The Union
Chemistry Building evacuated day of reopening
Two faculty members treated on scene, with one sent to hospital after chemical exposure
By Giselle Jimenez
Two staff technicians were exposed to a chemical spill in the Chemistry Building the day it reopened Monday, Nov. 4, after being closed due to an arson fire set in the building Sunday, Oct. 5.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived at the Chemistry Building’s south entrance at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, and closed the building for a day while a hazardous materials team tested for possible contamination.
The two staff technicians affected were taken to the Humanities Building, where they were evaluated by first responders before one person was taken to the Memorial Hospital of Gardena.
Troy Moore, a chemistry professor who teaches in Room 153, said there was activity near the stockroom, which holds over 1,000 chemicals.
Moore mentioned ongoing maintenance issues in the building, which is the second oldest on campus after the Music Building, that may add to safety concerns.
“When it rains, the roof leaks every time,” Moore said. “Also, electrical outlets are down.
Chemical exposure is rare, but frequent accidents like breaking
glasses and students cutting themselves on glass happen often.”
People were evacuated as crews worked to determine the extent of the spill.
Kane Ceja, 23, an undeclared major taking chemistry classes, said safety protocols in the labs are taken seriously.
“When doing labs, wearing lab
coats is optional for the students, but the professors are covered,” Ceja said. “The only thing mandatory is [are] the googles.”
Ceja adds that professors enforce dress code rules to reduce risk.
“The professors are strict when it comes to labs. I’m shocked this happened,” Ceja said.
Warrior Pantry supports visitors as federal food assistance lapses
By Keandra Lee and Ana Gamez
El Camino College’s food pantry has been serving more community members and students with food as federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lapsed this month due to the government shutdown, college staff said.
Basic Needs Center Coordinator
Sharonda Barksdale said at least 100 community members and between 150 to 200 students have been visiting the Warrior Pantry recently.
It offers groceries, personal care items and emergency supplies to all students.
Barksdale said there have been about twice to three times as many pantry visitors than usual.
“We have it fully stocked for students, they can come and take advantage of it,” Basic Needs Center Coordinator
Sharonda Barksdale said.
Public Social Services is waiting for confirmation from the state before releasing emergency funds to program recipients.
The California Department of Social Services expects the state funding used to replenish CalFresh benefits this month will be reimbursed by the federal government, according to reporting from NBC4 LA.
The suspension of CalFresh benefits has created fear, stress and uncertainty for ECC students who rely on the program for food.
Bookstore building expected to be closed for two weeks as ServPro continues cleanup efforts
By Jaylen Morgan
The El Camino College Bookstore and El Cappuccino Cafe will be closed for at least the next two weeks, until Monday, Nov. 24, due to air quality reevaluation and cleaning efforts.
The closure is due to the arson attack that occurred on Sunday, Oct. 5, when the loading dock was burned, leaving a cardboard compactor damaged.
Staff with offices in the Bookstore Building have relocated for the time being across campus, including in the Communications Building. Most faculty can make copies at their division offices until an announcement is made about the Copy Center moving forward. The Cashier’s Office is closed.
An email was sent by Marketing and Communications to students, faculty and staff during the evening Sunday, Nov. 9, to let the campus community know about the closures.
Executive Director of Marketing of Communications Ann O’ Brien said the college was notified to get the air checked again by ServPro.
“ServPro wanted to do additional cleaning just to ensure that the building was completely done,” O’ Brien said.
Food donated by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is available to community members visiting the pantry.
their families.
Funding for SNAP benefits, which is offered in California as CalFresh, stopped on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown, affecting over 41.7 million people who rely on assistance for themselves and
“I feel like it affects me in so many ways because I’m having to find other resources like food pantries… instead of relying on stamps,” respiratory care major Jazmin Ibarra, 32, said.
Paola Villareal, CalFresh outreach specialist at ECC, said the Los Angeles Department of
Many students balance the cost of school, transportation and rent with work, either part time or full time.
Ibarra, who works while attending ECC as a full time student, said there is misinformation about SNAP.
“Most people that receive SNAP do have jobs, but they don’t earn enough money to live off of their wages,” she said.
The El Camino Community College District’s trustees reviewed a nearly $1.6 million emergency contract for ServPro’s services during the regular board meeting Monday, Oct. 27, according to BoardDocs.
ECC’s “Property and Liability Insurer” will cover the cost, according to BoardDocs.
Wildhorse dance See Page 6
Soccer triple threats See Page 8
Law versus the people See Page 5
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Los Angeles Fire Department applies caution tape and discusses next steps on how to move forward with the chemistry exposure incident that took place in the Chemistry Building, located across from the Humanities Building. Photo by Madison Moody
People wait in line at El Camino College’s Basic Needs Center on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Basic Needs Center has been busier than ever since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Photo by Seph Peters
ECC journalism program takes top prizes in Washington D.C.
By Philip Kozel-Lopez
If you had told me two years ago I would get Reporter of the Year, I would have said you are crazy!” The Union newspaper News Editor Erica Lee said.
This is but one of many accomplishments Lee and the El Camino College journalism program achieved during MediaFest 25, a college media convention held Oct. 15-18 in Washington, D.C.
Lee looks back on the trip to Washington, when compared to previous conferences, as “more relaxed.”
The Union photo editor Oriana de Quay mentions how during the trip, as it was her first semester being on the editorial board, she went into the trip being “open to the experience” and “looking for a role model for inspiration.”
“I think I was able to find that,” de Quay said.
The Union and Warrior Life magazine were finalists in numerous categories for the Associated Collegiate Press awards ceremony held on the final day of the convention, Saturday, Oct. 18, starring alongside many wellrenowned two-year and fouryear colleges.
Police Beat
By Philip Kozel-Lopez
The Union publishes police beats online with each newspaper release. Visit eccunion.com to read more.
Monday, Nov. 2, 7:11 a.m.
A burglary involving a flag was reported in the Physics Building, which occurred on Friday, Oct. 10. The case is currently open.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7:30 a.m.
Driving with a suspended license, a weapons law violation was reported in the Gymnasium. The suspect has been arrested.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 11:52 a.m.
A hit-and-run in Lot H occurred between 9:00 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. The case is open and is being investigated by ECCPD.
Saturday, Nov. 8, 9:27 a.m..
A campus fire alarm was pulled and reported in the Physics Building. Case status is unknown.
Sunday, Nov. 9, 10:27 a.m.
A suspicious vehicle was reported in Lot B. The suspect was arrested.
Sunday, Nov. 9, 5: 54 p.m.
A campus fire was reported near Lot L. Police were unable to locate a suspect. Case status is unknown.
The Union Editor-inChief Nikki Yunker received honorable mention in Story of the Year, in the In-Depth News Story category, for her story on college Basic Needs Centers’ increase in demand and for her editorial.
Lee received an honorable mention in Story of the Year, in the Ernie Pyle Human Interest Profile category, for her profile on Torrance Bakery owner and ECC alumnus Kirk Rossberg in Warrior Life.
Photo of the Year also saw honorable mentions, with former The Union and
Warrior Life photojournalist Eddy Cermeno making the list in the Feature Photo and Environmental Portrait categories for Warrior Life.
Alongside these honorable mentions, both The Union and Warrior Life were also nominated for the Pacemaker award among 49 finalists.
“I felt so honored to see both the magazine and newspaper be nominated as finalists, since it hasn’t been nominated in a while,” Yunker said.
And for the big wins for the program, Lee’s Reporter of the Year award stands out, as it is
Photo by Oriana de Quay
the first time an ECC student has won first place for it.
In prior years, ECC’s student journalists had placed in the top five for the award.
“I did not think I was going to get first place. I was up against 9 other amazing student journalists,” Lee said.
“I was in absolute disbelief.”
Yunker attributes the accomplishments of the program from this year’s ACP awards and years prior to there being “no better opportunity to learn journalism like there is at El Camino.”
Associated Collegiate Press awards
Reporter of the Year - First Place, Erica Lee
Design of the Year:
Informational graphic - First place, Kim McGill
Best of Show: Digital newsletter - Second place, The Union Best of Show: NewspaperSecond place, The Union Best of Show: MagazineThird place, The Union Pacemaker finalist, The Union Pacemaker finalist, Warrior Life
College Media Association awards
Editorials - First place, The Union Media Website of the YearSecond place, The Union Newsletter - Third place, The Union Investigative story - Third place, Nikki Yunker
Profile - First place, Erica Lee Portrait - First place, Eddy Cermeno
Coverage of Faith - Third place, Sydney Sakamoto
Feature photo - Second place, Eddy Cermeno
Feature story - Second place, Erica Lee
Infographic - Third place, Kim McGill
Magazine cover - Third place, Angela Osorio, Eddy Cermeno
Track and field coach to lead new women’s flag football club
By Nikki Yunker
John Hall, who has coached track and field at ECC since 2013, was selected in October to lead El Camino College’s new women’s flag football program.
Hall will be coaching the collegiate sport for the first time and is recruiting students to join the team, which will begin in spring 2026 and use uniforms, play other colleges and travel.
“I really enjoy the finesse aspect of the flag football game, and I think it’s a beautiful art of the game with the capacity to remove the violence from it,”
Hall said. “It’s a great, I think, opportunity to feature women athletes.”
There are no strict eligibility requirements for students interested in women’s flag football as the California Community College Athletic Association has not yet approved the sport.
“Right now we’re just looking for people who have a good attitude, who have an athletic background, who are openminded,” Hall said. “We invite all female students who want to explore the game.”
He said the expectation for the team’s first season is to assemble a team with a development-based focus.
“We’re going to have to get people familiar with the game,” Hall said. “We’re trying to have
John Hall, coach for field and track at El Camino College since 2013, attends College Night to recruit for the new women’s flag football club Wednesday, Nov. 5. Hall, who is coaching collegiate women’s flag football for the first time, will lead the club in spring 2026. “I am really excited about being an advocate for women’s sports in this space,” he said. Photo by Nikki Yunker
a more fun experience this first year and build toward having a more competitive team in the future.”
Hall expects the club to become a team around 2027, at which point it will be among the college’s 11 other team sports.
ECC announced that women’s flag football would join its athletics department in August, shortly after the college cut funding for its tennis, men’s golf and women’s badminton
teams this year.
While an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, Hall was a football and track athlete for the Bruins.
He said he hopes the women’s flag football program will be successful as a medium in teaching life lessons which translate into athletic achievement.
“What I hope to achieve here is ... using my platform to really try to effect the change within the individual and then see that
play out on the field as well,” Hall said.
Students who are interested in signing up for women’s flag football can enroll at:
https://www.eccwarriors. com/information/ Women-s_Flag_Football_ Interest_Form
El Camino College The Union news editor Erica Lee receives the Associated Collegiate Press Reporter of the Year award at MediaFest 25 on Saturday, Oct. 18, in Washington, D.C.
El Camino feels impact of immigration enforcement concerns
Students visiting campus less, opt for online meetings, enroll in English as a Second Language classes
By Oriana de Quay
Immigrant and undocumented
El Camino College students have felt less safe on campus amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities occurring in Los Angeles since June, college staff said.
A Sept. 8 Supreme Court preliminary ruling in the case Perdomo v. Noem has allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct stops and questioning based on a person’s race, language and occupation.
Josefina Cruz, Dream Resource Center student success coordinator, said students are going to classes and then returning home, not staying on campus longer than necessary.
Faculty and students are “surviving day by day,” Cruz said.
Staff and students have taken proactive measures to ensure their safety, including requesting online meetings through Zoom instead of being in-person.
“We’re trying to do is make sure that we are providing a safe space to students, to employees at the college and trying to provide as many resources that we can,” Jeff
Stephenson, vice president of equity and student services, said.
Stephenson said that people uncomfortable with attending Commencement have the option of viewing it by live steam.
Cruz said that English as a Second Language classes have been more filled this semester as people are trying to learn the language to reduce their accent and therefore become less of a target.
ECC provides undocumented and immigrant students with financial, legal and emotional resources through counselors at the Dream Resource Center, who guide students through aid programs.
This semester, the center was renamed from the Immigrant Student Success Program, and the UndocuWarriors club became the United Warriors
Club, respectively.
Cruz said removing the terms “undocumented” and “immigrant” calls less attention to the programs.
The United Warriors Club meets weekly to provide support, resources, networking and mentorship to all immigrant students.
Chemical engineering major and club board member Shela Esquivelzeta, 18, said the club’s members are from various places and are in different stages of the immigration process.
“I feel pretty safe on campus because there is such a strong support for our community,” Esquivelzeta said.
“Know Your Rights Cards” are also available throughout campus and inform students on a step-by-step process when interacting with ICE on campus. Despite rumors of ICE agents
Sledgehammer suspect ordered to appear in court
By Erica Lee
The man charged with felony murder for the Dec. 24, 2023, attack on a 65-year-old woman was a no-show for his eighth pre-trial hearing at the Torrance Courthouse on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Jeffrey Davis, 42, was arrested and charged with attacking 65-year-old Hanafusa with a sledgehammer while she was collecting recyclables with her dog Cherry near the El Camino College Gymnasium on Christmas Eve.
Hanafusa died the next day, Dec. 25, 2023, at a local hospital.
Public defense attorney Murrey Correa said in court Wednesday that Davis “refused to get on the bus.”
That was when Correa, deputy district attorney Kelly Fritz and Judge Hector M. Guzman gathered to the side to watch a video recording of Davis refusing to board the prison bus.
The video was not shown to those attending the hearing, which included four of Hanafusa’s friends
and acquaintances who have been attending every hearing since 2024.
“It’s the same thing every time: delay, delay, delay, every time,”
64-year-old retiree Terry Hays, who used to see Hanafusa walking around Alondra Park every day, said.
Out of the seven pre-trial conference hearings that were scheduled in 2025, Davis has not appeared at four of them. Two were claimed to be a “medical miss out,” according to court documents.
Guzman was overheard to say in the courtroom that “we need to move forward on this case.”
In the end, Fritz asked for an extraction order for the next hearing, which Guzman granted.
This means that Davis will have to appear for the next hearing, which is scheduled for mid-December.
“We got what we wanted, an extraction order,” Fritz was overheard telling Hanafusa’s supporters outside the courtroom. Since his arrest, Davis has been held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles.
being present at ECC during Commencement in June, ICE has not come on campus, Cruz said.
ICE agents are technically able to come onto campus according to Board Policy 3900, which states that ECC is a nonpublic forum with the exception of “areas generally available for use by students or the community.”
Regardless, Senate Bill 98 requires educational entities to alert all college personnel, including employees, faculty and students, of the presence of ICE.
A faculty member, employee or student would contact Stephenson who would ultimately contact campus police.
Additionally, Senate Bill 54 states that college entities are not required to provide data to immigration enforcement
officers.
Despite fears, Hispanic Heritage Month’s kickoff event Tuesday, Sep. 16, received a massive turnout earlier this semester.
“It was like you’re being invited to the cookout,” Student Success Coordinator Monica Delgado said. “It was a moment in time where people felt they could just be joyful in public, and not feel fearful.”
The event featured a resource fair, food trucks, music and dancing.
Banda AZ was brought on to provide Banda music throughout the event which had attendees dancing hand-inhand and hip-to-hip.
“There is not a single person in LA who isn’t at least one degree away from knowing an immigrant,” Delgado said. A student interviewed for this story later declined to take part.
South
Bay Galleria to partly close
By Giselle Jimenez
After 40 years in the South Bay, the South Bay Galleria will be partly closing for a mixed-use redevelopment located near the Nordstrom wing and in the mall’s parking lots.
New owner Kennedy Wilson is demolishing part of the mall, which sits on 30 acres of land, to make way for a mixed-use
property of retail space and residential units.
Plans include constructing a three- to eight-story building with 350 apartments. According to reporting by KTLA news, “At least 10% of the homes must be reserved for very lowincome households, or 20% for low-income households, under city requirements.”
The Redondo Beach
Planning Commission signed off Aug. 21 on Phase Two of the project. “Redevelopment will be phased, meaning parts of the mall will stay open while construction unfolds,” former The Union reporter Maria Cornejo wrote in an article for Presence News.
A date for when redevelopment will begin has yet to be announced.
Guest speaker Also Cruz at the El Camino College United Warriors Club meeting gives presentation about entrepreneurship on Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the ECC DREAM Center. Vasquez said there is a direct correlation with immigrants and entrepreneurs because they have to create their own work.
Photo by Oriana de Quay
South Bay Galleria mall›s entrance located in Redondo Beach on Sept. 29. The mall opened in 1985 and was a backdrop for many movies and television shows. Photo by Lillian Yamada
Campus pantry has (less) room for improvement amid more food insecurity
By Union Editorial Board
M
ore people are visiting El Camino College’s pantry as the longest government shutdown in history continues and CalFresh food benefits remain on hold.
This influx shows that to better serve the community, the pantry must expand its hours and accessibility.
More people are visiting El Camino College’s pantry as the longest government shutdown in history continues and CalFresh food benefits remain on hold.
Free food, beverages and other supplies provided by the Warrior Pantry at the Basic Needs Center are supposed to be a lifeline for ECC students.
While the pantry provides some resources, students may have to wait up to an hour and a half outside as only two visitors are allowed inside at a time.
Besides the pantry’s new location in Lot L being very small — about a quarter of the size it used to be when it was located above the Bookstore — all visitors are accompanied by staff “shoppers” who pick items.
The pantry is open only three days a week while more and more people are waiting in line to squeeze into this small window of opportunity to obtain help.
About 40 students and community members waited their turn to be assisted on the Tuesday the pantry opened after CalFresh benefits lapsed this month.
Students surveyed by The Union said they rely on the Warrior Pantry when they can’t grocery shop or are rushing to classes on empty stomachs.
However, students with morning classes are left with slim pickings later on, when most of the produce is gone and meat, eggs and dairy are not offered or uncommon.
Dry goods and snacks aren’t always adequate fuel.
Many students don’t know there are also several spots to quickly grab snacks around campus, and instead stand in line at the pantry just to pick up granola bars and chips. Advertisement at the pantry of the snack locations, and online ordering, would let students skip the line.
Colleges including Napa Valley, Sacramento City, College of the Sequoias, Allan Hancock and nearby Cerritos all use PantrySoft, an online pantry inventory and ordering software also used by various universities.
PantrySoft costs just about $1,155 per year, according to orders from Cerritos College.
With online ordering, students would also be able to know what the pantry’s daily inventory is before waiting, which would be especially useful for people with special dietary needs.
PantrySoft would be well within the Basic Needs Center’s means, which is $1.6 million this year, according to the college’s 2025-26 budget.
Additionally, hunger doesn’t run on a Tuesdaythrough-Thursday schedule.
Cerritos, Allan Hancock and Coalinga are a few of many community colleges with food pantries that are open four days a week. Santa Monica College’s pantry is also open Fridays.
Coalinga and Modesto Junior College even offer private appointments to accommodate students whose schedules conflict with posted hours.
At Mt. San Antonio, the state’s largest community college by enrollment, students freely select items by themselves within item and time limits.
Yet, the Warrior Pantry requires staff “shoppers” who take items off shelves and place them into visitors’ bags.
For a service that is unfortunately stigmatized, students not being trusted enough to pick items themselves makes the experience feel even more diminishing.
Worse, item limits and rules are inconsistently enforced by staff members, causing inequities. When some get more variety and larger quantities of items, others must come back the next day.
Online ordering, appointments and an open-market model, where visitors are allowed to self-shop, would work to reduce lines and save space in the pantry by accommodating more people inside at once.
Even the Warrior Closet — right next door to the pantry — allows students to browse free clothing and other items on their own before checking out their selections with a staff member by swiping their student ID card.
The Warrior Pantry is, without question, an important resource for the community. It provides assistance to visitors and all students, supporting and encouraging their success in college.
But now more than ever, ECC needs to find a better way to serve these basic supplies.
Editors’ thoughts: Thumbs up, thumbs down
The Bookstore Building suddenly closing on Sunday, a month after the Oct. 5 arson, without letting the campus community know in advance.
Degrees and certificates for winter and spring 2025 graduates still not being available yet.
Roofing repair projects moving forward for buildings including Chemistry and Humanities.
A tarp having to drape the Humanities Building’s south side again to prepare for the rainy season. Savannah
The Union
THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1946
Vol. 80, No. 4 Nov. 13, 2025
EDITORS
Interns
Ananya Iamcharoen Frankie
Stormborn Paula Cunningham Axel Hernandez
Ryan Hirabayashi
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF gburkhart@elcamino.edu
Samuel Pizzati
Conner Reoch
Lynelle Sarpong
Lillian
Michelle Bergdahl
Special to The Union
Elsa Rosales
Sakamoto
STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER
Stefanie Frith sfrith@elcamino.edu
PHOTO ADVISER Nguyet Thomas nthomas@elcamino.edu
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Jack Mulkey elcounionads000@yahoo.com
Gerard Burkhart Joseph Difazio
INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS jdifazio@elcamino.edu
Jessica Martinez
Kate McLaughlin kmclaughlin@elcamino.edu jemartinez@elcamino.edu
CORRECTION POLICY: The Union takes corrections and clarifications very seriously. If a correction is needed, email The Union at eccunion@gmail.com for all corrections and inquiries pertaining to a story.
EDITORIALS: Editorials represent the views of the The Union’s editorial board. Columns represent the views of the writer. Neither are representations of what the newspaper staff, other students, our advisers, faculty or the administration think.
LETTERS AND GUEST COLUMN
POLICY: No more than two guest columns from the same person will be considered for publication or online use in the same semester, and 60 days must elapse before a second column is published. Guest columns should generally run 300-450 words. Letters to the editor should generally run no longer than 200 words. All columns and letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. They must be free of libel and in good taste. Publication or rejection of any column is at the sole discretion of the editorial board.
Illustration by Joseph Figueroa
Thankful viewpoints
Students, faculty and staff share their Thanksgiving traditions, reasons to celebrate and favorite dishes.
Abi Francisco Athletics director
“I’m thankful for my family and friends, and also the opportunity to work with the staff who are really great people. I’m also thankful for students ... My favorite dish is a tie between macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes with gravy.”
Caleb Smith, 20 Photography major
“For me it’s family, I’m thankful for God and without him none of this will be here. My favorite dish is mac and cheese, I can’t give out the recipe, but for mac and cheese, you need about four to five different cheeses.”
Loïc Audusseau
Interim vice president of Administrative Services
“We don’t cook anything special … That’s what we do for Christmas. But it’s a time to be together. ... Thanksgiving is an opportunity usually for us to take a little road trip somewhere, [with] my boys and my wife.”
Linda Olsen Administrative assistant
“Usually I’m the cook, I start the weekend before, and I make all my things from scratch. ...The whole family cooks in the kitchen. And sports on the TV and then at the end of the night I start getting ready for Christmas.”
Azi Aishling, 41 Political science major
“I’m thankful for being a dual citizen with what’s going on in America, if s— gets crazy, I can get back on a plane and go back home to Ireland ... I’m just thankful about life to be honest with you.”
Erika Cabrera Student services specialist
“We do a lot of things like the American culture, which is we do like the turkey, the mashed potatoes, but then we also do tamales, so we incorporate our Mexican culture. ... Then we sit down as a family and play Lotería and play different games.”
Unequal justice
When the law turns against the people it should protect
By Juan Carlos Cardoso
Oneof the strongest pillars of democracy is the rule of law.
It ensures that everyone is treated fairly and equally under the same set of rules.
But throughout history and even today, some laws created in the name of order have caused deep injustice and pain.
Discriminatory laws targeted Black Americans for nearly a century during segregation, which lasted from about 1877 to the mid-1960s in the United States, according to the Jim Crow Museum.
These laws excluded people from restaurants, schools, buses and neighborhoods simply because of their race.
Interracial marriage was also illegal in many states. In fact, 16 states still had antimiscegenation laws when the U.S. Supreme Court decided Loving v. Virginia in 1967, according to FindLaw.
In 1958, Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested in Virginia for marrying each other. Richard was white and Mildred was Black.
Michael Franklove, 20 Engineering major
“I like to cook a little mac and cheese myself. I have my own special recipe: ... milk ... the flour, the butter, and put that together and then you put the cheese in there and you make a little cheese roux. And then you boil the mac and ... you season it up a little bit.”
Their story reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and in 1967, the justices struck down all state bans on interracial marriage in their decision in
the case Loving v. Virginia.
Yet in Alabama, such a law technically remained in effect in the state’s constitution until voters repealed it in 2000.
Those laws were once considered legal, but today they are viewed as moral failures.
When lawmakers and courts allow the law to create hierarchies of worth, entire groups of people are treated as second-class citizens.
Now, a new debate over fairness and legality is emerging.
This time, the issue is about immigration rights.
In 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court made a controversial decision allowing immigration agents to stop and question people based on race, language and occupation, according to reporting from CalMatters.
Under this ruling, agents can consider a person’s skin color, accent or appearance when deciding to detain them.
Civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have warned that the decision could encourage racial profiling.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling puts immigrant workers back in the crosshairs of racist, unlawful enforcement,” according to the ACLU of Southern California in a Sept. 8. press release.
Immigrant communities
across the nation report living in fear of being stopped or detained, even when they have jobs, homes and families in the United States.
“The ruling is not only unjust, but it’s a green light for racial profiling and abuse that affects everyone, including U.S. citizens,” according to the nonprofit Immigrants Rising in a Sept. 11 statement.
Supporters of the ruling argue that border control is a matter of national security.
Critics, however, say the policy echoes past injustices by providing legal cover for discriminatory actions.
The debate isn’t about whether the U.S. should protect its borders. Every country has that right.
The real issue is whether the law is being applied equally and fairly for all people, a Fourteenth Amendment right. When appearance or language becomes grounds for suspicion, the principle of equality under the law weakens.
Looking back, America once justified segregation and bans on interracial marriage “in the name of the law.”
Today, some fear history is repeating itself in a new form with these rulings.
The question remains: how will future generations judge the laws we enforce today?
Send The Union a column or letter
Students and other members of the El Camino College community outside the journalism staff are invited to submit guest columns and letters to the editor for consideration. Only submissions relating to ECC will be accepted.
Guest columns should generally run 300-450 words. Letters to the editor should generally run no longer than 200 words. All columns and letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and style. They must be free of libel and in good taste.
“Thankful viewpoints” interviews and photos
Publication or rejection of any column is at the sole discretion of the editorial board. The identity of all column and letter writers must be confirmed. Writers must supply their name, email address and telephone number. The writer’s email address will be published with columns. Only their name will be published with letters. We do not accept columns or letters for publication from anonymous writers.
Email guest column and letter to the editor submissions to eccunion@gmail.com.
Illustration by Christol Nguyen
by Keandra Lee, Jaylen Morgan, Rosemarie Turay and Nikki Yunker.
Wildhorse singers bring tradition and culture
Powerful drums and bright colors blend cultural pride through songs, spirit and storytelling on Library Lawn
By Elsa Rosales and Nikki Yunker
Native American dancers in full regalia, accompanied by performers joining together in rhythmic singing and drumming, gathered the El Camino College campus community together at the Library Lawn on Thursday, Nov. 6.
All wearing traditional dress adorned with colorful, intricate bead work and jingles, Wildhorse Native American Association members performed traditional songs and dances during a Native American Heritage Month kick-off event.
ECC fine arts alumnus Michael Tiger, who is a firstgeneration Native dancer and also a singer born in the Los Angeles area, performed a fancy war dance.
“This is the fastest most contemporary style of dancing that you’ll see in the powwow arenas today,” Tiger, 32, said. “It is very flashy.”
The dance is said to have been created by the Oklahomabased Ponca tribe in the 1920s during a 101 Ranch Wild West show, which was inspired by Buffalo Bill’s shows, according to the Oklahoman.
Tiger — who is Pascua Yaqui and Choctaw — graduated from ECC in 2018 and has been singing and dancing at local powwows for four years.
“This is something I love to do ... I put it [a fine arts degree] to good use. I made everything in front of me, I love arts,” Tiger said.
He created all the bead work on his regalia, sewed his aprons and even crafted regalia for his 8-month-old son using bibs, who was present and attending
a Native performance for the first time.
Performing traditional songs on a powwow drum, which is a large, shared ceremonial drum were drummers Tiger, Tso Richard Yanez, who is Diné/Navajo, Haudenosaunee/ Iroquois and Pascua Yaqui; and Shiigo Yellowhorse and Jorge Lechuga and both are Diné/ Navajo.
Other performances included a grass dance by Yanez and a prairie chicken dance by Yellowhorse.
Yellowhorse, who began performing about 30 years ago as a child, said his culture is passed from many generations.
“
Nowadays you can learn a little bit off of Facebook and YouTube and stuff, but I was taught-- we learned through participating, going to events like this,”
- Shiigo Yellowhorse, drummer
Yellowhorse’s wife Shayna Meguinis, who is Tsuut’ina and Cree, and his sister Shandiin Yellowhorse, who is Diné/ Navajo, performed jingle dress dances, wearing dresses adorned with rows of metal cones which are traditionally made from tobacco can lids.
“It is our organization’s efforts to try to encourage them
I said the same thing last year, and here I’m saying it again,” he said.
by offering these scholarships and hopefully they’ll continue their education,” Lechuga said.
Lechuga has been singing for over 40 years and said that out of over 165,000 Natives in the Los Angeles area, less than 1% make it to college.
In February, the Wildhorse Native American Association awarded $16,000 in scholarships to Native American college students in the Los Angeles and Orange
County areas.
Out of about 32,000 ECC students enrolled during the 2023-24 academic year, only 0.34% identified as Native American, according to the Annual Facebook. About one to five Native students graduate from ECC with a degree or certificate each year.
Social Justice Center Coordinator Monica Delgado, who grew up in New Mexico attending the country’s largest powwow known as the Gathering of Nations, invited the Wildhorse Native American Association to perform the kick-off event.
“Hearing the drums and the jingles on the dresses and the regalia, the colorful feathers and bead work, it’s just really special for me to be able to share that with [the] campus,” Delgado said.
Lechuga encouraged about 30 people in the audience and passerby to attend the 28th Annual Wildhorse Pow Wow, which will take place during winter break Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in ECC’s North Gym.
Upcoming Native American Heritage Month events at ECC include film screenings, workshops and presentations.
Native American Heritage Month Upcoming Events:
Thursday, Nov. 13
Movement to Repatriate Native American Human Remains Social Justice Center (COMM 204)
From 1:15 to 2:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 18
“Two Spirits” film screening Social Justice Center (COMM 204)
From 1:15-2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 25
So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project:Combatting Stereotypes and Myths with Strengths and Truths (Workshop) Social Justice Center (COMM 204)
From 1-2 p.m.
Shiigo Yellowhorse of the Wildhorse Native American Association’s Wildhorse Singers discusses traditional songs and dances, Thursday, Nov. 6, in honor of Native American Heritage Month at El Camino College. Yellowhorse, who is Diné/Navajo, wore traditional regalia adorned with eagle feathers, intricate bead work and a roach headdress made with porcupine hair. “My bead work here is blue, I love the color blue — go Dodgers, back-to-back champs,
Photo by Elsa Rosales
El Camino College alumnus Michael Tiger, 32, of the Wildhorse Native American Association’s Wildhorse Singers performs a fancy war dance, Thursday, Nov. 6, in honor of Native American Heritage Month at El Camino College. Tiger, who is Pascua Yaqui and Choctaw, graduated from ECC in 2018 with an associate of arts degree in art. Photo by Elsa Rosales
AFe ast eyes
for the
Photojournalism students capture the taste and comfort of Thanksgiving through a guided lesson
By Oriana de Quay
Every semester, photo journalism professor Nguyet Thomas' photojournalism students have a class on food photography.
During the class, students collectively contribute various Thanksgiving table-spread food items and drinks for the shoot.
This semester, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the Humanities building, Thomas and advisor Gerard Burkhart show students how to set up studio lights, reflectors, light diffusers, and props and food.
For the assignment, students are
required to get creative, messy and work together hands-on in finding photos that tell a story.
With a larger enrollment of 16 photographers this fall semester, the students took turns operating the equipment giving them the opportunity to learn with each other and collaborate on ideas and learn and grow from their mistakes.
Students interested in food photography can register for basic photojournalism, Journalism 6, in spring 2026. The class meets in person Mondays and Wednesdays.
All illustrations on this page are by Joseph Figueroa
Student photographers from The Union were led in a Thanksgiving food themed shoot by photojournalism professor Nguyet Thomas and adviser Gerard Burkhart. In the lesson, students expirmented with flash and were tasked to capture one single focus photo, one narrative with a person in the photo and a photo with props on Nov. 5.
Photos by (top right - bottom left) Seph Peters, Phillip Kozel-Lopez, Madison Moody, Lillian Yamada, Savannah Anderson, Juan Carlos Cardoso
Warriors Playoff Schedule
Football (3C2A State Playoffs)
No. 6 seed El Camino (8-2) vs No.3 seed Mt. San Antonio (9-1) Away, Nov. 15 @ 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer (South Coast Conference Tournament)
No. 4 seed El Camino (1-5-2) vs No. 2 seed Long Beach City (4-1) Away, Nov. 13 @ 4 p.m.
Siblings work triple duty, on and off the field
Redondo Beach brothers share an unbreakable connection playing soccer for the Warriors
By Philip Kozel-Lopez
Competing in a team with amazing teammates is a great honor on its own.
But being able to share the field with a sibling could arguably be considered an even greater honor.
The Warriors men’s soccer team has a special case, however, as three brothers — Jaden Hancock, 21, and his younger identical twin brothers Owen and Gavin, 18 — juggle the responsibility of being on the field together.
Jaden, who plays midfield, describes competing on the team along with his identical twin siblings, who both play forward, as “great,” and that being able to “compete for a common goal is awesome.”
Warriors soccer coach Michael Jacobson, who has been coaching for the soccer team since 2018, describes this situation as “unique and special” for the three brothers and for the program.
“They are good kids, and they do well and want to do well, it’s a special thing to have, there has even been a point when they have all been on the field this year,”Jacobson said.
All three brothers shared the field against Compton College, where the Warriors went on to win by a staggering score of 11-0, and
“Having your big brother as a captain is a different experience to having a regular captain.” - Owen Hancock Warriors forward
all Hancock brothers got on the scoreboard scoring six of the game’s eleven goals.
Jaden picked up a hat-trick, Gavin got a brace and Owen started the double-digit lead over Compton, netting one goal and one assist Friday, Oct. 24.
Growing up, Gavin and Owen would play soccer together but only watched Jaden play. Now they both share the field with him.
“Having your big brother as a captain is a different experience to having a regular captain,” Owen said.
“You respect him in a different sort of way than you would any other captain, which is interesting to be able to have that.”
Warriors men’s soccer forward Gavin Hancock controls the ball as he receives the pass from his twin brother forward Owen Hancock during a passing drill on Oct. 13 at the PE & Athletics Field. Owen shares the sentiment with Gavin for hopes of the U.S. making it far in next year’s World Cup.
Hancock brothers stats
Jaden Hancock
Goals: 14
Assist: 8
Points: 36 Shots: 50
Owen Hancock
Goals: 2
Assist: 2
Points: 6
Shots: 4
Gavin Hancock
Goals: 3
Shots on Goals: 7 Points: 6 Shots: 12
All three brothers have been practicing and playing the sport their entire lives.
Jaden said they first started playing at the American Youth Soccer Organization, and then continued their journey in club soccer before
making their way to the Warriors men’s soccer team.
Sibling rivalry is a common and popular topic in sports.
But for the Hancock brothers, no changes in their dynamic and feelings
toward one another are present while playing.
“It’s always been at home and on the field, we are sharpening one another,” Jaden said.
While chemistry major Jaden currently pursues a professional career in soccer, political science major Owen and psychology major Gavin hope to compete at a Division 1 college level.
Instead of pursuing professional soccer, the twins will instead look to other areas to stay connected with the sport, whether its through coaching or chatting about it with friends.
Jaden added that when they transfer, he hopes that they are all the same level and are able to compete against one another.
“I think the dynamic would still be us making each other better, for the sake of our own development,” he said.
(L-R) 18-year-old psychology major Gavin Hancock, 21-year-old chemistry major Jaden Hancock, and 18-year-old political science major Owen Hancock stand together at the end of their training session on Oct. 13. All brothers, Gavin and Owen both play as forwards and Jaden plays as a midfielder. Photo by Philip Kozel-Lopez
Photo by Philip Kozel-Lopez
El Camino College midfielder Jaden Hancock (10) celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal during a 2-1 home victory on Nov. 7. Hancock, wearing the captain’s armband, was a standout performer and key player in the comeback win for the Warriors. His secondhalf goal completed the scoring as ECC defeated its conference opponent Cerritos College. Photo by Juan Carlos Cardoso