COVERING SACRAMENTO IN ART PG. 4‒5
MEET THE HEAD HONCHO PG. 7
SKYROCKETING RENT Students struggle to stay in their homes
SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE S STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1922
VOLUME 101 ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER 5, 2017
EDITORIAL
Confronting hate in Sacramento The ugly resurgence of a white nationalist movement in the United States came to a head Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Sacramento may not have confederate monuments galvanizing the issue, but it still has its share of bigots. Nine active hate groups have been identified in the larger Sacramento area by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Three of these are anti-LGBT, four of them are white supremacist, and two are black separatist. The biggest question average people are faced with is “What is the best way to confront hate groups?” There are two main schools of thought. The first is to confront hate groups head-on, whether that means screaming at them, meeting violence with violence or coming out in droves to outnumber them. In some situations, this seems like the only option that protects people targeted by hate groups. “The police, for the most part, pulled back,” said Sacramento native and civil rights advocate Dr. Cornel West on “Democracy Now,” speaking of his experience of being trapped in a church during the protest in Charlottesville. “We would have been crushed like cockroaches if it were not for the anarchists and the anti-fascists who approached, over 300, 350 anti-fascists.” There, police weren’t going to prevent violence. If individuals hadn’t organized to oppose the white supremacists, more injustice would surely have transpired.
Illustration by Josephine Newitt jnewitt.express@gmail.com
Major: Journalism Age: 22 Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. Bio: Studied civil engineering at Cal Poly, SLO before pursuing journalism major. Enjoys writing, painting and comedy.
Maxfield Morris Editor-in-Chief
Residents gathered at City Hall Aug. 13 to hold a walking candlelight vigil in response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia the day before. ¦ Photo by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
The second option is to not engage hate groups that are clearly looking for a fight. o constructive conversation will take place at a rally designed to incite violence. When hate groups show up with firearms, yelling racial slurs, there s no chance for calmly discussing where your disagreements stem from. Instead, some groups suggest holding simultaneous, separate events designed to bring communities together. An example of this kind of work is the Unity Center, a new anti-hate wing at the California Museum in Downtown Sacramento, originally conceived after the bombing of local synagogues in 1999. It focuses on teaching visitors how bystanders can stand up to hate and harassment; and allows visitors to engage in conversations with marginalized groups, to correct misconceptions and to deepen understanding. “This will change hearts and minds of many who don’t understand why even being neutral on such issues is not an acceptable choice,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. “We must educate young people about the dangers of spoken words Design Adviser Josephine Newitt Assistant Design Editor Trevon Norton Design Consultant Michele Lee Cover Photo Jason Pierce
Editor-in-Chief Maxfield Morris News Editor Heather Roegiers Features Editor Casandra Garcia Sports Editor Nick Pecoraro Photo Editor Jason Pierce Managing Editor Ellyssa Rodriguez Staff Photographers Willy Bedolla, Bobby Castagna, Ulysses Ruiz, Jiaxin Lu, Vanessa S. Nelson Staff Writers Margo Alexander, Veronica DeAngelo, Marilyn Franco, Tom Herzog, Collin Houck, Natasha Radisic, Allahiya Shabazz, Megan Swinney
2
Express · September 5, 2017
meet the EDITORS
Advisers Randy Allen, Dianne Heimer EDITORIAL POLICIES Views published in the Express do not reflect those of the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees, the Associate Student Government, City College, Journalism department, administration, student body, or faculty; unless otherwise stated.
and the dangers that can come with not standing up and speaking out every time somebody threatens the fragile progress we have all made.” When it comes to deciding between a direct or indirect response, there’s not one answer. There will be situations that require confrontation, and those where confrontation could only worsen things. It’s up to individuals to make that choice — but only if they educate themselves on the situation. Without considering the impact actions have, it’s the same as steering blind. It’s all too easy to create violent confrontations and negativity, rather than promoting a better world — but there are many circumstances where hate demands a direct confrontation. Learn what’s going on around you, act purposefully and positively, and avoid meaningless violence. Be smart, but by no means be silent.
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
Jason Pierce Photo Editor
Heather Roegiers News Editor
CONTACT US Let the Express know what you think. Letters should be 300 words or less. Please include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. The Express reserves the right to edit or reject any article, advertisement or illustration deemed inappropriate, including letters to the editor.
Major: Journalism Age: 28 Hometown: Truckee, Calif. Bio: Former cross-country hitchhiker and street peformer. Tried out news writing, liked it.
Major: Journalism Age: 20 Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. Bio: After graduating from West Campus High School, discovered a passion for automotive journalism at City College.
Casandra Garcia Features Editor Major: Journalism Age: 35 Hometown: Modesto, Calif. Bio: Works for the Folsom Telegraph as a sports writer. Enjoys guitar, chess and taking care of his family.
The Unity Center is located at 1020 O St. in the California Museum. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and noon–5 p.m. Sunday. ♦
Nick Pecoraro Sports Editor Major: Communication Studies Age: 27 Hometown: Campbell, Calif. Bio: Recently transferred to Sac State, hopes to pursue a career in journalism or public relations.
Sacramento City College 3835 Freeport Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95822 Website saccityexpress.com
MEMBERSHIPS Journalism Association of Community Colleges California Newspaper Publishers Association
· · ·
Major: Photography Age: 38 Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. Bio: Worked as a truck driver for 16 years before discovering a passion for social justice photojournalism.
Ellyssa Rodriguez Managing Editor SCCEXPRESSNEWS
· · ·
@SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·
NEWS
City College students struggle to afford rent Sacramento sees fastest rising rent in the nation Heather Roegiers
News Editor · kroegiers.express@gmail.com
If your rent went up recently, you are not alone. Sacramento has the fastest rising rent of any city in the nation. The average rent in Sacramento went up 9.8 percent in the first six months of 2017, nearly three times the national average, according to a report by RealPage, a real estate technology and analytics firm. “Eighty percent of my paycheck goes to rent,” said Alicia Alves, who now commutes to City College from East Sacramento. “I moved further away in order to get cheaper rent. Since rent did go up, it’s still pressuring me and creating more stress because I’m a college student, and I’m already working two jobs to afford the rent that I’m at.” The average rent for a 721-squarefoot, one-bedroom apartment in the central city is $1,487 per month, according to Colliers International and MPF Research. In January it was $1,346.
People in the lowerincome strata are spending more than half of their income on rent. Lisa Hershey
Executive Director of Housing California
Alves believes people are being affected in the wrong way by the rise in property value, pushing out residents who have lived here, and creating homelessness and other issues. “I was ready to live out of a backpack and just couch surf,” said Clare Murphy, who’s studying Intercultural communications and sociology. “My rent was going to be increased [to $1,200], which was basically the landlady’s way of making us leave because she wanted to turn it into a B&B. So that ended pretty aggressive.” Murphy found a studio apartment for $700, but she still has to dig into her tips to make rent. “By the end of bills and everything, I have like, $150 to $200 for the entire month,” Murphy said. “It’s really just robbery. “We don’t have any rights as renters, especially because most of the time it’s month to month. They know they can take advantage because they know people need places to live, and so they do because why not?”
City College student Emily Peterson paints in her midtown Sacramento apartment. Peterson is one of the many local residents struggling with recent rent increases. ¦ Photo by Vanessa S. Nelson · vanessanelsonexpress@gmail.com
Sacramento also has the sixth highest occupancy in the country, with 96.4 percent of apartments full as of July 2017, according to the RealPage report. “If the rent doesn’t go up for the next year, I might be able to make it,” said Cheryl Padilla, a cosmetology student whose rent went up $85 this year. “It’s scary not knowing. “There’s so many people that have moved out of the building as the rent goes up, and they’ve been there for years,” Padilla said. “I don’t want to pay it. It’s very difficult if I have any emergencies, or have to see the dentist, or have any car problems — and I know I have to do the dentist thing.” The McKinsey Global Institute found California’s housing shortage is costing the state $140 billion in lost economic output, partly because consumers spend so much of their income on housing that they forgo other goods and service. Emily Peterson, a City College journalism student, says her landlord is sick and in the hospital. “So I’m kind of worried. Is rent going to go up after this dude dies? We rent through an individual, it’s not like a property management.”
Peterson says most of the apartments in Sacramento are being bought up by property management companies, like the kind she rented from before she moved, which she said only looked at the numbers, not the individual people. Despite renting directly from a landlord now, Peterson still spends 80 percent of her income on rent. “People in the lower-income strata are spending more than half of their income on rent,” said Lisa Hershey, executive director of Housing California in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. Housing California is a nonprofit advocacy group that focuses on passing bills which fund affordable housing programs through bonds and real estate transaction fees. Tenants Together, a statewide renter advocacy group that provides legal outreach for tenants, is campaigning for more rent control. Assembly Bill 1506 would repeal the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Under current law, rent control does not apply to housing built after 1995, and cities that adopted rent control ordinances before 1995 cannot strengthen them. Critics of AB 1506 say more rent control may scare away develop· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
ers.“Apartment builders have to look long-term to make sure their costs pencil out,” said Tom Bannon, CEO of the California Association of Apartments, a lobbying firm that invested millions of dollars in campaign contributions each legislative session to fight rent control measures. “It would be a disincentive for investors who want to bring new housing to California.” Nikky Mohanna, partner of Mohanna Development Co., is building a 175-unit complex at 19th and J, which she says will provide proof for a new type of housing model. Eighty percent of the complex will be comprised studio apartments. Mohanna aims to keep rent under $1,000 for 300-square-foot “micro-units.” Bigger units can expect no guarantees. “I think we need to get a little angrier,” Murphy said. “That shit would not happen in England. It would not go down in Germany. People would be in the streets raging. We definitely need to organize and revolt, attending city meetings and taking over.” For more information visit: housingca.org tenantstogether.org ♦ September 5, 2017 · Express
3
FEATURES
FEATURES
Painting the town, literally. Artists cover city walls with murals during festival
Photos by Jason Pierce
Ellyssa Rodriguez
Managing Editor · erodriguez.express@gmail.com
August in Sacramento brings extreme heat, and since last year, it has also been a time to catch local and national artists scaling buildings nearly 10 stories high, creating alluring murals for the entire city to enjoy. A year after the Sacramento Mural Festival let artists paint the city, it returned with a new name — Wide Open Walls. During the festival’s 11-day run Aug. 10–20, artists churned out around 40 large-scale murals downtown and in the greater Sacramento area. As Sacramento’s buildings transformed from blank canvases into works of art, it seems the city is well on its way to becoming an artist’s upopia, but one artist is not convinced it’s as easy as adding new art to the city. “It’s nothing new to turn to art, lots of cities are doing it,” says Stephanie Taylor, a longtime Sacramento artist. “I hope the mayor continues to do it, and I hope that he supports the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission with money, not just to create new work, but to maintain the existing work, because that’s a big thing.” Taylor participated in the festival, repainting a mural that she completed nearly 18 years ago. The mural, which depicts a train bursting through an exterior wall of the California State Railroad Museum, had faded dramatically. “It takes funding,” says Taylor, who is adamantly focused on more community support, as well as a push toward revamping existing works. “Sacramento has an opportunity to focus on maybe some art enhancement, like the riverfront really needs big help from Old Sac all the way to the freeway. That could really be made into a mecca.” ♦ 4
Express · September 5, 2017
· · ·
Artist Stephanie Taylor in her home studio. As part of the Wide Open Walls festival, Taylor restored her mural that adorns the California State Railroad Museum, originally painted in 1999.
Markos Egure works on the Humanity mural Aug. 28, a work made by ARTners Collaborative. The mural is located on Improv Alley between 7th and 8th streets. ¦ Photos by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
Part of the Humanity mural by ARTners Collaborative. The local art collective s mural spans an entire block of Improv Alley, and includes smaller murals on the alley s dumpsters. SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
SCCEXPRESSNEWS
· · ·
@SACCITYEXPRESS
Spray paint cans are some of the supplies kept on-hand in Stephanie Taylor s studio. Her mural was originally painted with automotive spray paint.
· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·
An original sketch of the mural painted by Stephanie Taylor. She combined details from three differents trains to create a unique engine.
· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
September 5, 2017 · Express
5
FEATURES
FEATURES
Painting the town, literally. Artists cover city walls with murals during festival
Photos by Jason Pierce
Ellyssa Rodriguez
Managing Editor · erodriguez.express@gmail.com
August in Sacramento brings extreme heat, and since last year, it has also been a time to catch local and national artists scaling buildings nearly 10 stories high, creating alluring murals for the entire city to enjoy. A year after the Sacramento Mural Festival let artists paint the city, it returned with a new name — Wide Open Walls. During the festival’s 11-day run Aug. 10–20, artists churned out around 40 large-scale murals downtown and in the greater Sacramento area. As Sacramento’s buildings transformed from blank canvases into works of art, it seems the city is well on its way to becoming an artist’s upopia, but one artist is not convinced it’s as easy as adding new art to the city. “It’s nothing new to turn to art, lots of cities are doing it,” says Stephanie Taylor, a longtime Sacramento artist. “I hope the mayor continues to do it, and I hope that he supports the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission with money, not just to create new work, but to maintain the existing work, because that’s a big thing.” Taylor participated in the festival, repainting a mural that she completed nearly 18 years ago. The mural, which depicts a train bursting through an exterior wall of the California State Railroad Museum, had faded dramatically. “It takes funding,” says Taylor, who is adamantly focused on more community support, as well as a push toward revamping existing works. “Sacramento has an opportunity to focus on maybe some art enhancement, like the riverfront really needs big help from Old Sac all the way to the freeway. That could really be made into a mecca.” ♦ 4
Express · September 5, 2017
· · ·
Artist Stephanie Taylor in her home studio. As part of the Wide Open Walls festival, Taylor restored her mural that adorns the California State Railroad Museum, originally painted in 1999.
Markos Egure works on the Humanity mural Aug. 28, a work made by ARTners Collaborative. The mural is located on Improv Alley between 7th and 8th streets. ¦ Photos by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
Part of the Humanity mural by ARTners Collaborative. The local art collective s mural spans an entire block of Improv Alley, and includes smaller murals on the alley s dumpsters. SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
SCCEXPRESSNEWS
· · ·
@SACCITYEXPRESS
Spray paint cans are some of the supplies kept on-hand in Stephanie Taylor s studio. Her mural was originally painted with automotive spray paint.
· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·
An original sketch of the mural painted by Stephanie Taylor. She combined details from three differents trains to create a unique engine.
· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
September 5, 2017 · Express
5
NEWS
Anniversary of SCC s final puff How students, campus have adjusted to tobacco ban Casandra Garcia
Features Editor · czgarcia.express@gmail.com
A year has passed since City College became smoke-free on Aug. 20, 2016. Since that time, everyone on campus has been prohibited from using tobacco products. In effect, this means that many smokers take a walk to the edge of campus before lighting a cigarette or using a vape. Efforts to enforce the new environmental standard and to encourage students and staff to quit smoking continues one year later. However, hot spots — areas where large concentrations of students gather to smoke despite the ban — still remain in areas in front of campus along Freeport Boulevard and behind the cosmetology building. “It is a process, especially because the new standard is community-enforced,” says Health Services assistant Ashley Gibbs. “It will take some time for a complete change.” Some students appreciate the ban, including social science major Amy Vang. “Sometimes the smell of cigarette smoke would make me want to throw up,” says Vang, who feels more comfortable walking around campus since the smoking ban. According to City College nurse and chair of the Campus Safety Smoking Subcommittee Wendy Gomez, smoking doesn t fit into the mission of the college. “Part of going to college is learning healthy coping skills for life, and smoking is not a good coping skill,” says Gomez. Music major Mike Winsor feels that the ban on tobacco arbitrarily targets one of many unhealthy habits while turning a blind eye to other habits. “My issue is, it’s sort of targeting one harmful personal choice over others,” says Winsor. “They sell soda on campus, and soda’s horrible for you.” Around the time the ban took effect, the college publicized the cessation services offered by Health Services. However, the largest surge of students sought help from Health Services when designated areas were assigned throughout campus. “The most students came in trying to quit smoking after designated smoke areas were assigned,” says Gibbs. “Students still come in to get quit kits, but not as frequently.” According to Gomez, earlier attempts at establishing designated smoking areas before implementing a full-out ban proved to be ineffective, because concentrated smoke in the areas blew into buildings and classrooms.
6
Express · September 5, 2017
A placard reminding students not to smoke on campus. Smoking, vaping and other tobacco usage was banned at City College on Aug. 20, 2016. Photo
by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
“It all started years ago, mainly because we were receiving complaints of people not being able to avoid second-hand smoke,” says Gomez. Those smoking areas served another purpose — providing smokers with a communal meeting space. Math and science major Ryan Crum says his friends appreciated the smoking areas at Folsom Lake College. “They enjoyed the community aspect of it,” says Crum, “the interaction that tends to happen when a bunch of people get together and have a smoke.” City College continues to provide the resources to help and encourage those who wish to become non-smokers. “We help students all the time,” says City College nurse Jeff Christian. “We’ve helped students before and after [the ban] who want to become non-smokers.” According to Gomez, the ban has received much support from students and staff overall. “We get positive feedback,” says Gomez. “People are appreciative that they can walk through campus without having to smell cigarette smoke.” ♦ · · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
SCCEXPRESSNEWS
· · ·
@SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·
NEWS
City College has a new president
Texas native Michael Gutierrez takes the reins at SCC after 18-month candidate search
New City College President Michael Gutierrez lets his guard down in a conference room in Rodda Hall North on Aug. 10. Gutierrez officially took office July 24. ¦ Photo by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
Maxfield Morris
Editor-in-Chief · mmorris.express@gmail.com
City College has finally found its next leader after 1 years without a permanent president Michael utierre , who left Eastfield College, a community college near Dallas, Texas, to take the position here. utierre officially took office at City College on July 24, 2017. Like many college administrators, utierre has an extensive background in education. nlike many college administrators, utierre has shadowboxed with Muhammad Ali. When utierre was an undergrad, he went to a center where Muhammad Ali practiced in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. “Muhammad Ali was actually there, and he selected me to shadowbox with him,” utierre , 48, said. “He taps me on the shoulder and starts hopping around, and he s trying to fake box me, basically. I ll always remember that.” Like a boxer preparing for a fight, utierre is focused on groundwork. His current goal is to develop a nuanced understanding of the City College community before he ultimately collaborates with the community to create a five-year plan.
“Part of being at a college like City College, where it does have a long history, it does have a lot of pride in its culture,” utierre said, “is to, one take the time to not only appreciate what we have to offer, but get to know the people that are in it, which includes the students, the faculty, the staff, and then collectively work together to establish what our vision is going to be.”
For me, there s a lot of adjustment moving from another state, coming to Sacramento City College. Michael Gutierrez
City College President
utierre brings a lot of experience to the table, including 8 years as a vice president at Eastfield College. However, he doesn t believe in taking a cookie-cutter approach to the ob. “What I used to do at my previous stop may have worked there,” utierre said, “but it doesn t necessarily mean it will work here. It s really taken these first few months to get to know what we re all about and become part of it.”
utierre has been making the rounds and getting to know the community, and he made an impression on Irma on ale , a student assistant at the Student Equity and Success ffice. “I think he s pretty awesome. He seems very dedicated, very excited about being here,” on ale said. “He s so interested in learning what we can teach him. He s ready to learn whatever there is to learn to make this school better.” Many students haven t yet had the opportunity to meet the new president, including second-year computer science ma or David Jordan, who recently found out the position was filled. “Hopefully he understands and knows what we need,” Jordan said, also voicing some concern about high textbook prices. Since his start during the summer semester, utierre has gotten a sense for the campus environment. “It s a very diverse college, and it truly is a re ection of our community,” utierre said. “The second impression that I get, both from students and the people that work here, they really want to be part of Sac City College. I ve worked at other colleges before, and that s not always the case.” While utierre is getting to know the needs of the campus, he s also familiari ing himself with the city. · · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
“ or me, there s a lot of ad ustment moving from another state, coming to Sacramento City College,” he said. “A new city, a new home, and not ust for myself, but for my family as well.” utierre s wife and two children moved to Sacramento with him, but he was originally concerned about the effect of uprooting his family. “The first thing I thought of was talking to my wife, Is this something we want to do as a family ” utierre said. “She had been a little lukewarm when we d talked about other areas, but when she heard that Sacramento was a possibility, she was like, eah, I m good with that. ” utierre s children are going to start school in the Sacramento City nified School District, and they were much more on board with moving than he expected. utierre believes strongly in the value of community colleges, and is grateful that he has the opportunity to help the community. “It does feel like we are changing the lives of people in our community by allowing them the opportunity to transform,” utierre said. “I m all in. It really does feel like I m giving back to the community that I serve.” ♦ September 5, 2017 · Express
7
SPORTS
Tim Kiernan helps pave the road to success City College softball coach approaching 1,000 career wins Nick Pecoraro
Sports Editor · npecoraro.express@gmail.com
His office is decorated with all sorts of tokens of coaching excellence. ou can t help but feel humbled setting foot inside the door. Championship trophies overcrowd his shelves. Plaques acknowledging career milestones 700 wins, 800 wins, 900 wins line his walls. The coach himself sports a pair of championship rings he earned guiding the 1988 City College women s softball and 2009 women s golf teams to state titles. The rings are ust two of the five that make up his collection. But perhaps the most impressive memento isn t found in coach Tim iernan s office or in his home s trophy room. It s on his acebook page. It s a five-paragraph post from a former player expressing equal parts gratitude for what was, respect for what is and “heart-pounding excitement” for what will be. “I will forever be grateful for you and all you taught me about the game while simultaneously about life, as well. I have never wanted to play my guts out for anyone as much as you and felt such heartache when I let you down,” states a small excerpt from the post written by Cheri Boals, one of the hundreds of iernan s ex-players who have advanced to bigger and better things because of his tutelage and leadership. Despite monumental achievements as a City College coach for over 35 years, the softball coach consistently looks beyond his own accolades to help lay the foundation for success and personal growth in each of his players.
He believed in me when I didn t. It was nice to have some stability and somebody who actually cared. Shannon Gilley
Former City College softball player
napologetically old school, iernan has a cool, calm demeanor, but on the softball field, even at age 70, he moves with a purpose. His players talk of the attention to detail he enforces before they can even set foot onto the diamond. Have your ersey tucked in neatly and your cleats polished. Make sure at least 1 inches of your stirrups are showing.
8
Express · September 5, 2017
City College Hall of Fame softball coach Tim Kiernan stands in the dugout of the softball field. ¦ Photo by Jason Pierce · jpierce.express@gmail.com
If you re on time, you re late. These standards echo the six years iernan spent with the Army eserves in the late 1960s. That touch of etiquette iernan enforces goes for inside the classroom as well as during road trips. “When we travel and go out to eat together, we dress up,” says iernan. “That doesn t mean we need to be dressed up for a ball, or something like that, but ust look nice. Be presentable. ou re re ecting the school and the program. These are things that a lot of these players haven t done in high school or their travel teams.” iernan, who began coaching at City College in 1981 and continues to teach physical education full time, keeps in touch with a ma ority of his ex-players and still gets regular visits during the season from their families. “Tim is a huge reason why I even went to college,” says Shannon illey, an All-American center fielder under iernan from 1993-94 before she earned a scholarship to Texas A M and eventually returned to City College as a counselor. illey says her life would be drastically different if not for iernan, who plucked her from his own alma mater, Hiram Johnson High School, in Sacramento. · · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS.COM
· · ·
“He didn t put you down or degrade you or make you feel bad about yourself, but he made you accountable,” says illey, admittedly choked up with emotion when remembering her playing days under iernan. “He believed in me when I didn t. It was nice to have some stability and somebody who actually cared.” Boals, formerly Cheri Shinn while at City College and author of the aforementioned acebook post, pitched from 199697 before a brief professional career. iernan tested her patience and challenged her daily, Boals says. owadays, she uses the phrase “butted heads” endearingly. “He knew what he was doing with every athlete he ever had, including me,” she says. “He could coach an entire team as a unit, but still could coach individuals the way they needed to be coached. He could push me and piss me off where, for others, he had to coddle and pat them on the back. It s a gift.” iernan s teams have beaten lympians. He s the only active coach in the California Community College astpitch Coaches Association Hall of ame, inducted in 2007. Included with five state titles are over 20 conference championships and one national crown. Through the end of the 2017 softball season, he SCCEXPRESSNEWS
· · ·
@SACCITYEXPRESS
stands ust 14 wins shy of 1,000 career softball wins at City College. But the numbers most meaningful to iernan are the 300-plus student-athletes he s helped earn scholarships to larger programs and the countless dreams reali ed. According to iernan, over 100 of his former players have become coaches or teachers themselves, disciples of his direction and guidance. “My goal is to get every player that comes here that can finish their two years and sometimes one year if they re really good students and get them a scholarship,” says iernan. “That s the o. 1 thing education. Softball is a tool for that. ou set the road map and then they follow that. If they get off course a little bit, you try to get them back on course.” When iernan recruits, he says he seeks players he thinks will give him the most balance on his lineup card. A little speed, a little power, a little defense, and a little pitching add up to a winning season. And when those players have completed their City College days, iernan hopes to have instilled that same balance in each of them as they move on in life. A little work ethic, a little discipline, a little humility, and a lot of heart add up to a winning character. ♦ · · ·
SACCITYEXPRESS
· · ·