As the 2016 presidential election was nearing its final stretch, anxiety and depression crept back into Gabriel Encinas’ existence. “Trump's run for president triggered painful memories. The bullying killed my heart to the core and still does. I was devastated at the election results. Everything I am, all my rights, my own existence is being taken away from me,” said Encinas.

As TikTok continues to grow, the diversity of content on the platform grows with it. U.S. politics has become a major content topic, especially with the divisiveness of the current election cycle.

In what should come as a surprise to no-one, the first presidential debate of 2020 quickly devolved into a chaotic and cringe-worthy symbol of America’s current election climate.

On Sept. 22, the California State Audit released documents that revealed inappropriate acceptances by four University of California (UC) institutions. Over the past six years, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara have admitted a total of 64 under-qualified students based on donations and insider connections, according to the documents.

A Breakdown of the Propositions on the ballot for California for the 2020 Election.

A breakdown of the Candidates in the upcoming 2020 Election.

Black women being left out is not a new phenomenon.

The Corsair: Issue 3 (Fall 2020)

A student information breach occurred at Santa Monica College (SMC) on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. The Latino Center sent an email out to 321 students in the Adelante Program to promote an upcoming Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) workshop; however, a document was mistakenly attached that contained the personal contact information of over 300 students including their names, home addresses, and SMC student identification numbers.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards opened to Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, walking onto a stage in front of a full, maskless audience. A few minutes into his monologue, Kimmel revealed that the audience was actually a recording pulled from a previous Emmy’s broadcast and he was delivering his monologue to an empty Staples Center arena.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008, I distinctly remember my mother waking me up, hurrying me over to the television, pointing to the news, and saying, “this is your new president. Although you don’t understand it now, he just made history.”

Marquees glow at night with "We Hope to See You Soon!" messages, and sidewalks that were formerly cluttered with lines stretching down the street remain empty. Los Angeles' live music venues are at the heart of the city's culture and entertainment, and for the first time, seats are empty.

On a Sunday evening, typically a slow business day for the movies, the Regency Theaters Drive-In, also known as The Plant, had a half-full parking lot of cars. Couples and families settled in as the lights dimmed. The screen came to life with 20th Century Studios’ newest movie, “The New Mutants.”

The street performers of Santa Monica speak out about how they are dealing with challenging times during the COVID-19 pandemic, while trying to safely entertain the people of Santa Monica.

In late March, Suzie Crocker, a woman who works with Hope United LA, received a large food donation from Whole Foods. Unsure of what to do with it, she reached out to Cheryl Byrne, a neighbor of the church and a strong figure in the community. Byrne is now one of the co-founders of Feeding Families Santa Monica. She knew that she had to find people who she could help.

If committing to college was not hard enough already, the wake of COVID-19 has many students second-guessing whether or not to attend a four-year university.

Colleges across the nation are devising plans to create more equitable environments for their students and staff - including Santa Monica College (SMC). SMC’s 2019-2020 Equity Plan states that “Santa Monica College continues to see pervasive data across every student success indicator demonstrating that the College is not effectively serving Latinx and African American students specifically.”

*On July 6th, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that students on F-1 visas must leave the country if their school began offering online education only. This directive put students and institutions in a precarious situation, and even though it was eventually walked back on, they are still dealing with the consequences.*

Coastal Cleanup Month is a worldwide movement that started over 30 years ago and has gathered the support of over 6 million volunteers, according to Surfrider Foundation and Ocean Conservancy, two environmental nonprofits. The movement has been picked up nationwide and worldwide, including in our own coastal community of Santa Monica.