WINNER OF 2023 ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS PACEMAKER AWARD, NEWSPAPER/NEWSMAGAZINE NAMED BEST CAMPUS NEWSPAPER IN CALIFORNIA FOR 2022 BY THE CALIFORNIA COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION AND CALIFORNIA NEWS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Volume 162 No. 6 SERVING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
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ALEXIA FREDERICKSON | SPARTAN DAILY
San José City Councilmembers discuss back and forth with other officials on Proposition 1, a measure that will help build treatment centers for mental health patients.
Council talks treatment centers By Brandon Nguyen STAFF WRITER
San José City Council meeting discusses whether or not to authorize $6.38 billion in bonds to build mental health treatment facilities and housing for individuals struggling with addiction and other mental health issues on Tuesday afternoon in City Hall. Proposition 1 is a measure that will change the Mental Health Services Act and will approve a $6.4 billion bond to build centers for mental health care and drug or alcohol treatment, according to a webpage from The California Legislature’s Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor. Proposition 1 failed to pass with only four
out of the nine available councilmembers voting in favor of the measure. The measure will also fund projects to build more housing for people with mental health, drug, or alcohol challenges, according to the same source. The proposed budget for Proposition 1 would shift $140 million of annual tax revenue from the county’s mental health and substance abuse programs to the state. An audience member who identified as an anonymous speaker said the benefits of the measure is “just a hook or an enticement.” The anonymous speaker said Proposition 1 could end up diverting funds away from valued local
resources. Alex Stettinski, CEO of the San José Downtown Association, said his company lacks the tools required to help clients who suffer from moderate to severe mental health issues and needs more resources at the state-level to effectively manage the humanitarian crisis at hand. San José Downtown Association is a group that represents more than 2,000 businesses, non-profit organizations and property owners, according to its website. Another audience member who identified as an anonymous speaker said mental illness needs to be “put out like a fire.” He said the only two serviceable places for
mental health treatment are Stanford Hospital and El Camino Hospital. Councilmember Devora Davis said one of the problems with Proposition 1 stems from how the budget will be used and how it will affect the county's sense of financial autonomy. “I don’t like legislating through the initiative process,” Davis said. “It does mean that there will be fewer dollars for services — services that we all like and have begun to lean on.” Davis said counties should be allowed to do their own jobs, instead of the state having jurisdiction to reallocate their budget. She also said she has an issue with general obligation bonds because it could negatively affect
future legislators’ budget. Councilmember Omar Torres stated that he was at a crossroads with Proposition 1 and is curious as to why the counties didn’t take on this issue themselves. Torres said that everyone goes through mental health issues, not just unhoused people. “We need to continue to break the stigma that unhoused folks are the only ones experiencing mental health issues,” Torres said. Councilmember Bien Doan said that the county simply doesn’t have enough resources to treat the crisis at hand. “It behooves me,” Doan said “We call ourselves a humanitarian society and these poor (individuals) were born with these
ALEXIA FREDERICKSON | SPARTAN DAILY
City Councilmember Domingo Candelas, who represents District 8, converses with Omar Passons, Deputy City Manager of San José.
afflictions and yet, we let them be out there in the street without any services.” Doan said the county needs permanent beds because there will always be a humanitarian crisis for homelessness. Councilmember Pam Foley said she was conflicted with the measure and was concerned with the idea that county sovereignty would encounter issues if funding came from state jurisdictions. “I’m hesitant to say I support something that will impose restrictions on another jurisdiction because I wouldn’t want them to make the same decision about a proposal that’s coming to affect the city of San José,” Foley said. Councilmember Domingo Candelas said city council should consider deferring the decision for a week if the vote is divided. Councilmember David Cohen said there is a cost to building infrastructure, roads and hospitals, but building them is an investment that will pay off over time. Cohen said proportionally, 700-750 extra beds in Santa Clara County could go a long way. “The fact is that we only have 12 psychiatric beds for 100,000 residents . . . and if we continue to be stagnant, we will continue to have the problem we have in our society,” Doan said.
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024
GRAPHIC BY MELANY GUTIERREZ
Community talks public transit safety By Kaya Henkes-Power STAFF WRITER
Stop AAPI Hate and The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) hosted an online discussion panel on Tuesday morning titled “Putting the Brakes on Rider Harassment: Research Tools, Community Partnerships and DataDriven Solutions.” The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) is a research and training organization that is partnered with Lucas College and the Graduate School of Business at San José State University which seeks to improve transportation through research, education and workforce development, according to the MTI website. The discussion was prompted by issues public transportation agencies have addressed about harassment that public transport riders experience. Laws recently passed in California forced these agencies to recognize these issues as a serious matter. Orange County Senator Dave Min signed two transit safety laws in 2022 SB 1611 and 2023 SB 434. Both laws enact an approach that engages riders to fill out a survey regarding harassment and makes public transit agencies participate in public outreach and databased solutions, according to Legiscan.com. The survey implemented is the Transit Street Harassment sur vey, developed by the Director of MTI’s National Transportation Center at San José State University and MTI’s Survey Presenter, Asha Weinstein Agrawal. Agrawal said that she and her team created the survey by pilot-testing 329 riders on both AC Transit and BART to reach a wide range of people.
She said wanted to document the different kinds of harassment; which are verbal, non-verbal and physical harassment. The survey is meant to be handed out to passengers while they are riding the public transit or in a scannable QR code, Agrawal said. “We learned that if you simply ask people, ‘Have you been harassed?’ the great majority will say ‘no,’ ” Agrawal said.
executive director for Alliance for Girls said her organization helped provide research for the transit safety laws that showed that of the 63 girls and gender-expansive youth respondents, 100% of them experienced sexual harassment, according to Hildebrand. Alliance for Girls is an organization with over 120 girls and genderexpansive youth-serving organizations across
expansive youth, according to Hildebrand. The initiative has implemented awareness campaigns designed by local artists on public transport, created tools to report harassment and has helped its unarmed transit ambassadors, according to the Not One More Girl Initiative webpage. Unarmed transit ambassadors will be on public transit to ensure rider safety along with
girls and gender expansive (people) themselves define safety,” Hildebrand said. “What does it mean for them because it is different than how we think about safety as adults.” She said that it’s important that transit agencies assess and connect with their community to see if these initiatives would work for them. Currently, Trost wants to start handing out New Bystander Intervention
We do this work by building interconnected and generative spaces where girls and gender-expansive youth of color and their champions and institutes that serve them, share knowledge, power and accountability.
Chantal Hildebrand
Executive director for Alliance for Girls
She said that when listed behaviors to the same group 30% to 40% of the respondents will say they experienced one or more of the harassment behaviors. Alicia Trost, chief communication officer for BART, said she wanted to address the issue of sexual harassment for years but has been unsuccessful since creating a less-than-wellreceived social media post. The social media post sought to address sexual harassment in public transport, using a graphic that read “How to Avoid Creeps 101” according to to The East Bay Times. “What made this effort different is that we brought on cultural strategists and community partners like the Alliance for Girls, Betti Ono and Unity Council,” she said. Chantal Hildebrand,
the San Francisco Bay Area and LA County, according to Hildebrand. The organization works towards creating a society that has experience and knowledge of girls and gender-expansive youth of color. “We do this work by building interconnected and generative spaces where girls and genderexpansive youth of color and their champions and institutes that serve them, share knowledge, power and accountability,” she said. She said the research done by the organization resulted in the establishment of the Not One More Girl initiative. The Not One More Girl initiative is helping to reimagine safety for BART riders through the lens of girls and gendergender
helping passengers with other needs. These ambassadors are equipped with NARCAN to respond to overdoses as well as radios to report any safety concerns, according to the BART website. Naloxone (known by the brand name NARCAN) is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids when given in time, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. According to BART, this is a part of their progressive policing action, acknowledging that armed policing can only lead to riders feeling unsafe. Progressive policing action aims to create equitable policing and a welcoming environment for passengers, according to the same BART website. Ask young people how “Ask
Safety Cards for BART. Ne w Byst ander Intervention Safety Cards were developed by the Not One More Girl youth design team, to give options to those looking for help or approaching a harassing situation, according to a BART website. Created by the youth design team, these cards are meant to be a subtle way for bystanders to check in on fellow passengers who they think are being harassed. These cards are also created for passengers who are being harassed to be able to reach out for help. Ne w Byst ander Intervention Safety Cards are available at BART’s Station Agent Booth along with the onboard unarmed safety ambassadors and crisis intervention specialists, according to the th
same BART website. Meghna Khanna, deputy executive officer of mobility corridors, countywide planning and development at Los Angeles Metro (LA Metro) said in 2017, LA Metro established the Women and Girls Governing Council, a group of union and nonunion metro employees that applies gender perspective to policy programs. She said there were efforts to make public transit both reliable and safe for female passengers, however, Khannah realized there wasn’t enough data collection according to a 2019 study titled “Understanding How Women Travel” that was conducted later to help establish a Gender Action Plan in 2022. The Gender Action Plan of 2022 is designed to amplify the concerns of women riding public transit, according to LA Metro. After 2,000 hours of observational data, LA Metro was able to create a gender analysis tool that is used to collect genderdisaggregated data and the transit ambassador program, according to Khannah. Similar to the unarmed safety ambassadors, LA Metro’s transit ambassador program is meant to increase the feeling of rider safety and any issues that occur on public transportation, according to a Long Beach Post article. Orange County Senator Dave Min said, “I think on public transit, we have a right to feel safe and secure in our bodies no matter who we are (or) what we look like.”
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024
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Spartans disco in silence at the SU Ballroom 2
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PHOTOS BY PRATHAM GILL | SPARTAN DAILY
#1: Students play Spin-the-Wheel at a giveaway booth during the Silent Disco event at the Student Union Ballroom. #2: Student Union staff dance on Tuesday night in front of DJ Rob. #3: Biochemistry sophomore Jenna Dinh and kinesiology sophomore Annette Lees dance to a Lady Gaga song together. #4: Students gather in the ballroom to dance along to DJ Rob's set with their headphones on. #5: Dj Rob plays Lady Gaga on stage for his audience. #6: A variety of free boba is handed out to students at the dance.
ABOUT
EDITORIAL STAFF
The Spartan Daily prides itself on being the San José State community’s top news source. New issues are published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the academic year and online content updated daily. The Spartan Daily is written and published by San José State students as an expression of their First Amendment rights. Reader feedback may be submitted as letters to the editor or online comments.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR ALINA TA MANAGING EDITOR MELANY GUTIERREZ PRODUCTION EDITOR JULIA CHIE NEWS EDITOR ALEXIA FREDERICKSON A&E EDITOR AALIYAH ROMAN SPORTS EDITOR NAVIN KRISHNAN SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR MAT BEJARANO
OUTREACH EDITOR CHRISTINE TRAN COPY EDITOR JOAQUIN DE LA TORRE SENIOR STAFF WRITER NIKITA BANKAR STAFF WRITERS SATURN WILLIAMS VINCENT RUPENA ILLUSTRATORS JOANNA CHAVEZ TRACY ESCOBEDO PRODUCTION CHIEF MIKE CORPOS NEWS ADVISER RICHARD CRAIG
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024
Sephora is the new home for kids Nikita Bankar STAFF WRITER
At the ripe age of 10, I remember asking my parents for detailed coloring books and large glittery stuffed animals with animated eyes. I don’t recall wanting serums and bronzing drops. Now, as a 20-year-old, I often find myself browsing through the black and white aisles of Sephora, looking to restock my favorite makeup products or skincare essentials. What I find infuriating are the young girls
As I walked up to the aisle to pick up a bottle, three young girls turned to glance at me, gave me a dirty look and continued to admire the products. After they moved to the Drunk Elephant section of the store, it angered me to see that they had left every single product open, spilling drops of colorful serums and lotion everywhere. They didn’t even bother to tell an employee or better yet, clean up the mess they created all over the white tiled floor. Sephora has become the new Claire’s – a playground for preteen girls introduced to materialism and harmful beauty standards far too early. I still remember Claire’s as being the first store I was
Sephora has become the new Claire’s — a playground for preteen girls introduced to materialism and harmful beauty standards far too early.
blocking my way. These girls – often no older than 12 years old – crowd the store in their Lululemon leggings and UGG platform Tasman slippers as they hold Stanley cups in one hand while grabbing items and pulling out wads of cash with the other. It is shocking to say the least. A few weeks ago, I walked into the store looking for a bottle of The Ordinary’s Niacinamide, which I use every night.
allowed to even purchase beauty products from. I would be happy if my mom even bought me a pair of pink, sparkly earrings or a flavored lip smacker set. Ulta Beauty was the next step up from Claire’s and then finally, Sephora, after I turned 16 years old. Many of these girls have barely even made it out of elementary school and are jumping into a world only older girls should have access to.
ILLUSTRATION BY CAMMY TAN
If applied too early, makeup and skincare can be harmful to preadolescent developing faces, especially individuals who are more vulnerable to toxic substances and have more sensitive skin, according to The Health Site. Now, they are reaching for products like Drunk Elephant and Rare Beauty like their skin will melt off if the products are not applied the night before.. Comprised of people aged primarily under 13, Gen Alpha is known online as the generation of children glued to their screens, which labeled them with the unfortunate term "iPad kids," according to a Business Insider article. However, “10-year-old-girls in Sephora” has become the new trope, again painting Gen Alpha under an embarrassing light,
according to the same article. It is entirely their fault. Of course, I can understand that these young girls are growing up in an entirely different time period where social media platforms like TikTok encourage materialism and skincare. However, this does not excuse their snobby behavior. My other concern is: how are the parents of these young, spoiled preteens allowing such unacceptable behavior. If I had even dared to ask for even a mascara at their age, my mom would have immediately shut me down. These girls parade around the store holding stacks of cash or credit cards – presumably given to them by their parents – and baskets filled to the brim with expensive items. I simply don’t
understand it. As they waltz to the front registers ringing up a total of $300, they shrug their shoulders and act as if it is no big deal. I think a part of it is that parents simply do not want to deal with kids screaming and throwing tantrums in the store if they don’t get what they want. This is something I witnessed a few weeks ago when a girl had tears streaming down her face because her mom would not purchase a lip plumper for her. Not only do these girls purchase products they don’t need in Sephora, but then they jump onto TikTok to film “get ready with me” videos displaying their new possessions. Every time I see one pop up on my Tik Tok feed with their high-pitched squeaky voices, I roll my eyes and click the “Not Interested” button. I seriously do not need to be educated about makeup or skincare by someone who is barely an adolescent. I swear, Sephora needs to start checking IDs before letting in kids who can’t justify why they are buying products only their older sisters should be using. Until then, I am happy to shop for my favorite items online from the comfort of my own, preteen free home.
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OPINION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024
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Bodies without Botox are better which someone can not refrain from thinking about the defects or flaws of their appearance, according to an article published by The Mayo Clinic. Many people with this disorder may seek out numerous cosmetic procedures to try to “fix” their perceived flaws, according to the same article. Afterward, they may feel temporary satisfaction, but unfortunately they often resume searching for other ways to fix their perceived flaws. Botox isn’t something someone simply does once in their life. It’s just like getting your eyebrows waxed once they start to grow out, you feel the need to get them waxed again. Not only will Botox catch up with you in the long run, but it can also cause potential health risks and in some cases even death. I wish I was overreacting, but I’m serious. According to an article by PHOTO ILLUSTRATED BY MAYA BENMOKHTAR | SPARTAN DAILY Scientific Research, a 34-yearold female collapsed at a beauty embrace my cheekbones. Upon Surgeons revealed that there salon soon after receiving a further research, I have learned were 250,000 Botox procedures Botox injection. that my high cheekbones performed on men in the year Although resuscitation was probably work in my favor. 2020. done in the emergency unit, According to a study in Take Micheal Jackson she could not be revived and The Journal of Cosmetic for example, renowned pop succumbed to death. Dermatology, high cheekbones artist, whose career is often I mean . . . is Botox worth are seen as an indicator of high overshadowed by major dying over? estrogen levels in women and a scandals – one of which No fucking way. sign of youthfulness. being his drastic appearance For anyone who needs to Youthfulness and high alteration. hear this: estrogen levels are components From his nose reconstruction, Your lips are perfectly sized. men gravitate toward when lightened skin, unnatural cleft Your nose isn’t too big. seeking a partner, according to chin, and chin implant, to his Your wrinkles are a part of the same study. severe lip augmentation, MJ maturing and growing up. I mean, that is a win for me, I was not bashful when it came to For what it’s worth, I think would be crazy to not take that Botox. you are beautiful just the way as a huge compliment. According to an article you are. And if you think Botox is by CBS News, Jackson was a something only women do, you classic case of body dysmorphic Follow Maya are incredibly wrong. disorder. on Instagram A study conducted by the Body dysmorphic disorder @themayatimes American Society of Plastic is a mental health condition in
Maya Benmokhtar OPINION EDITOR
hardly see individuals with lash extensions, acrylic nails, Brazilian Butt Lifts(BBL), lip fillers, etc. Almost every time I go to my local grocery store, I see one to two people with at least one of the bodily augmentations listed above. Although I’m aware that lash extensions, acrylic nails, and BBLs are not considered botox, they all have one thing in common: they’re not natural. Of course, there are things I wish I could change about myself. I wish my cheekbones weren’t so high. However, never in a million years would I think to go and have a procedure to change that. Instead, I have learned to
CLASSIFIEDS
Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
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1. Ball-catching basket 6. Lessons for the youth 10. Where you may find vaults 14. Like cars or trucks 15. Stable scion 16. Kingly name 17. ___ kebab 18. Hardly the best 20. Pre-wedding activity, for some 22. Foamy quaff 23. General address 24. Uncreative 27. No social butterfly 29. Former capital of Moravia 31. Kirghizian region or its capital 32. Map line, sometimes 34. Tops 35. Veteran carpenter, perhaps 40. Foundations may support them 41. Sleeve band 42. Poet's meadow 43. Bohea and hyson 45. Demands, as payment
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SUDOKU PUZZLE
It turned into a field.
It makes me sad that people feel the need to spend thousands of dollars on body modifications to enhance their self-appearance. The long-term effects of Botulinum neurotoxin (Botox) are clear, just look at Jocelyne Wildenstein – if you aren’t familiar with who that is, open up a search engine on that smartphone, tablet or laptop and Google her, it’s the 21st century. There is also Valeria Lukyanova who is a literal botched Barbie doll and I mean that in the worst way possible. As a Barbie fanatic, I find it horrific. Botox injections are shots that use a toxin to prevent a muscle from moving for a limited time. These shots are often used to smooth wrinkles on the face, according to an article by The Mayo Clinic. I was taught early on to love and cherish all of my natural features. I love my round eye shape, eyebrow arch, and non-overthe-top lips. Growing up in Europe, I feel that natural beauty is more appreciated there than it is here in the United States, but that could also just be my personal experience. For example, when I’m walking around in Paris, I
49. Weapons of old 51. Time of the 90th meridian 52. Kind of tide 53. Pasternak work 57. Fear of all things animal 59. Onions' go-with 60. Burden to bear 61. What F may mean 62. 1989 tennis retiree 63. NE Italy town 64. Match makers 65. Showing some cheek DOWN 1. The Clash said to rock it 2. Become breathless? 3. Deli need 4. John, the musician/TV host 5. Sticky stuff 6. Man with many parts 7. Either of two Nobelwinning physicists 8. Remove nails 9. Muscle injury 10. Its walls withstand pressure 11. Day care center feature
12. Put an end to something? 13. Morn's counterpart 19. James Bond enemy 21. Soft drink unit 25. Mil. institution since 1845 26. "After that . . ." 28. Welcome sights 29. Aaron and Raymond 30. Do boring work 33. Final Four org. 34. Nick and Nora's pooch 35. Collection of outlets 36. Painter's calculation 37. Distinguish oneself 38. Blood's partner 39. Industrial category 43. Part of MIT 44. Bars (law) 46. Doesn't just want 47. Princeton supporters 48. Like Jags 50. Small thicket of trees 51. Industry leaders 54. Shawm's descendant 55. Alice, to Ralph 56. "___ Las Vegas!" 57. Playwright Akins 58. Switch positions
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T A N G O S L I T H I Y A A L O O F C A S A A C E S C A N O F W O R M S Z E T A O R E K I W I H A M B E L L T R A C E D B I G E Y E T H E S T A G E E N Y A F U E G O M O I B A R R E L O F M O N K E Y S O R A S O R T S A R A T P O T A T O E S G R O A N S S W E D E N G R A S H E Y A H A B A B E S A K E B A G O F B O N E S I G O R I V E S L I K E S N O P E N E S T E L A T E
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