C I T Y C O L L E G E O F S A N F R A N C I S C O ’ S N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 3 5
Volume 152, Issue 5
TheGuardsman.com
October 19 - November 2, 2011
Nov 8 - Change for San Francisco Special Full Color Election Issue Every proposition, every candidate, and why you should care - all inside.
Inside the election issue:
DUELING RETIREMENT BENEFITS
Page 3
CANDIDATES TALK SF ART
Page 9
CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
THE BEST CANDIDATES FOR CCSF
Page 6 - 7
Chinatown subway panned Ex-Chancellor Philip R. Day pleads guilty By Lulu Orozco THE GUARDSMAN
A handful of small businesses and many residents along the Stockton Street corridor through Chinatown will be forced to relocate by the end of the month due to the city’s new plan to extend the MUNI T-Third Line. The Central Subway Project has surprisingly become one of the more conscientious topics affecting the mayoral race. The project intends to provide
the densely populated Chinatown with a light-rail service. The new construction will continue the T Line from a new 4th and Brannan Street station, to where it will then travel underground for 1.3 miles, and link to citywide destinations at Union Square, Moscone Convention Center, SoMa, Yerba Buena and AT&T Park. Locals in Chinatown have mixed feelings about the new line of transportation, because many are being displaced by the new construction project.
SUBWAY: Page 2
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
This busy stretch of Stockton St. between Stocton and Clay will be demolished for the building of the Chinatown subway. Businesses and residents must vacate, which has left many divided, Oct. 11, 2011, Chinatown.
By Matthew Gomez THE GUARDSMAN
Former City College Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. recently pleaded guilty to three felony counts of misappropriating public funds, charges that were brought against him in 2009 by thenDistrict Attorney Kamala Harris. These charges all stem from the breaking of California Education Code 7054, said Stephanie Ong Stillman, communications director at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. The code prohibits community college funds from being used to support or defeat ballot measures. The first charge of misappropriating public funds related to an incident in 2001, when Day diverted a $50,000 signing bonus from a vending contract between City College and Pepsi Co. to the 2001 San Francisco bond campaign committee. The campaign was in support of the $195 million Proposition A Education Facilities Improvement bond measure that San Francisco voters approved later that year. Four years later a food vendor,
The Bean Scene, contracted with City College. They paid a signing bonus of $20,000 and that money was diverted to the 2005 Committee to Support Our City College. This committee, whose treasurer and assistant treasurer were both City College administrators, campaigned in support of a second Prop A bond measure intended to raise $246.3 million for construction projects on City College campuses. Then in 2006 another $28,000 was diverted from a Pepsi Co. contract according to a previous report in The Guardsman. Using a private charity as an intermediary, the money was sent to a campaign supporting a state bond measure intended to raise money for the Community College System. These charges of misappropriating public funds were just a few of a slew of indictments made in 2009 against Day, and two other former City College administrators. These indictments included counts of conspiracy, concealing an account of public money, grand theft, making a political contribution in the name of
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY CURRENTS
Former Chancellor Philip Day Jr.
another and three counts of using college funds to support a political campaign. Day, 65, who waged a legal battle for three years against the charges now faces a court fine of $30,000. Stephen Herman, 63, the former Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services, also pleaded guilty to involvement in two of those felony cases of misappropriating public funds. He owes the court $20,000 in fines. Both Day and Herman will be email: mgomez@theguardsman.com
2 | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
NEWS
SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE
Prop A
Over 50 SFUSD schools to finish repairs if ballot initiative passes By Peter Hernandez THE GUARDSMAN
Passing Proposition A would allow the city to issue a $531 million citizen bond to complete the last of its upgrades to the San Francisco Unified School District. Since 2003 cafeterias, classrooms and offices have been revamped in 89 of 140 schools using funds from the previous two Prop A bonds, a $295 million bond from 2003 and a $450 million bond from 2006, The final bond, which would cost property owners up to $21 for every $100,000 of assessed value, would complete the work of seismically retrofitting, providing handicapped accessibility and creating state-of-the-art facilities for the SFUSD’s nearly 60,000 preschool through high school students. While students are benefiting from new computers and electronics, they’re also enjoying eco-friendly improvements like rainwater collection and schoolyards with gardens. Galileo High School and Washington High School now have professional football fields, while other schools like Cobb Elementary are enjoying entire makeovers. “I can’t believe how beautiful the school is,” said Yvette Fagan, a teacher at Cobb Elementary.
PROP A QUICK FACTS
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
A construction worker does some finishing touches to a modernization project at Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School on Oct. 13, 2011. They were able to upgrade while also restoring this building built in 1923, keeping it’s original arches and giving faculty a choice in the colors. Neighbors of the school have commented to principalw Matthew Hartford how much they enjoy the improvements.
Fagan’s once classroom featured peeling paint, poor flooring and an antique green chalkboard that turned black after nearly a century of use. Now green tiles adorn the hallways and playgrounds have been repainted, creating a “modern” environment that administrators praise as inviting a greater
$531 MILLION
sense of community and pride for their school. District administrators say modernity leads to better academic performance and a more uplifting environment. “Fifth graders have become role models to the little kids,” said Fagan. “At the end of lunch, all the kids come together to pick up trash.”
Amount bond would give SFUSD for school repairs and modernizations.
A new middle school in the Silver Terrace district will be constructed on land designated to replace Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. And aging schools like historic Cesar Chavez Elementary will have upgraded security systems to monitor children wandering near doorways, greater wireless connectivity,
$21
Amount home owners would pay out of every $100,000 of assessed home value.
improved accessibility for mothers with strollers, and the replacement of missing ceiling tiles and soiled rugs. “It’s a beautiful, wonderful school, but it’s an ancient school,” said Catalina Rico, principal of Cesar Chavez Elementary. The project on a grander scope hasn’t been particularly splashy or heavily noted. “It’s been a quiet story,” said Deputy Superintendent Myong Leigh, of the little attention given to the project. “But the breadth of the improvement has been a massive effort.” “When buildings aren’t renovated, they show their age. If you have a depressing environment, it’ll show,” said Leigh. With test scores increasing, achievements gaps narrowing and applications increasing, the district is optimistic of the effects such upgrades will have on their current and prospective students. The massive redevelopment of the school district aims to attract families to a city that has experienced a decline in families since the 1960’s. “There is more curb appeal. The impression is a game-changer. It makes public schooling an attractive option,” said Leigh. email:phernandez@theguardsman.com
60,000
Number of K-12 students that would benefit from the bond in San Francisco.
Chinatown Central Subway: loved and hated by residents SUBWAY: Continued from front
“It’s a waste of money, we don’t need that here,” said Raymond Hong, Chinatown native and business owner. “If they start construction it affects my business too, it’s not fair.” Hong’s photography studio has been on the corner of Stockton Street and Clay Street for 16 years. Most of the businesses in the area are family owned. Down the street from Hong’s photography studio, rows of empty businesses line the neighborhood, with signs posted on lifeless windows informing patrons they’ve moved. “I want to stay on this street, but if the city can’t find us a new place for the business everyone here is going to lose their job,” said Howard Hong, owner of La Vii Beauty Salon. The effort to relocate displaced, low-income
Muni bus 30 transist through Chinatown’s busy Stockton street, Apr. 26, 2008.
residents cannot escape criti$1.6 billion cism. Malcolm Yeung , Public dollars is the Policy Manager at the Chinatotal cost of the town Community Development Central Subway Center, said the organization Project at current made it a point to support the There will be an estiestimates. This is plan only if low-income resimated 12,000 boardtriple the initial dents displaced by the construcings per mile on the proposed cost of the project, which tion were not negatively impactnew extended T-third was $647 million in 2003. ed, according to a report in The st. line by 2030, curExaminer. rent project estimates The CCDC, one of the few say. low-income housing developers There will be four in the neighborhood, is getting an $8 million grant new stations built To put that in context, from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation for the Central Subthe crowded N-Judah Agency to help subsidize a $32 million developway Project: one at line gets 7,000 boardment project for permanent affordable housing at Union Square, 4th ings per mile on any Sansome Street and Broadway. and Brannan, the Moscone given weekday. The grant would help house the 19 famiCenter and Chinatown lies whose homes would be demolished by the itself. Central Subway Project. The Federal Transit Administration agreed The project’s construction cost started at $647 million in to pay for 42 months of temporary housing for the affected 2003, but has escalated to almost triple that amount at $1.6 residents of Chinatown. billion today. According to Central Subway proponents Chinatown The construction process will use a new form of tunnel will become more accessible to the further regions of the technology called deep tunneling, which allows most work city. The new line would eventually carry 78,000 passengers to be done below ground reducing surface disruption. between the years 2018 and 2030. “Who wants to sit underground to see the city,” Raymond “The new line is going to add more foot traffic to all the Hong said. “That’s why we have the city buses, so that we can small businesses,” said Donald Li, family business owner in see what’s going on.” Chinatown. “We won’t know the long term effects until it email: gorozco@theguardsman.com happens.” MUNI Light Rail carries an averages 686,000 daily riders.
$1.6 bil
12,000
4
BACKGROUND IMAGE BY CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | 3
News: Special Election Issue Props C and D
San Francisco retirement plans duel for votes By Brian Rinker THE GUARDSMAN
The reform of city employee pensions is a hot button issue for the upcoming election with battling propositions on the ballot. Proposition C, crafted by local unions and interim Mayor Ed Lee, was approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors. Proposition D was written by public defender and mayoral candidate Jeff Adachi. Both propositions promise to save the city a billion dollars over the next ten years by requiring city workers to pay more into their pensions while the city pays less. Prop C adjusts city workers’ contribution rates based on the health of the economy, while Prop D just increases contribution rates. Adachi is using Prop D to spearhead his mayoral campaign. He says that the city is in a budget crisis and city employees’ pensions are costing more than the city can afford. His plan claims to be able to save the city $400 million more than Prop C would. Both measures also attempt to end “pension spiking,” in which workers are promoted to higher pay grades just before they retire in order to bump up their pensions payouts. Prop C requires workers to be at a particular pay grade for at least three years before being eligible for higher payouts while
Prop D requires five years. Many favor Prop C because of the inclusive process by which it was crafted. Prop D however was crafted mostly by Adachi and is backed by rich Republicans Michael Moritz and George Hume, who have financially backed other attacks on public sector workers across the nation, including Wisconsin’s fight to strip collective bargaining rights from teachers. Hume and Moritz have contributed over $450,000 to the Prop D campaign. “Adachi jumped on the antiunion band wagon and hooked up with a couple of billionaires,” said Bill Shields, chair of labor and community studies at City College. Shields and many others agree that Adachi is a great public defender and at one time he was considered quite liberal, but for an unknown reason he jumped ship. “He’s tilted way to the right,” Shields said and stressed that if Prop D passes unions will be on the warpath. Many opponents of Prop D consider the measure illegal and if it does pass there could be a legal battle. Prop D is part of the Republican attack on public sector rights, said Shields. The unions support Prop C because they helped craft it, but also because if they don’t, Prop D or something similar
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
The San Franciso Fire Department battles a blaze on Capp St and 20th in the Mission District on May 13, 2011. Firefighters are among many city employees that would be affected by pension reform.
could pass and threaten public sector rights to an even greater degree. “We’d rather have a negotiated sacrifice rather than an imposed sacrifice,” said Shields. “We understand the incredible shortfall in the city budget,” said Alisa Messer, president of the City College chapter of American Federation of Teachers, Local 2121. “But at the same time, we know it’s not the public workers fault the economy crashed. We should be able to retire with some security.” Shields and Messer both agree that taxing the working class will not save the economy. What
would help is if corporations were held accountable for their actions and forced pay their fair share of taxes. Prop C also includes healthcare reform, which when combined with pension reform could save the city more money than Adachi’s plan. City College’s classified staff, who are part of the city’s civil service system, would be affected by by both pension reform and healthcare reform. Their union, Service Employees International Union Local 1021, supports Prop C. Classified staff at the college include all support personnel, from custodians to police officers to office workers to
counselors. College faculty however are not part of the city’s pension system, though they would be affected by healthcare reform. Nevertheless they have not taken position for or against Prop C. Both propositions require 50 percent voter approval plus one vote to pass. If both should pass, the proposition with the most votes would be approved. For a more detailed account of the measures check out the voter’s guide or visit: http://www. smartvoter.org/2011/11/08/ca/sf/ ballot.html#LocalPropositions email: brinker@theguardsman.com
Prop G
THE GUARDSMAN
Public safety, services and programs for seniors and children may stand to benefit from an increase in funding should Proposition G receive voter approval during the next San Francisco Consolidated Municipal Election to be held on Tuesday Nov. 8, 2011. The passing of Prop G, which requires a two-thirds majority vote, would raise San Francisco’s sales tax rate to 9 percent beginning in April 2012. This halfcent sales tax hike would result in about a gain of about $60 million
annually for the city. Those in favor of Prop G say that it will better allow the city to fund critical services such as community policing, fire and emergency services, police training, in-home support services for seniors, and healthcare for seniors and working families. A voter guide argument in favor of Prop G, signed by a San Francisco police officer, a firefighter and an in-home supportive services care provider, claims that it “would ensure that our cops and firefighters can protect our neighborhoods in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster. There is no time more crucial than now to preserve
our vital public safety and social services which directly benefit San Francisco seniors and working families.” The rebuttal against Prop G which is supported by the San Francisco Republican Party, argues that “A time of high unemployment with many San Francisco families struggling to make ends meet is not the time to increase taxes. The city already has a $6.8 billion budget … The projected $60 million in annual revenue from this regressive tax will not alleviate the city’s chronic budget problems. It’s time that our elected officials learn to live within our means.”
email: slauer@theguardsman.com email: ashoriak@theguardsman.com
“I personally don’t think that it’ll impact tourism in any way because most of our tourists are European, and they really not really paying attention to our sales tax... As far as local people go, I think that it could affect how many times they come to our store... they come in here every day, and we just raised the prices, so if we raise it again for a sales tax, it could affect our sales, ultimately, yeah.”
THE GUARDSMAN
E
Prop. F would make technical changes to the regulations of political consultants and give power to their overseers, the Ethics Commission, to make future changes in regulation technicalities without a ballot approval. The proposition would require consultants to register themselves if they make over $5,000 annually, a change from the current $1,000, and to file monthly reports. Arguments of the proposition mirror those of Proposition E. Opponents argue that it gives too much power to the Ethics Commission to change policies, and supporters argue that the process would be much smoother without having to produce a ballot measure for each technicality change.
B
for an annual income dedicated to road maintenance. Supporters argue the maintenance of the streets are inadequate, and if passed the bond would provide repairs that would last for up to 30 years. Voters have failed to pass similar propositions in recent years. In 2009, a $368 million proposal failed to appear on the polls due to little public support.
Prop E would allow the Board of Supervisiors and the Mayor power to modify or rescind voter-approved ballot measures after three years. Currently, anything voters approve on a ballot can be altered in the slightest only if voters approve again. Supervisor Scott Wiener who placed the proposition on the ballot said, “Once voters pass legislation it’s effectively frozen in time.” If passed, the board could make changes as they see fit without waiting for voter’s approval, potentially smoothing the process of government. Opponents argue the proposition gives too much power to city leaders, and that it’s important in a democracy for the people to have their say. Prop B would deploy $248 million to improving city streets, sidewalks, curbs, lighting, traffic signals and infrastructure. A two-thirds vote is required to pass the bond measure. The City has spent $200 million over the past five years on maintenance projects from various funds, including the federal stimulus. An argument exists
PROP
Chase Partridge, a Shift Supervisor at the Powell & O’Farrell Starbucks (Photo Below)
By Jonathan Bechtol
PHOTOS BY EZRA EKMAN / THE GUARDSMAN
Andrew Campbell pays for his beverages on Oct. 16, 2011 at the Starbucks on Powell and O'Farrell Streets.
F
PROP
By Saidy Lauer and Anna Shoriak
Props E, F, B fix laws and potholes PROP
Supes raise sales tax to 9 percent
4 | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
News: Special Election Issue
Mayoral candidates on City College issues
&
San Francisco’s 2011 Mayoral race is a crowded one this year, with many major candidates on the ballot. The Guardsman will be interviewing new candidates each issue in order to get to the heart of issues concerning you, our City College readers.
Ed Lee
By Valerie Demicheva THE GUARDSMAN
MATT LAMBERT / THE GUARDSMAN
Israel J. Taylor visits the polls in City Hall Tuesday afternoon, to cast his vote on the first day of early voting on Oct. 11, 2011, in San Francisco. “I think it’s important to initiate certain changes within City government,” Taylor said.
Answers for voters uncertain of registration status
Early voting, late requests, and changes in address - no problem By Catherine Lee For voters who really want to cast that winning vote for the next superstar mayor of San Francisco,
but think they might not be eligible to vote, there are many ways to cast a “provisional” or special ballot. While it takes extra effort to vote, it’s worth using these tools to get your ballot counted.
WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
HERE’S YOUR SOLUTION
THE GUARDSMAN
You registered to vote in San Francisco, then moved within the city and county and forgot to re-register at your new address.
Cast a “provisional” at City Hall beginning Oct. 11 until election day, or at any polling station on election day. Provisional ballots are the dexterous solution to many issues raised by San Francisco voters (address, name or party affiliation change, lost ID, etc.)
It would be so much convenient for you to vote at the polling place near your work or school.
Cast a “provisional” ballot at any polling station on election day.
You are registered to vote in San Francisco but with your crazy work and school schedule there’s no way you can make it to any polling place on election day.
City Hall is open for early voting starting Oct. 11, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Weekend voting is also an option on two weekends: Oct. 29 and 30, and Nov. 5 and 6.
You are a student, registered to vote in San Francisco, but attending school out of state.
The Vote-by-Mail request deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7 days after the Oct. 24 voter registration deadline. You can request a vote-by-mail ballot to be sent to your current address anywhere in the country. You can make the request by mail or with an online request form.
You moved permanently to another county or state, but you heart really belongs to San Francisco so you never re-registered at your new address.
Use vote-by-mail. Anyone who has ever registered to vote in California, and has not yet re-registered in another county or state, is still eligible to vote in the last county registered.
You filled out a voter registration card somewhere but you never received a sample ballot or polling information.
Cast a provisional ballot at City Hall and they’ll sort out your pending registration. You can even complete a new voter registration form and vote at the same time.
Ed Lee was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve out the remainder of former Mayor Gavin Newsom’s term this past January, after he left office to become Lieutenant Governor of California. Lee originally pledged not to run for office at the time of his appointment, but decided later to join the race. Lee has worked for the City of San Francisco for 22 years as an investigator for the City’s first Whistle Blower’s Ordinance, Human Rights Commission Director, City Purchaser, Director of the Department of Public Works, and City Administrator. How can City College help implement your Mid-Career Job Training Program? We have a lot of people that are underemployed, and they’re kind of in their mid-careers. We talked to the tech companies and they would like to set up apprenticeship programs with City College to train the skill sets that are needed in the new economy. We want technology and the life sciences to create internship and apprenticeship programs for people to work their way into these very good paying jobs. The first three big ones that want to come in and help us do this are Twitter, Zynga and Salesforce. Why did you approve only $250,000 of the $2.1 million dollars requested by City College in this year’s budget? The Board of Supervisors and the mayor have to agree on the amount. What I think the amount may have reflected is we probably didn’t have enough money to spread out. I think if we work out this mid-career program there is
BONNIE EVA CHAN / THE GUARDSMAN
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee speaks with Guardsman’s reporter Valerie Demicheva at his campaign office on Oct. 7, 2011.
a possibility that we can augment the 250k with private dollars because technology companies would like to fund this. So we can create more money for City College with that idea because our budget is decreasing as well. State contributions will be the same. What is the purpose of the City College Select Committee, and who do you envision on the Committee? I think that the Select Committee is a good idea and I think that we should hire people who want to grow ideas like linking community college students to new jobs. I think just graduating from City College without direction as to where new jobs will be, will leave people hanging. So similar to high schools students, we need to direct CCSF students to all the new jobs in the Bay Area. We still have a very strong tourism industry. But I think the Biology, Life Sciences, green tech companies, along with the growing health care industry are the areas we can really be more ready for. What will you do to keep
young families in San Francisco? I’m a big proponent of building more affordable housing. We still need more. We also need that affordable housing to be a little larger than studios. I think what we’re trying to do in the development and designs of Hunters’ Point, Park Merced, and Treasure Island, is make larger units. Family oriented units where people can have a sustainable living space. And we’re going to be pushing for more affordable family housing units just like we did on Broadway. How do you plan to help small businesses? I’ve unveiled a 17-point program for job creation and economic growth. Several of the ideas have really been resonating with small businesses. One point is creating a jobs squad. Rather than working in the office and waiting for people to come in and complain, people from the mayor’s office of economic development, work with landlords and residents to see where the vacancies are and try to match up businesses to go into those vacancies and be proactive. email: vdemicheva@theguardsman.com
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The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | 5
News: Special Election Issue
SPECIAL ELECTION OP-EDS The Guardsman Editorial
David Onek right for D.A. job
Endorsement: John Avalos for Mayor
When it comes to the values that we at The Guardsman feel represent City College of San Francisco- support of public education, local hiring, labor rights, tenant’s rights, affordable healthcare, and better public transit - only one candidate could fit the bill on all accounts: John Avalos. A social worker who is married to a school teacher, he is a product of a community college education, and is putting his own children through public schools. He puts his money where his mouth is by making public education a clear choice. Avalos is a strong advocate for the 99 percent, having shown his support for the Occupy SF movement by speaking at the event and on national television with Keith Olbermann. As supervisor of District 11, which includes City College, he has been in step with the college Board of Trustee’s mandate for more local hiring in San Francisco construction, which calls for 40 percent of construction hires to be San Francisco residents. As the Chinatown campus takes shape, that means a significant number of jobs guaranteed for the citizens of San Francisco. Avalos also has some of the most concrete plans for MUNI reform of any of the candidates,
Ex- SFPD chief George Gascon would be ineffective District Attorney due to police ties By Kevin Brown THE GUARDSMAN
including regional funding, which recognizes that every day thousands of people from the East and South Bay use the mostly San Francisco-funded MUNI to commute to and from work. He also backed SF supervisor David Campos’ legislation to close a damning loophole in the Healthy San Francisco reimbursement program. Campos’ legislation would allow thousands of working citizens access to healthcare funds that businesses have been pocketing at every opportunity. Most importantly, Avalos has gone on record in an interview with The Guardsman with his support of a parcel tax to aid the college even as Sacramento continues to cut the legs out from beneath us. His passion for San Francisco, public education, and working class citizens makes John Avalos the clear candidate of choice as a mayor who will support our college and the people it serves. email: editor@theguardsman.com
About our endorsement:
City College of San Francisco’s The Guardsman is the voice of the student body of San Francisco. The editorial staff came to our endorsement decision through strong research into the issues that concern our fellow students, aligned with our years of experience in covering stories close to them. The Guardsman is run entirely by students, and is not directly affiliated with AFT 2121 or SEIU 1021, the City College Board of Trustees or the Associated Student Council.
Of the five candidates running for San Francisco District Attorney, the top two contenders David Onek and George Gascòn have absolutely no court experience, which is interesting considering that the DA is responsible for deciding which cases are seen in court and for the prosecution of such cases. This makes a bit more sense however when you take into account that incumbent Gascòn was never voted into office but was promoted from police chief to DA by ex-mayor Gavin Newsom in an ethically questionable political move. Onek’s background Although neither candidate has any court experience, Onek would be a much more effective DA for San Francisco. He’s more progressive and passionate about completely reforming the state’s failing criminal justice system. “California’s criminal justice system is broken,” Onek said. “Not bent, not strained, not in need of a little attention but utterly broken.” Onek will work hard to bring together all organizations involved in the legal system in order to cooperatively identify, address and correct the justice system’s many flaws. He successfully facilitated this type of communication while on San Francisco’s Police Commis-
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News:
sion when he helped convicts procure employment upon release by bringing together law enforcement, prison guards union, prisoner outreach organizations and potential parolee employers. “Collectively,” he said, “we developed a set of recommendations to improve job opportunities for people leaving prison, and the results of our meetings were mutually beneficial to all parties involved.” Having been raised in a political family in Washington, D.C., Onek spent weekends in the White House with his dad who worked for President Carter and Senator Ted Kennedy. After attending Brown and Stanford Law School he worked with the Haywood Burns Institute in San Francisco, which focuses on juvenile racial issues. Juvenile law a priority Unlike most law professionals who consider juvenile law to be inferior to the actual justice system, almost an afterthought, Onek continues to be passionate about helping at-risk youth avoid future legal troubles and prioritizes juvenile justice reform as a way to fix the problems in the entire justice system. “We can fix the adult correctional system by fixing the issues within the juvenile system that ineffectively deter future criminal activity,” Onek said. “Most people in the adult correctional system went through the juvenile system and it obviously didn’t work
because they’re still involved in crime.” He has always been strongly anti-death penalty and is adamant about modifying California’s “three strikes” law to focus only on violent offenders. Gascon’s baggage Gascòn might have been a good police chief, but shouldn’t continue to be DA due to his connections to the police force, which will inevitably create unacceptable conflicts of interest. This has already impeded his performance as DA when earlier this year he had to turn over investigations of the Henry Hotel scandal to the federal government because his involvement with the SFPD made it impossible for him to do his job. Otherwise, Gascòn hasn’t exactly been a bad DA thus far. A Cuban exile, he has shown compassion on immigration issues throughout his career. After many years, he has finally come around to opposing the death penalty. However, Onek would be much better suited for this position since San Francisco needs a progressive DA who will be able to investigate the police force without running to the feds. Ultimately, the deal breaker for Gascòn are his police affiliations, which can’t be stressed enough, make his legitimacy as DA impossible. email: kbrown@theguardsman.com
Bomb scare at Mission campus By Brian Rinker THE GUARDSMAN
ing her teacher that everyone might need to evacuate. The teacher returned a moment later and acted as if nothing happened. Twenty minutes later, at 8:45 pm, the same officer returned and told everyone to evacuate. An officer escorted Azulay’s class to the lobby. While in the elevator he broke the news of a possible bomb threat. The entire campus was evacuated and the perimeter secured. Two hours later the bomb squad secured the packages, which turned out to be harmless. No other packages were found on any other campuses.
A bomb scare caused the evacuation of the Mission campus on Tuesday night, Oct. 11. The scare led the Community College Police Department to cancel classes, shut down the 1100 block of Valencia Street and bring in the San Francisco Police Department Bomb Squad. When an unidentified person called a bomb threat into the CCPD headquarters on the main campus at 6:30 pm, City College police began to search all campuses. email: brinker@theguardsman.com Two suspicious packages were found at the Mission campus. City College police contacted the San Francisco Police Department with a report of a credible bomb threat and the bomb squad was dispatched. Clara Azulay, 31, was in French class on the second floor when a City College police officer entered at 8:20 pm. Azulay saw the teacher CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN step outside. What she Officers from SFPD Bomb squad enter the City College Mission couldn’t know was that Campus building after a mysterious box was found by CCSF the officer was informpolice and was reported as a potetial exposive on Oct. 11, 2011.
6 | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
News: Special Election Issue
NEWS ANALYSIS: Mayoral candidate’s major posit The Guardsman has dug up the scoop on the major San Francisco candidates for mayor so you don’t have to. Check out our “City College impact” sections to see our take on which candidate would look out for City College best, if elected. By Joe Fitzgerald, Brian Rinker, and Anna Shoriak THE GUARDSMAN
refused to be pigeonholed. This hurts him when it comes to winning votes. Nevertheless he picked up the San Francisco Chronicle’s endorsement for mayor. City College impact Chiu is one of the only candidates to travel San Francisco mainly by MUNI, bike and car sharing. His blueprint for the future shows a commitment to creating a transitfirst city, and this would greatly bene-
David Chiu
David Chiu was elected to the Board of Supervisors on a “progressive” platform. But as the current president of the board he has moved toward a more centrist role. He is the unpredictable swing vote. He is beholden to few, and votes pragmatically. Since his policies are guided less by ideology and more by expediency, it can be hard to reduce David Chiu to a single campaign ad. He
fit many City College students. He has repeatedly rebuffed the City College Board of Trustee’s efforts to obtain tax and fee relief from the city. When pressed by The Guardsman, Chiu has claimed that the city of San Francisco is suffering the same fiscal setbacks as City College putting the city in no position to help the college.
CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
Ed Lee
Interim Mayor Ed Lee was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to complete the mayoral term of Gavin Newsom. Lee is the first AsianAmerican mayor of San Francisco. Much controversy has been made over Lee’s decision to run in the current election. Initially he showed no interest in campaigning, but suddenly announced his intention to run on August 7, 2011. Many claim that ex-mayor Willie Brown and
Chinatown powerbroker Rose Pak were key in convincing him to run. Lee touts a 17-point plan to increase jobs and opportunity. He lists his top priorities as government transparency, balancing the city budget, pension reform, homelessness, social justice and human rights, public safety, reviving local manufacturing, reliable public transport, investment into infrastructure, jobs, payroll tax reforms, improving
blighted areas, expanding tourism, and funding for public schools. City College Impact Lee is endorsed by the San Francisco Examiner, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and the Log Cabin Republicans. Hi’s efforts to relieve the deficit in the city’s general fund has directly impacted CCSF; instead of receiving CCSF the $2.1 million dollars in tax and fee relief they requested, only $250,000 was approved.
ALISA MARIE OROZCO / THE GUARDSMAN
Yee by both the SF Weekly and Bay Guardian, accusing him of pandering to whatever audience he happens to be talking to. Recently, Yee came under fire for reversing his position on shark fin soup, an issue for environmental groups seeking to protect endangered sharks. He initially backed Chinese supporters of the traditional dish, but later reversed his position in the wake of political and social pressure.
Leland Yee
State Senator Leland Yee started out as a member of San Francisco’s school board, moved onto the Board of Supervisors, then launched into state politics in 1996. He is a fiscal conservative who claims he represents the Asian community of the Sunset district more than that of Chinatown, which has stronger ties to interim Mayor Ed Lee. Profiles have been written about
City College impact Leland Yee was raised in San Francisco, attending City College for two years before transferring. He has stated on record to The Guardsman that he supports a parcel tax to fund City College. However he incited controversy by opposing the proposed high-rise City College Chinatown campus back in 2007, opening the door for multiple lawsuits against the school.
Dennis Herrera
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
Dennis Herrera was elected to the position of San Francisco City Attorney in 2001, and has served three terms in that role. Under him the City Attorney’s office defended the “Healthy San Francisco” program in the U.S. Supreme Court, and was a major advocate for the legalilization of marriage for same-sex couples. The Central Subway has become the defining issue of Herrera’s campaign for mayor. As the projected
budget for this subway to Chinatown ballooned to over 1.6 billion dollars, he made a call for the project to be entirely redesigned. This has lead Chinatown power broker Rose Pak and other major Chinatown figures to denounce his campaign as divisive. City College impact Under Dennis Herrera the City Attorney’s office unveiled a scam by technology vendors to defraud the San Francisco Unified School
District. Some $3.3 million was recovered for cash-strapped city schools. He has however been mostly silent on issues relating to City College. During an interview with The Guardsman’s Valerie Demicheva, he gave mostly surface-level answers on City College issues and offered no concrete plans to aid the school in these hard financial times.
CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
with The Guardsman. She has the endorsements of Jennifer Siebel-Newsom (Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife) and the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee. City College impact Rees has told the Guardsman that “The mayor is in a unique position to bring together citywide resources that need to come together to impact [City College]. So for me it’s a critical
Joanna Rees
Joanna Rees is a venture capitalist and a business woman. She often touts her “bottom up” method of accounting as a solution to the city’s financial woes. “You go department by department and figure out what are the investments that absolutely have to stay to serve the community and what are some things that are no longer meeting their intended purpose,” she said in an interview
issue, and it’s going consistently to be the number one issue in my administration.” But unlike some other candidates, Rees hasn’t come out in support of a parcel tax to raise funds for City College. Nor has she expressed support for the College’s effort to have the city reduce or temporarily relieve the college’s obligation to pay fees and taxes to the city of San Francisco.
John Avalos
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
BRYCE YUKIO ADOLPHSON / THE GUARDSMAN
John Avalos has been at the forefront of the progressive movement for a long time. Even the San Francisco Bay Guardian endorsed him, which is a sign of some major “progressive” chops. As supervisor of District 11, which includes the Ingleside, Oceanview, Crocker-Amazon districts and the Ocean Avenue campus of City College, he has been a major proponent of local hire laws, launching
LOCAL-SF, a movement to improve local hiring in San Francisco. He’s also a social worker, who sent his children through San Francisco’s public schools. Recently Avalos jumped behind the movement for free MUNI service for San Francisco students below the age of 18. Avalos has been part of a Board of Supervisors notorious for “takebacks,” where after the budget is passed by City Hall, supervisors
restore money to certain non-profits and city agencies, which have been throwing the city’s budget out of whack for years. City College impact Avalos is endorsed by both the major unions at City College, SEIU local 1021 and AFT 2121. As District 11’s supervisor since 2008 he may be more aware of City College’s needs than other candidates.
BACKGROUND IMAGE BY BETH
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | 7
News: Special Election Issue
tions on San Francisco and City College explained MAYORAL MOVIE BLOWOUT ON YOUTUBE
Check out loads of video coverage on the candidates online at youtube.com/user/TheGuardsmanOnline
CHIU ON CCSF FEES
Tony Hall
Tony Hall is right-wing Republican with over 35 years of civil service. He is an outspoken critic of current city politics. According to Hall, city workers’ pensions are the prime source of financial woes for the city. He compares San Francisco’s pension crisis to “a car heading toward a brick wall at 100 miles per hour. Under Ed Lee’s plan [Prop
AFRICAN AMERICAN EXODUS
C], we hit the wall at about 95 miles per hour. Under Jeff Adachi’s plan [Prop D], we hit the wall at about 90 miles per hour. Why isn’t anyone else besides myself talking about not hitting the wall?” Hall is not afraid to stand up speak his mind. In 2010 he criticized then-Mayor Gavin Newsom for buddying up with prospective commercial developers. Hall was then fired from his position as execu-
CANDIDATE CARWASH
tive director of Treasure Island. City College impact His attacks on city workers, including college staff who support and maintain the school, and those non-profits who provide services and entry points for former, current and future City College students, threaten to diminish the quality of education and life for everyone at City College and beyond.
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
Terry Baum
the champion of lower-income and disenfranchised people. In the past year, he exposed misconduct during a police raid on the Henry Hotel, where police were caught on video illegally entering rooms in the hotel to make drug busts. The videos led to an FBI probe of the SFPD. He also stood up to Mayor Gavin Newsom and refused to make a 25% budget cut to the public defender’s
Jeff Adachi
Jeff Adachi says he is the only person who can reform city employee pensions. He claims that Proposition D, his pension reform plan, will save the city $400 million more a year than the competing Proposition C. However, Prop D has been called divisive and anti-labor by his opponents. This troubles his long-time followers, because as the city’s public defender he was often been seen as
office. He refused on the grounds that it would hamper the office’s ability to provide defendants their constitutional right to legal counsel. City College impact If Adachi’s pension reform passes, City College faculty and staff will have to make increased contributions to their pensions, among many other changes. Unions affiliated with City College are staunchly against Prop D.
CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
The lone Green Party candidate, Terry Joan Baum, is considered a long shot by many. A lesbian playwright and actress, her political career began when she worked on Bella Abzug’s successful 1970 congressional campaign. Baum herself ran for congress against incumbent Nancy Pelosi in 2004. She has been a voice of the 99% at many mayoral forums held in the past few months, with her campaign
slogan of “Tax the rich, DUH.” In an interview with The Guardsman, she warned that allowing new housing for the rich could turn the city into an “Aspen by the sea.” Baum is also an advocate for both marriage and immigration rights for same-sex couples. City College impact Baum is a major proponent of free and subsidized MUNI passes for all citizens, which would greatly
benefit City College students, many of which use public transit. In her interview with The Guardsman, Baum claimed that “City College would be the last thing I would cut. I have taken classes there.” But City College receives its funding from the State of California. This reveals a gap in Baum’s understanding of the workings of city politics.
BRYCE YUKIO ADOLPHSON / THE GUARDSMAN
Phil Ting
the city as a whole should vote for all supervisors. District-based voting has allowed grassroots candidates like Eric Mar of the Richmond to triumph over better-funded candidates. At a mayoral forum at USF she stated that younger citizens’ lack of engagement with the government is the central problem with our democracy today.
BETH LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
H LABERGE / THE GUARDSMAN
Gavin Newsom appointed Phil Ting to be assessor-recorder of San Francisco in 2005. The assessorrecorder’s role is to evaluate homes for tax value. Phil Ting has made much ado about his RESET San Francisco website. This crowdsourcing site provides a place for San Franciscans to pitch their ideas on how to fix the city, tackling issues such as MUNI reform, housing and even health
2010 census shows the city’s black population has fallen to only 6.2%, down from over 13% in 1970. His ideas have been called “pie in the sky”, but Dufty has been elected as supervisor twice. This either speaks to his success on the board or to the conviction of his constituents that risk-taking is a sign of a strong politician. City College impact Dufty has been a highly-vocal
care. In fact, if you ask Phil Ting just about any question on any issue, he’ll often answer that the solution can be found on RESET San Francisco. City College impact RESET San Francisco has some interesting discussions on education. The most commented-upon idea to reform education is “Crowdsourcing the Classroom: Education 2.0,” which discusses using Twitter to engage
proponent of a parcel tax to support City College. He has shown himself to be well-versed in City Collegerelated issues. Also, his attention to minority and low income families ties strongly into City College’s demographic. Dufty was also endorsed as the third-choice candidate by SEIU 1021, a union which has direct ties to City College.
CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
students outside of the classroom. Ting echoed one of City College’s core missions in a RESET San Francisco comment, stating “Over the last two decades public schools have almost phased out all the vocational education courses. Shop, mechanical drawing and auto repair were things you could learn in high school. Today it’s harder to find those options because of the focus on pure academics in schools.”
Bevan Dufty
Bevan Dufty has years of political experience, including eight as the supervisor of District 8, which includes the Castro, Twin Peaks, Noe Valley, Duboce Triangle and Glen Park. Dufty is running on a platform of MUNI reform, and has been touting his “Black Agenda,” at every opportunity. He is the only candidate to make the flight of African-Americans from the city a central campaign issue. The
City College impact She has not demonstrated sympathy toward the needs of MUNIriding, apartment-renting, lowerto middle-income City College students. However Michela Alioto-Pier did pass legislation designed to attract biotech companies to San Francisco. This played a major role in City College becoming a recognized leader in biotech programs nationwide.
Michela Alioto-Pier
Micheala Alioto-Pier has deep roots in the city. Her family has owned a Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant for years, and is politically connected. Her grandfather Joseph Alioto was once San Francisco mayor. She served for seven years as supervisor for District 2, which includes the Marina and Pacific Heights districts. She opposes district-based elections for supervisors believing that
CLARIVEL FONG / THE GUARDSMAN
8 | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
CULTURE
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Culture
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | 9
Mayoral candidates talk about the
Arts
Stances on the San Francisco arts scene and personal reflections on art in the lives of public officials By Rachel Garcia, Lulu Orozco, and Catherine Lee THE GUARDSMAN
Many of the mayoral candidates promise to fund and support arts and culture, which are vital aspects of life in San Francisco. The economic multiplier in arts investment is cited by many candidates - for every $1 invested, the city gets back $7 from associated spending in hotels, restaurants, and other services. The candidates have extensive art platforms:
reallocating the existing hotel tax to fund the arts, implementing the findings of the 2006 Art Task Force, helping the creative community collaborate between education, business, and non-profits to support jobs and restoring the Neighborhood Arts Program. Below is merely a sampling of ideas shared about arts and culture in San Francisco, but we encourage you to review all their platforms for more detail.
email: clee@theguardsman.com
Some Concrete Proposals to Support the Arts
Chiu
“Proposed legislation to allow more flexibility of the 1% fee required by the developers and owners of downtown buildings for the arts, to allow for more investment in community arts programs.”
Baum
Bevan would transform Muni metro stations by installing murals, mosaics and sculptures, “I would like to make Muni magnificent, I’d have every bus shelter be an artwork. The objective is to be part of the green new deal by getting people out of their cars and making it a really hip cool thing to ride public transit.”
Avalos
Avalos supports the creation of a city Department of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy- combine the Arts, Film, Entertainment and Library Commissions with portions of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
HDennis errra
“Pledged to create an entertainment zone in the South of Market area to encourage responsible venues, concerts, recording artists, and more to concentrate there. …Implement expedited permitting processes for businesses in the entertainment zone that meet certain requirements and that create local jobs.”
David
Terry
John
SOURCES: http://sfartsforum.org, candidate websites, telephone interviews, email responses
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
Some personal Arts background
Hall
“Being an artist myself, as mayor I will do everything in my power to emphasize this especially in the area of experimental and avant-garde aspects of the arts community.”
Terry
Baum
Baum is a playwright, actress, director, teacher and filmaker. She founded the San Francisco women’s theatre collective, Lillith.
Jeff dachi
A
Founded the Asian American Arts Foundation; film writer, director and producer; musician; novelist.
Tony
Dufty
“I want to look at our nighttime economy and how we can better deliver services to support people going out to dine, shop, dance and see performances. Arts are central to tourism and we need to constantly look for new experiences.” “It’s the art and nighttime destinations that make people come back.”
Rees
“The school district has many underutilized or unused facilities. These facilities could be repurposed into facilities for artists. In return for using these facilities, we would ask artists to support our schools and volunteer to commit a certain number of hours providing art instruction in classrooms or through programming at the Recreation and Parks Department.”
Bevan
Joanna
Unique points of view on the Arts Jeff Adachi
Dufty
Bevan
Adachi “…served as Chairperson of the Asian American Theater Company.” “The AATC is the oldest Asian American theater company in the nation, and I helped manage the space and worked to ensure that the organization’s plays and programs were funded. This experience gave me a keen understanding of the challenges faced by community-arts organizations.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
Putting Art and culture into law
Yee Leland
Billy Holliday was Dufty’s godmother and his parents wrote “Lady Sings the Blues” for her.
Avalos
Sponsored the 6th Annual Poems Under the Dome, which is the city’s largest open mic poetry event.
Alioto-Pier
Authored legislation, approved by the board, to promote filmmaking in the city by providing rebates to production companies which will support jobs for “caterers, artists, florists and dozens of other small businesses in the city.”
Ed Lee
“I believe that our neighborhood-based city owned cultural centers (SOMArts, Bayview Opera House, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and African American Art and Culture Complex) serve an important role in maintaining the rich cultural heritage of our neighborhoods. I will continue to support our cultural centers.”
John
Michela
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
“Authored the Tied House bill for the San Francisco Symphony, which helps ensure the symphony’s financial viability by allowing them to accept donations of wine and alcohol for auctions and benefits.”
10 | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
OPINIONS Editor-in-Chief Joe Fitzgerald Managing Editor Brian Rinker News Editor Saidy Lauer
Bob Hollingsworth, You did a great short piece on vets. As a US Naval veteran, I graduated from CCSF in 1975, then went to SF State to get my BA & MBA, and came back here, 35 years later. Since 2004, I have completed the Computerized Accounting, California Real Estate and Office Technology certificates. Now I have over 90 post-MBA units with a 3.0 [GPA] and I am presently working on a paralegal certificate. I am
Letters to the editor
Culture Editor Catherine Lee Opinion Editor Gary Jay Sports Editor Ryan Kuhn Online Editor Jon Bechtol Multimedia Editor Brian Rinker Photo Editor Clairvel Fong Production Editor Becca Hoekstra Copy Chief Susan Boeckmann Social Media Editor Peter Hernandez Staff Writers Brian Rinker Anna Shoriak Ryan Kuhn Gary Jay Rachael Garcia Lulu Orozco Lucas Pontes de Almeida Peter Hernandez Becca Hoekstra Darren Girard Gianne Nalangan Staff Photographers Beth Laberge Valerie Ayala Matthew Lambert Ezra Ekman Illustrator/Design Matthew Fung Multimedia Gary Jay Brian Rinker Joe Fitzgerald Saidy Lauer Faculty Adviser Juan Gonzales Contact us! Mail: 50 Phelan Ave Box V-67 San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone: (415) 239-3446 Email: email@theguardsman.com
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Dear Editor: I am writing to clarify some statements that appeared in the September 26 edition of the Guardsman in the article, “State assigning classes using lottery system” (Issue 3 - Ed). In the article Darren Girard states, “Instructors at SF State have resorted to ‘class lotteries’ in response to the newest wave of fiscal cuts, which have led to fewer classes for even more students in the evercrowded college.” Although it is accurate that “SF State is one of the most popular and crowded of the 23 California State University campuses,” it is not correct that all students are disgruntled or are having difficulty obtaining the classes they need to graduate. Consider these facts: In 2009-10, over 7,400 degrees were awarded to students attending SF State, including 5,916 degrees awarded to undergraduates. The graduation rates for transfers at SF State have increased by over 18% since 2001. The average unit load enrolled in by students at SF State has increased substantially since Fall 2009. Although the number of classes offered at SF State was reduced in Fall 2009, since then the number of sections offered has been restored and extensive efforts have been made to assure that the classes offered are the ones students need to achieve graduation. San Francisco State has a long tradition as a pipeline for students at City College to obtain their 4-year degrees. Lotteries may be used by some faculty members in a few classes in high demand majors which have reached their official enrollment limit, but they are not the norm and are not official university policy. Thank you for this opportunity to clarify the situation for transfer students hoping to attend San Francisco State. Sincerely, Jo Volkert Associate Vice President Enrollment Management San Francisco State University
The City College VOICE By Elizabeth Zarubin CONTRIBUTING WRITER
To The Chancellor and Board of Trustees, Nearly 70% of incoming freshman are placed into basic skills level classes. Fortunately, new sections of English Basic Skills classes have been added this fall to accommodate students’ needs to get through the required sequence for matriculation, in response to the Board of Trustee’s concerns. We are grateful for this opportunity for the students, resulting in enrolment of 388 English 91 and 329 English 90 students at the start of the semester. Our students deserve the best of opportunities. However, a worst-case equity scenario is occurring as a result of the Board of Trustees’ hasty mandate to boost retention and matriculation and administration’s consequently haphazardly-funded push
for students’ rapid movement through the basic skills track, giving faculty little time to plan meaningfully, no opportunity for feedback, and lack of administration foresight to provide for ancillary costs of student support that make success even a viable option for many basic skills students. Many students will fail due to reduced supports. For instance, there is no longer an English 90 tutor. And down from four 91 tutors, at the moment we have one, with one returning later this month. This means nearly 400 English 91 students have been expected to be served so far this year by one tutor. Research proves that basic skills students’ access to a professional tutor is not replaceable by access (also equally important) to the instructor.* A tutor provides non-judgmental support in strengthening student skills learned during class, a quality of support greatly improving student affect and
also running for the mayor’s office against the City’s 12 moneymen. The only help this city is going to get for veterans, is if one becomes the mayor. I know, because, since 2005, I have filled out over 450 Civil Service applications for posts on the Civil Service Registry (CSR) in Classes 1820-1827, which are Administrative Analysts posts, and the min. requirement for this list is an MA. And with scores of 1000-1060 pts, which
is 95-100% in seven classes, plus Economic Planner 0255 at SFO, and my veteran’s status, I never got one job or even an interview for one job. The city Civil Service System (CSS) excludes not only SF graduates of public institutions, but all veterans as well. Sincerely, Emil Lawrence MBA emilelawrence@juno.com lawrencesfmayorcampaign. blogspot.com
This letter is in response to our new faculty column, “The City College VOICE,” which Elizabeth Zarubin submitted an opinion piece for in our last issue, Issue 4. Unfortunately, the campus newspaper printed a [draft] version of the letter. The [revised] letter you received is the only version of the letter signed by faculty, and is the version sent to Guardsman editor before the deadline he gave me. I am sorry if the early version you received and published has caused confusion. The letter published has inaccurate statistics and content that signees did not consent to. I am hoping the Guardsman will print an apology and print the letter that the signatures belong to. Elizabeth Zarubin English Basic Skills Instructor Mailbox: L200 Office: L522 Phone: X 7033
The Guardsman Apologizes.
We here at The Guardsman ride a fine line. We have a reach farther than many community newspapers and we take that responsibilty very seriously; between part time, full time, and online students, City College has a student body of over 100,000 people - it is the second largest college body in the country. This means we have to run our paper as professionaly as possible. At the end of the day however, we are a student publication.We are all learning, even those on the editorial staff. As many students know, time management is a difficult thing to master. On a newspaper, it is doubly so. Last issue we printed a few drafts by mistake (as opposed to final pieces), from Ms. Zarubin’s submission to a number of our reporters. This did their incredible skill, talent and dedication a grave disservice. We offer our humblest apologies. - The Editor The City College Voice is a recurring column featuring contributed editorials from the faculty of City College. This issue’s contributer Elizabith Zarubin teaches English 91 at City College. success. Students often feel more comfortable speaking about their struggles with a neutral professional, someone not assigning them a grade. Furthermore, professional tutors, unlike our wonderful student tutors, are more successful with basic skills students because of extensive training and experience. Ideally, each basic skills student should have at least one 30-minute one-on one session per week with a professional tutor. English 90 students have no opportunity at all for this. Retention programs hire to replace tutor turnover, programs which serve students at all levels. However, basic skills classes, which exclusively serve at-risk students, those most at risk for retention and matriculation, are not so supported. Our lone professional tutor is able to provide 70 students one-on-one sessions per week. The other 647 English 90/91 students, well, they
have done without. Students who have worked with our professional tutors are profusely appreciative of their knowledgeable and sensitive support. Ask anyone who’s taken English 91, or read the many letters of testimony collected over the past few years. For the past two years, CCSF faculty and administration have focused on discovering and implementing research-verified best practices for student retention and success; the relationship between tutoring and the success of basic skills students is not debatable and is widely known. So what is the message then – that we are enrolling more students whom we know will likely fail due to lack of proven best-practices support? Let’s put the money where the equity values are. email: editor@theguardsman.com *The foundational text for our campus-wide BSI study, “Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges”, D.10, p. 62
The Following faculty have signed in support of this document (photocopy of signatures available on request): Jeffrey Goldthrope Lizzie Brock Jessica Brown Barbara L. Scrafford Chante McCormick
Elizabeth Zarubin Karen Cox Michelle Troen Kristin Smith John Gravener
Caroline Minkowski Robert White Tore Langmo Ronald L. Johnson Kristen Hren
T. Linda Basnage Lisa King S. Erin Denney Amy Miles Kelly Vogel
Jodi Naas Elizabeth King Alex Leyton Andrew H. King
Sports
The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | 11
City College pushes winning streak to eight in a row Rams 2, Foothill 1 By Sam Diaz THE GUARDSMAN
The Rams extended their winning streak to eight games in a row when they defeated Foothill College and take a one-game lead in the Coast Conference North Division. City College’s leading scorer Tera Piserchio and Crystal Zeledon each scored a goal a piece when the Rams got out to a first half lead and never looked back, winning 2-1.
Possession was a big factor in the game for the Rams (11-1, 8-0). “I thought we did great today possessing the ball in the first half,” said head coach Gabe Saucedo. “We had a little trouble in the second half but we scored a couple goals against a good team.” Along with ball control, City College also put pressure on the Owls’ defense that caused three first half corner kicks, one leading to a goal by forward Crystal
Zeledon. It was her second goal of the season. Kiera O’Shea, a freshman forward from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, created several opportunities for the Rams like her shot that ricocheted off the left post in the final minutes in the first half. Nevertheless, the Rams went into halftime with the lead. In the second half, Foothill came out aggressively but after a stolen pass at midfield from forward Stephanie Barragan, she
passed into the box for Tera Piserchio who striked a left shot into the back of the net to increase the lead by two. Foothill offense failed to overcome City College’s defense, who only allowed a total of three shots on frame and allowed very little possession inside the box but was able get one past the Rams’ goal in the 74th minute to cut the lead in half. During the last eight games, the Rams have only allowed three opposing goals.
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Even though the team has been successful on the soccer field, Saucedo said he still feels like his team can improve on certain areas. “We need to get better on communication and it’s something were really trying to work on,” Saucedo said. The Rams will face Fresno City College Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. who they lost to in the second round of the playoffs just one year ago. email: sdiaz@theguardsman.com
12 | October 19 - November 2, 2011 | The Guardsman & TheGuardsman.com
SPORTS
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Soccer extends record to 10-3-0 on season Rams 5, Las Positas 0 By Lucas Almeida THE GUARDSMAN
City College didn’t underestimate Las Positas College Oct. 14, instead they sailed past the Hawks proving why they’re the current best scoring margin in California. On the season, the Rams have only allowed 10 goals. With a scoring margin of +35, they quickly dismantled their opponent, 5-0, to take second place of the Coast Conference North Division. Head Coach Adam Lucarelli said he is very happy the Rams had an outstanding performance. “I think right now no matter who we play it seems like our guys are combining and doing what we ask them to do in practice and that’s what’s producing a lot of the goals,” said Lucarelli. “Plus, I think we’re one of the fastest teams in the conference.” In the eighth minute, Rams’ freshman Bryant Izaguirre was quick enough to steal a Las Positas pass and pulled a counter-attack, scoring on goalkeeper, Jesus Ruiz to take an early lead. From the beginning Las Positas pressured the Rams defense but Lucarelli said he didn’t think his team was nervous when pressured by the Hawks City College doubled their score in the 20th minute when defender Emmanuel Rojas sent a long pass precise enough for leftwing midfielder Wu Lo to take a
shot across the goal. The Rams never stopped seeking the offense as they continued to create many scoring opportunities. Rams’ freshman forward Izaguirre, with a smart move, came up behind a player and scored his second goal of the afternoon. Ball possession continued for the Rams in the second-half with the help of freshman midfielder Jesse Cineros. His accurate passes opened the field and created clear scoring chances. After a cornerkick in the 63rd minute, freshman defender Edwin Garcia took the rebound passing to freshman forward Arnulfo Garcia who just had the work of tapping the goal in. The Hawks had an opportunity late in the second half to spoil the shutout with a penalty kick, but was saved by City College’s goalie. The Rams would capitalize with one final goal for the game. Garcia, forward, who scored two goals in the second half, said he was also very happy he did his job well, which helped the Rams increase their scoring record. “In the second half I just did everything the coach told me to do,” said Garcia. “I’m very excited I helped the team.” The Rams will continue their road trip, travelling to Evergreen Valley on Oct. 21. Kickoff starts at 4 p.m. email: lalmeida@theguardsman.com
ANGELO BOSCACCIV / BUTTE ROADRUNNER
Half back DeShae Edwards (4) runs past defensive back Robbie Kendall (34) sprinting towards the endzone in the Rams 44-19 win against Butte College on Oct. 15.
Roadrunners run over by No. 1 team in California
Rams 44, Butte 19 By Ryan Kuhn THE GUARDSMAN
Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinaiteri once said, “To be the best, you have to beat the best. That’s all there is to it,” and on Oct. 15, City College took those words to heart. The Rams finished up their two-game road trip when they travelled north to Butte College and demonstrated that the Roadrunners were no contest, beating them in convincing fashion,
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44-19 in front of a sold-out crowd. Coming into the game ranked No. 2 overall, Butte’s third-ranked scoring offense was held to just half their average score for the season. It was their lowest point total since 2009. “I think we played extremely well against a quality football team,” said Rams head coach George Rush. “We were playing on their field with a big crowd and a hostile audience and you wouldn’t even know they were there half of the time because there was nothing to cheer about.” The Roadrunners took the lead eight minutes into the first quarter on a 37-yard field goal but the Rams would quickly respond. Freshman quarterback Turner Baty, who came into the game with a record of 12 touchdown passes and only one interception, led the Rams down the field to score on a 45-yard pass to Desmond Epps. Despite throwing a pair of interceptions, Baty stayed composed throughout the match, throwing for 281 yards and three touchdown passes. “I’m really satisfied with the way he played,” Rush said. “He made throws and he ran the ball extremely well today. I couldn’t be more pleased with our offense.” After scoring three more times with a second touchdown
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pass and a pair of field goals, City College took a 9-point lead into halftime. In the second half the Rams drifted away from the passing game and used a running game to control the offense, led by a tandem team of Dorian Cozart and DeShae Edwards. The two rushed for a combined 174 yards. “Our game plan was just to pass the ball to open the run up and mix it up from there,” Cozart said. Even the wide receivers started running the ball as Epps became the focus, running a double reverse in the third quarter to extend their lead by 18. With just 16 points of offense in the previous game against San Joaquin Delta College, Baty said he was glad to see his team wake up. “Last week the defense bailed us out and did a great job but this week our offense just stepped it up,” he said. “It taught us just to bounce back. When we get knocked down, we come together as a team.” When the Rams quarterback was asked if this team could win a state championship, Baty answered in one simple word: absolutely. City College returns home to face Laney College on Oct. 21. email: rkuhn@theguardsman.com