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This issue of the Long Beach Current celebrates Hispanic/Latino heritage. While officially known as Hispanic Heritage Month, the Current recognizes all Hispanic and Latin American coutnries and cultures.
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Letter from the editor: Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month
BY KHOURY WILLIAMS Editor-in-Chief
Lidents make up a vital part of the city’s heartbeat, those national issues are not just distant headlines—they are realities shaping lives around us.
Honoring Hispanic heritage means more than just celebrating cultural traditions; it is also about standing in solidarity with those confronting systemic barriers. Even in the face of such struggles, Hispanic and Latino communities continue to show resilience, creativity and perseverance. Heritage is not just something passed down from generation to generation; it is a living force that shapes our future as well.
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Brooke Williams Design Assistants Opinions Assistant Joshua Min
ong Beach State has reached a new milestone with over 42,000 students enrolled, and more than half identify as Hispanic or Latino. Much like our campus community, the Long Beach Current carries the responsibility to serve students year-round, which includes uplifting and honoring the voices of our Hispanic and Latino students. This month is a celebration of history, culture and the immeasurable contributions Hispanic and Latino communities bring to our nation. However, to celebrate this month while ignoring the challenges these communities face would be a disservice.
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Across the country, families continue to live in constant fear of separation due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose authority has grown under recent executive orders. Here in Long Beach, where Hispanic and Latino res-
land acknowlEdgmEnt
Throughout this month and beyond, the Current will highlight both the legacy and the future of Hispanic and Latino culture in Long Beach. This issue marks the kickoff to Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, featuring stories that include information about upcoming celebratory events, food festivals, the role of culture in a divided time and profiles highlighting prominent Hispanic-identifying athletes and musicians at CSULB.
To our Hispanic and Latino students, faculty, staff and neighbors: we see you, we celebrate you and we stand with you.
Here at the Long Beach Current we acknowledge that the school we report on is located on the sacred site of Puvungna, “the gathering place”. We are on the land of the Tongva/ Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.
We also acknowledge the Gabrieleño/Tongva (pronounced: GABRIEL-EN-YO/TONG – VAH) and Acjachamen/Juaneño (pronounced: AH-HACH-AH-MEN/JUAN-EN-YO) as the traditional custodians of the Los Angeles region along with the Chumash (pronounced: CHOO-MOSH) to the north and west, and the Tataviam (pronounced: TAH-TAH-VEE-YUM) and Cahuilla (pronounced: KAH-WEE-YAH) Nations to the east.
We respect and value the many ways the Tongva/Acjachemen cultural heritage and beliefs continue to have significance to the living people and remind us about the sacred and spiritual relationship that has always existed here at what we now call California State University Long Beach.
Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinions of the Long Beach Current 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 Long Beach Current.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
lEttEr Policy: All letters and emails must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Long Beach Current reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.
More CSULB-developed AI tools coming to campus
New AI tools in development include a phishing prevention tool and a phone assistant for FAQs.
BY NASAI RIVAS News Assistant
New artificial intelligence and online tools are being developed by Long Beach State to help faculty, students and staff, college officials said.
At this year’s convocation, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Division of Information Technology Min Yao said the university IT team added artificial intelligence tools over the summer, including:
• Microsoft Copilot
• ChatGPT Edu
• Adobe Firefly
• Zoom AI companion
These tools are available free of charge to students, faculty and staff.
Bryon Jackson, associate vice president of Technology Solutions and Innovations, said implementing AI and other new technologies on campus will help students prepare for the future and enable staff to become more efficient during state and federal budget cuts.
“The expectation is, when we graduate our students, that they have the skills to go into a workforce that uses it,” Jackson said. “So it’s not just a tool that can be leveraged to help them during the time they’re with us, but give them the skills to leverage it, utilize it when they’re graduating.”
hariq Ahmed, associate vice president of Academic Technology Services, Jackson and his tech teams are assisting CSULB staff, faculty and customer service by addressing the phishing problem plaguing the college’s email servers.
They are also helping customer service focus on one-on-one calls with students through a conversational AI bot.
“Phishing, as you know, is prevalent, not just on our campus, it’s prevalent across all educational institutions, because it’s an easy way, a quick way, for hackers to not only capture, but also, in many cases, make a quick buck,” Jackson said.
The solution, Jackson said, is a phishing awareness tool. The tool features an embedded AI that can help people detect whether an email is a scam or not.
“Almost everything we do starts with the needs assessment, and our role from the
DANTE ESTRADA/Long Beach Current AI tools will help graduating students gain skills for future jobs and help CSULB staff and faculty with efficiency.
infrastructure side is to fulfill those needs and meet the needs of our customers, which is the campus community,” Jackson said.
Another AI tool to help university staff is agentic AI.
According to technology company IBM, agentic AI is a “system that can accomplish a specific goal with limited supervision.”
Jackson said this tool can answer phone calls to help with frequently asked questions.
“And that’s one way that we can leverage technology to maybe process 60% to 80% of the calls and leave our most valuable resource, our employees, to answer the
more complicated cases where there needs to be that one-on-one interaction,” Jackson said.
On the Academic Technology Services side, Ahmed and his team are helping inform students on how to use AI tools at their workshops.
“I think we’re trying to stay ahead of all the new developments and making these tools available to students so they can employ them and be cautiously smart about how to use them,” Ahmed said. “Obviously, there’s intellectual property issues, there’s ethical issues, there’s other issues involved, especially plagiarism, and they have to really work with their faculty members in what is allowed, what’s not allowed.”
Jackson, Ahmed and their teams are also working on a new technology for Canvas, known as Canvas Course Copilot.
Copilot implements an AI bot into the course shell that works with both faculty and students, Jackson said.
“The faculty that leverage this AI tool to do things like help them develop syllabi, rubrics, course material, and from the student side, it allows the student to interact with the specific course content,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the development of AI at CSULB is not unique; it is just part of the nationwide trend across campuses to develop and implement the technology to help students, staff and faculty.
CHARLOTTE LOCICERO/Long Beach Current
USU closure prompts university to provide new, relocated food options
BY JOSHUA FLORES News Assistant
The start of the three-year Future U construction project, set to be finished by fall 2028, has prompted Long Beach State to introduce new food and dining options on campus while expanding some of its existing eateries.
During the construction, food trailers will be available on campus. The food trailers will take up more permanent spots on campus as the semester progresses.
The Nugget Grill Express is the only trailer now in operation, with a limited menu, according to Associated Students, Inc. Communications Manager Shannon Couey in an email exchange with the Long Beach Current.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be open until Sept. 19 and will later be converted
into a kitchen trailer on the Health and Human Services lawn. The Subway Kitchen trailer will also be arriving on campus soon, located outside Peterson Hall 1.
Couey said the Subway in the part of the University Student Union still open across from the Central Plant building is only a temporary solution until the actual trailer is up.
There are an additional variety of food trucks operating under the company Curbside Bites, which has an agreement with CSULB to provide food from businesses across Long Beach.
These trucks are spread out through the central quad, Friendship Walk, College of Professional and Continuing Education/Social Science and Psychology, Anthropology, and Nursing lawn and the Faculty Office 3 courtyard.
Some students have expressed that they are enjoying the variety of food truck options on campus.
“I like that [food trucks] are closer to where I go to class,” fourth-year, social science teaching credential major, Janie Ramirez said. “This is my first time coming to a food truck because I usually bring my own meal but there are good options.”
Couey said spots for the trailers were chosen based on their ability to provide electrical service and other utilities, proper waste management and meet the goal of dispersing food options throughout campus.
“[The food choices] are not bad at all actually, you know, like Mexican food and other stuff too,” third-year, criminal justice major, Alonso Gonzalez said. “I mean it’s more options for all of us…[and] it’s pretty straightforward.”
Other places students can grab bites to eat include:
• PizzaForno: Health and Human Services 1 Lawn
• Farmers Fridge: COB, Dance Center; Lecture Hall 150
• Fooda: BKS Higher Taste
• Higher Taste, Plant-Based: Liberal Arts 5
• Shake Smart: Student Recreation & Wellness Center
• WallstrEAT: Beach Circle, College of Business
The university also revised the meal
8E8 Thai Street Food truck sets up at the Central Quad on Sept. 4, offering menu items priced between $7 and $15. Dishes include classic plates with optional protein add-ons, desserts, and drinks.
plan for commuter students, faculty, and staff seeking a more comprehensive dining experience.
The Beach Community Meal Bundle was updated to be more affordable and flexible for students to purchase. The bundle consists of four tiers offering between 10 and 75 meals, between $110 and $699, depending on the plan. The bundle allows students to get meals at any of the residential dining halls on campus.
In addition to revising the meal plan for commuters, CSULB has also expanded the weekly farmers market at lower campus, popular with students and faculty, from two days a week to four days a week Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Couey said that the expansion of the farmers market in coordination with Raw Inspiration, the company associated with the market’s vendors, to four days a week, along with the diversity of food available via trucks, has led to positive reactions from students and faculty.
Additional future food options coming soon to CSULB include Citrus Rose at Liberal Arts Building 1, a Mexican food vendor that currently sets up at the farmers market as well as Coastal Coffee at the College of Business’ lawn, which will be a full-service coffee vendor.
Best Buddies connects disabled students to the campus community
This worldspanning organization allows for
students to relax, socialize and grow in unity.
JASON GREEN/Long Beach Current
Aliya Payongayong (left) plays a game with a peer buddy as part of Game Night for the CSULB chapter of Best Buddies on Sept. 11. The organization, which aims to foster inclusion for students with disabilities, has chapters across the country.
BY JASON GREEN Arts & Life Assistant
After the evening blanketed The Beach and most classes were over, it was officially Game Night for the Long Beach State chapter of Best Buddies on Thursday.
Friendships were formed and destroyed via Jenga matches and Connect Four. Sitting on the grass, students played card games while others crafted figures and landscapes out of Legos. Badminton involved the most physicality out of all the activities.
There was little to no competition. Instead, most of the event was light-hearted fun, culminating in a scavenger hunt where groups of giggling students had to take pictures of places around campus.
With an international presence, Best
Buddies is described as “the largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD),” according to their website.
The organization offers various programs to advance this mission.
One of these is the Best Buddies Friendship program, which offers an opportunity for students with IDD to socially interact with students who do not have IDD, in an effort to foster inclusion.
There are chapters at the elementary, middle school, high school, college and civic community levels.
Here at The Beach, Game Night was the first semester event for the CSULB chapter.
The students with IDD, known as peer buddies, who participate in the organization on campus, are primarily from the Long Beach Unified High School District’s Adult Community Transition program.
CSULB students with IDD also participate in the program.
ACT helps students with special education needs transition to adulthood by supporting them in education, employment and independent living.
Garrett Thomson, Max Lowrey and AJ Kang are all roommates and members of the Best Buddies board. Thomson is the membership chair, Kang is the social media chair and Lowrey is the secretary.
Events like these are an opportunity for them to spend even more time together.
“I joined my Best Buddies ‘cause in high school I did something similar called Unified Sports,” Lowrey, a fourth-year molecular biology major, said.
The majority of the current board members have been involved with Best Buddies since its inception. For most of them, this will be their last year on board, as many positions will open up next year.
Best Buddies is a relatively new chapter on campus, having been formed in spring
2023 by Sophia Villicana, the former president.
Villicana took an interest in creating a Best Buddies chapter at The Beach after being a member of her high school’s chapter.
Jaycie Losoya, the current president, was one of the first to join after Villicana convinced her.
She had never heard of the organization before then.
“I think [Best Buddies is] important because I feel like a lot of people treat [people with IDD] like they’re less than or... they’ll even treat them like their kids,” Losoya, a fourth-year child development and family studies major, said. “But they’re not, they’re adults and they’re real. Like, they’re people with thinking minds and with awesome personalities.”
More information regarding Best Buddies, including upcoming events, can be found on the organization’s Instagram page.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Hispanic Heritage Month film
recs
BY MIKAELA PEREZ Video Assistant
Mikaela Perez, assistant video editor from the Long Beach Current, gives four movie recommendations in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month commencing on Sept. 15.
From a nostalgic childhood movie to a coming-of-age film, Mikaela shares insights on the films: "Real Women Have Curves," "Spy Kids," "Mi Familia" and "Problemista."
¿Listos? 10 Hispanic heritage events on and near CSULB
BY ANNETTE QUIJADA News Editor
From pupusa-making to live music, enjoy these cultural events taking place throughout Long Beach from Sept. 15 through Oct. 16.
My Afro-Rican State of Soul!
Sept. 15 | Museum of Latin American Art |1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
booths from participating organizations.
Florecer y Crecer
Sept. 24 | CSULB Peterson Hall 1-108 | 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
A bouquet-making event designed for students to take a break from class and everyday life.
Pupusas-Making Class
A free musical performance by Afro-Puerto Rican artist and educator Lucas Rivera.
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Sept. 16 | Civic Center Plaza | 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Councilwoman Mary Zendejas and Vice Mayor Roberto Uranga will kick off an afternoon with food, live music and community.
Latine Welcome
Sept. 17 | Speaker’s Platform on campus | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A space for students, faculty and staff to culturally celebrate the academic year.
Latino Restaurant Week Kickoff Event
Sept. 18 | Onni East Village | 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Festivities include uniting community leaders, media, influencers and culinary trailblazers for a night of food, entertainment and culture.
Baja Splash Cultural Festival
Sept. 21 and 22 | Aquarium of the Pacific | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cultural festival featuring traditional dance, live music, educational programming and
Sept. 30 | CSULB Associated Students Inc. Beach Kitchen | 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Chef Eder Rivas from "What's That You're Cookin" visits Long Beach State for a pupusa-making class.
Drag Loteria
Oct. 7 | The Pointe Conference Center | 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Several rounds of playing lotería, hanging out with drag queens and an opportunity to win prizes.
Flores de Papel Art Workshop
Oct. 15 | Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum | 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Chicanx Latinx Studies Student Association members teach participants how to make flores de papel in the tradition of Mexican and Central American artisans.
Vida Latina: La Gran Tardeada
Oct. 15 | Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library | 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
A community event filled with live music, dancing and crafts for family and friends.
Long Beach library to celebrate Latino culture
BY JAYDEN SANDSTROM News Assistant
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Long Beach Public Library will host its annual “Vida Latina” event, a celebration of Latino culture.
The celebration includes a monthlong series of events, including "Paint Your Own Cantaritos" and "Cruisin’ Long Beach." The latter will feature a lowrider car show and a mobile art gallery.
Several guests will also participate in many of the events, including beloved bilingual storyteller Josué Cuentacuentos; acclaimed author Kayden Phoenix, creator of the “Latina Superheroes” graphic novels; Mike Alfaro, the creative force behind Sí Sabo Kids and Millennial Lotería; and local artists Ruby Clouds, a Latin alternative duo blending English and Spanish lyrics.
“Vida Latina is a celebration of unity, resilience, and heritage. This year, we are especially proud to highlight the many ways Latin American culture enriches our community and connects us across generations,” said Department of Library, Arts and Culture Director Cathy De Leon in a press release.
Manager of Branch Services Cynthia Bautista and her team launched “Vida Latina” in 2019 at the Billie Jean King Main Library with a total of eight programs.
Bautista said because of its success, they have expanded the celebration to all branches and formed a committee to plan a full month of events.
“This year’s theme—Unity and Herencia—celebrates coming together to honor the roots, resilience, and cultural connections that unite the community across the Latin(e) diaspora," said Library, Arts and Culture Department, Public Affairs Assistant Maurina Cintron in the press release. "Through art storytelling, food, and dance, Vida Latina is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the past, embrace the present, and look
toward the future together.”
In an email exchange with the Long Beach Current, Bautista said one of their biggest challenges every year is ensuring their programs feel fresh and innovative while also reflecting the diverse voices and traditions within the Latino community.
"This year’s lineup has something for everyone, from Take & Make activities for independent creativity, to Lotería games for the whole family, and a Create Your Own Superhero workshop with author Kayden Phoenix for tweens and teens," Bautista said.
Bautista said celebrations like “Vida Latina” are especially important today.
“At the library, we want to create a space where everyone feels safe, welcome, and represented, and Vida Latina really helps us do that,” Bautista said.
“Along with all our other cultural programs, Vida Latina is about community connection and celebrating the diversity that makes our city so special.”
City officials and Long Beach Public Library staff have taken precautions so that residents can feel safe enjoying
these events, with concerns of ICE activity on the rise.
According to Bautista, the city has adopted policies under the Long Beach Values Act and recently issued citywide guidance on interactions with ICE to ensure staff and community members are protected.
"The City’s role is not to enforce federal immigration law, but to make sure every resident feels safe and welcome in accessing our services and spaces,” Bautista said.
With careful protocols, staff training and strong privacy protections in place, their focus is on safeguarding the community while honoring the law.
“Most importantly, Long Beach celebrates the beauty of our diverse cultures and the vibrancy each resident brings, which together make our city thrive,” Bautista said.
The Library hosts various cultural heritage months, including Black History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month and other celebrations throughout the year.
Photo credit: JORGE HERNANDEZ/Long Beach Current
The Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library in North Long Beach displays books on Sept. 9 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The library will host several events throughout the month, including a Yo Sabo Game Night hosted by the game's creators on Sept. 30.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
‘Estos Tiburones tocan’: Meet the campus mariachi club
BY NI BALINESS & DELFINO CAMACHO Arts & Life Assistant & Arts & Life Editor
Late into the evening, music fluttered out of Room A301 in the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music building as students tuned their instruments and prepared their sheet music.
Mariachi Los Tiburones de CSULB held their first rehearsal meeting and open performance of the semester on Thursday, Sept. 4, where they met new and interested students.
With matching traje de charro uniforms and a schedule of future shows fully booked, you'd never guess Los Tiburones (The Sharks) were only three years old.
“There wasn’t a space for mariachi music or music Hispanic and Latinos were familiar with,” Edgar Mejia, second-year civil engineering major and vice president of Los Tiburones, said.
Mejia first heard about the club in high school. He joined after starting at Long Beach State and now plays guitarrón for the group.
At first, playing mariachi was forced upon him by his mom. Although he didn’t like it initially, his appreciation for the genre grew as he got older.
“Being able to play songs I really loved and that I hear a lot, that just kind of like called to me,” Mejia said.
Beyond the shared love of music, it’s these themes of parental inspiration and growing cultural appreciation that bind Tiburones both old and new, including Ariana Hernández, the now-graduated club founder and former presidenta, who also came into mariachi through her mamá.
Hernández started playing violin at 8 years old.
“And then in eighth grade, my mom actually forced me to join mariachi,” she said. “I was like, I don’t know how to do this. I don’t care about mariachi.”
By 12th grade, both her musical skills and interest in the genre had grown.
After committing to CSULB and learning that there was no mariachi on campus, Hernández knew she had to take action.
In August 2022, before the semester started, she began meeting with friend Alexander Avalos and the two began to rehearse, on their own, outside the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music.
Soon, the duo became a quartet and the outdoor rehearsals continued.
“So it was mainly us doing it, and then we also had Alejandra Spira,” Hernández said. “And then Justin Jimenez; we were the four founders.”
By the end of the year, the group had garnered some attention.
Hernández and the others realized they were onto
something and began to recruit. By the end of 2022, they started filling out the necessary forms to make Los Tiburones “real.”
“Finally, all the paperwork was processed by March [2023] and that’s when we got a room and we were able to make it official,” Hernández said. “We still had all our members we were rehearsing with, but we had a room now. It was the official club.”
After forming Los Tiburones, one of Hernández’s greatest triumphs was organizing the December 2023 “Viva Navidad" Christmas Show, a collaboration with Grupo Folklorico Mexica, a campus Mexican folk dance group.
It was their first big show.
They sold out the University Student Union Auditorium.
240 tickets.
“My goal was to make mariachi big at Long Beach, and this was our first big production,” Hernández said. “I was really happy. This is everything I wanted and I could see the musicians were so happy.”
Now graduated, Hernández is no longer an officer but she’s still a Tiburona.
The club allows alumni, so she’s at rehearsals, supporting newer and returning members as much as she can, including 25-year-old psychology major Luis Alfaro.
Alfaro first joined Los Tiburones last spring during Week of Welcome.
He had taken choir in community college and wanted to continue singing, even with a style he was unfamiliar with. While Alfaro admits he was always more partial to
boleros than mariachi, he always admired the ways mariachi artists belted their lyrics and wanted to learn.
“It doesn’t matter if you know how to read music, how to play an instrument or sing. They teach you,” he said. “If you are willing to get involved, they are more than happy to help.
The club meets Thursday evenings, with the first half of the meeting devoted to helping and teaching new members. During the second half, the performing group rehearses for their upcoming shows.
One prospective new member on that first Thursday evening was second-year accounting major Camila Rodriguez, who has played mariachi since fifth grade.
Bringing her guitar to the open mic performance, she beamed with enthusiasm at the chance to play and saw it as a future opportunity.
“I love mariachi music,” Rodriguez said. “Música ranchera is my passion ever since I was itty bitty.”
Also, there was Marla Lovillo Farfan, a fourth-year child development and family studies major, the group’s current violinist and new presidenta.
Farfan has a background in classical music and played in her middle school orchestra.
In 2023, she was asked to become the group’s treasurer and never left. She said she believes having a place for mariachi music on campus allows students to connect with their culture through music.
“I think mariachi is perfect because we’re singing in Spanish and we’re playing music in Spanish," Farfan said. “Bringing that culture onto a college campus is really important.”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Above: The audition process for joining the Mariachi Los Tiburones requires students to sight-read music and select a song of their choice to perform. This approach assesses their ability to read new music on the spot and showcase their skills. Right: Vice President of Mariachi Los Tiburones Edgar Mejia plays the warm-up song "Fallaste Corazon" on guitar during the club's mariachi tryouts.
Long Beach Current
Latine Welcome Event
CSULB Women's Soccer vs Hawai'i game
Second Annual Latino Heritage Celebration
Center for Latino Health 20th Anniversary Celebration
Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta
Fundraiser with Mariachi Alma Juvenil
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, Sept. 17 @ noon
Thursday, Sept. 18 @ 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 @ 12:30 p.m
Thursday, Oct. 9 @ 2 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10 @ 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11 @ 2 p.m.
On campus, Speaker’s Platform
On campus, George Allen Field
Cabrillo High School, Address: 2001 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach, CA 90810
On campus, South Lawn
Stanford Middle School, 5871 E Los Arcos St, Long Beach, CA 90815
Lawndale, location TBD
Photos by: DIEGO PEREZ
CHARLOTTE LOCICERO /Long Beach Current
Known for their Peruvian seafood dishes, Casa Chaskis, located at 2380 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach, has uplifted the casual restaurant scene. With ceviche, pescado and mariscos ranging from $10 to $20, the spot offers a quiet destination for individuals.
Cultural feast brought to Long Beach with upcoming Latino Restaurant Week
BY ANGELA OSORIO Chief Copy Editor
Authentic Peruvian flavors, fine-dining Spanish cuisine and Honduran family recipes will be on display at this year’s Latino Restaurant Week on Sept. 22 to 28, with a special kickoff event on Sept. 18 in Downtown Long Beach.
Just in time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, the event aims to highlight the variety of Latino-owned restaurants and businesses in Long Beach.
“We kind of wanted to connect with the community, you know, in every sense possible,” said Roberto Lemus, co-founder of Affluent Hispanic Philanthropies and Latino Restaurant Week.
This year, the kickoff event will feature 15 restaurants, along with live music, drinks and bites available to guests at the
Onni East Village Terrace and Clubhouse in Downtown Long Beach from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
The event is organized by Affluent Hispanic Philanthropies, which was founded in 2017, and has several sponsors, including the Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Gives.
After pitching the idea to the Affluent Hispanic Philanthropies board, Lemus brought the event to life last year.
Tickets are $50 presale and $75 at the door. The ticket is all-inclusive, including the food tastings, music and entertainment.
Starting Sept. 22, the restaurants will offer special menus, combos and live cooking shows throughout the week.
“Latinos are in every kitchen, not only just Latino food,” he said. “So we wanted to give it a twist by highlighting Latino restaurant owners as well as the chefs and all the different foods and the talent.”
Visit the Latino Restaurant Week's website to learn more about the participating restaurants.
Bittersweet sympathy: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in 2025
BY ALEX MILLER Contributor
Hispanic Heritage Month is often celebrated throughout the streets, and Southern California is known to do it best.
Communities gather to celebrate culture, history and the profound impact of Hispanic and Latino people.
Long Beach has its way of celebrating the month, with the city hosting a Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Sept. 16 at the Civic Center Plaza, Latino Restaurant Week featuring special menus from local restaurants from Sept. 22 to 28 and The Aquarium of the Pacific hosting its annual Baja Splash Cultural Festival on Sept. 20 and 21.
Yet, beneath these celebrations lies another story shaping the nation.
Over the summer, Los Angeles demonstrated its appreciation for freedom of speech as it witnessed some of the largest protests in recent years. ICE has been repeatedly condemned in the past eight months for Third and Fourth Amendment abuse, fueling the fear and distrust in immigrant communities.
Long Beach, along with several other Southern California cities, witnessed heightened fear of immigration enforcement. Rumors of ICE activity ran rampant, into neighborhoods and schools and out into the community, causing apprehension.
While some proved baseless, the threat of raids was enough to make many residents reluctant to leave their homes, even for ordinary tasks like grocery shopping.
The irony cuts deep: while institutional and city leaders ritually celebrate Hispanic culture, worried community members live in fear of deportations or family disintegration, throwing the promise of substantive democracy into question.
For those who live under that tension, Hispanic Heritage Month can be ambiguous. It is both a celebration in praise of endurance and identity and an acknowledgment of the institutions that continue to marginalize immigrant and Hispanic people.
Now, what is unique about Long Beach is the infrastructure that exists alongside this fear. There are organizations like ÓRALE (once the Long Beach Immigrant
Rights Coalition) that offer resources, including “know your rights” training and quick-response support to combat ICE activity.
Another community institution, Centro CHA, is interested in economic empowerment and youth programs, which include advocacy for the rights of immigrant families.
In many ways, Long Beach communities come together to ensure that citizens are not battling their issues in isolation. Cultural celebrations themselves gain new meaning.
Celebrations, including “Noche Latina,” featuring live performance art, dance, and a lowrider display, taking place at Renaissance High School to celebrate the diversity of Latino identity.
The “Vida Latina” series of bilingual programming screened at the Long Beach Public Library helps children and families connect to their heritage on a level that
preserves cultural pride.
Equally important is how our university, Long Beach State, is a Hispanic-Serving Institution. It signifies that the university cares about the Hispanic student population and has a commitment to understanding their heritage. There are clubs that students can participate in to honor and celebrate Hispanic culture.
This month is not just about food and music; it is about substance, activism, and ensuring students are heard. In class, teachers and students provide platforms to discuss immigration, workers’ rights and justice.
The activities hosted on campus shed light on how Hispanic culture is a blend of the community’s experiences and struggles, allowing the celebrations themselves to feel more genuine beyond the festivities alone.
So, yes, Hispanic Heritage Month is bittersweet, but perhaps that’s the point.
Campus celebrations at Long Beach State
and around the city don’t sugarcoat the adversity that Hispanic and immigrant communities face; we are honoring their struggles despite today’s climate.
Campus and citywide events, from Ocean Boulevard to Second Street, and organizations, including ÓRALE and Centro CHA’s advocacy, put strength and resilience center stage, highlighting the issues of the day.
Both our city and university are a testament to how people can celebrate joy and tenacity simultaneously.
The celebrations demonstrate that pride is not necessarily trumped by fear.
Where music spills onto the streets and campus events bring students together, Hispanic Heritage Month sends a message across the city: cultural pride is paramount and so is the call to justice.
Celebration is a component of the struggle and serves as a reminder that joy, dignity and survival are acts of resistance.
DELFINO CAMACHO /Long Beach Current
A child uses a homemade bullhorn to show his support and dissatisfaction during a peaceful June 11 anti-ICE protest in Lynwood, taking place on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The horn, powered by an electric drill, was created by the child’s father.
Wearing the jersey, carrying the culture
How Long Beach State sophomore midfielder Julie Lopez's experience representing Mexico at the 2022 World Cup deepened her love and appreciation for her heritage.
BY JUNIOR CONTRERAS Sports Assistant
As the child of first-generation immigrant parents in a family of 10, Long Beach State women’s soccer sophomore midfielder Julie Lopez is deeply rooted in her Mexican heritage while shining on the biggest stage.
Being the sixth-born child out of eight, Lopez did not receive as much attention when her four older brothers played soccer. This led Lopez to sign herself up for the sport at the age of 12.
“I signed myself up for soccer and then I told my family, ‘Oh my God, I have a game,’ and they were like ‘What?!’,” Lopez said. “And then they went, and I was pretty good.”
Julie's older brother, Tony Lopez, who played collegiate soccer at UC Riverside, recalled the moment of going to her first game.
She was wearing pink socks, pink shoes, pink shorts, and she was very tall for her age as a girl, so she just looked very funny,” Tony said.
He recalled Julie being put as a goalie, where she looked super shy but smiled, being assigned to the position for the first time. Five years later, that shy kid grew into a star, as she received an invitation to play for Mexico's u17 Women’s National Team in the 2022 World Cup.
“It was a surreal feeling, even thinking about it to this day, I’m so honored and blessed to have been able to have that opportunity,” Lopez said. “It feels like a dream… It was honestly the best time of my life.”
The Sylmar, Calif. native was welcomed with open arms from the staff and team as Lopez expressed that it was not difficult to adjust to the new environment, and she had developed a lot of their slang.
Putting on that Mexico jersey for the first time in the World Cup, Lopez reflected on what being Mexican means to her.
“I’m extremely proud of where I come from and just my culture and everything about it,” Lopez said. “I love being Mexican, I love everything about it, the food, the culture, just being able to be a part of something bigger than myself.”
ETHAN COHEN /Long Beach Current Long Beach State sophomore midfielder Julie Lopez played four years of varsity soccer at El Camino Real High School before coming to The Beach where she played in 10 matches her freshman year. She sat out a season as she redshirted in 2024.
Lopez honors Mexico at The Beach by wearing number six, the number she was given by the Mexico National Team.
The love and pride of Mexico took over Julie as she wanted to cry while singing Mexico's national anthem pre-game.
While at the World Cup, Lopez received lots of messages from kids saying they looked up to her and that they wanted to be like her. She had a moment to accept her new identity as a role model.
“I think it gave hope for people,” Lopez said. “It was obviously kind of difficult being from here and wanting to play for the Mexican national team, but I think seeing more girls from the United States playing for Mexico gave them a lot of hope.”
Family is “everything” to Julie, and she credits her skill level to her brothers and
her dad for playing hard, practicing with her and being hard on her to make her the best that she can be.
“For Julie to have represented Mexico at that level and seeing her on TV, it’s a pretty big accomplishment for us because it shows us that anybody could make it out, or anybody could believe in their dreams and make it at a certain level if they work for it,” Tony said.
Lopez is hoping to represent Mexico again by playing on Mexico's National first-team in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Knowing that you’re more than your sport is also a big thing, just always giving it your all and just getting 1% better every day, even if it doesn’t feel like it,” Lopez said.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
$25 student tickets debut for September Carpenter Center shows
BY DELFINO CAMACHO Arts & Life Editor
New music, a stand-up variety show featuring a verified “queen of comedy,” and a compilation of cover artists belting out the best classic rock songs this side of the British invasion.
This September, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center is hosting a trio of live performances, aiming to suit any audience preferences.
Olivia Johnson-Sather, director of Marketing for the center, said that in the past they have struggled with providing consistent student discounts at the Carpenter tickets.
“This year, all of our shows, every single show, students can get $25 tickets if they buy online,” Johnson-Sather said.
Students can use the code HOTTIX at the Carpenter Center online checkout, but are limited to two tickets per student at the $25 discount to take advantage of this year’s season.
ALREADY PERFORMED
- Bilal -
Date: Friday, Sept. 12 & Saturday, Sept. 13
Singer, songwriter and producer Bilal was the debut performer in a series new to the Carpenter Center this year.
“We launched a new series this year called ‘Spotlight Sessions’ and he’s the first artist of our series,” Johnson-Sather said. “That series is really meant to amplify diverse and new voices and bring them to Long Beach.”
The Grammy award-winning artist released his first album, “1st Born Second” in 2001, which featured production by Dr. Dre and J Dilla. His latest album, “Adjust Brightness,” was released in 2024.
Focusing primarily on funk, soul and jazz, Bilal is commonly described as your “favorite artist’s favorite artist,” having worked closely and earned the accolades of other musicians including The Roots, Common, Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
In 2015, he was asked by rapper Kendrick Lamar to help with his acclaimed al-
bum “To Pimp a Butterfly.”
Bilal played two nights over the weekend.
Sandra Bernhard
Date: Saturday, Sept. 27
Time: 8 p.m. / Doors open at 7:30 p.m
Funnywoman Sandra Bernhard will bring her off-the-cuff humor to the Carpenter Center later this month for a onenight-only show.
Bernhard began her career in the ‘70s working at comedy clubs until she was discovered by Richard Pryor and began writing for his show. In 1982, she gained critical acclaim and a National Society of Film Critics award after playing the character of Masha, a criminal, wanna-be comedian in Martin Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy” alongside Robert De Niro.
“We’ve had her a couple times at the center. She’s hilarious and this show is kind of a blend of her comedy and songs and just good fun,” Johnson-Sather said. “She’s actually coming with her band, the Sandyland Squad Band, and she does songs, talks about her life and her experiences.”
Tickets: $58.75 to $78.75 | With student discount code: $25 British Legends
Date: Sunday, Sept. 28
Time: 3 p.m. / Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
The final September show at the Carpenter Center is perfect for anyone looking to take a musical trip across the pond.
In “British Legends,” an all-Canadian cast of musical impersonators borrow the look and sounds of five legendary British rock gods to put on a cover concert like no other.
The professional musical impersonators featured include David Bowie, Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. The show will feature each cover artist singing their biggest hits.
“This tribute band, in particular, they really like to put on a persona. So they’ll dress like Freddie Mercury and act like him on stage, do the whole Queen thing and sing with Elton John. So it is a true tribute show,” Johnson-Sather said.
Tickets: $53.75 | With student discount code: $25
The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton St. Long Beach, CA 90815
DELFINO CAMACHO /Long Beach Current
The Carpenter Center, located north of campus, is hosting multiple shows at $25 each for students. The shows for the remainder of this month will be headlined by comedian Sandra Bernhard and musical impersonators "British Legends."
That series is really meant to amplify diverse and new voices and bring them to Long Beach. ”
Olivia Johnson-Sather Carpenter Center director of marketing
Future U ignores
today’s problems, leaving ‘U’ out of the picture
Imagine returning to campus eager for fall—only to find the centerpiece of student life completely shut down.
BY JOSHUA MIN Opinions Assistant
On the first day of classes, students arrived on campus to a massive change.
The University Student Union had closed down for a renovation project titled “Future U,” slated to take three years and $315 million.
Some had already known, while others found out during day one, negatively impacting their CSULB experience.
Several issues, including the parking situation, caused students’ frustration prior to the project’s approval. Yet this drawn-out vanity art project is what gets priority.
The Associated Students, Inc. stated on their website that Future U is the largest renovation and expansion project in California State University history, aiming to enhance student life by reflecting the needs of the growing campus community.
A university adapting to exponentially growing student enrollment by modernizing and expanding the USU sounds incredible. This is certainly an ambitious endeavor that will attract prospective students.
The problem? This is not the right school.
CSULB is recognized as a commuter university. Many students plan to arrive on campus, take their classes and leave to avoid the rush-hour traffic.
Perhaps a school with more than 9% of its students living on campus would fully maximize a renovated, futuristic USU.
Parking
Fiasco
Speaking of those commuters, many students were disgruntled with the difficulty of finding a parking spot during the first week. Students arriving late to their class, if at all, is a huge issue.
Several posts about campus parking landed
on my TikTok For You Page with videos accumulating up to tens of thousands of likes.
Although the cost of parking permits has remained stagnant since 2023, it has still seen a 167% increase over the past six years. With this fall semester seeing a record-high 42,355 enrolled students, finding a spot has not gotten any easier.
Impact on transfers
Future U also puts a strain on CSULB’s current and incoming transfer students.
Transfer students typically spend two to three years before completing their degree. Considering that Future U is scheduled to be completed in 2028, this means that new transfer students will not have access to the USU for the next three years.
They are subjected to clumps of dirt that force them to walk detours on their way to a lecture.
There are thousands of transfer students continuing their education at CSULB. Fall 2024 saw 4,542 of its 13,144 new students come in as transfers. Last year’s transfers account for 11% of the total student population.
If this semester sees similar numbers, more than one out of every 10 students attending CSULB will never see the finished product of Future U.
Prestigious universities should continually strive for improvement in as many areas as possible. That is how we create an ecosystem of students enjoying the campus and paying more than their fair share of tuition, so future students can enjoy the same school experience, if not better.
However, this generation got the short end of the stick.
With the myriad problems that already existed prior to the greenlighting of Future U, on top of the new issues that have begun, including limited food options, excessive walking detours and tardiness, an ambitious renovation project should not have been high on this school’s list of priorities.
Rebuilds are for underperforming sports teams, not ascending universities.
BY LEYNA VU Opinions Editor
For the first time in the Current’s history, we are excited to announce the launch of a weekly advice column, serving as a go-to space for addressing the most pressing issues university students may face socially, academically and mentally.
At the start, this column will draw on the insights and experiences of the Current’s staff, offering practical and relatable guidance. As the column grows, we plan on featuring questions and stories from our readers, creating a space for honest conversation and shared experiences with a little support when you need it most.
Can’t sleep? You’re not alone
Q: This past summer, I would go to bed at 3 a.m. and wake up at noon on most days. Even though I had nothing to do, I liked doomscrolling social media until I fell asleep. However, now that the semester has started, it has been hard waking up for classes. Any advice?
A: I have insomnia, so I relate to falling asleep at odd hours of the evening. While I try to go to bed at 11 p.m., I often don’t fall asleep until much later, sometimes staring up at my ceiling until 4 a.m.
One thing that has improved my sleep is removing the clock from my room. Forgoing the need
to check the time could reduce some of the anxiety that might be keeping you up in the evening.
If you have to wake up by a certain time in the morning, I recommend keeping your phone in a separate room, so you can still hear your alarm without being tempted to doomscroll at night. However, I found that once I fell into a cycle that served me, I would consistently wake up at 8 a.m. without setting an alarm.
As for ways to fall asleep quickly, I start to drift off after securely tucking myself in, similar to a blanket burrito. Doing so removes the temptation to grab for things or look around, while the pressure induces a sense of physical calm.
Contrary to popular advice, melatonin gummies induce grogginess, so I would not advise taking them unless you absolutely have to. Additionally, I would not recommend doing anything that could be mentally taxing, such as reading or talking to others on the phone, as it helped on some nights but kept me awake on others.
To me, 11 p.m. is the optimal time to turn in for the evening; however, this may vary depending on the person. Interestingly, the earlier I go to bed, the later I stay awake.
Establishing a healthy sleep schedule looks different for everyone. While it might take weeks for some, these tips have helped me within days. Happy sleeping!
DANTE ESTRADA/Long Beach Current
Dear interim president: The stakes are high
BY LONG BEACH CURRENT EDITORIAL BOARD
This school year has already proven itself to be unlike any other, with construction ongoing on campus, the closure of the University Student Union, parking frustrations, record-high enrollment and the announcement of a new interim president.
Former President Jane Close Conoley had a very controversial presence on campus, and last year’s spring semester, the Current published an editorial that addressed Conoley’s strengths and shortcomings as a leader, as well as what students expected from a future president to fill the
gaps where Conoley fell short.
With the presidential search still ongoing, the appointment of California State University Executive Vice Chancellor Andrew Jones as interim president is a temporary solution to the issue of filling the presidential role for the 2025-26 academic year.
Specifically, there seems to be a lack of presidential presence on campus. There is an obligation that comes with such a high position of power, and where Conoley fell short, Jones could succeed.
We need to set a standard for presidents to have an active role on campus, willing to venture into the spotlight and greet faculty at events, interact with club tables during Week of Welcome and extend a handshake to students who are unaware that we even have a university president.
As a campus with a diverse population, our administration should also reflect that
diversity. Our president needs to be understanding of the regional community, as well as the sacred Indigenous land on which this campus sits. They should be willing to listen and work with campus organizations and faculty.
With the short time Jones has in office, however, there is an underlying issue of a lack of transparency when it comes to changes around campus and news students should be aware of.
In the presidential open forum hosted last spring on Feb. 19, 2024, many students, faculty, and alumni voiced their frustrations about the current campus administration, CSU chancellor, and Board of Trustees regarding the lack of transparency regarding tuition hikes.
This problem is still underlying, as frustrations surrounding a $500 increase in tuition related to the USU renovation, leaves
students disappointed with funding a project that they will likely not reap the benefits of before they graduate.
Although the search continues, and Jones is only acting president until another can take his place, the Current still urges Jones to step into the role and fulfill the presidential duties, as the campus is in need of clear and concise leadership and a front-facing leader.
As a publication run and operated by students, we understand that administrative, executive changes and reform cannot happen overnight. Although we hope for a better future in the coming year, it is worth noting that The Beach is not only building a better future for incoming students, but is also currently providing higher education to over 42,000 enrolled students.
Our university president cannot forget about them while they are here as well.
LUIS CASTILLA /Long Beach Current
Interim President Andrew Jones holds the university president position temporarily for the 2025-26 school year while the search for a permanent president continues.
DANTE ESTRADA/Long Beach Current
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
BY TIMOTHY HESSEN
Sports Editor
Hispanic Heritage Month holds a special place for students at Long Beach State, as the university has seen a 35% increase in Hispanic/Latino students since 2018.
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, this week’s edition of “Catching The Wave” takes a look at some of the most spectacular Hispanic/Latino athletes in LBSU history.
Ruby Flores
While Ruby Flores etched her name into the LBSU softball record books with the fifth-lowest earned run average allowed and tied for the 10th most wins in program history in her collegiate career from 1989 to 1992, it is the powerful story of her post-athletics career that earns her a spot on this list.
While studying criminal justice at LBSU, a negative experience with the police after Flores was a victim of a crime left her with a calling for her future: to create positive change in her community.
After serving for 30 years in the Los Angeles Police Department, Flores was named Deputy Chief in 2024, becoming the first Latina to hold that position in the department’s history.
Carlos Palomino Inducted into the LBSU Hall
JORGE HERNANDEZ /Long Beach Current
Long Beach State senior outside hitter Elise Agi smiles as The Beach faces off against her former team, the Oregon Ducks, on Friday, Sept. 12. Agi won All-Big West second team honors in 2023.
Leading through adversity: The road back to the court
of Fame in 1999 as a “Special Category” inclusion, Carlos Palomino enrolled at LBSU after being discharged from the Army in 1972.
A renowned boxer, Palomino became a world champion in 1976, winning the World Boxing Council Welterweight Championship.
Palomino made boxing history in 1977 while defending his title against Armando Muniz, as their legendary 15-round bout was the first ever recorded boxing match where two college graduates competed for a national title.
The multi-talented LBSU graduate also pursued a career in acting, appearing in 14 feature films and 11 TV shows before being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Chris Gomez
An All-America Team selection in 1992 playing for the Dirtbags, Chris Gomez enjoyed a long 17-season career in Major League Baseball.
One of many star Dirtbags that helped cultivate the program’s reputation as “Shortstop U,” Gomez was named the Topps All-Star Rookie Team shortstop in 1994.
Gomez is additionally one of the handful of Dirtbags to reach the World Series, starting at shortstop for the 1998 National League champions, the San Diego Padres.
BY TIMOTHY HESSEN Sports Editor
After two knee surgeries to repair a torn ACL and a broken foot, standout senior outside hitter Elise Agi was unsure if she would ever suit up for Long Beach State women’s volleyball again.
Coming to The Beach in 2023 as a transfer from the University of Oregon, Agi immediately made an impact, earning All-Big West Second Team honors and averaging a team-high 3.59 kills per set for a LBSU team that she led to the Big West Championship game with a staggering 20 kills against UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals.
However, before the ace athlete from San Francisco could return for what would have been her senior season, Agi’s second knee surgery forced her to make the tough decision to medical redshirt in 2024.
Despite triumphantly returning to training in the spring, Agi could not catch a break as the snakebitten star broke her foot, further prolonging her fated return.
“There were points in time where I honestly thought about stopping the sport,” Agi said. “There’s just a mental toll that being in physical pain brings on you, and also being in such a high-level gym and not being able to play.”
But in the face of a mountain of adversity, Agi climbed past it, making her long-awaited return to the court in LBSU’s season opener against Stanford—a whopping 643 days from her last match.
“In the end, I kind of look at it as a blessing in disguise,” Agi said. “I learned a lot about who I was outside of volleyball and I found new ways to be a better teammate and leader.”
After initially tearing her ACL as a varsity basketball player in her freshman year of high school, Agi became an assistant coach for her club volleyball team, where she developed a higher volleyball IQ and a passion for coaching, which she hopes to one day pursue.
“I kind of saw the game from a different per-
spective, so I was able to tune in to watching film and getting visual reps so that when I got back to the court, I had that in my toolbox,” Agi said.
Although Agi was a fresh face in a room full of established stars, including outside hitter Natalie Glenn and setter Zayna Meyer, when she first arrived at The Beach, she now finds herself as a veteran presence and key leader as the oldest player on a team with six transfers and four true freshmen.
When redshirt freshman opposite and current reigning back-to-back Big West Freshman of the Week Logan King first arrived to the program, the future young star and Agi shared a mutual discontent after an early “extremely frustrating” practice that fell below the two’s standards.
“I saw a lot of myself in [King], in the way that she thinks and how she’s like a perfectionist,” Agi said. “From that moment, I feel like it just created this strong bond between us.”
Today, Agi and King lead The Beach as the team’s two leading scorers with 4.48 and 3.4 points per set, respectively, and the genesis of their friendship is one of many examples of Agi’s stellar leadership.
“Elise has always been a natural leader and I think this year she just gets to flex that and step into that role,” LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan said.
After joining The Beach as an assistant coach in 2023, Reagan’s first recruit she spoke to was Agi, and the undersized but undeniable outside hitter has been a key building block for Reagan’s vision for the program ever since.
The second-year head coach compares Agi’s amplifying impact on the growth of her teammates to the influence that volleyball legend and 1998 NCAA Champion Misty May-Treanor had for LBSU volleyball, and said that mentorship element to Agi’s leadership has taken her to another level as a player and teammate.
“That’s something that [Agi] has been prioritizing: how she can make her teammates better, and that’s been something that has really helped her grow in this journey,” Reagan said.