Latest news with #CalStateLongBeach
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Miss Huntington Beach queen's rose garden celebrates 60th anniversary
The rose garden at Huntington Beach Civic Center has a new addition. Nicole Allyson Vogt, the 2025 Miss Huntington Beach Queen, chose a 'Mellow Yellow' rose to be planted on Friday morning. 'As Miss Huntington Beach 2025, I've had the honor of representing a city full of vibrant spirit, continuous warmth and community pride,' said Vogt, a recent graduate of Cal State Long Beach, the 112th queen in Huntington Beach history. 'Through this journey, I've learned that kindness is not a gesture, it's a way of life, just has Huntington Beach loves to represent.' Vogt said the yellow rose signified that spirit, as a symbol of joy, friendship and new beginnings. 'It embodies the kind of light I strive to bring into every space I enter,' she said, adding that her mother and grandmother taught her what it meant to shine for others. The 60th anniversary Queen's Rose Garden ceremony was put on by the Sand Dollars of Huntington Beach. The nonprofit Sand Dollars and president Love Ghione organize the Miss Huntington Beach scholarship and pageant program each year; Vogt was crowed queen last October. 'Our mission here is to support young women in their quest to achieve their dreams,' Ghione said, giving a special shout out to Sand Dollars treasurer April Gentry and member Andrea Roberson for nursing the rose bushes back to health. Marlena Guadarrama, the director of Miss Huntington Beach, introduced the queen and court to the audience. Vogt was joined at Friday's ceremony by her court princess, Huntington Beach High graduate Catherine Dosier, who sang the national anthem. Dosier now attends UC Irvine. Other former Miss Huntington Beach Queens at the event included Laura Sholar Roberts (1976), Elaine Bauer Keeley (1979), Stacey Jue (1995), Jena Jean Faris (2017) and Ruby Brown-Bilyeu (2024). Each queen since 1963 has been honored by planting a rose bush in a public location, which became City Hall when the new building was constructed in the 1970s. Mayor Pat Burns, City Council members Don Kennedy and Butch Twining and City Clerk Lisa Lane Barnes also attended. 'I love the tradition,' Burns said. 'Believe it or not, I'm kind of a goofy guy because I love roses. I used to grow them myself when I'd give them to my girlfriends and stuff when I was young. Now I've been married 37 years, so the roses don't come as often, but they still come. 'Now I know a source of them,' he added, as the audience laughed. Former Mayor Lyn Semeta emceed the event, which was followed by a catered reception at City Hall.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Asian American professor who teaches history of racism attacked in possible hate crime
A Japanese American professor and Vietnam veteran was struck by a vehicle and called a racial slur while riding his bike last month in Montebello in an incident that police are investigating as a possible hate crime. Aki Maehara, a 71-year-old Asian American history professor, suffered serious injuries to his elbow, neck, cheekbones, jaw, hips and lower back, he told The Times in an interview on Monday. Maehara was riding his electric bicycle on Merle Drive in Montebello, not far from his home, around 10 p.m. on April 29 when headlights from a car approaching him from behind illuminated his path. He turned to check his surroundings and saw a sedan speeding toward him, he said. "I tried to turn toward the curb to see if there was a driveway when I got hit," he said. Before he was struck, he heard someone yell an expletive followed by a racial slur targeting people of Chinese descent, he said. He skidded across a yard and was stopped by a brick wall. Maehara said he heard a man's voice: "Go back to..." using an expletive and a racial slur, before the car drove off. "It sounded suspicious to me because I wear a full-face helmet ... a helmet with a visor," Maehara said. "No one can see my face. So how the hell did he know I'm Asian?" Maehara said he couldn't afford to incur the cost of an ambulance ride, so he called friends who took him to the VA hospital in Long Beach. Montebello police said they have contacted residents in the neighborhood for security camera footage, but have been unable to find video that captured the incident. Though no arrests have been made, Maehara said he has a suspect in mind and shared their name with police. He said he's been targeted for harassment before because of his job at East Los Angeles Community College teaching the history of racism and racist beliefs in U.S. history. "There's a long history," he said. "They've picketed my classroom at East L.A. College. Chicano Republicans came after me and picketed me at Cal State Long Beach. The KKK came to my classroom at Cal State Long Beach when I was teaching a course on the U.S. Vietnam War. This is not the first time I've been targeted." One of his friends, Glorya Cabrera, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his recovery, writing that Maehara urgently needs in-home care for his injuries. The VA hospital has provided him with in-home care for a few hours two days a week, but Maehara is hoping the donations will help him get additional care as he heals. "Hate crimes are on the rise due to the vile rhetoric being used by those in Washington and in the so-called MAGA Extreme Christian Right who feel justified in their violence directed towards non-white citizens," Cabrera wrote. Police are continuing to search for the driver. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Burglar targeted unattended elementary school classrooms in search of credit cards, police say
He hung out in hallways and loitered on Northern California elementary school campuses, apparently unafraid of being noticed. When an administrator would question him, the man would say he was looking for a teacher or student to throw off the inquisitor. But, authorities allege, he was really in search of unattended purses and wallets belonging to unsuspecting staff members. The Marin County Sheriff's Office alleges Christopher Britton, of Fairfield, burglarized classrooms at several schools in February, making off with credit cards and running up thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases. Britton, 34, was arrested Friday morning at a Fairfield residence by a multi-county task force that included the Vacaville, Lafayette and Danville police departments, Dublin Police Services and the sheriff's office. Britton was charged with burglary, second-degree burglary, and using a credit card and information without consent, all felonies, and a pair of misdemeanors for obtaining credit using someone else's identification, according to court records. Read more: Cal State Long Beach athletics staffers stole thousands from school, D.A. says "His MO was to target elementary schools in the late afternoon at the time students and staff are on campus, but in meetings or after-school programs,' said Deputy Stephanie Ware, a spokesperson for the Marin County Sheriff's Office. Ware said three public elementary schools in the upscale suburb of San Rafael were burglarized: Lucas Valley, Mary Silveira and Venetia Valley. From those schools, 10 teachers were bilked out of roughly $7,000 in credit card charges, Ware said. Authorities are not certain about the total number of schools that Britton may have hit, Ware said, adding that investigators suspect there are victims in Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The first incident was reported Feb. 12 at Mary Silveira. All three schools were hit in February. It is not clear how authorities connected Britton to the burglaries. Ware described Lucas Valley and Mary Silveira as 'pretty open campuses' that lacked gates that might discourage outsiders from wandering onto the premises. Read more: Burglars, vandals hit LAUSD 171 times since August, 'reprehensible' acts against poor schools Sheriff's officials allege that Britton would wait for assemblies or other activities to sneak into unlocked classrooms where teachers left personal items. He would limit the pilfering to one to two cards, authorities said, leaving cash and other valuables undisturbed to not arouse suspicion. Once away from campus, he would use the cards to purchase goods, authorities allege. Ware said some victims didn't realize they had been ripped off, in some cases for weeks, until they reached for a specific credit card or checked bank statements. 'People keep multiple credit cards, so it's not surprising,' Ware said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Red Sox's Jarren Duran reveals suicide attempt in Netflix doc: ‘I'm still here and I'm still fighting'
Jarren Duran's path to batting leadoff for the Boston Red Sox, being named the 2024 All-Star Game MVP and jump-starting his earning potential by signing a one-year, $3.75-million contract with a club option for $8 million in 2026 has been anything but linear. The former Cal State Long Beach and Cypress High outfielder is open about his mental health struggles that have included a verbal outburst toward a fan, wearing a T-shirt with a profane message and — most concerning for Duran and his loved ones — depression and a suicide attempt in 2022. Interviewed for an eight-part Netflix docuseries 'The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox' that will premiere Tuesday, Duran said he was so hard on himself that he did not want to live. 'I was already hearing it from fans,' Duran said in the docuseries. 'And what they said to me, [it was like], 'I've told myself 10 times worse in the mirror.' That was a really tough time for me. I didn't even want to be here anymore.' The 28-year-old described the moment he nearly killed himself in frighteningly stark terms. 'I got to a point where I was sitting in my room, I had my rifle and I had a bullet and I pulled the trigger and the gun clicked, but nothing happened,' he said. 'So, to this day, I think God just didn't let me take my own life because I seriously don't know why it didn't go off. I took it as a sign of, I might have to be here for a reason, so that's when I started to look myself in the mirror after the gun didn't go off. 'I was like, 'Do I want to be here, or do I not want to be here?' That happened for a reason and obviously you're here for a reason, so let's be the way you want to be and play [the way] you want to play and live the way you want to live.' Duran enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, leading the American League in doubles (48), triples (14), plate appearances (735) and at-bats (671). He batted .285 with 191 hits, 111 runs scored, 21 home runs and 34 stolen bases. His ascent began in 2023 when he hit .295 with 24 stolen bases in 102 games after being recalled from triple-A, and coincided with his newfound resolve. 'Jarren's decision to share his story is an act of courage that reaches far beyond baseball,' Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said in a statement. 'By opening up, he's showing others who may be struggling that they're not alone and that asking for help isn't just OK, it's essential. 'Every member of this organization continues to stand with him. He has our deepest admiration, he's always had our full support and we're incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our team.' Duran was a seventh-round draft pick of the Red Sox out of Cal State Long Beach in 2018. In college and early in his pro career, he exhibited good speed and athleticism but little power. That changed in 2021 when he hit 16 homers in 60 triple-A games and was promoted to the Red Sox. However, he struggled, hitting .215 with two home runs in 33 games. The following season was a repeat, with good numbers in triple-A followed by batting .221 with three homers in 58 games. By August, 2022, he was spiraling mentally, telling MassLive, 'I can't talk about too much of it, but I've been pretty low this year. It has been a struggle to stay [in the big leagues]. I don't really talk to my family about my low points because I'm so closed off to everybody. 'I'm kind of just tearing myself up internally and get pretty depressed and stuff like that. I find it hard to reach out to people because I don't want to bother other people with my problems. I kind of just build it up inside myself, which obviously makes everything a lot worse.' Major League Baseball offers players mental health resources that helped Duran, and the Red Sox have long provided major and minor league players with comprehensive health services. 'The Red Sox have offered ... mental health screenings, crisis response protocols, educational programming, and access to both in-house care and trusted outside specialists,' the Red Sox said in a statement. 'Support spans all seven Minor League affiliates and involves collaboration across medical, performance, and coaching staff to ensure care is available at every level.' Last August, barely a month removed from being named All-Star Game MVP after he hit a two-run home in the American League's victory, Duran was suspended two games for shouting a homophobic slur at a fan who was heckling him. Duran expressed remorse to reporters afterward, although he did so while wearing a T-shirt that read 'F— 'em,' making some onlookers wonder how serious he was about contrition. The T-shirt was initiated by Duran and also worn by teammates to support his efforts in dealing with his mental health issues. In the docuseries, Duran said that avoiding depression requires constant effort. He keeps a daily journal and employs written reminders that urge him to win the battle. 'On [the tape on] my left wrist, I write, 'F— 'em,' because it's me telling my demons, 'You're not going to faze me',' he said. 'And on my right wrist, I write, 'Still alive' because I'm still here and I'm still fighting.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tribal leaders press Cal State campus over sacred site
Peter SchurmannAmerican Community Media On the campus of Cal State Long Beach is a 22-acre stretch of land sacred to local tribes. Puvungna, as it's known, is revered as the origin site for peoples who have inhabited this part of California for millennia. Today it is at the center of a legal battle brewing between the university and tribal leaders who accuse school officials of acting in bad faith. 'I don't trust the university. I've been working with them since 1993. They don't keep their word. They don't keep their commitment,' says Joyce Stanfield Perry, cultural resource director with the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, one of several Southern California tribal groups for whom Puvungna holds cultural and spiritual importance. She adds, the university 'just doesn't seem to be genuine.' Once spanning 500 acres, Puvungna was an ancient village sacred to local tribes, including the Tongva and Acjachemen, inhabiting the Los Angeles Basin. The area is revered by these and other tribes as the birthplace of creation. In the 1950s, the Long Beach City Council purchased the land and soon after began construction on what would become Cal State Long Beach. Numerous archaeological discoveries were announced in subsequent years, including sacred burial sites, leading to Puvungna's designation on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1993, tribal groups scored a legal win, successfully preventing the university from demolishing what remains of the site—negating its historical designation—to build a strip mall and adjoining parking lot. In 2019, months after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an apology to California Native Americans for the state's complicity in genocide, the school dumped 6,000 cubic yards of potentially toxic debris over the area. Tribes sued, and in 2021 the sides reached an agreement that gave the university two years to relinquish stewardship over the land. 'The settlement included an agreement that the university would be obligated to make a good faith effort to put Puvungna under a conservation easement within two years of the execution of the agreement,' notes Sarah Lucey, an attorney representing the Juaneño Band and the California Cultural Resources Preservation Society (CCRPA), which joined in the 2019 suit. A conservation easement would entail CSULB ceding rights over the parcel to the holder of the easement. 'The purpose of the easement is to protect Puvungna in perpetuity,' explains Lucey, describing how over the course of nearly two years school officials, tribal leaders and CCRPA representatives met regularly to discuss the agreement's implementation and care for the site. Part of those discussions involved the design and issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) from groups interested in taking over the easement. When the RFP was finally released by CSULB in 2024, a joint application was submitted by the Friends of Puvungna and Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy (TTPC), which works to reclaim formerly Indigenous lands. It was the only application submitted, and while Stanfield Perry says the groups were selected by the tribes, and despite working hand-in-glove with the university during the preceding two years, it was rejected. According to CSULB, the problem lay in part with the RFP itself, which school officials say did not sufficiently detail the requirements that needed to be met by any group seeking to take over management of the site. 'CSU believes the RFP was insufficiently clear about the role and the requirements that a qualified Conservation Easement Grantee must meet to successfully deliver the required services and obtain the award,' the university wrote in a letter following its decision. University officials also cited concerns over potential conflicts of interest involving Friends of Puvungna and TTPC. Facing a near 8% reduction in state funding this year, CSULB maintains an annual budget of $60,000 for the care and preservation of the site. Stanfield Perry has dismissed the allegations as 'nonsense,' describing a proven record over decades by both groups of land stewardship and a clear separation between tribal governance, on the one hand, and organizational leadership at Friends of Puvungna and TTPC. 'I do believe the university is being misleading,' she said. 'I think they understand they have an obligation. But I also believe they want… to be able to have economic stability for this space.' Indeed, school officials have acknowledged their desire to secure long-term funding for Puvungna's care. The fight over Puvungna, meanwhile, is playing out against the backdrop of a global Land Back Movement where tribes are actively reclaiming lost or stolen land. Last year, California awarded $100 million to 33 tribal land back projects as 'part of a first-in-the-nation effort to address historical wrongs committed against California Native American tribes.' Stanfield Perry is careful to distinguish between land back efforts and the standoff over easement rights with the university. The case is unique in the state in that it is the only one involving sacred land on campus property. Lucey says there has been little communication from the university since the RFP's rejection, and that efforts to restart dialogue have gone nowhere. 'It's been very, very difficult to get anything from them. It's really just stalled out completely.' In the interim, questions remain, including what new requirements will be added to any future RFP and when it might be released. 'From the tribe's perspective, there is a sense of mistrust,' says Stanfield Perry, before adding the dispute presents 'a golden opportunity for the university to demonstrate leadership and take pride in the fact that they are one of the only universities to have a sacred site on their campus.' 'This could be a win-win for everyone.'
