News of the Week: May 16

Governor Jerry Brown released a slight revision to the 2018-19 state budget.

Full story here: http://www.dailycal.org/2018/05/16/gov-jerry-browns-may-budget-proposal-revision-shows-slight-increase-higher-education-funding-boost/

The Daily Californian

Two USC administrators at the Engemann Student Health Center were terminated  following the University’s memorandum earlier this week detailing the sexually inappropriate and racially discriminatory conduct of former Engemann gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall.

Keck School of Medicine Interim Medical Director and Engemann Lead Physician William Leavitt, as well as Engemann Executive Director Tammie Akiyoshi were both fired this week, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Senior Vice President Todd Dickey said in a statement emailed to the Daily Trojan that the two administrators were fired because of new information learned in complaints from students made to a hotline the University set up for students to express their concerns about Tyndall.

“In light of newly received patient complaints indicating the extent of George Tyndall’s inappropriate conduct, the university has decided to remove Tyndall’s direct supervisor and another senior supervisor from the student health center,” Dickey said. “The university does not take personnel decisions lightly, but will hold people accountable for their supervision and inaction.”

Leavitt told the Los Angeles Times that he was not told the reason for his termination, which he was informed of on Thursday afternoon.

“I’m basically the scapegoat,” Leavitt said to the Times. “From my perspective it’s a wrongful termination.”

Cindy Gilbert, a nurse who worked with Tyndall, told the Times that Akiyoshi and other administrators had received complaints about Tyndall’s behavior, and that she reported Tyndall to USC Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services after becoming frustrated with those administrators.

President C.L. Max Nikias said in a letter sent to the USC community that the University has recieved about 200 responses from patients regarding Tyndall’s conduct as of Friday.

“Trained staff members are individually assessing each report, and, when appropriate, referring it for investigation,” Nikias said.  “We are reaching out to each individual on a case-by-case basis, and offering personalized support and counseling. We are in contact with the Los Angeles Police Department, and are establishing a process for sharing the appropriate cases, with the consent of the patients.”

Following an investigation into his conduct with patients, the University put Tyndall on administrative leave in June 2016, and subsequently terminated him in June 2017.

A Los Angeles Times report published earlier this week said that Tyndall’s misconduct dated back to the 1990s, when his co-workers filed complained about pictures Tyndall took of patients’ bodies. Since then, Tyndall has been accused of lewd behavior, inappropriate touching and sexually suggestive remarks to his patients.

According to the Times, Tyndall has denied the allegations that he acted improperly.

Although complaints about his alleged misconduct had been filed over the course of more than 15 years, the University failed to investigate Tyndall until 2016, and failed to inform his former patients about his misconduct until this week.

“I am struggling with the question — as you are: how could this behavior have gone on for so long?” President Nikias wrote in the University’s latest letter.  “Once again, I want to personally apologize to any student who visited our student health center and was made to feel uncomfortable in any way. You deserved better, and we let you down.”

Leavitt and Akiyoshi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The post University terminates two Engemann administrators in wake of gynecologist’s alleged misconduct appeared first on Daily Trojan.

What’s more comforting than the warm, umami flavor of an artfully decorated bowl of ramen? Ramen is a staple dish that has traveled from Japan to the dorm rooms of college students across the United States – but dorm room ramen is far from the end-all-be-all to the iconic dish.

Ramen’s history is more complicated than the mess of noodles swimming around in your bowl, but many agree that the soup was first created in 1910 when two Chinese cooks in a Tokyo restaurant created a dish that consisted of noodles and a broth, which they termed shina soba. After World War II and the defeat of Japan, shina soba was renamed chuka soba due to controversial connotations of “shina,” the word used for China when Japan was an imperialistic force.

Eventually, commercialized ramen broke into the market when an entrepreneur named Momofuku Ando created a pressed and dehydrated version of the noodles, which could then be mass produced and sold as the ubiquitous packets we can immediately spot in the grocery store today.

There are four styles of ramen flavoring – shio, shoyu, miso and tonkotsu. Shio means salt and is traditional ramen flavoring. The salt doesn’t alter the color, so shio ramen is usually lightly colored. Shoyu uses flavoring from fermented soybeans, adding a salty flavor. It’s darker colored and sweeter than shio broth. Miso ramen is distinctly opaque because it’s flavored with miso paste, which gives it a more robust flavor than shio or shoyu. Tonkotsu is basically pork flavoring – it’s made by boiling ground-up pork bones for 12 to 15 hours (or longer!) until the soup stock is gelatinous. Because of the fact that the bones are steeped for so long, the result is a flavorful white broth that has a very distinct pork flavor.

Los Angeles as a whole is a hotspot for the delicious noodles. Many storefronts are clustered around Sawtelle Boulevard, which makes them easily accessible to UCLA students. I embarked on a quest to find some of the most satisfying, delicious noodles in town.

E.A.K Ramen – 7455 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90046

E.A.K. Ramen was the first location of the restaurant opened in the United States after achieving major success in Japan, which already has about 400 established locations. It specializes in lekei, a style of ramen that blends two different styles of ramen – Tonkotsu from the West (Kyushu) and the Shoyu style from the East (Tokyo). The broth ends up being a beautiful mixture of pork and chicken with toppings that include spinach versus green onion and much thicker noodles than usual.

Jinya Ramen Bar – 5168 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036

Jinya Ramen Bar founder Tomonori Takahashi arrived in the United States from Tokyo in 2010 and found he couldn’t enjoy traditional ramen unless he made it himself. Takahashi set up a Los Angeles location to continue his family’s legacy and bring delectable ramen to the United States. Jinya uses FUJI water, which is 99.9 percent free from impurities, to curate the restaurant’s rich, homemade broth. Jinya’s perfectly balanced broth, accompanied by homemade noodles, includes delicious classics such as succulent pork chasu, fresh garlic and seasoned poached eggs. Jinya serves up 14 different types of ramen, including vegan ramen and a bowl sporting a lobster head casually hanging off the side.

Santouka Ramen – 3760 S Centinela Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90066

Santouka Ramen’s founder Hitoshi Hatanaka said to his family, “I’m going to make delicious ramen” and he did. His shio ramen is unique in that he serves a tiny, pickled plum atop the noodles and broth. The beginning of the restaurant was simple: It had nine seats and served one type of ramen, shio ramen, at its location in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan’s second-largest island. The menu consists of classics such as shio, shoyu, miso and spicy miso ramen, along with char sui (roasted pork) ramen and tokusen toroniku ramen, which comes with a plate of pork cheek meat and toppings.

Tentenyu Ramen – 2012 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025

Tentenyu Ramen is a Kyoto-based chain that specializes in lighter ramen featuring a chicken broth base instead of a pork broth base. In 1976, the mother and sister owners of a food stall named Manraiken were told by the city of Kyoto to open a restaurant instead of operating a food stall. The owners couldn’t afford to change the restaurant name from Tentenyu to Manraiken, so the name remained Tentenyu. Tentenyu offers vegetarian and tsukemen ramen options, as well as a multitude of sides like butter corn and chicken karaage.

Ramen Hood – 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Ramen Hood, the brainchild of Top Chef winner Ilan Hall, is the perfect addition to the Los Angeles ramen scene with its innovative vegan menu. The restaurant’s creamy broth is made from a less common ingredient in the ramen world – sunflower seeds. Ramen Hood simmers kelp and shiitake mushrooms to extract the prized umami flavor and adds white miso and roasted sunflower seeds. The ingredients are thrown in the pressure cooker to extract flavors from the sunflower seeds, eventually creating a creamy white base that looks almost exactly like meat-based broths. Even the egg is vegan: Ramen Hood ingeniously made the egg “white” from soy and the “yolk” from an amalgamation of nutritional yeast, salt and sodium alginate, used as a thickening and emulsifying agent.

Fort Collins police are seeking more information and witnesses in an attempted murder case, in which a Fort Collins man has been targeted twice. John Henson was first targeted in this case on May 15 at approximately 9 p.m. when a person driving a green four-door sedan purposely struck Henson, according to a May 18 press […]

Success Guaranteed; Crowd Wisdom and Machine Learning Personalize Prep Course to Increase Student Scores by 7 Points BOSTON, MA – May 15, 2018 – Leveraging the power of data and artificial intelligence, online test prep company, examPAL, today announced the launch of its ground-breaking course to prepare students to take the GRE.  Using crowd wisdom […]

Golden State Warriors seek new territory in esports leagues

Golden State Warriors/Courtesy

The logos of the Golden State Warriors’ two new esports teams, the Golden Guardians and the Warriors Gaming Squad.

The Golden State Warriors are a household name among Cal students and Bay Area residents alike. Having won two NBA championships in the past three years and now on the verge of a third, the Warriors have set the gold standard for basketball greatness.

What most basketball fans don’t know, however, is that the company behind the team, GSW Sports LLC, is hoping to extend that level of greatness into the world of esports: professional multiplayer video games.

Within the past half a year or so, the company has created two teams, the “Golden Guardians” and the “Warriors Gaming Squad,” in order to make its mark in esports leagues.

The Golden Guardians compete in “League of Legends,” one of the most popular online multiplayer video games in the world. They acquired a spot in the newly franchised North American League of Legends Championship Series, or NA LCS, at the start of 2018. Unfortunately, the 2018 Spring Split, which represents the first half of the competitive season, did not go as hoped.

The Guardians started off the split with seven straight losses but briefly managed to turn things around, winning four of their next six games. Those wins included victories over the likes of 100 Thieves and Team Liquid, teams that would eventually face off against each other in the Spring Split finals. Despite these bright flashes of success, the team lost its final five matches and finished in last place.

“It was a tough split competitively, and it definitely didn’t go the way we hoped,” said Hunter Leigh, the head of esports for the Golden State Warriors. “More frustrating than the actual losing was the inconsistency between our best games and our worst games.”

Week 9 Day 2 at 2018 NA LCS Spring Split in Los Angeles, California, USA on 18 March 2018.

In light of that variance, the Guardians hope that giving head coach Tyler “Akiri” Perron a chance to establish a formal system will stabilize the team’s performance. Perron abruptly stepped into the lead position after former head coach Yoonsup “Locodoco” Choi was fired just two weeks into the Spring Split. The team also brought in former NA LCS champion and support player Alex “Xpecial” Chu as an assistant coach to refine its play in the bot lane.

The Guardians have also announced the departure of mid-laner Hai “Hai” Lam, a well-respected veteran of the NA LCS who was once hailed as the team’s “Steph Curry.” He will be replaced by Son “Mickey” Youngmin. The Guardians expect that Mickey will be a stronger laner and will bring a new “competitive element” to the roster.

“Hai was an amazing leader, and we’re creating a leadership vacuum that we’re asking our young guys to step in and fill,” Leigh said. “We think we can ask each of them to take on pieces of what he was doing and give them the opportunity to flex those muscles.”

Although the decision was widely panned by “League of Legends” fans, the team feels confident in the trade-off and expects to make a push to qualify for summer playoffs.

Just one month after the end of the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split, the Warriors esports franchise expanded; on April 4, the Warriors Gaming Squad, or WGS, was one of 17 NBA teams at the very first NBA 2K League draft. WGS ended up with the last pick in the draft because of the lottery, and many analysts pegged it as a bottom-tier team, but Leigh remains optimistic.

“We really tried to put together a mix of players that we thought could step in and play well together,” Leigh said. “They’re a very emotional group, but they’re also really great guys who communicate well, have a really good head on their shoulders and are good teammates to each other.”

The team surprised analysts when it won its group at the Tip-Off Tournament. It remains to be seen whether the team can find success throughout the regular season.

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY – MAY 02: during the NBA 2K League Tip Off Tournament on May 2, 2018 at Brooklyn Studios in Long Island City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images)

For many years, “NBA 2K” has been one of the world’s most popular video game franchises. Through the 2K League, the NBA aims to tap into the growing market of esports, especially as more and more esports tournaments are being held in professional basketball arenas, such as the Staples Center, Madison Square Garden and Oracle Arena.

The NBA 2K League is the first official esports league to be run by a U.S. professional sports league. It is also the only esports league so far that is based on a traditional sport, which makes it far more accessible to viewers who are new to esports. Nevertheless, making the jump from traditional sports to esports viewership can be somewhat complicated.

Fans of traditional sports teams, such as those of the Warriors, typically show loyalty to the teams that represent their cities. Esports are more difficult to define regionally. There are no home games in “League of Legends” or “NBA 2K”; the Guardians are currently based in Los Angeles, and the WGS flies to New York every weekend to play live. Regardless, both teams still feel that their true home is in the Bay Area.

“I think, at its core, this is a Bay Area team,” Leigh said. “That spirit of innovation, the risk-taking, the diversity and other things — those are the things that we’re keeping in the team. The energy that you feel in the area, that’s the same energy that we all feel internally, and I think it’s going to help make us successful.”

Leigh also hopes that the Warriors and the two associated esports teams can form a symbiotic relationship so that Warriors fans might become Guardians or WGS fans as a result of exposure or cross-promotion on social media, and vice versa. Additionally, fans may see what the basketball team and esports teams have in common and come to support both.

“I think the journey that the Warriors went on over the last 10 years or so is similar to the journey we want to go on, maybe a little bit faster,” Leigh said. “Where you can take young players who were not the No. 1 overall draft pick and assemble a roster and watch it grow together.”

If you’re a Warriors fan and are searching for something to follow after the NBA postseason concludes, the Guardians or WGS could be your answer.

Julia Shen covers League of Legends. Contact her at jshen@dailycal.org. Lawrence Zhao covers esports. Contact him at lzhao@dailycal.org. Follow him on Twitter @CelticsWpn.

The Daily Californian

Junot Díaz has been accused of sexual assault and misogynistic verbal abuse. I won’t reiterate the accusations here, nor will I go into the virulent objectification of women common throughout Díaz’s body of literary work, nor the barely veiled authorial self-insertion with which it was delivered. You all have Google. More important is divesting our academic institution of its unfortunate symbiosis with Díaz. As one of Brown’s many non-donating indebted alums, I urge the University and President Christina Paxson P’19 to rescind Díaz’s honorary doctorate.

Díaz’s alleged abuse of the power endowed by literary recognition, even if not necessarily criminal, demands response from his enablers, hangers-on and mutual cultural beneficiaries. The University, which granted Díaz an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 2013, is one such beneficiary.

Honorary degrees, charitably, are a way to recognize people doing work that the University sees as representative of its values, particularly if those people didn’t have the luck and resources to enter the ivory tower of higher education.

Uncharitably, honorary degrees are Mammonistic PR, a way for academic power to easily and cheaply reinforce itself, shoring up its legitimacy by linking to other power structures within society. In highlighting someone like a hip literary wunderkind, Brown likely gets an alumni donation bump, student application recognition, perhaps donations from literary institutions and the general free media buzz that comes with cultural darlings. Maybe the recipient will later on even take a special interest in the institution, preferably monetary or money-adjacent, such as having a child or wealthy friend’s child apply and almost certainly attend.

In return, Díaz gets to add another degree to his resume, gets more renown and respect as an Important Intellectual in the publishing and academic spheres. Plus, he gets to do more of whatever he wants to do safe in the knowledge that he can turn to the degree-granting institution for support that is, again, preferably monetary or money-adjacent, such as implicitly or explicitly vouching for his legitimacy in the event of a publicity fiasco.

This setup is akin to the remora and the shark, the clownfish and the anemone, the squirrel and the acorn. The pact gives the two participants more of their desired power at almost no personal cost, until one of the beneficiaries loses their status. That’s when the relationship turns parasitic: a help for one, a harm to the other.

With the revelation of his private misogyny, Díaz should rightly lose his place in the contemporary literary pantheon. Brown’s endorsement of his work and ideas, which now prominently feature chronic, unironic misogyny as opposed to the thoughtful deconstruction of the same that so many of our cultural arbiters presumed he was performing, now does Brown a disservice while giving Díaz a crutch to lean on. Charitably or otherwise, this is not a good look for the brand of an academic entity supposedly interested in social justice.

Do the right thing, President Paxson, and rescind Díaz’s honorary doctorate. I won’t give you money or exposure or tax credits to do it, though I promise that making concrete the ideals your institution espouses has its own particular return on investment.

Nicholas Morley ’13 is a former member of The Herald’s editorial page board and can be reached at dodcamper@gmail.com. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

On a campus as liberal as the University of Oregon, it can be tough to be in a political minority. But are students with conservative views actually marginalized on campus? Some students don’t seem to think so. However, there is more than enough evidence showing that they are.

Do conservative students really face discrimination on campus?

Late last month, a column was published in the Daily Emerald entitled ‘The false narrative of the conservative minority.’ Shortly after, conservative opinion site National Review picked up the column. “While it would be technically accurate to say that conservatives are a minority on, for example, the University of Oregon campus, this narrative is often accompanied with words like ‘discrimination’ and ‘oppression.’ What these people really mean to imply is that they are marginalized,” writes Marks, author of the column. Understandably, people with a conservative mindset didn’t receive this well.

Marks continues, “By referring to themselves as minorities and taking the language reserved for marginalized communities, conservatives are drawing attention away from communities who actually experience discrimination, or prejudiced treatment, and oppression, or ‘unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power.’” It is important to note that Marks does not believe that all republicans are the same. That being said, I’d like to shed a little light on some of the things conservatives experience. You be the judge on whether it’s discriminatory or not.

Some students feel intimidated on campus

In my conversations around campus, I’ve spoken with students who haven’t felt free to express their views when the discourse gets political. McKenna Sjoden, a freshman in the Lundquist College of Business and Media/PR/Webmaster for UO College Republicans, is one of these students.

“I often find myself writing from a liberal perspective in fear of getting a lower grade if I wrote how I actually felt,” Sjoden said. “When people find out I’m republican, they act as if they are astonished we even exist on this campus. The university focuses so much on diversity of skin color and culture, that they neglect the value of diversity of thought.” Despite these feelings, Sjoden said she feels generally safe on campus as a conservative and praised the university for keeping protests from getting too out of hand.

Quinn Milionis, UOCR President and studying computer science and economics, feels comfortable offering his opinion in class. “I’ve had GEs disregard conservative positions. Some have been thankful that I’ve spoken up in class, and said they’re happy to have an outspoken conservative because it is so rare,” Milionis said.

“There are radical students who would be happy to see my organization kicked off campus, but in my experience these students are few. Most people simply roll their eyes and walk on. But if one student stops, or even takes a moment to consider that we are rational, just like themselves, then I consider that a victory.” Milionis said that he would like to see more conservative ideas taught in the classroom such as Austrian economic theory in the economics department.

Tabling can be rough at UO

Hannah Ford, a freshman at UO, said, “Usually, the worst that happens tabeling is we get stink eyes, and middle fingers. These individuals didn’t want to have a civil discussion with us; they wanted to berate us. One of them was quite threatening and I wanted him to leave. But I was not in control of the situation so I couldn’t tell him that. It left me with that nasty, sick feeling in your stomach.” Ford said she thought that maybe she would be less likely to be attacked like this because she’s a woman.

In my experience at the table, there have been many students who tell us they’re happy we’re here, but they won’t attend our meetings or be public about their beliefs due to wanting to keep their relationships with others — in some cases, romantic relationships — intact.

When I was tabling for UOCR last year, a group of students came up to the table and called us white supremacists. A friend of mine and I explained that not only were we not white supremacists, we weren’t really even white. We both had one white parent, but my friend’s other parent was Middle Eastern and my other parent is Hispanic. Instantly, we were called liars and angrily harassed for having pale skin. I was further harassed when I had small bout of anxiety due to feeling threatened by the aggression of these students. Although a report was made to the university, it has not been addressed.

UO needs more balanced speakers

Milionis said the university should “bring or encourage and/or fund right-wing groups to bring conservative speakers” as well as “host debates between intellectual on both sides of divisive issues.” This isn’t an unreasonable request. UO often hosts seminars with guest speakers on liberal topics. Why doesn’t the university or its departments host more conservative speakers as well?

In 2016, YAL hosted Milo Yiannopoulos for an interview and Q&A session at UO. UO should host more events like this and not leave it up to student organizations to do all the work, and to give broader political understanding and discourse. For now, the University of Oregon College Republicans and UO College Democrats will be holding their own panel debate on May 23 at 6:00 pm in Straub 145.

President Schill doesn’t serve all students

Between students feeling uncomfortable with expressing themselves in class out of fear of students being bullied for their views, the UO has failed at making all students feel welcome.

President Michael Schill has been known to comfort liberal students when something upsets them. For instance, on November 15, 2016, President Schill wrote an email to the UO community about President Donald Trump’s election. “Indeed, the current political climate and its aftermath have left many members of our community concerned and upset,” writes Schill. “Efforts to divide us based upon the color of our skin, our nationality, our immigration status, our abilities, our diversity of thought, our gender, or our sexual orientation must be called out and stopped.”

He claimed that “every person in this university is important and valued.” When I’m being harassed for my diversity of thought and the color of my skin not matching someone else’s stereotypical imagination of how I should look and vote, I do not feel important nor do I feel valued.

President Schill wants division based on these things to be “called out and stopped?” Why didn’t he say anything to conservative students when there was a mass protest on the night of the election? I received several messages from friends living on campus, telling me that they were scared and they didn’t vote for Trump. They told me not to wear my Trump shirt out of fear that something might happen to me.

Does this sound like a campus where diversity of thought is truly valued, especially when President Schill’s silence about a protest that frightened others who voted similarly is so deafening?

Currently, there are no visible efforts for more conservative speakers to be hosted on campus. There are never any emails from residence life coordinators about the safety of a conservative student when political tensions are high. It’s one thing to write an email and include phrases such as “diversity of thought” to appear inclusive. But if President Schill truly believes in diversity of thought, he would show more support for conservative students too.

The post Yanez: Conservative students face marginalization on campus appeared first on Emerald Media.

Cal rugby heads to Colorado, eyes sixth consecutive National 7s title

Alex Ho/Courtesy

Not everyone stays for the post-credit scenes of a movie, but part of the Cal rugby team stayed back in Strawberry Canyon after the 15s season to prepare for the College 7s National Championships in Glendale, Colorado.

After ending the 15s season as the runners-up, the Bears will convert to Olympic-style 7s rugby. Cal had a solid 7s performance in the fall but fell short in the PAC 7s final, losing to Arizona in overtime.

“Obviously, it’s going to be a big challenge to physically and mentally come back to go compete,” said head coach Jack Clark. “You know, at the other form of game, 7s, this quickly, it’s going to be a real challenge for us.

Cal will feature a balanced roster in terms of experience with two freshmen, five sophomores, three juniors, four seniors and a fifth year. In the fall, more underclassmen received the 7s minutes — especially in Treasure Island, where a team made up of all freshmen and sophomores took third place in the West Coast 7s tournament.

The five-time defending champion Bears will face plenty of unfamiliar competition, as Cal is set to face Indiana, Fordham and Notre Dame College in the group stage on Friday. In Cal’s most recent matchup with Indiana, the Bears bested the Hoosiers 29-14 in last year’s 7s semifinal.

The tournament consists of four pools and 16 teams; the top two finishers in each group will advance to the championship round on Saturday.

This year, however, clinching a title will not be an easy task because of a schedule change that forced the Bears to convert from 15s to 7s two weeks sooner. Despite a shorter time period to prepare for the championships, Cal will be looking to defend its title and mark six consecutive tournament wins.

Can Sariöz covers rugby. Contact him at csarioz@dailycal.org. Follow him on Twitter @can_sarioz

The Daily Californian

Westwood residents and community members discovered a fake bike lane on Westwood Boulevard early Thursday morning.

The bike lane, which was drawn in paint along the road, extends from Le Conte Avenue to Lindbrook Drive. Although officials are unsure when the bike lane was drawn, they believe it was likely drawn Wednesday night.

Social media posts about the fake bike lane surfaced as early as Wednesday night.

Juan Matute, an associate director for the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Center, tweeted at Paul Koretz – councilmember for council district five, which includes Westwood and UCLA – and the Westwood Neighborhood Council, regarding the new bike lane.

“I have been biking more this year as an electric bike is the best way to guarantee I can make childcare pickup on time,” Matute tweeted Thursday morning. “I appreciate your concern for my safety, my child’s safety, and the safety of other people on bikes.”

Alison Simard, spokesperson for Los Angeles City Council District Five, said the council district did not want to comment on the issue, except to state the incident has been reported to Street Services and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Some members of the Westwood community expressed mixed feelings about the vandalism.

Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said bikers in Westwood have been complaining they cannot access Westwood Boulevard, as it is the only road that provides direct access into UCLA’s campus from Westwood. He added although he thinks bikers currently feel unsafe riding in the Village, he does not believe activists should turn to vandalism to address these concerns.

“There is a serious safety concern with bikers confusing the lane as a false perception of safety,” he said. “It’s a great message for bike month and now is a time to spread awareness, but in a safe way.”

Organizations in Westwood, including the association, have been advocating for a dedicated bike lane on Westwood Boulevard to protect bikers from incoming traffic and provide them with a direct way to and from UCLA’s campus. Thomas said he proposed an investigation to potentially implement a bike lane on Westwood Boulevard four years ago.

The Westwood Neighborhood Council, which advises Los Angeles on Westwood policies, has rejected these proposals due to fear of disrupting traffic and taking up parking spots along Westwood Boulevard, Thomas said.

Lisa Chapman, president of the council, said the council prefers bike lanes on roads that are less traffic-heavy, since they can be dangerous for bike riders. The council has advocated for bike lanes on Gayley Avenue because it feels the road is safer for bikers to ride on.

Chapman also said she thinks Westwood Forward, a coalition of students and Westwood community members that want to create a new neighborhood council, could be behind the vandalism because the coalition has said it would prefer a Westwood Boulevard bike lane. The coalition will be holding an election Tuesday, where voters can decide whether to create a new neighborhood council.

“It is the most childish stunt I have heard about in quite some time,” she said. “Perhaps (Westwood) Forward is behind this, perhaps not, but it certainly looks very suspicious leading up to an election week.”

Michael Skiles, Graduate Students Association president and an organizer of Westwood Forward, said while the coalition would consider a new bike lane proposal, it is not responsible for the vandalism. He added he watched members of the community utilize the bike lane Thursday without disrupting traffic.

“The lane is more a prank than anything, a message that this could work,” he said.

Skiles also said he thinks the advent of motor scooter services, like Bird Rides, inc., make a bike lane along Westwood Boulevard more critical than before.

“People don’t feel safe using Birds on the road without dedicated bike lanes but are required by law to not ride on the sidewalk,” he said.

Contributing reports from Qiaozhen Wu, Daily Bruin contributor.