NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION’S PINNACLE AWARDS
Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022
Volume 159 No. 10 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
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NEWS ANALYSIS
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGARITA FEDOROVA
Margarita Fedorova, Our City Forest nursery team volunteer coordinator and De Anza College alumna, (right) places the root of a tree into the ground with two other volunteers at the Santa Clara County Office of Education South County Annex, which is about four miles north of San Jose State, on Arbor Day, April 28.
Lack of trees proves harmful to SJ San Jose State and city experts say deficit in canopy coverage causes inequality and climate issues By Alessio Cavalca STAFF WRITER
The intentionality behind trees and canopy coverage in San Jose may go unnoticed to some community members, but experts say the lack of tree cover throughout the city causes socio-economic disparities and has climate change ramifications. In 2007, the City of San Jose adopted its “Green Vision,” which is a 15-year sustainability plan that commited to plant 100,000 trees by this year. “It was a great goal, but it did not have any funding for infrastructure and internal staffing,” said Colin Hayne, San Jose department of transportation public information officer. Hayne said the city has only planted between 15,000 to 20,000 trees, falling extremely short of its goal with the 2022 deadline. The citywide canopy coverage has decreased from 15.3% in 2012 to 13.5% in 2018, according to a June 11 San Jose government news release. The 1.8% gap may not seem like a significant loss, but it translates into 2.7 square miles of tree canopy cover that disappeared, according to the same news release. Hayne said as of this year, the city’s new goal is to reach 20% of citywide canopy coverage. “Canopy coverage is a difficult metric to see immediate improvements on,” said Rick Scott,
San Jose deputy director of the department of transportation. Scott said it takes several years to see the results of canopy coverage because “decisions that have been taken 10 years ago are being reflected now.” In February, San Jose City Councilmembers unanimously approved the Community Forest Management Plan, which is intended to focus the city’s attention on stopping the decreasing trend of tree cover that has been affecting San Jose’s urban forest. The Community Forest Management Plan map, which shows 2018 canopy coverage, illustrates a significant diversity of tree canopy cover among different areas throughout the city. East and South San Jose have a lower canopy coverage compared to West San Jose, according to the 2018 map. Cristina Rampini, San Jose State environmental studies assistant professor, said identifying the problems underlying those inequalities are complex. “It is like a ‘chicken and egg’ situation where you do not know what came first,” Rampini said. She said the city under-invested in certain low-income areas lacking amenities, while more “undesirable” and “polluted” areas were more affordable for “low-income” people. “I would imagine that it is both
because these are the kinds of trends that we see when there is a highly polluting industry,” Rampini said. According to the Community Forest Management Plan, replacing lost canopy takes between 30-to-40 years and the data reports that San Jose will have to add “approximately 40,000 35-foot canopy spread trees to recover 1% of the lost canopy.” Scott said the city is only planting 1,000 to 2,000 trees per year. SJSU sociology professor Scott Myers-Lipton, who is also an advisory board member for the SJSU Human Rights Institute, published a study in 2021 called “Silicon Valley Pain Index,” highlighting the relationship between economic disparities and canopy coverage. The study, which focused on racial discrimination and income wealth inequality, reported the degree difference of the average temperature between different areas of San Jose. Myers-Lipton stated in the study that the temperature difference between the Municipal Rose Garden, a district with higher canopy cover, and East San Jose, where canopy cover deficits, is a significant inequality factor of resident health and life quality. He stated that the Municipal Rose Garden, even if it is located six miles apart from East San Jose, has 3.5 times more tree coverage and 27% less pavement. However, Scott said he feels the city needs more canopy cover. “Everywhere in the city is deficient from our goal of 20% canopy cover,” Scott said. He said there are disparities around the city, but it is hard to pinpoint the nature of the problem. “There are different natural and climatic factors in the city,” Scott said. “To the west you have the Santa Cruz mountains, to the north you have the Bay while the
east side is surrounded by Foothills.” Colin Hayne said even if there are “leafy canopy rich areas,” those areas are still below the 20% goal. Hayne said another important factor of canopy cover diversity in San Jose is the effective space available to plant trees. “If you do not have a strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street there is no space to plant those trees and maintain them,” he said.
The level of urbanization is definitely causing the destruction of all these trees. Tech companies are hiring new employers and it is fundamental for them to have enough space for parking lots, garages and other infrastructures. Jamsheed Mistry SJSU alumnus
Jamsheed Mistry, an SJSU alumnus who is currently researching canopy coverage in San Jose, said the city’s housing crisis and the high levels of urbanization are affecting canopy cover. “The level of urbanization is definitely causing the destruction of all these trees,” Mistry said. “Tech companies are hiring new employers and it is fundamental for them to have enough space for parking lots, garages and other infrastructures.”
He said building houses is critically important, but at the same time, it fails when there is “less space for green.” Margarita Fedorova, Our City Forest nursery team volunteer coordinator and De Anza College alumna, said the city desperately needs trees. Our City Forest is a nonprofit organization focused on urban forestry and environmental education, according to its website. “San Jose has very poor canopy coverage compared to other big cities,” Fedorova said. The recent heat wave increased the temperature in San Jose to 109 degrees on Sept. 6, reaching a historical peak, according to a Sept. 6 article by The Washington Post. “In an urban environment, everything is reflecting heat,” Fedorova said. “Cars, buildings and concrete trap the heat.” Mistry said in addition to the health benefits provided by trees such as more oxygenated air, trees provide shadows that become essential during certain periods of the year that are known to have heat waves. Hayne said planting trees is the “easy part” of the job as it is possible to find money and labor, but the real problem is to maintain those trees as the first three years of tree life are “extremely important.” SJSU environmental studies professor Rachel O’Malley said most planted trees don’t survive and it’s “meaningless” to plant new ones if the city can’t maintain them. O’Malley said preserving the already-existing trees should be more important than planting new ones. “It is a vicious cycle,” she said. “We cut trees, the temperature increases, lands get more dry and it will be harder to plant new trees.”
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14, 2022
Growth-based art fair unifies SJ community Story and Photos By Bryanna Bartlett PRODUCTION EDITOR
More than 1,800 Bay Area community members visited the San Jose Women’s Club, a block from San Jose State, on Saturday and Sunday for a growth-minded event that featured a plethora of small businesses, vendors and artists. The “We Go As Far As We Grow” event was put on by the San Jose Women’s Club and San Jose Made, a local organization that establishes spaces for retail, craft and small businesses to help grow their works and bring the community together, according to its website. The San Jose Women’s Club is one of California’s oldest women’s organizations and is a membership-based groip that combines voluntary work and self-improvement, according to its website. Kevin Biggers, San Jose Made member and event organizer, said the organization wanted to build on the event from 2021, and he thinks it did exactly that. “We hadn’t seen a lot of the vendors in
a while [because of the coronavirus pandemic] and so this was kind of our first big event,” Biggers said Sunday afternoon during the event. “We were going through a lot, I guess collectively, and we still are, but we’re going through it as a community. So we wanted to put this on while being more intentional.” He said the event was mental health and growth focused in response to the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We Go As Far As We Grow” featured more than 40 vendors including makers and artists, who showcased their small businesses at the fair. The event also included an original art show featuring hand-painted terra cotta planters. Biggers said as opposed to free admission last year, there was a five-dollar entrance fee and 80% of those proceeds will be donated to nonprofits and groups.
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Above: San Jose resident Adrianne Reed holds up her artwork depicting Black jazz musicians at her table in the San Jose Women’s Club on Sunday afternoon. Reed sells her art through her small business, Reed Artistry.
Middle center: Milpitas resident Giao Nguyen (left) smiles for a photo taken by her friend Lynn Tran in front of the “We Go As Far As We Grow” photo backdrop.
Bottom center: Lan Nguyen reaches for a cold brew by event vendor Academic Coffee Co., which is located two blocks southwest of San Jose State, that he bought from the kitchen area of the San Jose Women’s Club. Attendees could also buy cookies from Christine’s Cookie Co., a local food vendor.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14, 2022
Left: Redwood City resident Jonas Sung (left) talks to artist Alyssa Wigant by her booth. Wigant hand-letters her artwork and also created a zine of more than 10 pages that were offered for free upon entrance to the first 500 attendees on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Below right: The booth of Peedy Arts, a local small business, showcases hand-made ceramic goods. Bottom right: San Francisco resident Kyleah Geonzon checks out jewelry at one of the pop-up tables in the San Jose Women’s Club.
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14, 2022
Electric cars won’t solve climate crisis alone
STAFF WRITER
As climate change has become an increasingly important issue, it is easy to see why Californian politicians are trying to make the change to emission-free vehicles. California legislators unanimously passed a policy on Aug. 25 that will fully ban the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2035. However, the policy comes with caveats that may hinder the state and results could be disastrous if not kept in check. The move was put in place just days before multiple Californian cities had their hottest days on record and electric vehicle (EV) owners were asked via a Flex Alert not to charge their cars during peak energy hours according to a Sept. 2 CBS Los Angeles article. In major cities across the state, residents narrowly avoided rolling blackouts caused by intense air conditioning uses, according to a Sept. 7 CBS News article. Statewide, California’s power grid struggled to maintain energy levels during peak hours, even with calls from notices calling for its residents to reduce their electricity usages. The energy usage from EVs is already astronomically high. Combined with steadily increasing demand for air conditioning and the need for more EV charging stations, California’s power grid will only continue to become further strained, according to a Feb. 4 Los Angeles Times article. As it stands, the state of our power grid is unacceptable. If the relatively small amount of plug-in vehicles can cause issues, what will it be like when every new car bought needs to be charged as well? This is combined with the fact that the state currently has around 80 thousand public EV chargers, according to the Governor’s Office of
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Business and Economic Development “Plug-in Electric Vehicle Charging Station Readiness” webpage. In another report by the California Energy Commision, the state requires 1.2 million more electric chargers by 2030, according to their website. That issue is compounded with current electric cars requiring materials of which the world is quickly losing. The need for Lithium has surged in recent years and demand is outrunning supply. Lithium is an incredibly important resource, which is used in a vast array of electronics such as cellphones and computers. If the world were to run out, where a sufficient alternative is not found, it could doom a significant amount of technological infrastructure worldwide. European climate group Transport ILLUSTRATION BY CAROLYN BROWN; SOURCE: AUG. 25 VOX ARTICLE and Environment, a non-governmental environmental committee, estimates that there is only enough lithium in the world to mental health challenges.” superchargers and solar panel installations. make 14 million cars, according to a May 3 In our efforts to improve emissions, the Yet it is almost certain that EVs are the Reuters article. cost has become an incredible amount of future of personal transportation, according to an Oct. 4 2021 Forbes article. An increasing number of auto manufacturers, including General Motors, Volvo, Volkswagen and Nissan are planning to shift their lineups to all electric models As it stands, the state of our power grid is by 2030. unacceptable. If the relatively small amount of Even those who have the means to buy an electric car may not have a garage or don’t plug-in vehicles can cause issues, what will it live in a place that has charging stations. be like when every new car bought needs to be EVs are simply not widely adopted and supported as they need to be. Accessibility charged as well? needs to improve by a large margin for combustion-powered cars to no longer be the best option for consumers. Cobalt is another precious metal that is human suffering, and the disruption of an Climate change will not slow down or stop required for the production of EVs. Most of entire nation’s economy. on its own. As California continues to get the world’s cobalt comes from mines in the Plug-in EVs accounted for only 2% of all car hotter and dryer every year, it is crucial that we Democratic Republic of Congo, which are sales in 2021 in the U.S., according to the Pew move beyond the reliance of fossil fuels. rife with poor working conditions and child Research Center. EVs are a great stepping stone toward labor, according to a Dec. 18, 2019 CNN If the electric car industry wants to succeed, ensuring climate change becomes under our article. it needs to reduce prices significantly and the control, but without great improvements of Though EVs are cleaner than their gas- availability of the cars must extend beyond EV design and the ways we access electricity, guzzling counterparts, the way they are made metropolitan areas and single-family homes. our trajectory toward demise will remain. is less than eco-friendly. Meanwhile, if alternatives to combustion A study from Northwestern University engine vehicles don’t become widespread, concluded that the exploitation of Cobalt has people in sparsely populated and rural areas Follow the Spartan Daily led to “increases in violence, substance abuse, would be negatively affected. Not everybody on Twitter @SpartanDaily food and water insecurity, and physical and has the money available to invest in their own
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14, 2022
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SJSU CLUB WATER POLO
PHOTOS BY KYLE TRAN | SPARTAN DAILY
Above: San Jose State kinesiology junior Katarina Capulong (left), kinesiology freshman Kasey Coughlin (middle) and Jade Moya, biological sciences and systems physiology freshman, warm up during practice on Sept. 7 at the Spartan
Recreation and Aquatic Center. The three joined the SJSU club men’s water polo this fall because the club women’s team dissolved because of low numbers. Below: Coughlin swims to condition. Bottom: Moya looks to pass the ball.
Women make splash on men’s team By Vanessa Tran STAFF WRITER
San Jose State kinesiology freshman Kasey Coughlin, has been playing water polo since she was five and began playing competitively with the American River Water Polo Club at nine years old. Throughout her high school years, Coughlin competed in the U.S. Junior Olympics and said she had no plans of stopping there. As there is no longer a women’s club water polo team at SJSU because of low roster numbers, she reached out to the men’s team. Coughlin isn’t the only one. Two other women joined the men’s club team this fall as the club league is coed. “I mean, to me, it makes no difference whether I play on girls or guys [team],” Coughlin said. She said although she was really nervous going to the first practice on Aug. 29, the men were welcoming. “I think they enjoy having some girls, you know, because not in a weird way, but it balances out some testosterone and competitiveness, you know?” she said. Kinesiology junior Katarina Capulong said she was also nervous but immediately clicked with the other girls. Meanwhile, the men were sweet and supportive. “If we missed a shot, they’re [men] like, ‘It’s okay, you’re doing great as long as you show up every day,’” Capulong said. She said she’s excited to be in an environment where winning or losing doesn’t matter and the team’s goal is to only have fun. Coughlin said it has only been
three weeks since the team started practicing but she’s looking forward to continuing competing against men, which is something she’s never done before. “Especially in college, it’s a very different game and environment,” Coughlin said. “Guys play way differently than girls do so I’m excited to get a taste of that.” Aside from competing, Coughlin is able to meet new people and have fun.
I think they enjoy having some girls, you know, because not in a weird way, but it balances out some testosterone and competitiveness, you know? Kasey Coughlin
kinesiology freshman
Jade Moya, biological sciences and systems physiology freshman said playing with Coughlin and Capulong feels like she’s with her sisters. “It just feels like we have a bunch of big brothers that are here to help us throughout this experience,” Moya said. She said taking 15 units this semester has been stressing her out, but having her space on the water polo team is her relief. “For me, it’s my therapy, so I get a lot of my anger out in the pool,” Moya said. Brian Tsui, who is in his second
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EDITORIAL STAFF
The Spartan Daily prides itself on being the San Jose 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 Jose 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 BOJANA CVIJIC MANAGING EDITOR NATHAN CANILAO ASSOCIATE EDITOR SAUMYA MONGA PRODUCTION EDITOR BRYANNA BARTLETT A&E EDITOR SAM DIETZ
year of coaching the club men’s water polo team, said he’s happy to have the girls contribute to the team and improve their abilities. “I think that it’d be really great if the girls had a club water polo team, but with the fact that they don’t have enough players this year, we’re glad to have them,” Tsui said. Tsui said he aims to bring unity to the team this year and ensure a supportive and positive environment. Senior men’s club player Adam Thomas said although the three girls know the differences between men’s and women’s water polo, it hasn’t stopped them from coming out to every practice. “They’ve just come out every single day just giving their best effort and that’s all I can really ask for,” Thomas said. He said the sport can look scary but it’s because it’s a physical
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR ASIA TUGBENYOH PHOTO EDITOR TRAVIS WYNN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS HANA GARCIA COPY EDITORS CHRISTINE STEVENS CHRISTOPHER NGUYEN
OPINION EDITOR CAROLYN BROWN
GRAPHICS EDITORS HANNAH GREGORIC JOVANNA OLIVARES KATIA KASOWER FRIDA RODRIGUEZ
SPORTS EDITOR KYLE TRAN
SENIOR STAFF WRITERS MATT WEINER
STAFF WRITERS NICK ZAMORA VANESSA TRAN JEREMY MARTIN ALESSIO CAVALCA ADRIAN PEREDA RAINIER DE FORT-MENARES MYENN RAHNOMA SHRUTHI LAKSHMANAN ALEXIA FREDERICKSON BRANDON TWOMEY PRODUCTION CHIEF MIKE CORPOS NEWS ADVISER RICHARD CRAIG
sport with no malice intentions. “If you’re just wanting to come play, we’re very open to accepting new people. Whether you have a lot of experience or no experience, you know, we will accept you and teach you along the way,” Thomas said. Thomas said he hopes the team can start off strong
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with their first competitions on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. “Even if we start down early, we just finish strong. That’s all I can really ask for even if we do lose. I just want us to finish strong,” he said. Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @spartandaily
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