The Citizen

Memos of Misunderstanding

No agreements yet with local police departments after seven months of “discussions”

David Rowe, Associate Editor • March 23, 2022

Seven months after Peralta Community College District (PCCD) officials declared Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with local law enforcement as a top-priority component of PCCD’s new safety plan,...

Ohlone ransomware attack highlights vulnerability of colleges

Peralta’s CIO says district’s cyber security has been enhanced

David Rowe, Associate Editor • March 1, 2022

The Ohlone Community College District (OCCD), with campuses in Fremont and Newark, was the latest victim in a string of ransomware attacks against higher education institutions. The cyber attack at...

Student Trustee Leesa Hogan quietly advocates for those with learning disabilities

David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 25, 2022

Viewers of the Peralta Board of Trustees meetings on YouTube are probably familiar with Micah Cooper, the outspoken student trustee from Merritt College. Leesa Hogan, Cooper’s fellow student trustee,...

BCC student president applies his computer skills to ‘hack’ student government challenges

Described as an 'extraordinary student leader' by BCC administration official

David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 16, 2022

Harry Mapodile, a sophomore computer science student at Berkeley City College (BCC), relaxes by listening to movie soundtracks and sea shanties while refining his C++ and Python coding skills. Unfortunately,...

Moody’s downgrades Peralta bond ratings

District contests methodology and cites recent ACCJC 'upgrade'

David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 9, 2022

Moody’s Investors Service, a leading credit rating agency, issued a slew of downgrades for Peralta’s bonds in a press release dated January 19. Specifically, Moody’s assigned the Peralta district...

Odometer hits 44 years for College of Alameda Auto Tech professor

Rick Greenspan glad to be back to in-person instruction

David Rowe, Associate Editor • December 7, 2021

When Professor Rick Greenspan joined the Automotive Technology program at College of Alameda (CoA) in 1977, the best selling car in the US was the Chevrolet Impala. The last Impala rolled off the assembly...

College of Alameda struggles to fill student government posts

Only one candidate on the ballot last week

David Rowe, Associate Editor • November 16, 2021

When Macarena Valenzuela, a sociology student at College of Alameda (COA), decided to run for a seat in the student senate, she did not realize she would be the only candidate on the ballot. While candidates...

Stephanie Droker named as Interim Deputy Chancellor/COO

District hires former president of accrediting commission

David Rowe, Associate Editor • November 10, 2021

Image by David Rowe, Associate Editor The Peralta Community College District (PCCD) announced today the naming of Stephanie Droker to fill the position of Interim Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating...

District set to appoint new Director of Safety

Tim Thomas brings both academic and real world experience to the job

David Rowe, Associate Editor • November 7, 2021

Timothy Thomas’ interest in law enforcement began at an early age. He became a police cadet in San Leandro at age 14, according to his profile on the Carrington College website, where, until recently,...

Marina security guards lack basic communication equipment

Many unarmed guards must use their personal cell phones to communicate with supervisors

David Rowe, Luke Wrin Piper, and Leticia Luna • October 27, 2021

The unarmed security guards at the Peralta campuses interviewed by The Citizen lack basic two-way communication devices and must rely on their personal cell phones to report incidents. Interviews with...

District saves on Microsoft software licensing

But are students switching to Google apps?

David Rowe, Associate Editor • October 25, 2021

While costs for everything seem to be increasing these days, the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) board of trustees learned at its October 12 meeting that the district’s licensing fee for...

Security & the Peralta District

David Rowe • October 20, 2021

A multi-year story and how it has been reported in The Citizen Image by Leticia Luna, Managing Editor October 19, 2021 By David Rowe, Associate Editor Over the 20 year history of the Alameda...