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

The Citizen
A look at Peralta’s crime data
A look at Peralta’s crime data
June 9, 2026
Photo taken by Li Khan, edited on Canva
Meet the candidates for Peralta’s Executive Vice President of Student Learning and Success
May 20, 2026
Notebooks on sale at the Bookstore at Laney College in Oakland, CA on May 6, 2026.
District’s only remaining bookstore will be online for summer
May 20, 2026
A ballot drop box sits on the corner of Oak and 12th Streets in Oakland, CA. on May 14, 2026.
What to know about Peralta’s Measure A on the June ballot
May 16, 2026
The Peralta Community College District sign sits outside the district offices in the setting sun on May 12, 2026 in Oakland, CA.
40% of Peralta buildings are in “deficient” condition, according to update on Facilities Master Plan
May 13, 2026
Raha Banoo, left, shows printmaking instructor Alex Echevarria, center, and classmate Abigail Shaw, right, a print of her work in the printmaking studio at Laney College in Oakland, CA. on Monday, Oct, 6, 2025.
Laney College printmaking instructor makes lasting impression; student work on display at SFO Museum
May 2, 2026
Laney College custodian, Dwayne Jefferson, pauses for a moment from work at Laney College in Oakland, CA on Dec. 4, 2025.
Tea with Tamara: Dwayne Jefferson, custodian at Laney College
April 24, 2026
Laney gardener Bahadur Rai watering vegetables at the Laney Community Garden at Laney College in Oakland, CA on Oct. 1, 2025.
Laney College’s garden has a history of collaboration with Oakland’s immigrant communities
April 21, 2026
Laney College culinary student Miracle Law-White smiles for photo on Feb. 27, 2026 at Peralta District Office in Oakland, CA
Peralta Colleges Foundation hosts fundraising events for student programming
March 26, 2026
Audience members watch Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee address a crowd of hundreds during a memorial for Laney College's late athletic director, John Beam, in Oakland, CA on Dec. 10, 2025.
The Citizen receives honorable mention in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge
March 9, 2026
Raha Banoo, left, shows printmaking instructor Alex Echevarria, center, and classmate Abigail Shaw, right, a print of her work in the printmaking studio at Laney College in Oakland, CA. on Monday, Oct, 6, 2025.
Laney College printmaking instructor makes lasting impression; student work on display at SFO Museum
May 2, 2026
Featured artist Terra Wong (left) looking at "Blink" by Jillian Freiheit during the Here and Now art exhibition reception at the June Steingart Art Gallery at Laney College in Oakland, CA on April 16, 2026. Freiheit and Wong both received awards for their submissions during the reception.
June Steingart Gallery hosts final exhibition in the Laney Tower
April 24, 2026
Left to right: Gavin Piedra, Arctomy Padilla, and Mariah Pon, organizers of the Student Arts Guild, prepare for a Club Rush event.
Submissions now open for Berkeley City College student-run art show
October 21, 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
Illustration and animation by Rachel Venable
Empty Promises: The disparity of inconsistent access to menstrual hygiene
May 6, 2026
Illustration by Eliot Faine, photo background by Romi Bales.
Student journalists have temporary roles, but a permanent responsibility
February 26, 2026
A student safety aide crosses the Laney College Quad at dusk in Oakland, CA on Nov. 20, 2025.
How The Citizen covered the Laney College shooting, and why our security reporting matters
November 26, 2025
Graphic made in Canva
Dial Tones and Disengagement: A student election marked by silence
October 16, 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
A look at Peralta’s crime data
A look at Peralta’s crime data
June 9, 2026
Graphic by Desmond Meagley
Emergency alerts sent over 20 minutes after the Laney College shooting raise concerns
February 13, 2026
A CoA counselor was told to cancel an unvetted “class” – then promoted a nearly identical one
A CoA counselor was told to cancel an unvetted “class” – then promoted a nearly identical one
October 29, 2025
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
Peralta Community College District's only student-run publication.

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

The Citizen
Peralta Community College District offices from 5th Street in Oakland, CA on February 14, 2024.

PCCD public safety director placed on leave pending resignation

Announcement comes hours after recent court hearing for battery case
Lylah Schmedel-Permanna, Managing Editor • February 14, 2024
Chancellor Tammeil Gilkerson announced yesterday that she placed the district’s Executive Director of Public Safety Tim Thomas on leave pending resignation. The announcement came hours after Thomas’ recent court hearing, during which the presiding judge stated that an active warrant had been issued for Thomas’ arrest. 
(Photo: QuinceCreative/Pixabay)

New movement in public safety director’s criminal cases

Tim Thomas convicted on DUI, new hearing set for battery case
Lylah Schmedel-Permanna, Investigations Editor • December 22, 2023
The beginning of December marked a series of updates for the criminal cases against Tim Thomas, PCCD's Executive Director of Public Safety. Thomas was convicted on two charges relating to a DUI, while his battery and elder abuse case is set for another disposition hearing.
Thomas hearing set, new charges unveiled

Thomas hearing set, new charges unveiled

Jan 30 arrest includes DUI, refusal to test, and firearm charges according to CHP
Lylah Schmedel-Permanna, Investigations Editor • October 17, 2023

A disposition hearing is set for Tim Thomas, Peralta Community College District’s (PCCD’s) Executive Director of Public Safety, regarding his misdemeanor charges of battery, elder abuse, and grand...

District Attorney’s Office recuses itself from Thomas case

District Attorney’s Office recuses itself from Thomas case

Appointment of Royl Roberts creates a potential conflict
David Rowe, Associate Editor • February 19, 2023

Appointment of Royl Roberts Creates a Potential Conflict By David Rowe, Associate Editor February 18, 2023 Correction 5/18/2023: An earlier version of this story named Clifford Blakely as the...

Graphic by: David Rowe

Tim Thomas pleads “not guilty”

Pre-trial hearing on misdemeanor battery, elder abuse, and grand theft charges set for Dec. 15
David Rowe, Associate Editor • October 24, 2022

Update: The original version of this story did not include any remarks from the Peralta Community College District, which had not responded to inquiries made by The Citizen at the time of  publication....

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