By Greg Zeman
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A purple ocean of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 members and supporters flooded the steps of City Hall on March 25 to protest cuts to public services.

Roughly 1,000 demonstrators gathered at Hallidie Plaza and marched up Market Street to City Hall. According to Local 1021 spokesperson Steve Stallone, the protest was, “one aspect in a larger campaign.”

San Francisco is facing a deficit of roughly $576 million for the next fiscal year. Departments like Health and Human Services, with $35 million in federal stimulus earmarked for its use, are experiencing cuts and layoffs. SEIU has laid off roughly 75 of it’s own employees in response to the financial crunch.

The union is concerned with what they see as inefficient use of stimulus money by the city.

“It isn’t clear that they are going to use that money to cutback on the cutbacks,” Stallone said. “We’re still trying to lobby and put pressure on the board.”

Actions such as the march on City Hall are part of SEIU’s push for alternatives to cuts. Stallone said the mayor’s strategy of 25% cuts for all city departments overlooks another option.

“We are trying to push for a special election to put it up to a vote by the people; to put more money into the budget,” Stallone said. Unanimous supervisor approval would reduce the necessity of a tax increase from two-thirds to just over 50%.

A special election scheduled for June 2 was canceled because Board President David Chiu brokered an agreement between labor and business leaders.

“We lost the opportunity to have the special election we were trying to have in June so we could know money was coming in for the next fiscal year,” Stallone said.

“[We are] going out into the community and talking about it; going door to door telling people to support putting the measure on a special election ballot,” Stallone said about 1021’s ongoing efforts. “By doing it this way, we’re trying to create a grassroots groundswell.”

Stallone is cautiously optimistic about the future of a special election, “The mayor is at least being more receptive to something on the November ballot. It’s a little late, but better than nothing.”

Reoccurring graffiti at Mission campus
On Sept. 30 and again on Oct. 8 campus police received reports of graffiti on Mission campus. On Sept. 30 a short investigation of the incident identified a suspect who allegedly has caused several hundred dollars worth of damage to college property. In a separate incident on Oct. 8, an officer noticed new graffiti in multiple locations of a stairwell on Mission campus.

Student injured at Wellness Center
Campus police responded to a report of an injured student at the Wellness Center on Oct. 8. An officer arrived at the scene along with the paramedics, who transported the student to the hospital.

Student disrupts class in Batmale Hall
Campus police responded to a student shouting obscenities and refusing to leave Batmale Hall on Oct. 6. The officers determined the student was not a danger to himself or others and the student was asked to leave and meet with the Dean of Students.

Science Hall burglary
A City College employee reported two laptops were stolen from Science Hall on
Oct.6. There were no signs of forced entry.

Stolen property recovered
Campus police stopped a vehicle at Paulding Street and San Jose Avenue on Oct. 7 for not having a tail light. During an inspection of the vehicle, the officer discovered the engine was stolen. The vehicle was impounded.

Southeast campus theft
On the Southeast campus a manager of an office leased by City College reported a laptop and other items stolen. There were no signs of forced entry.

Student Sexually Assaulted on Ocean Campus
A female student reported being sexually battered while standing outside Cloud Hall at 2:45 p.m. on Aug. 19. The student reported being groped by a male in his 20s. The male allegedly approached the student, grabbed her chest and walked away.

Female Student Disrupts Basketball Class
Officers from the Ocean campus police department responded to a report of a student disrupting a basketball class at 9:43 a.m. on Aug. 25. The student was not enrolled in the class. Officers tried to talk to her, but she walked away. The student started running, but eventually fell down. Police officers handcuffed her and deemed her as a danger to herself and others. She was not arrested, but taken to the Psychological Emergency Medical Services at the San Francisco General Hospital to be properly treated.

Culinary Student Reports Theft in Statler Wing
A theft was reported in the Statler Wing on Sept. 2. A set of chef’s tools was stolen from a locker only twenty minutes after the student departed. This is part of several ongoing thefts which started last semester in the culinary arts locker rooms. Information about the return of the tools was not available.

Credit Card Theft Reported
A student reported on Sept. 25 that several hundred dollars worth of purchases were charged on credit cards stolen some days prior from a locker in the Wellness Center.

Construction Theft
Tools valued at $13,000 were reportly stolen sometime on Sept. 28 from a tractor trailer at the Balboa reservoir construction site.

Bicycle Stolen
A bicycle was reported stolen at 12:14 p.m. from Ram Plaza on Sept. 30.

By Alex Luthi
Editor

A City College student reported being abducted and sexually assaulted near Ocean campus on the night of Sept. 3, said City College and San Francisco police departments.

According to an excerpt from the crime log of the San Francisco Community College District Police Department, a female student was walking on the pedestrian overpass crossing Ocean and Geneva Avenues on her way to the Balboa BART Station at 9:30 p.m. when she was abducted by an unknown assailant and taken to Oakland, where she was raped.

Sergeant Williams at the public information office of the San Francisco Police Department confirmed that the department is investigating the incident at this time, but said that the department does not have any information on a suspect.

As of press time, no updates are available to the public regarding the incident, said Williams.

Anyone with information about the assault can contact the SFPD Sex Crimes Unit at 415-553-1361, or SFPD’s anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444.

A sketch distributed by the City College police department of the alleged assailant

By Ellen Silk
Editor

In the Visual Arts building on Ocean Campus a City College student was sexually battered May 16 by a suspect who fled to escape apprehension.

The suspect was described in the crime alert released by the San Francisco Community College District Police Department as a Latino male, 25-35 year old, approximately 6 feet tall, weighing 200-230 lbs., with dark hair, a scar under his chin and a potbelly. According to Police Chief Kenneth Baccetti the suspect grabbed the female victim and sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene. He was last seen in a tight T-shirt with a round symbol and dark jeans and clean-shaven, according to the crime alert.

“The incident is still under investigation and we are working with the police department’s sex crimes detail,” Baccetti said.

Baccetti stated since the incident happened late on a Friday, use of the new text message alert system didn’t seem necessary. However, he added, an alert was sent out via email to the City College community.

“I would like to ask everyone to remain aware of their environment and be mindful of suspicious activities at all times,” Chancellor Don Griffin wrote in a message preceding the crime alert

If you have any information regarding this crime please contact the SFPD Sex Crimes Detail at (415) 553-1361.