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

The Citizen
Leslie Blackie speaks during public comment at the Sept. 23 Board of Trustees study session at Merritt College. (via PCCD livestream)
Student support programs highlighted at Sept. 23 Board of Trustees study session
October 5, 2025
Peralta set to launch campus shuttle service in December
Peralta set to launch campus shuttle service in December
September 29, 2025
Andrea Epps speaks to the Peralta Board of Trustees about an independent analysis into the district's equity as an employer. Despite finding Latinx-identified individuals to be underrepresented among district employees, the analysis did not show "persistent patterns of adverse impact” on hiring “by race, ethnicity, or gender.”
Laney-Merritt merger “concerns” and EEO presentation at Sept. 9 Board of Trustees meeting
September 29, 2025
SEIU members pack the Board of Trustees regular meeting at the Peralta District Offices, Aug. 26, 2025.
Board hears union opposition during public comment and more at Aug. 26 Board meeting
September 9, 2025
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
Alexandra Tejeda Rieloff performs with her band at Etcetera Wine Bar in San Francisco, CA., on April 15, 2025.
Alumnus reflects on decades-long performing career: “it really started in Laney College”
September 26, 2025
Yunomi by Ian Bassett is one of the featured works at the new exhibition. STOKED highlights the unique texture and color of wood-fired ceramics.
National art exhibition ‘STOKED’ showcases wood-fired possibilities for Laney ceramics program
September 24, 2025
Mina Spasely, peer mentor for SALAAM learning community and nursing major at College of Alameda, poses in front of the sign for the college. SALAAM aims to uplift CoA students from Arab, Southwest Asian and North African diasporic communities.
SALAAM program helps immigrant women find confidence and careers at CoA
September 19, 2025
Graphic by Ivan Saravia, Sept. 1 2025.
Peralta in the roots of Oakland labor history
September 1, 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
Alexandra Tejeda Rieloff performs with her band at Etcetera Wine Bar in San Francisco, CA., on April 15, 2025.
Alumnus reflects on decades-long performing career: “it really started in Laney College”
September 26, 2025
Yunomi by Ian Bassett is one of the featured works at the new exhibition. STOKED highlights the unique texture and color of wood-fired ceramics.
National art exhibition ‘STOKED’ showcases wood-fired possibilities for Laney ceramics program
September 24, 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
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
Graphic of a student journalist, using a rolled up newspaper to break the ribbon of silence.
The Citizen will not “take down” the truth
October 4, 2025
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
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

Opinion

Graphic of a student journalist, using a rolled up newspaper to break the ribbon of silence.

The Citizen will not “take down” the truth

The Citizen is Peralta’s only student-run news publication. We serve all four colleges as a watchdog. Just like professional newsrooms, we take accurate reporting very seriously.
Eliot Faine, Multimedia Editor • October 4, 2025
Over the summer, The Citizen received multiple emails that claimed we had published libelous articles. The authors of the emails alleged they were reaching out on behalf of their client, Tim Thomas, Peralta Community College District’s former Executive Director of Public Safety.
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

The Citizen Editorial Board • September 25, 2024
Incumbent Paulina Gonzalez-Brito has the knowledge, experience, and aptitude for accountability to serve the district for four more years.
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

Desmond Meagley, Staff Writer • May 20, 2024
In light of recent news about the Nex Benedict case, Staff Writer Desmond Meagley decided to hold his school accountable for an incident of discriminatory harassment by campus security.
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

Isabelly Sabô Barbosa, Social Media Editor • May 5, 2024
Do you have around $40,000 to spare? That’s how much you need to start your journey as an international student at a community college in California.
(Photo: Glen Carrie/Unsplash)

Student elections open today. Has voter information been ‘widespread’?

Eliot Faine, Staff Writer • April 9, 2024

Didn’t know your student body elections are today? That’s okay. We didn’t find out until last week. On Wednesday and Friday, we reached out to the four Directors of Student Activities and Campus...

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

Li Khan, Editor in Chief • February 22, 2024
We asked our district a question in the form of multiple Public Records Act requests, but got incomplete answers. It's still happening.
(Photo: AlchemillaMollis/Pixabay)

Just call me Grinch

Why I ‘hate hate hate, double hate’ and entirely loathe the holidays
Nico Addams-Tumaneng, Staff Writer • December 14, 2023
As I’ve gotten older, the holidays have become more about endurance and survival rather than celebration...
Tammeil Gilkerson answering a question at a public forum held on Oct 25

The Citizen endorses Tammeil Gilkerson for PCCD Chancellor; Rudy Besikof strong runner up

The Citizen Editorial Board • October 28, 2023

The Citizen recommends that the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Board of Trustees select Evergreen Valley College President Tammeil Gilkerson to be the district’s next permanent chancellor,...

An image of lavender-colored tassels in the foreground and rainbow pins in the background.

This is Intersectionality

Reflections of an aging queer rights advocate on Peralta’s Lavender Graduation ceremony
Timothy Lane, Staff Writer • May 30, 2023

On May 5, 2023, the Peralta Community College District (PCCD) held the first-ever district-wide Lavender Graduation ceremony for LGBTQIA+ graduates from the district’s four community colleges. I am a...

Source: Ken Lester

The Citizen’s Endorsements for the 2022 Board of Trustees Elections

The Citizen Editorial Board • October 12, 2022

October 10, 2022 By The Citizen Editorial Board On Oct. 5, The Citizen held a virtual forum with candidates running for seats on the Peralta Community College District’s (PCCD) Board of Trustees...

The Citizen staff wins Society of Professional Journalists’ James Madison Freedom of Information Award

The Citizen staff wins Society of Professional Journalists’ James Madison Freedom of Information Award

Peralta Community College District’s only student-run publication was awarded for its transparency and consistency in reporting on Peralta’s security transitions
Leticia Luna, Editor in Chief • March 23, 2022

The 37th annual James Madison Freedom of Information Awards were announced on Wednesday, March 16th, by the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ Norcal). The...

Why the State of the Union address matters to the Peralta community

Why the State of the Union address matters to the Peralta community

Shiloh Johnston • March 16, 2022

March 15, 2022 By Shiloh Johnston, Staff Writer President Biden addressed Congress and the nation in his first State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. The televised address, which was given...

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