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

The Citizen
Peralta Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson introduced her recommendation to merge Laney College and Merritt College at a recent district professional development day. Historically, Laney and Merritt were once two campuses of one school -- Oakland City College.
BREAKING: Peralta chancellor recommends merge between Merritt College and Laney College
August 15, 2025
Students walk through campus at Cabrillo College in Aptos on Dec. 7, 2023. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters
A safety net for struggling colleges is expiring. Why the Bay Area will be hit hardest
June 30, 2025
Peralta seeks proposals for new security vendors
Peralta seeks proposals for new security vendors
May 30, 2025
As a part of a tour of visits and study sessions at all four Peralta campuses, the Board of Trustees made their final stop at the College of Alameda.
April 22 Board Brief: College of Alameda highlights its academic programs and district enrollment trends
May 28, 2025
The district announced a new app allows students to access campus security, emergency contacts and law enforcement with the touch of a button.
Peralta community members now have access to new safety and security app
May 3, 2025
Laney College Machine Technology students construct this high-powered reflector telescope as they progress through their training. The project teaches students how to create complex parts out of various materials using precise tools.
(VIDEO) Laney’s student-built telescope launches machining careers
April 16, 2025
Berkeley City College Multimedia Arts student Yunha Kim created the new owl mascot in collaboration with Marcus Creel, the district's graphic design specialist. (Owl and banner design via Yunha Kim and Marcus Creel. Used with permission.)
Berkeley City College arts student helps new mascot take flight
April 16, 2025
The pieces shown in Clay, Paper, Wood are crafted by advanced Laney students across many mediums. The gallery offers a tranquil space in the center of Laney College’s campus.
Laney Art students get crafty in new gallery show
March 10, 2025
New CoA President wants to be a role model for students
New CoA President wants to be a role model for students
December 12, 2024
Laney's student body president, Frida Veliz, wants to help connect students to the resources she didn't have access to when she first started college.
New ASLC President Builds Community
December 11, 2024
Berkeley City College Multimedia Arts student Yunha Kim created the new owl mascot in collaboration with Marcus Creel, the district's graphic design specialist. (Owl and banner design via Yunha Kim and Marcus Creel. Used with permission.)
Berkeley City College arts student helps new mascot take flight
April 16, 2025
The pieces shown in Clay, Paper, Wood are crafted by advanced Laney students across many mediums. The gallery offers a tranquil space in the center of Laney College’s campus.
Laney Art students get crafty in new gallery show
March 10, 2025
Native American photographer Dugan Aguilar spent decades documenting the lives of Indigenous Californians through his camera lens. His collection of work is on display now at the Oakland Museum of Califoria. (Shown: “Mimi Mullen (Madiu) Grand Marshall,” 1997 Greenville Gold Digger Days Parade)
This Indigenous art exhibition is free for Laney students
January 27, 2025
A seven-year relationship ends in a tumultuous fight in Jeffrey Lo's "A Kind of Sad Love Story," performed live at the Laney Theater last month. Shown: Maya Wooten, Jesse Savoey
‘It started with an argument about bags’: Laney Theater performs A Kind of Sad Love Story
December 8, 2024
Merritt Librarian reimagines 'alebrijes' sculptor’s life in new picture book
Merritt Librarian reimagines ‘alebrijes’ sculptor’s life in new picture book
May 30, 2024
Incumbent Area 2 Trustee Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, pictured here in The Citizen's newsroom, has what it takes to stay on the Peralta board for another four years.
EDITORIAL: Keep Paulina Gonzalez-Brito on the Peralta board
September 25, 2024
Staff Writer Desmond Meagley stands in the very spot where a security guard confronted him last month: the doorway of the men’s restroom in the Laney College Library. Meagley, who is transgender, tried to report the incident, but reached a dead end when an administrator told him he would need the security guard’s name.
The Catch-22 in AP 3435, Peralta’s Harassment Protocol
May 20, 2024
Social Media Editor Isabelly Sabô stands in front of the door to The Citizen's newsroom. Sabô is an international student from Brazil.
We’re not just ‘rich kids on vacation’: The journey of an international student
May 5, 2024
(Photo: Glen Carrie/Unsplash)
Student elections open today. Has voter information been ‘widespread’?
April 9, 2024
The state flag of California flies underneath the American flag on the west side of the Laney College campus. Behind, the Tribune Tower, which once housed Oakland's daily print newspaper, sits in the city skyline. Both California and the United States have open government laws that establish the public's right to information, but the Peralta Community College District consistently lags behind in comprehensively fulfilling requests for public information made by student journalists at The Citizen. (Photo: Li Khan/The Citizen)
We sued our district over public records and won. Here’s what we learned
February 22, 2024
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
The American Straight A Academy helped students in China receive transfer degrees from the Peralta Community College District without paying international tuition or setting foot in California. The for-profit company, registered in Dallas, Texas, has not disclosed how much students pay for the experience.
Investigation: A look at the for-profit Chinese business that sold Peralta classes overseas
October 30, 2024
Investigation: Over half of PCCD conflict of interest disclosures nowhere to be found
Investigation: Over half of PCCD conflict of interest disclosures nowhere to be found
September 17, 2024
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
The Citizen Investigates: International Travel
July 25, 2024
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
Sunshine Week 2024: Spotlighting public records
March 17, 2024
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

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

The Citizen

College of Alameda

As a part of a tour of visits and study sessions at all four Peralta campuses, the Board of Trustees made their final stop at the College of Alameda.

April 22 Board Brief: College of Alameda highlights its academic programs and district enrollment trends

The college invited the Board of Trustees and the public to review its accomplishments
Romi Bales and Lylah Schmedel-Permanna • May 28, 2025

The Peralta Board of Trustees convened at the College of Alameda (CoA) on April 22 where CoA showcased two of its programs and reviewed the annual student success and equity data report. CoA President...

Elected student body leaders are invited to speak at the Peralta Board of Trustees meetings and provide updates to college administration on student life and needs.

Voting begins for Peralta student government elections

Ongoing student government elections will determine the future of student leadership and transportation access at each Peralta campus
Tamara Copes and Lylah Schmedel-Permanna • April 9, 2025

Let’s get ready to rumble! The 2025-2026 Peralta Community College Student Government elections are currently underway. Peralta students can vote for student representatives at their home college and...

Three candidates vie to lead CoA instruction

Three candidates vie to lead CoA instruction

As college faces budget challenges, candidates share strategies to boost enrollment
Stephon Autery, Staff Writer • November 26, 2024
The selected candidate will be tasked with overseeing the college’s instructional programming and managing faculty tenure review processes.
Basketball legend Gary Payton, who left a coaching gig at Lincoln University earlier this year, has been tapped to lead the College of Alameda's men's basketball team. (Photo: Faiza Ali/PCCD via Peralta Colleges Smugmug)

Lights flash at Payton press conference

CoA's new men’s basketball coach gears up for the season
Ivan Saravia, Staff Writer • September 20, 2024
“I’m coming here to give back,” Payton said, recalling his Bay Area roots.
NBA legend Gary Payton, who recently wrapped up a tumultuous coaching stint at Lincoln University, is set to make a splash at the College of Alameda this fall. (Photo: Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons)

Exclusive: NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton lands coaching gig at the College of Alameda

Ivan Saravia, Staff Writer • September 7, 2024
The basketball legend is hopping across the estuary after tumultuous stint at a private nonprofit university in Oakland.
Melanie Dixon appointed CoA President

Melanie Dixon appointed CoA President

After two years of acting appointments, the College of Alameda will finally fill the presidency with a permanent hire this summer
Ivan Saravia, Staff Writer • May 23, 2024
A former Sacramento college president will soon take the helm at the College of Alameda.
CoA's next president is one of these three college leaders

CoA’s next president is one of these three college leaders

Community feedback on the candidates is due midnight tonight
Desmond Meagley and Ivan Saravia • May 21, 2024
A former college president from Sacramento, a longtime community college administrator from Connecticut, and PCCD's own Rebecca Opsata are in the running for permanent College President of the College of Alameda.
The search for a permanent president of the College of Alameda is down to three candidates. William “Terry” Brown (left), Melanie Dixon (middle), and Rebecca “Becky” Opsata will respond to community questions at public forums on Thursday. (Photo courtesy: PCCD)

Finalists for CoA President unveiled

Community questions accepted until midnight tonight
Desmond Meagley, Staff Writer • May 13, 2024

The Peralta Community College District (PCCD) has named three finalists in the search for a permanent College of Alameda (CoA) President. Public forums for the candidates are set for Thursday; the deadline...

As College of Alameda searches for a new president, The Citizen searched for one of the college's former presidents. The late Jeanette Poore was the first woman to lead a community college in California.

CoA’s mystery woman: The forgotten legacy of the first female community college president in California

Romi Bales, Staff Writer • May 13, 2024
As College of Alameda searches for a new president, The Citizen searched for one of the college’s former presidents.
(Illustration: Eliot Faine/The Citizen)

CoA to host blood drive

College health coordinator says blood donations fell during pandemic
Eliot Faine, Staff Writer • April 13, 2024
Someone in the United States needs blood or platelets every two seconds on average, according to the American Red Cross.
A PCCD board meeting held during spring break included 'really good news' for the funding of retiree benefits, as well as the approval of $1.36 million for the new Laney Tower elevators. Pictured: New designs for CoA's revamped aviation facility, which were approved by the board. (Source: AE3 Partners)

‘Really good news’ for retiree benefits, Laney Tower elevators set for replacement, and more at 3/26 meeting for PCCD trustees

Desmond Meagley, Staff Writer • April 7, 2024

The Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Board of Trustees held a regular meeting March 26, during the district’s spring break. The meeting focused heavily on retiree benefits, while also touching...

CoA community members think carefully about issues facing the college they hope to see the next college leader address. (Photo: Marcus Creel/PCCD)

Some laughs and some big questions at CoA president search listening session

Romi Bales, Staff Writer • March 21, 2024

The College of Alameda (CoA) kicked off its search for a permanent president at a listening session March 11. Faculty, classified employees, administrators, and students alike came together to speak up...

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