Voter Guide: The Courier’s endorsements for the 2022 midterms

Share: Measure PCC  YES: The measure would increase property taxes in Pasadena to compensate for the funds PCC needs for projects, operational costs, upgrading classrooms, building maintenance and expansion for satellite campuses. The Courier has a 100% full endorsement for this measure. Prop 1 YES: Prop 1 sets out to codify a woman’s right to abortion to the California state consitution. This would ensure that women across the state would have the right to choose for themselves. The Courier staff fully endorses Prop 1. Prop …

Yes on 30: For clean air in California, the time to act was yesterday

Share: California is in its megadrought era and it’s not a great look. 2000-2021 have been the driest years on record in California for the last 1,000 years. This megadrought has also been accompanied by some other alarming record-breaking incidences like the highest rate of tree die offs in the last 100 years, the hottest years on record, and 2020’s astounding August Complex gigafire, that ravaged a million acres of land.  It is more obvious than ever that the time to act was yesterday, but …

Monster spends millions to be mayor

Share: Rick Caruso is a piece of shit. You won’t find these words blasted on the bills and banners that have littered Los Angeles for the past year, but that does not make the sentiment any less true. By the time this article will be published, the billionaire property developer will have spent more than $100 million dollars of his own fortune on his mayoral campaign. While that figure is a drop in the bucket relative to the $5.3 billion he has acquired by building …

BLOTTER: Bike thefts and transient disputes

Share: Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 Male subject reported to be loitering in Lot 4, subject advised by officers to leave premises and complied Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 Transient reported to be setting up camp on southeast stairs of CA building, subject advised to leave and complied.   Two female students reported a male subject following them, report filed. Transient refused to leave the library’s second floor restroom, the subject dispersed before officers arrived. Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022 Transient involved in verbal argument with gardeners near Lot …

Prop 31 will foster flavored tobacco black market

Share: The fate of whether to uphold a ban on the retail sale of flavored tobacco, will be decided by voters on Proposition 31. A YES on prop 31 would continue the California law, created in 2020, that prohibits flavored tobacco including e-cigarettes and minty menthol from retail shops. According to the Official Voter Information Guide, 80% of kids who use tobacco begin with flavored products.  One of the arguments used in the voting guide is that voting ‘yes’ “protects kids by ending the sale …

Pasadena’s new city controller makes money moves

Share: Armine Trashian was hired as Pasadena’s City Controller as of early August, a critical time for the city’s Finance Department.  While in some cities, like Los Angeles, the controller is an elected position with term limits, in Pasadena it’s a hired position outside of the electoral process. As city controller, she leads the city’s Finance Department which oversees every financial transaction the city makes. Trashian accepted the position amidst the end of the city’s fiscal year.  Preparation for year-end responsibilities takes several months. Trashian …

Pasadena’s Measure H reins in greedy landlords, limits rent hikes

Share: On the ballot this year is Measure H, an attempt to help rent control and tenants in Pasadena continue living without fear of ridiculous rent increases. Weighing on the measure is Bee Rooney, a member of Pasadena For Rent Control, a group in favor of Measure H, who explained the group’s goals.  “It’s all for the intention of keeping people housed,” Rooney said. “We want to allow people to stay at a place for a year or two or even three at a time. …

PCC pro-choice voters eager to secure abortion rights with Prop 1

Share: The PCC community will be voting on Proposition 1 on Nov. 8, which would amend the California constitution to expressly protect reproductive freedom, including abortion services and contraceptives.  As it stands, reproductive products and services are provided in California under the state’s 2002 Reproductive Privacy Act, which says that people have the right to privacy in their reproductive choices. The act operates prior to the viability of the fetus, which is legally defined as before the fetus can survive outside of the uterus without …

How fear feeds authoritarianism and corrupts democracy

Share: The political climate in American politics has been challenging how our democracy functions and if it will continue to function as a democracy at all. With the Republican Party using misinformation to appeal to the biases in its voting base, it has seemingly groomed them to accept dictatorial leaders as well as a draconian government. Lisa Pringle, a professor of political science at PCC, discussed how the authoritarian mentality can take over a large swath of the political spectrum and what makes an individual …

Does your vote matter? PCC students say yes. And no.

Share: Enthusiasm towards voting varied while asking, “does your vote matter?” to students and staff across campus. This group included first-timers to non-voters as well.  One student was caught on her way out of the poll place on campus at Creveling Lounge. When asked about what compelled her to vote early–or vote at all, Amelie Shelton credited her parents.  “It’s more so just the fact that my parents always made it out to be something that is important. And that always kind of stuck with …