The Pioneer Newspaper August 25, 2016 by The Pioneer Newspaper

THE PIONEER Covering the East Bay community since 1961

California State University, East Bay

Unit trouble for Cal undergrads By Louis LaVenture

News, Art, & Culture for the East Bay

THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 2016

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Gang bust with possible freeway shooting ties

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Students at UC Berkeley got a rude awakening when they tried to sign up for their fall classes. The old registration system, TeleBears, was replaced with a new system, Cal Central, to handle enrollment for all students. However, the new system only allows an undergraduate student to be enrolled in 16 units total at one time. In the old system, students could enroll in well over 16 units, a system that commonly referred to as “holding a course,” since they knew they would eventually have to cut down to 16 units. However, according to the UC Berkeley Academic Affairs Office, the process of allowing students to enroll in classes they knew they would eventual drop or not take slowed down the waitlist system. Some students are having trouble getting into the classes they need with the new restrictions. “I used to be able to add a class and just worry about dropping it later,” junior Gabriella Reyes said. “But now if I want to drop a class and pick another one up I have to make sure it is for the same units and it is open because I can’t have more than 16. It’s just a hassle.” The Associated Students of UC Berkeley did not like the new stipulation to the system and in a statement said how it could not only impact a student’s enrollment status, but their financial aid and ability to graduate on time as well.

Oakland Pride to close out the summer CONTRIBUTOR Every six months, Oakland’s Queer Gym staff hosts a queer sensitivity program, in which local community members and personal trainers have the opportunity to ask awkward or uncomfortable questions about the gender spectrum. This is the only queer-focused gym in the East Bay and every workout begins with a special introduction. Members say their name and preferred gender pronoun and answer an ice-breaker question proposed by a gym staff member. Gym staff aim to create an inclusive atmosphere, and language is key to creating a safe space for people of the queer community to get healthy, according to Nathalie Huerta, CEO of Queer Gym. “The gym is already intimidating enough as it is, and that negative experience is even more heightened when you identify as queer or trans,” Huerta said. The gym is one of the many smaller businesses featured in the upcoming annual Oakland Pride Festival, which will take place on Sept. 11 and attract an expected 50,000 people. Pandora, Kaiser Permanente, Gilead and Bart are some of the other sponsors that will be present at the event. “When you invest in Oakland Pride, you’ll still get more bang for your buck and more personable meetings,” said Amber Todd, one of the three co-founders of Oakland Pride, a nonprofit that started in 2008 at the cusp of the Proposition 8 ballot that

SEE NEWS PAGE 3

California bill ‘promises’ college degrees By Kali Persall MANAGING EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER

By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Crime pays, but only if you don’t get caught. Twenty four alleged Norteño gang members found that out the hard way earlier this month. On Aug. 10 the Concord Police Department, in collaboration with several neighboring local law enforcement agencies and the FBI, announced the culmination of operation “Omega Red” that netted the arrests of 24 alleged Norteño gang members on charges ranging from attempted murder to drug sales. After a 10-week investigation, authorities made 24 arrests on Aug. 3 throughout the area that turned up over $15,000 in cash, 18 guns, substantial amounts of methamphetamine and heroin, two cars, a boat and two marijuana-growing operations with ties to hash oil production.

According to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, 31-year-old Sean Dunne and 28-year-old Mariano Coronado are the leaders of the local Norteño gang and this was the biggest bust in Contra Costa history. Authorities believe some of the suspects have ties to at least three of the 36 Highway 4 shootings that have taken place since Sept. 2015; however, there was not sufficient evidence to charge any of them with those shootings. The “Omega Red” operation ended with 21 houses being searched and several jail cells at multiple facilities that involved over 300 officers, according to authorities. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I’ve never seen a task force as good as the one over there,” Concord Police Chief Guy Swanger said. “We wanted to get shooters off the street and that’s what they did. They knew who to go after and how to do it.”

In addition to attempted murder and drug sales, some of the more serious charges included conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to intimidate witnesses, conspiracy to commit assault with a firearm, weapons trafficking, human trafficking, rape and weapons possession. According to authorities involved in the task force, all of these charges could have more time on them if the suspects are proven to be gang members and given gang enhancements. The Norteños are a street gang associated with the color red, the number 14 and the letter N. The gang originally started in the California prisons in the 1960s and 70s and was known as Nuestra Familia. It was started as a way for Latinos from Northern California to defend themselves in prison against the dominant Southern Latino gang La Eme, otherwise known as the Mexican Mafia, which identifies with the number 13 and the color blue.

McDermott accepts new position at USF

By Ira Lazo

Summer 2016 Issue 10

By Kali Persall MANAGING EDITOR Just when it seemed like Cal State East Bay’s athletic department couldn’t experience any more turnover, it did. Nearly a year and four months into her tenure as East Bay’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Joan McDermott has accepted a new position as the Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of San Francisco, East Bay’s Division of Student Affairs reported on Tuesday. She will leave East Bay mid-September. McDermott became the athletic director at East Bay on April 1, 2015. Under her leadership, she brought in the NCAA to East Bay to conduct an analysis of Athletics on campus, and coordinated a consultation to evaluate the branding of Athletics on campus and in the larger community, reports the Department of Student Affairs. “I have greatly valued her leadership and dedication to our student athletes and our coaches,” stated East Bay President Leroy Morishita. “She will be sorely missed.” There has been a fair amount of turnover during McDermott’s short tenure: six head coaches have either left or stepped down, as previously reported by The Pioneer. The most recent losses were East Bay’s men’s baseball Head Coach Bob Ralston and Associate Head Coach Darren Lewis, who stepped down on Aug. 11 at the close of the team’s best season since 2009. Coaches from women’s basketball,

PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLEY COX

Joan McDermott, CSU East Bay Director of Intercollegiate Athletics speaks to a crowd at the University Union on the Hayward campus in May. track, cross country, softball, men’s soccer and swimming have all either stepped down or left East Bay to pursue other opportunities. Dr. Don Sawyer will serve as the interim Director of Athletics while the university launches a national search to fill the position, according to the Department of Student Affairs. Sawyer is a retired professor emeritus in Kinesiology at East Bay, and a Pioneer

of 44 years, according to East Bay’s Pioneer Athletics website. Sawyer both played and coached football when the school offered it until 1993. He was inducted into East Bay’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. A celebration for McDermott will take place tomorrow in the University Union's Multi-Purpose Room B from 2-4 p.m.

Earning a college degree has typically been thought of as a four-year endeavor, but that’s become more myth than truth in recent years: A six-year education is more of a reality. On Tuesday, the California Assembly approved a bill known as the “California Promise,” an initiative that aims to help students in the California State University system earn a bachelor degree in exactly four years. Students don’t always graduate in four years for two main reasons, according to the bill: A shortage of high-demand classes and failure to complete enough academic units. The California Promise bill would combat this by providing students with priority registration for coursework and regular academic advising in order to monitor their academic progress. The program will extend to students at both California community colleges and universities. Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, co-authored the bill in February, along with 20 other state senators and three Assembly members. The Assembly “overwhelmingly” approved the bill, which now requires further action by the Senate in order to progress, according to a news release from the Office of the Senator. The application criteria, guidelines and requirements for implementing the program would be developed by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and the Trustees of the CSU. The trustees would be required to establish the program on at least eight CSU campuses and 15 CSU campuses for qualifying transfer students for the 2017-18 school year, according to the Office of the Senator. In order to qualify for the California Promise program, students must be a California resident and complete at least 30 semester units per academic year, according to the bill legislature. A minimum grade point average may be required in order to maintain eligibility, but these guidelines would be determined by the individual college. The goal of California Promise is to improve four-year graduation rates throughout the state, specifically within the California State University system. According to the Office of the Senator, the CSU’s overall four-year graduation rate is currently only 18.6 percent, falling short of the national average of 26 percent at similar public universities. A U.S. News & World Report on higher education ranked CSU East Bay with a four-year graduation rate of only 10 percent. Studies show that CSU graduates are prevalent in the state and national workforce. The legislation reports that one out of every 10 California employees and out of every 20 U.S. citizens graduated from a CSU. However, the Public Policy Institute of California reports that if California higher education institutions don’t adapt educational programs to reflect the growing demand for a college-educated workforce, current four-year graduation trends will place California 1.1 million college and university graduates short of the state’s economic demand by 2030. The intent of the California Promise is to match and exceed the national average four-year graduation rates as quickly as possible, according to the bill.

2 OPINION

THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 2016

THE PIONEER

Republicans are wrong about Obama By Sean McCarthy STAFF WRITER Republican rhetoric is like the piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe: You just need to wait for it to dry, harden and fall off. Republicans have been at war with President Barack Obama since he was first elected in 2008, and have tried to find any flaw that they can in his successful tenure as president since. However, those flaws are unfounded; I believe Obama will go down as one of the top ten presidents in history at the end of his term. Obama has not always been perfect. He authorized over 500 drone strikes which killed hundreds of civilians in the Middle East. In 2011, he overthrew Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, which eventually led to the destabilization of the country. The country has since been in a constant state of civil unrest and war. Critics have also said Obamacare is a giant failure, that Obama caused the inflated national debt and that he created a rift between whites and black, but they’re wrong and here’s why. Obamacare has provided insurance and medical care to roughly 20 million Americans since its 2010 inception, according to Obamacare Facts webpage. The 20 million are mainly comprised of Marketplace patients who pay for their own plans, and young adults who are allowed to remain on their parents’ plan until age 26. Those covered by Medicaid saw a $600 to $1000 decline in the amount of debt they owed, according to findings released by the National Bureau of Economic Research in April. For the most part, the people who need to save money are actually able to do so; however, some families are still forced to pay high premiums because the system isn’t perfect. In 2014, Robert Tracinski of the Federalist, said that Obamacare would cause states to go bankrupt due to the number of people who were enrolled under Medicaid. That has not happened

as of today and may never happen. There are more Americans insured today than ever before in American history. For reference, in 2008, George W. Bush’s last full year as president, 15.4 percent of the nation was uninsured, according to the U.S. Census. Today only 9.1 percent of the nation is currently uninsured, a record low. Republicans also like to complain about the $19 trillion national debt. They are quick to shout that under Obama, we are now in greater debt than ever before in American history. While that is true, it does not tell the entire story and paints a false narrative of Obama’s real financial track record. When Bush left office in 2008, we had a national debt of $10 trillion and a deficit — which occurs when the country spends more money than it makes — of $459 billion, according to the White House historical tables. The national deficit increased to $1.412 trillion by the end of Obama’s first term in 2009. However, that increase in the deficit was directly related to policies such as the bank bailout bill that Bush Jr. enacted before he left the White House. The truth is, Obama was only responsible for $203 billion of that increase at most, according to factcheck. org. That is about a quarter of the total national increase under his administration. Bush signed a bank bailout bill on Oct. 3, 2008 that authorized $700 billion to stop another financial collapse. Since then, Obama has brought the deficit down to $438 billion, which continues to decline. This trend will eventually bring the economy into a surplus, which occurs when a country makes more money than it spends, and will begin the process of debt elimination. The United States has averaged 191 million jobs created every month since Feb. 2010, when Obama brought our country out of its greatest recession since the Great Depression, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. There were 255 million jobs created just last month. American gross domestic product is also at its highest point since Bush destroyed the American economy.

EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Finally, it is asinine to believe that Obama caused a rift in American race relations. Blacks are killed by the police at disproportionate rates today and have been since the days of slavery. Social media and the ease of access to the internet has exposed the fact that minorities continue to be plagued by racism. The only thing that Obama is responsible for is giving a voice to the disenfranchised black Americans who have seen this system fail them time and again, like when he defended BLM at the Dallas Police Memorial in July. Obama can also be credited for his policies geared toward immigrants, such

as the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which helps young undocumented immigrants achieve permanent residency. Obama may not be known as the greatest president of all time, but he will be remembered as a great one for many reasons. He introduced health care to millions of Americans, he enacted the DREAM Act, he brought us out of a Republican-induced recession and he is the first president to actually try to pass real measures to ensure a green planet, such as the Clean Power Plan. He will go down as one of the top ten presidents and Republicans are afraid to admit it.

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Hispanics are not all the same By Maira Sanchez CONTRIBUTOR

Mexican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Nicaraguan: They are all “Mexican” to Republican nominee Donald Trump. Trump has said that Mexicans are rapists, drug dealers and criminals, among other things. Yes, there might be a few that are, but most of us are not like that. Of the total arrests in 2013, only 16.6 percent were Hispanic, according to recent FBI reports. Not even half of our Hispanic population is violent, so where is he exactly getting his statistics from? The number of Hispanics who receive a higher education has increased in recent years. In 2014, 35 percent of Hispanics aged 18 to 24 were enrolled in a two- or four-year college, a 13 percent increase from 22 percent in 1993, according to the Pew Research Center. At CSU East Bay alone, Hispanics are the highest percentage of enrollees, compared to other ethnic groups. Trump is wrong and does not have his facts straight about jobs, his proposed wall along the Mexican border or Latino voters. Job loss Trump said that Mexicans are steal-

ing jobs, but let’s be honest: Who else is going to take the jobs in the fields, picking fruits and vegetables in severe hot and cold weather? Who is going to work at a fast food restaurant for minimum wage or at a fancy restaurant as a dishwasher? No one. Hispanics are the ones who take these jobs with no hesitation because they are trying to give their family a better life than they had back home. In 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 43.49 percent of Hispanics work in agriculture, 36.7 percent work in maintenance, 32.3 percent work in construction and 24.9 percent work in the food industry. Even some of Trump’s employees are Hispanic. “I am friends with and employ thousands of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent,” Trump told Foreign Policy Magazine in June. So why exactly does he want to kick out Mexicans? I don’t think that people from the white descent are going to take the jobs that Hispanic people do, because they are difficult. Trump is not making our country great again, Latinos are. The wall The solution to these problems, according to Trump, is to deport all the undocumented people and build a wall between Mexico and the United

States. He also claims that Mexico is going to pay for it. Has he not heard former Mexican presidents Vicente Fox or Felipe Calderón say they are not going to pay for that wall? Fox recently said in an interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos, “I’m not going to pay for that fucking wall. He should pay for it! He’s got the money.” Fox has a point: Trump is a businessman, so why should someone who doesn’t want a wall pay for it? Calderón told CNBC in February 2016, “Mexican people — we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall, and they need to know that, and it’s going to be completely useless.” This wall is completely useless because Mexican people don’t necessarily need to cross over a wall. Many people get visas and come into the United States legally, they just overstay the allowed time. So what is a wall going to do? Completely nothing: It is just a waste of time and money. Besides being a waste, it is also impossible to build a wall along the Mexican border. You cannot build a wall on the Rio Grande because it would interfere with the flow of the water. Voters In the United States there are 225,778 million eligible voters and

of those voters, 27,302 million are Hispanic, according to the Pew Research Center. Since the 2012 election, the Hispanic population has grown by 17 percent, compared to the white population, which only grew by two percent. A national survey by The People Press conducted June 15-26 shows that of all the votes, 51 percent support Hillary and 42 percent support Trump based on registered voters. I would like to think that Hispanic people wouldn’t be part of the percentage that support Trump, but I’m wrong. Either way, Trump doesn’t have a chance because 71 percent of Hispanic millennials support Hillary and only 19 percent support Trump. More Hispanics have a voice in this election because our people have gained their U.S. citizenship and can finally vote. Millennials, wake up! Some of us are finally voting for the first time in this November election. I am one of those first-time voters. It is crucial for us to vote because we can make a difference in who is going to become our next president. I am Mexican and do not consider myself anything else. Trump has decided to label me by the way I look, and that is not who I want in a president.

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NEWS 3

THURSDAY AUGUST 25 , 2016

THE PIONEER

Oaklandish rewards good grades By Louis LaVenture EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Since they opened over five years ago, the fashion like and retail clothing store brand Oaklandish has been a huge staple in Oakland. Its T-shirts, hoodies and accessories aim to promote civic pride by showcasing common symbols of Oakland. More than 100 students from the Oakland Unified School District showed up Aug. 21 for the store’s fifth annual T-shirt giveaway. Students were asked to fill out a card with some basic questions about their education when they present their report card and claim their T-shirt. The store gives a free specially-designed T-shirt to any OUSD student with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. The store gave away nearly 200 shirts at each of the past two giveaway events, according to event organizers. Two years ago, 158 students from nine different schools claimed tees branded “Oakland-Educated.” Signe Wurtz, an Oakland Tech High School graduate said she learned, “Not to judge people based on their outward appearance, but to understand them based on their actions,” during her time as a student and resident of Oakland. Every year the shop adds new features to the giveaway, which last year featured ambassadors throughout the school year who were able to collect gear and clothes for their efforts to help get the word out about “Oakland-Educated.”

PHOTOS BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER

Products are displayed at the Oaklandish store in downtown Oakland Saturday evening.

OPINION

Frank Ocean’s catharsis album ‘Blonde’ at No. 1 on all iTunes top charts By Wendy Medina COPY EDITOR The internet blew up on Aug. 20 when Frank Ocean broke his four-year-long silence and dropped his long awaited music album “Blonde,” a 45-minute visual album called “Endless,” an art magazine/zine titled “Boys Don’t Cry” and a music video for the first track of the album, “Nikes.” Ocean hasn’t released any new tracks since 2012’s “Channel Orange,” which won a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary album, was nominated for three other Grammys and was named by many publications as album of the year. Social media has been in a frenzy — the memes and fan backlash mounting since early 2015 — when a Tumblr post from Ocean teased the title of the album to be “Boys Don’t Cry” with the hashtag #JULY2015. After a year and a couple more teases, New York Times reported a release for August 5, but like many times before, nothing. Ocean underwent massive scrutiny by fans in anticipation of his new material after the numerous false release dates. He unmistakingly reveals the weight of this scrutiny on his shoulders and his struggle with fame in “Blonde.” “Blonde” is an iTunes-exclusive album that surfaced in a way that brings to mind Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.” After

Pride From Page 1 legalized gay marriage across the nation. Heading into its sixth year, Oakland Pride aims to differentiate itself from its sister Pride celebration in San Francisco and Sacramento as less of a “party” and more of a family-friendly event that connects residents with businesses and resources that cater to the queer community. It takes over a year for the festival de-

fans had quieted down about the Aug. 5 date, on Aug. 19, the short film “Endless” dropped out of nowhere and that same day, Rolling Stone magazine announced that a second album not actually titled “Boys Don’t Cry,” would be released the following weekend. “Blonde” followed the next day, which flooded the internet immediately. The album, the song “Ivy” and the video “Endless” are all No. 1 on iTunes’ top charts. When he refers to Tupac and the murder of Tex-Mex singer Selena Quintanilla in the last track “Futura Free,” Ocean is contemplating his own mortality. The stream of consciousness-style track reveals battles about sexuality and religion. The 18-track album is more experimental and simplistic in Ocean’s R&B infused vocals, as well as the instrumentals. Ocean’s abundant use of electric guitar and synths have a contemporary R&B sound, retaining the soulful melody of his voice but juxtaposing the bluesy, dancey elements of the popular ‘00s genre. The ethereal “Endless” visual album begins with Ocean making a staircase, from start to finish, and ends with him climbing to the top. One can interpret this painstakingly slow video as Ocean’s ascent to his true self — dealing with heartbreak, the process of waiting for the dust to settle around his sexuality, his attempt to break free from social constructs.

tails to come together. This year’s event features Grammy Nominated R&B artist Deborah Cox, Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam, and reality TV-show finalist Frenchie Davis. There will also be a children’s carnival that will include a petting zoo and a book giveaway. To tie in the lightheartedness of the festival to the community, the finale will include a Gospel tribute and feature a surprise guest. In the wake of the Pulse Orlando club shooting and this year’s politically-charged election, Pride festival plan-

Most importantly, he’s breaking barriers for the LGBTQ community through his presence as the first openly gay Black man in the mainstream hip-hop industry. On “Channel Orange” and now on “Blonde,” Ocean sings candidly about same-sex love and celebrates queerness and owns his gender identity: Something never really seen before from a popular artist in a way that genuinely brings queerness to the spotlight. In the “Nikes” music video he wears eyeliner and lipstick, is doused in glitter and renders homoerotic scenes as fluid as the community itself. The “Boys Don’t Cry” zine was only available at special pop-up shops in New York, London, Chicago and Los Angeles. Snippets that surfaced on the web reveal random moments of his life incognito, as well as contributions from big names like Kanye West, David Bowie, Lil B, André 3000, Jamie xx and more. Ocean’s lyrics are essay-style narratives of personal reflection that mimic conceptual artist Jenny Holzer’s works, who is famous for her style of in-yourface truism essays that deal with social issues of violence, sex and power. In a lengthy poetic essay in the “Boys Don’t Cry” zine that Ocean published on his Tumblr — much like Holzer’s format — he writes, “Boys do cry, but I don’t think I shed a tear for a good chunk of my teenage years.” A tribute to his contemporary, Ocean wears Holzer’s well-

ners want to make sure that attendees feel like they belong. “When you come out to Pride, you would see yourself reflected in Pride, you will find acceptance, you will find other people like you,” said Todd. The free parade begins at 10:30 a.m. and will start on Broadway between 14th and 20th Streets. The festival entrances are on Broadway & 20th Street, and Webster and 21st Street. There will be an admittance fee of $10 for adults and children under 12 is $5.

known “Abuse of Power” truism T-shirt while being set on fire in the “Nikes” video, suggesting the rise from his ashes. Powerful meditations in “Blonde” and experimental art projects that celebrate his identity and the identities around him have graduated Ocean into a queer icon. “I daydream on the idea that maybe all this barbarism and all these transgressions against ourselves is an equal and opposite reaction to something

better happening in this world,” Ocean writes on his website. Every project Ocean had been working on behind-the-scenes over the past four years are infused with his essence, his raw emotion. This stimulating resurgence displays so much more than his musical abilities: he continues to make a name for himself in the outlandish artistic world, and serves as a voice of insight that destigmatizes the LGBTQ world.

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4 FEATURES

THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 2016

THE PIONEER

Author David Downs' guide to getting lit By Wendy Medina COPY EDITOR Journalist and author David Downs has been at the heart of the weed whirlwind that has swept California for decades. His latest book, “The Medical Marijuana Guidebook,” which focuses on medical research, plant to human biology, business how-to guidance and medical marijuana policy, debuted in an Aug. 17 pot literature showcase “Lit. LIT!” that revolved around cannabis to discuss information about growing, medical uses and laws pertaining to marijuana. Downs produced the showcase, which happened at the headquarters of Meadow, a medical pot delivery service in San Francisco. He has hosted several of these showcases, but this time he wanted to organize a cannabis event in the Bay Area that would be something more interesting than reading, something more contemporary and fun to go to, he told the Pioneer. In 2007, Downs founded Legalization Nation, a column in the East Bay Express that discusses marijuana news and culture. The award-winning journalist talked to the Pioneer about how his involvement in journalism and marijuana activism reacted to yield his career. While in college, Downs began to believe strongly that it was unjust for students to lose financial aid because of marijuana violations. Some students are solely dependent on financial aid as a means of paying for tuition; take that aid away for a weed infraction, and no more school. He interviewed former Sen. Barney Frank and wrote an article on financial aid reform regarding this issue while he worked at UC Santa

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Barbara’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Nexus. “Ever since college and applying for financial aid, and realizing that [a marijuana infraction] was hanging over plenty of good kids’ heads, I’ve always been interested in cannabis policy, public health and American politics,” he said. California voters will decide whether or not to legalize recreational cannabis in just two and a half months. According to Prop 64, or the “The Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act,”

if passed, the law would make it legal for recreational purchase and cultivation of weed, as long as the user is 21. Prop 64 would also enact a state excise tax of 15 percent on retail sales, according to the Attorney General’s Office. California would be the fifth state to legalize recreational use of weed. Pro-pot opposition lies within one of the initiative’s clauses to “designate state agencies to license and regulate marijuana industry.” In other words, there is fear that revolves around the security of the purity of the product, un-

willing to see it go down the same road as tobacco, contaminated with tons of other toxic chemicals. According to Downs, pro-marijuana criticism people are “worried about trading the outside chance of being put in a cage for a very real possibility of being an economic waste slave and oppose legalization landscape,” he said. As a journalist, Downs tries to be objective and do the factual reporting for his readers, but as a citizen he believes current marijuana policy is failing, since thousands of Americans are

behind bars or will be arrested on pot charges. Of 700,993 marijuana law violations, 88 percent of those were for possession only, according to a crime report released by the FBI in 2014. American Civil Liberties Union, the nation’s individual rights defender, report that not only do marijuana arrests make up over half of all drug arrests in the United States, but that Blacks are four times more likely than whites to be arrested for weed. “I’m hearing the economic criticism of allowing the marijuana market to be exposed to capitalism, but I see that as a problem with capitalism, not with legalization,” Downs told the Pioneer. “Legalization is coming at a time when the gap between the rich and poor has never been wider, and people are viewing legalization through that lens, and it’s starting to drag down momentum for reforming these laws.” Three national polls all conducted in 2015 — Gallop, General Social Survey and Pew Research Center — found that at least 52 percent of the U.S. is in favor ending pot prohibition. One of Downs’ colleagues, Cannabis Now Magazine content editor Ellen Holland, told the Pioneer, “If Proposition 64 passes, activists within the movement will have to work to challenge and alter some of its components. For example, with Proposition 64 in place, a condition citing no smoking in public will allow local law enforcement to have a pretext for continued discrimination against minority groups. The challenge will be in defining what ‘public’ means.” Downs has a strong voice in the cannabis literature community and has frequently published articles about the culture of the marginalized plant since 1996. For more information about his recent guidebook, visit his website www.davidrdowns.com.

OPINION

Legal marijuana is good for California By Samuel Salisbury CONTRIBUTOR This November, voters will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to legalize the cultivation and sale of recreational marijuana in the state of California. If Proposition 64 is passed, California would become the fifth state to legalize recreational marijuana. Legalization is long overdue and would be good for California because it would create a new taxable industry. This initiative first appeared on the ballot in 1972 with Proposition 19, but did not pass. In 1996, California became the first state in the union to legalize the use of medical marijuana.

A proposition to legalize recreational marijuana appeared again on the 2010 ballot, but failed. Prop 64 would allow anyone over 21 to buy and grow marijuana legally and would enact a 15 percent sales tax on marijuana sales. According to the bill, the sale of non-medical marijuana in designated marijuana stores would be prohibited near schools or other places where children are present. If California were to legalize marijuana, we would likely see a large tourism boost. Colorado legalized marijuana in 2014 and has seen a recent boom in tax revenue, directly correlated with the marijuana legislation. According to Time magazine, Colorado received $70 million

in taxes from marijuana in 2015 alone. Coloradopotguide.com offers people information, dates and times of various marijuana events, tours and activities. It also recommends hotels that allow marijuana use. California could develop similar tourist attractions to generate revenue for the state. Washington, another state with legal recreational marijuana, has also seen a prosperous market. According to 502data. com, a site that reports data on Washington’s recreational marijuana market, in 2015 recreational marijuana retail sales alone brought in $322,823,639. Medical marijuana has already created a prosperous industry in California. An article

on news site Fusion.net estimates that California brings in between $59 million and $109 million in medical marijuana tax revenue. According to the California State Board of Equalization, in 2014, the 1,623 dispensaries registered with the board reported $570 million in taxable income, which amounted to $49.5 million in tax due to the state. Legalization would only increase California’s marijuana market. There are many opponents of the bill, like U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein is one of many in support of “No on 64,” a group that openly opposes the proposition. In a July 12 press release by “No on 64,” Feinstein expressed concern about children seeing marijuana ad-

vertisements and claimed that Proposition 64, “allows marijuana smoking ads in prime time, on programs with millions of children and teenage viewers.” However, according to Politifact, as of August 5th, no marijuana advertisements have been shown in states that have legalized it. The legalization of recreational marijuana has been and continues to be a hot-button issue for California. Many longtime residents of California have been waiting for marijuana legislation since the 1970s. Though California would not necessarily make history with this vote, by approving the measure, it would show that we are on the forefront of a new and exciting market.

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JUEVES 25 DE AGOSTO DE 2016 Verano 2016, edicion 10

Marihuana legal es buena para California Por Samuel Salisbury CONTRIBUYENTE Traducción por Wendy Medina EDITORA DE COPIA

Este mes de noviembre, los votantes tendrán la oportunidad de decidir si se debe o no legalizar el cultivo y venta de marihuana recreativa en el estado de California. Si la Propuesta 64 se pasa, California se convertiría en el quinto estado en legalizar la marihuana recreativa. La legalización es desde hace mucho tiempo y sería bueno para California porque crearía una nueva industria gravable. Esta iniciativa apareció por primera vez en la papeleta en 1972 como la Propuesta 19, pero no fue aprobada. En 1996, California se convirtió en el primer estado de la unión de legalizar el uso de marihuana medicinal. Una propuesta para legalizar la marihuana recreativa apareció de nuevo en la papeleta de 2010, pero tambien fracasó. Propuesta 64 permitiría a cualquier

GRÁFICA POR BART NY/CONTRIBUYENTE

persona mayor de 21 años para comprar y hacer crecer la marihuana legal y promulgará un impuesto de 15 por ciento en las ventas de marihuana. De

acuerdo con el proyecto de ley, la venta de la marihuana que no es medicinal en las tiendas designadas de marihuana, estaría prohibida cerca de escuelas y otros lugares donde los niños están presentes. Si California legaliza la marihuana, nos vemos probable que un gran impulso del turismo. Colorado legalizó la marihuana en 2014 y ha visto un reciente auge de los ingresos fiscales, directamente correlacionada con la legislación de la marihuana. Según la revista Time, Colorado recibió $70 millones en impuestos de la marihuana, solamente en 2015. Coloradopotguide.com ofrece información de personas, fechas y horas de eventos diversos de marihuana, excursiones y actividades. También recomienda hoteles que permiten el uso de marihuana. California podría desarrollar atracciones turísticas similares para generar ingresos para el estado. Washington, otro estado con marihuana recreativa legal, también ha

visto un mercado próspero. De acuerdo con 502data.com, un sitio que informa los datos de mercado de la marihuana recreativa de Washington, en 2015 las ventas al por menor de marihuana recreativa trajo $322.823.639. La marihuana medicinal ya se ha creado una industria próspera en California. Un artículo en el sitio de noticias Fusion.net, estima que California trae entre $59 millones y $109 millones en ingresos por impuestos de la marihuana medicinal. De acuerdo con la Junta de Igualación del Estado de California, en 2014, los 1.623 dispensarios registrados en la Junta informó que de los $570 millones en la utilidad fiscal, solo $49.5 millones en impuestos se debian al estado. La legalización sólo aumentaría el mercado de la marihuana en California. Hay muchos contrincantes del proyecto, como senadora Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein es una de muchos en apoyo de “No a la 64,” un grupo que se opone abiertamente a la proposición. En un comunicado de prensa del 12

de julio por mediado de “No a la 64,” Feinstein expresó preocupación por los niños que verían anuncios de marihuana y afirmó que la Propuesta 64, “permite anuncios de fumar marihuana en horario de máxima audiencia, en programas con millones de niños y adolescentes como espectadores.” Sin embargo, de acuerdo con Politifact, un sitio que revisa los hechos de la política Estadounidense, a partir del 5 de agosto, no hay o ha habido anuncios de marihuana siendo mostrados en los estados que ya han legalizado la marihuana. La legalización de la marihuana recreativa ha sido y continúa siendo un tema candente para California. Muchos residentes de largo plazo de California han estado esperando por la legislación de la marihuana desde los años 70s. Aunque California no necesariamente va hacer historia con esta votación, mediante la aprobación de la medida, sería una muestra de que estamos en la vanguardia de un nuevo y emocionante mercado.

El orgullo de Oakland para cerrar el verano Por Ira Lazo CONTRIBUYENTE Traduccion Por Pavel Radostev Pushina

CONTRIBUYENTE A LA COPIA DE ESPAÑOL

Cada seis meses, el personal del gimnasio gay de Oakland presenta un programa de sensibilidad gay, en la que la comunidad local y los entrenadores personales tienen la oportunidad de hacer preguntas difíciles o incómodas sobre el espectro del género. Comienzan cada entrenamiento con una introducción: Los miembros dicen su nombre y su pronombre de género preferido, y contestan una pregunta para romper el hielo, propuesta por un miembro del personal del gimnasio. El personal del gimnasio tiene como objetivo crear un ambiente inclusivo, y el lenguaje es clave para crear un espacio seguro para las personas de la comunidad homosexual a recuperar la salud, de acuerdo con Nathalie Huerta, director general del gimnasio gay. “El gimnasio ya es lo suficientemente intimidante como es, y la experiencia negativa es aún más aumentada cuando se identifican como gay o trans,” dijo Huerta. El gimnasio es uno de los socios destacados en el próximo festival anual del orgullo de Oakland, que tendrá

FOTO CORTESÍA DE THOMAS HAWK/FLICKR

Alcalde Libby Schaaf.

lugar el 11 de septiembre y atraerá a una previsión de 50,000 personas; desde familias a parejas de ancianos

que viven con el SIDA y las empresas locales que quieren salir y apoyar su vecindario.

“A diferencia de San Francisco, la ciudad de Oakland carece de los recursos de la comunidad necesarios

para permitir que los miembros de la comunidad LGBTQ puedan prosperar,” dijo Ámbar Todd, uno de los tres co-fundadores de Oakland Pride, una organización no lucrativa que se inició en 2008 en la cúspide de la papeleta de la Propuesta 8 que legalizó el matrimonio homosexual en todo el país. De cara a su sexto año, el orgullo de Oakland pretende diferenciarse de su celebración de orgullo hermana en San Francisco y Sacramento como menos de un “partido” y más de un evento familiar que conecta a los residentes con las empresas y los recursos que se adaptan a la comunidad homosexual. “Oakland no tenía orgullo; no uno que se pareciera al nuestro,” dijo Todd. El festival y desfile mejora cada año mediante la solicitud de retroalimentación de invitados del festival durante el evento, el entretenimiento corta la línea para atender a la comunidad. “Al salir al orgullo, que se vería a sí mismo reflejado en el orgullo encontrará aceptación, se encuentran otras personas como usted,” dijo Todd. El desfile libre comienza a las 10:30 a.m. y se iniciará en Broadway entre las calles 14 y el 20. Las entradas del festival están en Broadway y la calle 20, y la calle 21 y Webster. Habrá una cuota de admisión de $10 para adultos y para niños menores de 12 años de $5.

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JUEVES 25 DE AGOSTO DE 2016

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ILUSTRACIÓN POR DINA ARAKCHEYEVA/CONTRIBUYENTE

Nosotros no somos todos iguales Por Maira Sanchez

CONTRIBUYENTE Traduccion Por Pavel Radostev Pushina EDITOR DE COPIA EN ESPAÑOL

Mexicano, Salvadoreño, Guatemalteco y Nicaragüense: todos ellos son "mexicanos” de acuerdo al candidato republicano Donald Trump. Trump ha dicho que los mexicanos son

violadores, traficantes de drogas y delincuentes, entre otras cosas. Sí es posible que haya algunos que lo son, pero la mayoría de nosotros no somos así. De las detenciones totales en 2013, sólo el 16,6 por ciento eran hispanos, de acuerdo con recientes informes del FBI. Ni siquiera la mitad de nuestra población hispana es violenta, por lo que exactamente a partir de que se basan sus estadísticas? El número de hispanos que reciben una educación superior ha aumentado en los últimos años. En 2014, el 35 por ciento de los hispanos de entre 18 y 24 fueron inscritos en una universidad de dos o cuatro años, un aumento del 13 por ciento desde el 22 por ciento en 1993, según el Centro de Investigación Pew. A solas en la CSU East Bay, los hispanos tienen el mayor porcentaje de los inscritos, en comparación con otros grupos étnicos. Trump está mal y no tiene sus cosas claras acerca de los trabajos, su propuesta del muro a lo largo de la frontera con México, y los votantes latinos.

Perdida de trabajo Trump dijo que "los mexicanos están robando puestos de trabajo," pero seamos honestos, ¿quién más va a tomar los puestos de trabajo en los campos, recogiendo nuestras frutas y verduras en un clima caliente y frío severo? ¿Quién va a trabajar en un restaurante de comida rápida para el salario mínimo o en un restaurante de lujo como lavaplatos? Nadie. Los hispanos son los que toman estos puestos de trabajo sin dudar, ya que están tratando de dar a su familia una vida mejor que la que tenían en casa. En 2014, la Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales informó que el 43.49 por ciento de los hispanos trabajan en la agricultura, el 36,7 por ciento trabaja en el mantenimiento, el 32,3 por ciento trabaja en la construcción y el 24,9 por ciento trabaja en la industria alimentaria. Incluso algunos de los empleados de Trump son hispanos. "Soy amigo de él y emplean a miles de personas de ascendencia mexicana e hispana," dijo Trump en Foreign Policy Magazine en junio. Así que ¿por qué exactamente es lo que quiere echarlos? No creo que la gente de la ascendencia blanca vaya a tomar los empleos que los hispanos hacen, porque son difíciles. Trump no está haciendo grande a nuestro país de nuevo, los latinos sí.

El muro La solución a estos problemas, de acuerdo con Trump, es deportar a todos los indocumentados y construir un muro entre México y Estados Unidos. También afirma que México va a pagar por él.

¿Que no ha escuchado nuestros ex presidentes Vicente Fox y Felipe Calderón decir que no van a pagar por esa pared? Fox dijo recientemente en una entrevista con la fusión de Jorge Ramos, "No voy a pagar por esa jodida pared. ¡Él debe pagar por ello! Él tiene el dinero.” Fox tiene un punto: Trump es un hombre de negocios, ¿por qué debería alguien que no quiere pagar por ello? Calderón dijo a CNBC, “la gente de México no va a pagar un solo centavo por una pared tan estúpida, y necesitan saber eso, y que va a ser completamente inútil." Esta pared es completamente inútil, porque la gente en México no necesariamente tienen que atravesar una pared. Muchas personas obtienen visados y entran en los Estados Unidos legalmente, sólo demora más tiempo del permitido. Entonces, ¿qué es lo que va a hacer una pared? Completamente nada: Es sólo una pérdida de tiempo y dinero. Además de ser un desperdicio, sino que también es imposible construir un muro en la frontera con México, porque no se puede construir un muro en el Río Grande.

Los votantes En los Estados Unidos hay 225,778 millones de votantes y de esos votantes, 27,302 millones son hispanos, según el Centro de Investigación Pew. Desde las elecciones de 2012, la población hispana ha crecido en un 17 por ciento, en comparación con la población blanca, que sólo creció un dos por ciento. Una encuesta realizada por la gente de prensa del 15 al 26 de junio muestra el total de los votos, 51 por ciento de apoyo a Hillary y el 42 por ciento en apoyo a Trump que se basa en los votantes registrados. Me gustaría pensar que las personas hispanas no serían parte del porcentaje que soporta Trump, pero estoy mal. De cualquier manera, Trump no tiene una oportunidad porque el 71 por ciento de la generación del milenio son hispanos que apoyan a Hillary y el apoyo a Trump es sólo el 19 por ciento. Más hispanos tienen una voz en estas elecciones porque nuestro pueblo ha ganado su ciudadanía estadounidense y finalmente pueden votar. La generación del milenio, ¡despierta! Algunos de nosotros estamos finalmente votando por primera vez en esta elección de noviembre. Soy una de esas personas que votan por primera vez. Es crucial que votemos porque podemos hacer una diferencia en quién va a ser nuestro próximo presidente. Soy mexicana y no me considero nada más. Trump decide categorizarnos y etiquetarnos y eso no es lo que quiero en un presidente.

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THURSDAY AUGUST 25, 2016

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Team USA’s golden moments at the Summer Olympics

ILLUSTRATION BY MARC VICENTE/CONTRIBUTOR

By Marc Vicente CONTRIBUTOR With the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics completed on Sunday, 567 representatives from the United States returned home and brought medals with them: 46 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze. That adds up to a grand total of 121 Olympic medals; which is currently the most medals the United States was awarded during an Olympic Games ever, and 51 more medals than the next closest country, China. Team USA’s players managed to capture some ground-breaking records as well as create controversies this year, see Ryan Lochte. Familiar faces like Michael Phelps and Kerri Walsh Jennings returned to the XXXI Olympiad to defend their swimming and volleyball titles, respectively, but newcomers like women’s gymnastics Simone Biles arrived on the scene to take the 2016 Olympic Games by storm.

Swimming Michael Phelps, currently the most decorated Olympian of all time with 18 Olympic gold medals, added five more to his collection during the first week of this year’s Olympics. He competed in the 200-meter butterfly-stroke, the 200-meter individual medley race and the 100-meter freestyle relay with Nathan Adrian, Ryan Held and Caeleb Dressel. He also competed in the 200-meter freestyle relay with Ryan Lochte, Townley Hass and Conor Dwyer. On August 13, Phelps said that the 100-meter medley relay with Ryan Murphy, Cody Miller, Nathan Adrian, would be his last race at the Olympics. Phelps also received a silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly-stroke race. Katie Ledecky, another young swimmer for Team USA, took home gold medals in the 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyle races, and the 200-meter freestyle relay alongside Allison

Schmitt, Leah Smith and Maya DiRado. Schmitt, Simone Manuel and Dana Vollmer also received a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle relay together. Debuting in the previous Summer Olympics in London, Ledecky currently holds the world record for the fastest women’s 1,500-meter freestyle, and recently added the women’s 800-meter freestyle to her list in the XXXI Olympiad. Biles isn’t the only one named Simone who won a gold medal. Manuel, another newcomer to the Summer Olympics, won the individual 100-meter freestyle race in swimming, the first African American to win gold in an individual swimming event. Manuel also won gold in the team’s 100-meter medley relay, and silver in the 50-meter freestyle and the team’s 100-meter freestyle relay

Gymnastics Simone Biles, a gymnast competing in multiple worldwide championships since 2012, made her Olympic debut as part of Team USA’s “Final Five.” The team of gymnasts also included Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, Laurie Hernandez and Gabby Douglas. The five worked together to win the gold medal in the team all-around: a marathon of events including the balance beam, the floor exercise, uneven bars and the vault. Biles stole the show multiple times with massive strength paired with graceful technique, as shown when she flipped in the vault. She even has a signature flip called “the Biles” during her floor exercise, consisting of two back flips followed by a half twist. She won gold in these two events, as well as in the individual all-

around, and a bronze on the balance beam. Biles was also given the privilege to carry the American flag during the closing ceremony after she completed one of the best performances in USA gymnastics history.

França and Talita Antunes, who make up Brazil’s number one volleyball team. This makes Jennings the most decorated beach volleyball player in Olympic history.

Volleyball

Ashton Eaton, an Olympian who debuted in the 2012 London Olympics, earned his second Olympic gold medal after taking part in the Decathlon: a treacherous marathon of ten athletic events. Eaton won by maintaining the highest score after competing in a 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, a 400-meter dash, 100-meter hurdles, discus throwing, pole vaulting, javelin throw and a 1500-meter dash, respectively. Eaton is said to have maintained his title as “the greatest athlete in the world” after getting the gold medal in the Decathlon.

Kerri Walsh Jennings, a professional beach volleyball player and veteran Olympian since 2004, was favored to win this year’s women’s beach volleyball tournament alongside April Ross. However, last Wednesday they fell short against Brazil’s pair, Ágatha Bednarczuk and Bárbara Seixas, in the semifinals, who managed to get the silver medal against Germany’s pair Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst in the finals. Despite losing in the semifinals, Jennings and Ross managed to get the bronze medal after beating Larissa

Decathlon

Cal State East Bay welcomes new swim coach By Marissa Marshall STAFF WRITER The Pioneers have officially added another new coach to their staff, this time for the swim team. Shane Pelton will take over the position of head swim coach in the upcoming 2016-17 season. Pelton has coached for a decade in multiple assistant coaching positions, including two years at Arizona State, where he also completed his masters in liberal studies, and five years at Bridgeport University, where he helped build several national champions at the NCAA Division II level. Pelton most recently coached as an assistant at California State University, Bakersfield for both the men’s and women’s swim and diving programs, where he helped lead the women’s 2015-2016 team in five dual meets and place fourth at the Western Athletic Conference championships. Pelton told The Pioneer that he is excited to move up and become a head coach for the first time. “It’s most assistant coaches dream to one

“It is a great opportunity to take over an already successful program and add my vision to help take them to the next level.” day become a head coach,” he said. “It is a great opportunity to take over an already successful program and add my vision to help take them to the next level.” Pelton said the ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on athlete’s lives. East Bay lost previous head coach Ben Loorz after he accepted a head coach position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in May. Throughout his six-year tenure at East Bay, Loorz led the team to three second place conference

finishes and helped them qualify for the NCAA championships twice. Loorz also helped the Pioneer swimmers break 20 of 21 records in every event aside from the 100-meter individual medley. “Ben did a phenomenal job building this program into a nationally ranked Division II program,” said Pelton. “I want to be able to build off of what he stated and keep growing this program with my high energy and passion for the sport.” Passion for the sport seems to be branded in coach Pelton, as he competed at Southern Connecticut State from 2004-08. Throughout his tenure there, he earned All-American honors as a senior in the 800-meter freestyle relay and 400-meter medley. “You can think you have done everything as an assistant, but as head coach there is so much more responsibility and challenges that go with it,” said Pelton. Pelton has big shoes to fill in Loorz, but is prepared and ready for the task at hand for the 2016-2017 season.