News Briefs
Animal rescue law signed
Gov. Jerry Brown passed Assembly Bill 797, which prevents the prosecution of civilians who break into vehicles with an inner temperature of 80 degrees or more to rescue trapped animals, KRON 4 News reported.
Under the bill, civilians are allowed to break vehicle windows if an animal inside is in imminent danger, the car is locked and rescue teams have not arrived. However, a civilian must remain on scene until law enforcement arrives.
The bill was passed after separate occasions where dogs died inside hot cars with closed windows.
– Abdul Latif-Islam
Repairs coming to MUB
City College has chosen a contractor to start repairing the damaged electrical breaker in the Multi-Use Building (MUB) in approximately five weeks.
The MUB currently relies on temporary electrical power from a generator loaned by United Rentals. Rental costs $2,500 per week, plus an estimated $1,000 for fuel.
The Board of Trustees met on Sept. 22 to discuss possible solutions.
“We contacted United Rental to put in an outside generator to keep power on until the main panel is replaced,” Interim Chancellor Susan Lamb said.
The college immediately went on to find a new replacement panel and chose the least expensive contractor to provide the repairs.
“We didn’t have enough time to solicit formal bids, so we chose the lowest quote from McMillan Electric Company,” said Ronald Gerhard, the vice chancellor of finance and administration. “We are using a temporary generator until the main panel ships in from Texas.”
Funding for the repair comes from unrestricted funds but the college submitted an insurance claim with a deductible of $25,000. The contract with McMillan Electric has an estimated cost of $81,450.
– By John Ortilla
Balboa Reservoir update
The Balboa Reservoir Community Advisory Committee (BRCAC) approved development principles and parameters on Aug. 8 to include a review the reservoir’s overall importance to the public’s interest by its developer selection.
The BRCAC highlighted three important areas—transportation and neighborhood congestion, City College and affordable housing.
Over the past year, the BRCAC gathered perspectives from residents, the City College community and representatives of local schools and businesses, which led to the evolution of the development parameters.
City College’s Board of Trustees also submitted a resolution that lists priorities regarding Balboa Reservoir development.
“The most heavily visited topics in the BRCAC meetings were transportation and parking,” City College trustee Brigitte Davila said. “The other big issue that we’re concerned about is student parking, so we suggested a flexible green garage and a comprehensive transit study that would mitigate the offset of losing the parking lot.
-John Ortilla
Possible housing for City instructors
The college is deciding between building market rate units for educators and leasing the property to be developed for the general public.
Proposition 51, the California Public School Facility Bonds Initiative, would secure the funding. It would release $9 billion to fund the construction and development of public school facilities.
“We need to get back into that location, so it just seems like an opportune time,” Marketing Director Jeff Hamilton said.
-Abdul-Latif Islam
Colleges implement free speech zones
Public universities across the U.S. are restricting student free speech to specific “free speech zones,” according to The Daily Caller.
On Sept. 22, two Arkansas Tech University students, Jason Hammons and Skyler Bowden, were told by campus police to relocate their Young Americans for Liberty’s (YAL) Fight for Free Speech campaign into the university’s designated free speech zone.
As many as one in six universities across the nation have free speech zones, according to the Foundation of Individual Rights in Education.
The students explained to campus law enforcement that the First Amendment permits and protects free speech everywhere in the United States, including college campuses.
Hammons asked an on-site officer if free speech zones trump the Constitution and the officer responded “On campus, that’s the way it works.”
“American universities have historically served as a beacon of intellectual thought and open discussion,” YAL Executive Director Cliff Maloney Jr. told The Daily Caller. “This type of incident is exactly why YAL launched the national Fight for Free Speech campaign to combat unconstitutional speech codes and aim to abolish free speech zones.”
-Abdul-Latif Islam