THE PIONEER Covering the East Bay community since 1961
California State University, East Bay
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¡EDICION EN ESPAÑOL! PAGINAS SEIS Y SIETE
THURSDAY JUNE 30, 2016
www.thepioneeronline.com
Summer 2016 Issue 2
Hayward to get first special needs school in fall SEE OPINION PAGE 2
GOING HOME FOR THE SUMMER
PHOTO BY LOUIS LAVENTURE/THE PIONEER
South Hayward picnic connects neighbors
SEE FEATURES PAGE 4
CALIFORNIA GETS RIGHT TO DIE LAW
By Louis LaVenture and Kali Persall ILLUSTRATION BY ARIANA GONZALEZ/THE PIONEER
Transportation issues continue for district By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SEE ESPAÑOL PAGE 6
EAST BAY HIRES NEW BASKETBALL COACH
SEE SPORTS PAGE 8
PITCHING HAS GIANTS ON TOP
For many people the term “special needs” may be foreign or confusing. However, special needs education is becoming an increasingly popular trend throughout California. According to the United States Government Department of Education, a child or young person has special educational needs if they have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most other children and young people the same age. They also confirmed that as of 2014, 12.1 percent of the nation’s K–12 students had disabilities. Of the 6,429,431 youth aged three to 21 that received special ed-
ucation in the fall of 2012, 11.4 percent were between the ages of three and five. This is a drastic increase from the five percent recorded as recently as the late 1990’s. For special needs students in Hayward, this presents a unique problem since there is only one special needs school in the Bay Area, located in Oakland. Building Blocks is a special needs education facility for children ages 3 through 7 that serves roughly 40 students. According to Seneca, the organization responsible for running the year-round school, Building Blocks is an intervention campus for preschool through first grade with the majority of students suffering from severe behavioral challenges that range from ADD and ADHD to autism. The Seneca website explains that the goal of Building Blocks is to prepare them for a “less restrictive educational setting.” The Hayward Unified School Dis-
trict has a plan to make things easier for these students. For the first time in over 30 years, Hayward will receive its own special needs education facility at Highland Elementary School in September, just behind the Cal State East Bay Hayward campus. The school will occupy a wing of the elementary school and will enroll roughly up to 20 students from preschool to sixth grade, according to HUSD Director of Special Education Tammy D. Watson. One major issue has been transporting children with special needs who live in Hayward to the school in Oakland. A parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said that during the two years her child has been at Building Blocks, the transportation company has switched at least three times, but probably more. Students are also subjected to rides during peak commuting hours, which extends ride times. “Sometimes my [child] is on the way to school or home for over an hour,” the parent
SEE SPECIAL NEEDS PAGE 4
Campus construction continues at East Bay By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Construction will continue through the summer at Cal State East Bay’s Hayward campus. On Friday the Director of Parking and Transportation Services at CSUEB, Derrick Lobo, announced that parking lots E and F will be closed for the entire summer quarter as part of a summer maintenance program. Construction began on Monday and there will be no parking in these lots until the fall quarter begins on Sept. 21, the first day of classes. The CSUEB Library courtyard is also currently undergoing construction from June 13 until July 25, according to Jaleh Behrouze, project manager for East Bay’s Planning, Design and Construction department. However, detour signs around campus indicate that the courtyard will be closed until August 9. According to Lobo, parts of West Loop Road, East Loop Road, Harder Road and Carlos Bee Boulevard will be closed in “phases” during the summer quarter. Lobo said contractors plan to keep one lane open; however, there could be times when both lanes are closed. Signs and workers will guide drivers through the detours during closures.
GRAPHIC BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER
Orlando at forefront of SF Pride Kali Persall
MANAGING EDITOR Metal detectors marked every entrance and bag sizes were scrutinized down to the inch at San Francisco’s annual Gay Pride Celebration last weekend, according to a celebration security report. The statement also disclosed a list of prohibited items, including weapons, portable speakers and e-cigarettes, and warned of a strong police presence at all Pride activities throughout the city, monitored by officers both in and out of uniform. In its 46th year, San Francisco’s an-
nual Gay Pride Celebration featured a colorful venue of performers and organizations, not so different from years past. However, for many attendees, the gathering was much more symbolic than usual. This year’s slogan, “For Racial and Economic Equality,” carried particular weight for those reeling from the aftermath of what USA Today dubbed the largest mass killing in U.S. history. Forty-nine people lost their lives on June 12, when Omar Mateen, 29, entered Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and squeezed the trigger until 49 people were dead and 53 others were wounded, according to The New York
Times. “This was an act of cowardice and callousness,” read a statement by the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration Committee. As the nation continued to cope with the tragedy, members of the LGBTQ community were faced with the possibility that attending Pride could paint a target on their backs. “We must remain strong and vigilant in the face of such hatred. We must be good to one another, we must speak up for one another, and most importantly we must look out for one another,” stated the SF Pride Celebration Committee in a press release.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ MANAGING EDITOR
On Sunday, South Hayward residents will have the opportunity to get to know their neighbors better at a community picnic at Garin Regional Park. A flier for the event invites residents of Fairway Park and surrounding neighborhoods to meet from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Pioneer Picnic Area in Garin Regional Park, located at 1320 Garin Ave., Hayward. Those hoping to attend are urged to RSVP through community social network Nextdoor, in advance and bring games and other entertainment, food, drinks, utensils and folding chairs. According to six-year Hayward resident Renee Ferrantino, her family are long-time residents of Hayward and her grandmother has owned a house in the Fairway Park neighborhood since it was built. Recently, Ferrantino has noticed an increase in crime in the area and hopes the event will strengthen the relationships between neighbors and establish a type of informal neighborhood watch. “I noticed the neighborhood was starting to go downhill,” said Ferrantino. “A lot of car break-ins and crazy car activity.” According to crimemapping. com, a crime-tracking database that operates in collaboration with law enforcement, in the last month there were 29 reported crimes in Fairway Park, including 4 vehicle thefts, two burglaries and two robberies. “Somebody tried to break in our neighbor’s house,” said Ferrantino. “Our dog was going crazy, it was scary. We knew then we needed security cameras.” This is the second community picnic that Ferrantino has organized within the last year. The first took place in October and attracted around 40-55 people, including Hayward General Plan Update Task Force member Daniel Goldstein and Hayward City Council member Al Mendall, according to Ferrantino. Ferrantino said she envisions the event progressing into regular neighborhood activities and trips in the future. “We have to look out for each other as neighbors, that’s what these are all about,” she said.
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