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

The Citizen
Trustees Louis Quindlen (left) and Paulina Gonzalez Brito switched roles at Friday's board elections. (Courtesy of Ken Lester and Paulina Gonzalez Brito)
Quindlen/Brito duo tops board elections for a second year
December 17, 2024
Many of PCCD's neglected facilities need critical repairs, leading to high costs, Deputy Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Greg Nelson said during the November meeting.
Facilities ‘in the red,’ districtwide employees get 1 percent raises and more at 11/12 meeting for Peralta trustees
December 11, 2024
Dozens of community members weighed in on the timeline for selected a new Interim DA for Alameda County at the Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday. The board voted to extend the timeline by a week, after some speakers voiced concerns that the timeline felt "rushed."
Supes approve DA timeline; Royl Roberts eyes Interim DA role
December 10, 2024
Photo Illustration by Li Khan/The Citizen
Who is Royl Roberts? Little-known Peralta veteran temporarily fills recalled DA’s shoes
December 6, 2024
Professor Dr. James W. Reede Jr. lectures students on the environmental impacts of California policies in the seminar hall of the Black Honors College at Sacramento State University on Oct. 3, 2024. (Photo: Louis Bryant III/CalMatters)
Black California students want more support. A new law names colleges that serve them best
December 4, 2024
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
Cheryl Lew has been an instructor in the Culinary Arts department since 2012 and was tenured in 2015. Her focus is on baking and pastries.
Multi-layered, highly decorated pastry chef Cheryl Lew brings culture and chemistry to Laney’s culinary department
December 11, 2024
Laney Engineering Department Chair Mallory Barkdull tallies points as her students pit their soccer-playing robots against each other. The friendly tournament challenges contestants to learn design and coding skills through play.
Robot soccer teaches students nuts and bolts of engineering
November 26, 2024
A new space for LGBTQ+ students has popped up on the Laney College campus. The Queer Community center will host events and offer resources to LGBTQ+ members of the Peralta community.
‘We’re here, we’re in school, we have dreams’: New Laney queer center offers safe haven for LGBTQ+ students
November 20, 2024
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
College of Alameda jazz professor Glen Pearson demonstrates his musical talent on his classroom piano. He's one of the newest members of the Count Basie Orchestra, a historic 18-piece jazz ensemble that took home a Grammy this year.
The humble Grammy-winning pianist leading CoA’s music program
March 4, 2024
In Director Chelsea Bo's first feature-length film, half-sisters Harper (left, Chelsea Bo) and Georgie (right, Ava Acres), thrown together by circumstance and a weak blood relation, must untie the knots in their relationship. The film won "Jury Prize Feature" at the Alameda International Film Festival last week. (Courtesy: Paxeros)
No Right Way, Chelsea Bo’s hard-hitting emotional rollercoaster about the complexities of sisterhood, shown at Alameda International Film Festival
February 29, 2024
©Netflix 2023. Fair Use Disclaimer: This image has been used in good faith for the purpose of review and critique under the terms of "fair use". Under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" of copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research.
Queer Black History: A review of ‘Rustin’
February 28, 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 19, 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 8, 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
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
The UC Berkeley chapter of End Overdose at Sproul Plaza in Berkeley on Jan. 23, 2024. The organization passes out free fentanyl test strips to students, and gives other organizations training on Narcan usage. (Photo: Juliana Yamada/CalMatters)
Narcan at California colleges: Are students getting overdose medication?
March 8, 2024
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

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

The Citizen
Romi Bales

Romi Bales, Staff Writer.

Romi Bales (they/them) is a Bay Area transplant, originally from San Diego. They are a first-year staff writer with The Citizen and have worked as an editor and Editor in Chief for several academic publications including Humble Pie Literary Magazine, The Production Online Newspaper, and Inscribe Writing and Visual Anthology. They received a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Writing and Literature from the California College of the Arts in 2020. In their free time, Romi enjoys reading and writing queer fiction novels, researching Irish culture, and memorizing information about sustainable farming practices.

All content by Romi Bales
Trustees Louis Quindlen (left) and Paulina Gonzalez Brito switched roles at Friday's board elections. (Courtesy of Ken Lester and Paulina Gonzalez Brito)

Quindlen/Brito duo tops board elections for a second year

Romi Bales, Staff Writer
December 17, 2024
Cheryl Lew has been an instructor in the Culinary Arts department since 2012 and was tenured in 2015. Her focus is on baking and pastries.

[Photo] Multi-layered, highly decorated pastry chef Cheryl Lew brings culture and chemistry to Laney’s culinary department

Rym-Maya Kherbache, Staff Writer
December 11, 2024
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

Rolling river of emotion engulfs audience with a story of love, betrayal, and heartbreak
Romi Bales, Staff Writer
December 8, 2024
Paulina Gonzalez-Brito shares a laugh with The Citizen staff during the publication's public forums held Sep. 23. Area 2 voters re-elected Gonzalez-Brito this month, according to unofficial results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters.

Paulina Gonzalez-Brito to retain Area 2 seat

Incumbent trustee prepares to tackle finance, facilities
Romi Bales, Staff Writer
November 24, 2024
A new space for LGBTQ+ students has popped up on the Laney College campus. The Queer Community center will host events and offer resources to LGBTQ+ members of the Peralta community.

‘We’re here, we’re in school, we have dreams’: New Laney queer center offers safe haven for LGBTQ+ students

Romi Bales, Staff Writer
November 20, 2024
The newly reopened Laney Cafeteria, packed with students, faculty, and staff, now offers burgers, salads, sandwiches and more.

Four years later, Laney Cafeteria reopens without free meals

Paid offerings include hot bar, grill, grab-and-go items
Romi Bales, Staff Writer
September 20, 2024
PCCD offices. (Photo: Li Khan/The Citizen)

Board bears down on budget at 6/11 meeting

District faces $11.2 million deficit
Romi Bales and Li Khan
July 10, 2024
A cap at the Laney College commencement ceremony on May 24 reads in Spanish, "This is for my mom who gave me everything." (Photo: Marcus Creel/PCCD)

Graduations, resignations and more: PCCD Trustees wrap up school year at 5/28 meeting

Romi Bales, Staff Writer
June 17, 2024
Abigail McMurry, Acting President of Associated Students of Laney College, spoke against last-minute class cancellations at the May 14 Board of Trustees meeting.

[Photo] Class cancellations, basic needs, and ‘flying pigs’ at 5/14 meeting for PCCD Trustees

Ian Waters, News Editor
June 1, 2024
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
Finalists for Laney VP of Student Services share plans for student success

Finalists for Laney VP of Student Services share plans for student success

Deadline for community feedback shortened to Thursday at noon
Romi Bales, Desmond Meagley, and Lylah Schmedel-Permanna
April 10, 2024
(Photo: Li Khan/The Citizen)

Finalists announced for Laney College VPs of Student Services, Administrative Services

Public forums to be held April 8-9
Romi Bales, Staff Writer
April 5, 2024
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
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