George Gascón Used to Serve with the Los Angeles Police Department. In December, He’ll Become LA’s Chief Prosecutor.
The race for Los Angeles County District Attorney was officially called on November 6, when former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey officially conceded in the race against George Gascón. Gascón beat Lacey with 53.7 percent of the total vote, leading by an estimated 229,000.
LA County’s New District Attorney-elect Promises to Work with Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles
On November 6, former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey officially conceded in the race against George Gascón. Lacey had held her position for eight years, but Gascón won 53.7 percent of the total vote, leading by approximately 229,000 votes.
The VP-Elect: A Woman of Firsts
Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s running mate and former California Senator, has made history as the first Black, first South Asian-American, and first female elected as vice president. The 56-year-old Democrat is a woman of firsts; she was the first female District Attorney of San Francisco (2004-2011), the first female Attorney General of California (2011-2017), and the first Indian American in the U.S. Senate (2017-2020)
The Nation Reacts to Yet Another Historical Moment in 2020
Cities across the country shook with cheers and screams from 8:30 a.m. PST on, following several media outlets’ confirmation that former vice president Joe Biden had won the presidential election over incumbent Donald Trump. According to the Associated Press (AP), Biden won Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes and Nevada’s six electoral votes, putting him over the 270 needed to win the race.
California Proposition Results
The results of the California Propositions on the 2020 Election Ballot.
Jackie Lacey Concedes in the Race Against George Gascón for L.A. District Attorney
Jackie Lacey gave her final speech as District Attorney (D.A.) of Los Angeles today, November 6, to a room of masked reporters inside the Hall of Justice. After holding her position for eight years, Lacey has officially conceded to opponent George Gascón.
“I congratulate George Gascón and his team on their expected victory,” Lacey said. “There are still about 791,000 votes to count, but my consultants tell me that while I may close the gap between the two of us, I will not be able to make up enough based on the trending of the ballots to win this election.”
L.A. Armenian Community Protests as Regional Tensions Rise
The Armenian community in Los Angeles organized a protest in response to sharp escalation in decades-long conflict with Azerbaijan over Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Although Artsakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, it is governed independently as a presidential republic and operates de facto as part of Armenia.
SMC Announces Remote Instruction for Winter and Spring 2021
Santa Monica College (SMC) announced it will continue conducting all classes, support services, and activities online for the Winter and Spring 2021 semesters as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement came via email from SMC president Dr. Kathryn Jeffery today, Sept. 21, to all students and faculty.
Letter From the Editor: Activism Isn't Optional
I feel safe walking around my own neighborhood late at night. I have never been followed around a clothing store by a security guard. I have never witnessed someone of my own race victimized on video. My family has never been targeted by the police for crimes we did not commit.
I’ve always been aware that I have privilege as a white woman in America, but looking into the eyes of people I deeply care about and hearing their cries as they speak to their experiences of what I listed above -- I wasn’t just aware of my privilege. I felt my privilege crawling along my every limb.
Letter From the Editor: The Circus of Life
Do you know how the Ringling Brothers Circus used to train elephants?
I didn’t, until about a week ago. For the first six months of their lives, baby elephants would be restrained with steel chains and forced to stand on concrete floors for up to 23 hours a day. After months of attempting to escape these tethers to no avail, the elephants would give up and assume they would forever be restrained. As they reached adulthood, much weaker tethers were put in place; however, the elephants did not attempt to break free from them because of the traumatic failures they ensued when trying to escape previously.
Does this resonate with anybody else right now?
Letter From the Editor: A Reality-Morality Check
I cannot remember the last time I struggled so deeply to push a button. I cannot remember the last time a green icon instigated such intense feelings of guilt and indecision.
A Quarantine Miracle
Being a doctor during a global pandemic is one thing. Being an expectant mother during a global pandemic is another thing.
But being pregnant and a medical physician in the age of coronavirus? The combination is bound to create an experience like no other.
SMC Now Using Proctorio, an Online Monitoring Tool
On March 19, Santa Monica College (SMC) faculty received an email with the subject line “Proctorio -- test proctoring software now available” from Interim Dean of Instructional Services, Jason Beardsley. The email explained that an online software known as Proctorio had become available to all SMC faculty that use Canvas, in an effort to “enhance academic integrity by monitoring each student’s behavior during an exam.”
Letter From the Editor: Social Distancing Starves Some Diseases, While Feeding Others
We are currently living in a world under siege. We have been thrust into a war against an enemy that hides in plain sight.
Letter From the Editor: All Hail Technology
All hail technology.
With a widespread illness invading countries worldwide, businesses closing their doors left and right, and panic-inducing coughs and sneezes occurring on the daily, now is the time when many of us need the support of our loved ones. However, social distancing and lockdown protocols ordained by our local governments are making face-to-face interaction as difficult as it is to get your hands on a roll of toilet paper.
Letter From the Editor: Women's Day, Revised
March marks the United State’s 33rd Annual Women’s History Month. This past Sunday was International Women’s Day (IWD), and people all across the globe used the day to publicly declare their advocacy and dedication to the advancement of women’s rights.
In Mexico, protestors marched against elevating rates of femicide, while Islamic women in Pakistan chanted “my body, my choice” through the streets. The Philippines, Turkey, Mexico, the United States, and many other countries showed public consideration for the day.
Closures Continue In Light of Coronavirus Threats
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACC) has announced today (March 11) that they will be shifting to online classes due to worries about the spread of coronavirus.
Letter From the Editor: An Age of Information
We live in the Age of Information. Since the rise of the internet and smartphones, search engines and Siri, virtually all of the public knowledge in the world can be accessed in a matter of seconds. However, does quantity of information equate to quality?
"Department of Dreams" Addresses Reality
For playwright Jeton Neziraj, growing up in Kosovo had the potential to hinder his creative process, as government regimes limited citizens’ access to viewing and publicly presenting art. However, his desire to pursue theatre overrode any constraints and instead inspired him to speak out against the systems that tried to hinder his creativity.
His most recent play, “Department of Dreams”, had its world premiere in the United States on Oct. 25 at City Garage Theatre Company’s current location, at the Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica.
Steve Lacy Lights Up The Wiltern Theatre
Strobe lights and eardrum-shattering screams set the tone for Steve Lacy’s show at the Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 30. Since the musician released his solo debut studio album in May, Lacy has gained popularity worldwide. His current tour, named Apollo XXI after his solo album, began in Chicago and will end in the United Kingdom.
Lacy has been deemed the epitome of a “21st century musician” in the public eye. While he has since upgraded to more professional software, the musician produced his first tracks on an iPhone in his mother’s Compton home and found his beginnings with guitar through the video game "Guitar Hero."