CSUN On Point

It’s no secret that Los Angeles is one of most heavily congested cities in America. Traffic congestion, that is. According to INRIX, the average Los Angeles driver spends 102 hours stuck in traffic during rush hour.

Los Angeles also has an extensive public transportation system, L.A Metro, that  has been around for almost fifty years. Metro has worked over the years to plan and implement new projects to help traffic congestion. But a question that many drivers consider while sitting in gridlocked traffic is, how did we get to this point?

“One of the reasons includes the disparity between jobs and housing, [and the] balance [between] where people live, and where people work,” said Naresh Amatya, Southern California Association of Governments Transportation Manager. “[Others reasons are] just the sheer number of people who live in this region, and the fact that our infrastructure is really overburdened with the number of people that we have in the region.”

Although the traffic on highways, freeways, and side street detours seems worse everyday, Los Angeles is pushing for number one in terms of the public transportation system, and Metro has been promoting alternatives from walking to high speed rail. Metro has also approved the 28 by 28 plan: 28 projects planned to handle the needs of those attending the 2028 Olympics.

“It’s an effort to put some of the key projects [ahead] — not ahead of the commitment we made in Measure M — but to highlight them, in case there are additional resources that can help to move them forward,” said Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Metro Board Member. “So that in 28 by 2028, [for] both the Olympics and the Paralympics, that we will have a net of rail systems in place.” The plan is to bring in public-private partnerships in order to make the whole system work.

“In the San Fernando Valley, we are looking at the East San Fernando Valley light rail project,” said Dave Perry, Policy Deputy for County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, “[and at] the Sepulveda Pass, which is obviously a very big project, a very big deal for the thousands and thousands of commuters everyday that are going through the 405 corridor. There is North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT connecter. There’s a lot of great stuff in there.”

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor is going to provide a high capacity transit line to connect the San Fernando Valley with the West Side and ultimately with LAX. Metro is looking at various concepts and refining them. One of these concepts compares the 110 minute drive on the freeway through the Sepulveda Pass, to the 15-25 minute commute Metro is hoping to provide.

“Metro is trying to make a dramatic difference in people’s commute times,” Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero said.

Many people want to see these changes happen soon, over the next couple years.

“I think there are still a lot of places missing the amount of transit that they really need, and maybe more frequent service,” said CSUN Professor of Urban Studies and Planning Yvette Lopez-Ledesma. “This would encourage a movement towards more transit. It’s not just up to one agency to handle this; it’s really about several agencies.”

Public transportation will continue to grow in Los Angeles, but ultimately it is up to the public to make the decision to leave their cars at home, and decide between the comfort of their own cars or no traffic. It all comes down to safety and comfort as well.

“It’s not just about getting to the bus stop,” Lopez-Ledesma said. “It’s about what happens when you arrive at that bus stop. Is there shade? Are you protected? Do you feel safe?”

Moderator: Enrie Amezcua

Producer: Coraima Hurtado

Anchor: Gloria Alas

Social Media Editor: Karissa Preciado

Reporters: Gloria Alas, Enrie Amezcua, Christopher Farias, Darya Hariri, Jamontae Hickman, Coraima Hurtado, Karissa Preciado

The popularity of podcasts is on the rise. Whether listeners are looking for comedy, politics, sports, or crime stories, there are podcasts for all tastes, and companies are expanding the medium by focusing on different genres and markets.

“There is money to be made in making podcasts, so a lot more podcasts are being made, so you can serve smaller audiences,” said KCRW’s “Below the Ten” podcast host David Weinberg.

Edison Research reports about 73 million people of all ages listen to podcasts regularly. The number of podcast streams per person has risen from an average of five to seven each month — just in this past year. The on-demand nature of podcasts has contributed to their popularity, because it’s easier for listeners to fit podcasts into their schedules.

“A lot of [the popularity of podcasts] is that Netflix mentality: ‘I want to watch what I want to watch, when I want to watch it’,” said KFI News Anchor Aron Bender.

Podcasts from smaller companies outnumbered podcasts from bigger companies on Time’s top podcast list this year.  Some radio stations are also trying to tap into the popularity of podcasts.

“We take our shows and we podcast those shows,” Bender said, “and do so in such a way that people can consume them, so we take out most of the commercials, if not all the commercials.”

Podcasters are not limited by time constraints or FCC regulations the way live radio is. Podcasters have complete creative control over what they talk about, but making a living from podcasting is harder than in traditional radio.

“If all you want to do is make a podcast, then it’s going to be tough,” said Weinberg. “They say – I don’t know if this is still true – that you have to have 20,000 regular listeners to get advertisers to take your call, and even at that level you’re probably not going to be making enough.”

One common mistake new podcasters make is not being focussed and consistent. With more podcasts flooding the market, podcasters have to find a niche. If podcasters don’t post new episodes consistently, tailored to fit their audience, they can lose steam and stunt their growth.

“Try to drill down and focus,” Bender said, “so you can find that niche audience, and once you have them hooked, they’re going to start telling all their friends who are probably interested in that as well, and that’s how you grow a podcast.”

Podcasters have a farther reach than traditional radio. Podcasts can be heard worldwide on the internet, while radio shows can be heard only in the region they’re located.

“Even if it’s just one person listening,” Bender said, “there’s got to be chemistry with that person, and the microphone, and the listener. They’ve got to connect somehow…Even Seinfeld — he’ll say he’s got a show about nothing, but no it’s not about nothing. You’ve got this character-driven show… [The audience] likes to hate these characters, and the choices they’re making.”

Celebrities podcasters have the advantage of a built-in audience. For non-celebrity podcasters, figuring out how to stand out is important.

“The key difference between a good and a bad podcast is editing,” Weinberg said. “Through that refining process, is how you make things really good.”

The rising popularity of podcasting has made it more viable for some podcasters to make it their full-time job.

“Now, podcasting is a cool thing to do,” Weinberg said. “I think if someone said to me ‘you’re going to get this job where you get to fly all over the world to talk to people and get paid’, I would say ‘yeah! I’ll do it’.”

Moderator: Manuel Fuentes

Producer: Ahmad Akkaoui

Anchor: Sandy Chavez

Social Media Editor: Tammera Magaña

Reporters: Ahmad Akkaoui, Sandy Chavez, Manuel Fuentes, Tammera Magaña, Mario Saucedo and Natalia Vivino

Moderator: I’maiya Milan Wright

Producer: Bridgette Creamer

Associate Producer: Veronica Barriga

Anchor: Ethan Hanson

Social Media Editor: Esteban Reynoso

Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Bridgette Creamer, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume and I’maiya Milan Wright

Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA) is a Buddhist practice known throughout the world.

SGI was created in 1975, and now has members in 192 countries including the United States. SGI members follow the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Buddhism as the center of their practice. The goal is to teach members that they have the courage, wisdom, and compassion to overcome and conquer the obstacles they face in life.

Soka Gakkai, also known as society for the creation of value, originated in Japan in 1930 under the leadership of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. Makiguchi believed this practice would be the greatest way for people to spread the Buddhist ideals of equality. One of the major goals was for members to spread respect for all of life.

“It is not a name but a title,” CSUN Religious Studies Professor Randal Cummings said. “It comes from the yogi concept of Bodhi, which means to be awake. Buddha gains enlightenment; somebody sees his glow, and they ask ‘what are you?’. ‘I am awake’.” Followers explain that being awake is an act of being present, and not only thinking about oneself, but rather about others. It is control over the actions that humans take.

As part of the practice members participate daily at home and in discussion meetings.

“The point of it is to have an open dialogue with a group of people,” SGI Vice Chapter Leader Cassie Colby said, “to share your experience, and what is going on in your life.”

SGI focuses on empowerment through the individual self, and on promoting peace, culture, and education. The practice fights to abolish nuclear weapons, and strives to keep human rights and educate others on sustainable living.

The 50K Lions of Justice festival is “focused on leading our change in injustice in society,” Ryan Ainsworth SGI District Leader said.

This festival follows the SGI Nichiren Buddhist practice. One goal is to inspire people to change the world. 50k Lions of Justice Instagram is available to see experiences of people who follow SGI-USA.

Nam-myho-renge-kyo is a chant from the Mystic Law that is a principle part of SGI. Members use this chant as an expression to embrace their own Buddha nature. It is a practice for oneself, and also for others, to capture happiness.

“It’s a spiritual workout,” SGI District Leader Mark Horton said. “You can’t see it, but you can feel it. Each person experiences something different; polishing the inside shines outside.”

Moderator: Tory Isaac

Producer: Leonard Tesher

Associate Producer: Tory Isaac

Anchor: Samantha Rodriguez

Social Media Editor: Andrea Tanchez

Reporters: Brandon Benitez, Tory Isaac, Nicholas Logan, Samantha Rodriguez, Andrea Tanchez and Leonard Tesher

A reliance on social media may have a prolonged effect on young people, in part by creating false role models, and in part by encouraging ‘FOMO’, or ‘Fear of Missing Out’. But many young children start using social media at a young age.

“One of the things I see parents doing is using screen time to keep their kids entertained while they’re doing something else,” said Dr. Joannie Busillo-Aguayo, CSUN associate professor of Educational Psychology and Counseling. “My oldest granddaughter is 16 years old and social media is her life. If she’s not able to do what her friends are doing, it affects her life.”

The Royal Society for Public Health and the Young Health Movement published a report ranking Instagram as the worst social media platform, in term of its impact on the mental health of young people. YouTube was ranked as the most positive social media platform. Snapchat was also ranked as among the most negative.

According to the Pew Research Center, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular platforms among teens. Forty-five percent of teens said they’re online almost constantly.

The RSPH report recommends three possible solutions: the introduction of a pop-up heavy usage warning on social media, platforms identifying users with possible mental health problems based on their posts, and platforms alerting users when photos of people have been digitally manipulated.

Social media remains popular among young people, who say they want to do everything their peers are doing. A new iPhone update tells users how long they’ve been on their phones, and on social media specifically.

“The other day I went on my Instagram, and I look [at the update], and it says [I’ve] been on this for four hours,”  photographer Nathan Zielke said. “It was six o’clock in the morning.”

Zielke and recording artist JR Jones said they use social media to connect with people.

“I think that [social media] is literally my number one tool,” Jones said. “It has helped me build a really strong fan base, and it’s real people you can connect with, that don’t have to be in your local area. I’m reaching out to Canada, to Spain, to Portugal… it gives me a platform to share my music, and allow my music to go further than it would if I was just a local artist with no social media at all.”

Zielke has more than 29,000 followers on Instagram, and Jones has almost 34,000 followers. But Jones and Zielke, who have worked together, said they believe social media should be more about showing everyone who you really are, rather than showing people who you are trying to be. They said they’re aware of the potential for a negative impact.

“I feel like it gives me [the platform] to be a real model, instead of a role model,” Jones said. “I curse; I show the negatives; I show the down moments; I show me at my weakest moments… I think social media’s problem is it gives people an illusion that everything is great. You see the vacation… [and] you just see the picture of the sunset and the beach and stuff.”

“That’s the biggest fight with social media,” Zielke said. “I call it ‘fake flexing’. There are a lot of people out there who fake flex, and find ways to portray themselves as always being happy, always doing something…. they’ll be at home and [they’ll] post a vacation picture to make it look like they are somewhere else.”

Wrestler Sammy Guevara has about 15,000 Instagram followers. He said he does make choices about what to post.

“No one really wants to see the bad stuff,” Guevara said. “I get messages from people who get inspired from my videos. These videos aren’t solely about me. It’s a bigger picture thing… I wouldn’t call it fake energy or whatever, but some stuff is not meant for the camera and some stuff is.”

“I think it’s more important for [posts] to send a real message, and not a fake message,” Jones said. “I think it’s bad for kids to have this cookie cutter image of how life should be. You see this guy and he says all the right things, does all the right moves, with the most beautiful women, always happy… the minute the kid isn’t living [up to the fantasy], [he’ll think] ‘I’m a failure because I’m not like him’.”

Moderator: Tammera Magaña

Producers: Manuel Fuentes and Natalia Vivino

Anchor: Natalie Vivino

Social Media Editor: Mario Saucedo

Reporters: Ahmad Akkaoui, Sandy Chavez, Manuel Fuentes, Tammera Magaña, Mario Saucedo and Natalia Vivino

Moderator: Veronica Barriga

Producer: Jasper Harris

Associate Producers: Veronica Barriga, Ethan Hanson, Esteban Reynoso

Anchor: Bridgette Creamer

Social Media Editor: I’maiya Milan Wright

Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Bridgette Creamer, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume and I’maiya Milan Wright

Climate change is a problem affecting the entire planet, but not everyone is educated on the subject.

A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the world has approximately a decade to get its act together before catastrophic climate changes begin to happen.

“It is the biggest story of our time, without question,” CSUN Physics, Mathematics and Sustainability Professor Loraine Lundquist said. “The reason media don’t cover it, is because it doesn’t get good ratings.” 

Many people, including some powerful ones, seem oblivious to the global warming issue. Websites like End Climate Silence promote a healthy discussion on the topic, and also provide links and other information on minimal changes people can incorporate into their everyday lives.

“As dire as the IPCC report was, what it is basically saying is, we do have a very narrow window now to get a handle on climate change,” said Sean Carlin, environmental activist and a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps program.

California State University, Northridge was one of the first universities to partner with DC Solar to install 39 solar panel mobiles around campus. The goal was to educate and empower the community by promoting solar energy. The university established a recycling program in 1991, offering opportunities for students to volunteer. The Sustainability Center does community clean ups, and promotes the use of recycling bins and water-bottle refill stations on campus. They also suggest eating less meat for the good of the environment, by providing their Instagram followers with vegan recipes to try.

Animal agriculture is the one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases. The American diet is heavily meat-based. Shifting 320 million Americans to a more plant-based diet could save 91 million acres of land currently used for livestock cultivation. Raising livestock for food is also one of the leading causes of global deforestation. Nearly a third of biodiversity loss is linked to animal agriculture. Many CSUN students say they have started cutting down on their meat intake. They say they have not gone completely vegan, but are committed to buying more plant-based foods.

“I think that these small stories about single-use plastics, plant-based eating and innovation around that, electrification of vehicles, Tesla, Elon Musk, [make a difference],” artist and Valley Green conservationist Miles Lewis said. “People [like Musk] end up being on the news, and they all implicate climate change as sort of the larger topic, so hopefully that gets people identified with a way of being, and a change in industry.”

Moderator: Leonard Tesher

Producer: Andrea Tanchez

Associate Producer: Samantha Rodriguez

Anchor: Nicholas Logan

Social Media Editor: Tory Isaac

Reporters: Brandon Benitez, Tory Isaac, Nicholas Logan, Samantha Rodriguez, Andrea Tanchez and Leonard Tesher

November’s midterm elections are fast approaching, and young voters are being urged to make their voices heard. Voter registration is at an all-time high, and 19 million people are registered to vote, but young voter turnout rates are still low.

The Pew Research Center has reported that less than a quarter of eligible millennials voted during the last midterm election. Older voting populations had ten-percent higher turnout rates.

As the baby boomer population decreases, the results for the upcoming election on November 6th will depend primarily upon young voters.

CSUN Political Science Professor Tyler Hughes said encouraging younger generations to vote should start at their homes and on campus.

“If you talk more politics at home, you’re more likely to be active,” he said. “We should at least be giving students the tools to participate, instead of just telling them to participate.”

CSUN Associated Students Chair of Community and Government Relations Tracy Johnson said a combination of institutional and psychological barriers may be discouraging young people to vote.

“The psychological barriers are efficacy;” he said, “believing that this matters, and that it’s going to make a difference; the voter’s education; the knowledge; the trust in government;  these things are barriers that can discourage young voters.”

Young people have been more likely to engage in activism in 2016, but the main concern is whether or not that activism will make it to the polls.

Hughes said the older someone gets, the more likely they are to vote.

Johnson said he dislikes blaming older generations for societal barriers.

“We need to all come together,” he said. “Three or four generations together will change things. One generation isn’t going to do it, in my opinion.”

The last day to register to vote in California is October 22nd, but anyone who misses that deadline can still register to vote conditionally.

Moderator: Ahmad Akkaoui

Executive Producer: Mario Saucedo

Associate Producer: Natalia Vivino

Anchor: Sandy Chavez

Social Media Editor: Tammera Magana

Reporters: Ahmad Akkaoui, Sandy Chavez, Manuel Fuentes, Tammera Magana, Mario Saucedo & Natalia Vivino

Los Angeles has long been known as the entertainment capital of the nation, but in recent years, it’s also becoming known as the homeless capital. Places like downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row, Venice Beach, the Los Angeles River bed, and even the sidewalks around City Hall, have become home for many people. According to the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, more than 60,000 people in Los Angeles are homeless. All over the county, homeless people are struggling to live, struggling to stay clean, and struggling to get back on their feet — and all of them have stories to tell. But for journalists, covering these stories can present particular challenges.

CSUN Photojournalism Professor David Blumenkrantz has been documenting the lives of homeless people for years, and he said he tries not to show the ugliness of homelessness, but rather tries to show the beauty in the struggle. “We [need to] know them as people, not as a species,” he said. Blumenkrantz said he uses his photography to portray homeless individuals’ struggles.

But journalists and reporters have ethical standards, and Blumenkrantz said he must try to walk the line between what’s right and what’s wrong in his photography.

“[There can be a problem with] how [homeless people are] used, and how they’re presented,” he said. “It depends on their situation, but you try to put a human face to the crisis.”

“[I try to] remove the stigma,” Blumenkrantz said. “We have enough pictures of people in pain and suffering.”

Laura Rathbone is an activist for the homeless, and co-founder of Sisters on the Streets and the Hygiene Campaign, serving homeless people in the San Fernando Valley.

“I remember the first time [I helped a homeless person],” Rathbone said. “I got them connected. [I thought] ‘they’re gonna be off the streets’. But it wasn’t that easy. [It] took them eight months before they finally got off the streets.”

Those months on the street can be especially difficult for women. “Sometimes [homeless women] have to choose between a meal or female hygiene,” Rathbone said. “It’s not right. [Help for women] is needed.” The Hygiene Campaign has opened shower stations and provided soaps, hand sanitizers, and other hygiene products to homeless people, especially women. “And if you see a homeless girl,” Rathbone said, “give her a tampon!”

Blumenkrantz’s work has been exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum of Social Justice. He received the CSUN Exceptional Creative Accomplishments Award last spring for his work covering the homeless community.

Moderator: Londy Sagastume

Executive Producer: Ethan Hanson

Associate Producers: Veronica Barriga, Jasper Harris & Esteban Reynoso

Anchor: I’maiya Milan Wright

Social Media Editor: Bridgette Creamer

Reporters: Veronica Barriga, Ethan Hanson, Jasper Harris, Esteban Reynoso, Londy Sagastume, I’maiya Milan Wright

Moderator: Brandon Benitez

Executive Producer: Tory Isaac

Associate Producer: Andrea Tanchez

Anchor: Andrea Tanchez

Social Media Editor: Samantha Rodriguez

Reporters: Brandon Benitez, Tory Isaac, Nick Logan, Samantha Rodriguez, Andrea Tanchez and Leonard Tesher