Daily Forty-Niner; January 18, 2021

weekly digital print edition

DAILY FORTY-NINER EST p 1949

Vol. LXXII, Issue 16

www.daily49er.com

Monday, January 18, 2021

Beach braces for

SPRING SHOTS Page 3

Inside the

Niner

With shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on their way to CSULB, things for 2021 are looking up.

ARTS & LIFE

SPORTS

Small business spotlight: Third Eye Records pages 8-9

Basketball season wrapped page 14

2

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER Photo by JULIA TERBECHE

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Madalyn Amato

Lauren Berny

Multimedia Managing Editor multimedia@daily49er.com

Editor in Chief eic@daily49er.com

News Editor Julia Terbeche news@daily49er.com Arts & Life Editor Paris Barraza arts@daily49er.com Opinions Editor Kelsey Brown opinions@daily49er.com Sports Editor Sports Desk sports@daily49er.com Design Editor Alejandro Vazquez design@daily49er.com Advertising Manager Carter Magee advertising@daily49er.com Business Manager Rani Hanna business@daily49er.com ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner Special Projects Editor Peter Villafane Photo Editor Andrea Ramos Video Editor Abel Reyes

Letter from the editor:

Welcome 2021

With 2020 over, it’s time to begin rebuilding and moving forward.

Social Media Editor Celeste Huecias Podcast Editor Cameron Johnston Podcast Assistant Luke Pajari Design Assistant Anna Karkalik News Assistant Iman Palm News Assistant Fernando Haro Opinions Assistant Jireh Deng Special Projects Assistant Giselle Alexandra Ormeno Photo Assistant Richard Grant Social Media Assistants Ashley Ramos Desiree Aguilera

Dear Long Beach State, As we close the doors on one of the most tumultuous and traumatic years in recent history, we here at the Daily Forty-Niner would like to thank you, our community, for sticking with us through it all.

From tracking the devastation of the coronavirus, to documenting the nationwide affirmation that Black lives matter, to venturing into the unknown territory of a totally virtual semester, the team at the Forty-Niner has been there every step of the way.

This new year is not only a time to look forward to the future, but it is also a time to reflect on the lessons we have learned.

The Daily Forty-Niner has been serving the Long Beach State community for 71 years now. In those years, things have changed, and so have we. As a team we are learning, growing and adapting to the fast-paced environment we live in.

This semester we will continue to provide up-to-date and important information online and on our social media channels, and we will continue to publish our weekly print edition online at issuu.com.

On behalf of the editorial team here at the Forty-Niner, we thank you for your continued support and look forward to continuing to learn and grow alongside you all.

Madalyn Amato Editor-in-chief

Dominique Hernandez Briet Sarthak Sheladia Webmaster Assistant Dinesh Reddy Kommera Distribution Manager Carter Magee Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising and Business Jennifer Newton Adviser

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Daily FortyNiner are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily Forty-Niner.

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NEWS 3

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Vaccine on its way The Moderna vaccine will be offered at the Beach for faculty, staff and students with shipments arriving by the end of the month.

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

L

ong Beach State will begin receiving its first shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks, which will be available to students, faculty and staff affiliated with the university.

President Jane Close Conoley said she predicts the vaccine will arrive before the end of January and hopes students will begin getting vaccinated in April.

“We expect to get the Moderna vaccine, we’ve been told that within the next couple of weeks we might be able to access a couple thousand doses,” Conoley said.

“We’ll probably put up a site in one of the parking garages so people can drive through.”

Under the directive of public health officials, the campus community is expected to be vaccinated in a priority-based distribution process: 1. Essential personnel working on campus 2. Faculty and staff who are 65 and older or high-risk 3. All faculty and staff who have not been vaccinated 4. High-risk students 5. On-campus students including residents, athletes and those in face-to-face courses 6. Students entering clinical rotations 7. All students who have not been vaccinated “The campus is developing a rollout plan that will give priority first to health and safety personnel, followed by others working on campus and those with heightened health risks,” Scott Apel, vice president of administration and finance, said in a campus-wide email. “Vaccinations that are administered on campus will be available only to CSULB students, faculty and staff as well as those employed by university auxiliary organizations.”

Conoley said she has not yet be vaccinated herself and will likely receive her first dose in February.

Those seeking the vaccine must complete a survey, which can be accessed through the campus Single Sign-On. The university has been promoting vaccination using the hashtag #SleevesUp. Campus housing officials announced via Instagram Jan. 11 that spring move-in has been delayed.

“If you are a student not currently in housing for winter break or approved to live in housing for spring 2021, move in day has been delayed. Keep an eye out for updates by email,” the statement read.

This spring, CSULB will have a slight increase in face-to-face instruction with a total of 4% of classes held in person compared to just 2.7% last fall. Per the recommendation of the health department, the Beach will be further postponing these minimal face-to-face courses to March 1 after the previously announced delayed start of Feb. 1.

“As scheduled, instruction begins in alternative modes on Jan. 19 for all courses. The small number of courses that were approved for face-to-face, on-campus instruction will remain in alternative modes until March 1, not the previous Feb 1 timeline,” Provost Brian Jersky announced in a campus email Wednesday.

Jersky said in the email that faculty members will not have access to their offices until March 1, with the exception of brief visits to retrieve materials. This adjustment

to instruction has been made in accordance with LA County public health recommendations.

“It is critical that we continue to follow required safety protocols and keep our guards up in these coming months,” Jersky said. “Instructors for these F2F courses will communicate information to students about the specifics for their classes.”

As of Jan. 11, CSULB currently has 40 active COVID-19 cases, 20 of which are individuals who had been on campus within 30 days testing positive. Of the on-campus cases, three are students and 17 are faculty and staff members.

The remaining 20 active cases are from individuals who had not been on campus within 30 days of testing positive, six being university employees and 14 being students.

As of Jan. 13, the city of Long Beach has seen over 42,281 pos-

itive cases and 460 deaths. In total, 937,985 individuals have tested positive in LA County and 2,816,969 in California as of Jan. 14.

The state has documented 32 total cases of the new coronavirus strain, B.1.1.7, which was first reported in the United Kingdom in November. There have been 76 total cases in the United States of individuals who tested positive as a result of the variant as of Jan. 14, according to the CDC. In total, there have been 373 cases affiliated with the university since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and one death, a staff member, Conoley said.

According to Kimberly Fodran, CSULB’s medical director, the university has been working to acquire doses of the vaccine since late November.

The Moderna vaccine, which is said to be 95% effective, is ad-

ministered through two separate injections 28 days apart, and everyone, including those who have already contracted the virus, is encouraged to get vaccinated as lasting immunity remains “unclear,” Apel wrote.

“As a society, we must achieve what’s termed ‘herd immunity’ that is made possible, in large part, by this extraordinary scientific achievement,” he said in the email.

With over 95% of courses being held virtually, CSULB will continue operating in person just for essential activity; only those with approved access are permitted to visit campus. Conoley maintained that the minimal in-person classes are largely held off campus for lab-related purposes.

“Some of those classes that have a face-to-face component actually don’t meet on campus, they’re like field work,” Conoley said. “They’re going to dig up mud or going to find archaeological things.”

Although officials estimated that about 1,000 individuals visited campus daily last fall, Conoley said that in reality it is likely that number was closer to only 300 students and about 500 employees.

With in-person instruction resuming in fall of 2021, she hopes to see about 50% to 60% of students on campus at that time as “we’ll have a better understanding of how the vaccinations went and if the winter break surge is over.”

Long Beach has received doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, and Mayor Robert Garcia announced via Twitter Thursday that he has received his first dose of the Moderna vaccine.

California’s limited stay-athome order, which was originally set to remain in effect until Dec. 21, has been extended for the foreseeable future and is slated to expire after the regional order ends in all of the state’s regions. The updated order now prohibits nonessential retail businesses from operating between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

According to Jersky, the Beach community should avoid non-essential travel, and those who have traveled outside of Southern California must quarantine for 10 days in line with county and campus regulations.

Individuals showing any symptoms of COVID-19 or who may have been exposed are asked to refrain from visiting the university or any in-person gatherings in the community and to get tested immediately.

“We will continue to rely on each other during this difficult time with the hope that brighter days are ahead of us,” Jersky said.

4 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

Local activists remain at odds with the university in an ongoing battle to protect sacred land.

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

Pushing for Puvungna Members of the Indigenous community in Long Beach will move forward in their efforts to implement a memorandum of understanding with the university regarding the sacred site.

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

M

embers of the Indigenous community in Long Beach will be meeting with a judge to move forward in their efforts to implement a memorandum of understanding with the university regarding the sacred site.

The Native community continues to await a decision in its lawsuit against Long Beach State over the dumping of debris-ridden dirt on Puvungna, a sacred site that the university is built upon. The plaintiffs are scheduled to meet with a judge by early next week to discuss moving forward with a decision.

Filed by members of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation-Belardes and California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance, Inc. in October of 2019, the lawsuit has been in a stagnant state for the last few months as the coronavirus pandemic and holiday season have caused delay in development.

According to Matias Belardes, Tribal Council chairman of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation-Belardes, they are “just in a holding pattern” while the university is “compiling administrative records.” He said he hopes for the judge to make a decision so they can “start making some movements going forward.”

“Ultimately it’s a sacred site, that’s the bottom line, and there’s certain protocols and protections that are in place that need to be adhered to,” Belardes said. “So that’s what we’re here to hopefully look out for, and we’ll see what the courts decide.”

During construction of the Parkside North Dormitory in late 2019, CSULB had dumped dirt on Puvungna, which once spanned over 500 acres and remains just a 22-acre plot of land. Puvungna is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Native American Heritage Commission Inventory of Sacred Lands.

According to information provided by the Indigenous community, CSULB was aware of the legal requirements that were needed to proceed with the dumping of any construction-related dirt. Despite objections from the community and a lack of proper land review under the California Environmental Quality Act, the university chose to move forward with these actions, they said.

“At that time, keeping soil from campus here on site was the preferable method of managing excavated earth based

Puvungna, the area highlighted in orange, is the only remaining land belonging to the Tongva people.

on counsel we received from our campus Committee on Native American Burial Remains and Cultural Patrimony.

Native American site monitors and an archaeologist were

present during this work,” President Jane Close Conoley said in a video statement Wednesday. “Any minimal construction debris inadvertently included in the relocated soil was incidental and was removed.”

The Native community claimed that the university had plans to build a parking lot on Puvungna, which had been mentioned in their petition to save the land among other social media posts and protests.

Conoley maintained that “rumors and misinformation intensified” during the fall regarding the university’s actions and confirmed that any plans for a parking lot on the land are “untrue.”

“There are no plans in place for a structure of any kind on that land,” she said. “In fact, as we move further into the process of creating a ten-year physical master plan for our campus, the undeveloped portions of this area of campus will be held in reserve with no building plans noted at all.”

The university officially agreed in November to halt the dumping of dirt, according to Rebecca Robles, Culture Bearer or Elder, which contained construction materials such as wires and trash. Conoley said that “the work ended on Sept. 28, 2019.”

“We started to file an injunction, but the university voluntarily stopped,” Robles said in November. “Our injunction was going to be filed on Friday, and they notified us Thursday that they weren’t going to dump any more soils on the site.”

Belardes maintained that although “the main thing was for us to get the dumping stopped,” their goal is to put in place a memorandum of understanding “so these things don’t happen again.”

Conoley discussed the school’s plans for the “undeveloped” land known as Puvungna, stating they “have been engaged in a process with the Native American Heritage Commission, State Historic Preservation Officer and other interested parties to ensure a permanent plan for that soil in terms of better integrating it into the surrounding landscape and introducing new native plantings.”

In’yoni Felix, who is from Acjachemen descent, made a viral TikTok video in November with over 500,000 views that details the struggle over Puvungna, which has led to increased support for the local Indigenous community’s efforts to protect the land.

“Any little dialogue, good or bad…that tends to be a positive to get that conversation going and the topic still relevant,” Belardes said. “Hopefully [students] get an idea of what the campus was before, thousands of years ago. It’s all connected one way or the other, so maybe that brings a little enlightenment to what led to the grounds that they walk on every day, or in the future.”

NEWS 5

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Out with the old,

in with the blue

As Trump’s term comes to an end, a CSULB political science professor discusses his expectations from Biden ahead of Inauguration Day.

By Julia Terbeche News Editor

A

s President Donald J. Trump’s fouryear term comes to an end, a political science professor at Long Beach State discusses what to expect from President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. ahead of Inauguration Day. Just days before President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is sworn into office, incumbent President Donald J. Trump has been impeached for a historic second time for his “incitement of insurrection” against the United States government.

The resolution to impeach Trump passed 232 to 197, with support from at least nine Republicans, charging the president for his role in provoking violence in last week’s riot on Capitol Hill. If Trump is in fact removed from office, Vice President Mike Pence would become the 46th President of the United States, making Biden the 47th.

Long Beach State political science professor Matt Lesenyie deemed Trump’s term a “blueprint for future politicians to run for office as defenders of white identity.”

“The 2020 election demonstrated that there is enough voter support for politicians to be competitive, and they can dispense with the niceties of dog whistle coded language,” Lesenyie wrote in an email.

He said that as Trump chose to conduct media responses himself, he “sought to dominate headlines at all times.” This contrasted his predecessors, who used a “communications war room to respond to every negative news story with a positive spin.”

While in office, Trump has consistently made controversial decisions and disputable claims, creating a hostile environment between the Democrats and Republicans across the three branches of government. After the Senate runoff in Georgia concluded earlier this month, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock’s wins have flipped the Senate blue and caused Trump to

lose both chambers of Congress in addition to reelection.

Trump successfully appointed three Supreme Court justices during his term, the most since former President Richard Nixon, who appointed four.

According to Pew Research Center, Trump appointed nearly the same amount of federal appeals court judges in four years than former President Barack Obama appointed during his eight years. Pew Research also found that Trump appointed slightly fewer people of color to the federal courts than his recent predecessors.

Although Biden may not need to fill any vacancies on the Supreme Court, he pledged during a debate in February of 2020 that he would appoint a Black woman if given the opportunity. To date there has never been a Black woman serving as a Supreme Court justice.

Announced Thursday, Biden will be implementing a $1.9 trillion relief package, called the “American Rescue Plan,” that looks to assist struggling families and businesses across the country as well as prioritize testing and vaccination as coronavirus cases continue to rise.

He also plans to provide Americans with stimulus payments of $2,000 as part of his “two-step plan of rescue and recovery.” By the end of his first 100 days in office, Biden aims to “safely reopen a majority of K-8 schools” and increase vaccine supply to accommodate 100 million shots.

Trump, in comparison to other world leaders, had a slow response to the coronavirus pandemic, a threat he was aware of for months before taking action. He faced criticism for his lack of sufficient relief as Americans were struggling to make ends meet amid an employment crisis.

“Negative stories, whimsical pondering [such as] injecting bleach, nepotism and pardons were fair game so long as it made news,” Lesenyie wrote.

While in office, Trump left his mark by reversing several policies intended to protect the environment and address the climate crisis, including withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement and censoring the Environmental Protection Agency website.

He implemented stronger immigration policies, which included his ban targeting Muslim individuals and his practice of separating children from their parents at the border, many of whom have yet to be reunited as of last month.

“These policies were characterized by their disorganized implementation. The policies represented a cruel inhumanity toward people of color,” Lesenyie said. “The effect of the separations was to permanently injure those children and their families. The policy will cast a shadow on America’s moral standing long into the future.”

Trump also made significant tax cuts, such as a rate drop of 35% to 21% for companies in the U.S., and lowered taxes for upper class individuals, according to Reuters.

Once Biden takes office, Lesenyie predicts he will likely “leverage the Homeland Security apparatus that was created post-9/11 to monitor and preemptively stem domestic threats” following the Capitol Hill riot on Jan. 6. While the Bush administration faced threats from “foreign actors,” he said, Biden “will face an additional challenge because threats are coming from American citizens [who] are entitled to the full complement of civil liberties.”

With Biden’s inauguration comes Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the first woman and person of color to hold the position.

Lesenyie said he foresees a “continuation of the Obama legacy” with the Biden-Harris team.

In the coming weeks, he said, Americans should expect to see a divided Republican Party as elected officials in local, state and federal positions move forward with reelection.

“In addition to being a compelling communicator, Trump has been savvy at using his next enterprise to bail himself out of trouble. We’ve learned nothing if we underestimate either of those skills,” Lesenyie said. “The effects of those lies have real electoral implications and there is virtually nothing to combat that deceit.”

Biden will officially take office Wednesday, Jan. 20 as the 46th President of the United States in front of the Capitol building in a ceremony featuring celebrity appearances and 20,000 National Guard troops.

6 NEWS

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | NEWS@DAILY49ER.COM

ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

Housing insecure individuals forcibly displaced Los Angeles County Public Works has been conducting “flood control” near the Los Angeles River using rocks, driving out those residing near the bike trail.

ASHLEY RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

By Ashley Ramos Social Media Assistant Editor

I

n an effort to drive out individuals experiencing homelessness near the Los Angeles River, public works officials placed rocks where their encampments were located, causing them to have to relocate.

Los Angeles County Public Works, under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, placed the rocks by the bike trail entrance alongside the LA River located at San Francisco Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach According to Steven Frasher, public information officer at LACPW, the placement of the rocks occurred on Oct. 10 and was conducted in order to prevent erosion from rain and flooding.

“The work is part of year-round efforts to maintain Los Angeles County flood control infrastructure in preparation for winter storm seasons,” Frasher said.

To some individuals who frequent the trail, the added rocks may not seem like a serious concern, though they have significantly impacted the housing situation of Ignacio Hernandez, 54,

and his wife.

“It’s not about a clean up. It’s all about harassing the homeless….

They didn’t clean anything. They didn’t do anything,” Hernandez said. “I just watched them [from] behind a cactus as they took all my property and put it in the dump trucks, and some of my stuff they actually put in their own vehicles to take home.”

According to Hernandez, Ocean Blue, an independent waste management company contracted by the city of Long Beach, had informed those living alongside the trail that a sweep would be conducted. He said he was unaware of the exact day of the scheduled cleanup, though, so he did not collect his personal belongings.

When asked several times to answer questions regarding details of the cleanup and whether those residing in encampments would receive their confiscated possessions, Ocean Blue declined to comment.

Justin Lee, director of administration for Ocean Blue, did, however, provide the company’s procedures.

According to Lee, Ocean Blue must obtain an address of cleanup, then conduct walk-throughs with the client or agency who hired them, along with members of law enforcement and social

outreach programs.

Prior to cleaning, law enforcement is supposed to ensure all individuals temporarily residing in encampments in the area have vacated, according to Lee. On the day of cleaning, Ocean Blue first sanitizes the area, obtains any personal belongings to either save or throw away, bags all trash or debris and re-sanitizes the area.

Herrnandez had gone out to the store on the day of the cleanup and said he returned to find city officials and police officers by his encampment.

Hernandez said he had already been arrested for “talking back” to the police when Ocean Blue conducted a clean up. He had been asked by a judge to keep away from the bike trail by the LA River as part of his summary probation. If he did return, he would be placed in jail for six months and charged with trespassing, the judge told him.

“They talk shit to me. I talk shit right back. Show me respect [and] I give you respect. These people don’t know me, they just judge me. Maybe it’s the tattoos, maybe the fact that I’m homeless right now,” Hernandez said. “I’m not a scumbag, and I’m not gonna let these cops treat me like one.”

After Ocean Blue conducted its clean up, the Los Angeles County

County officials filled a homeless encampment located alongside the LA River with rocks on Oct. 10, rendering the makeshift shelter inhabitable.

Flood Control District began placing the rocks in that area.

The issue has prompted citizen activists like Sheila Muhammad, 68, to become involved in an effort to assist the community. Muhammad said she frequents the trail often and has engaged in community outreach on Sundays by the river, called Serene Sunday Service.

She said she noticed the placement of the rocks while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway bridge that passes over the trail.

“I was like, ‘wait a minute, something looks different over there,’” Muhammad said. “Then a couple days went by, and I was determined to make sure I was not seeing things. So I turned off PCH and went over to the entrance and just shook my head. I was mad. I started taking pictures and cussing at the wind.”

After the cleanup, Hernandez said he had to purchase a new tent after LA County Public Works “came in with a bulldozer and they tore up my steps [and] all the stuff that I built.”

Muhammod said that before the placement of the rocks, she was taken by “how lovely they had

their encampment.”

“He had been landscaping. He made these steps out of the mud that was there, and they had tapestries up. They had partitions,” Muhammad said. “And we were amazed at how lovely they kept it.”

After Muhammad found out about the placement of the rocks, she said she informed Long Beach People’s Collective, a community outreach program. LBPC posted photos of the rocks on Instagram in an effort to raise awareness of the issue.

According to LBPC member Jos Charles, 32, the city of Long Beach has enough resources to accommodate those experiencing food and housing insecurity and should be doing so.

“There is enough space, shelter, food, capital—there has been and there is. The problem is a system of distribution which hoards it for a few rather than all,” Charles said.

“So, as long as the city doesn’t distribute fairly, doesn’t serve us, we will try as we can, and so should you. And who knows, maybe we’ll find, collectively, [that] we don’t need what doesn’t serve us in the first place.”

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

8 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.

Sounds of a record store Gary Farley opened Third Eye Records in Long Beach in 2011. Since then, the store has attracted customers to its rare finds, welcoming environment and a knowledgeable crew.

By Paris Barraza Arts and Life Editor

If

the businesses off the historic Retro Row in Long Beach were a family, Third Eye Records would be the cool, beloved uncle with a sharp ear for music.

Thanks to owner Gary Farley, the store boasts of a collection that will appeal to music lovers of all levels will appreciate, aficionados included.

That’s because the record store is meant to be a welcoming environment for all, according to Farley.

Third Eye Records skips on the pretension and instead focuses on what music can do, which is in the business’s slogan “opening minds.”

The name of the shop is meant to recognize that one, music can be a source of inspiration or comfort, but two, music stimulates senses beyond hearing, according to Farley.

“We receive music not just through our ears but through our senses,” Farley said. “Spiritually, when you close your eyes, your actual ocular eyes, you can receive sound waves and frequencies through other means.”

Farley said he was drawn to records for its tangibility and vintage form. Over the years, Farley said his connection to records has only gotten stronger.

And in those years, Farley has built a community around Third Eye Records.

Paul Gonzalez is a musician who met Farley when his band played at Third Eye Records, a store he had only heard of until their performance.

Since then, Gonzalez has been going to the store as a customer and would step in during his breaks when he worked at the nearby bar 4th Street Vine, impressed by Farley’s fair prices and practices.

“There’s record stores that they sit on records and Gary, he wants to turn them out,” Gonzalez said. “He gives back to people because records are like the gift that keeps on giving. I believe Third Eye Records is a gift that keeps on giving.”

In December 2019, Gonzalez had finished a shift at 4th Street Vine to find his car stolen along with his turntables and his sizable collec-

“

We receive music not just through our ears but through our senses

”

- Gary Farley Third Eye Records owner

tion of records that had been in the car from an earlier gig.

His car was later found totaled, but with Gonzalez’s equipment still undiscovered, his invaluable records seemed unrecoverable.

Yet exactly one year later, Gonzalez received a call from Farley, who was being sold a collection of records recovered from a property that held squatters. With Farley’s help, Gonzalez was able to get his collection back.

While Farley has grown Third Eye Records to what it is today, it isn’t a one man show.

Alan Connor is a Long Beach musician who started working for the store in 2017.

Connor is a drummer for a band called Drugs and creates solo music. He said his time working at Third Eye Records and with Farley has left an impression on his work.

“You can imagine working at a record store would be pretty insane if you also make music, because then you’re like, ‘Well, what do I even make right now?’” Connor said. “You’re just constantly listening to stuff.”

Connor said that Third Eye Records “caters to the weird,” a reference to Farley’s ability to find unique and rare records.

For the customers that are ready to embrace the weirdness, or already have, the store is a place for community and thoughtful conversations about music, according to Connor. He said that he’s not only learned from customers, but Farley as well for introducing him to new music.

“This place just houses those sorts of conversations where people can learn from each other’s differences and make positive, emotional, spiritual gains or personal growth,” Connor said.

Third Eye Records’ following has continued even through the coronavirus pandemic, a time that has been burdensome for many small businesses owners.

“I can’t even put into words sometimes how blown away I am by the support we’ve gotten from customers, through fellow businesses,” Farley said. “Everyone’s pulled together and really made things a lot easier than they otherwise could have been.”

During this time, Farley said that Third Eye Records has built up an online presence, offering online orders and staying engaged with their followers on social media. According to Connor, the store, which practices social distancing and limits customer capacity, has been busier than expected.

As Third Eye Records approaches 10 years being part of the Retro Row community, a “dream come true,” for Farley, he said he hopes he will always continue learning about the music scene.

“This was what I was meant to do,” Farley said.

.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

ARTS & LIFE 9

ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

Gary Farley, owner of Third Eye Records, has collected new and used vinyl records for over 25 years and has owned the shop on ‘Retro Row’ 4th street since 2002.

10 ARTS & LIFE

MONDAY JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | ARTS@DAILY49ER.COM

ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

Mural artist Alepsis paints portraits of basketball star Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi Bryant in honor of their passing last year. The mural can be found on the parking side of Tweedy Medical Group located in South Gate.

Portrait of a muralist Alepsis Hernandez is a local artist who has been commissioned to do murals throughout Long Beach and Southern California. Now, she is on a path to fully realize her dreams.

By Paris Barraza Arts and Life Editor

L

ong Beach residents are accustomed to walking past public art in downtown, bright murals painted across the backsides of buildings or hidden in an alleyway.

But when resident Alepsis Hernandez sees those same murals, she pauses.

That’s because some of the murals she passes by are hers.

Hernandez has been drawing all of her life, but it wasn’t until she started at Millikan High School that she began to take her talent seriously, enrolling in advanced placement art courses.

Hernandez’s teacher noticed her skill and asked her to participate in the nationwide Congressional Art Competition for the 47th Congressional District in 2014 in lieu of completing her portfolio for the class.

It was a decision that proved to be worthwhile.

Hernandez took first place in

the competition, her grandmother and mom crying in pride and excitement.

“That was kind of a surreal moment because, to be honest, I didn’t even really care so much for art like that,” Hernandez said.

“I always did it as a hobby, not that I would do it because I knew I was good but I would just do it because it was, I don’t know, like drinking water.”

The prize included for Hernandez and her mother to fly out to Washington D.C. to see her artwork being hung in the Capitol, which would stay there until the following year’s competition.

This experience opened Hernandez to the possibility of pursuing art as a career for the first time. But since her decision to become a full-time artist and freelance in November 2019, Hernandez has discovered that originality isn’t always what people are seeking.

“If you’re an artist, other people who are fans of art will search for you,” Hernandez said. “But if you’re a muralist, you have people that don’t give a shit about art passing by your mural and it kind

of forces them to digest that. So that’s why I think cities and business owners always want something colorful, something positive...because it’s like everyone’s eyes are on it.”

Creating art in black and white was once Hernandez’s preference.

Color is a common component in art, Hernandez said, and a person’s eyes are drawn to it. Without color, which can be distracting, someone observing it may find the piece more emotional or may be prompted to ask more questions about the subject, according to Hernandez.

But creating murals, Hernandez said, is a back-and-forth affair between client and artist that ultimately whittles down to a mutually agreed upon image. Through this, Hernandez has transitioned out of her achromatic palette, but her attraction to black-and-white artwork has remained.

Now, Hernandez is on a mission to get to a point as an artist where she can remain in control over her work.

That can only come with experience, but Hernandez is building a steady portfolio of murals

throughout Southern California, including multiple paintings of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

She was flown out to do a mural in Memphis, Tennessee, an experience that stuck out to her because she was allowed to freely paint in black and white. Hernandez was also part of brightening up Long Beach’s boarded-up shops when the coronavirus pandemic caused California to close non-essential businesses, prompting the Arts Council for Long Beach to contact artists who could paint the boards swiftly and follow safety procedures.

Judy Estrada, Marketing and Grants Manager for the Arts Council, knew that Hernandez was a great candidate for the job.

“I was born and raised in Long Beach, fourth generation, so I see what has changed and what has not changed,” Estrada said. “Alepsis is a part of positive growth in Long Beach.”

Estrada first met Hernandez while she was doing a live painting at an event hosted by Black Book Sessions, a non-profit or-

ganization that works with the youth. Hernandez’s continued involvement with the youth is what Estrada said makes her unique.

“She’s a talented artist and just a beautiful person inside and out,” Estrada said.

Starting this month and into the next, Hernandez is allowing herself a break from commissions.

The need to show her followers on social media that she is consistently working mixed with the underlying anxiety that comes with not knowing when the next commission will be has been burdensome on Hernandez. That, combined with the lack of producing original artwork she said, has made her realize that it was time for a break.

Now, Hernandez said, is the time to do “homework” and redefine what her message is as an artist. She is also writing about art in order to better explain her work to those interested.

And after that, it’ll be time to find a blank wall.

“The goal is to be doing murals more than anything,” Hernandez said.

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12 OPINION

By Bella Arnold Contributor

O

n Jan. 6, 2021 lawmakers convened on Capitol Hill to certify the 2020 presidential election when thousands of maskless rioters stormed the building. Many of them flying flags brandished with classic “Trumpian” phrases like “Make America Great Again,” some bringing back more vintage hate symbols, like the Confederate flag.

But, regardless of the flag, the goal was the same: to overthrow the government.

Some are naming it a proTrump rally, others favoring the label of a riot. But, let’s call this what it really is: domestic terrorism.

Smashing the windows of the Capitol building is not an extension of your First Amendment rights. Insurrectionists, amongst many things, threatened to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, targeted journalists and chanted to “hang Mike Pence.” Using violent force to break into one of the most sacred buildings in the country and stealing government property isn’t an appropriate response to an election being certified.

Parallels drawn between the aftermath of the 2016 election and 2020 election are extremely dangerous and inherently problematic. Tweeting #NotMyPresident is not the same as attempting a violent coup of the U.S. government. Conservatives like the Twitter troll trifecta, Tomi Lahren, Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro, jumped at the opportunity to compare the insurrection at the Capitol to the string of Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.

Let me be very clear, there is a huge difference between asking for your life to matter through peaceful protests and asserting violence in an attempt to win back a “stolen” election.

Any attempt to undermine the purpose of movements like the Black Lives Matter movement through comparison to this insurrection is unjustified and racist.

Sorry, Ben. Especially considering the dramatic contrast between the way these insurrectionists were coddled versus the violent manner in which police detained peaceful protestors, there is a huge double standard that cannot be denied.

Many conservatives, such as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, have been quick to name the insurrection as yet another conspiracy organized by ANTIFA, despite there being no evidence to prove that theory.

Once the insurrection had been largely contained, Congress reconvened to certify the results of the 2020 election, officially naming Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States of America.

Before the Capitol was stormed, Republicans such as Ted Cruz had asserted their rejection to this confirmation.

Cruz was among a large group of congresspeople who also voted to reject the certification, citing voter irregularities and fraud, despite a lack of evidence that any fraud occurred.

Every lawsuit filed by Trump

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINION@DAILY49ER.COM

An attack on the Capitol epitomizes Trump’s presidency

and his legal team concerning election fraud has been struck down or abandoned because a complete lack of evidence proving otherwise.

As horrific as the insurrection was, it was also, frankly, unsurprising. All throughout Trump’s 2020 campaign he strayed from his brand and actually remained consistent in one thing: his refusal to concede or accept any election results that would not grant him a second term.

This is a stance that he asserted since his 2016 campaign. In Trump’s world, the only way Joe Biden would win the presidency was through a conspiracy effort formed by the radical left involving mass voter fraud. The reality is that the people voted.

Funnily enough, the majority did not want a second term from one of three presidents in U.S. history to be impeached and now, the only president to be impeached twice.

The events at the Capitol were Trump’s fault. I am not accusing Trump of sending decorative electronic invitations to all of his supporters with the Jan. 6 date brandished in celebratory font, though it would explain what he is doing with his free time ignoring the coronavirus task force meetings.

However, Trump’s rhetoric has been deliberate and aggressive

all throughout his campaign and following his loss. During the first presidential debate, Trump was asked to denounce white supremacists. He, instead, commanded the Proud Boys, a white nationalist group, to “stand back and stand by.” And they did just that.

So, what happens now?

First of all, feel free to scream.

None of this is normal. As if living through historical events daily wasn’t enough, we’ve lived through quite a few firsts during 2021, and it hasn’t been a full month yet.

Trump needs to be held accountable for his actions.

Impeachment is a good first step, but it should not be the extent of his punishment.

On Jan. 8, 2021 Twitter permanently banned the @realdonaldtrump account. There was an outcry amongst supporters and Trump himself, calling this unconstitutional.

To anyone outraged that our president has been silenced, understand that when you are the Commander in Chief you lose the privilege to have a few slip ups, especially when tweets regularly turn into disaster and cost lives.

Additionally, the First Amendment doesn’t cover speech used to incite violence, especially of this magnitude. Twitter is a private company with every right to ban accounts that violate its

code of conduct, even if it’s the president.

If we can’t yell fire in a crowded space, Trump doesn’t get to invite insurrectionists to storm the Capitol.

He could, and has, put our country in clear and present danger numerous times with a single tweet. Trump’s infatuation with Twitter in it of itself is absurd, but his behavior has proven to be a threat to our national security.

Regardless of if they were in the wrong or not, five people died at the Capitol riot.

And they were lost because Trump enabled a violent group of domestic terrorists.

I am pleased to see that Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have denounced the president’s actions. But, why now? Was it not enough when Trump has repeatedly verbally accosted Black Lives Matter protestors,, calling them thugs for protesting police brutality? Why didn’t they speak up when Trump’s administration allowed children to be separated from their families and put in cages? How did we even get to a place where he had such a mass following after tape after tape was showing his defaults? The answer is simple: bigotry.

Toxic positivity is not the answer. Joe Biden asserting that the actions of Jan. 6, “do not

reflect a true America,” is part of the issue. The fact that almost 62 million people chose Trump in 2016 and then 74 million again in 2020 is something we are going to have to live with. Trump lost the election fair and square, but his base has not faltered.

This is America.

Electing a fascist with a lack of experience and rich history of bigotry is America in its prime.

Calling a group of supporters to overthrow the government is not patriotic.

Trump has always stunk of authoritarianism, but enabling a gaggle of insurrectionists to physically harm his opposers is blatant fascism. He is not a symptom of the problem but representative of an amalgamation of a lot of problems that we have not addressed.

Nothing is going to change if we just post things to our Instagram stories about how disappointed we are. Structural changes need to happen, and they need to happen now. This has proven how fragile our democracy is, it’s time to reinvent the democratic process and ensure that presidents like Trump cannot be elected again.

Impeaching Trump isn’t going to undo the last four years and Inauguration Day won’t make Trump supporters disappear.

Many citizens fear that upcoming events like the inauguration of President Biden will face similar violence. Although several of the insurrectionists have been arrested, put on no-fly lists and multiple FBI investigations are underway, that doesn’t mean the threat goes away.

We need to actively work to dismantle the harmful ideologies that have been instilled since the Trump era. This starts with holding your representatives and any dangerous politicians accountable.

During the 2020 election, two QAnon supporters were given seats in Congress. As vital as it is that we pay attention to the larger-scale elections, like the presidential election, I cannot stress enough how important local elections are.

If you’re disturbed by the state of our government right now, get involved! This can be something as simple as registering to vote or running for student government.

You can also run for local government and get involved with social activism groups.

Demandaction.app is one of many resources that provides contact information for each congressperson as well as scripts and emails to use when making your voice heard.

Having Democrats control the executive branch, Senate and House is not going to make racism and partisanship disappear.

We have to hold our representatives accountable.

The fact that we put a reality TV show host in office will forever be on my list of “how did these things happen,” right next to Sarah Palin being on “The Masked Singer.”

We’ve endured almost four years of a president who was one of five to have ever lost the popular vote and is considered to be one of the least experienced politicians to ever hold the presidency.

But truth be told, when you elect a reality TV show host, you should expect a season finale.

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | OPINION@DAILY49ER.COM

OPINION 13

Art belongs to all of us

Redefining who is allowed to consume, critique and create forms of self-expression.

By Jireh Deng Assistant Opinions Editor

D

uring the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Central Intelligence Agency used soft power tactics through the form of smuggling banned books into Russia and flying musicians to perform in foreign countries to exert American cultural dominance internationally.

The Chinese Cultural Revolution expelled and persecuted hundreds of thousands of intellectuals and artists to set the stage for modern-day censorship and allencompassing state surveillance.

Today, incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are banned from reading several books, including Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow,” which details a historical account and analysis of how the prison industrial complex has become a new form of racial discrimination.

This is what the artists and scholars meant when they said “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Or another way of thinking of this phrase, "a revolutionary dies once but the idea lives forever."

Art is power because at the core of it is a calling to take action as it provokes an emotional response.

I want to consider disrupting the concept of “good art” in the context of whose art is deserving of attention and praise and who artists envision as their audience.

Western art holds its roots in “commercialization” in the way it was consumed and sponsored by the socialites of society. Think Italian frescoes, Michelangelo and Da Vinci were both sponsored by the ruler of Florence at the time, Lorenzo de' Medici; artistry was largely restricted to men.

In the English classroom, most of the reputable classic poets we studied were Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman and William Wordsworth, in short, mostly dead white men.

Today’s art world is far more diverse and expansive; the Indian-born Canadian poet Rupi Kaur, with her poetry in decapitalized text, lack of punctuation, pithy lines paired with raw sketches have made her a literary sensation on Instagram in western media. She boasts an audience of over four million who like, repost and share her work.

With such open access to art, it’s easy to assume that it is no longer an esoteric form, and that the keys to cultural influence and power are given to all. But we must remind ourselves of the precariousness of an artist’s making in the present.

Artists no longer benefit

from the patronage of wealthy individuals who fund their work.

In fact, many artists use Patreon as a platform for supporters to donate small monthly amounts to receive exclusive access to their work.

In some ways, art has become so abundant in online spaces, creatives are no longer valued for the labor of their work, another distortion of the principles of supply and demand. The phrase “starving artist” is often a cautionary tale to young people choosing a career. At times, gifts and talents go wasted because people are told they are childlike or immature for pursuing a dream so financially unstable.

Those of us who are successful and profit off our creativity can face burnout and exhaustion from the need to produce without rest. Shonda Rhimes in a TED talk describes how she was sucked into the industry of television and constantly working on new shows, driven to the edge, until she recovered a sense of playfulness with her daughter simply allowing herself the space to be apart from her work.

Statistics show an alarming number, that over a quarter of individuals living in the U.S. have not read a single book in 2019. This is especially higher for low-income Hispanic and Black communities where individuals are also likely to have never visited a library.

I haven’t even begun to touch upon other marginalized communities that are affected, such as the disabled community or the deaf community where the art world has rarely shifted to meet their needs of accessibility.

What is the future of artistry?

Are artists doomed to a penniless existence or do we become the machine producing until we break down? Will only some and not all be able to appreciate the cultural power and conversations that happen in the art world?

Fortunately, artists are dreamers for our generation, even now, there are new ways people are envisioning organization through collective action and mutual aid to rely on each other for needs and safety rather than state social safety nets.

Much of my journey in writing has relied on the foresight of people who took a chance on offering me financial aid for workshops I would not otherwise have access to. Poetry workshops appear weekly through drop-in classes on a pay-what-youcan sliding scale which allows folks of all financial abilities to participate.

What then is the purpose of art and the artist?

Toni Cade Bambara is widely quoted as stating "As a cultural worker who belongs to an

JIREH DENG | Daily Forty-Niner

A collage cut from the New Yorker magazines pasted on cardboard.

oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible."

I first saw Kara Walker’s murals in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, huge silhouette paintings that seemed almost carefree and innocent in the frolicking pastoral scenes they displayed.

Upon closer look, these same images displayed explicit scenes of violence, gore, defecation, sex, shocking the viewer to re-examine what they once perceived. Her art subverts the gaze and delves into racist caricatures of characters in the antebellum south that forces her audience to confront the history and the convoluted past of a supposedly “post-racial” America.

An artist’s identity is inextricable from their work.

Walker’s art is informed by her experiences as a Black woman in America. This essay is by extension queer, Asian American

and diaspora because these are the multitudes I hold within myself.

It’s a radical reframing of who controls narrative and most importantly who is revered and remembered in the U.S. where art has historically excluded most voices that were not male, cisgendered and white. It’s maybe even a frightening time for some, but this is a gentle reminder: the end of something invariable spells the beginning of another.

We are in a moment of renaissance at a critical moment of conversations surrounding the hegemonic structures of white supremacy and looking forward to abolishing outdated institutions.

Art needs to be anti-classist, anti-ableist and anti-racist. It is not just the rich or the white or the educated that should be able to appreciate beauty or elevated forms of expression.

Implicitly, when the “gatekeepers” prevent certain artists or certain audience members from entering a world of prestige and acclaim, it assumes these individuals' stories are not worth being shared or that they lack the refinery and mental capacity to appreciate nuance and color. It means we lose an entire sector of voices that would enjoy and celebrate art; access to knowledge is a right, not a privilege.

We must be vigilant for this is nothing less than cultural warfare. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but bends toward justice,” the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg added, “if there is a steadfast commitment to see the task through to completion.”

Note: I do not claim to be an art historian of any kind so please forgive any discrepancies in

14 SPORTS

By Madalyn Amato and sports reporters Staff Writers

A

s the only competition sport permitted to be played for the fall 2020 season, men’s and women’s basketball has been a beacon of hope for the Long Beach State athletic department.

Men’s basketball head coach Dan Monson said that the team isn’t where he’d like to see them on the court, but is proud of them for their “sacrifices.”

“It’s been difficult, it’s been very challenging but I think it’s been a great life lesson for our players, and I really commend our administration for giving us this experience because that’s really what college and athletics is about is life lessons,” Monson said. “We have an opportunity to do something that millions of Americans are sitting at home and not getting to go out and do what they love to do.”

Both programs were postponed on Jan. 15 after concerns over COVID-19 protocol were cited.

“This is a disappointing time for everyone involved with our two programs, but we will always prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes,” Fee said in an email. “Our programs will return to practice and competition as soon as we can do so safely.”

According to Roger Kirk, director of athletic communications, “in-person activity will resume when it is deemed safe by medical professionals.”

Currently 4-7, men’s basketball has a long road back to the court. Initially slated to begin outdoor practice Oct. 1, the program’s hopes of getting back into the groove of things were slashed when an outbreak of coronavirus swept through the dormitory halls, postponing the teams’ advances for another two weeks.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced in September that all players had to be tested for COVID-19 three times a week to maintain health and safety standards.

According to President Jane Close Conoley, the testing required is costing the university anywhere between $200 to $400 per athlete. With the new NCAA guidelines, the athletic department may be spending between $7,800 and $21,600 weekly to test Beach athletes alone.

By the end of the season, the department will have had to spend close to half a million dollars on testing, just for student athletes. Testing for coaches and department personnel could push the total cost over the $1 million mark.

Monson said that there have been a total of 500 tests administered so far with no players testing positive. One staff member did test positive.

Conoley has confirmed that athletes will be required to be vaccinated as doses become available.

“This has been very difficult to isolate yourself as much as we’ve had to do, I think I’ve got players that have been quarantined for, 38, 42 days, over this time and I think they understand the value of being vaccinated would be a tremendous privilege to be able to do,” Monson said.

Given the option to opt out of playing due to concerns over COVID-19, Monson said the team has been playing with just five of its 13 scholarship players. As the season has gone on more players have returned to the program, the lack of positive cases and dedication to maintaining health standards easing their minds.

The men’s basketball team made its way back into the Walter Pyramid on Nov. 16, just two weeks before its preseason opener against UCLA. That game, however, was never played.

Just minutes away from arriving at the Pauley Pavilion, the athletic department at UCLA called the game off, citing coronavirus concerns.

According to Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee, the men’s basketball program as a whole tested negative for

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 2021 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | SPORTS@DAILY49ER.COM

Hoops bring hope for Beach athletics Both the men’s and women’s basketball programs have been performing well despite several coronavirus-related setbacks.

Photo courtesy of Joseph Kling

Junior guard Jasmine Hardy makes a block attempt against a Warrior.

ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

Senior point guard Isaiah Washington directs his defenders as Seattle Redhawks guard Darrion Trammell dishes the ball to Redhawks guard Vasja Pandza.

COVID-19 six days in a row prior to traveling to UCLA. As of game day, the Beach had received clearance to play from the Long Beach Public Health Department.

“We felt we were in a position to safely play a game, we don’t have an outbreak within our team,” Fee said the following day. “We had a team on a bus, and all those people on the bus were negative.

What UCLA decides to do is their deal, and again in this world, they’re entitled to making a decision, but the team we would have brought last night to Pauley Pavilion was safe.”

The game was rescheduled for Dec. 15.

Instead, men’s basketball’s preseason opener was played against Loyola Marymount, which the Beach lost 85-61.

In the program’s first game back in 267 days, the Beach (0-1) was led in scoring by guard Michael Carter III who made 19 points.

Senior guard Isaiah Washington followed close behind with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Chance Hunter contributed 13 points for the Beach before fouling out in the second half.

Just two days later, Washington brought home the team’s first victory against Seattle University, winning 8075.

Washington led the Beach (1-1) with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The senior guard also made a three-pointer with less than two minutes to go, breaking the 72-72 tie to give the Beach the lead.

Carter, who had 20 points, and junior forward Joe Hampton, who chipped in 16 points and five rebounds, both made significant contributions to the game.

The Beach then lost its following game against the University of San Francisco 107-62 at War Memorial Gym. Men’s basketball was anticipated to face off against UCLA after its initial matchup was postponed. However, the game was ultimately canceled due to the Beach’s first positive COVID-19 case within the department.

Conference play officially began Jan. 1, and it appears the men’s basketball team is struggling to pull ahead at 2-4. The team has been chosen to finish sixth in the Big West Conference media poll.

Monson said that he feels they “have pieces but we’re not a team.” Due to COVID-19 regulations team bonding experiences and even practice time on the court have been reduced to mere hour long experiences, a time frame not long enough to foster the team environment the program once knew.

“It’s hard to get that chemistry and that that trust with each other and so I’m just hoping that that we’ll be able to get some of that just through those hour and a half of practicing and a little bit of hanging out together we get to do,” Monson said.

The women’s basketball program has faced similar challenges making its way back to the court, but overall have been more successful at 7-1.

Like the men’s team, the women’s program had to practice outside for weeks before making its way onto an indoor court.

The women’s preseason opener went on without a hitch, and the Beach was able to secure victory over Westmont College at the Walter Pyramid 70-59.

Junior guard Justina King led in scoring, tallying 21 points in her seventh 20-point game in her career at CSULB. Set to face off the University of San Diego just days later, the women’s basketball team experienced its first COVID-19-related setback when “a tier 1 member of [the] basketball team recently had a ‘close contact’ with a COVID positive person outside our program,” according to Fee. The setback apparently didn’t affect the team, as it has been able to dominate the competition since.

Despite its successes on the court, the women’s team is anticipated to finish alongside the men’s in seventh place in both the Big West Conference coaches’ poll and the media poll.