Los Angeles repairs roads riddled with potholes after recent rain

The City of Los Angeles completed a month-long project in March to reduce the number of potholes in Los Angeles.

The “pothole blitz” project, a City of LA Bureau of Street Services initiative, aimed to identify and repair potholes in LA after frequent winter rains caused an increase in road damage across the city. The bureau estimated the project would repair 1,200 potholes, said Paul Gomez, a Department of Public Works public relations representative, in an email statement.

Gomez said the project identified potholes throughout LA in its first week and worked on repairing them over the course of four weeks by Sunday.

Alison Hewitt, a UCLA spokesperson, said UCLA Transportation said it did not work with the city on the project because there do not appear to be any major safety concerns for vehicles, traffic or pedestrians near UCLA. Hewitt added that UCLA Transportation said it coordinates with the city on pothole repairs when there are significant safety concerns.

Gomez said the increased amount of rain this winter generated a large number of potholes.

LA experienced around a 5-inch increase in precipitation in February compared to 2018 partly due to unusual wind patterns from the North Pole.

UCLA Transportation said it did not receive any formal complaints about potholes near campus. The department added although many vehicles experience various degrees of impact from driving over potholes, there has been little to no impact on the services and vehicles provided by UCLA Transportation.

Joshua Castillo, a fourth-year English student, said he feels the potholes have not significantly impacted his drive to campus, but they surprised him the first time he encountered them.

“I usually notice them the first time I hit them, and it always really pisses me off,” Castillo said. “Afterwards, I just always make sure to avoid them.”

Omar Perez, a first-year undeclared student, said he sometimes uses the bus to commute to campus and has not noticed many potholes in Westwood.

“I don’t know that there are that many potholes from what I’ve seen,” Perez said. “So it’s not much of a problem, for me at least.”

Gomez said approximately 250 potholes were repaired in and around Westwood over the course of winter prior to the start of this project.

Gomez did not specify if the City of LA Bureau of Street Services would repair any potholes in Westwood during the project.

It takes around three consecutive, dry working days for the bureau to repair each pothole, Gomez said.

The LA City Council allocated $250,000 from the Measure M Local Return fund to provide support for this project, Gomez said. The fund collects income designated for street repair from a tax raise approved by voters in 2016, he said.

Gomez added the bureau plans to raise funds to repair streets in poor condition and address the rising number of potholes throughout LA after the project’s completion Sunday.

ASU continues long-standing push for resources dedicated to black students at UCLA

A student said she is dismayed that UCLA has existed for 100 years but still has not established a resource center on campus for black students.

Julia Robinson, a member of the Afrikan Student Union at UCLA and a third-year political science student, said she thinks administrators need to prioritize black students’ issues on campus.

The ASU has been corresponding with UCLA administrators about creating a black resource center for five years and has advocated for a center since the late 1990s, said Isaiah Njoku, the chairperson of the ASU and a fourth-year sociology student.

The center would serve as a central entity for the various black student organizations on campus and provide funding for the organizations with its endowment, according to an ASU press release.

UCLA agreed to the creation of a black resource center in 2017 but is still determining funding and a location for the center, Njoku said.

Chancellor Gene Block supports students engaging in spaces that provide a sense of identity and place, said UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez in an email statement.

UCLA has worked with the ASU to provide spaces, such as the Black Forum at the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, which is reserved for black student groups from 5 p.m. until closing, and the Afrikan Diaspora Living Learning Community in Rieber Hall, which allows students to be immersed in Afrikan culture, Vazquez added.

The ASU met with Block on March 5 to create a plan for the implementation of the resource center and to discuss the ASU’s other demands, Njoku said.

The ASU held a press conference and peaceful demonstration Feb. 28 at the UCLA-USC basketball game to protest various anti-black incidents, including racist fraternity and sorority events and racial profiling on campus.

Robinson, who is also the chief of staff of the Undergraduate Students Association Council Internal Vice President’s office, said the reason why it has taken so long for a black resource center to be established on campus is a lack of space and funding.

Robinson added that the administration has repeatedly told the ASU to seek other sources of funding for the center.

The administration and the ASU are currently working together to find an appropriate space for the center that is accessible and large enough, Njoku said.

Njoku added he thinks the push for a center has been ongoing for decades because the administration has prioritized other entities on campus over the black student population.

Vazquez said the creation of the center has taken this long because of limited space at UCLA.

“Because UCLA is more in terms of physical space and buildings than other UC campuses, we have had to be more creative in how we provide space opportunities to students,” Vazquez said.

Njoku said allies can support the ASU by staying updated about issues regarding black students and spreading the word through social media.

“Publicity is everything,” Njoku said.

As UCLA approaches its centennial anniversary, Robinson said she hopes the ASU’s campaign for a black resource center will draw attention to UCLA’s progress – and lack of progress – regarding black student issues on campus.

“UCLA has been known to celebrate 100 years of anti-blackness, and that’s not something that should be celebrated. It should be made to change,” Robinson said.

Alumni couple receives highest university honor UCLA Medal

Two UCLA alumni were awarded the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, at the chancellor’s residence Tuesday.

Ralph and Shirley Shapiro received the honor from Chancellor Gene Block at a medal ceremony. The Shapiros have endowed over 12 faculty chairs through the Shapiro Family Charitable Foundation, according to a university press release.

The UCLA Medal was established in 1979 and has been awarded to distinguished recipients for their academic and professional contributions, according to a UCLA policy.

The Shapiros join 162 other recipients, including former President Bill Clinton and former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

The Shapiros have gifted the university over $6 million in endowments. In 2018, the Shapiro Family Charitable Foundation gifted about $2.25 million to the David Geffen School of Medicine to support four endowed chairs and facilitate research in developmental and behavioral disorders, such as cerebral palsy and autism.

The foundation also donated $2 million to the UCLA School of Nursing to endow a chair in developmental disability studies in 2018, according to the press release.

The pair has served on numerous advisory boards for UCLA School of Law and UCLA Anderson School of Management. Ralph Shapiro is also a member of the UCLA Centennial Campaign cabinet and a longtime member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Directors. Shirley Shapiro has served on several university advisory councils, including the board of directors for Women and Philanthropy at UCLA and the UCLA Law Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment.

Ralph Shapiro received a degree in business administration in 1953 at UCLA and later graduated from UCLA Law in 1958.

Shirley Shapiro earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1959 at UCLA.

The university has recognized the Shapiros’ commitment to the school by naming the fountain at the top of Janss Steps after them in 2004 as well as a courtyard at the UCLA School of Law.

Donation to UCLA will fund medical plaza renovations, biomedical research

A science-focused philanthropic foundation gifted $20 million to UCLA, a university press release announced Tuesday.

The W. M. Keck Foundation donated to the university to fund the renovation of the UCLA Medical Plaza, an outpatient care center at UCLA. The gift will also contribute to UCLA biomedical research grants.

The W. M. Keck Foundation has donated a total of $55 million to UCLA, and over $165 million to University of California colleges.

The space surrounding the main outpatient buildings on UCLA Medical Plaza will be named W. M. Keck Court in honor of the foundation’s support.

The foundation was established in 1954 by William Myron Keck, who was also the founder of The Superior Oil Company. The organization has long supported engineering, science and medical research.

Keck’s grandson, Robert Day, has donated over $22 million to UCLA and has been the chairman and CEO of the foundation since 1995.

The donation is a part of the UCLA Centennial Campaign, which surpassed its goal of raising $4.2 billion by December 2019 in July.

The funds will also contribute to research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The latest U.S. News and World Report annual ranking of medical schools placed the UCLA school of medicine fifth in primary care and sixth in research.

UC fails to listen to unions despite strikes, allegations of unfair labor practices

Here at UCLA, you’re a part of one big family – that is, unless you also belong to a labor union.

Union strikes have become a regular occurrence on campus. Most recently, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 joined the University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America in a strike March 20 to advocate for increased wages and to stop the outsourcing of contract work.

The strike had visible impacts on students caught in the middle of an ever-hectic finals week. Dining services on the Hill were limited, as many of its workers picketed in Bruin Plaza, clamoring for the attention of sleep-deprived students on their way to their exams.

This is just the latest in a series of strikes by AFSCME Local 3299 dating back to early 2018, in which strikers advocated for ending race- and gender-based discrimination in hiring and wage practices. The union held three-day strikes in May and October to bring these issues to light.

Despite all this, March’s strike did little to persuade the University of California to reenter wage and benefit negotiations. It did, however, lead to AFSCME filing charges against the UC for allegedly using illegal intimidation tactics on striking workers. The charges cite incidents where the University warned of possible workplace retaliation, along with University police threatening citations and condoning physical assault on workers along the picket line.

It’s one thing not to negotiate with your employees. It’s another thing to threaten them.

This is a drastic shift in the UC’s attitude toward its unions. Relying on methods of intimidation that serve to antagonize striking workers only breeds an atmosphere of toxicity. These actions, if proven, would make it clear the University has contempt for its union-backed workers, and it is evident their repeated attempts at striking won’t change its unwillingness to negotiate their demands.

AFSCME Local 3299 announced Friday that another strike will be held April 10 in response to the UC’s alleged intimidation. Striking is realistically the only option unions have to voice their concerns.


John de los Angeles, an AFSCME 3299 spokesperson, said the union has received enough complaints from workers who participated in the March 20 strike to warrant filing unfair labor charges against the UC and planning another strike.

“Previous strikes were about the trends of the UC’s business practices affecting our workers, but this upcoming strike is more concerned with the fundamentals – whether or not our workers are able to have a voice when they protest,” de los Angeles said.

Evidently, the University doesn’t seem interested in hearing what union workers have to say, despite their repeated demonstrations. Playing these strikes off as a waste of time highlights the UC’s degrading view of its workers, and ultimately, the individuals those workers serve.

This ongoing back-and-forth between both parties serves as a marker of instability at a distinguished university system – it is a problem that has become obvious to students, employees and others involved in everyday campus activities.

Claire Doan, a UC Office of the President spokesperson, said in a statement that AFSCME’s unfair labor charge lacks merit and is a transparent attempt to justify another strike.

“This will be the fourth systemwide strike in less than a year – it’s abundantly clear union leaders have little regard for the negative impact on the patients, students and communities that UC serves,” Doan said.

But the purpose of these ongoing strikes is to underscore the importance of their work and involvement in the UC community. All the strikers are hoping for are wages that reflect the value their work offers to the people they serve. It’s not as if they realistically have any other option to make these concerns known.

Ironically, it’s the UC that doesn’t seem to care about the communities it serves. The University’s attempts to outsource contract jobs to cut costs is a detriment to the inclusive community values it continues to preach. Administrators have made it clear they don’t care for the patients, students and communities they serve by neglecting the demands of the very employees who serve those stakeholders.

And if substantiated, the unfair labor allegations against the UC would show it completely gave up on trying to play ball with unions, tried retaliating instead and wasn’t even willing to negotiate in a performative sense.

Of course, it may seem unreasonable to hope for the UC to work toward satisfying the unions’ demands for wage increases in a manner that pleases everyone. But resorting to intimidating strikers only sets negotiations back further and lowers both parties’ abilities to reach a middle ground. Antagonizing the individuals whose work has helped shape the University’s gleaming, forward-thinking identity cannot be the answer.

And there’s no denying it: Violence is the tactic of “1984”-esque authoritative regimes. It doesn’t have a place in higher education institutions that claim to uplift people.

When these employees strike, all they are asking for is a seat at the family dinner table. The UC doesn’t even seem willing to give them that.

Editorial: UCLA’s quarter system sacrifices student learning, career opportunities

The age-old debate is back: three dead sprints to the finish or two long endurance runs?

Chancellor Gene Block, in a surprisingly casual comment during a meeting winter quarter with the the Bruin’s editorial board, indicated he supports removing the quarter system and replacing it with semesters. The 10-week mad rush, Block argued, is a “failed system” that only adds to students’ stress.

It sounded as if he wanted to switch over that day.

In reality, the process to reverse a decadeslong tradition would require more than a mandate from Block – it would need support from a majority of UCLA’s faculty.

But it is no secret that faculty prefer the current system. In fact, in 2003, the Academic Senate shut the idea out in a vote.

UCLA has aged 16 years, but the arguments are largely the same: The quarter system gives more flexibility to faculty for their research, but at the expense of time given to students to learn course material. Meanwhile, the semester system allows students to go further in-depth in their fields of study, potentially at the expense of faculty’s research time.

The answer is still the same, though: The semester system is the superior pick.

Nearly every UCLA student has encountered a professor who deplored the limits of our 10-week system because of their inability to cover their course material with the depth it deserves. Some courses have stretched their material across three quarters of classes to compensate for the two semesters of material offered at other universities. In other cases, the material that would be covered in the last few weeks leading up to the final is lopped off completely. Students at semester schools, on the other hand, can actually get the full scope of the knowledge they are promised when they enroll at a university.

These are just the academic complications. A vast majority of summer internships are geared toward semester system students, who can easily start on a program’s non-negotiable late-May start date. The only options available to quarter system students would be to take an entire quarter off just to take part in coveted internships. STEM students at UCLA who want to participate in Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs at other universities might have to start days after the given program’s start date.

Professors, on the other hand, have championed the quarter system because it coordinates well with their research schedules: teach for a quarter or two, then spend the rest of the year conducting research.

But that sounds like the perfect system for someone prioritizing their magnum opus and research grants over the quality of education for which students shell out thousands of dollars.

Switching to a semester system isn’t easy, for sure: Departments would need to rewrite thousands of courses, degree requirements would need to be reconsidered and class schedules would need to be radically altered. Students would also have to endure courses they dislike for longer periods of time.

But the fact remains that such a change would permit students more time to understand their fields and – following the format of other universities – give them the coveted dead week to study before final exams.

Block called the quarter system “mostly a West Coast phenomenon.” He’s right: We’ve experienced it and seen its qualities – and a quarter still isn’t even two-thirds as good as a semester.

Pac-12 baseball teams climb up national rankings, with No. 1 UCLA leading the way

The Pac-12 is filling up the top of the national rankings.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (21-5, 7-2 Pac-12) held on to the top spot in the nation for the third straight week after its series win against USC (10-17, 3-6) last weekend – but its conference rivals trail close behind in the polls. No. 2 Stanford (19-3, 6-0), No. 6 Oregon State (19-6-1, 6-3) and No. 7 Arizona State (25-2, 8-1) all rose in the rankings this week to put four Pac-12 teams in the top seven.

Coach John Savage said he is used to the Pac-12 being a formidable conference.

“I’ve lived here for 15 years, and we’ve had years like this before,” Savage said. “People act like this is the first time the conference has been good, but there’s been a lot of good years. The depth of the (Pac-12) is clearly very strong this year, so that does make a bit of a difference.”

The Cardinal are below the Bruins in the national rankings, after rising from the third spot over the course of a nine-game winning streak. In its last two completed series, Stanford swept a pair of conference teams in Utah and Washington – outscoring opponents 71-24 during the streak.

As the reigning champions, the Beavers have compiled a record of 111-18-1 over the past two years and are among the top teams in the NCAA this year. Leading the charge for Oregon State is third baseman Adley Rutschman, who is hitting .420 after leading the Pac-12 in batting average last year.

Rounding out the top seven are the Sun Devils, who did not crack the top 10 until March 18. After finishing seventh in the conference with a 23-32 record in 2018, Arizona State was unranked but began the season on a 21-game winning streak to start the year.

Arizona State is batting .336 as a team and leads the Pac-12 in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Center fielder Hunter Bishop has posted a slash line of .417/.552/1.010 and has hit 16 homers after totaling 10 in his first two years.

UCLA claimed the top spot in the rankings March 18 for the first time since its championship season in 2013. That year, the Bruins were last in the Pac-12 with a .250 batting average and hit just 19 home runs, but posted a 2.55 ERA and led the conference in strikeouts.

This year’s pitching staff has put up nearly identical numbers, with a 2.54 ERA and a Pac-12-leading 271 strikeouts through 234 innings of work.

The most recent start came from freshman right-hander Jesse Bergin, who didn’t allow any hits through the first five innings and stuck out eight to earn the win against CSUN on Tuesday.

“It felt good having that control, being able to mix my pitches,” Bergin said. “The no-hitter wasn’t really on my mind. I was aware of it, but it wasn’t affecting anything in any weird way.”

Of the four teams, only UCLA and Oregon State have played a series, with the Bruins taking two of three. However, the Bruins will face the Cardinal this weekend, and the Beavers and Sun Devils will play the weekend after that.

“To get to where we want to get to in the postseason, we’ve got to play the best teams,” said junior third baseman Ryan Kreidler. “People always talk about the (Atlantic Coast Conference) and the (Southeastern Conference), but I think the best teams are in California.”