the dorms, school is a job, not an experience. I don’t have the luxury of going to the big game on Friday night with friends, I work instead. But I would still love to have that option. The choice to go to a game with thousands of rabid, like-minded students from the same university and bond through a collective devotion to our sports teams that represent us and help create our college identities.
SAN QUENTIN NEWS
US prison commissary giants are set to merge
Stateless...a massacre...a murder...and now free
San Quentin News stories are published courtesy of a content-sharing collaboration between The Pioneer and The San Quentin News, the prison’s official inmate-run newspaper. The collaboration began in July 2016 after faculty and staff of The Pioneer visited the journalism guild in the prison.
Borey “PJ” Ai may be one of the most accomplished persons you will ever meet. He also happens to be one of the youngest persons to be given a life sentence for murder, at age 14. After spending 20 years in prison, he was found suitable for parole at his first hearing, and was released from San Quentin in November. “In my observation, I have found that PJ not only talks the talk, he applies the things he learns in the group and puts it into his life. That is the ingredient to success, not only in getting out of prison but out in society as well,” said Raphaele “Raphy” Casale, chief sponsor of SQUIRES. Self-described as being “stateless,” Ai was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to parents who escaped the genocide in Cambodia. “Almost 98 percent of my family were butchered in the genocide,” said Ai, during an interview. When he was 5, Ai and his family immigrated to America, settling in Stockton in a neighborhood Ai described as “infested by gangs, prostitutes and violence. Some nights we could hear gunfire and people screaming; it was like reliving the war again,” said Ai. Life in a dangerous neighborhood combined with the scars of war created turmoil within Ai’s household. “Both my parents suffered from PTSD; my dad was addicted to drugs and gambling, I saw him only once or twice a month. My mom struggled to raise six kids on her own and did not speak English,” said Ai. “It was a dysfunctional household, though everyone loved one another.” Despite the chaos at home, Ai sought stability in school, but it too proved elusive. “I was in the first grade when I watched my 7-year-old cousin get murdered on the playground,” said Ai. This horrendous crime happened in the 1980s and made headlines all over the country; a crazed gunman opened fire at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton. “It was a massacre. I remember being on the playground with hundreds of kids around, when suddenly someone appeared on the rooftop and began shooting at us...That day, five kids and one teacher died, with 29 more students wounded,” said Ai. “I never felt safe in America, but now I was numb to everything.” “In school, bullies were another problem, I got beat up all the time and this happened in the neighborhood as well,” said Ai. Left to fend for himself, Ai turned to gangs. Ai dropped out of school in the seventh grade and began committing burglaries, assaults and carrying guns. He was 14 years old when he committed murder during a robbery. “I didn’t know I had killed someone until my co-defendant told me,” said Ai. “When I found out the police were looking for me, I turned myself in.” Ai was sentenced to 25 years to life for second-degree
By Marcus Henderson JOURNALISM GUILD CHAIRMAN
As prisoners across the nation wage protests over what they consider slave labor for low or no pay, two of the country’s biggest prison commissary compa¬nies are set to merge. HIG Capital, owner of Trinity Services Group, a commissary and food-service operator, announced that it would be acquiring Keefe Group, one of the largest for profit operators of prison and jail commissaries, according to a Prison Policy Initiative article. Throughout the nation, the prison commissary business brings in an estimated $1.6 billion in sales a year. Keefe, Trinity and Aramark are the three companies that dominate this market. With two companies merging, it would be difficult for smaller firms to outbid for contracts. Trinity is a member of the American Correctional Association, American Jail Association, National Association of Deputy Wardens, National Sheriff’s Association and various state and county sheriff associations across the nation. San Quentin is one of the prisons in California that holds a commissary contract with Keefe Group, according to Dineen Parsons, the material and store supervisor. “Sacramento makes the con¬tracts for all 34 prisons, so I believe we will still get good prices,” said Parsons. “We deal with multiple vendors, so we will probably see increases and decreases throughout the year.” The merger created reduction in competition can lead to the same economic distortions that afflicted the prison phone industry, the article noted. Jails and prisons often receive a commission or kickback from commissary operators as well. The Trinity/Keefe merger could reap annual revenues of $875 million, more than half of the total commissary mar-
ket. With jails and prison facilities cutting their food budgets and subsistence, incarcerated people are forced to pay for basic necessities to supplement the food in the cafeteria. This causes commissary orders to increase dramatically, the article noted. In California state prisons, inmate pay scales run from Level Five laborers at $.08 - $.13 to Level One lead person at $.32 - $.37, according to California Code of Regulations Title 15. These pay rates translate into $12 to $56 monthly, before the department deducts 55 percent for court ordered restitutions and administrative fees. San Quentin commissary has already seen some increases in certain items, according to Par-sons, due to changing of contracts. However, those jails and prison facilities that do want to negotiate for fair pricing will have less leverage and higher prices are a distinct possibility, the Prison Policy Initiative noted. The Keefe Group is a network of six companies that operate various prison-related busi¬nesses. Access Securepak delivers quarterly packages to inmates, and ICSolutions (short for Inmate Calling Solutions) a communications company, are two of them. HIG and ICSolutions filed a notice of the sale with the Federal Communications Commission in June. Keefe and HIG argued in their joint filing with the FCC that the acquisition “will serve the public interest by providing additional capital to ICSolutions, which in turn will enhance its ability to maintain and improve its network and services,” the article reported. The statement fails to address whether there is actually a lack of adequate capital for ICSolu-tions or any other Keefe companies. In 2014, Trinity already acquired Swanson Services Corporation, a leading national provider of commissary products and integrated software services to correctional facilities. Trinity provides support services to 400 correctional facilities across 33 states, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, according to their website. Given the market shares of Trinity and Keefe, it should be a matter of concern to incarcerated people, their family members and antitrust regulators, the article concluded.
By John Lam JOURNALISM GUILD WRITER
PHOTO BY EDDIE HERENA/SAN QUENTIN NEWS
Former San Quentin Prison inmate Borey ‘PJ’ Ai. murder with a gun enhancement. Initially he continued his involvement with gangs while in prison. “In 2004, I was invited to the sweat lodge community through a friend of mine, and it changed my life,” said Ai. “After a while, I began to step away from my gang, and stopped drinking, and joined the Red Road program. There, I learned about victim impact, and it solidified my commitment to change. “Solano State Prison gave me the opportunity to build my foundation for change,” said Ai. “In San Quentin, I used those skills to flourish.” Of his many achievements, Ai is most proud of becoming a state certified counselor for domestic violence through the Guiding Rage into Power (GRIP), Addiction Counselor through Addiction Recovery Counseling. Rape and Suicide Prevention through Bay Area Women Against Rape. As a testament to his dedication, work ethic and knowledge, the GRIP program director Jacques Verduin offered him employment with GRIP upon his release. “Some of the most meaning¬ful programs that I have been part of are Kid CAT, CGA and SQUIRES…One of my proudest moment happened when we (Kid CAT) spoke to lawmakers about the importance of passing AB1276 into law, which allows young men to come to places like San Quentin instead of being sent to maximum security where there are no self-help programs. “If it were not for these self-help programs,” Ai said, “I would have never got to know myself, and I would still be stuck in my old ways and never considered how much harm I caused my victims to endure because of my actions.” Borey Ai was found suitable for parole on July 22. Upon being released from state custody in November, Ai was immediately detained for deportation, which is likely to occur within three to six months. Ai may try to seek political asylum in the U.S. due to his prior status as a refugee from the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia.
“I was in the first grade when I watched my 7-yearold cousin get murdered on the playground. It was a massacre. I remember being on the playground with hundreds of kids around, when suddenly someone appeared on the rooftop and began shooting at us.” —Former San Quentin Inmate Borey ‘PJ’ Ai
4 NEWS
THURSDAY APRIL 6, 2017
THE PIONEER
PHOTO BY EVELYN TIJERO/THE PIONEER
A view of the new Warm Springs-South Fremont BART station platform on Tuesday. The new station opened with limited service on Friday and plans to be fully functional by 2018.
BART From Page 1 to run full service right now, but at time of publication it was unclear how many trains are currently used and how many
would be needed to provide full service. BART officials recently designed and ordered new cars with the help of input and surveys from riders which will begin to be installed in their fleet in yearly increments. According to BART, they plan to have 35 new cars by the end of 2017 and 166
new cars by the end of 2018 with a goal of 775 new cars by the end of 2022. According to Allison, full service will begin in 2018, when they receive new train cars. “This was not a last minute decision,” Allison said. “We’ve incorporated it into our quick
planner that can be found on our website. You plug in the originating station, and it will tell you how to get to where you want to go. It’s been up for Warm Springs since March 10. Anybody who did a little homework would have seen that.” According to BART, this is the first
extension to go South past the Fremont station since BART officially opened in 1972. The station was originally supposed to open in 2014 but was delayed due to “electrical power issues” as well as “a problem syncing the new train control software” with BART’s older network.
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JUEVES 6 DE ABRIL DE 2017 Primavera 2017 Volumen 2
El fracaso de Trumpcare le da más tiempo a Planned Parenthood Por Kali Persall EDITOR-EN-JEFE
Traducción por Daisy Ortiz EDITORA ESPANOL
El 24 de marzo, vicepresidente Mike Pense tuiteó una foto de 30 hombres americanos de la edad media discutiendo un bil que afectaría el futuro del cuidado de salud en América, incluyendo los derechos reproductivos de mujeres. La foto, la cual fue molesta por la falta de representación de mujeres, mostraba miembros de la caucus casa de la libertad — un grupo congresista de republicanos conservativos dentro del GOP quienes votan juntos en biles y enmiendas — votando en el American Health Care Act (AHCA), la póliza propuesta por los republicanos que remplazaria el Affordable Care Act (ACA). El AHCA o ‘Trumpcare’ propone bajar los costos de las primas, crear más opciones de cuidado de salud y eliminar las sanciones sobre los mandatos individuales que existen bajo el ACA y le quita fondos federales a servicios de planificación familiar que proporciona abortos como Planned Parenthood Federacion de América. La ley incluye una provisión que prohibiría a los estados usar fondos federales asignados por el AHCA para servicios de plani-
ficación familiar, salud reproductiva y cuidado medical relacionado que proporciona abortos según el bill text. Como mujer que ha dependido en varios servicios de Planned Parenthood, incluyendo detecciones de cáncer cervical, anticonceptivos y chequeos en la última década, no puedo comprender porque la agenda de los republicanos está tan obsesionada en desmantelar una organización que reclama ayudar 2.5 millones de hombres y mujeres anualmente. Los servicios de aborto sólo constituyen tres por ciento de lo que proporciona Planned Parenthood a sus pacientes y aun quitarle los fondos a la organización ha sido por mucho tiempo una promesa de la campana de Trump. Sin embargo Trump no se da cuenta que el cuidado de salud de mujeres es más que una póliza. Cuarenta y un porciento de los servicios de Planned Parenthood están devotos al tratamiento y eliminación de enfermedades transmitidas sexualmente, 10 por ciento a prevención y detección de cáncer, 12 por ciento a otros servicios sobre la salud de mujer y 34 por ciento a anticonceptivos según el reporte de Planned Parenthood. Estas estadísticas no llegan a capturar las historias de hombres y mujeres como yo misma quien ha beneficiado de muchos servicios cruciales que no hubiéramos podido pagar en
cualquier otro lugar. Mucha gente como yo esperaba que el Caucus de la Libertad, que según el centro de investigaciones Pew consiste de mayoría conservativos de la casa de republicanos, decidiera a favor del bill, sin embargo lo rechazaron. El bill necesitaba 215 votos para ser aceptado sin más de 22 republicanos votando en contra, según el New York Times. Político, una compañia periodística que reporta noticias políticas, reportó que les faltó 25 votos. Los líderes de la casa de republicanos pospusieron el día original de votación a viernes en vez de jueves a causa de la falta de aprobación por la mayoría según el Atlantic, una organización de noticias que reporta sobre política, negocios, cultura y tecnología. El mismo Trump admitió en febrero de 2016 en un debate de CNN que Planned Parenthood ayuda a millones de mujeres con deteccion de cancer y otros servicios pero a la vez dijo que le quitaria los fondos porque es pro-vida. A principios de marzo, la casa blanca ofreció continuar fundando la organización nonprofit si acepta dejar de proporcionar abortos, según el New York Times. Planned Parenthood, quien recibe $500 millones al año en fondos federales los cuales ningunos son usados para abortos se negó a la propuesta según New York Times.
Por qué “apesta” ser un fan de los Atléticos de Oakland Por Louis LaVenture EDITOR-EN-JEFE
Traducción por Daisy Ortiz EDITORA ESPANOL
Para fans de béisbol, abril es el mejor mes del año. La temporada de las Grandes Ligas acaba de comenzar y cada equipo tiene la oportunidad de ser campeón, de menos por un poco. Sin embargo, no todos los fans tienen la misma suerte. Siendo un fan de los Atléticos de Oakland desde que tenía los cuatro anos, soy uno de los fans desafortunados quien/de cual sabe que no tenemos ninguna oportunidad en ganar el campeonato. Más que serle fiel a una organización de deporte, para mi es un estilo de vida. Mi padrastro me crió un fan de los A’s porque él era un fan. Después de que falleció en 2004 eso me hizo querer mantener la tradición para siempre para honrar su memoria. Así que sin importar lo que hagan o dejen de hacer, los A’s tienen un fan verde y dorado por vida en mi. Cuando pierden los A’s me duele, pero es de esperar. Las bajas expectativas han suavizado los golpes de cada año cuando nuestra temporada queda sin el campeonato y así ha sido por lo menos los últimos 30 años. Hasta preguntale a los apostadores en Las Vegas del Sports Book, un negocio en Las Vegas de apuestas deportivas quien recientemente tenía los Atléticos a 190 a uno para ganar la Serie Mundial. Tan solo los Milwaukee Brewers y San Diego Padres tenían peores probabilidades y no era coincidencia. Los Brewers tienen el sueldo más bajo de $63 millones en la liga este año y los Padres son los penúltimos con $71 millones. Los Atléticos están en los últimos tres con un sueldo total de $81 millones. Compara eso con los Dodgers de Los Ángeles quienes sueldo de 2017 es un alto de la liga de $242 millones y es comprensible porque los Atléticos no pueden competir; no tienen con que. Agentes libres e influyentes no quieren venir a una ciudad con mercado chico como Oakland y aunque si lo hicieran, Oakland no puede pagarles. El estadio no atrae mucho tampoco. Abrio en 1966 y no solo es el tercer más viejo estadio de deportes profesionales según las estadísticas de la compañía Elias Sports Bureau, tambien es el unico que hospeda varios deportes, lo cual requiere constantes cambios de campos/canchas cuando la temporada de fútbol americano y béisbol coinciden en agosto a octubre. Esto no sera un problema por mucho
tiempo porque los Raiders planean mudarse a su nuevo hogar Las Vegas para el 2020. El estadio fue renovado en 1995 cuando los Raiders regresaron de Los Ángeles, sin embargo, fue diseñado para alojar un equipo de futbol, no beisbol. ?Así que si los jugadores no vienen por el estadio, a qué vendrán a Oakland? A mi no me importa que pierdan todo el tiempo y que el estadio no sea de lo mejor, yo todavia estare presente en los juegos e intentaré verlos lo más posible cuando esté de viaje. Por la nostalgia y las memorias que me da, no porque el equipo esté dando razones para fomentar eso como lo sería llegar a los playoffs. Los Atléticos no han estado en las postemporadas desde el 2014 cuando perdieron en el partido de American League Wild Card contra los Kansas City Royals. La última vez que fueron a la Serie Mundial fue en 1990 cuando perdieron contra los Cincinnati Reds y la última vez que lo ganaron fue en la serie de Bay Bridge cuando le ganaron a su gran rival de la área de la bahía los San Francisco Giants. Para cualquier persona calculando, eso es casi 30 años sin campeonatos de béisbol en Oakland. Así que los jugadores tampoco están viniendo por su larga historia de éxitos. Estos campeonatos tienen más años que mayoría de los jugadores de la liga de hoy. Por 20 años el manager general de los Atléticos, Billy Beane a intentado encontrar el valor de los jugadores a través de ecuaciones matemáticas, quien ganó fama por la película “Moneyball” que protagoniza a Brad Pitt como Beane. El dice que intenta “encontrar el valor de los jugadores quien nadie más ve con el fin de competir con los grandes”. Según Beane, el y su staff usan ecuaciones para ver que jugadores generen más carreras para el equipo sin gastar de más en contratos. Esta estrategia ha sido un éxito en sus 20 años trabajando, sin embargo, un campeonato aún ha eludido la franquicia y a Beane. Oakland contrato cinco agentes libres fuera de temporada destacado por ex lanzador y tres veces campeón de la Serie Mundial, Santiago Casilla. No obstante, en las últimas dos temporadas Casilla estaba inestable y perdió su trabajo el año pasado con los Giants que Después de Casilla, los dos contratos más grandes fueron tercer base Matt Joyce y jardinero central Rajai Davis. ?Quienes te preguntaras? Exactamente mi punto, aunque Casilla, Davis y Joyce todos sean veteranos reconocidos, ninguno de ellos son domésticos o jugadores que empujaran a Oakland al campeonato.
Por siete años, republicanos criticaron a ‘Obamacare’ por sus primas altas y falta de opciones para cuidados de salud mientras “Repeal and Replace” se ha convertido en la nueva mantra de Trump y el portavoz de la casa blanca Paul Ryan quien ha defendido el bil. Mientras los defectos de ‘Obamacare’ exige mejoramiento, 20 millones de americanos han logrado obtener aseguranza a través de esta ley según Fortune Magazine. Un reporte del costo estimado para el AHCA publicado por la oficina de presupuesto del congreso el mes pasado predicó que bajo la nueva ley, 14 millones de personas quedarían sin seguro y 24 millones para el 2026. Sin embargo republicanos no fueron desalentados por el rechazo de AHCA en recortar servicios para la salud de mujer. En el 30 de marzo, republicanos del senado dirigidos por Pensé votaron en anular una medida administrativa hecha por Obama que permita los estados individuales prevenir centros de planificación familiar que ofrece servicios de aborto reciba dinero de Title X según el New York Times. Title X es una provisión del Public Health Service Act que proporciona dinero para servicios de planificación familiar incluyendo anticonceptivos, detecciones de enfermedades y tratamientos según el departamento de salud y servicios hu-
manos de los Estados Unidos. El voto en el 30 de marzo fue empatado 50-50 con todos los demócratas votando en contra hasta que Pense quebró el empate votando a favor de republicanos según el New York Times. El bil ahora ira al presidente para ser aprobado. Mientras la reforma de cuidado de salud federal continúa en flujo, estados están tomando cosas en sus propias manos. El 17 de marzo, senado Connie Leyva D-Chino introdujo un vil del senado 320 el cual requiere el seguro de salud estudiantil bajo las universidades estatales de California, universidades de California y colegios comunitarios de California cubran abortos con fondos estatales según el bil. Universidades dentro de estos sistemas con un centro de salud en el campus también serian requeridos en ofrecer metodos no quirurgicos de aborto. Aunque aún queda ver cómo resultan las cosas en nuestras leyes de cuidado de salud, una cosa es por segura, Trump y Pense han marcado la raya con el cuidado de salud de la mujer y ha quedado claro que nuestros líderes no tienen los mejores intereses para la mujer en mente. Nuestra actual administración representa a la mujer tan bien que esa foto de 25 hombres sentados alrededor de la mesa decidiendo lo que las mujeres pueden hacer con su propio cuerpo.
SPORTS 7
THURSDAY APRIL 6, 2017
THE PIONEER Water Polo From Page 1 Cheyanne Brady and Mackell, to put East Bay ahead 9-7, as they headed into the final period of the game. Sonoma came alive on offense and did exactly what the Pioneers did to them in the third period by outscoring East Bay 4-1. Sonoma’s senior utility player Carleigh Robinson was crucial in the contest down the stretch as she scored 3 of the 4 Seawolves’ final goals. Robinson was unstoppable throughout the last minutes of the game. Every single one of her goals were unassisted including her game winner which came with 55 seconds left in the match. Sonoma was able to outlast the Pioneers, and went home with the win, 1110. “We have to communicate more on the defensive end or it will be the death of us,” Carroll said. Carroll led the team in goals with 3, followed by Mackell with 2. Goalkeeper Makenna Nation played the full game and had 10 saves and 2 steals. East Bay is now 10-12 overall and 1-1 in conference. They play their second to last regular season game, which is also the final home game for their six seniors on Saturday versus California State Monterey Bay (6-9 overall, 0-2 conference) at Pioneer Pool.
PHOTOS BY KEDAR DUTT/THE PIONEER
Top: Cal State East Bay sophomore goalkeeper Makenna Nation tries to block a shot during a home game against the Sonoma State University Seawolves on Friday at Pioneer Pool on the Hayward campus. Above: CSUEB senior driver Nicole Williams reaches back before she fires a shot against Sonoma State on Friday. Left: Head Coach Lisa Cooper, center, talks to her team during a timeout in an 11-10 loss to the Sonoma State Seawolves on Friday. The Pioneers are now 10-12 overall with just two regular season games remaining before the conference championships begin on April 28 in Ohio.
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8 SPORTS
THURSDAY APRIL 6, 2017
THE PIONEER
Pioneers tame Toros in home series Baseball goes 2-1 over the weekend By Marissa Marshall STAFF WRITER The California State East Bay Baseball team, improved their record to 2010 overall and 11-7 in conference games, over the weekend after they went 2-1 against the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros (7-24 overall, 5-16 conference) in a three game series. On Saturday, the two teams split games in their doubleheader against each other. “Baseball is a very strange game, you literally have to execute and be on point every single game or another team will get the upperhand on you,” junior utility player Dallas Dey said.
“Baseball is a very strange game, you literally have to execute and be on point every single game or another team will get the upperhand on you.” —Dallas Dey, CSUEB junior In the first game, East Bay took control as they scored early with 3 runs in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore catcher Matt Cantelme helped the Pioneers get their first run when he was able to advance to second base on a wild pitch, which helped senior pitcher Wyatt Foreman head home and put the Pioneers up 1-0. Shortly after senior outfielder Marcus Wise singled to right center field and was able to advance to second base after an error by the Toros centerfielder, which also gave the Pioneers 2 runs by Cantelme and sophomore utility player Joey Dice. Both teams went scoreless in the
Top: Cal State East Bay junior pitcher Andrew Fernandez throws a ball during the game against the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros on Sunday at Pioneer Baseball Field on the Hayward campus. Right: Senior catcher Wyatt Foreman attempts a bunt during a 4-1 victory over the Toros on Sunday. PHOTOS BY KEDAR DUTT/THE PIONEER
third inning, but in the top of the fourth Dominguez Hills answered back and scored 2 runs to make the score 3-2. East Bay responded with another run in
the bottom of the fifth inning when senior infielder Michael Thomas doubled to left field and Wise scored. The Pioneers continued to make plays
on offense, as they put up 4 more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and secured the 8-3 win. Junior pitcher Alex Vesia had five
strikeouts and did not allow any earned runs in the victory. In the second game of the double header, Dey and Dice led the way for the Pioneers. Dey went for a perfect 5-for5 at the plate and added 2 runs and 2 steals in the game. Dice hit a homerun, and went 2-for-4 at bat. “It felt good to put up those type of numbers, despite the loss,” Dey said. “Just trying to produce quality plays to help my team, no matter where I am on the field, it is important I give my best effort to try to put us in winning positions.” Despite the duo’s strong performances, it was not enough to get a win for the Pioneers. The Toros, just as East bay had in the previous game got ahead early in the game, as they scored 3 runs in the top of the second inning. East Bay responded by scoring in four straight innings, but the Toros continued to have the upper hand, as they scored 3 runs in the top of the ninth inning to seal the victory 8-4. In the third game of the series both teams were scoreless through five innings, led by dominant performances by Pioneer pitcher junior Jacob Call and Dominguez Hills’ senior pitcher Ethan Etchebarren. “The had a very crafty lefty [in Ethan Etchebarren], he was hitting the right spots very well to prevent us from converting plays,” senior infielder Michael Thomas said. “We were also doing too much and weren’t relaxed, which prevented us from putting up runs early.” Thomas put the Pioneers in scoring position when he tripled to left center field. Senior first baseman Troy Resch then singled up the middle, which scored Thomas and put East Bay up 1-0. The Pioneers scored 3 more runs in the inning by Resch, Dice and Foreman to extend the lead to 4-0. Although they did not score any more runs after the sixth inning, the Pioneers only allowed 1 run by the Toros in the top of the seventh inning, which helped them secure a 4-1 win. East Bay is currently in third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association North Division and will travel to Southern California to play Cal Poly Pomona (16-16, 12-9) at Scolinos Field on Saturday and Sunday.
The struggles of being an Oakland A's fan By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF For baseball fans, April is the best month of the year. The MLB season just started and every team has a chance to be a champion, as least for a little while. However, not all fans are so lucky. An Oakland A’s fan since I was four-yearsold, I am one of the unlucky fans who know we have no chance at winning a championship. For me it is less about being faithful to a sports organization and more just a way of life. My step father raised me to be an A’s fan because he was an A’s fan. After he passed away in 2004 it made me want to hold on to the tradition forever to honor his memory. So no matter what they do or don’t do, they have a green and gold fan for life in me. When the A’s lose it hurts, but it’s expected. The lowered expectations soften the blows every year when our season ends without a championship, for the last 30 at least. Ask Las Vegas oddsmakers at The Sports Book, a sports gambling business in Las Vegas, who recently had the A’s at 190 to one odds to win the World Series. Just the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres had worse odds and not by coincidence.The Brewers have the lowest payroll in the league this year at $63 million, and the Padres are second
to last with $71 million. The A’s round out the bottom three with a total payroll of $81 million. Compare that to the Los Angeles Dodgers whose 2017 payroll is an astounding league-high $242 million and it makes sense why the A’s can’t compete; they can’t afford to. Big-time free agents don’t want to come to a small market city like Oakland and even if they did, Oakland couldn’t afford to pay them. The stadium is no draw either. Opened in 1966, not only is it the third oldest stadium in professional sports according to statistics company Elias Sports Bureau, it is also the only professional sports venue that hosts multiple sports, which requires constant field changes when football and baseball seasons overlap in August through October. That won’t be a worry for long, since the Raiders plan to be in their new home in Las Vegas by 2020. The stadium was renovated in 1995 when the Raiders returned from Los Angeles, however, it was designed to accommodate a football team, not baseball. So if players aren’t coming for the venue, what will they come to Oakland for? To me it doesn’t matter that they lose all the time and the venue is bad, I’m still going to show up to games and watch them as much as I can on the road. Because of nostalgia and the memories it gives me, not because the team is doing things to encourage that, like make the
PHOTO COURTESY OF AMY K. POSNER/FLICKR
playoffs. The A’s haven’t been to the postseason since 2014 when they lost in the American League Wild Card game to the Kansas City Royals. The last time they went to a World Series was in 1990 when they lost to the Cincinatti Reds and the last time they won it was the year before in the Bay Bridge Series when they took down cross Bay rival San Francisco Giants. For anybody counting, that is nearly 30 years of championship-less baseball in Oakland. So players aren’t coming because of the history of success. Those championships are older than most players in the league today. For 20 years A’s General Manager Bil-
ly Beane has tried to find value in players through mathematical equations, made famous by the 2011 film “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt as Beane. He said he tries to “find value in players nobody else sees in order to compete with the big guys.” According to Beane, him and his staff use math equations to figure out what players produce the most runs for their teams while not breaking the bank when it comes to contracts. The strategy has been successful in his 20-year run, however, a championship has still eluded the franchise and Beane. Oakland signed five free agents in the off season highlighted by former San
Francisco relief pitcher and three time World Series champion Santiago Casilla. However, in the last two seasons Casilla became unstable and lost his starting job last year for the Giants squad that lost to the eventual world champion Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs. After Casilla, the two biggest signings were third baseman Matt Joyce and center fielder Rajai Davis. Who, you might ask? Exactly my point, while Casilla, Davis and Joyce are all solid veterans, none of them are household names or players who will push Oakland over the championship threshold.