Anthro Volume 6 Issue 3

GOODBYE AND SEE YOU SOON,

ANTHRO

April 2024 Volume 6 Issue 3

Mission Statement

The ultimate goal of Anthro Magazine, Paly’s social activism publication, is to create a platform and forum for students to express their opinions and voices. Social activism is bringing issues into the spotlight to spread awareness and create change in society. On this platform, we will promote unity, diversity, and respect. As a publication, we aim to be inclusive but do not tolerate hate speech of the targeting of individuals. We hope to highlight issues that we see in our community, create a safe place to discuss these issues, and to make sure student voices are heard.

From the Editors

Dear Readers,

Welcome to spring, and our third edition Anthro of the year!

This issue includes multiple stories about proposed and implemented legislation in Palo Alto and beyond. For instance, we have opinions about how the Palo Alto mayor system should be reformed (“Ticking mayor term”) and how the California Environmental Quality Act should be repealed and be replaced with more effective environmental legislation (“Housing or habitat”). Moreover, we also continue to cover legislation on NARCAN, a nasal spray used to treat narcotic overdoses, and the implementation of the tool in local schools.

Housing continues to be a prominent issue in our local community. Our “Goodbye and see you soon, Buena Vista” story about the Buena Vista mobile home park on El Camino Real focuses on a upcoming construction plan that minimizes displacement and allows long-time residents an opportunity to stay within their community. Additionally, we examine the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s efforts to implement protected bike lanes on El Camino, and the impacts on affordable housing and RV homes in the story “Pedaling for progress.”

Anthro features multiple incredible, accomplished women including Nicole Chiu-Wang, Julie Lythcott-Haims, and Eimi Okano.

Our editorial is spurred by an event of hate speech on the Palo Alto High School campus. Our editorial, “Standing by: Assemble against apathy” examines the bigotry towards the trans community that still infiltrates our campus and calls for the Paly administration to even more forcefully condemn the hate incident and also increase efforts to educate students about trans issues.

We once again bring back our editorial cartoon section, penned by Spencer Wu-Chin. This issue’s cartoons include commentary about Taylor Swift’s carbon emissions, Javier Milei’s presidency in Argentina, and the Neuralink company founded by Elon Musk.

Enjoy Anthro Volume 6.3!

Lara Dumanli Staff Writers

Amily Zhang

Anika Nair

Anika Thadhani

Arjun Jindal

Cailey Quita

Faizan Kashmiri

Hadrien de Martel

Kat Farrell

Marcus Ling

Vivian Lin

William Xue

Xander Yap

Doreen Hou

Salem Coyle

— Evelyn Zhang and Lucianna Peralta, editors-in-chief

IN THIS ISSUE

Incubator Spotlight

Standing by: assemble against apathy

Julie Lythcott-Haims

Healthcare reform

Should there be safety laws for social media?

What makes an effective protest?

Stop hate in real estate

March for rememberance

Pedaling for progress

Straying from the middle road

Rewriting textbooks to represent students

Goodbye and see you soon, Buena

Vista

Preparing the pantry

Make way for zero waste

Tween craze

Ticking mayor term

Unseen crisis

Cartoons: Ratatoskr

Housing or habitat

Wheeling the chair forward

Hype or harm: Stanleys

Activism in the Bay Area

Activism around the world

Publication Policy

Incubator Spotlight

Palo Alto High School’s Incubator journalism class is currently home to six publications. Anthro Magazine, [proof], Ink, Via Verde, Veritas and KPLY. Anthro Magazine has com piled some of the content these publications have previously produced to give a taste of what our class has been doing. We encourage you to check out these publications and if you’re a rising journalism student with big ideas, suggest your own! Ink is a literary magazine

Standing by: assemble against apathy

Emphasis on trans youth in education is a must for institutions

When Palo Alto High School hosted a freshman assembly on Jan. 10 to posthumously commemorate the life of author Mallory Smith, her relatives present at the event were met with Paly students Airdropping offensive memes to the presentation screenunder anonymous device names. The hateful content of these messages prompted one student to stand up from the crowd and denounce the assembly atten dants’ behavior. She was met with vitriol of her own — the student was Airdropped the hateful message: “Shut up, trans b—.”

Talk of the event among students dis sipated shortly after the incident, becoming little more than av erage school gossip.

Though the Paly ad ministration attempt ed an investigation into the identity of the perpetrators, an inability to pinpoint their IP addresses allowed them to get away without any punishment. Assistant principal Jerry Berk son was at the forefront of the investigation.

ately airdropped disturbing messages during the presentation. The final message was targeted at our LGBTQ+ community, which is considered hate speech.”

Though transphobia is generally frowned upon in our community, the particular calling out of a trans student in this way deserves special condemnation and action. There are nearly 500 anti-trans bills in the United States as of March 2024, according to the ACLU, with proposed legislation looking to bar trans people from being able to hold public office, use public restrooms, update driver’s licenses, seek gender-affirming healthcare, or take shelter from domestic violence unless they do so according to their sex assigned at birth. Though Palo

Without direct reforms addressing the root of this problem, the wound that is transphobia will continue to fester.

“We tried to figure out who could have done it,” Berkson said. “If you had a foren sic-type operation, we could have found out. But we’re not that type of school. It limits us in what we can do. In the meantime, we have emailed staff about what you could do to help prevent people from being able to post stuff on the screen.”

Teachers also read a four-sentence address to students attending classes after ward, denouncing the language used at the assembly as hate speech and requesting any further information that might help the in vestigation.

The opening statement read, “Yesterday, PRIME, it was un fortunate that some students inappropri

this problem, the wound that is transphobia will continue to fester.

It is our collective duty to rise against the wave of hatred and stand in solidarity with trans people. Our reactions to cases of transphobia in our school community send a message to all queer people in the greater Silicon Valley community and beyond When we don’t push back strongly enough, , we become part of the problem, allowing bullies and lawmakers to continue cycles of oppression against some of the most vulnerable members of society.

As states continue to vilify the very existence of trans people, safe spaces — real safe spaces — become all the more important. If we are to truly become a safe space,

Black History Month speaker

Julie Lythcott-Haims visits Paly

Amid the crowd of students gathered in the Media Arts Center, Julie Lythcott-Haims’ powerful voice cuts through the silence. She emotionally details her self-love journey and the power of diversity.

The guest speaker event was hosted by the Social Justice Club and Black Student Union to kick off Black History Month. Lythcott-Haims spoke about her childhood, sharing vulnerable stories of racism and her struggles with self acceptance as she grew older.

“I’ve been made to loathe myself, to not like myself as a Black person,” Lythcott-Haims said. “As a biracial person, admitting that to myself relieved me of the burden of feeling that way, and I became this person who could simply love herself for who I am.”

She has an extensive background in the Palo Alto community. From being a student, then dean at Stanford, to New York Times bestselling author and member of the Palo Alto City Council. Lythcott-Haims is also the only woman in the congressional race this year.

Growing up in a predominantly

white community, Lythcott-Haims said she wished there were more role models that looked like her growing up.

“We need teachers that look like us,” Lythcott-Haims said. “We need neighbors that look like us and mentors and friends and elected leaders. When someone has walked our pathway, they’re more likely to be able to relate to what we struggle with or what we dream about.”

Lythcott-Haims said she was finally able to accept herself after working with a coach and opening up about her struggles.

“In my late 30’s, I began to journey towrds self love,” Lythcott-Haims said. “And let me tell you, when you finally love yourself, no matter what anyone thinks of you, self love is the most powerful tool you’ve got.”

According to Christian Saleh, president of the Social Justice Club, the speaker event highlighted Lythcott-Haims’ upbringing and personal growth.

“The event was fully focused on her personal journey,” Saleh said. “The purpose was not to promote her congressional campaign in any way.”

Text by LUCIANNA PERALTA and VIVIAN LIN

Nicole Chiu-Wang anounces campaign for Palo Alto School Board in 2024

Nicole Chiu-Wang has once more announced that she will be running for Palo Alto Unified School Board in 2024.

One of Chiu-Wang’s goals will be tackling academic pressure for students in the school and work to change this culture.

“We need to have hard conversations — as a community — which includes parents and families and school leaders and students to really try to shift that perspective in that culture,” Chiu-Wang said.

Having run for School Board in 2020, Chiu-Wang felt that she still needed to

understand the community.

“I truly believe that your tenure in the city doesn’t dictate your ability to be a leader or your value,” Chiu-Wang said.

After three years in Palo Alto, ChiuWang is the executive director of DreamCatchers and has organized events such as the annual Lunar New Year celebration held by the City of Palo Alto. Chiu-Wang remarked how these opportunities have helped her be more immersed in the community, especially in ways focused on the needs of students.

“I’ve learned even more than I thought possible, because now I know a

lot of students that are affected by these equity issues,” Chiu-Wang said. “And I see the real people behind the numbers that they present at school board meetings.”

Chiu-Wang expressed her desire to stay on DreamCatchers regardless of the outcome in the school board race.

“I plan to continue as the executive director of DreamCatchers,” Chiu-Wang said. “I’m not going anywhere. We have a lot of really important work to do.”

Text by LUCIANNA PERALTA

Julie Lythcott-Haims, Palo Alto City Council member and candidate for California’s 16th Congressional District speaks to students at Palo Alto High School on Feb 6 during the first lunch time event of Black History Month. Lythcott-Haims spoke about the power of self-love and how students can work to inspire change. (Photo: Amani Fossati-Moiane)

Healthcare in need of emergency reform

To further aleviate costly ambulance bills, new California bill takes effect this year

Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-77) sponsored AB 716, a bill that prevents patients from being charged an amount that exceeds the limit set by their personal insurance for their ambulance bill.

When calling for an ambulance, many people aren’t aware that there are two types of ambulances: out-of-network and in-network. An in-network ambulance is a company that has contracted with specific ambulances and only requires a smaller or even zero dollar co-payment. In contrast, out-of network ambulances are not affiliated with your insurance and are free to bill patients whatever charge they deem necessary.

Patients have no way of knowing whether the ambulance they have received is in-network, especially in times of emergency, and are given a ride to the hospital in an out-of network ambulance.

As a result, after their visit, patients are billed an amount that their personal insurance cannot fully cover and are left with an extreme amount of money that they must pay out-of-pocket.

These bills can cost well over a thousand dollars for Californians, according to a study by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

This fear of high ambulance bills can cause people to not seek immediate healthcare after an injury.

Dr. Gautreau, a Stanford professor teaching emergency medicine, comments on the danger that this poses.

“Patients who have (or perceive) that they cannot afford an ambulance or hospital bills are absolutely at greater risk,” Dr. Gautreau says. “It is one of the great tragedies of our healthcare system that ability to pay so seriously affects healthcare outcomes.”

Not seeking immediate medical help can pose an extreme danger for one’s health and has been an issue for house-

holds that cannot afford the ambulance bill.

The Kaiser Family Foundation organized an analysis regarding “surprise” bills and found that 51% of emergency ambulance rides were charged the out-ofnetwork fee.

AB 716 limits these “surprise” bills by enforcing that all ambulances must charge the same amount of co-pay that ambulances affiliated with their personal insurance would have billed.

For example, if a California resident has Medicare, they only have to pay the rate Medicare requires for an ambulance instead of an out-of-network company that might charge them a greater amount.

Dr. Gautreau expresses his support for the bill commenting on its effectiveness.

“I think this bill is a very positive step,” Gautreau said.

Some hospitals already decided by policy to only bill patients at the rate that insurance would pay, for those without insurance,” Dr. Gautreau says. “This avoids the problem of patients without good financial resources being charged much more than insurance companies even for the same care.”

Text by ANIKA NAIR and SALEM COYLE

Photo by SALEM COYLE

New law tackles theft, employee safety

Following the 2021 massacre at the Valley Transportation Authority rail yard in San Jose, where a gunman killed nine employees, the state passed SB 553. The legislation mandates that California employers establish workplace violence prevention plans and prohibit them from requiring employees to intervene with active shooters or suspected shoplifters.

This bill has sparked controversy, with business owners expressing concerns that it may encourage shoplifters, while others argue it will increase employee safety. Notably, the bill does not apply to trained security guards.

Senator Dave Cortese of District 15 (Santa Clara) supported the bill in response to a growing concern for employee safety, referencing the VTA massacre among many other deadly incidents in California over the past few years. “This groundbreaking law will help workers and employers establish a plan for the types of workplace violence that are on the rise,” Cortese said.

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, a survey of retail employees conducted over the 12 months ending in November 2023 concluded that nearly two-thirds of retail employees in the United States fear for their safety, with 31% reporting increased hostility from customers.

“With growing awareness of workplace violence, California needs smarter guidelines to keep workers safe in the office or on the job site, ” Cortese said.

Text by ANIKA THADHANI and KAT FARRELL

Your ad could be here!

Incubator, Paly’s suite of small publications, runs ads ar rates ranging from $15 to $550. Scan the QR code to view our advertisement contract with information about pricing, sizing, and more!

VIVIAN LIN

Should there be safety laws for social media?

California lawmakers are looking to introduce legislation prohibiting social media platforms from sending addictive feeds to minors and sending notifications overnight and during the school day. The nationwide move to create social media safety laws was sparked by a Senate hearing earlier this year with CEOs of several social media platforms like Meta, TikTok and Discord on social media safety due to the increase in cyberbullying, mental health issues, and exploitation surrounding these platforms.

“To actually make those [social media] filters robust in a way that nobody can get through, you also need to have human intervention. And they [social media companies] don’t want to spend a lot of money to not only make the filters, but then making sure that the filters are working in the way that they want, which takes extra people to review it.”

— CHRIS BELL, computer science teacher

“There should be content regulation across all of the social media platforms. There are often a lot of people who are using things like TikTok and Instagram, as money-making platforms by using sexual or explicit content. There are people that are selling drugs online and those things can easily get into the hands of people under 18.”

— LEILANI CHEN , freshman

“The age regulation by [lawmakers] is not effective because most teenagers usually lie about their age and make bad decisions on social media, so it’s hard to stop. One way to stop that is by letting parents know the dangers of social media and their effects on younger children.”

— ASYA BUYUKCANGAZ, junior

“I think the parents need to be properly educated on the risks of social media, and they should maybe know how to properly regulate their kids’ access because kids running wild on the internet is usually not the greatest thing. And if the parents are at least aware of it, they could do more to prevent it and at least regulate the kids’ access.”

— CAIDEN SOLTESZ, senior

What makes an effective protest?

Students share their thoughts on differing activist methods

Pro-Palestinian protesters attending the 16th Congressional District Debate at Palo Alto City Hall on Jan. 31 interrupted speakers during their speeches, causing the debate to be cut short due to repeated disruptions from the crowd. We asked Palo Alto High School students their thoughts on what makes an effective protest and whether the January protest was effective.

“I think that it is effective because they are getting people to see and know their cause and why they’re doing it. … I think it is also a little immature because [the message] is getting out there but it’s also disrupting a bunch of other people who could already be supporting your cause.”

ARDEN ZHEN, sophomore

“I think that these protests are portraying protesters in a negative way because although they’re not violent and [not] causing harm, I feel like there’s way better ways to protest in a more positive manner. ”

— RAMSES LUNA , junior

“They’re definitely good at bringing a lot of awareness to the cause — oftentimes they’ll break headlines and you’ll get a lot of media exposure on that. But sometimes, I just feel like the protests are not directly correlated to the cause itself.”

— MARTINA MEYERFREUND, senior

“I think this type of protest is good and effective because it makes the city notice the big issue that is going on. I believe that bringing more people to address these issues are very important and this protest did exactly that–gathering the attention of Palo Alto.”

— HARRISON LAN, sophomore

“It [protesting] brings needed attention to the cause, but I don’t think it brings good attention to the case. [By] causing harm in any way, you’re also giving the other side a way to create backlash, and that causes a greater conflict.”

— ALENA LOTTERER , senior

“Sometimes they [protestors] may feel like that’s the only way they can bring attention to it. They are stuck in a dilemma of how to bring attention to the thing that they’re trying to fight for.”

— ALEXIS ARREOLA-GOMEZ, senior

Text by SAANVI GARG and XANDER YAP

Stop hate in real estate

The real estate movement working to prevenat discriminatory practices

The Stop Hate in Real Estate movement was announced on Sept. 26 with the goal of preventing discrimination in real estate practices for minorities. The initiative was originally formed by the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance and since then has branched out to include the Asian Real Estate Association of America, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Pro fessionals, and WomanUp.

Erin Morrison, LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance president and co-founder of Stop Hate in Real Estate discussed her motivation behind starting the movement.

“We were noticing a lot of our members and a lot of their real estate clients were talking about the fact that there was a lot of anti-LGBTQ+ legis lation out there that was making them fearful,” Morrison said. “They [members of the movement] quickly real-

ized this isn’t just about the LGBTQ+ community — This we were seeing across different marginalized communities, and so we thought that by reaching out to them and proposing this collaboration we could have more voices.”

The movement comes at a time of great political turmoil for minority groups. The Human Rights Campaign declared a “National State of Emergency” for LGBTQ+ Americans on Sept. 18due to 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that were signed in 2023. The National Fair Housing Alliance additionally reported in 2022 that there were 31,216 housing discrimination complaints, an 8.7% increase from 2020 where 28,712 complaints were lodged. Moreover, Pew Research reported in 2021 that 81% of Americans agree that Black people face discrimation as well as 76% agreeing that Hispanic people do.

Palo Alto High Schol senior Katelyn Morales, a resident of East Palo Alto, discussed the racial disparity seen between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto that is in part due to discriminatory real estate practices.

“I do believe that there is still some form of discrimination in real estate,” Morales said. “Palo Alto is a very affluent community with a majority white and Asian population verses East Palo Alto, [which] is a low-income community with a majority Hispanic/Latino, Black and Pacific Islander population. Redlining is the primary reason for this.”

Redlining is defined by Cornell Law School as “a discriminatory practice that consists of the systematic denial of services such as mortgages, insurance loans,

Art by DOREEN HOU

and other financial services to residents of certain areas, based on their race or ethnicity.” Morales said redlining was used in East Palo Alto and its effects are still seen today.

“East Palo Alto was seen as a less profitable and less desirable community because of the negative connotations of having a community with primarily Latino and Black residents,” Morales said.

A Palo Alto History article discussed the history of redlining, stating that in the 1940s, the Federal Housing Association divided parts of Palo Alto into four parts. The desired properties were considered “Type A” and the less desirable properties were “Type B.” Black Americans were always considered for the Type B properties. Due to Black Americans being unable to reside in Type A properties, they often looked to Type B and C properties, which became East Palo Alto.

Social Justice Pathway teacher Austin Davis said movements like Stop Hate in Real Estate are significant.

“I think that coalitions and mass movements are some of the most productive and powerful modes of change especially in a democratic society, where it’s all about marshaling lots of voices to support a common cause,” Davis said. “And these voices need to come from inside the community. The creation of these movements is only possible with help from everybody. You need to get people together with a common vision, it’s really powerful.”

Morrison emphasizes the advocacy and awareness that the Stop Hate in Real Estate movement is trying to achieve.

“The biggest, and most important thing you can do is to be nice to others

Marching for rememberance

San Jose Japantown celebrates its 44th Day of Remembrance

Japanese taiko drums boomed as a moving melody flowed from the fue, a traditional Japanese flute commonly used to accompany taiko drumming. Survivors of the 10 internment camps walked to the center table to light a candle to honor the thousands who were interned during World War II.

San Jose’s 44th Day of Remembrance was hosted on Sunday, Feb. 18, by the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee to honor the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated in American internment camps during World War II. This year’s theme was “Youth Activism: Building Community” to bring awareness about the redress and reparations movement and to encourage today’s youth to engage in activism in their communities. The Japanese American Citizens League continues to work towards increasing youth engagement.

This event is held annually to commemorate the signing of Executive Order 9066 by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Guest speakers included Nina Chuang, recent past president of Associated Students at San Jose State University, who recounted her effort to establish an official annual Day of Remembrance at the university.

nophobia, right?” Chuang said.

Chuang described how the professors of Asian American studies around her inspired her initiative.

“We are told as young people all the time that we’re too young or too inexperienced to say something about politics, to say something about the world — that’s not true.”

— NINA CHUANG , recent past president of Associated Students at San Jose State University

Chuang described how she felt when she first learned of the past civil liberties injustices, which prompted her to take action.

“I felt for me, personally, like a contradiction, the fact that I was in a leader or an institution that was complicit in xe-

“When we make history personal, it changes,” Chuang said. “It changes our perspective of what we want to do next — are we going to be complacent when learning about this history? When we take it personally, it makes a difference.”

Chuang’s initiative was built on the efforts of James Matsumoto, who in 2013, led a student organization as the first generation to advocate for a Day of Remembrance monument on the SJSU campus.

Tom Ishidari, a concentration camp

survivor and co-president of the Japanese American Citizens League, described the lack of awareness surrounding the internment of Japanese-Americans when he grew up and affirmed that he felt grateful for the growing acknowledgment and education.

“I didn’t really know about it [the internment], even though I was born in the concentration camp because my parents didn’t talk about it,” Ishidari said. “I didn’t realize that I was part of one of the greatest civil liberties disasters of the US. I had to learn that all later as an adult.”

Chuang spoke about how she felt empowered by the theme of youth activism.

“We are told as young people all the time that we’re too young or too inexperienced to say something about politics, to say something about the world — that’s not true,” Chuang said. “The events that we have today, the organizations, come from youth activism — from a generation saying, ‘No, we will not be complacent in this. No, we do not accept the system how it is, we want it to be different.”

Members of the Japanese American Citizens League and community lead the candlelight procession during the 2024 Day of Remembrance walk to honor those who were interned on Feb. 19, 1942, due to Executive Order 9066 signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The procession continued around the block as San Jose Taiko accompanied the event with pieces specially prepared for the Day of Remembrance.

Text by EVELYN ZHANG and VIVIAN LIN Art

Pedaling for progress

Local bike coalition fights for protected lanes on El Camino Real

Acar suddenly comes out of the underground Crowne Plaza garage, almost hitting Sarah Lu-Liang, a senior at Gunn High School, who is on her daily bike ride home on the El Camino Real sidewalk. Lu-Liang is unable to see the car as it exits the garage so quickly, and the car is unable to see Lu-Liang because of the other vehicles.

Lucky for Lu-Liang and many cyclists like her, the California Department of Transportation is currently spearheading a project to implement protected bike lanes along the entire 600 miles of El Camino Real by fall of 2025.

For Lu-Liang, who has had many close calls with car collisions, a protected bike lane would mean that she wouldn’t be forced to bike on the sidewalk, so close to cars coming out of driveways and with her view blocked by obstructions and parked cars.

This project is pertinent to Palo Alto High School students, as El Camino Real

tation Research and Education Center.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has been actively campaigning to support the project. Katie Causey, a community organizer for the SVBC, explains the dual effects of implementing protected bike lanes.

“Getting the infrastructure into protected bike lanes will help make the roads safer and it’s also a good investment as El Camino Real moves towards being more of a green street,” Causey said. “There’s a lot of housing being planned to be built on El Camino Real, so making it a safer corridor for local businesses for people who are living in houses and apartments on El Camino Real [is im

ten bikes on El Camino, echoes Lu-Liang’s sentiment. Bike lanes with parking on the outside of the lane would solve the issue of parking removal and prevent cyclists from being doored, Baldwin said

“Cyclists need designated lanes that are physically separated from cars, because cars are not paying attention and respecting the six feet separation between cars and cyclists,” Baldwin said.

“Cyclists need designated lanes that are physically separated from cars, because cars are not paying attention and respecting the six feet separation between cars and cyclists.”

— DEBBIE BALDWIN, president of the Sunnnyvale Cupertino Cycling Club

According to Victor Gauthier, the Santa Clara County public information officer for Caltrans, the entire El Camino Real project will cost about $30 million and is funded through construction capital and local funds. The project includes updating sidewalk and curb ramps, as well as repaving the 9-mile stretch from Palo Alto to Mountain View.

A concern that some have about implementing protected bike lanes and eliminating parking on El Camino Real is the fate of the many RVs where some Palo Alto residents live on the street. Causey says her coalition is focused on finding a solution to the issue.

“Along that section of the road is where we have a lot of RV dwellers living,” Causey said. “Stanford has that [bike lane] right across the street from Paly and so we think there’s already good infrastructure there and we don’t want to see those RV dwellers be displaced — we’re focused on the fact that there’s already a great pipeline there across the street.”

Another stakeholder in this project is housing developers. As more affordable housing developments spring up

on El Camino Real, such as the affordable teacher housing set to be available to PAUSD staff, the question of parking becomes more important. Causey says SVBC is looking forward to working with housing developers to address both of [their needs].

“That’s kind of a huge reason we’re doing this is there is about a bunch of housing about to go in — people are going to need to be able to walk and bike safely,” Causey said. “And so the housing angle was definitely a huge angle of why we’re doing this. We’re happy to have collaboration with housing organizations in the area.”

Not all has been smooth-riding with the SVBC’s efforts as some city governments are more enthusiastic than others about the proposal. This is due to parking on El Camino begin eliminated and the costs associated with the project.

“The toughest challenge is the polit-

ical angle of this,” Causey said. “It is that in a lot of cities on the peninsula, some cities are very proactive. They knew that this opportunity was coming and they were like, yes, let’s make our roads safer. Other cities are very afraid to take any action because they’re afraid it’s too controversial.”

“Getting the infrastructure into protected bike lanes will help make the roads safer and it’s also a good investment as El Camino Real moves towards being more of a green street.”

Causey says SVBC’s next steps in moving forward with the campaign are coming soon. Public meetings have been held in Palo Alto and Mountain View to generate community feedback.

El Camino runs through to consider the impacts of protected bike lanes, ranging from convenience to climate infrastructure.

— KATIE CAUSEY, community organizer for the SVBC

Causey urges residents of cities that

“Imagine having this main road that goes through 19 cities and how much safer it can be, and how good that would be for local businesses, how good that it would be for public transportation for people getting around,” Causey said. “[We should] really see that vision as an investment in their community and also as an investment in climate change as people move away from car-centric infrastructure.”

Debbie Baldwin, president of the Sunnyvale Cupertino Cycling Club, talks with fellow cyclists at the Feb. 29 Caltrans community meeting about the El Camino Real bike lane project. “Cyclists need designated lanes that are physically separated from cars, because cars are not paying attention and respecting the six-feet separation between cars and cyclists,” Baldwin said. Photo by Vivian Lin.

Straying from the middle road

An alternative form of high school grows in the district

Independence, flexibility, and supportive” are the words Hanu Thakur, a junior at Middle College, uses to describe his experience with an unconventional form of high school. Having traded in the traditional 9 a.m to 4 p.m. schedule with block periods and scheduled breaks, Thakur wakes up well after 10 a.m. before getting ready for his noon English class at Foothill College. He stays at school for two hours until heading to the soccer field, where he practices till dark.

school where students take four classes a quarter, which consist of two core classes and two electives. The core classes are held on the Foothills campus, whereas any elective classes have the option of being online.

“It’s amazing because you really get a lot of free time and you become very independent because you learn to manage yourself rather than being managed by other teachers.”

— HANU THAKUR, junior at Middle College

There is now a newer version of this schooling — Palo Alto Middle College High School is an alternative form of high

In the past, Palo Alto Unified School District has partnered with the MVLA district in hosting a joint middle college program. However, this year, PAUSD has shifted its focus to opening a brand new program unique to Palo Alto students, offering a new faculty of teachers and guidance counselors.

The program has opened its doors to current sophomores and juniors with the

ANIKA NAIR

motive of including seniors in the future.

Emily Garrison, the principal of this new program, talks about the motive for opening up the program and what the district hopes to achieve.

“The purpose is to provide students who feel that they are not meeting their full potential with a comprehensive traditional high school like Paly and providing them with an alternative educational setting to succeed that is generally smaller,” Garrison said.

Thakur said his unconventional experience as a student in Middle College has benefits.

“It’s amazing because you really get a lot of free time and you become very independent because you learn to manage yourself rather than being managed by other teachers,” Thakur said.

While online schools provide flexible and manageable schedules, students need emotional support in case of mental health crises.

The National Library of Medicine states that a challenge faced by psychological service workers is their inability to detect emotional burnout in a distance learning format.

Garrison said the program will also provide mental health support and resources for their students.

“Students will have access to the wide ranges of services offered at Paly, as well as mental health resources and all of the student services that Foothill College also offers,” Garrison said.

A wide range of mental health resources such as multiple wellness centers and tbh, an online platform providing students with support from mental health professionals, will be able to assist students during any mental health crises.

Students in PAMCH will also be provided with ample college and career opportunities and support. Students will meet with college counselors for their four-year plans and college admission process.

Students will be a part of career readiness experiences, a program that provides work experiences such as internships. These opportunities mirror the program’s values of giving students interactive experiences and options for their future.

The difference between Paly and Middle College lies in the teaching stye.

According to Garrison, PAMCH’s educational style is unique compared to traditional high schools, and more suited to students who prefer lecture-based classes in a college setting as well as greater freedom with their class schedule.

to talk to professors, class syllabus, and how to plan for the quarter system.”

“Our job at the Palo Alto College High Schools is to help prepare students for what that [college] looks like,”

Garrison talks about the challenges of adapting to a college environment for high school students and how the program aims to train students to succeed in this new environment.

— EMILY GARRISON, Principal of Palo Alto Middle College High School

“Our job at the Palo Alto College High Schools is to help prepare students for what that [college] looks like,” Garrison said. “We’re already planning some informal courses with content about how

While modern technology advances, more opportunities are provided for different styles of education, so students aren’t just limited to traditional schools. Middle College provides local students a college type of learning that might benefit them in their education journey while simultaneously providing social interaction opportunities and spreading mental health practices.

“Education should be about providing students with options because people are unique and we have to find ways to make sure that everyone is successful,”

Photo by VIVIAN LIN

Rewriting textbooks

Paly alumna earns lifetime achievement award for advocacy

When Eimi Okano, a former educator and Palo Alto High School alum, was paging through a school history textbook one day, she noticed that there were barely any stories or pictures of non-white people.

“We looked at all the text that had been adopted by the State Board of Education and that’s where we found out that there were no people of color in there,” Okano said, sitting in the backyard of her Palo Alto home on Feb. 10. “One of the things that happened in our time also was there was very little inclusion of Japanese American experiences. …What they did include, like when they mentioned Buddhism, was inaccurate.”

Okano expressed concern about the lack of ethnic representation in textbooks, emphasizing the importance for children to see themselves reflected in the people and stories they study. She believes without such representation, children may start to feel less valued.

Okano, who was working for the Palo Alto Unified School District Parent Teacher Association in the 1980s, took her findings to the State Board of Education. She argued that the scarce representation of minorities in the textbooks didn’t reflect the reality that they made up more than 10 percent of the state’s population. Furthermore, the State Board of Education code required multicultural inclusion in adopted textbooks.

Okano, along with colleague Jeanette Arakawa, engaged in discussions with local legislators and individual members of the State Board of Education. She said her efforts to garner their support were met with little resistance.

“We didn’t have to defend the little that was there because there was nothing there,” Okano said. “It was all stories about white children and white families and maybe animal stories every once in a while, but I think that it was easy [to defend] in that context.”

“If you’re not represented in textbooks that other kids are represented, then you get the feeling even though you don’t express it, that you don’t count in some way”

— EIMI OKANO, co-founder of Asian American for Community Involvement

“And it seems … if you’re not represented in textbooks that other kids are represented, then you get the feeling even though you don’t express it, that you don’t count in some way, that you’re less than, and that tends to multiply as you go through school,” Okano said. “And it’s not just textbooks, but it’s in terms of who the leadership is in the schools, who gets elected, who gets nominated.”

According to Okano, after six years of advocating, the board finally passed a resolution to have the publishers amend the textbooks. Reflecting on the journey, Okano said that she was fortunate enough to work with people who were very supportive of her cause.

“So it was gratifying all the way around because we happened to have people who were logical and rational and could see our point of view and that it would be good for students to have diversity included [in the textbooks],” Okano said.

Okano’s activism extends beyond just diversifying textbooks. She also raised awareness around drug abuse and was

one of the founding members of Asian Americans for Community Involvement, a Santa Clara County organization advocating for adequate representation of all ethnic minorities in the workplace and providing them with social services.

“At that time what was happening was that in terms of employment, Asian Americans were not able to get [jobs] beyond the entry level or the lower levels of an organization,” Okano said.

One initiative Okano worked on was getting textbooks translated into differ-

Text by VIVIAN LIN and EVELYN ZHANG

to represent students

ent languages for students who had just immigrated from Asia.

“We had to go to the State Department of Education in order to have textbooks written in Cambodian and some of the other Asian languages because our students would be falling behind if they didn’t get some kind of transition between their native language and the English language,” Okano said.

In recognition of her advocacy, Avenidas, a Bay Area nonprofit that cel-

ebrates older adults, has recently named Okano as one of four honorees this year for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

While Okano has stepped back from active advocacy, she encourages young people to get involved with their community and the decision making process.

“In order to make real change, you have to get involved with people who have the power to make the change,” Okano said. “There’s a lot of forces you have to overcome in order to make the change

happen. It’s not easy, but it’s fun to do it with a group. It really is nice to have a community that is on the same page and understands without you even explaining it because they know that this is the right thing.”

Palo Alto High School alum and activist Eimi Okano reads through documents in her Palo Alto home. Okano championed inclusivity in California textbooks, rallied for diversity in the workplace, and raised awareness around drug abuse. In order to make real change, you have to get involved with people who have the power to make the change,” Okano said.

Text by LUCIANNA PERALTA and FAIZAN KASHMIRI

Goodbye and see you soon, Buena Vista

Residents express thoughts for oncoming housing development, representatives share benefits for more affordable opportunities

Riding into the asphalt parking lot of Buena Vista Mobile Home Park on El Camino Real reveals a novel identity of its community and respective residents. Dogs bark for the attention of the unfamiliar and yet don’t seem particularly pleased about our arrival. An abundance of color sweeps down all three of the complex’s streets, as the striking height of overgrown greenery reaches out to the burning sun from the small outdoor pots they’re contained in.

And looking further down the street, the low whirring of the excavator outside acts as a reminder of the impending change coming to this small enclave in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Buena Vista stands out from the rest of Palo Alto. Once dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as “Palo Alto’s Endangered Trailer Park,” it’s an unusual sight in one of the nation’s richest zip codes.

According to the Santa Clara County Housing Authority, its population of around 270 residents are predominantly Latino and low-income. Some are families whose kids go to Gunn High School, evident by stickers plastered on windows, small shoes lining doorways and tricycles. Others are elderly, many relying on the park’s comparatively cheap cost of living. And all of them share the brunt of development woes, especially when they all faced eviction in 2012 after plans were announced to close and sell the park.

However in 2015, the initiative was halted following a lawsuit by the residents, who argued that the relocation plan was woefully inadequate. The Housing Authority eventually bought the disputed lot in 2017, averting displacement for the nearly 400 residents at the time. Since then numbers have dwindled significantly, falling from 117 households in 2017, to 77 in 2023, according to Palo Alto

Online.

The Housing Authority, Buena Vista’s contractor, submitted a proposal in February this year to construct a three-story 61-unit apartment on half of the park’s total space in Spring of 2025.

While many residents of Buena Vista declined when asked for an interview, one person was willing to speak about the matter. Speaking in Spanish with Anthro reporters translating, Angela, a 30-year resident of the park who asked that her real name not be used, said she welcomed the pending construction and temporary relocation but that many of her neighbors were anxious.

“We should appreciate that they are giving us a new home,” Angela said, noting that being an owner of her home means a guaranteed spot in the new housing. Residents can choose between either selling their mobile home to move into the apartment or receive relocation aid from the Housing Authority.

When the announcement was made in February, some details were not easy to accept. Angela said that it took her some time to come to terms with the construction, and explained how some members of the community are still unsettled by the oncoming change.

“I’m not a person that turns everything into conflict,” Angela said. “One must learn to give thanks to God. They’re giving us a new home. Some people worry, ‘How am I going to pay?’ [and] at each meeting they tell us, advising … that we are only going to pay our rent.”

Housing Authority project manager Kris Adhikari said his own family was displaced by rising rent in the Bay Area and is why it’s so critical for him to support and continue the affordable housing work that he does in Santa Clara County.

“And that’s just an example,”

Adhikari said. “But realizing that and then being interested in different areas [of housing], I think it [affordable housing] is a really incredible field. It touches on different things, just on the built environment, such as on social justice.”

Adhikari said the City of Palo Alto has committed to not displacing the residents of Buena Vista.

“When we acquired the park back in 2017, it was all about preservation and stability, and what we can do to just make sure that folks are housed,” Adhikari said. “That included replacing 18 mobile homes that were previously not in the best condition, as well as just infrastructure upgrades throughout the park.”

Adhikari said that some residents are technically not owning the land but they do own their homes.

“Everyone rents a space,” Adhikari said. “That’s the nature of mobile homes. You don’t own the land but she[Angela] owns the structure.”

Adhikari said that under the new redevelopment program, both renters and mobile home owners are offered new apartments with affordability protections.

“Folks who are renting are given the option to live in the apartment, and their housing is insured,” Adhikari said. “It’s always going to be around what’s affordable to them. That is a commitment, that sort of environment and regulatory agreement.”

Fidel Contreras, communications program manager for the Housing Authority, also commented on the future prospects of the park.

“We believe that this project is going to be a win-win situation for the community,” Contreras said. “It’s a win for the community and it’s a win for the families who live there. We are taking our residents at the heart of what we do.”

Buena Vista resident stands outside her home beckoning Anthro reporters to step inside for a glass of water.

Text by LARA SU DUMANLI

BOUDTCHENKO

Preparing the pantry

Palo Alto High School students innovate with new non-profit

With knives, cutting boards and seasoning sauces hanging from every shelf, the student co-founders of Palo Alto Pantry stand in the middle of Saint Michael’s Alley kitchen, a Palo Altan restaurant, preparing fresh ingredients for their meals.

With baby blue latex gloves boxes and shelves filled with fresh food , Milo Sabina, Oliver Chancellor and Christian Saleh prepare hot meals every Monday for Bay Area residents who struggle with food and home insecurity in the Bay Area.

“We saw the change that needed to happen,” Chancellor said

Started by three juniors in Palo Alto High School’s Social Justice Pathway, Palo Alto Pantry is a non-profit (501-c3) organization that advocates against food insecurity in the Bay Area by delivering nutritious meals to homeless shelters.

“What we do is different,” Saleh said “Instead of packaged food, we provide home-cooked meals from [someone] that really cares, which is something special,” Sabina said.

Sabina said the group’s defining feature is that it’s just them in the kitchen, meaning they get full access to all of the restaurant’s resources. With the help from Sabina’s dad, owner of Saint-Michael’s Alley, they have more flexibility with their meal preparation.

“Since it [St. Michael’s Alley] is closed on Mondays, we take that time to cook a large portion of the meals,” Sabina said.

Palo Alto Pantry is entirely youth-run. Every Monday, Sabina, Chancellor, and Saleh are out hand-delivering the meals, not only connecting to the homeless population

on an individual basis but also showcasing an example of youth leadership.

“When [we] went to drop off the food, people were asking [us] who we were with or if we were doing this with a school. We had to say that we’re just doing it ourselves,” Chancellor said “I think that it makes them feel better knowing that somebody cares.”

Another defining factor that reflects Palo Alto Pantry’s mission is its adamancy in developing nutrition-based foods, as it tries to steer away from mass-produced canned foods — Chancellor said the lack of nutritious food available for locals living in food insecurity, and are forced to eat low-quality meals, continuing their cycle of food insecurity. According to the US’s Food and Nutrition Service, for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants, 61% members’ biggest barrier to breaking free of hunger was the affordability of foods that are part of a healthy diet.

co-founders said the effect of living in the Bay has on their organization and how Paly’s Social Justice Pathway community has supported their efforts. Students within their SJP cohort have been spreading the word and trying to help the organization gain traction. Being located in the Bay Area gives the organization the grassroots to flourish and expand with innovators on every corner.

“We saw the change that needed to happen,”

“In general being in Palo Alto is really helpful because of how active the city is around social justice and [there’s] a really strong activism community, which made us feel less alone,” Saleh said.

— OLIVER CHANCELLOR, junior and co-founder of Paly Pantry

As rising seniors, Sabina, Chancellor, and Saleh hope that in the future, they can pass the baton to a new group of eager students. Either at Saint Michael’s Alley or elsewhere, the co-founders hope that Palo Alto Pantry can live on through a new generation of activists.

“It’s more than just food,” Chancellor said. “Foods produced in mass quantities are low quality, so it’s really about the process of a home-cooked special meal. They can’t get that sort of service from any other places.” The

“We really just hope that it continues on and doesn’t end when we graduate,” Saleh said.

As they continue their non-profit, Palo Alto Pantry’s ambition is to extend nutritious meals to those struggling with food poverty in the Bay Area and reach those who have been neglected.

“I mean, [there] no shortage of people that need food in the world,” Sabina said. “So we are ready to keep on continuing.”

In the kitchen: founders, Christian Saleh, Oliver Chancellor and Milo Sabina grinning infront of the camera

Photo by GABE

Make way for zero waste

School EcoCycle club encourages more sustainability

When I was hiking in Yosemite, I was super disappointed to see litter like food wrappers along the hiking trails,” junior Clara Hoffman, a member of the EcoCycle club, said the presence of litter at her favorite national park affected her trip.

“Litter is a common thing to find wherever I hike and it’s really sad to see in outdoor spaces,” Hoffman said.

Palo Alto High School’s EcoCycle Club offers a community where students are able to participate in promoting zero-waste practices. By organizing fundraisers, activities, and outreach to other organizations, the club hopes to make a positive effect on the city’s environment.

Litter has become a massive threat to the health of the environment.

Keep America Beautiful conducted a survey in 2020 and found that nearly 50 billion pieces of litter are along U.S. highways and waterways.

California, one of the biggest states, has large sums of litter pollution.

The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project found that 77% of Southern California’s coastal stream kilometers contained trash, with an estimated stock of 7 million pieces of trash.

The Ecocycle Club, founded in 2023, holds discussions regarding issues in Palo Alto’s environmental plan and appropriate solutions.

For instance, upon realizing the large amount of paper wastage by teachers, the Eco Cycle club held several meetings to implement a recycling and reusing system. The members watered down the paper, transforming it to sludge, which was then molded into thin rectangular shapes

before drying.

Riya Kini and Sabela Chelba, co-founders of the Ecocycle Club, said their reasons for starting the club are to target problems in waste management and environmental risks at Paly before having a larger impact in Palo Alto.

“Our focus isn’t necessarily on Paly specifically, but rather Palo Alto as a whole. We intend to use the Paly community as a jumping off point to make connections through Palo Alto,” Chelba said.

Chelba and Kini have ambitious goals for the future so they are able to not only limit litter and advocate for zero-waste solutions but provide resources for people.

“We plan on doing a garage-sale type event where we sell or give collected items from the community, the main intent being to distribute them to people who have uses for them, or to sell them and raise money for charity,” Chelba said.

According to the National Institute of Health, zero waste lifestyles have gained popularity throughout the country, especially as the rise of social media influenced and promoted these practices as well as connecting people supporting the movement. Palo Alto has started implementing zero waste practices in the community by hosting scheduled events

such as compost workshops, hazardous waste stations, and much more.

The city founded the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan in 2022 which guides Palo Alto’s sustainability and emissions reduction strategy. The plan has a goal of increasing the diversion rate from 84% to 95% by 2030.

Zero waste practices have become prevalent in Palo Alto’s youth, such as with Hoffman, who has tweaked her lifestyle to adopt environmental conscious decisions.

“I have definitely started implementing zero waste practices in my lifestyles,” Hoffman said. “I use cloth produce bags, beeswax wraps, and shopping at the farmers market more frequently. These small changes have not been difficult but have bettered my plastic usage and waste.”

Kini, a passionate advocate for the environment, shares what she hopes to add to the Paly community.

“We are not just trying to start a club but rather foster a community that supports students’ interest and passion for the environmental state of Palo Alto,” Kini said.

Text and photo by ANIKA NAIR

Reduce, reuse, recycle: A student at Paly recycles a boba cup at a recycling bin, which are stationed around campus for accessibility.

Tween craze

How can we best handle the rise of “Drunk Elephant tweens”?

In 2017, a child reportedly destroyed over $1,000 worth of makeup in a Georgia Sephora, a retailer of personal care and beauty products. The same has been happening again and again lately, according to countless videos of 10-year-olds abusing products like toys, disrespecting employees, and opening brand-new packaging.

Posts on Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community web page, a forum for questions and advice for consumers, have claimed that this phenomenon has mostly been seen with Drunk Elephant, a skincare brand that has gained attention through social media. Dermatologist Brooke Jeffy, founder of teen and tween skincare brand Btwn, said in a BeautyIndependent article that Drunk Elephant products were originally created for adults, which makes sense given the presence of retinol in its products.

be social media, and more specifically, TikTok. In a Glamour article detailing a tween obsession with Drunk Elephant products, media psychologist Don Grant mentions that tweens experience a parasocial effect, where they start to be more affected by the decisions of their peers than their parents. But that effect has evolved into something different.

“Now, I call it the parasocial-media effect,” Grant said. “Kids are looking at influencers and their followers as their peers.”

A part of a parent’s job is teaching a child what is wrong or right, and what is too far.

Retinol, a form of vitamin A, is known for its anti-aging effects and ability to clear acne. But then why have children as young as 9 been pining for these products? Why are they so drawn toward products that are unnecessary and potentially harmful for their skin?

The most obvious answer seems to

In an article from online publication Mashable, a girl named Alexia said that the girls her age tend to follow the actions of girls who are in their 20s in addition to their peers. When older content creators use products that contain ingredients like retinol, none of them know any better than to use the same products even if they don’t need them. Kids see older influencers with products from Sephora on social media platforms, and end up wanting the same products.

Drunk Elephant has stated that it has products that are harmless and beneficial for younger users. But as children, it’s easy to ignore that. Their desire for skincare and makeup isn’t because of a need

for it, it’s because of the fact that certain products are trending among older girls.

However, social media isn’t fully at fault. But many parents should be. There’s nothing wrong with parents bringing their children into makeup stores. The problem is with how many kids treat products and other people in the store with barely any restraint.

A part of a parent’s job is teaching a child what is wrong or right, and what is too far. It’s okay for kids to want products and have full access to these beauty trends on social media, as long as their parents are supportive. It’s also okay to indulge in their desires, and purchase some makeup or skincare if it is deemed safe for children to use. But allowing tweens to roam makeup stores and abuse testers and unopened products, is too much.

Social media will continue to be a huge part of childhood for many. Yes, it is a place to share memories with friends and family, but its also a massive network of information. That network exposes children to trends and influences that no one really has control over. But what can be controlled is their choices — and given what has been happening lately, parent’s should consider guiding their kids to make better informed choices and to treat everything, products and people included, with care.

Text by LUCIANNA PERALTA

Ticking mayor term

City of Palo Alto

Mayors need more than a year to create effective change

Our mayors have the ability to instill both your values and theirs, working to emphasize city opinions and create a safer community for all. And we should encourage them to do so.

But when you put into perspective the effort that is required to improve and maintain our collective community, it makes you wonder why our mayors are given 12 months to serve our city.

Currently, the City of Palo Alto has an elected city council paired with a rotating mayor system. This system gives each council member an opportunity to hold office for a one-year mayoral term.

It’s not enough time to achieve their goals for the city.

Turning the one-year mayor term into a two-year term would give mayors time to adjust into office and implement effectual change.

Although some may suggest a fouryear term because it allows the mayor ample time to make changes, according to Texas newspaper Caller Times, a fouryear term is too long. David Smith, a political science assistant professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, said, “[With] a fouryear term, the voters aren’t able to make changes as quickly if someone is not to their liking.”

that time.

One short year to make change is not enough for a city mayor. Increasing mayoral term length could lessen the static hand-over process at the end of the 12 months.

There is also another issue to consider about the one-year term. What happens when time runs out and unfinished projects filter onto the next mayor?

“It’s ambitious to think that one year would be enough to address some of my own priorities and what I’d like to see us accomplish within this year.”

— GREER STONE, Mayor of Palo Alto

Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone explained the difficulty of condensing what he wants to do for the City given his one-year term.

Time does make a difference. And it determines how much a mayor is able to do.

Anthro spoke with Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner, whose city adopted the two-year term. 20 years after switching to a directly-elected mayor instead of Palo Alto’s rotating system, the City of Morgan Hill is debating a fouryear mayoral term. Turner spoke about how time pressure can affect policy making from city mayors.

“A two year term isn’t enough,” Turner said. “It really doesn’t allow you to get as established as you would like with your vision for the city and the direction you want to go.”

Previous Palo Alto mayors informed him that the one-year term went by quickly, Stone said. Revealing the hidden clock, Stone decided to announce the details of his new Task Force on his first day.

“The clock is ticking on night one,” Stone said. “That’s why I announced the formation of the Youth Wellbeing and Mental Health Task Force, so I wouldn’t waste any time.”

Of course, our mayor’s have completed many successful years in office, but an increased term can push the boundaries of what mayors can do.

So, let’s add time to the mayor’s ticking term, not only to ensure that they meet their goals, but for us all to continue to improve our city.

Text by LARA SU DUMANLI

Art by AMANI FOSSATI-MOIANE

Unseen Crisis

Our hesitancy around overdoses is endangering the future of our kids

In the expansive world of teens, there are three things that we deem top priority — school, friends, and how many people liked our Instagram posts. As we live carefree in society, we own a mindset that nothing can go wrong in our bubble of naivety. Following the mentality that teen years are a time to experiment, youth underestimate the too-often effects of that experimentation — overdose and addiction.

However, that bubble of naivety is rudely burst as in a 2024 US report, an average of 22 teens in the United States die each week from drug overdoses. This alarming statistic only skims the tip of the iceberg of the increasing opioid-related overdoses that are endangering society’s most useful resource — the youth.

According to Alyza Berman Millard, Executive Director and Clinical Director at The Berman Center for behavioral healthcare, with drug transactions expanding to social media platforms, now there is a higher susceptibility to peer pressure and thus the glorification of drug use ensues.

may feel that it is alright to use substanc es because others are doing so,” Millard said.

As taboo as this topic may be, there are current practices that are being developed, one notably being widespread availability of Naloxone, a spray equipped to reverse the impact of overdoses. As friends, boyfriends, girl friends, and humans, we need to ensure that these resources are readily available during a time of emergency.

Required by California law AB 1748, Naloxone is currently available at Paly and other high schools with the help of trained professionals. Referred to in PAUSD’s Fentanyl Awareness page, Nal oxone is readily available in the Health Office, in each automated external defibrillator (AED) box — this can be found in the large buildings, including the Media Arts Center and the Peers Family Center.

As a teen myself, I observe that we maintain positions of indifference toward public drug use. Agreeing that by experimenting, you are living your true teenage rebellious stage, we fail to grasp the true severity of this experimentation.

It’s not only me that feels this way, as Maggie Crady, a Palo Alto High School freshman, says that while the implementation is useful, its impact is diminished if there isn’t awareness.

As more and more kids are becoming a statistic, we must destigmatize our perception on youth drug addiction and educate ourselves.

“As a result, teens

“Most students are unaware of Naloxone ,” Crady said. “More awareness needs to be spread on Naloxone before it can actually be of service to students.”

The conversation from our parents

of which are not educated in the topic and do not understand how easily opioids can be hidden in other substances.”

As more and more kids are becoming a statistic, we must destigmatize our perception on youth drug addiction and educate ourselves. Whether that be being well-informed about how to use Naloxone or being an active advocate for overdose-related education, every effort is necessary to stop this issue from developing further. As we turn our heads the other way, we become teens’

Art by SPENCER WU-CHIN

Cartoons: Ratatoskr

Neuralink Gen 3.

Taylor Swift on her way from the football stands to the field.

Another brave officer faces up against a dangerous criminal. Anarcho-capitalism is clearly very effective.

Conservatives discover attractive women are allowed on television.

Top two choices of 330 million people

Text by AMILY ZHANG Art by VIVIAN LIN and IVY LEE

Housing or habitat?

Dreams of a greener future leads to nightmares of housing crisis

What’s standing between you and your dream school? Is it your GPA? SAT scores?

Extracurriculars? Turns out, it might be as simple as a lack of dorms. All it takes to remove that barrier between you and your dream school is repealing an abusive bill.

In California, the lack of student housing available causes the acceptance rate to fluctuate yearly. However, the construction of dorms and public housing across the state has sparked more and more objections in the past decades, with claims of environmental protection being weaponized to stop housing from being built.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was passed in 1970 to reduce harm to the environment by requiring agencies to disclose potential environmental impacts of proposed projects. Anyone can anonymously file a CEQA lawsuit and block the construction of a project for anywhere from weeks to years.

This idea, although noble in intention, is causing significantly more harm to people than good to the environment. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed

office in 2019.

Most of these amendments and executive orders include creating exemption after exemption to stop important building projects from being delayed. This casts doubt on the effectiveness of the bill, since exemptions are continuously granted to circumvent its effects.

Some of these exemptions issued by Newsom were beneficial to the community, such as homeless shelters in Los Angeles becoming exempt from CEQA lawsuits after strong public criticism.

achieve its purpose, but also cuts into many individuals’ abilities to obtain the most basic of rights: housing.

“You get to a point where you start applying so many exemptions that you have to look at the underlying law”

— JANE NATOLI, Board Member of YIMBY

However, some exemptions are counterproductive, such as the numerous massive stadiums and arenas being built with the sole intention of entertainment, such as the Los Angeles Rams football stadium and the Golden State Warriors’ basketball arena. Although the bill’s objective to protect the environment is a good one, legislators have made it clear that even a small economic impact and profit will al-

A study conducted by Chapman University Center in 2022 found that CEQA lawsuits targeted housing more than any other building projects, and tried to block the development of around 48,000 approved Californian housing units in 2020 alone, accounting for almost half of total annual housing construction in the state.

California’s ongoing housing crisis puts more than 180,000 people on the streets, and this problem is only getting worse. A homelessness census conducted by Destination: Home reveals that there were almost 10,000 homeless people in Santa Clara County, one of the highest rates in the United States.

California cannot afford to be slowing down in its mission to provide more housing. Unfortunately, that’s exactly

ducted by Holland and Knight shows that only 13% of CEQA lawsuits were acually filed by advocacy groups with a history of environmental protection. That leaves the question of who the other 87% are filed by.

Jane Natoli, a board member of Yes In My Back Yard, an organization that supports both the new construction of market-rate housing and government subsidized housing, told Anthro about the issues with CEQA.

“CEQA is a well intentioned but flawed law,” Natoli said. “It was passed to protect the environment, and there are certainly cases where it has done that. But it also has been manipulated in such a way that many peo ple utilize it just to prevent things they don’t like.”

The most frequent example of this is low income housing stopped by people who are a part of Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY), a characterization of residents who show strong opposition to infrastructure de velopments in their area.

But the construction of low-income housing isn’t the only type of housing

The Los Angeles Times reports that a California court stopped the construction of UC Berkeley student dorms and supportive housing in 2023, citing excessive noise.

The California court claimed that more UC Berkeley dorms would lead to more loud parties, disturbing the environment. As a result of this verdict, the California Chamber of Commerce found that 1,200 housing units of desperately needed student housing were canceled, stopping more than 3,000 col-

ended the classification of residential noise as a potential environmental hazard. This may seem like an effective quick fix, but the problems of CEQA are not as surface level as Newsom tries to make it seem.

California Globe explains that the default remedy of adding in more and more exemptions will not solve the root issue of CEQA litigation abuse.

“You get to a point where you start applying so many exemptions that you have to look at the underlying law,” Natoli

Text by FAIZAN KASHMIRI Art by SALEM COYLE

Wheeling the chair forward

Disability education needs to be taken seriously in America

How much do you actually know about disability?

Most of us, myself included until a few years ago, think of disability in two ways. We think about the visible physical disabilities, like needing a wheelchair. Or maybe we think about mental disabilities, like Down syndrome. But when you think hard and long, ask yourself: What makes a person disabled?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides the definition that a disability is any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities and interact with the world around them.

Some people are born with disabilities, and others gain it at some point in their life. Many disabilities are ‘invisible’, not immediately perceptible to people. These distinctions make no difference: a disability is a disability, no matter what form it takes.

en the dignity of being taught a history in our classes, nor the future prospects in a world hostile to them.

We need to acknowledge the existence of disabled people and their strife within our curriculum.

According to the Census Bureau, over 41 million adults, or 12.7% of the American population, have a disability. Moreover, 15% of all public school enrollment, 7.3 million students, have disabilities. The California Department of Education estimates that over 800,000 kids are enrolled in some form of special education program, programs that didn’t exist at all until 1975. No matter which way you cut it, disability remains a societal truth.

the words of the law itself, people who were “diseased, maimed, mutilated or deformed in any way, so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object.” These laws were targeting not just those who were disabled, but the poor people of San Francisco. It was only after the radical actions of activists, such as those from Camp Jenin as chronicled in the documentary “Crip Camp,” that these laws were overturned and repealed.

Even for the social advancements made, disabled people are not given the dignity of being taught a history in our classes, nor the future prospects in a world hostile to them.

With such a large population of disabled people in the United States, you’d hope that we’d know more. But growing up here in California, both here in Palo Alto and in Oakland, disability remained out of my field of vision. California curriculum does not mandate teaching about the pressing issues around disability, a present in which the sub-minimum wage for disabled workers can be as low as under 25 cents an hour in some states. It was only in 2020 that California repealed such an abhorrent practice.

The pressure on the federal government, especially during the occupation of buildings like the Federal Building at 50 United Nations Plaza eventually led to the signing of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This landmark piece of legislation paved the way for federal assistance in employment and healthcare. It is, to put it lightly, disconcerting that these monumental achievements are not widely known, especially those with very local roots.

Building a curriculum that includes the history of disabled activism and work within the United States is necessary for representing a significant portion of our population.

Let’s face it. Disability is not a first, nor second, thought for most of us. It’s a white haze in the background, one easy to tune out. For the people who actually have to struggle with disability, it’s a daunting fact of life. Even with social advancements, disabled people are not giv -

All of this information begs the question: why don’t we know about any of this?

Our local history reflects the unique struggles that disabled people went through, struggles that deserve spotlight. In San Francisco, so-called “ugly laws” allowed for the police to detain, in

Going above and beyond in bringing the disabled into public consciousness is a task worth fighting for. Educating our nation of its own history, about the brave advocates who fought tooth and nail for their own right to existence, allows us to escape the fatal tunnel vision our nation has about disability related issues.

A society that understands the challenges of others as a collective and not just as individuals is a society worth fighting for. It’s a society that can rid itself of prejudice, a society where the legacy it wishes to paint going forward.

Hype or harm: Stanleys

The effects of consumerism and adoration for popular tumblers

Inever bought into the craze since Stanley Tumblers became popular around a year or two ago. As a loyal Hydroflask bottle user since 2019 who refused to switch, when I heard last month’s speculation that Stanleys contained lead, I felt relieved knowing I wasn’t at risk but was nervous for those who used Stanleys. It made me want to dig deeper into the bigger picture: the danger of buying into trends without verifying their safety. Buying into trends without knowing what they can do to you could be fatal.

are unknowingly buying into popular ity. During the week of Feb. 11, Stanley faced two lawsuits for “Failing to disclose the presence of lead in its products,” ac

Having the newest Stanley is a repeat of when we were younger and felt the need to have the newest gadgets to fit in with everyone else, and if you didn’t, you stood out and it was embarrassing.

I asked sophomore Chloe Chan about what she thought about the bottles, and why she thought they were so popular.

“The appeal [of Stanley’s] is because you see so many people having it,” she said. “Like, you just wanna get it.”

Having the newest Stanley is a repeat of when we were younger and felt the need to have the newest gadgets to fit in with everyone else, and if you didn’t, you stood out and it was embarrassing. The Social Media Victims Law Center website says that children with a fear of missing out (FOMO) are more susceptible to being unhappy and having a lack of self-confidence and social contentment in real-life situations.

To avoid this, social media usage must be limited for children, so they’re not as knowledgeable about what’s trending.

An outrageous example of clear consumerism comes from videos — featured on NBC’s Maine Channel — from all over the United States of women at Target racing and shoving to get a limited edition Stanley Tumbler.

It’s relieving that not all consumers

ley’s website, these swarms of consumers probably don’t know that “the sealing material [of the bottle] includes some lead. Once sealed, this area is covered with a du rable stainless steel layer, making it inaccessible to consumers.”

Despite the chances of lead poisoning, the speculations about Stanley’s containing lead are true. Going forward, regardless if it’s a trend everyone’s following, be aware of your consumer behavior. If someone’s unaware of the dangers that come with what they buy, they’re likely going to continue using it, and it could one day be damaging to their health. Always stay aware.

Text and photo by CAILEY LILLY QUITA

Activism in the Bay Area

Local leaders advocate for change

Protests Against Netanyahu

UnXeptable San Francisco Bay Area is a grassroots movement in support of removing current Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in light of his leadership during the war in Gaza. Overall, it strives towards reinstating values of democracy and social justice in Israel. This organization hopes to see the current Israeli government held accountable and a guarantee for democratic freedoms which Netanyahu is threatening. To spread this message, UnXeptable has been hosting protests and speeches around the Bay Area. In addition to this, UnXeptable is currently hosting a campaign called “Bring Them Home” in support of the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. UnXeptable have also created a network for Israeli families in the Bay Area to stay in guest houses if they are unable to return back to Israel. Protester Talia Lehrer has more to say about current issues surrounding Israel. “It’s really important to me that people understand that Jews are going through a very difficult time right now,” Lehrer said.

Advocating for Home Electrification

Avolunteer-led nonprofit organization, 350 Silicon Valley Palo Alto, is fighting for climate justice. To achieve this goal, 350 Silicon Valley is running a variety of campaigns to promote home electrification and convince companies to divest in fossil fuels. Recently, 350 Silicon Valley Palo Alto spoke at a Palo Alto City Hall meeting in protest of the likely suspension of all Palo Alto’s electric reach codes. Additionally, it hosts events often in an attempt to push people to switch from gas heaters to electric heaters by showcasing the benefits of home electrification. Hilary Glann, co-leader of 350 Silicon Valley Palo Alto, hopes to show others how every person can make a difference when it comes to climate change, “If you take out your gas water heater and put in an electric one, it takes out as much carbon as if you instantly had a 125 full grown trees,” Glann said.

Stanford Sit-in for Palestine

After 120 days, the Stanford Palestine sit-in is has officially ended on Feb. 17. During the protest, hundreds of Stanford students camped out overnight on the White Plaza, located in the heart of the university. The sit-in was run by a small group of Stanford students calling for the university to condemn the Israeli siege of Gaza. The protest gained a lot of support, even amassing over 3,000 followers on Instagram. Their objective with this protest was to pressure the university into publicly calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and to divest from Israeli apartheid. After multiple threats of a crackdown from Stanford, the leaders of the protest managed to negotiate two meetings with the university’s administration to showcase their ideas. Currently, the organization is gathering support for a petition that would bring divestment resolutions to student ballots. “We rally to demand our institutions to take a moral stance amidst genocide,” the group wrote on its Instagram post.

At the San Fransisco City Hall protesters call for the removal of Israeli Prime Minster Netanyahu from power. Photo: Tali Lehrer

At the White Plaza, Stanford students organize a sit-in calling for Stanford to condem the Israeli siege of Gaza.

Photo: Arjun Jindal

Text by SAANVI GARG

Activism Around the World

A look at global protests: policies, financial cuts, and war

FIrance: On Feb. 23, French farmers congregated in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris to protest a lack of government support and regulations, according to the Associated Press. The protests are in response to restrictive environmental policies that have been made in effort to fight climate change. The policies are paired with higher energy costs and lower wages for French farmers, resulting in them fighting for government policies and money that will help support their sector. The French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised help in the form of 400 million euros ($433.48 million),as reported by U.S News. Despite the promise, protests have resumed, with farmers demanding policy changes to better support them.

srael: Protesters took to the streets on Feb. 18 in Tel Aviv to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Telegraph reported that there were around 10,000 protesters and 16 were arrested as the protest turned violent. The Associated Press stated that the reason behind the unrest is largely Netanyahus’ mishandling of the Israel-Gaza war as well as his oppressive policies on free speech. The New York Times reported that he is largely unpopular in opinion polls. Additionally, Netanyahu is blamed for the security failure that led to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that led to the death of 1,200 Israeli civilians.

ALrgentina: On Jan. 24, BBC reported that more than 10,000 Argentinians gathered in Buenos Aires to protest President Javier Milei’s financial cuts. The protests were organized by the General Confederation of Labor, the largest labor union in the country, to mobiliz the working class of Argentina to protest Milei’s oppressive policies. Milei was inaugurated on Dec. 10 and ran on a platform of radical economic change. The Associated Press reported that since his election, Milei has devalued the country’s currency by 50%, cut energy and transport subsidies, and refused to renew the contracts of more than 5,000 state employees. With his current policies, inflation is expected to reach 200% by the end of the year.

ondon: The Palestine Solidarity Campaign organized a demonstration with tens of thousands of people in central London on March 8. BBC reported that four people were arrested at the protest. This was the group’s 10th pro-Palestine march in central London since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The campaign is calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war as more than 30,000 Palestinian lives have been claimed and over 70,000 Palestinians’ have been injured, as reported by the United Nations.