January 14, 2016

Vol. 50 Issue No. 12

UC BUDGET PROPOSAL
ADDRESSED AT UCSA

STUDENTS ALSO DISCUSS ENROLLMENT

CONCERNS AND ISLAMOPHOBIA ON UC CAMPUSES
PAGE 3

News Brief

WE ASKED YOU!

UC Applications Set
All-Time Record at
Over 206,000

What were your New Years resolutions?

Have you stuck to them?
Compiled by KELSEY TAYLOR Photos by MEGAN SCHNABEL

Getting along better with my family not fighting

too much. Then, I didnt work out at all last quarter.
Health-wise, its been tough. So far Ive been going
to the gym everyday for the past week. I am sticking
along with it, being more happy and stress free,
especially with school because I freak out about
studying.

UC plans to add 10,000 new undergraduates

BY ALYSSA PROUDFOOT

Over 206,000 students applied to

at least one UC campus for the fall
2016 quarter, UC officials announced
Monday, setting a new record for the
12th year in a row with a 6.4 percent
increase from last year.
At UC Santa Cruz freshman
applicants increased by 7.9 percent with
49,133 total applicants, while transfer
student applicants saw a 13.3 percent
increase with 9,969 applications.
In response to the flood of applicants
the UC hopes to increase enrollment
by 5,000 California student residents
next year, adding to an overall goal of
10,000 in-state residents over the next
three years, said UC President Janet
Napolitano.
The commitment is from the UC
president, as the person who is working
most closely with the state legislature
and the governor, who has wanted to
see more students accommodated in
the UC system, said Michael McCawley,
UCSC director of admissions. And as
a UC campus, we need to do our part
toward that goal as well.
This year the UC application
deadline was extended for transfer
students from Nov. 30 to Jan. 4 with the
hope to expand enrollment.
Lengthening
the
application
window will help us meet this goal of
expanding access to UC for California
students,
particularly
California
community college students, said UC

Office of the President (UCOP) media

specialist Kate Moser. This is in line
with our goal to admit two freshmen
students for every one transfer student.
Moser said UCOPs goal to encourage
more transfer applicants was successful,
with numbers rising 11.8 percent since
last year.
McCawley said the system-wide
enrollment increase doesnt necessarily
mean UCSC will get an undergraduate
student surge. Rather, UCSC will admit
students when there are space and
resources available.
What people would like right now is
show us the picture, and Im not sure
were quite there yet, and so that creates
some angst, McCawley said. As a
campus, we have a track record of really
being thoughtful about growth issues.
Though students wont learn of their
admission decision until March, UCSC
had a 51.1 percent acceptance rate for
freshman for the 2015 school year, and a
57.5 percent rate for incoming transfers.
Despite concern, McCawley isnt
shaken. Hes certain the campus
can handle any growth with added
resources, but the planning hasnt
reached that point yet.
We dont know what the final
enrollment growth will look like for next
year; thats still being kind of hammered
out, McCawley said. [UCOP] has been
working very closely with the campuses
to identify what the issues might be,
who can grow and who cant grow.

Carmen Garcia
Fourth-year, College Eight
Biology

To surf more, and I have not kept it because I cant

get to the beach. You cant take a board on the bus,
and I think thats kind of whack.
Nick Federici
First-year, Porter College
Undeclared

To end war all of them. I think I stopped it for a

minute or two, but not long-term. I figured aim high.
I was like screw losing weight, I wanna stop violence
world-wide, thats better.
Aaron Green
Third-year, Porter College
Film and digital media

Trying to raise my GPA because I finally got my

first C in college, and I was like okay, I need to
pull my grades up.
Maya Ma
Third-year, Kresge College
Technology and information management and biology

ABOUT CITY ON A HILL PRESS

WINTER 2016 STAFF

City on a Hill Press is produced by and for UCSC students. Our primary goal is
to report and analyze issues affecting the student population and the Santa Cruz
community.
We also serve to watchdog the politics of the UC administration. While we
endeavor to present multiple sides of a story, we realize our own outlooks influence
the presentation of the news. The City on a Hill Press (CHP) collective is dedicated
to covering underreported events, ideas and voices. Our desks are devoted to
certain topics: campus and city news, sports and arts and entertainment. CHP
is a campus paper, but it also provides space for Santa Cruz residents to present
their views and interact with the campus community. Ideally, CHPs pages will
serve as an arena for debate, challenge and ultimately, change.
CHP is published weekly in the fall, winter and spring quarters by the City on
a Hill Press publishing group, except during Thanksgiving and academic breaks.
The opinions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
the staff at large, or the University of California.
CONTACT
(831) 459-2430
editors@cityonahillpress.com

BUSINESS
(831) 459-4350
business@cityonahillpress.com

ADVERTISING
(831) 459-2444
advertising@cityonahillpress.com

LETTERS
UCSC Press Center
1156 High St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95064

2 JANUARY 14

@cityonahill

@chpnow

facebook.com/cityonahillpress

Editors-in-Chief
Alexa Lomberg
Montse Reyes

Sports
Vanessa Magee,
editor
Javier Gutierrez
Arthur Zhu

Photography
Production
Casey Amaral,
Connor Jang,
editor
production
Jasper Lyons,
manager
Managing Editor
editor
Harrison Gough
Shelby Clemons
Stephen de Ropp
Spencer Lin
Arts &
Campus
Ali Enright
Mara Paley
Entertainment
Georgia Johnson,
Megan Schnabel
Heather Rose
Anna Nelson,
editor
Calyse Tobias
editor
Julia Dunn
Advertising
Copy & Fact
Gabrielle Garcia
Dieter Holger
Madina Alocozy
Checking
Siarah Lloyd
Allison Hollender
Suzy Plessas
Anna Korotina,
Kelsey
Taylor
Alyssa Proudfoot
copy chief
Business
Samantha Felce
City
Illustration
Lizzet
Garcia
Michael
Kushner
Samantha Hamilton, Kelsey Hill,
Sarah
McLaughlin
editor
editor
COVER
Maxwell Shukuya
Nick Nodine
Celia Fong
ILLUSTRATION
Kimberly Tsai
Juan Cristian Villamil Kaileen Smith
BY CELIA FONG &
Anna
Vandergriff
Alex Wilkins
Owen Thomas
KAILEEN SMITH

UCSA Tackles Gov. Browns New Budget

UCSA

UC student association starts the new year with agenda for action
BY ALLISON HOLLENDER

California on higher education.

The proposal supports making the
transition swifter and easier for community
college transfer students, allocating funds for
increased technology in the classroom and for
online courses, and requiring the UC to present
pathways for students to graduate in three
years.
It was a little bit of a good news budget. It
was the largest budget this governor has ever
produced, said Sean Connelly, government
relations and interim executive director of
UCSA, to the UCSA Board in San Diego. [Brown]
did pretty well, but again this is nothing but the
initial conversation point.

The UC Student Association (UCSA) met in

San Diego this weekend to discuss the financial
future of the UC, the proposed enrollment
growth and the concern of Islamophobia
system-wide.
UCSA is a student-organized group
consisting of 18 representative associations
across the UC system, including UCSCs
Student Union Assembly (SUA) and Graduate
Student Assembly. The umbrella organization
represents the collective 240,000 UC students
and is responsible for bringing the student
voice into larger discussions of the universitys
well-being and future.

BUDGET PROPOSAL

ENROLLMENT INCREASE, TUITION

INCREASE FOR NON-RESIDENTS

The current state budget proposal

introduced by California Governor Jerry Brown
on Jan. 7 provides an increase to the UCs base
budget a starting set of funds based on
previous years spending. Brown proposes a 4
percent increase for this year and each of the
next three years.
The proposed increase will give the UC an
additional $125 million from the states general
fund for this year alone, which will account
for a fragment of the total $30 billion spent by

included in Browns budget proposal.

ISLAMOPHOBIA
During a period of unrest for Muslim
students following the San Bernardino terrorist
attacks, concerns of Islamophobia were brought
forth to the UCSA members during the UCSA
Board meeting.
We heard from Muslim students on how
they just dont feel safe being a UC student and
being on campus, Sabo said. We are just trying
to figure out how we can combat that on our
campuses.
Although a decision on addressing
Islamophobia was not reached at this meeting,
Guillermo Rogel Jr. said the subject will be
brought back in February.

UCSA RESPONSE
UCSA stressed that these discussions
are only the beginning. Gov. Browns budget
proposal still has to be approved through the
state legislature, and UCSA hopes to bring in
students for every step of the process, including
lobbying and negotiating at the capitol.
Sabo said if change is going to happen at
an institutional level, students need to pay
attention to the policy in Sacramento and DC.
We did an awful job of getting students to
Sacramento last year, Sean Connelly told the
UCSA board, and we have to improve.

3.41

State funding to the UC system

3.24

3.03

Dollars in billions

Browns proposal has a dedicated focus

toward in-state and low-income students, and
aims to fund an additional 10,000 residents
over the next three years. Brown proposed $25
million which will be matched by the UC for a
total $50 million.
Enrollment growth was proposed during the
fight against tuition hikes last winter, and in a
compromise between the UC and the state, the
UC agreed to enroll more residential students.

We have a lot of questions about [increasing

enrollment] because on paper we obviously
want to educate more students at the UC,
said Guillermo Rogel Jr., UCSA Board chair and
SUA vice president of external affairs. But the
more students we have, the more pressure it is
going to put on our infrastructure and the more
pressure it is going to put on our faculty, on our
TAs, on our graduate students work. It is really
hard already.
UCSA President Kevin Sabo said the UCSAs
concern is the effect more students would have
on the infrastructure of the 10 UC campuses
particularly housing and food insecurity
as well as crowded classrooms. Sabo said it
would be irresponsible for UCSA to approve
the budget and pretend these are only slight
inconveniences rather than almost full-scale
crises.
Sabo said UCSA supports an increase in the
number of students at the UC and doesnt want
the association to slam the door of opportunity
behind us. He said the burden of this student
increase will be carried by non-resident, or outof-state and international students.
Its not [the UC] wanting us to take in
more students, Sabo said. Its them wanting
us to take in more undergraduate resident
students. Currently non-residential tuition for
undergraduates at UCSC is $22,878 compared
to $13,398 for residents.
An increase to non-residential tuition of at
least 8 percent for the next four school years
was approved by the UC Regents and was also

2014-2015

2015-2016

2016-2017

Funding increases for Cal Grant

and UC financial aid programs
UC Financial Aid
programs

2014-2015

2015-2016

1,113,956

2,103,246

1,084,029

1,966,053

1,065,626

1,808,640

Dollars in thousands

Cal Grant

2016-2017

SOURCE: California State Department of Finance and Governors Budget Summary 2015-16

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 3

SOTU

OBAMAS FINAL STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

BY ANNA NELSON

Congress members sat in the House Chamber as President

Barack Obama took the podium on Tuesday to give his final State of
the Union address. The tradition, outlined in the U.S. Constitution,
allows the president to address Congress and the public regarding the
nations current state of affairs.
After greeting members of Congress and Vice President Joe
Biden, Obama made a pointed joke about the upcoming presidential
elections before easing into a more serious discussion about the
future of the nation.
America has been through big changes before wars and
depression, the influx of immigrants, workers fighting for a fair deal,
movements to expand civil rights [] We made change work for us,

always extending Americas promise outward, to the next frontier,

to more people. And because we did, because we saw opportunity
where others saw peril, we emerged stronger and better than before.
Obama continued his address by acknowledging four big
questions the United States needed to answer, no matter what
partisanship our nation holds.
First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and
security in this new economy? Second, how do we make technology
work for us, and not against us , especially when it comes to solving
urgent challenges like climate change? Third, how do we keep
America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? And
finally, how can we make our politics reflect what's best in us, and not
what's worst?

ECONOMY

TECHNOLOGY

U.S. SAFETY

POLITICS

Obama said there was job growth and

economic progress over the last seven years.
However, he also acknowledged that facets of
the economy like education, healthcare and
social security require repair for advancement.
A great education isn't all we need in this
new economy. We also need benefits, and
protections that provide a basic measure of
security. It's not much of a stretch to say that
some of the only people in America who are
going to work the same job, in the same place,
with a health and retirement package, for 30
years, are sitting in this chamber. For everyone
else, especially folks in their 40s and 50s,
saving for retirement or bouncing back from
job loss has gotten a lot tougher. Americans
understand that at some point in their careers,
they may have to retrain, but they shouldn't
lose what they've already worked so hard to
build in the process.

The president addressed the duality of

technology and that it has the capability to
address climate change, enhance medical
care and prevent potential fatalities. But he
also noted the danger of other technologies,
like guns, and how we must continue
to examine the magnitude of power we
possess. He also announced an initiative
to make the U.S. the first nation to cure
cancer under Vice President Joe Bidens
leadership.
Look, if anybody still wants to dispute
the science around climate change, have
at it. You will be pretty lonely because
youll be debating our military, most of
Americas business leaders, the majority
of the American people, almost the entire
scientific community and 200 nations
around the world who agree its a problem
and intend to solve it.

Safety has been a contentious subject

for the United States, both at home and
when addressing threats from overseas.
Obama noted the complexities of the
military system, asking Congress and the
American people to take a vote on the
way in which foreign policy addresses
threats from ISIL and Al-Qaeda. He also
said our stereotypical views of others
can pose a threat, especially in terms of
prejudicial judgments in skin color and
religious affiliation.
I told you earlier all the talk of
Americas economic decline is political
hot air. Well, so is all the rhetoric you hear
about our enemies getting stronger and
America getting weaker. Let me tell you
something. The United States of America is
the most powerful nation on Earth, period.
Period.

Obama acknowledged the difficulty

of accommodating people from multiple
backgrounds while attributing this as a
strength of the nation as a whole. He
addressed the fact that the presidency is
not the only facet of government dictating
politics, but that it serves alongside the
congressional and judicial branches that
are intended to serve the nation, with its
319 million people.
If we want better politics, its not
enough to just change a congressman
or change a senator or even change a
president. We have to change the system to
reflect our better selves.

4 JANUARY 14

A Digital Universe

TECHNOLOGY

Multimedia innovator Katerina Cizek to visit UCSC Jan. 25

BY KELSEY TAYLOR
Can you imagine organizing
on the internet to save your
building, stop a war or start a labor
movement?
A digital 9-year-old girl urges
viewers to consider the possibilities
the world-wide web has to offer.
This fictional character is one
of three hosts in the interactive
video Universe Within, the final
piece of Katerina Cizeks series of
documentaries titled Highrise.
Cizek directed the film, produced by
the National Film Board of Canada,
and worked alongside Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT)
scholars as a member of its Visiting
Artist Program to gather data.
Sherry Turkle at MIT has
done some important work on the
impact of technologies on children
and youth but from a classical
psychological perspective, Cizek
said. We need a lot more research
and discussion.

Interactive and
nonlinear forms of
documentary production
match well with the
evolving ways in which
we process and look for
information.
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, assistant
film and digital media professor
Cizek works in many mediums of
film, in which she often experiments
with satellite imagery and a threedimensional space. The two-time
Emmy-winner from Canada will be
the visiting Porter College artist at
UC Santa Cruz on Jan. 25 and will
speak about her style of filmmaking
and most recent documentary
project.
Documentary is a different
style of filmmaking, said UCSC
film student Julian Gomez. You can
easily tell someones story wrong
different from what theyre trying to
say and what you want to say.
The beginning page of Cizeks
video features the hosts, composed
of the animated pixels, hovering
across a night sky landscape. With
the click of a mouse viewers have the
freedom to choose a host to guide
them through different parts of the
interactive video tour. A host may
ask viewers for their permission to
talk or thank them for their attention
during the array of video clips about
cultures around the world that use
technology for different purposes.
The composition allows viewers
to decipher these stories without a
voice of authority.
Interactive and nonlinear forms
of documentary production match

well with the evolving ways in which

we process and look for information,
said Jennifer Maytorena Taylor,
social documentation and assistant
film and digital media professor at
UCSC.
Universe Within, explores how
technological advancements take
shape within the lives of individuals
who live in high-rise buildings in 20
different locations around the globe.
These high-rises are often home
to immense poverty in small and
deteriorating quarters in the center
of an urban setting.
I began research, and met worldclass urbanists in Toronto who are
looking at how poverty is segregating
not only this city, but all around the
world, Cizek said in an email.
Cizek tells stories ranging from
a woman who migrated from
Indonesia to Singapore for work,
a woman subjected to dangerous
working conditions including highrise window cleaning, to a Chinese
woman struggling with her sexuality.
She explores how the world of digital
media allows these individuals
to find unity among social media
outlets like Facebook. Similarly, these
sites allow students at universities to
circulate information and improve
campus life.
Cizek circles around the rapid
evolution of the digital world and
the increase of vertical architecture
both inevitable developments
that began to shift the dynamic
of communities. The integration
of these ideas demonstrates the
lengths to which technology bolsters
activism within these communities,
yet hinders physical interaction
between people.
Kat summarizes that paradox
quite well, Maytorena Taylor said.
The ways in which we relate to
technology have a lot to do with our
underlining specific social practices,
depending on where we live.
The Highrise project reflects
Civeks curiosity of the digital media
revolution around the different
applications of technology in the
hands of the current generation.
Its an infrastructure as any
other, and vulnerable to corporate
and dictatorial interests, Cizek
said. The digital sphere is caught
up in the same battles we face over
keeping our cities, our climate and
our communities democratic, just
and fair.
She sparks a conversation around
the future of technology with an
open mind without putting the
possibilities in opposition.
The tendency in this discussion
is to polarize. There are two
predominant
ideologies:
either
technology is evil or redeeming,
Cizek said. Its more nuanced and
complicated than that.

KAILEEN SMITH

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 5

CAMPUS EATS

Cafe Ivta Preps for Opening This Quarter

Family business second location will fill the vacant spot in the Quarry

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN DE ROPP

John Bilanko (right) and his daughter Danielle (left) own Cafe Ivta on Delaware Street. Cafe Ivtas
second location will open this quarter in the Quarry restaurant space.
BY ALEXA LOMBERG
When Yvette and John Bilanko opened a
tiny espresso bar in a Chicago suburb in 1991,
their customers wanted more you have
coffee, you need scones, John remembers the
customers suggesting. It was good timing, too.
Yvette had just traveled to a trade show in the
middle of winter and met three food science
graduate students from the University of Illinois
who had developed all-natural, easy to bake
scone mixes.
The couple teamed up with the students,
and started baking the scones at their shop.
Most of their employees were high school and
college students, and the mixes were simple
enough for non-professional bakers. The
scones were a hit.
Nearly a decade later, the Bilankos found
themselves in a similar situation but on a
different coast. After setting up Ivta Gourmet
in Santa Cruz, the family business was selling
scone, muffin and biscuit mixes at a warehouse
location. Even Oprah liked their scones, and
Ivta was featured on the O List in the premier
issue of her magazine. But the customers
wanted a place to sit and have a cup of coffee
with their scone, prompting yet another
question What do you have for lunch?
The family signed a lease for their current
location on Delaware Avenue in 2008. The
new space provided a larger warehouse, and
room for a cafe, something they hadnt had
since almost 20 years ago in Chicago. Cafe
Ivta focuses on simple, fresh food, without
pretense to pair with its pastries and coffee. Its
Westside location, although slightly hidden in
the industrial area, is bustling.
Its a feeling that will serve the family well
as they plan their next business venture, Cafe
Ivtas second location in the restaurant space
under the Graduate Student Commons (GSC)
in Quarry Plaza. Last month, GSC and John
Bilanko agreed to a four-year, six-month lease
for the on-campus space. The goal is set to
be open this quarter, said GSC business and
building manager Rachel Neuman.
The space has been empty since June, when
Joes Pizzas and Subs requested a five-year lease
extension and didnt accept the governance
boards offer for a three-year extension. Joes

6 JANUARY 14

had been the vendor for the GSC space since

2003.
If were going to have a place on campus,
I dont want it to just be another dining hall
experience or just another fast food experience,
John said. I want the students to feel like this is
their place.
Cafe Ivtas menu will feature breakfast,
lunch and dinner options, including
sandwiches, soups and a salad bar, as well as
beer, cider and wine options. Cafe Ivta will be
open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 11
a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and closed Sunday.
Neuman said the cafe meets all the criteria
gathered from a campus-wide survey last year,
which showed most student were interested in
healthy meals for under $10.
Cafe Ivta has been interested in moving
on campus since 2012, when it was a finalist
with Hoffmans Bistro to move into the Global
Village Cafe (GVC) in McHenry Library. This
time around, John was already bidding on the
GSC space when he heard that GVC was looking
for a vendor again.
Its a good opportunity for us as a small
family business because we dont have the
resources to compete with a Starbucks or
Chipotle or something, John said. The
university is making a big contribution in terms
of the equipment and the space so its not
costing us as much as if we were to go into an
empty space downtown and start from scratch.
GSC raised its initial budget for equipment
and repairs from $95,000 to $225,000 during
lease negotiations. Cafe Ivta requested a 10year lease while the governance board was
aiming for a three-year term. They settled on a
lease expiring at the end of the 2020 school year,
with stipulations that the governance board
fund major appliances and repairs, including
a reach-in freezer, multiple refrigeration and
oven units and a dishwasher.
My goal is to help Cafe Ivta succeed and be
here for the long-term, Rachel Neuman said.
Its not just four and a half years, but its setting
them up for success so that at the end of the
lease term, the GSC can renew the lease terms.
Neuman and the governance board look at
the increased budget as an investment. Natasha
Dudek, president of the board, said its finance

Cafe Ivtas current location is hidden among industrial buildings near Natural Bridges. The cafe is
also a warehouse where the company creates its famous pastry mixes for customers to purchase.

WHATS ON THE MENU?

A couple highlights from Cafe Ivtas lengthy menu for its oncampus spot. Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options are wellfeatured on the full menu as well.
Breakfast
Scrambled Egg Sandwich $7
Bacon Avocado Scramble $8
Lox Toast $7
Lunch
Build-your-own-salad (5 toppings of your choice) $7.50
Spicy Vegan Sandwich $8
BLT (fan favorite at the Westside location) $8
Dinner
Ahi Tacos $9
Brisket Banh Mi $9

committee is working on a long-term plan to allocate

money back from its income to the plant reserve, or
savings allocated for building maintenance.
With a focus on sustainability and energyefficient appliances, the board was previously
awarded $25,000 from the Carbon Fund, and have
re-applied for about $50,000 of additional grants
from the fund to subsidize the boards increased
costs. GSC is also looking to the Student Fee Advisory
Committee as a funding source.
Through sustainable practices and student
involvement John Bilanko strives to make his cafe
part of the campus community, just like hes done
with the off-campus location. Whether that be
collaborating with the art department to feature
student artwork on the walls or with the Center for
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS)
Farm to source produce, hes looking at different
avenues to work with students and on-campus
programs.
Crystal Owings, CASFS food equity and access
specialist, works with a group of six students to meet
the UC initiative goal to get all on-campus food
vendors to 40 percent real food by 2020. Owings
and the students will meet with Cafe Ivta to discuss

the possibility of on-campus food sourcing, just like

other non-dining hall vendors like the Cowell and
Stevenson cafes that receive produce from the Farm.
It will be great to be able to connect with Cafe
Ivta, especially since it already sources a lot of
organic and sustainable produce, Owings said. For
CASFS to provide to vendors not even two or three
miles away, its as close as you can get, right down
the street, and a lot of students grow the produce,
harvest it, clean it and even transport it.
One of Johns four daughters, Danielle, will
manage the on-campus location. She has worked for
the family business for about 10 years, particularly for
the transformation of the Ivta Gourmet warehouse
in Santa Cruz into a cafe-warehouse hybrid. Danielle
said the cafe will be open by March 1, with the goal
to possibly open its doors even sooner. John and
Danielle are currently hiring students to work at the
new location.
From the very beginning of this process, GSC
was very excited about receiving their proposal,
Rachel Neuman said. There were some highly
qualified top candidates, and in the end the vote for
Cafe Ivta was unanimous everyone voted them
in.

SAY WHAT?!
In the spirit of the family business, Cafe Ivta is
named after Johns wife, Yvette, who is Italian,
but with a French name. Her daughter Danielle
explained that in their old neighborhood in
Chicago, everyone pronounced Yvette more like
Ee-vay-ta, transforming into the Ivta seen
across the business storefront and scone mixes
today. In 1991, the couple stuck with the name
Yvettes Espresso Bar for their store, but upon
expanding decided to pay homage to the woman
whose family background in the food business
sparked her own familys company.

Amazon Juices Debuts at Global Village

BY SHELBY CLEMONS
After some delay, Amazon Juices at Global
Village Cafe (GVC) opened on Wednesday with
a limited menu of coffee, tea and pastries and a
slow but steady flow of customers.
The cafe closed in October, when Hoffmans
was evicted. GVC was set to reopen its doors
under the new tenant on Jan. 11, but was
delayed due to some missing equipment that
prevented it from serving juice, smoothies and
food.
Amazon Juices owners operate their
Capitola location in addition to Cafe Brasil on
Mission St. in Santa Cruz. Since expansion was
an ongoing plan for co-owner Joo Luiz Frota,
transition to the campus space wasnt difficult,
especially given that the size and partial kitchen
are similar to their Amazon Juices location.
When we opened Amazon Juices, I tried
to make it simple, good recipes and good food
and juices. The goal was to open second, third,
fourth locations, Frota said. But [associate
university librarian] John [Bono] found us, and
I always dreamed to have an opportunity up
here.
Since its closure, GVC was reconstructed
to center the display case to accommodate an
additional register and line space. One line will
be for standard orders while the other will be an
express line where customers can order coffee,
juice and pastries.
A new feature of the cafe will be an app that
customers can use to order and pay for their
food. The app will text the customer once their
food is ready to be picked up and they can enter
the express line rather than wait in the regular
line. The app is not finished yet, but Frota hopes
it will be ready by the end of February.
What we heard from students is whats
difficult is to come down and order food to take
back up, but the line was prohibitive, Bono
said.
Amazon Juices prices are slightly higher
than Hoffmans, ranging from $8-10 for
sandwiches and plates. Menu items include
breakfast sandwiches and burritos, hot and cold
sandwiches, rice bowls and plates. The price

CASEY AMARAL

Cafe reopens after three months of closure

Students line up in McHenry Library during the reopening of Global Village Cafe. The cafe is now under management of Amazon Juices.
jump has some students concerned.
The sandwiches are a lot more expensive.
You used to be able to order half sandwiches,
now its whole sandwiches and theyre near
$10, said third-year student Bianca Garcia.
Additional changes include a machine that
will cook hot sandwiches as well as eggs for
the breakfast sandwiches and burritos. The
menu will also feature rotating specials which
may become permanent depending on student
feedback and interest.
Theyre starting out with the Amazon Juices
menu they have on 41st. We agreed that they

will try new specials to see what people really

like, Bono said. One of the things we struggled
with with Hoffmans was there were a number
of really popular things on the menu, but the
menu seemed not to evolve over time. We
thought that was a missed opportunity.
Frota and Bono both noted it was important
that Hoffmans employees who worked at GVC
get carried over in the move, and Frota said
around five of the previous employees will
work at Amazon Juices and were trained at the
Capitola location.
Bono is hopeful the transition will

work well for the GVC space.

Although we were contacted by many
[vendors] when the Hoffmans departure was
publicized that were interested in operating
here, no one really demonstrated that they had
a concept that could be operationalized here,
Bono said. [Co-owners] Joo Luiz and Natasha
demonstrated that it could be successful
and they share the food values that remain
important in this space.

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 7

MUSHROOMS

PHOTOS BY ALI ENRIGHT

Fungi

Fanatics

Annual Fungus Fair comes to town

for biggest turnout yet

Santa Cruz
locals, UCSC
students
and visitors
came to
the Louden
Nelson
Community
Center
this past
weekend to
participate
in the 42nd
annual
Fungus Fair.

Spectators and
participants
from all over
attended the
annual Santa
Cruz Fungus
Fair between
Jan. 8-10. The
weekend-long
event featured
educational
displays,
workshops and
a variety of
vendors.
BY ALEX WILKINS
The forest was brought indoors this
weekend, with hundreds of varieties
of fungi re-creating a woodland scene,
complete with trees and forest floor on
display at the annual Santa Cruz Fungus
Fair.
Theyre really, really weird, said
Christian Schwarz, UC Santa Cruz
alumnus and member of the Fungus
Federation of Santa Cruz (FFSC) who acts
as a scientific advisor to the fair. Ill never
exhaust the resource of weird, bizarre
mushrooms to explore. Theyre really
colorful they can be really tiny or really
huge they can do all sorts of interesting
things ecologically, and theres still a lot
we dont know about them.
Officially started in 1984 by UCSC
alumnus David Arora, the FFSCs annual
Fungus Fair grows in size each year, now
attracting thousands of visitors from all
over the state of California for a threeday celebration of all things fungusrelated.
Mike Scott, a Santa Cruz resident
and attendee of previous fairs, noted
the change in size and diversity of the
event in recent years. When Scott started
attending in the 80s, it was held at the
Natural Museum of History in Seabright,
but was moved to its current location after
soaring turn-outs.
Now in its 42nd year and hosted at
the Louden Community Centre, the fair

8 JANUARY 14

offers a staggering array of activities and

specimens. From the delicious candy cap
ice cream (a personal favorite of Scotts),
made of a sweet, maple syrup-smelling
and-tasting mushroom, to clothes made
using mycopigments, dyes extracted
from mushrooms, this years fair offered
the widest and most informative fungi
display in the history of Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz County is home to over 400
varieties of fungus and is one of the best
locations in North America for fungus
foraging, Schwarz said. Yet lack of prior
preparation can prove deadly Santa
Cruz is home to amanita phalloides,
commonly known as the Death Cap

mushroom, which Schwarz said causes

more deaths than any other mushroom in
the world.
However,
Schwarz,
author
of
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast,
clarifies the common misconception that
many mushrooms are deadly.
Its only very few species that are
actually deadly, and its relatively few that
are even toxic, Schwarz said. Taking a
drive in a car is probably more dangerous
than learning to pick mushrooms and
eating them if you know what youre
doing.
Just as many people join the Fungus
Federation for culinary interests as they
do scientific ones. There are wine and
mushroom pairing courses which have
been put on by the Fungus Federation
for many years, which is how Jeff Emery,
a winemaker and member of the Fungus
Federation for over 40 years, got involved.
Emery looks at the world of fungi
through a culinary lens and is keen
to warn those with no experience
of the potential dangers of
mushroom foraging.
Theres no substitute for
knowledge, Emery said. The
analogy I give is if tangerines
killed you and oranges didnt,
I would only hang apples. You
have to know your taxonomy,
and possibly go with an
expert.
While adults explored
exhibits devoted to the medicinal
benefits of fungi and saw a range of toxic
or even deadly mushroom species,
mushroom-themed face painting and

[Mushrooms] can do
all sorts of interesting
things ecologically, and
theres still a lot we
dont know about them.
Christian Schwarz,
UCSC alumnus,
Fungus Federation
of Santa Cruz
member

a treasure hunt entertained kids. But the

beauty of mushrooms goes beyond what
the human eye can see.
We had a lot of people with UV
lights this year, Schwarz said, and a lot
of mushrooms have really interesting
fluorescence. They look boring, but you
put them under the UV light and they
look yellow or blue with really interesting
patterns.
Schwarz worked with The North
American Mycoflora Project to create
a comprehensive library of mycoflora,
both photographic and genetic, of all the
mushrooms in Santa Cruz County.
Its really the first project thats
comprehensive of its kind in North
America, Schwarz said, and Santa Cruz
is leading the way in doing it.
Schwarz is enthusiastic about the
project, hosted at SCmycoflora.org, and
highlights its success despite the lack of
official academic support.
A lot of student interns are involved,
a lot of community members are
involved but not very many academics
are involved, Schwarz said. Its a sort of
crowd sourcing, or using citizen science
to learn more about mushrooms, even if
you dont have an academic background.
This years Fungus Fair was, in the eyes
of organizers and attendees, a resounding
success. After the recent rain, many edible
varieties of mushroom are just coming
to fruit a perfect time for new fungi
enthusiasts to get involved. Even with the
obvious dangers, Schwarz said that if
youre careful, then its not dangerous
its easy and its fun!

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

o
T
We
o
l
l
e
H
s
st Cliff Wave
BY SAMANTHA HAMILTON
PHOTOS BY CASEY AMARAL
With all the rain Santa Cruz has seen in recent weeks,
residents may have forgotten the county declared a
state of drought emergency just last June, but one look
at the San Lorenzo River or the Loch Lomond Reservoir
two of Santa Cruzs four water sources can sober
one up to the the still-ensuing drought.
Santa Cruzs other water sources are the Live Oak
Wells and the North Coast. With the exception of the
Live Oak Wells, all of Santa Cruzs water sources are
dependent on rainfall and runoff, according to the City
of Santa Cruz Water Department.
No water is purchased from State or Federal sources
or imported to the region from outside the Santa Cruz
area, reads a water department report from 2013.
California has been in a drought since 2012, and
the recent rainfall has not been enough to get Santa
Cruzs water sources back to their normal levels, but
it has been enough to cause flooding in some parts
of the county. Residents in Santa Cruzs Beach Flats
community were advised last week to prepare for
storm-related emergencies.
Several cities in the Bay Area have seen fallen
trees and power outages due to damaged electrical
lines. Even Santa Cruz County has published a guide
on its website on what residents should do in case of
emergencies.
El Nio has many concerned about high winds
and flooding conditions, but if theres anyone in Santa
Cruz excited about El Nio, its the surfers. The storm
has brought high tides and massive waves perfect for
riding.
However, the National Weather Service has issued a
flash flood watch, a coastal flood advisory and a high
surf warning for parts of the Bay Area, and advises that
surfers use their best judgment.

l
E

o
i
N

WE ASKED YOU!
How are you
preparing for El Nio?
Compiled by JAVIER GUTIERREZ
Photos by STEPHEN DE ROPP

I just bought a rain jacket

and an umbrella. Hopefully
its enough.
Francesca Hovagimian
Third-year, Porter College
Philosophy

I bought one jacket and a

couple pair of jeans. I am not
too worried about it though.
Leslie Miklik
Third-year transfer, Crown College
Biology

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 9

MARINE LIFE

Stranded Marine Mammals Hit All-Time High in 2015

El Nios prolonged effects hurt Santa Cruz seals and sea lions

In the United States, abnormally

lower temperatures in the south and
abnormally higher temperatures in
the north have produced what The
Weather Channel projected to be the
strongest El Nio storm in 18 years.
In Santa Cruz, these patterns have
negatively impacted wildlife and
led to a surge of stranded marine
mammals.
El Nio is the oceanic warming of
the central to eastern Pacific, which
has an average span of two to seven
years. The current El Nio conditions
have been ongoing since early 2015
and according to a three-month
winter outlook by The Weather
Channel, its projected to continue
for another two months.
Some scientists believe the
prolonged effects of El Nio
combined with the effects of climate
change are to blame for the increase
in stranded marine mammals. An
estimated 3,000 young California
sea lions were stranded in California
in 2015, according to the Marine
Mammal Center (MMC). The MMC is
the primary responder for Santa Cruz
and Monterey counties for the intake
of stranded seals and sea lions.
Whats happening off the
California coast is caused not by any
one environmental condition but
rather a perfect storm, said MMC
public relations specialist Laura
Sherr in an email. These warmer
waters, which some scientists also
link to global climate change, seem
to be affecting distributions of fish,
causing marine mammals like sea
lions and fur seals to have a harder
time finding food close to their
typical habitat range.
Sherr said this results in marine
mammals becoming stranded as
they venture away from their usual
habitats in search of food.
Martha Arciniega, a Ph.D.
candidate at UC Santa Cruz studying
ocean sciences, is the vice president
of community relations of Sea
Slugs, an on-campus organization
dedicated
to
environmental
stewardship. She said El Nio events
alter the distribution of nutrients in
ocean waters, bringing them closer
to shore.
The larger marine mammals,
such as humpback whales, follow
the food near shore and outcompete
the smaller marine mammals such
as the sea lions, Arciniega said.
[This leads to] adult sea lions
being outcompeted for food and are
pushed further offshore to collect
food.
Although the warmer water
temperatures affect the diets of all
animals in the ecosystem, Teri Sigler,
the marine mammal stranding
coordinator at the Long Marine Lab,
said she has only seen an increase in
the number of stranded seals and sea

10 JANUARY 14

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARINE MAMMAL SOCIETY

BY JUAN CRISTIAN VILLAMIL

lions not cetaceans like dolphins

and whales. She said this is partly
because its in seals and sea lions
biology to leave their young on shore
while they forage for food, while
cetaceans do not.
Cetaceans young are with them
all the time, Sigler said. They dont
have a shore component to their life
biology, so theyre able to more easily
follow the prey, whereas seals and sea
lions have specific breeding grounds
they go to every year.
Seal and sea lion pups wait for
their mothers to bring food back to
them on shore. But since the mothers
must now venture farther out to
forage, its taking them a much
longer transit time to get out to where
the food source is, and so the pups
essentially become abandoned,
Sigler said.
In 2015 alone, the MMC rescued
about 1,800 stranded seals and sea
lions a record-breaking number
for the center, as it usually responds
to only 600-800 marine mammal
rescue cases yearly.
[And] with an unusually strong
El Nio taking shape in the equatorial
Pacific, conditions are not likely to
change much any time soon, Laura
Sherr said in an email. The warm
waters El Nio is expected to bring
will simply reinforce or extend the
dramatic effects weve seen to date.
Gary Griggs, director of the
Institute of Marine Sciences at UCSC,
asserts that the increase in stranded
marine mammals isnt solely due to
the prolonged effects of El Nio, but

rather several factors.

We have El Nio coming,
but within, weve got this climate
change which is long-term taking
place, Griggs said. The oceans
are warming, the air is warming,
circulation is changing. So its not
really a simple, straightforward
connection.
For over a year now, a
large cauldron of warm water
temperatures along the coast of the
Pacific Northwest contributed to
the development of a harmful algal
bloom, which scientists are calling
the blob, reaching from Alaska to
California. The blob in the Pacific
has already affected food availability
and habitats for marine life, Griggs
said.
The sea lions are being affected
by both these harmful algal blooms
and domoic acid, Griggs said.
Domoic acid is found in the
algae produced by the blob and
alters marine ecosystems through
the accumulation of biotoxins in
shellfish, sardines and anchovies
which are then consumed by sea
otters, sea lions and humans.
Consequently, cases of stranded
and sick marine mammals have
increased as the blob spreads.
In response to the high numbers
of stranded marine mammals
expected in 2016, the MMC plans
to increase the recruitment of
volunteers and other resources in
order to manage the growing number
of stranded marine mammals.

Members of the Marine Mammal Center release California sea lions back into
the ocean after rehabilitation. Due to a number of changing environmental
conditions, some marine mammals are forced to venture farther from their
normal foraging grounds for food. Sea lion pups are prone to becoming
stranded.

FREE MARKET

Sharing Trinkets and Fighting Capitalism

SubRosas Really, Really Free Market promotes gift economies
BY NICK NODINE
The courtyard on the corner of 703 Pacific Avenue in downtown
Santa Cruz is teeming with vegetation and vitality as those in need
and those with abundance mingle and connect. Its here at the
SubRosa Community Space on the third Saturday of every month
that a wealth of goods, services and knowledge exists. Only one
thing seems to be missing currency.
At this gathering called Really, Really Free Market (RRFM),
individuals can give away goods or services to those who want or
need them. Although sharing is not a novel concept, the idea of
a collaborative event initiated by the community and without a
bartering system stems from anarchist ideas.
It came out of the 2004 protests in Miami against the free trade
agreements in the Americas because free trade isnt actually free
it costs a lot in terms of peoples labor and exploitation, said
UC Santa Cruz graduate student and organizer of the market who
identified himself as Bob. So activists in Miami staged a Really,
Really Free Market.
This market operates on an idea called a gift-economy, which
Bob said is to share what we have in abundance with one another
in order to create community and resistance to those models of
exploitation. Gift-economy is characterized as an exchange with
no intention of being compensated for a given good.
Its a different type of mutual aid without relying on stores,
said a UCSC alumna who goes by Penske Pocketknife.
At SubRosa all events are open, initiated and funded by the
public through donations. Volunteers hope to meet the needs of
the community, whether its through social interaction, goods or
events.
SubRosa was created by four long-time radical community
members after years of talk about wanting a [do it yourself ]
community-centered space in town, SubRosa member James
said about the opening of SubRosa in 2008. With the Bike Church,
Bike Santa Cruz County (formerly People Power) and the Hub for
Sustainable Living all surrounding the Pacific Avenue location, the
founders of SubRosa jumped at the chance to join this community.
For Bob and James, SubRosa creates a place for people to feel

safe, be social and simply exist. However, there has been a decline
in visitors. James suspects the lack of traffic may be due to lack of
advertising and a shift in the communitys climate.
Something that has really changed from 2008 is Facebook
and technology, James said. Peoples social needs are being met
differently than they used to be.
SubRosa transitioned to an event-oriented space, which
seems to feed the needs of the community by giving them
something to focus on, instead of just an open space. It
hosts presentations, guest speakers, film showings, live
music, queer dance parties, noncompetitive Super Smash
Brothers tournaments, open mics, letter writing to
inmates and RRFM. Like the market, these programs
require donations but SubRosa emphasizes no one will
be turned away for lack of funds.
SubRosa formerly offered free childcare for
community members but because of a volunteer
shortage, it now focuses on hosting events like RRFM.
Clothing, utensils, tools, food and artwork are some of
the items given away at the market. Occasionally there
are hair stylists and massage therapists sharing their
talents for free.
The [RRFM] helps people get by day to day. But
its also a movement thats bigger than any one free
market, Bob said. Its a misconception that anarchy
means chaos, violence and no rules. It just means people
themselves are the best ones to lead their own lives. And
that power should be at the grassroots level.
The SubRosa Community Space holds its Really, Really Free
Market on the third Saturday of every month from 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.

OWEN THOMAS

The [RRFM] helps people get by day to day.

But its also a movement thats bigger than any
one free market.
Bob, market organizer
RESTAURANT
& NIGHTCLUB

1011 PACIFIC AVE.

831-429-4135

Friday, January 15
AGES 16+

Stick Figure
Friday, January 15 In the Atrium AGES 16+
DEAD PREZ plus Mic Crenshaw
Saturday, January 16 In the Atrium AGES 16+

GARDENS & VILLA

Sunday, January 17 AGES 16+

2 CHAINZ
BOOMBOX
plus

DJ Aspect

Saturday, January 23
In the Atrium AGES 21+
HEAVY HANDS plus Rumble Steelskin
Sunday, January 24 In the Atrium AGES 16+
KUNG FU plus Disiac
Thursday, January 28 In the Atrium AGES 21+

THE MAIN SQUEEZE

Steel Pulse

Friday, Jan. 29
AGES 16+
Friday, January 29 In the Atrium AGES 16+
FUTUREBIRDS plus Susto

Jan 30 Y & T/ Archer (Ages 21+)

Jan 31 Dr. Dog/ Hop Along (Ages 16+)
Feb 5 Snoop Dogg/ DJ Aspect (Ages 16+)
Feb 6 The White Buffalo (Ages 21+)
Wednesday, January 20 In the Atrium AGES 16+ Feb 9 Mardi Gras Party: Lettuce (Ages 16+)
SHOW ME THE BODY
Feb 10 & 11 Iration (Ages 16+)
Thursday, January 21 In the Atrium AGES 16+ Feb 12 Geoff Tates Operation: Mindcrime (Ages 21+)
AGENT ORANGE plus La Plebe
Feb 13 The Growlers/ Jonathan Richman (Ages 16+)
Feb 14 Brillz/ Party Favor (Ages 18+)
Friday, January 22 AGES 18+
Feb 15 Matisyahu (Ages 16+)
Feb 19 Keys N Krates/ Hermitude (Ages 18+)
Feb 20 blessthefall/ Miss May I (Ages 16+)
Friday, January 22 In the Atrium AGES 16+
Feb 23 Reel Big Fish (Ages 16+)
MELISSA BROOKS & THE AQUADOLLS SWMRS Mar 4 Skizzy Mars/ Gnash (Ages 16+)
Saturday, Jan. 23 AGES 16+ Mar 5 Dead Kennedys (Ages 16+)
Mar 9 & 10 Rebelution/ Protoje (Ages 16+)
Mar 11 Andre Nickatina (Ages 16+)
Wednesday, January 20 AGES 16+

Minnesota b2b G Jones

ROACH
GIGZ

Ezale LOS
RAKAS

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are dance shows with limited seating.

Tickets subject to city tax & service charge by phone 877-987-6487 & online

www.catalystclub.com

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 11

NBA D-LEAGUE

Wounded
Warriors
Warriors struggles from
showcase continue in loss to
Idaho Stampede

PHOTOS BY JASPER LYONS

BY VANESSA MAGEE

Santa Cruz Warriors #19 Daniel Orton wins the tip off at the beginning of the game against the Sioux
Skyforce on Jan. 9. The Skyforce defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors 102-81.

Point guard #14 Aaron Craft hangs in the air moments before laying up a basket. The Santa Cruz
Warriors finished the D-league showcase 0-2, citing their loss of leading scorer Elliott Williams as a
contributing factor.

12 JANUARY 14

The 2016 NBA D-League showcase at the

Kaiser Permanente Arena featured 19 teams
and 19 games, with two NBA call-ups and
one showcase champion. For the Santa Cruz
Warriors it resulted in a 0-2 record and a Net
Rating of -18.0, the worst in the showcase.
Its tough, were on a very bad stretch
right now, and we arent doing ourselves
any favors when we play games and dont
come out with enthusiasm or heart, said
guard Aaron Craft, who returned to the
Warriors last week after playing in Hungary.
With Elliot Williams called up to the
Memphis Grizzlies on a 10-day contract,
the Warriors struggled to produce in his
absence. Williams is currently the Warriors
leading scorer and is second in the league.
Of course losing Elliot hurts, said head
coach Casey Hill. Thats 28 points a game.
In their first game last Friday night, the
Warriors fell to the Iowa Energy 89-101
despite the offensive push by Darington
Hobson, who finished with 24 points and
18 rebounds.
The Energy were led by Alex Stepheson
who posted his 12th straight double-double
with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Andrew
Harrison added 20 points, six rebounds
and nine assists. All five Energy starters
scored at least 12 points in the game. The
Warriors were led by Darington Hobson
with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
Net Rating, calculated by subtracting
Defensive Rating from Offensive Rating,
was used to crown the Sioux Falls Skyforce
champions of the 2016 NBA D-League
Showcase. According to the NBA D-League,
Offensive Rating is calculated by dividing
a teams total points by its total offensive
possessions, while Defensive Rating is
derived by dividing a teams total points
allowed by its opponents total offensive
possessions.
The Skyforce, one of seven teams to
go 2-0 in the event, finished first in the
showcase with a Net Rating of 13.3. They
also defeated the Warriors last Saturday

night with a final score of 102-81, propelling

them to 16-3 an NBA D-League record
for best record to open a season.
I dont think theyre necessarily
amazing offensively, Hill said. They had
20 points off of our turnovers, and they
had 21 second chance points. Thats 41
points of their 101 that were something we
couldve done something about.
Warriors Verdell Jones finished the
game with a team high 17 points and seven
rebounds in 24 minutes.
The Skyforce led by as many as 35
points with five minutes remaining in the
game before they let off the gas, allowing
the Warriors to close out the game on a
20-6 run, though the Warriors still lost by
21 points.
Now I know what it was like to play
against us last year, Hill said following
the game against the Skyforce. It doesnt
feel good to be blown out. That team
is absolutely rolling, they have a lot of
talent and they play with heart, theyre
defensively focused, which is what we gotta
be to be successful in the league.
When asked about which players he
took notice of in the five-day event, Jos
Luis Mateo, CEO of Rio Natura Monbus
Obradoiro, said not any of the Santa Cruz
Warriors. None of them have impressed me
this week. Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro
is a professional basketball team in
Santiago, Spain.
Following the showcase, the Warriors
returned to the court on Tuesday against
the Idaho Stampede in a 91-101 loss.
Despite the loss, the team scored 31 points
in the first quarter, a significant boost in
offensive production. The team welcomed
Kevon Looney, who is on assignment from
the Golden State Warriors. Looney finished
with 11 points in 16 minutes.
The frustration is the play on the floor,
Aaron Craft said about the losing streak.
Its just the product we are putting out
on the floor, this is on me just as much as
anyone else in the locker room [] and its
our job to fix it.

Mens Volleyball Starts

Season Undefeated

VOLLEYBALL

Under new interim head coach, Slugs

win first two games of season

We had the opportunity to work on the fundamentals

we have been practicing on, and it worked today against
the Hawks, Leon said. It is good to start the season off
with a high note and a great crowd backing us.
Junior outside hitter Jake Howard was another
standout, recording a match-high 11 kills.

Our core starters all

performed at a high
level, and we got a
lot of great support
from our bench.
Jake Howard, outside hitter
Our core starters all performed at a high level, and we
got a lot of great support from our bench, Howard said.
It was a team effort and showed just how strong we can
be as a unit.
The Slugs played Benedictine the next night and swept
3-0. Howard had a match-high of 14 kills and Evan Kittle
led with 29 assists. They will take the court again against
Lakeland at Cal Lutheran on Jan. 22.
Paul, as well as our assistant coaches [Mauro Salinas
and Shane Yablonka], have all stepped into our program
seamlessly, Howard said. As they are all former UCSC
players, they know what it is like to be a student athlete on
this team and are very clear on what the expectations are
for this season.

Cameron Bardeau, who plays the defensive position of libero on UCSCs

mens volleyball team, passes the ball to a teammate. Bardeau is a third-year
Cowell College student from Hermosa Beach, California.

CALYSE TOBIAS

The UC Santa Cruz mens volleyball team kicked off its

2016 season with a pair of convincing wins against Holy
Names and Benedictine University over the weekend.
The Slugs came into the game against Division II Holy
Names with the debut of Paul Leon, the interim head
coach. Prior to accepting the position in December, Leon
was the assistant coach to former head coach and 2015
American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division
III Mens Head Coach of the Year Todd Hollenbeck. Leon
also had a prolific career as a setter of the mens team from
2008-2012.
Paul is a really good choice, said UCSC athletic
director Cliff Dochterman. He was a successful assistant
coach and an accomplished player of the game who
truly understands the culture and personality of UCSCs
athletic program.
Backed by a packed home crowd, Leon and his team
brought out a great performance at the West Field House.
The opening set against Holy Names remained tight, with
both teams finding their rhythm. It wasnt until the Slugs
found their first lead at 15-14, that they started to gain
momentum off junior outside hitter Jake Howards ace
serve. They clinched the first set 25-22 after a serving error
from Holy Names.
The second set was thrilling with more kills and errors
from the Slugs than the first set. When the Slugs and Hawks
continuously exchanged leads, it was middle blocker
Jorge Reyes who stayed vocal with his team, encouraging
members after intense moments. Leon commended
Reyess leadership that kept the defense intact. The Slugs
eventually pulled away 25-21 and took a 2-0 lead into the
third set.
In the third set, the Slugs outmatched Holy Names
in hitting percentage and kills, recording three times the
number of kills than their opponents. The Hawks struggled
defensively and the Slugs took the last set steadily (25-14)
to win the match.

ALI ENRIGHT

BY ARTHUR ZHU

Paul Leon, the new interim head coach for the team, gives a pep talk to the players during its game against
Benedictine University on Saturday night.

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 13

OPINION

KELSEY HILL

Hateful Eight
trivializes
violence, sexi
sm and racism

Frontier justice film highlights worst of Tarantinos tendencies

BY MONTSE REYES
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most
respected directors of our time. He boasts
an impressive knowledge of film-history and
much of the auteurs works are heralded as
modern classics. Yet, as adept as Tarantino is
at subverting conventions of plot and telling
engaging, complex stories rife with tension,
he has never known how to deal with issues of
race. That ignorance is startlingly present in his
newest and most Tarantino-esque film,
The Hateful Eight.
The film does a lot well. The cinematography
is amazing, with long, wide shots of the snowcovered Wyoming mountainside. The music,
composed by Ennio Morricone, is phenomenal.
The cast is, of course, talented. But similar to
Django Unchained, the film is tone-deaf in its
approach, twisting the aftermath of slavery into
a revenge fantasy western. The film is grossly
irresponsible in its depiction of violence, sexism
and race relations.
Hateful Eight is a three-hour long frontier
justice feature broken up into five chapters,
with the first few unfolding at a languid pace.
Violence seems inevitable, as two of the
characters, Samuel L. Jacksons Major Marquis
Warren and Kurt Russells John Ruth, are bounty
hunters. The film gets a slow start, but once the
first bullet is fired, a deluge of blood, gore and
(literal) brains ensues.
One understands racism was rampant
in postbellum United States, but historical
accuracy doesnt strike me as reason enough for
using the n-word 65 times in the film. Even a
fictionalized period piece must be responsible
about portraying people of color and tense
race relations, the products of which are
resoundingly felt today. Tarantino seems to act
with little awareness about the sort of cultural
influence his name alone wields.
Tarantinos affinity with using the n-word
didnt start with Hateful Eight or Django,
though the frequency of its use in such films
is supposedly necessitated by their historical
period. But what necessitated his use of the
racial epithet during his cameo in Pulp
Fiction, in the infamous dead n***** storage
scene? Historical accuracy doesnt apply. This
appears to be a matter of Tarantino perception
of artistry and progress over the feelings of
black artists and writers who have called him
out on his uncomfortably negligent use of the
slur.

14 JANUARY 14

He insists the Hateful Eight is meant to

spark conversation, but when his characters
are written more like caricatures, one wonders
what sort of conversation it will spark. When
I saw it in theaters on opening day, the racial
epithets and crude, tasteless comments about
both African-Americans and Mexicans in
particular a scene when Jacksons character
remarks that the owner of the waystation
preferred dogs to Mexicans actually sparked
laughter.
The mysterious Bob, a Mexican man, has
no depth and adopts an awful Mexican accent,
while Major Warren is continually subject to
insults from the other men.
The worst of it is an uncomfortably long,
graphic scene where Major Warren describes
orally raping and killing a southern soldier
sent to kill him. The scene being used as a way
to characterize the Major calls into question
Tarantinos lack of awareness. He perpetuates
the stereotype that sex and violence are
crucial to the Majors masculinity as a black
man and subsequently, power.
Later, the Major is castrated via gunshot
and left immobile. Its almost a continuation
of the aforementioned scene, where the
power of the character rests on antiquated
tropes of masculinity, specifically his penis.
Without the chief symbol of this masculinity,
he is rendered powerless.
Tarantinos lack of self-awareness crops up
in other parts of the film. The most prominent
female character Daisy Domergue, played by
Jennifer Jason Leigh, had been apprehended
by Ruth and on her way to being hung. We see
Ruth frequently breaking her nose, splitting
her head, and engaging in other forms of
brutalization.
The violence is meant to send
shockwaves through the audience, to create
sympathy with Daisy, Tarantino explains in a
BBC interview. But Domergues spiteful, racist
comments make it harder for the audience
to sympathize. Shes not likable, but the film
justifies her abuse by her criminality. Again,
its irresponsible in its fetishization of violence
and glaring misogyny.
Me dealing with race in America is one of
the things I have to offer to cinema, Tarantino
said in an interview with Entertainment
Weekly. That is one part of my interest in
American society, and so the fact that it
bleeds into my work makes perfect sense. In
particular, its what I have to offer the Western

genre, because its really not been dealt with

[there] in any meaningful way.
He says films like Django and Hateful
Eight are nuanced critiques of institutionalized
racism dating back to antebellum America.
But after viewing the films, one must wonder
how far up his own ass the director must be to
really believe his films are advancing critical
discourse about race relations in America or
progressing the way characters of color are
written on screen.
Tarantino has so much power as a director.
His films have huge budgets and even larger
social influence, which is why its disappointing

to see these cardboard caricatures attempting

to be passed off as revolutionary in their
representation.
We should be urging filmmakers and artists
to be responsible and conscientious about
the media they are producing. Its not about
foregoing the quality of art for the sake of being
politically correct or giving transgressions a
pass because the story is fictionalized. It is
about recognizing that sexism, gun violence
and racism are unfortunate truths of the world
we live in and that these ideologies bring harm
to people everyday.

Homecoming
Inland Empire grieves
after San Bernardino
terror attacks

BY KELSEY HILL

Around noon on Dec. 2, I started to get CNN notifications

on my phone about a mass shooting in Southern California.
Two suspects opened fire at a holiday party in San Bernardino,
killing 14 and seriously injuring another 22. Over the next
several hours, major media outlets reported an act of terrorism
associated with Islamic radicals. My home felt like the central
focus of the Western hemisphere.
San Bernardino, two hours east of Los Angeles, borders
the town my parents live in and the suburb where I grew up.
Like many other Inland Empire (IE) cities, San Bernardino
has played a big role in my life and is a city I feel a sense of
community in.
The two deceased suspects lived in a house in Redlands
on the same block as several friends of mine. The location of
the final shootout between them and the police is just across
the freeway from the hospital where I was born. To say the
San Bernardino terror attacks happened close to home is a
massive understatement for me, it happened at home.
My best friend was at home in San Bernardino while it was
happening, and many of my peers in the nearby schools were
under lockdown. It was distressing being so far away and not
knowing how the events were unfolding. It seemed like I was
getting more information from my Facebook feed than from
my breaking news alerts. I was uncomfortable watching the
media frantically zoom in on the most familiar places of my
life, sensationalizing loss and terror without any context to the
community that was grieving. Going home to the aftermath of
it though was a more emotional experience than I could have
ever anticipated.
The IE, a region with a rough exterior and a rougher
reputation, was grieving in a way I have never seen before
schools, industries and public spaces were united in
displaying symbols of their condolences. It seemed that
everyone I talked to had a connection to the incident in some
way, that everyones heart was heavy with the same collective
sadness. Though the violence only occurred in San Bernardino
and Redlands, the victims were from all over the tri-county
area including Colton, Fontana, Rialto, Riverside and one man
from Yucaipa. This tragedy has been dubbed the worst terror
attack since 9/11, and it brought the IE the only community
I knew before Santa Cruz to its knees.
After 24 days, I went to pay my respects at the Inland
Regional Center (IRC), the site of the attack. The building
was gated off, banners reading SB Strong, wrapped the
perimeter. Candles, signs and flowers sat on the street corner
with the names and faces of the 14 victims.
I bent down to light a saints candle, and caught myself
fixated on the handwritten R.I.P. Cousin at the base of a
homemade cross. I spent a lot of time looking over the pictures
of the victims and their loved ones, reading the messages
written to them on cards and posters. Thinking of all the
people who lost someone in this senseless act of violence and

Prior to its reopening on Jan. 4, the Inland Regional Center complex where the shooting took place was memorialized
with hundreds of flowers, candles and messages to the victims.
all the lives touched by this horrible event, I lost control of the
tears I was holding back.
A friend recently told me that irrational circumstances
warrant irrational responses. As a woman who does not
practice religion, I felt odd signing
the cross over my body before leaving
the space. Theres irony of turning to
religion while confronting the horrors
of fundamentalism face-to-face. But,
as a person who champions reason
above all, there is little to comfort
yourself with when a situation is totally
devoid of it.
Youd never think it would happen
here, in the IE, my neighbor told my
dad and I later that same night. We
were sitting around a propane heater in
his garage and he was telling us about
his daughter being a patient at the IRC.
That evening she was at a benefit at
the local Hangar 24 Brewery where the
proceeds went to the victims families.
The next day, the San Bernardino Healing Memorial Show
would be held at the National Orange Show Events Center as a
free concert focused on charity and healing in the community.
You never think something of this caliber would happen to
you or yours. The horrible reality of living in a country totaling

372 mass shootings last year is that it does, and for me, it did.
I know I never thought the IE would make global headlines
because of religious violence. I also never thought I would see
San Bernardino a broken city according to the Los Angeles
Times last June come together
to be SB Strong.
The
IE
is
collectively
heartbroken, but it will recover in
the way it knows how: through its
prevailing sense of community
across towns, cities and even
county lines. Grieving lasts much
longer than media coverage
does, and in the coming months,
I remain confident the area will
not let this tragedy be forgotten.
Before Dec. 2, it was difficult
time explaining where I was from.
Now, people know exactly where
I mean, for the worst possible
reason. The world is smaller than
we would like to think, and our
lives are never immune to its constant motions. Tragedy can
be a scary thought, but it also gives more reason to appreciate
where youre from, to see the good in your community and to
hug your loved ones a little closer each time you have to say
goodbye.

It seemed that everyone

I talked to had a
connection to the
incident in some way,
that everyones heart
was heavy with the same
collective sadness.

CITYONAHILLPRESS.COM 15

EDITORIAL

Sacramento Resists #OpRight2Rest

CELIA FONG

Anonymous cyberattack exposes injustice toward houseless community

A group claiming to be part of Anonymous, the international

cyber hacking organization, has launched #OpRight2Rest
against the City of Sacramento in response to the anti-camping
ordinance targeting houseless individuals outside City Hall. While
Anonymous threats are surprising in themselves, Sacramentos
response to the threats is definitely concerning.
Anonymous strategy to elicit change is problematic in itself,
and the group of cyber vigilantes have catalyzed discourse about
the legality and righteousness of anti-camping bans, not only in
the City of Sacramento, but across the state.
This operation so far has consisted of threats from an alleged
Anonymous YouTube account, with two videos demanding
the ordinance prohibiting camping in public spaces to be
reconsidered.
A similar incident with Anonymous took place in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida in December 2014. According to the SunSentinel, the hacking group disabled the citys website for hours
after a refusal to eliminate laws that restrict activity of people
who are houseless. In the following month, Fort Lauderdale
spent $430,000 on computer security. This money while
small compared to the large-scale issue of the problem could
feed and clothe a large percentage of the over 2,600 houseless
individuals in Sacramento County.
Although shutting down city websites is just an inconvenience,
releasing personal information is a much larger issue. While
much of the information appears to be either publicly accessible

16 JANUARY 14

or incorrect, Sacramento City Council members home addresses

and phone numbers were posted online on Monday. Its not
proven Anonymous posted the original leak, but the group
shared the link on social media and has done this type of leak
often in the past.
Security expenditures against these tactics are not, however,
guaranteed effective. Anonymous is notorious for using
techniques like distributed denial-of-service security breaches
to bring down target websites. Such attacks utilize compromised
computers around the world to flood a server with traffic,
causing a particular website to crash because of the high volume.
Distribution-style cyberattacks are surely worrisome, as they are
both difficult to execute and very expensive to protect against.
Media representatives from Sacramentos City Council
were unable to comment regarding recorded costs for internet
security. However, if the city decides to invest in this level of cyber
security for the long-term, it will be at the cost of the houseless
community. The immediate allocation of so much money for a
data breach shows where the citys true priorities are. Those same
funds, if Sacramento heeded the demands made by hackers,
could have gone to improved or increased facilities for houseless
individuals.
Change by intimidation is not necessarily ideal, yet the
challenge that Anonymous has posed showed an ugly side of
city council, exposing it as inappropriately handling issues of
houselessness.

In response to the threat, city councilman Steve Hansen told

the Sacramento Bee that we cant allow people to camp in alleys,
to urinate and defecate wherever they want. We want to solve the
problem [of houselessness], but we have to maintain the peace.
Assuming that the entire houseless population will urinate
and defecate wherever they want is unacceptable. It seems that
councilman Hansen does not regard the houseless population as
people, but rather as animals that cannot help but soil wherever
they please while also inherently disturbing the peace.
Likewise, its comments like these especially when made
by a government official that force the houseless population
to become further alienated by society. Many of Sacramentos
houseless shelters are overcrowded or inaccessible for those with
disabilities, and thus inviable for some houseless individuals.
Denying individuals sleep just because of where it occurs
infringes on rights guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment of
the U.S. Constitution. Sleeping is a life sustaining activity so if a
person has nowhere else to go then they must resort to sleeping
on the streets. No-camping laws that refuse them this right is a
cruel and unusual punishment for being houseless, plain and
simple.
Sacramento is not only denying the houseless basic necessity
of sleep, but also othering them from the community itself
instead of finding alternative solutions to a problem.