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Peralta Community College District's Only Student-Run News Publication
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

The Citizen

Public Defender Sydney Bird Levin and defendant Cedric Irving, Jr. sit at Irving's mental competency hearing at René C. Davidson Courthouse on March 13, 2026 in Oakland, CA.
Mental competency decision for Cedric Irving Jr. delayed a second time
Fourth mental health evaluation not yet conducted by prosecution-selected doctor; Defense raises concerns over “excessive” and “unusual” circumstances.
Rachel Venable and Ivan Saravia March 13, 2026

Oakland – Prosecutors from the Alameda County District Attorney's office were not able to schedule a fourth mental competency evaluation in...

Photo of the Laney Tower taken by Desmond Meagley, edited in Canva by Eliot Faine.
The Changing Face Of Laney College
The iconic Laney Tower will be vacated and the Student Center will be remodeled during summer 2026; what will the campus look like this Fall?
Erik Bracken, Staff Writer • April 1, 2026
Peralta will consider the need for César Chavez Day name change after sexual abuse allegations
Peralta will consider the need for César Chavez Day name change after sexual abuse allegations
District officials confirm the holiday is still being observed this year, while union leaders and campus programs push for name alternatives
Nathaniel Delgado, Staff Writer • March 31, 2026
Photo illustration by Eliot Faine
Here comes the Storm: Professional Women’s Football debuts at Laney College
The Golden State Storm makes Laney’s Dr. Bill Riley football field their home turf for three games of the 2026 season. The Storm will play six total regular season games this season.
Ana Laura Rodriguez, Staff Writer • March 28, 2026
Laney College culinary student Miracle Law-White smiles for photo on Feb. 27, 2026 at Peralta District Office in Oakland, CA
Peralta Colleges Foundation hosts fundraising events for student programming
The nonprofit arm of the Peralta Community College District will host an array of fundraisers to support the Peralta Colleges Foundation, including a golf tournament and a marathon.
Nelzy Gonzalez-Zaragoza, Associate Editor • March 26, 2026
A photo of the Peralta District boardroom on 333 E. 8th Street in Oakland, CA. from Peralta's SmugMug website.
District officially participating in POST certification, Peralta Colleges Foundation audit report and more at the March 10 Board of Trustees meeting
March 24, 2026
Peralta employees must disclose outside income following conflict of interest policy update
Peralta employees must disclose outside income following conflict of interest policy update
March 22, 2026
Peralta Community College District's student government campaigns are underway. Photo by Lylah Schmedel-Permanna, graphic made in Canva by Eliot Faine.
Student government campaigns have begun; who are this year’s candidates?
March 19, 2026
Peralta approves executive safety chief position to oversee new hybrid safety plan
Peralta approves executive safety chief position to oversee new hybrid safety plan
March 19, 2026
The Board of Trustees listen to Interim Executive Director of Community Safety, Abdul Pridgen, during a study session at Berkeley City College on Feb. 24 in Berkeley, CA.
“Peace officers” coming to Peralta, according to new security plan
March 19, 2026
The administration building at Merritt College houses the Office of the Vice President of Instruction on April 12, 2024 in Oakland, CA.
Peralta restructures college management; eight positions to become three Executive Vice Presidents
The Peralta Community College District will reorganize management titles at its four colleges, reducing the previous eight existing student service and instructional roles into a cohort of three new roles as Executive Vice Presidents of Student Learning and Success.
Eliot Faine, Editor in Chief • March 16, 2026
Audience members watch Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee address a crowd of hundreds during a memorial for Laney College's late athletic director, John Beam, in Oakland, CA on Dec. 10, 2025.
The Citizen receives honorable mention in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge
Desmond Meagley, Multimedia Editor • March 9, 2026
Graphic by Eliot Faine
The Citizen’s Desmond Meagley celebrated for press freedom and transparency
Eliot Faine, Editor in Chief • February 27, 2026
Isela González Santana burns incense over an ofrenda at Merritt College in Oakland, CA on Oct 29, 2025.
Puente celebrates Día de los Muertos at Merritt College
Ariunzayat Yunren, Staff Writer • November 12, 2025
Laney counselor Philip Jucaban rests on a bench at Laney College in Oakland, CA on Oct. 29, 2025. Jucaban says he grounds his counseling work in the Filipino cultural value of bayanihan: “I’m just one counselor, but I like to bring a village together for each student,” Jucaban said.
Philip Jucaban brings bayanihan into counseling Laney students
Dustin Chu, Staff Writer • October 29, 2025
Mooncakes in a variety of colors and flavors sit in a display at Berkeley City College on Oct. 8, 2025. API LEAD students traded mooncakes for trivia to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the BCC community
BCC students celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes and community
Dustin Chu, Staff Writer • October 28, 2025
A student safety aide crosses the Laney College Quad at dusk in Oakland, CA on Nov. 20, 2025.
How The Citizen covered the Laney College shooting, and why our security reporting matters
Citizen Staff November 26, 2025
Graphic made in Canva
Dial Tones and Disengagement: A student election marked by silence
Tamara Copes, Staff Writer • October 16, 2025
Graphic of a student journalist, using a rolled up newspaper to break the ribbon of silence.
The Citizen will not “take down” the truth
Eliot Faine, Multimedia Editor • October 4, 2025
Graphic by Desmond Meagley
Emergency alerts sent over 20 minutes after the Laney College shooting raise concerns
February 13, 2026
As the Peralta community continues to reel from the Nov. 13 Laney shooting, members of the community have expressed confusion and concern as details surrounding the shooting remain unclear.
A CoA counselor was told to cancel an unvetted “class” – then promoted a nearly identical one
A CoA counselor was told to cancel an unvetted “class” – then promoted a nearly identical one
October 29, 2025
The original “free class” to obtain a “security guard card” was promoted through a Sept. 22 CoA student services newsletter. An attached flyer for the event claimed attendees would receive a “certificate to become a security guard” after a one-hour training. The event was arranged by CoA counselor and Project Hope coordinator Robin “Bernard” Ward.
An athlete looks down the dark stairwell towards the locker rooms. Illustration by Eliot Faine
The Locker Room Stall: 47 years of Title IX allegations at Laney College
March 31, 2025

Laney sophomore and shooting guard Adrienne Blackwell says she never uses her college’s locker rooms to change or shower. Neither do her teammates...

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