2022 Spring Los Angele Collegian Issue 4

Long Beach Grand Prix

Puts Pedal to Metal See Page 8

Collegian LOS ANGELES

See Page 6

The Voice of Los Angeles City College Since 1929

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Volume 188 Number 4

NEWS BRIEFS

Earth Day

POLITICS

CELEBRATIONS

Earth Day:

Students to Compete for Cash in Conference The Ralph Bunche Scholars Program presents LACC’s 1st Annual Student Research Conference on campus on Friday, May 20.

Students will present research from the fields of humanities, social science, art or STEM. A 10-minute oral presentation and/or poster presentation will be acceptable for students to showcase their research. An abstract should be sent to https://forms. gle/6pgC58LDnracD34c6 before April 30.

The format must follow a 250word abstract and a 25-word description for the program.

Presenters will be eligible for $500, $250 and $200 awards.

To inquire for additional information, email mullerdn@ lacitycollege.edu.

Photo by Louis White A group of City Attorney hopefuls gather after the debate at L.A. City College on March 30, 2022. 55 candidates who qualify for the L.A. City’s June 7 primary elections.

Candidates Debate for L.A. City Attorney Candidates for the open seat of L.A. City Attorney are diverse in social class, ethnicity and gender.

They were eager to tell the audience how they would run the office of L.A.’s top legal eagle.

‘Breaking Anew’ for ‘The Citadel’ Magazine Calling all writers, poets and story tellers: The Los Angeles City College English and ESL Department’s literary magazine, “The Citadel” is now open for submissions. The Citadel will accept prose and poetry interpreting the theme “Breaking Anew.” Guidelines for prose and poetry entries are limited to non-published work, which includes self-published work.

Provide a cover letter in your email and pay the $10 reading fee at www.laccfoundation. org. The reading fee is waived for LACC students with proof of enrollment for the 2021-22 academic year. Submissions can be sent to: thecitadellacc@gmail. com by May 31, 2022.

BY JUAN MENDOZA

Students should vote, it is important to get involved!

Francis Lafitte, League of Women Voters (LWV) Chair

Scholars Program Offers Transfer Support

SEE “CANDIDATES” PAGE 6

“This is a great event,” Torres said.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with the voters and hear what their concerns are and be able to address them.”

She says she has prosecuted a lot of corruption cases, money laundering, and has plenty of experience in corporate internal investigations.

She calls herself “A fighter for the people of L.A.” Kevin James is an attorney at law and most recently served as president of Los Angeles Public Works.

Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed James to the Board of Public Works in 2013.

According to his campaign web-

BY LARA BARNEY

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fter two years of darkness, spring has sprung and students are ready to breathe in the fresh air. April 22, 2020 was the 50-year anniversary of Earth Day, but the pandemic put a halt on all large gatherings.

Worry not. All hope for celebrating our beautiful planet was not lost.

The Regeneration Club has been working in the shadows of the pandemic to bring a community garden to campus. Using seed money from the LACC Foundation, the club secured a plot of land on campus just west of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.

The club worked on a business proposal to bring to the East Hollywood Business Bureau. They secured a large donation from the Community Outreach Fund of Los Angeles Children’s Hospital that helped them clean up their little plot of land and provide fencing and garden beds to further develop the garden.

After over two years of hard work, the garden is now open to students and faculty. The garden is totally organic, meaning they don’t spray any chemicals on the produce.

SEE “EARTH” PAGE 6

Beauty Queens Visit LACC During Spring Break

BY DANIEL MARLOS

UCLA’s Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP) is open to students at LACC considering transfer.

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SEE “MORE NEWS BRIEFS” PAGE 6

INDEX Opinion & Editorial

The temperature of the campaign for Los Angeles City Attorney is warming up. The candidates will be on the June 7 ballot for the primary election.

L.A. City college students, faculty, staff and the East Hollywood community had the opportunity on March 30 to hear the candidates say where they stand on the issues of crime, homelessness, corruption and fraud. The candidates entertained questions from the audience.

The Los Angeles City Attorney is an elected official who represents the city and its departments in any

legal matter. The city attorney serves as the lawyer and legal adviser to the mayor, the city council and city departments.

The city attorney also prosecutes misdemeanor violations like drunk driving, vandalism, domestic violence and parking tickets.

This year’s group of candidates represents the diverse cultures and ethnic groups that make up the city’s population.

Marina Torres is assistant United States attorney at the Department of Justice. Torres is the daughter of immigrants from Michoacán, Mexico.

She is a federal corruption prosecutor and first-generation Latina.

Regeneration Club Unveils Community Garden

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Arts & Entertainment

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Campus Life

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News

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Resources

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Sports

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Photo by Daniel Marlos Autumn Rae, Miss Black California USA 2022 and Nasreen El Shabazz, Miss Black USA Talented Teen, visit campus during a career summit for high school students on April 6,2022. They both use their pageant platform to bring awareness about depression, suicide, and mental health as they represent California at the national Miss Black USA and Miss Black USA Talented Teen in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 7, 2022.

he shimmered in the distance, the morning sun glinting off her crown as she walked across the LACC quad.

Autumn Rae, Miss Black California USA 2022, was on campus on April 6 during a career summit for high school students.

“We are here, me and Miss Black USA Talented Teen, Nasreen El Shabazz,” Rae told the Collegian.

“We are here to talk to the students.

We want them to get to know us a little better. We have autographed pictures and just get to know the students and get involved, so we’re very excited.”

This event took place during Spring Break when most LACC students and faculty were off campus.

Illustration by Michael Sitar

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OPINION & EDITORIAL

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

EDITORIAL

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Buzz Words in Higher Education District Ignores its own Pledge

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BY KATHARINE FORD

iversity, equity and inclusion are current hot topics in community college education. The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has an Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. LACCD Chancellor Dr. Francisco Rodriguez has a diversity message on the website regarding the district’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

“As an essential part of building and maintaining a genuinely inclu-

sive community on campus, we confront intolerance and racial or ethnic bias when we encounter it, and we do not tolerate racial discrimination, sexual harassment or any other form of offensive discrimination when it appears on campus,” states the chancellor’s message.

Collegian staff members have examined the problem many disabled students encountered when they attempted to access services they needed for academic success.

When looking at the responses some students received to their requests for services, materials and tools, we, as college students, need to ask: Does the LACCD practice what it preaches regarding diversity, equity and inclusion?

In the article “Disabled Students: ELAC Fails to Accommodate” by Collegian Editor-in-Chief Sorina Szakacs (Spring 2022, Issue 2) we read about the responses students received when they requested services from the Diversabilities Support Program & Services (DSP&S) office, located on ELAC’s Monterey Park campus. For example, it was reported that one student was told that she could enroll at a different community college if she did not like the services offered at the college she attended.

From Szakacs’ report we learned the District is challenging the lawsuit filed by a couple of disabled students (Payan, Mason v. LACCD).

The District’s challenge, if successful, would have grave repercussions for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Collegian Los Angeles City College Visual & Media Arts Department 855 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029 323.953.4000 ext. 2832 losangeles.collegian@gmail.com Editor-in-Chief SORINA SZAKACS Graphics Layout Editor BEATRICE ALCALA Copy Editors SORINA SZAKACS ANGELA JOHNSON DANIEL MARLOS Opinions & Editorial Editor KATHRYN FORD Broadcast BEATRICE ALCALA Photo Editor LOUIS WHITE

LACCD is challenging the lawsuit based on the assertion that the lack of accommodations provided these students was unintentional.

Recall the message by Dr. Rodriquez on the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website states “any form of offensive discrimination when it appears on campus” will be confronted. However, rather than

confronting the “offensive discrimination” encountered by the students and exposed by the lawsuit, LACCD seems to be rationalizing the discrimination.

We have often heard that ignorance of the law is not a defense for breaking the law. Therefore, regardless of whether discrimination is intentional or unintentional, discrimination

needs to be confronted, addressed and resolved.

If the LACCD genuinely believes that all discrimination should be confronted to assure diversity, equity and inclusion on all nine of its community college campuses, they should accept responsibility for the unintentional discrimination perpetrated on students in the past, present, and future.

Photographers CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ DANIEL MARLOS LOUIS WHITE Illustrators MICHAEL SITAR Reporters JUAN MENDOZA, JOHN JOHNS, SORINA SZAKACS, CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ, LOUIS WHITE, POUPY GAELLE NGUESTOP, DIANA CAMPBELL, DULCE GALVEZ, LARA BARNEY Faculty Adviser RHONDA GUESS

Running on Empty

BY LARA BARNEY If you’ve been reading the news, you will have that Gavin Newsom just proposed a bill that would provide a $400 relief stipend for auto owners in California regardless of income.

The new bill comes after gas prices reached nearly $7 a gallon at the pump over the last couple of weeks.

The cap is two cars per household, so don’t worry, Jay Leno and his 181 cars won’t benefit from this too much. While this is a big relief for most Californians, the headlines of this bill ignore a large population in Los Angeles County: the carless.

When I read this headline, I was happy to see that relief is coming for the exorbitant gas prices. But I couldn’t help thinking, what about the little guys in L.A. that get looked over, year after year?

Looking closer at the bill, Newsom did address the riders by setting aside $2 billion of the $11 billion proposed to give public transportation riders free rides for three months. Now that’s all good and dandy, but I doubt that will sway car drivers to ditch their rides for public transit.

Every day over 300,000 people take Metro Rail and 600,000 people take the bus. I am one of those people.

What can I say? I moved here from New York City where public transit is king. I wish I could use it more, but there are some serious fundamental problems that make it impossible to

utilize other than out of necessity.

Thirty percent of riders in L.A. wait over 20 minutes for a bus or train. Whereas in New York and New Jersey, only 14 percent of people wait that long. Sometimes in L.A., your bus blows right past you or doesn’t come at all. I’ve also heard concerns of safety in the Metro Rail station tunnels.

Whenever I take the Metro Rail, I notice the deserted stations, too--not a policeman or safety officer in sight.

To make matters worse, some buses only service the city from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with many buses stopping their routes well before then. That makes it impossible for people who work later than 11 p.m. to actually use the service.

I would love to see more Angelenos using the bus instead of turning their nose up at it. The list of benefits from using public transit is a mile long: Reduced emissions, accessible transit for handicapped people, affordable alternative to expensive cars and reduced DUIs are just a few of the good things that could come with an improved public transit system.

It feels like year after year, the city of L.A. is completely looking over those who rely on public transit.

What about us?--we who have been going green and taking public transit, both willingly and unwillingly, day in and day out.

Eleven billion dollars is a lot of money. I wonder what could happen if we redirected those funds toward getting more frequent buses and extended transit hours. If L.A. had a better public transit system, maybe we wouldn’t be so worried about these gas prices and maybe drivers wouldn’t need so much of a bailout.

TALK BACK TO THE EDITORS We are interested in what you have to say.

Email us at losangeles.collegian@gmail.com @collegianwired facebook.com/collegianwired Check us online collegian.lacc.life

Let Students, Employees Grow Cannabis on Campus

BY DANIEL MARLOS Students who study at community colleges should be permitted to grow marijuana on campus, including the community garden at L.A. City College.

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) published a study in November 2021 that investigated the increased interest worldwide in gardening during the COVID-19 shutdown. One of the study’s conclusions asserted “… gardening can increase opportunities to interact with nature close to home, and might systematically and simultaneously enhance global public health, well-being, and ecological outcomes long after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.”

This implies that gardening might help save humankind and the planet, a relevant Earth Day

concept. There are numerous benefits to allowing students to learn gardening while growing marijuana at LACC. Both medical and recreational marijuana are legal in California. Many students have conditions, including anxiety, that justify the use of medical marijuana, and many students enjoy recreational marijuana.

Most students struggle with budgeting their money. Most students don’t have access to a place to grow a tomato much less a marijuana plant; and if they regularly buy both, they will save considerably more money growing cannabis to consume than they would growing tomatoes.

Historically, there has been a disproportionately high percentage of African-American and Latinx men incarcerated for the possession of marijuana, a demographic that is represented at LACC. That demographic might learn skills that can be used for entrepreneurial endeavors now and in the future. A vocational certificate of achievement in cannabis-culture might devel-

op into a new curricular program if students are permitted to grow marijuana on campus.

LACC already has a community garden known as The City’s Garden that is supervised by the life sciences department and Professor Sean Phommasaysy, a botanist who can teach students to properly care for their plants, including marijuana.

Students might spend more time on campus studying if they have to water and care for plants they are growing.

A security fence, a campus that is closed at night, and the protection of the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department, thwarts any threat of theft of the students’ crop.

The ESA has already determined that gardening benefits the individual, society and the planet, and if it takes growing marijuana to introduce students to those benefits because it is something they will want to grow, that is good.

It is understood that students should not smoke on campus, but what is the harm in them growing some “herb” in The City’s Garden?

For all submissions including letters to the editor and publicity releases, send materials to Collegian offices located in Chemistry Building, Room 207, or email: losangeles.collegian@gmail.com.

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Stranded: War, Racism Traps African Students in Ukraine

BY ANGELA JOHNSON The discrimination that African students are reporting on social media as they flee the Russian-Ukrainian war zone is all at once disgusting, astounding and heartbreaking.

My heart breaks to see videos of young African women and men who report they have been held hostage in Sumy, Kherson and Medyka. They are running out of food and water. African refugees who were able to get out and as far as Lviv-Holovnyi Railway Station were not allowed to board the trains because of the color of their skin. This is global racism on display.

Using twitter hashtags #AfricansInUkraine, #BlacksinUkraine and #BlackForeignersInUkraine, Afri-

can people shared personal stories and second-hand accounts of brutal abuse, discrimination and racism while trying to flee the war zone.

Reading reports of Ukrainian border security and Polish border authorities stopping Africans from boarding trains and buses, in some cases actually kicking them off the bus, makes me sick to my stomach.

Ukrainian nationals are prioritized and expedited to safety, while Africans and other people of color languish in the harsh cold elements.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has two big problems on his hands. Yes, his country is being indiscriminately bombed and leveled to the ground by warmongering Vladimir Putin. Yet in the midst of the hail of bombs and bullets, Ukrainian nationalist neo-Nazis, who have infiltrated the military are now rising. They are seizing this war as their opportunity to discriminate against and brutalize “non-Ukrainians,” specifically foreign African stu-

dents who were attending university in Sumy, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Lviv.

President Zelensky needs to denounce the racism, white supremacy and discrimination visited upon Black people within his country’s borders. While he is asking for (and receiving) all of the military aid he wants and needs to win this war, he needs to also say loud and clear that he is categorically against what has been happening to African refugees.

Full stop.

Universities in Ukraine offer high-quality education apparently for a fraction of the price elsewhere in Europe. According to the Ukraine Education Ministry, there are 16,000 African students matriculating in the country.

These are obviously the bright stars of the countries they come from including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Gabon, Egypt, Morocco and India. These students embody the hopes and dreams of their parents,

Next Issue: May, 4 2022 Editorial Deadline: MAY 2, 2022

SEE “WAR” PAGE 3

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

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CITY VIEWS

How do late spring classes help you stay on track with your educational goals?

COMPILED BY DULCE GALVEZ

SKYE D’ERCOLE Major: Music The late start classes are good because I like to get classes finished in a short period of time and to get them done quickly if I have a busy schedule. The late start classes are good if you need to catch up on credits or units in order to graduate within a time frame.

VIOLET PHOENIX Major: Digital Design

CHRISTIAN LAZO Major: Music

BRANDEAUX LAZO Major: Photography

The late start classes in my opinion help when you are willing to go back but if you don’t have to, wait until the enrollment period. The late enrollment classes help me get to the door faster, transferring and getting a degree much faster.

Late start classes help me with my educational goal by keeping me focused and helping me with timing.

I feel as if they help stay with my goals because I am able to do the class in a shorter amount of time though there is a bit more work and things do feel a bit more crammed. It also helps that I can choose to pick up a class in the middle of the semester that I might just want to get out of the way, instead of waiting till the summer or the next fall semester.

INK STYLE

FROM “WAR” PAGE 2

Illustration by Michael Sitar

family members and communities. They deserve the same human rights as Ukrainians.

That goes without saying, but I feel compelled to say it.

While monitoring the news coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war on KCBS-2, KNBC-4, KTLA-5, KTTV-11, or even CNN, I did not see one news anchor utter a single word about the plight of the African students who were trapped in the middle of the chaotic war and exodus.

My eyes were glued to the TV screen starting March 1. At no time during the mainstream network television news reports about the war did they come out and say African people need help to leave Ukraine. The story initially broke on social media, Twitter, Instagram, news media websites carried the story, but not TV broadcasts.

I didn’t see one single reporter nor anchor on mainstream network television mention that African students are trying to flee the country, but are victims of racism and discrimination. Not one mention during the hundreds of hours of coverage. That’s a problem.

“Democracy Now” independent news program covered the plight of the African students in Sumy briefly, early on in their war coverage. By the time the second weekend of war rolled around on March 12, “CBS Sunday Morning” did a report using video that was seen first on social media March 2.

NBCNews.com covered a group of students who coordinated their own rescue efforts. At every turn the African student refugees were being denied assistance.

Black Women for Black Lives (https:// twitter.com/BW4BL_official; blackwomenforblacklives.org) used social media to connect and help almost 1,000 African refugees escape the war zone. There are many more African refugees who need help to escape.

For updates on refugee rescue, fundraising information, resources, support, go to the following hashtags: #AfricansInUkraine, #BlacksInUkraine, #BlackForeignersInUkraine, #BlackPeopleinUkraine. #NigeriansInUkraine #BlackInKherson #AfricansInKherson #StudentsInKherson #SaveKhersonStudents #CaptiveInKherson #AfricansInUkraine, https://twitter.com/ BW4BL_official, blackwomenforblacklives. org.

We, the African Diaspora, need to wake up and act like we see global racism. Because global racism sure in the hell sees us. In the midst of blistering war, global racism sees Black people. Global racism has seen Black people since the year 1619. This is something we must never forget. Global racism always sees Black people, and we better recognize that FACT and act accordingly.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

EVERY DAY IS EARTH DAY

Take Action for a Better Planet 1.

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Use the Internet, not trees.

Plug.

Fight climate change with diet change.

Advocate for climate education.

Stand against deforestation.

Pickup trash while you run.

Organize a community cleanup.

Learn how to combat plastic pollution.

Compost.

Switch to online billing.

Encourage the use of reusable utensils, dishes and trays.

Use a reusable water bottle.

Practice sustainable fashion.

Turn off the lights when not in use.

1. According to a study conducted by Orb Media on plastics and tap water, 83% of tested water samples from major metropolitan areas around the world were contaminated with plastic fibers. Plastic fibers were also found in bottled water produced by 11 of the world’s largest brands purchased from 19 locations in 9 countries. 93% of bottled water showed some sign of microplastic contamination, including polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

2. Each year, about 1 million tons of tiny plastic fibers are released into wastewater.

3. In 2015, the US passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act, banning plastic microbeads in cosmetics

Future Writers, Illustrators Vie for Awards in Hollywood

BY JUAN MENDOZA

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ward hopefuls filed down the red carpet at the L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards gala at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood on April 8, 2022.

Organizers welcomed the winners of the L. Ron Hubbard competition for the writers and illustrators of the future.

Celebrities and the VIP guests began to arrive early on a hot spring afternoon amid radiant sunlight. The banquet hall was impeccable and fresh with golden plates and colorful centerpieces.

Writers and illustrators were anxious and excited to be recognized for their work as the new winners of the 2021-2022 year received the most prestigious recognition of its kind, the L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Award.

“To all the writers and illustrators of the future award winners, no matter the field of endeavor in this case literary sci-fi writing, I’m always astonished by the people who are willing to put themselves and their work out there for others to review perhaps criticize perhaps judge,” said keynote speaker Lt. General John F. Thompson. He reminded attendees that resilience matters. He says it makes a difference in all writing and illustrating efforts.

“Everyone gets knocked down everyone fails,” Thompson said. “The true measure of success and perhaps the true nature of your character is

and personal care products sold in the United States.

Critically, there are no regulatory limits on the levels of microplastics in bottled water.

4. A single fleece jacket sheds up to 250,000 microfibers during a single wash. Microfibers from synthetic fibers have been shown to make up the majority of human material found along the world’s shorelines, accounting for up to as much as 85% of the total.

5. Microplastics can also come from car tires. Plastic dust is created by the friction between the wheels and the road and is blown into waterways by the wind.

Car tires shed 20 grams of plastic dust every 62 miles.

how you get back up.”

One illustrator traveled to Los Angeles from Florida. Zaine Lodhi is a student at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Saratoga. He seemed overcome by the competition results after organizers named him the 2022 Grand Prize Illustrator winner.

“I was excited, I never thought that it was going to happen, and it just happened,” Lodhi said after he won the top illustrator award.

Jerome Tieh is an illustrator with a lively Internet presence on Facebook, “Glose,” “Behance,” and MICA Illustration. He is a student at Maryland Institute College of Art. “I really couldn’t believe it,” Tieh said. “I thought it was crazy but, after a while, I realized it was real.”

Tieh advises students to “just keep grinding” until they pick up new techniques and never stop learning.

In 1982, L. Ron Hubbard published his fiction novel “Battlefield Earth,” to celebrate 50 years as a professional writer. In 1983, he created the “Writers of the Future Contest” for future aspiring authors. The success of the writing contest prompted him to establish the “Illustrator of the Future Contest” in 1988.

The annual contests draw writers from every nationality and from around the world. There are no fees to enter, and the organization flies out all the winners to Los Angeles for a weeklong workshop. The event culminates in a black-tie gala award event with all expenses paid by the organization.

Since 1988, there have been 452 winners and 83 published finalists.

The past winners of the writing contest have published 1,800 novels and approximately 6,200 short stories. There are 33 New York Times bestsellers, and their work has sold over 60 million copies, according to the “Writers of the Future” website.

Past winners of the illustrating contest have produced over 6,000 illustrations, 360 comic books, graced 624 books and albums with their art and visually contributed to 68 television shows and 40 major

Illustration by Beatrice Alcala

movies.

The “Writers of the Future” award is the most prestigious award of its kind and the largest and most influential among writers for building creativity and talent in the world of fiction writing, according to the event organizers.

“Contests like this open doors for access, and representation matters,” said Azure Arthur, a writer and winner of the night from Texas.

For full list of the winners travel to https://www.writersofthefuture.com

Photo by Juan Mendoza Finalists and friends arrive at the L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards in Hollywood at the Taglyan Cultural Complex on April 8, 2022. Winning writers and illustrators receive cash prizes and trophies for their work.

CAMPUS LIFE

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Praise These Lines “I’ve forgotten how not to hope.

We throw open the windows, draw water we do not have, as if wishes are promises, are heaven on earth, and here and now forever safe.”

– Shirley Geok-lin Lim “In Praise of Limes”

Write as often as you can and never throw anything away. Keep a shoebox and someday you’ll come back to it.

You’ll see a character in someone, find a pattern. Insert and delete as you think of the whole architecture of your piece.

– Shirley Geok-lin Lim

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MOVIE REVIEW

BY HANNAH COBURN

hirley Geok-lin Lim read her poetry to LACC students and faculty during a virtual session on March 29, 2022 followed by Q&A with the author.

The event transported the audience back to Santa Barbara life in 2012, through Lim’s lens. Her latest poetry collection “In Praise of Limes” follows a spectrum of beauty and enjoyment through nature and wildlife, but also shares how humans can degrade both.

Lim recalled her 12 months of observations in Santa Barbara, wildfires in Los Angeles, encounters she has had with animals on her morning walks and something she refers to as “eco-anxiety.” It is reflected in her writing through representation of climate change.

Professor Can Aksoy teaches English and ESL at L.A. City College.

“I found myself appreciating more of a non-political voice on topics like climate change and Asian-American experiences,” Aksoy said.

Lim is an accomplished writer with 37 published books.

She was the first woman and the first Asian to receive the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. Her list of achievements also includes the American Book Award, the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the

‘EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE’

BY CHRISTIAN CHAVEZ

M United States (MELUS) award and the Feminist Press Lifetime Achievement Award.

The event concluded with an open Q&A. Lim offered advice to aspiring writers, poets, and answered inquiring students in the audience.

“Keep on writing, believe in yourself, and find a community,” Lim said. “Behind every writer there is community. Find a mentor, someone to see that you have talent.”

Lim spoke about her personal life as a young writer in Malaysia, her early career as a professor in the

Bronx, and the literary journals she created in Hong Kong.

“I quit teaching in 2012 and wrote a poem a day and in 2015 I published three books,” Lim said. “Write daily if you can, as it is fertilizer that will grow a large garden of books for you.”

She addressed coping with instances of writer’s block and told students how to overcome them.

“Write about what is around you,” Lim said. “There is so much to write about that one could live 200 years and still be writing.”

ultiverse movies are all the rage now, thanks to “SpiderMan No Way Home,” the upcoming “Doctor Strange” and the “Multiverse of Madness” (the less I talk about Morbius, the happier I am).

However, if there’s one movie that breaks the universe that you should see this year, it is “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert directed the new A24 film. Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant with a failing marriage and exhausting home life.

Wang and her husband Waymond, played by Ke Huy Quan try to do their taxes. Their IRS agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra, played by a hilarious and terrifying Jamie Lee Curtis, gives the worn-out couple one last chance to make sure their affairs are all in order.

There’s just one problem: Evelyn’s universe has literally broken.

With two Bluetooth earphones, she instantaneously transfers the conscious of another Evelyn from a different universe in order to stop an ultimate evil that kills all Evelyns from the remaining multiverses.

What follows is a mind-bending sci-fi experience on steroids. Such is the absurdity of its tale, so too is the fact that the multiverse storyline is just the tip of the iceberg, a ruse to have a larger conversation about immigrant parents during moments of transition.

For ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ an immigrant parent who admits to failure is the crux of the drama. How can you admit to doing wrong when you try the hardest under the circumstances?

Being the parent of a child who breaks culture barriers can be as tough as fighting an ultimate evil hell bent to kill every version of you imaginable.

Ultimately, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ is an ode to parents, cinema, action and absurdity packaged into a two and a half hour thrill ride.

Photo by Louis White “New Jack City” director Mario Van Peebles (center) and actress Vanessa Estelle Williams (left) and others attend the premiere for an American Cinematheque series, “Perpetratin’ Realism: Black Film,” on the 30th anniversary of the movie on April 9, 2022. The screening marks the kickoff of a yearlong series from American Cinematheque with the support of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Van Peebles’ 1991 film traces the crack cocaine epidemic and the rise of the gangs associated with the drug. From “New Jack City” to “Boyz N the Hood,” these films were popular and profitable and brought Black audiences to movie theaters. They also sparked panic among white neighborhoods and business owners. These same Black audiences became the target of police surveillance and repression, according to film scholar and critic Mathia Diawara.

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NEWS

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

FROM “NEWS BRIEFS” PAGE 1 The program helps prepare and motivate students to transfer from community colleges to top-tier educational institutions like UCLA. The program runs through the summer and also year-round. It guides students through their current college experience and assists with the transfer process through applications and admissions.

CCCP scholars benefit by having a higher rate of admission to selective institutions, and they are eligible for special scholarships.

Requirements for eligibility are located at www.cccp.ucla.edu where the application can also be obtained.

Enterprise Incubator Welcomes Entrepreneurs Applications for the Los Angeles City College Enterprise (LACCEI) Incubator are open.

The LACCEI is a 12-week hybrid course, which runs from March through June and is open to all L.A. County residents.

The program assists the participants through the entrepreneurial process.

Highlights include business plan development, a dedicated workspace provided by Managed Career Solutions, Inc., mental health and first aid certification, in addition to Gig Economy Success Kit certificate and Entrepreneurship Skills certificate.

The LACCEI is open to 25 candidates only, and the application can be found at the following link: https://www. lacitycollege.edu/Academics/ Economic-Development-andWorkforce-Education/EnterpriseIncubator

FROM “CANDIDATES” PAGE 1

Debate Educates City Voters site, James moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s in search of a community willing to accept him as a gay man just starting out on his professional career.

“We need a city attorney to be a problem-solver who will take strong action on behalf of the people of Los Angeles,” James said.

James has worked on numerous issues, both civil and criminal, including illegal dumping, contracts disputes and labor relations.

Hydee Feldstein Soto is an attorney/neighborhood councilwoman who was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and came to the United States at 17 years old.

During the forum, Soto revealed she had Jewish and Latina values.

“I will bring new energy, new ideas, and a renewed focus on problem-solving,” Soto said, “not politics to the city attorney office.

I’m running to bring real positive change on the issues that most affect our daily lives.”

Sherri Onica Valle Cole, Los Angeles attorney/educator and former criminal prosecutor, was born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, Mexico.

“I am the daughter of a Mexican undocumented mother and an African American father,” Valle Cole said. “I‘m half Latina and half African. English is my second language.”

Valle Cole says she has a passion for the law. She gained her expertise as criminal prosecutor seeing first-hand the complexity of the problems that L.A. faces. Reforming the criminal justice system and police accountability are on high on her agenda.

“I understand the importance of mental health and how homeless suffer from mental health illness, substance abuse or both,” Valle

Cole said.

The city has failed by trying to enforce laws that are criminalizing the homeless community.

“I was homeless as a child; I know what it is like not to have a perfect home. Poverty is not a crime,” she said.

Teddy Kapur is an attorney, business-owner and professor at City College. Kapur is the son of immigrant parents who came from India 50 years ago. Like most immigrants who arrived in the United States, his parents did not have any money and worked multiple jobs to survive and at the same time attended school. He is grateful to be born in the United States and to follow his parents’ example.

“The homeless population surges year after year, rent continues to rise,” Kapur said. “And there’s shortage of affordable housing. Local businesses struggle to survive, and the American Dream my parents achieved is out of reach for too many.” Kapur teaches job search strategies at city. He studied for one year at the London School of Economics and Political Science, has a joint degree from New York University and Harvard and believes the city attorney position can change a city.

“The city attorney has the ability to change the trajectory of Los Angeles,” Kapur said, “because the office shapes every law and policy passed by the city.”

Civil rights attorney Faisal M. Gill is an immigrant from Pakistan who came to the United States when he was 8 years old. He grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. His father drove a taxicab to make ends meet.

As a young adult, Gill remembers that he struggled to focus on his studies and not taking life serious-

ly. One day his father took him and his brother to work while he drove the taxi. And after a day of sitting in the front seat of the cab, Gill’s father said, “‘You both can either be in the front seat of the cab, or the back seat of the cab, the choice is up to you.’”

Most of Gill’s work is in civil litigation, police brutality and helping those who face discrimination from government entities. Recently, he won a settlement with the City of Los Angeles in a federal civil rights lawsuit. The case involved a Black Hollywood music producer who fought in court to have LAPD body camera video footage made public to prove allegations he was racially profiled prior to being arrested.

The room was packed, the forum was well attended. Homelessness, safety in our streets and affordable housing were the issues that the audience was most concerned with.

Ninochka McTaggart, Ph.D., is the executive director of League of Women Voters (LWV) of Greater Los Angeles.

“It was a great event, a great turn out,” McTaggart said. “We had wonderful questions asked in the room and online through our live streaming. It was great that the community was able to engage with the candidates.”

Joan Lewis, a former LACC student said the event helped him better know the candidates.

“I learned a lot about what the city attorney office can do,” Lewis said. “I didn’t know anything before coming here. This solidified who I am going to vote (for).”

The great diversity of the candidates shined a light on what Los Angeles is all about: a multicultural city that enriches its residents with the hundreds of different cultures and ethnic groups.

Former ASG Officer Claims She Was Bullied

Associated Student Government was a lonely place for Kaya Landingin where she says she did not find acceptance.

BY DULCE GALVEZ Drawings in soft pastels of birds and trees arrive on the cell phones of Kaya Landingin’s classmates.

She studies arts and humanities, and her friends who receive the pictures of the whiteboard images say the drawings are special.

However, she felt anything but special during her time in Associated Student Government (ASG) at L.A. City College. Landingin was a part of student government for less than six months from September 2021 until Feb. 15, 2022. She started out as senator of activities, but she moved up and became the executive of outreach after four months. She says her friends and fellow officers treated her poorly. They left her alone in the office, and they did not support her with ASG tasks at LACC events or with paperwork.

“I was so disappointed,” she said. “They were supposed to work together … but I don’t see them working together. And I [was] always alone at the office, and I am always disappointed, they don’t even help me out.”

Landingin describes herself as a normal student “like everyone else,” but she says she struggles to be accepted.

“I am not a person who was born normal,” she said. “Actually, I have a learning disability, that is number one. I am actually kind of smart.”

Kenneth Callahan is executive of clubs. It is his responsibility to organize campus clubs and charter them.

“ASG should have been better as far as guidance, understanding, and linking her to mental health resources,” Callahan said. “ASG should have supported her needs as a disabled student.”

Callahan says he was a good friend and supported her needs mentally and emotionally. He says he helped Landingin with the steps toward a successful transfer to university. “[The] ASG board didn’t have that much experience dealing with students with disabilities,” he said. “That was less the fault of the board not caring, and more of them not knowing how to act.”

When Landingin was not invited to attend an ASG retreat, she was offended and felt “bullied.”

“Kaya’s spirit and attitude was not similar to ASG’s spirit and attitude and therefore, she was not invited to the retreat,” Callahan said.

On March 8, she went to the Student Union Building and packed her belongings in a box and quit ASG without notice.

“It doesn’t mean I am a terrible person,” she said.

“I don’t feel (the) appreciation that I am doing my job or stuff. I feel nothing. At other schools, I feel like they would be able to appreciate me, such as Valley or ELAC.” Dean Armineh Dereghishian advises student

government at L.A. City College. She says she cannot disclose the reason why Landingin left student government.

“ASG is handling the situation privately,” Dereghishian said.

The advisor says ASG officers must provide three weeks written notice before stepping down.

She says Landingin did not provide verbal or written notice.

Landingin says she did not want to be in ASG any longer because of the “bullying.” The student says many people have disabilities at different schools, including learning disabilities and mental health problems. Others are just stressed out.

Landingin said because she is different, her father describes her as special. He tried to prepare her for people in general.

“My dad always told me, people don’t understand, in the way you move, in the way … you speak. It was so sad because no one cares about this,” she said. “No one’s going to understand. A lot of people [are] going to take advantage of me. A lot of people, they don’t see the way I am ... name-calling me or they [are] rude. They’re mean.”

Landingin has enrolled at another campus in the Los Angeles Community College District while she finishes an art course at City. She says now things are going well for her mentally and emotionally.

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FROM “EARTH” PAGE 1

Garden Blooms for College on Earth Day The garden is meant to be a community space where people can gather and see what a produce garden looks like and learn about growing their own veggies. Club members also hope the garden will be a place where people can come pick free and fresh produce on campus.

Organic produce and herbs that come from traditional grocery stores can be more expensive and out of reach for students, especially those who live in East Hollywood where the grocery stores are few and far between.

Further plans for the garden include working with the child development center to create a program for children to learn the real source of their food. In addition to providing food and learning opportunities, grass and leaf cuttings will go to compost to create more rich soil to put back into the garden.

Those who have the time and dedication, and would like to take part in the Community Garden at LACC should contact Sean Phommasaysy at phommas@lacitycollege.edu. Demand for garden plots is high and spots will be given to individuals who demonstrate an ability to make the time to care for the garden.

Sustainability, Climate Change and the Environment The theme for this year’s 17th Earth Day celebration at LACC is “Sustainability, Climate Change and the Environment.” In addition to showing off the new Community Garden, the event will feature a variety of demonstrations and art installations. This is the first year that the Earth Day celebration will include art from students. The art will range from sculptural installations to posters that address this year’s theme.

The Los Angeles Children’s Hospital will also have registered dieticians at the event to give demonstrations about healthy eating. There will be cooking demonstrations and even a demonstration explaining how to turn tap water into tasty drinking water. The demonstrations will help people be more “green” at home by utilizing what they have in the kitchen, to eat more vegetables, and to help people buy fewer single-use plastic water bottles.

Addressing sustainability in the future, the event will also showcase protein-alternatives to standard meat and dairy. Bugs might be the ticket to more sustainable farming practices in the future, a featured topic this year. There will be a booth that allows the adventuresome to taste a variety of edible insects, a viable food source for future generations.

The Earth Day celebration will take place on the LACC campus on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Ron Finley is the ‘Gangsta Gardener’ Talking about community gardens in Los Angeles would be completely lost if we didn’t mention the guest of honor for our Earth Day this year, Ron Finley. Finley began spearheading the quest for Angelinos to grow their own food in 2010 when he was dubbed a “gangsta gardener.”

Finley started his career in activism when the city of Los Angeles cited him for planting a garden in the green space between the sidewalk and the street directly in front of his residence. He was surprised to learn the city of Los Angeles technically owned the grass between the sidewalk and the street.

Rather than backing down, Finley used his passion for bringing fresh produce to the food desert that was his South-Central L.A. neighborhood to change the law.

After fighting his citation, the “Residential Parkway Landscaping Guidelines” changed and urban farmers are no longer fined for planting a garden in the strip of land owned by the city.

In April 2020, Finley taught a master class about home gardening.

“If kids grow kale, they eat kale,” Finley said in a TED talk about guerilla gardening. “If they grow tomatoes, they eat tomatoes.”

Finley understands the struggle that people in the city face when trying to get fresh produce and he hopes that his foundation, The Ron Finley Project, can help bring knowledge to people that are curious about growing their own food.

Homemade Mint Tea An easy way to start your journey into home gardening is through fresh herbs. Herbs can be easily grown on a small patch of land or even in a sunny apartment window.

Mint leaves are easy to grow and have a number of health benefits including aiding in digestion and improving brain function--perfect for those late night study sessions.

Start with two cups of boiling water.

To that, add about 15 fresh mint leaves wrapped in cheesecloth or a reusable tea bag. (Alternatively, you can add the leaves straight into the water; you will just have to strain them out after steeping.)

Let steep for 3-5 minutes.

Remove mint leaves and add honey or lemon to your liking and enjoy!

POLICE WIRE COMPILED BY SORINA SZAKACS

April 6, 2022 – Non Criminal Report/Injury – Cesar Chavez Administration Building April 8, 2022 – Non Criminal Report/Injury – Student Union April 12, 2022 – Property Lost/Found/Recovered – Cesar Chavez Administration Building April 14, 2022 –Non Criminal Report/Injury – Student Union, Parking Lot 3 and Parking Lot 4

RESOURCES COMPILED BY POUPY GAELLE NGUETSOP

$2,000 Nitro Scholarship Sweepstakes Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 The $2,000 Nitro scholarship Sweepstakes is only open to legal residents of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, age 17 or older at the time of entry, and who meet one of the five eligibility requirements at the time of entry: a parent who currently has a child enrolled in an accredited college or university located within the united states a student who is currently enrolled in an accredited college or university located within the united states a parent who currently has a child enrolled as a high school senior located within the united states; a student who is currently enrolled as a high school senior located with the united states; a student or a parent whose child has graduated from an accredited undergraduate school and who is currently paying back a student or parent loan for his/her/child’s educational expenses

CAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – THE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PROGRAM http://alumni.berkeley.edu/ community/scholarships/ achievement-award-program Award: $6,000 per year and a laptop.

Deadline: Typically closes in May; please visit website for details.

Requirements: Must be eligible for Cal Grant A. Must have completed high-school, GED requirements or community college transfer requirements in California, please note this is regardless of immigration status.

If an incoming freshman, must submit a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) to UC Berkeley.

Please see website for details.

If an incoming junior transfer, must submit a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) to UC Berkeley.

Please see website for more details.

GREAT MINDS IN STEM SCHOLARSHIP

scholars@greatmindsinstem.org https://greatmindsinstem.org/ gmis-scholarship-application/gmisscholarships/ Award: $500 – $5,000 Deadline: Typically closes in May; please visit website for details.

Requirements: Must demonstrate merit through academic achievements, leadership, and campus/community activities.

Must be a science, technology, engineering, or math-related major.

Must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Must be of Hispanic origin and/ or must significantly demonstrate leadership or service within the Hispanic community.

LOS HERMANOS DE STANFORD loshermanosscholarship@gmail. com https://hermanos.weebly.com/ scholarship.html Award: Varies by scholarship; please visit website for details.

Deadline: Typically closes in May; please visit website for details.

Requirements: Must be of Latino descent.

Must demonstrate commitment to academic excellence, community service, and cultural awareness.

Must demonstrate financial need.

Must be planning to attend or currently attending any community college or four-year college/ university to apply.

Applicants do not have to apply to or gain admission to Stanford to be eligible.

42 West Internships The internship programs provide undergraduate/graduate students with hands-on experience in a heavily PR-driven, fast-paced environment. Interns will receive an inside look at the world of talent and entertainment PR with direction from successful film, talent, and strategic communication publicists.

Interns are required to perform daily tasks as well as an end-of-semester internship project.

The position is part-time Ideal candidates will possess the following qualities:

Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Strong verbal and written communication skills Extremely detail-oriented Willingness to learn Knowledge of the entertainment industry Ability to navigate a fast-paced, high-energy work environment Outgoing personality, positive attitude, and magnificent work ethic Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Brainstorm creative ideas to promote clients Compile press clippings and update press kits Write bios, press releases and pitches Maintain media lists and databases Prepare event materials Participate in creative brainstorming sessions Manage multiple projects at once, seek guidance as needed, meet deadlines, and accurately communicate progress and deliverables to team Salary: Unpaid -college credit only - must show proof of receiving academic credit

The Sony Pictures Entertainment Professional Trainee Program The program offers a unique opportunity to work alongside teams that create movies, TV shows, and other great experiences. These paid assignments provide meaningful and productive work that allows students to build their resumes, experience and further develop their skills. This Summer/Fall Professional Trainee position is from May/June (may start ASAP if the applicant is available) through December 16.

All candidates must be able to work 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday.

Responsibilities: Supports the Artist Management department in all aspects of production crewing and scheduling Assists the Artist Management department with requests relating to artistic casting and production needs Acts as lead for new employee onboarding, including creation of Sony ID, obtaining badge, workspace

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setup, and new hire tickets.

Partners across departments to ensure seamless onboarding and a positive first-day experience.

Maintains updated portfolio links for in-house talent.

Maintains SPA ASIFA list Fields artist and production inquires across multiple departments and partners with Facilities, Operations, HR, and Technology to escalate issues when appropriate Required Skills Excellent written & oral communication skills Strong computer skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Keynote & Photoshop) MAC proficient Must be detail-oriented with exceptional organizational skills Ability to multitask and prioritize, ensuring all assignments are completed in an accurate and timely manner Ability to meet deadlines Must be flexible – an ability to work in an environment where needs and priorities are subject to much revision Must be a self-starter with a teamplayer attitude Required Experience 1 to 2 years of experience working in Production, preferably in an animation environment or related field (internships included) Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

Spectrum Networks Internship Spectrum Networks is seeking talented, creative, technical, highly self-motivated, and enthusiastic individuals to join their team of interns.

Program Dates: June 1, 2022 – Aug. 5, 2022.

Spectrum Networks Internships provide students with meaningful, real-world experience that will aid in developing confidence and marketable skills for the future.

Spectrum Networks offers

Photo Courtesy of unsplash.com

internship opportunities in the following areas: Original Programming: Learn all aspects of long form programming.

This internship will primarily focus on our Spectrum News Challenge.

They will learn everything from casting to question writing, editing, and line producing/show stacking.

Duties & Responsibilities: Complete core assignment (noted above) provided by the respective department and/or functional area Complete portfolio project, individually or group based determined by manager Attend internship development activities as scheduled Participate in rotating opportunities where applicable Be enthusiastic, communicative, and open to learning new things every day!

Skills/Abilities & Knowledge Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities and work under time pressure deadlines Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; ability to clearly communicate solutions; ability to relate well with diverse populations Ability to interface with internal company personnel and build relationships Requires ability to adapt

proactively and positively solve problems Eligibility Requirements: Only the best and brightest need apply. To be considered for a Spectrum Networks internship you must: Be in pursuit of an Associate, Bachelor or Graduate degree at an Accredited Institution and be able to provide documentation to confirm degree program Current class standing of sophomore or above (30 credits) Students must be 18 years of age or older Must have authorization to work in the U.S Must be willing to participate for a term of 9 weeks (15-20 hours weekly) Must agree not to miss more than three (3) days of the internship program Ability to work a flexible schedule that may include weekends and holidays to cover breaking news events and gain experience working for a 24-hour news channel Preferred Qualifications: Grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale Majors in Broadcast Journalism, Communications, etc.

Previous internship experience Demonstrated participation in extracurricular activities a plus.

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Los Angeles Collegian - Wednesday, April 20, 2022

SPORTS

Grand Prix Puts Pedal to Metal in Long Beach

Photos by Louis White and Christian Chavez 1. The U.S. based-motorsport drifting series Formula Drift lights up the track at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 8, 2022. Forrest Wang swings his Yellowspeed Racing Nissan S15 around the hairpin turn of the historic street circuit.

Photo/Louis White 2. Josef Newgarden drives the #2 Chevy powered Penske racing machine to his first victory at the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 10, 2022. Newgarden is also the Team Penske winner of the NTT Indycar series in 2017 and 2019. Photo/Louis White 3. Team Penske winner Josef Newgarden (center) hoists the first place trophy for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Indycar on April 10, 2022. Romain Grosjean (left) wins second place while last’s year’s champion Alex Patou (right) wins third. Photo/Louis White 4. Bill Hynes drives Super Truck #57 in midair at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9, 2022. Race organizers say cars reach 20 to 25 feet and travel at speeds up to 80 mph.

5. International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) racecars turn quickly at the Aquarium Fountain during the SportsCar Series for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 9, 2022. IMSA says the most advanced, exotic sports cars on the planet join the 100-minute race and fight for podium position in every circuit’s corner.