Daily Forty-Niner, November 7, 2020

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Vol. LXXII, Issue 12

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Monday, November 7, 2020

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING pages 6 & 7

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM ON THE COVER Demonstrators celebrate President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s win Saturday, Nov. 7 at a rally in front of Long Beach City Hall.

Photo by Julia Terbeche

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Local election results

Video Editor Pablo Unzueta Social Media Editor Jocelyn Torralba Podcast Editor Cameron Johnston Multimedia Assistant Luke Pajari Design Assistant Anna Karkalik Arts and Life Assistant Celeste Huecias Opinions Assistant Jireh Deng Sports Assistant Terran Rodriguez Special Projects Assistant Giselle Alexandra Ormeno

California House of Representatives District 47: Alan Lowenthal, the Democratic candidate and incumbent, has been reelected as a member of the House of Representatives receiving 63.2% of the vote, to represent California’s 47th Congressional District.

He beat his opponent, John Briscoe, by 26.4%.

Lowenthal has been the representative for California’s District 47 since 2013.

Long Beach City Council

Photo Assistant Richard Grant Video Assistant Lauren Berny Social Media Assistants Ashely Ramos Desiree Aguilera Webmaster Assistant Kevin Patel Distribution Manager Rachel Barnes Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising and Business Jennifer Newton Adviser

District 2 Cindy Allen maintained her lead against opponent Robert Fox over night and still holds 54.11% of the vote, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar.

District 6 Suely Saro was able to maintain her lead over incumbent Dee Andrews over night with Saro taking 59.22% of the votes, according to data collected by the Los Angeles County Registrar.

District 8 Al Austin II was able to gain more ground against opponent Tunua ThrashNtuk overnight, gaining another 1% of the vote bringing his total to 56.82%.

Measure US Measure US was approved in support of Long Beach community services general purpose oil production tax increase measure (Barrel Tax), 57.13%% to 42.87%%.

Now that the measure has passed, an amendment has been made to the Long Beach Municipal Code and increase the city’s barrel tax from 15 to 30 cents per barrel.

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ELECTION 3

Biden, Harris make history Five days after Election Day, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris have secured the office of president and vice president.

By Madalyn Amato and Julia Terbeche Staff Writers

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fter a long, embroiled presidential race, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden has been named president-elect of the United States five days

post-Election Day. “Let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” Biden said. “And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies, they’re Americans.”

On the 48th anniversary of his first election to the Senate, Biden cinched his home state of Pennsylvania early Saturday morning, securing his lead in the Electoral College over incumbent President Donald J. Trump with 290 votes, according to the Associated Press.

Called by the Associated Press around 8:30 a.m. PST, Biden surpassed the minimum of 270 Electoral College votes to be named the 46th president of the United States.

With this nomination, Sen. Kamala Harris has made history as the first female and person of color to be named vice president of the United States.

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said.

“Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

The battle for the White House began earlier this year when Trump announced he’d be seeking reelection. Biden was one of 28 Democratic candidates and at one point debated against Harris, his own VP choice.

Along the campaign trail, Trump assured his voters that defeat was not a possibility and even into the final stages of the election remained self-assured that victory would be his. Just an hour before the Associated Press declared Biden the winner, Trump had tweeted in all caps, “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” In contrast, Biden showed confidence in his ability to win, but continued throughout the presidential race to encourage his supporters to “keep faith” in democracy and in the voting process.

“Democracy works, your vote will be counted. I don’t care how hard people try to stop it, I won’t let it happen,” Biden said.

Early results Tuesday night put Trump in the lead of both the Electoral College and the popular vote. For months leading up to the election, Trump encouraged his voters to not vote by mail, citing false claims that mail-in ballots have a tendency to be fraudulent. The lack of mail-in ballots for Trump ultimately led to what has become known as the “blue surge,” as Democrats were more likely to participate in mail-in voting as encouraged by Biden.

Trump even threatened to take to the Supreme Court with lawsuits against several swing states as soon as his lead in the presidential race began to become less and less prominent.

He accused the Democratic Party of tampering with ballot counting, saying “our numbers started miraculously getting whittled away” as more mail-in ballots began to be counted, the majority in favor of Biden.

“We don’t want them to find any ballots at four o’clock in the morning and add

them to the list,” Trump said in his address Thursday evening in the White House press briefing room. “We want law to be used in a proper manner, so we will be going to the U.S. Supreme Court, we want all voting to stop.”

Biden began to take the lead just hours into Election Day after polls began to close on the East Coast. Trump was leading in the popular vote for a few hours on Tuesday, until Biden surpassed him and ultimately gained the most votes in presidential history with over 70 million votes.

As of Saturday morning, Biden has secured a total of over 75 million votes.

One of the closest presidential races in the last decade, the 2020 election ended up being much tighter than what most major news outlets had predicted to be a landslide win for Biden.

Biden’s victory came down to a few-thousand-vote difference in states that have not voted blue in decades.

Named the “final battleground,” Pennsylvania had gone red in the 2016 election and remained in favor of the incumbent up until Friday morning. Biden was able to push through and secured a 0.5% lead, pushing him out of automatic recount territory in the state.

Biden also successfully flipped other swing states including Michigan, Wisconsin and most notably Georgia, which had been known as a “ruby red” state since former president Bill Clinton’s victory in 1992.

After Biden had already secured his win of over 270 Electoral College votes, the Associated Press designated him the projected winner of Nevada, adding another six votes to his total.

Biden, in contrast to Trump, has maintained a calm-and-collected tone throughout the presidential race.

Harris and Biden have attended five coronavirus briefings throughout the week while incumbent Trump has not attended one in months. The president-elect announced Saturday morning that he and Harris are already planning on assembling a COVID-19 task-force starting Monday.

“While we’re waiting for our results, we’re not waiting to start the work,” Biden said. “We have serious problems to deal with, COVID, the economy, racial justice, climate change.”

Trump, meanwhile, continued to spout disinformation regarding voter fraud, resulting in several of his tweets to be flagged for inaccuracy as well as journalists and political correspondents to clarify to the American public that the current president was making false claims.

As of Saturday morning, according to CNN, Trump said he has no plans to concede from office, congratulate Biden on his victory or invite the president-elect to the White House, a traditional ceremony between entering and exiting presidents.

Biden and Harris made their official acceptance speeches Saturday evening, where they both continued with their messages of moving forward and not allowing hatred to continue to grow.

“The American story is about slowly and steadily widening the opportunities in America. And make no mistake, too many dreams have been deferred for too long,” Biden said. “We must make the promise of the country real for everybody, no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity or their disability. America has always been defined by inflection points, by moments in time where we made hard decisions about who we are and where we want to be.”

Trump’s loss in the 2020 election makes him the 10th incumbent president to not be reelected for a second term.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

2020 Electi Propos Proposition 14 passes Voters approved a measure Tuesday in support of the state’s stem cell research institute,52.41% % to 47.59%.

Proposition 14 will now call for $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which was created to fund stem cell research.

In 2004, voters approved Proposition 71, which created CIRM and issued $3 billion in bonds to finance CIRM, establishing a state constitutional right to conduct stem cell research.

The ballot initiative would require CIRM to spend no more than 7.5% of the bond funds on operation costs.

The remaining bond funds would be allocated on grants to entities that conduct research, trials and programs related to stem cells, as well as start-up costs for facilities.

Nearly $1.5 billion would be directed to therapies and treatments for brain and nervous system diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia.

Proposition 20 fails Voters rejected a measure Tuesday to amend criminal sentencing and supervision laws that were passed between 2011 and 2016, 63.1 % to 36.9 %.

Proposition 20 would have made certain types of crimes like theft and fraud, eligible to be charged as felonies or misdemeanors, be charged as felonies.

The ballot initiative would also establish two additional types of crimes in state code, serial crime and organized retail crime, and charge them under the category of “wobblers” or crimes chargeable as misdemeanors or felonies.

It would have also required persons convicted of certain misdemeanors that were classified as wobblers or felonies before 2014, to submit DNA samples for state and federal databases.

Proposition 15 passes Voters supported a measure in support of the California State Constitution to require commercial and industrial properties, except those zoned as commercial agriculture, to be taxed based on their market value, 53.03% to 46.97%.

Proposition 15 will now required businesses to be taxed based on their market value.

In 1978, Californians approved Proposition 13, which required that residential, commercial and industrial properties are taxed based on their purchase price.

The tax is limited to no more than 1% of the purchase price at the time of purchase, with an annual adjustment equal to the rate of inflation or 2%.

Proposition 21 fails Voters rejected a measure Tuesday to replace the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, 59.3% to 40.7%.

Prior to the enactment of Costa-Hawkins in 1995, local governments were permitted to enact rent control, as long landlords were able to receive fair returns on their rental properties.

Proposition 21 would have allowed local governments to adopt rent control on housing units, except those that were first occupied within the last 15 years and those that are owned by persons who own no more than two housing units with separate titles.

These units include single-family homes, condos and some duplexes. They also include subdivided interests, such as stock cooperatives and community apartment projects.

Proposition 16 fails Voters rejected a measure Tuesday to repeal Proposition 209’s Affirmative Action Amendment, 56.1% to 43.9%.

Proposition 16 would have repealed Proposition 209 introduced in 1996, which stated that the government and public institutions cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to indivduals on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting.

With the removal of Proposition 209, state government, local governments, public universities and other political subdivisions will be allowed to develop and use affirmative action programs that grant preferences based on race, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting.

On Nov. 5, 1996, Proposition 209 received 54.55% of the vote, making California the first state to adopt a constitutional ban on race-based and sex-based affirmative action.

Proposition 16 would remove the ban on affirmative action from the California Constitution, causing federal case law to define the parameters of affirmative action.

Proposition 22 passes Voters approved a measure Tuesday to allow app-based drivers to be independent contractors, 58.2% to 41.8%.

Proposition 22 now allows state employment-related labor laws to cover app-based drivers. This proposition now enacts labor and wage policies that are specific to app-based drivers and companies.

On Aug. 30, 2019, DoorDash, Lyft and Uber each placed $30 million into campaign accounts to fund a ballot initiative campaign should the legislature pass Assembly Bill 5 without compromising with the companies.

On Sept. 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 5 without an exemption for app-based drivers and employers.

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ELECTION 5

ion Results: sitions Proposition 17 passes Voters approved a measure Tuesday granting people on parole for felony convictions the ability to vote, 59.9 % to 39.9%.

Proposition 17 is a constitutional amendment that would allow individuals on parole for felony convictions to be able to vote in California.

The California Constitution disqualifies felons from voting until their imprisonment and parole are completed.

As of this year, 19 states have allowed individuals convicted of felonies who were on parole to vote.

Of these states, however, Maine and Vermont are the only two states to allow individuals who are imprisoned to vote.

Proposition 23 fails Voters rejected a measure Tuesday to require at least one licensed physician to be present at dialysis clinics while patients are being treated, with an exception for when there is a shortage of physicians, 64.1% to 35.9%.

Proposition 23 would have required dialysis clinics to report data on dialysis-related infections to the state health department and National Healthcare Safety Network, and require the principal officer of the clinic to certify under penalty of perjury that they are satisfied with the submitted report and provide a written notice to and obtain consent from the state health department before closing a chronic dialysis clinic.

In 2018, 59.9% of voters rejected California Proposition 8, which would have required dialysis clinics to issue refunds to patients or their insurers for any profits greater than 115% of the costs of patient care.

Proposition 18 fails Voters rejected a measure Tuesday to allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to be able to vote in primary elections and special elections, 55.5% to 45.5 %.

Proposition 18 was approved as Assembly Concurrent Resolution 4 during the 2019-20 legislative session.

The California State Senate voted 31 to 7 to pass Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 on June 25, 2020. Senate Democrats and two Senate Republicans supported this bill.

The California State Assembly voted 56 to 13 to pass ACA 4 on June 26, 2020. Supporters of the bill included55 members of the Democratic Party and one from the Republican Party. Opponents included one Democrat and 12 Republicans.

Proposition 24 passes Voters approved a measure Tuesday to expand California’s consumer data privacy laws, which includes allowing consumers the option to not share their personal information with direct businesses, 56.1% to 43.9%.

Proposition 24 now requires businesses to refrain from sharing a consumer’s personal information upon the consumer’s request, provide consumers with an opt-out option for sharing personal information used or disclosed for advertising or marketing, obtain permission before collecting data from consumers under the age of 16, obtain permission from a parent or guardian before collecting data from consumers under the age of 13 and correct inaccurate personal information if requested.

Proposition 19 fails Voters rejected a measure to allow homeowners over the age of 55 or those with severe disabilities the ability to transfer their tax assessments of the property to another property of equal or more value, 50.17 % to 49.83%.

In California, eligible homeowners can transfer their tax assessments to a different home of the same or lesser market value, which allows them to move without paying higher taxes.

The measure would eliminate the parent-tochild and grandparent-to-grandchild exemption in cases where the child or grandchild uses the property as a rental property or second home, rather than a primary residence.

The ballot measure would have created the California Fire Response Fund and County Revenue Protection Fund. It would also require the California Director of Finance to calculate additional revenues and net savings resulting from the ballot measure.

Proposition 25 fails Voters rejected a measure Tuesday to change the legislative vote requirement, from twothirds to a simple majority, necessary to pass the state budget and any spending bills related to the budget, with 55.4% of the vote.

Proposition 25 would have required all members of the legislature to permanently forfeit any salary or expense reimbursement for each day until the day it passes a budget bill if failing to pass a budget bill by June 15.

There would have been a reduction in state legislator compensation costs of about $50,000 for each late day following the legislature failing to send a budget to the governor on time.

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

PHOTO BY JACOB POWERS | Daily Forty-Niner

PHOTO BY ANDREA RAMOS | Daily Forty-Niner

PHOTO BY JIREH DENG | Daily Forty-Niner

Demonstrators stand in solidarity with members of Black Lives Matter and othe Joseph R. Biden’s win of the 2020 election.

ELECTION 7

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

‘The work isn’t done yet.’

Local activists gathered in front of the Long Beach City Hall to celebrate the victory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden all while continuing to call for action.

By Madalyn Amato Editor in chief PHOTO BY JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

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ocal activist groups organized a unity rally in front of Long Beach City Hall Saturday to celebrate the announcement of the presidential election and take time to encourage the community to keep moving forward.

“We’re going to hold onto that feeling that brought us out here,” Audrena Redmond of Black Lives Matter Long Beach said. “We’re going to hold onto that feeling to take us through.”

A small crowd of around 80 demonstrators braved the cold winds and showers that took Long Beach by surprise.

The crowd celebrated the news of President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s victory in the presidential election and the removal of Jackie Lacey from the district attorney’s office, while also cautioning that there is still work to be done.

Redmond emphasized that the focus needs to be kept on action at home in Long Beach.

“We are here because we appreciate accountability,” Redmond said.

JULIA TERBECHE | Daily Forty-Niner

er local organizations for a celebratory rally Saturday in light of President-elect

“We need to do the work locally. We are going to make sure they know that we’re here.”

Jazlyn Tabar, a Long Beach State alumnus and activist from Anakbayan, a Filipino rights group, said that “the work isn’t done yet.”

“No matter who is elected president, there are still people dying at the hands of the state,” Tabar said.

Byron Adams, a leader in Queers Obliterating White Supremacy, echoed the sentiments of the crowd, encouraging community action and togetherness.

“We have taken a rock out of our shoe but we’re continuing,” they said.

Victor Bouzi, a leader with BLMLB, maintained that the community must stand in solidarity with “all these distinct identities and cultures that make us unique and beautiful and worthy of love” and that he feels there is still work to be done with regarding the movement to defund the police.

“Get involved, let’s get our friends involved, let’s get our parents involved, let’s get our community involved,” he said. “Because through community is the only way we’re gonna fight this.”

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 | DAILY49ER.C

IN PHOTOS: ‘I voted’ Long Beach State students, alumni and a parent share why they voted in the 2020 Presidential Election.

Abigail Rollins is a fourth-year English l

Rollins cautioned against discounting the sentiments of our population as a cussed how social media shows a warped reality of what was going on.

“Even still, you go online and you see the actual percentage of Americans o said. “You’re not getting a big picture, and voting is one way to address that information and voting materials, either on or before election Day. You hav and seeing your own opinions reflected back to you.”

Micaela Dalzell is a fourth-year English creative writing major Dalzell talked about how the chaos of 2020 has resulted in a feeling of powerlessness and how voting can help to alleviate it.

“I took the time to vote because now more than ever it feels like we don’t have that much control in a way,” Dalzell said. “This year, 2020, in general, has felt very powerless, due to all of the chaos it has brought. By voting, we’re now able to get that control back and we’re able to claim that power back.”

Santiago Jimenezgraduated from CSULB with a major in psychology “Voting is just something I feel I have no good enough reason not to do…even if you don’t believe that your vote counts for much, you’re not losing anything by doing it anyways…I think it’s [also] important mostly for propositions and local government things that affect you more directly.”

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ELECTION 9

Caitlyn Johnson is a fourth-year English creative writing major Johnson expressed her feeling that the privilege to vote comes with responsibility.

“The biggest thing I believe is, it really is, the bare minimum to vote, we got to talk about it and have conversations and get out there…We’re in such a time where we know so many people in our communities with so many people who aren’t eligible to vote,” Johnson said. “We need to be able to take that time to vote with them in our minds when we do that, like people choose not to vote, but some people don’t get to choose.”

Hannah Peedikayil is a second-year healthcare administration major

literature and creative writing major

a whole, especially considering the outcome of the 2016 election. She dis-

on those sites is very small in comparison to the total population,” Rollins big picture. You’re obliged to account for how much access folks have to ve to take into account actual equity issues instead of just logging online

Peedikayil said that she has always been an advocate for voting and is currently a member of the Studentsat-Large in Associated Students, Inc.’s Lobby Corps.

“I feel that has made voting extremely important in my day-to-day life, where I am constantly trying to represent my community,” Peedikayil said. “I feel like it’s almost my duty now to my campus community to use my voice. I know this election was [during] a super politically divisive time, but voting is for all of us. [It] is our chance to let us put our narrative we want for the next four years.”

Caeli Durling is a fourth-year English creative writing major Durling emphasized how important it is for young people to vote.

Durling also discussed how our global image can impact society and how voting can quell political tensions among other countries.

“It’s important, not only because it influences the way the U.S. grows and operates, but because of its influence and perspective around the world,” Durling said. “I feel like young people haven’t realized just how much influence the U.S. election has on global tensions, so that’s why it’s especially important that we encourage young people to go out and vote.”

Ignacia Andrade is a mother of a Long Beach State student Andrade voted for the first time after living in the U.S. for 45 years. She received her citizenship in 2019.

“Ever since I gained my citizenship, I’ve felt very secure in this country,” Andrade said. “I am no longer afraid and am glad I’m able to participate in civic duties like this one.”

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By Jireh Deng Assistant Opinions Editor

T

uesday night in the Daily Forty-Niner newsroom, our group of student journalists watched the polls across several news sites nervously counting the incoming Electoral College and the swing states, while updating our readers on the latest election results.

An hour and a half after the California polls closed at 8 p.m., Former Vice President and Democratic candidate Joseph R. Biden addressed his voters confident that he would win the election, although he insisted it would take longer to count all the ballots due to the mass of early and mail-in ballots.

As local elections solidified and the results of Propositions announced, two hours later, President Donald J. Trump also took the time to address his voters.

He was triumphant, declaring his preemptive victory in states that had not yet been decided and claiming he had won by a large margin in Florida, where he narrowly beat Biden only by 3%.

The most shocking statement of the night was when Trump declared that he would attempt to stop the counting of ballots, declaring himself already to be the winner in this election.

Not only was this statement highly inaccurate as there are yet to be thousands of ballots to be counted in the states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, this is the dark underbelly of Trump’s America.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2020 | DAILY49ER.COM | @DAILY49ER | EIC@DAILY49ER.COM

We can’t declare a winner until all votes are counted.

The beginning of Trump’s presidency began tumultuously amid accusations of Russian interference and his victory only by the Electoral College. He would continue to undermine faith in our political institutions by publically tweeting in grandiose all caps with equally wild claims,starting contentious Twitter threads unbecoming of his role of holding the highest office of our country.

More reality television than serious content, he promised to “drain the swamp” only to bring in his own gilded cabinet of political cronies who lacked expertise in the departments they would run.

Betsy DeVos,secretary of public education who once suggested guns in classrooms would deter the dangers of wild bears.

Some were driven to dismantle and defund the institutions which they were given stewardship, like Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, who previously ran our Environmental Protection Agency.

Latest in this string of debacles and turning the presidency into laughing stock, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping is held in higher regard by world leaders than Donald Trump.

Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination and approval to the Supreme Court was rushed right after the passing of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, just a month before the presidential election.

On the night of Nov. 3, Donald Trump promised to capitalize on that investment and cash his cow, so to speak. He said he plans to bring the issue of ending the count of the ballots early to the Supreme Court. The conservative majority of six to three is sure to tip in his favor, three of the newest justices of which were appointed under his four year term.

This is the grossest violation of the principles in our democracy. Republican or Democrat, we should all be affronted by this attack on our values. The foundation of our hope and belief in our government is based on fair and equitable elections.

Our sitting president has declared victory before the results have been clearly counted. This is tantamount to a regime in which the American people will not have a say.

There should be bipartisan support to make sure that no voter is disenfranchised of their right to vote. Without faith in our institutions, we will fall further prey to divisions and fear of extremism and violence.

Just this election cycle, gun purchases have spiked, with people citing fear of social unrest from this election. While Biden encouraged voters to be patient, Trump taking the opposite tack has stoked the growing fires even further. With the results of this election cast in further doubt and strong indicators of foreign interference, the axis of our ability to function cohesively as a nation will tilt deeper into disrepair.

The stakes are higher than ever with our country suffering the highest coronavirus casualties in the world and suffering an extended economic downturn in an unprecedented recession that has impacted our most vulnerable communities.