Tag Archives: CSUN

Searching for Safety in Schools

If you feel as though there has been a school shooting every week in 2019, then you are not exaggerating. In 46 weeks, there have been 45 school shootings, according to CNN. With more than 180 school shootings in the last ten years, student safety has become one of the first priorities in American education today.

One approach is to say that students should be prepared for these incidents with seminars or drills, but there is a concern that that experience can be traumatizing for students of all ages.

“We don’t want to go too overboard, ” Safe Kids Inc. vice-president Scott Coleman said. “[We don’t want to take measures] that make schools feel like a jail.” Coleman said having a healthy school culture is as important as physical security.  Safe Kids Inc. is a group of law enforcement officers and educators committed to preventing violence while empowering students and educators. Safe Kids Inc. employs former police officers, like Coleman, to try to bring safety and learning together in harmony.

“That’s what I left law enforcement to focus on: equipping students with age-appropriate resources to deal with violence,” Coleman said. “We want students to understand that violence is statistically unlikely to find a student at school. School is still a really safe place to be.”

Another aspect of the school shooting crisis is providing better mental health care to students. Discussions of mental health always begin after every school shooting, with many wondering if something could have been done to prevent it, and others asking how to help those affected by them.

“Do we know every student’s name, face, and story?” Dr. Loretta Whitson, Executive Director of the California Association of School Counselors, asked. “Do we have enough support staff, like school counselors, to help teachers identify students with prevailing issues? I would say we don’t have that, and that is extremely important.”

The recommended ratio for students to counselors is 250:1, which might still seem to be a large number of students for one counselor to keep track of. In California, there aren’t nearly enough counselors to begin to help the students who need them.

“It’s identifying [problems] early, and building relationships,” Whitson said. “Our ratio [in California] is nearly three times the average, with 622 students for each counselor, so it’s very difficult to develop a relationship.”

The demand for school counselors is at an all-time high. Every Town for Gun Safety reports more than 100 gunfire incidents near schools in the United States this year, including incidents where no one was harmed. These incidents have resulted in 26 deaths.

“We don’t want to tell students to fight,” Coleman said. Safe Kids Inc. came up with a system to help students before and after a shooting occurs: H.E.R.O. (Hide, Escape, Run, Overcome). “We would rather tell them to overcome, both physically and mentally, in the aftermath, as they’re dealing with trauma.”

Some states have started using school shooting drills to help students be ready in the case of a shooting. Both Whitson and Coleman agreed that these drills can be extremely beneficial. The key element is to make sure that the drills are performed appropriately to avoid traumatizing students.

The trauma caused by school shootings lasts longer when it goes unnoticed or unspoken. Now more than ever, students nationwide require the resources to empower themselves. Students also need the resources to feel heard in the chaos of growing up. While prevention of school shootings seems almost impossible, what we can control is how we respond as a community to those events.

Moderator: Jenny Almanza

Producer: Jenny Almanza

Anchor: Tamie Benitez

Social Media Editor: Vivian Rayos

Reporters: Jenny Almanza, Tamie Benitez, Damian Gordon, Vivian Rayos and Joe Willeford

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Love By The Swipe

Dating apps have become huge over the last few years, and they really have changed the culture. Many say it is easier to find matches and love through online dating, rather than having to meet someone in person, especially in the age of the MeToo movement. People who don’t have time and money to go out can save so much time and effort. However, some people lie and exaggerate on their online dating bios, so some feel it can be hard to trust online daters.

“[Dating apps] really broaden the spectrum for what’s possible for people,” dating and relationship expert Jenna Ponaman said. “You know that the dating world is no longer about what is just in your community…There literally are an infinite amount of possibilities, so that’s really great. It promotes interracial marriages and couples… and it’s really a place where people can feel a little more courageous about what kind of person they want to be, or how they can express themselves.”

But Ponaman also said these apps may allow people to think that they don’t have to settle down or look for serious relationships. “People think, ‘well, I can be so brave, and I can also be so frivolous’,” she said, “‘and I don’t have to commit to anything if I don’t want to’… [Scrolling through dating apps] is really no different than flipping through a magazine, shopping for a shirt.”

Online dating can also be a quick way to make sexual transactions only, rather than taking the time to develop intimacy and love. Tinder is a popular app for this specific reason, but those who want more may have to put in more effort.

“People are still not building their relationship skills,” Parc Foundation counselor and instructor Kasey Carter said. “People aren’t asking the right questions before they express their interests. [For example,] do you know what their values are from their dating profile? Probably not. Do you know how they treat a waiter or a waitress? Because that shows you a lot about their character…You do know they like hiking, they do yoga, they are trying to be a vegan, and that they love their dog. [That’s good information], but that doesn’t help you have a relationship that is healthy and fulfilling.”

Lying has been an issue for online dating since it started. “Cat-fishing” is a problem on online dating sites around the world, and experts advise users to be very careful. But many people exaggerate about their age, profession, hobbies, ethnicity, height and accomplishments. Even users who aren’t criminals may not present themselves truly, or show who they really are.

“I’m all about honesty and authenticity,” psychotherapist and author Kelli Miller said. “I will have some clients who will put up photos from ten years ago. [I tell them] that’s not going to work, because then you’re setting yourself up [for disappointment]. I’m all about just being honest and upfront. If you have kids, say you have kids. Don’t hide it.”

Dating experts said dependency on cell phones and online technology may prevent two people from have a true connection. Relationships are about meeting, not chatting online. Cell phones may cause people to go out less, and some people don’t know how to interact, or how to approach strangers, without seeming sexist or creepy. The younger generation, in this new cell phone era, may not have developed proper manners, which are key to starting successful relationships. But Miller said even a phone call is better than judging someone only from an online dating profile.

Ponaman said she encourages her clients to go on several dates with people they meet online, to try to get to know them. She said people should experiment, and learn to look for partners with the traits they want. They should not just go out on dates because they matched with someone online, and then feel like they have to become attached to them immediately.

Miller, Ponaman and Carter all stressed that people must love themselves first, before they can love another.

“As a coach, I would encourage men and women to date more,” Ponaman said, “and that can be whatever they interpret it to be. But the reason for this is when we isolate to one person, we do get attached a lot faster and lot more, [but only] on that superficial plane. Whereas, if you have other options, you feel a little more free to say ‘well, if there are a few things I don’t like about this person, then that is okay, because I can do more research, with these other people, because I still have other options’.”

Moderator: Mareo Ahmir Lawson

Producer: Leslie Estrada

Anchor: Emmanuelle Roumain

Social Media Editor: Rudy Aguado

Reporters: Rudy Aguado, Leslie Estrada, Mareo Ahmir Lawson, Matt Roth and Emmanuelle Roumain

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Through the Smoke

One of the biggest news stories this year has been the ongoing health concerns, issues, and even deaths related to vaping. The cause of these health issues remains unknown, but another question is how did vaping turn from the healthier alternative to cigarettes into a public health crisis?

In October, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors placed a ban on e-cigarettes with flavors other than menthol and tobacco.

“E-cigarettes are the first exposure many teens are experiencing with flavored products, and that alone appeals to youth to try [them], and become hooked,” Jessica Galura, an intern for the CSUN College of Health and Human Development, said. “The amount of social media influencers, and marketing that is targeted to the youth, is really what’s getting them right now.”

The Centers for Disease Control report that the death toll linked to vaping is currently at more than forty. Despite this, and the thousands of reported illnesses, some consumers continue to ignore the risks of these products.

“It is about educating, collaborating, developing new programs to help people quit,” the American Lung Association’s Marsha Ramos said. “We are trying to go into school districts and provide some education, as well as limit access to smoking and vaping, because it is quite addictive.”

Dr. Tony Kuo of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health agreed that education is one solution to this ongoing crisis. “In the last three years, the e-cigarette probably went under the radar in terms of regulation,” he said. “I think, for the Public Health Department, I think our number one priority is we need to educate the public.”

Nicotine is the component in vape products that causes addiction, as well as many other health issues. However, some of the reported illnesses have been linked to products containing THC. When addressing addiction, individuals have sought support from a wide range of rehab centers in Oregon.

If you look at the recent CDC statistics,” Kuo said,  “almost 55 percent of people who have been hospitalized use both THC and nicotine based products. The point is, we don’t know what exactly is causing the illnesses, but we know it is all related to e-cigarettes.”

Experts say nicotine vapes can be a gateway to THC among young people. “It started off with nicotine,” Galura said.  “But it eventually led to THC concentrate vapes, while a lot of the incidents that school administrators tell us about are about THC vapes.”

“About 70 percent of the cases nationwide are associated with THC or CBD,” Dr. Chidinma Chima-Melton of UCLA’s Health Division of Pulmonology said. “Right now, I don’t think we have enough data to say what the best options are to stop this crisis.”

Moderator: Joe Willeford

Producer: Jenny Almanza

Anchor: Vivian Rayos

Social Media Editor: Damian Gordon

Reporters: Jenny Almanza, Tamie Benitez, Damian Gordon, Vivian Rayos, Joe Willeford

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The Transition Never Stops

The Pew Research Center says approximately one-quarter of all veterans say its difficult to transition from military life to civilian life, and nearly half the veterans who served after the September 11 attacks say their adjustment has been difficult.

About 700 veterans attend CSUN. CSUN Veterans Affairs Coordinators Vanessa Ochoa and Noe Aguirre said there are plenty of veterans resources on campus. “We process applications, transcripts, do the evaluations, and they [veterans] make the decisions,” Aguirre said. “We’ve also been given the flexibility. If we need to make any exceptions [for admissions], we’ll go ahead and do that.”

Aguirre said one of the difficulties in providing services to help, is that many veterans and active duty military are so used to following orders that sometimes it is difficult for them to “accept their own decisions.” She described it as a form of brainwashing, caused by years in the service.

Dr. Abram Milton served in the United States Marine Corps for 23 years before retiring in 2016. He’s now a clinical psychologist at CSUN’s University Counseling Center.

“The transition services [personnel] they had back then weren’t as familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as they are now,” Milton said. “A lot of the time, what we see in individuals is that they may have a traumatic experience that could be combat related, or even [from something like] a traffic accident,” Milton said. “When you are coming out of combat areas, there are [now] psychologists or many health professionals who help with PTSD.”

Veteran  and CSUN student Kevin Ogletree said he joined the military to follow a family tradition. Both his parents also served. Ogletree was in the U.S Army and the U.S Marine Corps for a total of seven years. He said his transition to civilian life was difficult. He didn’t have a good enough support system, and he had to drop out of his first attempt at college life. “It wasn’t until years later, now I have matured in life experiences, and I was able to come back to school in a better state of mind.”

Robert Graves, of Disabled American Veterans Department of California, said those who have spent years in the military don’t always know what life is like after the military. “When you leave the military itself, you leave behind your network of knowledge” Graves said. “When veterans with disabilities come out of the military, they don’t know how that will affect their placement in jobs, how they study in college, or how to reintegrate with their friends or their families.”

He said transitioning is a never-ending process.

Moderators: Leslie Estrada and Emmanuelle Yang

Producer: Mareo Ahmir Lawson

Anchor: Matt Roth

Reporters: Rudy Aguado, Leslie Estrada, Mareo Ahmir Lawson, Matt Roth and Emmanuelle Yang

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Let’s Go! eSports Revolution

The eSports industry is arguably one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the past few years. With competitive video-games drawing larger audiences all the time, eSports is today filling arenas and boosting bottom lines for both marketers and game publishers.

The popular game League of Legends attracted more viewers than the 2018 Super Bowl, an estimated 100 million. The Super Bowl, with  98 million viewers last year, had its smallest viewership since 2008.

With the dramatic rise in eSports, investors are now jumping in, a clear indication of potential growth in the sport. eSports now has a lot in common with traditional sports: highly skilled players and intense competition, and huge amounts of money generated through sponsorships and endorsements. eSports revenues were expected top one billion dollars in 2019, with viewership growing all the time.

“The sense of community is one of the biggest factors in eSports gaming,” said Erin Alonzo, president of CSUN’s eSports Club, “and there are a lot of people that go out to the college events or professional games.”

The ease of participating in the sport via streaming apps like Twitch is one factor ensuring the rise and growth of the eSports industry which also opened the doors to some of the first sports betting games.

“Streaming has made [growth] a lot more possible,” YouTube gaming show host Demothy Tien said, “because it brought [gaming] to the screens of the audience who were not able to make it out to all these events before … With streaming, it made it more accessible,  just like people who watch ordinary sports.”

Street Fight is one of the most popular games. “Streaming has been effective,” Tien said, “because it is easy to go online, type in the name of the game [like Street Fight], and get the chance to watch people playing live at a very high level.”

Tien, whose YouTube show is called “Hey! We’re Playin'”, said people enjoy watching for the competition among expert players, as well as the entertainment content of the games.

But the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified video-games as a health risk, and potentially addictive, officially adding internet gaming to its International Classification of Diseases.

“There are a lot of misconceptions around the decision by WHO to put video-games in the category,” Tien said. “It is not quite like all the people who like playing video-games have video-game disorder, but it is about those who are actually being affected by it, in terms of creating negative effects in their lives.”

Still, the eSports industry has the potential to grow and get to the level of professional sports, despite some negative stigma towards gamers.  Tien and Alonzo said the industry and players need to address the problems, such as the addiction and health issues, player burnouts, toxicity among the different genres, and the discrimination against women in the game.

With the dramatic rise of eSports, the industry is proving viable as an investment, but the huge growth has also opened the video gaming competitive community to the scrutiny of the world. “It is getting big,” Tien said, “and it is going in the direction that other sports have gone, becoming massive, and an even bigger industry in sports to consider.”

Moderator: Ryder Mcconville

Producer: Zach Ferber

Anchor: Yarazeth Tapia

Social Media Editor: Karen Ruiz

Reporters: Ali Bash, Zach Ferber, Ryder Mcconville, Karen Ruiz, Carol Santamaria and Yarazeth Tapia

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The Growing Crisis in the Northwest Valley

Every City Council District in Los Angeles is supposed to find a place for bridge housing, and every district has, except for ONE, and that’s the Northwest Valley. Bridge housing is paid for by $1.2 billion in funding from Proposition HHH, approved by Los Angeles voters in November 2016.  Since then, homelessness in the Northwest Valley has increased. Housing in the city has become very expensive, which most experts agree is a main cause of the increase in homelessness. According to Los Angeles Mission, 53,195 people in the Los Angeles County are experiencing homelessness. Three out of four are unsheltered. Over the last year, 9,322 people experienced homelessness for the first time. 

“It’s an issue that affects families, senior citizens, anybody from the spectrum of our society,”  San Fernando Valley homeless advocate Thomas Booth said. Booth said homeless people are often thought to be dangerous and alarming, but in fact, any one in any community can end up living on the streets.

“There is often a misconception,” said Ken Craft, CEO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission. “Everyone assumes that the homeless are either drug addicts, mentally ill, or that they are lazy, and they don’t want to work.”

Craft said his experience has allowed him to understand more fully why so many people end up homeless. Craft said the homeless are often people who are going through a hard time in their life, because of financial setbacks, health difficulties, or problems in their domestic situation, and those difficulties cause them to lose a stable home. But, Craft said, living on the streets, even for just a few days, can lead to exhaustion, despair and fear, then to mental illness, and sometimes to drug addiction. That makes it difficult to be open to receiving the care necessary to get back to a stable situation. It’s a good thing that there are drug addiction clinics that can help us during our journey.

It’s not always drug addiction and mental illness that lead to homelessness, Craft said. “We have discovered that some people fall into homelessness, and being homeless can be an onset to mental illness.”

Craft and Booth said they believe that housing is a necessary first step to help get people out of the streets, and into a safe and stable environment. “If we can get people into housing,” Craft said, “it will help with barriers leading to mental illness.” 

Different kinds of housing programs exist to help: affordable housing and supportive housing. Affordable housing is for people who need assistance with more than just housing. Supportive housing helps only with housing, by giving subsidies to those who need assistance.

But when a proposal to put affordable housing in the Northwest Valley reached the community, some parents said they were upset about “homeless” people living in residential neighborhoods, and they said they feared for their children. “There is no known statistics that signify in increase in crime rate [in areas with supportive housing],” Booth said.

Now developers of the proposal to build bridge housing in the Northwest Valley must continue to try to convince residents and voters to accept their plan.

Moderator: Rudy Aguado

Producer: Emmanuelle Yang

Anchor: Matt Roth

Social Media Editor: Leslie Estrada

Reporters: Rudy Aguado, Leslie Estrada, Mario Ahmir Lawson, Matt Roth and Emmanuelle Yang

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Meet the Chief

Many public institutions such as CSUN continue to be open campus environments, which has raised the question of whether the students and staff are protected enough against threats to their security. California is home to 23 CSU campuses, all of which are open to the public, making these schools potentially more vulnerable to campus safety issues.

New CSUN Chief of Police Gregory Murphy said he is considering the idea of implementing cameras around campus to make it easier to prevent crime.

“I’m looking at bolstering the number of cameras on our campus and in public places, so that we have better eyes on the campus,” Murphy said. “I’m looking at video analytics, to be able to identify anomalies…so that we can be alerted to things…[and can] intervene if something takes place….[Video] also lends itself to the investigative phase, because it provides us with evidence.”

In December 2018, hate-filled messages and threats were found in bathroom stalls on campus; they concerned students, faculty and administration enough that the campus was closed.  In September of this year, more hate-filled messages were discovered, again in a classroom building bathroom. University President Dianne F. Harrison sent a letter reassuring the community that it was safe, and that an investigation was ongoing.

The instances of hate-filled messages on college campuses has greatly increased over the past few months. “This morning, I was in conversation with a forensic psychologist who focuses on campuses around California and the nation, and he further supported the assertion that there is a rise [of these incidents] on college campuses,” Murphy said.

But Murphy said the possibility of being able to arrest the individuals who are writing these messages is very rare. “These investigations are often long lasting,” he said, “because the ability and potential to get suspected individuals, who decide to go into a restroom understanding they are operating in secrecy [is low]….Absent of someone confessing to doing the activity, [the chances of catching them are] very remote.”

Murphy said the intent of these messages is uncertain, however, they should be taken as seriously as possible, in order to prevent further consequences.

Some CSUN students said they fear students are not being notified about many crimes, such as sexual assaults, that take place on campus. But all colleges and universities are required under the Clery Act to keep records of campus crime, and notify the community.

“The heart of the issue is, quite frankly, what is the right thing to do? We want to inform the community with the information that best allows them or provides them the ability to care for their safety,” Murphy said. “Understanding that there is an environment in which, if these actions are ongoing, certainly there is an obligation to let people know that.”

Other members of the CSUN community said they don’t necessarily feel fully prepared to deal with incidents in their educational environment, and are concerned about not knowing what to do if there is an active shooter.

“We have implemented a training program,” Murphy said. “It’s referred to as ASSERT, and it’s Active Shooter Survival Escape and Reaction Training. It’s consistent with run, hide, and fight, but what I really put emphasis on is the fight portion. Quite frankly, [it’s designed] to empower folk to have the will to survive.”

As authorities make their best efforts to implement higher security around campuses, the fact that many universities are open to the public may remain a disadvantage.

“A public state university is a part of the community,” Murphy said. “It is an extension of the community; it’s integrated into the community; and in that sense, there isn’t necessarily an outside to the campus. So that does create a greater challenge to safety and security, because your measures to establish a boundary around the campus are just not there.”

Anchor: Carol Santamaria

Moderator: Yarazeth Tapia

Producer: Zach Ferber

Social Media Editor: Ryder Mcconville

Reporters: Ali Bash, Zach Ferber, Ryder Mcconville, Karen Ruiz, Carol Santamaria and Yarazeth Tapia

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Reseda On The Rise

Like much of Los Angeles, the neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley are changing. In cities like Reseda, once-vibrant commercial districts lie dormant. But residents and city officials are working together to revitalize the city streets and promote a sense of community.

The Reseda Artwalk, held on Sept. 22 on Sherman Way in Reseda, drew thousands for the fourth consecutive year. Local artists, vendors, and performers lined the street, which was shut down for the event. By showcasing the diverse creative community living in the area, the event’s organizers hope to create a sense of pride among residents.

“Historically there’s a stigma to the valley, and it’s not a cool place to be,” said Addy Gonzalez-Renteria, co-founder and co-director of 11:11 A Creative Collective, the nonprofit arts organization behind the event. “We wanted to beautify and revitalize our neighborhood through the arts.”

The event is part of Councilmember Bob Blumenfield’s Reseda Rising initiative, which aims to revitalize consumer interest and community pride in the Reseda area.

“Part of what [Blumenfield] is doing with the initiative is drawing the consumer focus and the resident focus back to that area, to let them know that there are fun, safe, interesting things to do here, that you want to come do,” said Tricia Robbins, Economic Development Director for Blumenfield’s office.

As rent continues to rise throughout the Los Angeles area, the idea of gentrification is often debated. Central to this issue is displacement, when people who can no longer afford to live in a gentrified area are forced to move.

“I think we all want to live in a safe, clean, nice-looking place, and I think gentrification can offer that,” Gonzalez-Renteria said, “but I think displacement is the one issue that we need to look at very closely,”

Professor Robert Kent, Chair of CSUN’s Urban Studies and Planning Department, said that he doesn’t see gentrification as much of an issue in the San Fernando Valley yet, but it could be in the future. Blumenfield’s Reseda Rising initiative, if successful, could bring a new set of challenges down the road.

“If they’re very successful in creating a sense of place down along Reseda, in ten or fifteen years we may be looking at some kind of gentrification,” Kent said. There are things a city can do to avoid the pitfalls of gentrification, however. “You try to mitigate the negative aspects through positive social programs,” he said.

Some residents are wary of change, especially when spurred by local government.

“We want to see the community improve, but we do not want gentrification forced upon us by the city,” said Garrett Frank, a local activist.

By working alongside city officials, Gonzalez-Renteria said she hopes to change this narrative, focusing on “the intersection between urban development and cultural development.”

“I think adding this level of consciousness into development is really important,” Gonzalez-Renteria said.

Reseda may be changing, but local elected officials said they hope that, by maintaining focus on the community, the process will be beneficial for current and prospective residents alike.

“I think that we, as a Council office, are trying our best to generate positive change and bring everyone along with us, so that it doesn’t push folks out,” Robbins said.

Anchor: Jenny Almanza

Moderator: Vivian Rayos

Producer: Tamie Benitez

Social Media Editor: Damian Gordon

Reporters: Jenny Almanza, Tamie Benitez, Damian Gordon, Vivian Rayos and Joe Willeford

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The Largest Environmental Disaster in U.S. History

The Aliso Canyon gas blowout in 2015 is the largest natural gas leak in American history. Hundreds of Porter Ranch residents living a few miles away were affected by the blowout — mentally, physically, financially and politically.

“I am still worried about this situation,” CSUN Sustainability Institute’s Professor Loraine Lundquist said. “It’s still affecting residents in my neighborhood. It’s still leaking; it’s still causing all kinds of problems, and it’s still a risk when it comes to earthquakes, and it’s a fire hazard. We are still working to get the facility shut down.”

The chemicals released by the blowout have caused many health problems for the residents, and research on the long-term impact is still being conducted. “The biggest problems in terms of the people’s health is not the methane,” said Lundquist. “It’s all the other stuff that was released with the methane, because the methane is stored in depleted oil wells, and it has other chemicals that are included in it.”

SoCal Gas didn’t tell Porter Ranch residents exactly what chemicals were being leaked, Lundquist said. “SoCal Gas is actually not required to release information to the community, so we don’t actually know what all chemicals are stored in there, but we do know there are toxic, volatile, organic chemicals that occur in oil.”

Nearly four years after the gas blowout the residents of Porter Ranch remain concerned. Certain chemicals in oils can cause cancer.

“There are five teachers at Castle Bay Elementary School that we know had no cancer history in their families,” Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council member Cheri Derohanian said, “and five out of 34 teachers got cancer. One of them passed away.”

Derohanian said she recently moved to Granada Hills to get away from the gas leak, and because her children wanted to attend Granada Hills High School. She said her former neighbors have health issues anytime there is a gas leak.

When the gas leak first happened, in October 2015, many Porter Ranch residents left the area temporarily.

“We did not know what was going on,” Derohanian said,  “and my children were running the mile [track and field event] that same week in school. The school didn’t know [what was going on], and nobody else knew either. It was ridiculous that the gas company did not have a way to tell the residents.”

Some residents decided to relocate permanently, because they felt too sick to live near the gas field. Hundreds filed lawsuits, including some Los Angeles County firefighters who helped the residents evacuate their homes. “Out of 30,000 Porter Ranch residents, at least 10,000 have filed a lawsuit,” Derohanian said.

Many environmental activists are following the lawsuits. The Sunrise Movement’s Becca Lieb and Save Porter Ranch Co-Founder Matt Pakucko both said shutting down SoCal Gas facilities is the way to prevent another blowout from happening.

“The facility wasn’t really needed in the timespan of when the blowout happened,” said Lieb. “Some solutions would be to shut it down and to fully embrace the transition to clean and renewable energy… I hope that after the facility is shut down, people who are living in that community feel the difference in their air, and are able to enjoy the beautiful environment of the Valley.”

Pakucko said many other SoCal Gas facilities around Los Angeles “are in worse shape [than Aliso Canyon. The green energy solution is not just going to be for [the benefit of] the North Valley. It’s for everybody.”

“Shut down all these facilities,” Pakucko said, ” because the same chemicals are coming out of all SoCal Gas facilities…the chemicals are making people sick.”

Anchor: Leslie Estrada

Moderator: Matt Roth

Producer: Emmanuelle Yang

Social Media Editor: Leslie Estrada

Reporters: Rudy Aguado, Leslie Estrada, Mareo Ahmir Lawson, Matt Roth and Emmanuelle Yang

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Weaponizing the Census

Moderator: Demothy Tien

Producer: Kimberly Lopez Chavez

Anchor: Alan Cardoza

Social Media Editor: Zaira Garcia

Reporters: Kenia Arevalo, Monica Campos, Alan Cardoza, Lauren Cienfuegos, Zaira Garcia, Kimberly Lopez Chavez and Demothy Tien

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