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Volume 105, Issue 11
The independent student voice of PCC. Serving Pasadena Since 1915.
May 24, 2012
Ocean defender
Nicholas Saul
/
Courier
Guitar Instructor Billy Arcila overlooks the Marine Protected Areas off the Palos Verdes coast while on patrol.
Guitar teacher seeks to heal the bay
Nicholas Saul
Staff Writer
Excitement was high. Reports had
come in that a sea otter was spotted
just oh the coast of Palos Verdes. "This
is it," Billy Arcila thought. "Just one of
these and it's a sign that the MPAs are
working." Arcila and the group he vol¬
unteers with, The Santa Monica
Baykeeper, never did find the otter in
the Marine Protected Area (MPA), but
the day was not lost. . .
PCC instructor Arcila teaches two
guitar classes part-time while running
his online guitar store. Then, when the
occasion arrives, he sets out to sea as a
volunteer diver and scout to help in
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kelp restoration and the tracking of
endangered sea animals.
On May 3, Arcila was out on a run-
of-the-mill transect, recording data and
observing if the local fishermen were
obeying the newly created no-fishing
zones in the MPAs. But that day was
different, an otter was spotted not too
far from where Arcila would be
patrolling.
Sustainable living event
highlights 'green' solutions
Luis Rodriguez
Staff Writer
Beneath Wednesday's brightly
burning afternoon sun - which
was powering a small solar pow¬
ered generator - the Associated
Students' Sustainability
Committee choreographed the
second day of its third annual
"Sustainable Living Week" in the
Quad.
"We have a lot of great organi¬
zations here," said Juan Diego
Ashton, AS vice president for
sustainability elect.
The events continue with a
free movie screening today.
One of the organizations,
Green Menu, was promoting
healthier living via dining at
vegan and vegetarian friendly
restaurants with one of its mem¬
ber cards.
"The Green Menu member
card is $20 a year and you can
enjoy discounts at over 400
restaurants. We're constantly
inviting more restaurants to *
New 'kitty
litter' trial
underway
Ex-student accused
in girlfriend's slaying
Nicholas Zebrowski
News Editor
A new witness is set to testify in the second trial
of former PCC student Isaac Campbell, accused of
killing his girlfriend, PCC student Liya "Jessi" Lu
in 2007.
The witness will testify to hearing noises in
Campbell's apartment the
night Lu was killed.
Campbell's second trial
in the slaying is under¬
way in Arcadia Superior
Court after his first trial
ended in December with
a hung jury.
"During opening state¬
ments [we] described a
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The otter sighting was significant: it
could hold tremendous benefits for the
kelp system and the coast biodiversity.
According to Arcila, the number one
cause of the diminishment of the kelp
forests is an influx of sea urchin that
eat kelp day and night unhindered.
The sea otter is their number one pred¬
ator; the only problem is Southern
California hasn't had any sea otters
since the early 1900s.
"The reason kelp forests are so nec¬
essary is other fish spawn there, it's
like an underwater forest," Arcila said.
"Over 800 species of fish live in these
areas and depend on the kelp to live
Continued on page 7
Continued on page 7
Nikki Debbaudt
/
Courier
AS Vice President of Sustainabiity Hanna Israel discusses PCCs effi¬
ciency improvements at the quad.
witness that will testify to hearing sounds in the
apartment," said Deputy District Attorney Steve
Ipson. "We are in the middle of trial now."
The witness, who did not testify in the first trial,
was the downstairs neighbor of Campbell.
According to Ipson, the witness will testify to hear¬
ing arguing, followed by a loud noise, then silence.
Campbell, who has been in custody since 2007,
is accused of killing Lu in his apartment and stor¬
ing her body in Arcadia in a trashcan filled with
kitty litter.
Campbell is facing second-degree murder
charges.
Campbell was studying architecture at PCC
while Lu, who earned an Associates Degree in Arts
in 2006, returned to study nursing.
According to Campbell's father, the two dated
for years.
The two month long trial last year ended with a
mistrial.
New officers
elected to AS
Neil Protacio
Editor-in-Chief
Simon Fraser was elected as
Associated Student Board presi¬
dent in the election last week
and Hanna Israel becomes the
new Student Trustee.
The Students for Progress slate
won all the open seats on the
board in the Tuesday/
Wednesday vote while the pro¬
posed amendments on the ballot
remain in limbo.
"It feels great that Students for
Continued on page 7
Speak out!
Was the 30-day jail sen¬
tence for the Rutgers
bully the right one?
vote at
pccCourier.com
Open Market
Art students, faculty
display and sell
off their artwork.
Page
6»
Women in politics
Local political leaders
address contemporary
issues.
Page
2»
