Michael Drake

[UPDATED with Chancellor Response and Investigation:] UC Irvine Asian-American Fraternity Members Produce Blackface Music Video

Read the response from UCI's chancellor at the end of this post. ORIGINAL POST, APRIL 25, 6 A.M.: Another day, another frat bro in blackface. Lambda Theta Delta (LTD), the largest and oldest Asian American fraternity at UC Irvine, is under fire after members produced a music video inspired by the ... More >>

Jonah Mowry of Anti-Bullying Viral Video Fame Among Next OC Human Relations' Honorees

Lake Forest's Jonah Mowry, who at 14 posted a video on YouTube that went on to be seen by more than 10 million people worldwide and led to his becoming a national spokesman against bullying, is to be honored by OC Human Relations.Mowry is among the people, groups, agencies, schools or companies the ... More >>

[UPDATED with ASUCI Supporting Divestment:] UCI Student Panel Calls for Divesting from Firms Aiding Israeli "Apartheid"

See Update No. 3 at the end of page 3 of this post on leaders of UCI's Associated Students signing the resolution urging the university to divest from named companies for human rights abuses in Palestine. See Update Nos. 1-2 on ASUCI's legislative council unanimously passing the resolution urging di ... More >>

Cast of Clowns, Including Former Santa Ana Unified Head Al Mijares/SOCCCD Chancellor Raghu Mathur, Apply for OC Department of Ed. Head Role

Earlier this month, Superintendent of Schools at Orange County Department of Education Bill Habermehl resigned after a decade of doing shit other than promoting the Republican view of history by brainwashing kiddies. His departure from the elected position means the Orange County Board of Education ... More >>

Groups Sign a Letter Urging UCI Cut Ties with Syria's Honorary Consul General

​Several organizations have signed an open letter addressed to the UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake demanding the immediate removal of a Syrian diplomat from the UCI Foundation's board of trustees. The letter was sent two weeks after the student government voted in favor of legislation calling f ... More >>

UCI Students Vote to Oust Syrian Official from Board of Trustees

​Last night, after weeks of postponing a vote, the University of California, Irvine's student government passed legislation calling for the immediate removal of Syria's honorary consul general Dr. Hazem Chehabi from the school's board of trustees. Inside the student center's Moss Cove Room, a crow ... More >>

[UPDATED with Vote Delayed Again:] Students Call for UCI Board Member Hazem H. Chehabi's Ouster over Syria Ties

​UPDATE, MARCH 8, 3:21 P.M.: A proposal to call for Dr. Hazem H. Chehabi's removal from the UC Irvine Board of Trustees over his ties to the brutal Syrian regime will not be presented tonight to the Legislative Council of the Associated Students (ASUCI) as originally planned.The matter is now s ... More >>

Aziz Duwaik, Palestinian Leader Who Secretly Met with UC Irvine Students, Held by Israel

​Speaker of the Palestinian parliament Aziz Duwaik, whose secret meeting with UC Irvine students and faculty visiting Israel in 2009 raised cackles in some corners, was ordered to be held without trial for six months, his lawyer said today. The senior Hamas official, whose name is alternately s ... More >>

[UPDATED: Jones To Take Legal Action] Rev. Terry Jones Rally Blocked at UCI Amid Security Concerns, 'Free Speech' Area Shut Down

​UPDATE, DEC. 2, 3:06 P.M.:  Rev. Terry Jones told us by phone that the arrest threat he received by UCI police on Thursday is "an absolute outrage and a violation of our First Amendment rights.""We are definitely going to take legal action against the UC Irvine police department," he sa ... More >>

[UPDATED with UCI Chief "Appalled":] UC Protesters Get Help From Above to Stop Campus Cops' Baton Jabs and Pepper Spraying

​UPDATE, NOV. 23, 10:24 A.M.: UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake has issued a statement where he says that he is "appalled" by the police response to peaceful demonstrators on other campuses as witnessed in recent YouTube videos. The brutal actions violate UC policies, procedures and the sense of ... More >>

F. Sherwood Rowland, UCI Nobel Laureate, Has Groundbreaking Climate Research on Exhibit

​An exhibition celebrating the research contributions of Nobel laureate and UC Irvine chemistry professor F. Sherwood "Sherry" Rowland opens this evening in the Langson Library at UCI.Ralph J. Cicerone, the National Academy of Sciences president who was UCI's dean of the School of Physical Science ... More >>

11 UCI Students and Supporters Guilty of Being Disorderly for Rowdy Protest Near Chancellor's Office

​Eleven UC Irvine students and sympathizers were convicted today of being disorderly on campus, and if you think your intrepid reporter has been conked on the head and is re-reporting the outcome of the "Irvine 11" case, you are wrong.Well, you are this time.These 11 with freshly minted rap sheet ... More >>

Hazem Chehabi, Syrian Consul General and UCI Foundation Chairman, Draws Another Protest

UCI.edu2010 UCI Medal Award winners Salma and Hazem Chehabi​After a few months of monitoring and protesting against the Syrian government's mistreatment of its own citizens, some Southern California Syrians are turning their ire back at Newport Beach radiologist and philanthropist Dr. Hazem Cheha ... More >>

Francisco Ayala, UC Irvine Professor, Gives $10 Million to School

Steve Zylius/UC Irvine​Francisco Ayala has announced he is donating $10 million to UC Irvine's School of Biological Sciences, the largest gift ever by a faculty member at the university.  A renowned geneticist, the 77-year-old professor was once dubbed the 'Renaissance man of evolutionary bio ... More >>

Who's Gagging Whom In the Irvine 11 Case?

The First Amendment, academic freedom and Islamophobia collide in an OC courtroom

Irvine 11 Trial: UCI Professor Says Protests Like These Are Normal

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly​UC Irvine professor Rei Terada has taught on the subject of protests and civil disobedience, and said how the so-called Irvine 11 acted at the Israeli Ambassador event is "a normal way for students to protest an event they object to." The professor of comparati ... More >>

[UPDATED with UCI Nixing Meeting:] Dr. Hazem Chehabi Urged to Cut Ties With Syria's Brutal Regime or Step Down From UC Irvine Foundation Board

​UPDATE, JULY 8, 5:25 P.M.: Syrian freedom activists say that when they protested at UC Irvine the morning of June 9, a campus official promised a future meeting with an associate chancellor to discuss what they consider a troubling relationship between Syria's brutal regime and Dr. Hazem Chehabi, ... More >>

UCI Law School Wins ABA Accreditation

Dean Chemerinsky​UC Irvine's School of Law was informed today that it has been granted provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association."The ABA's decision puts the official seal of approval on the hard work of scores of faculty, administrators, students, and supporters--both on campus ... More >>

Irvine 11 Plead Not Guilty to Misdemeanors; No Ruling on Defense Motion to Remove OCDA

​Dressed in formal suits, button-up shirts and neat ties, the young men dubbed the "Irvine 11" appeared in court today, pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges of both interrupting and conspiring to interrupt a lecture held last year on the UC Irvine campus, in which Israeli Ambassador to the U ... More >>

"Irvine 11" Are Not Sole UCI Activists to Draw Heat from DA; Meet the "Irvine 19" (or 17 2)

​As last year's surge of student activism fades from the public eye, the memory remains fresh among those who participated on the UC Irvine campus, as they prepare for their upcoming court hearings, more than a year after the actions for which they are being charged.Campus activism has kept Or ... More >>

[UPDATED] Irvine 11 Charged With Misdemeanors, Face Jail, Probation, Community Service if Convicted

Photos by Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklySeven of the Irvine 11​UPDATE, MARCH 11, 4:08 P.M.: The arraignment of the Irvine 11 was continued this morning until April 15 so the court can consider defense motions to seal grand jury documents, remove the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) from the ... More >>

[UPDATED] Irvine 11 Charged With Misdemeanors, Face Jail, Probation, Community Service if Convicted

​UPDATED, FEB. 28, 8:33 A.M.: The Islamic Institute of Orange County hosts "Stand With the Irvine 11: Community Town Hall and Action" at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the IIOC Multipurpose Room, 1220 N. State College Blvd., Irvine.The event flier follows after the jump. (Also, scroll down a couple posts i ... More >>

[UPDATE:] 19 UC Irvine Students and Supporters Face Criminal Charges for Protesting

​​Update, December 10, 12:41 p.m.: Occupy UCI!--"an autonomous body in Orange County attempting to subvert hegemonic, state-supporting/ed protest by promoting radical discourse and militant action"--is accusing campus administrations of conspiring with prosecutors when it came to the timing of ... More >>

Erwin Chemerinsky, UCI Law School Dean, Writes of Conservative War Against Constitution

​The Conservative Assault on the Constitution (Simon & Schuster, $27) argues that beginning with Richard Nixon and continuing through to George W. Bush, conservative presidents and their supporters have tried to change basic constitutional principles through their policies and appointments ... More >>

Groups Step Up Opposition to Punishment for UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union

​Meant to get this up yesterday, but a group that protects the legal rights of Asians and Pacific Islanders sent word that it has joined 14 other civil rights organizations and professional bar associations from across the nation in condemning the recommended suspension of UC Irvine's Muslim Stude ... More >>

The "Irvine 11" Fights the Power

​As they fill out their AARP membership cards, '60s burnouts can rejoice that a group of campus agitators has at last come along to rival the infamous Chicago Seven.Mamas and papas, introducing the "Irvine 11"! Something's happening here, and what it is ain't exactly kosher. The Irvine 11 are the ... More >>

ADL Opposes Jewish Boycott of UCI, Gently Admonishes Chancellor Drake

​Not all organizations fighting anti-Semitism are the same. Take the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which announced opposition today to calls by "some in the Jewish community" to boycott UC Irvine over perceived anti-Israel activity on campus.Who would that "some" be? How about the Zionist Organiz ... More >>

Don't Fulminate, UCI Anteaters, Meditate!

​Rejoice, Anteaters, because UC Irvine's leader has your back.Yes, yes, we all know that you are dealing with rising tuition and fees. And reduced services.And closed classes.And dirtier surroundings.And offices emptied due to furloughed professors, graduate assistants and staff members. But fret ... More >>

Crime Time: Alleged Rummy Mommy, Ex-Cop Robber, Sticky Fingers, Douches on (and Taking) Bikes and Really Bad Karaoke Singers

It's the Weekly's weekly police blotter--now with more alleged rummy mommies, ex-cop robbers, sticky fingers, douches on bikes and really bad karaoke singers.MONDAY, NOV. 23 Insert car here.​That Walled-In Feeling A man crashing his black Toyota Corolla into a wall at the Shell gas station at Lake ... More >>

[BEST OF OC] El Profesor (the Professor): Erwin Chemerinsky

The First History Book About OC's African-American Community Tells Tales of Segregation, Triumph

Student Who Caused UCI Rifle Scare Apologizies

woodleywonderworks / Flickr / Creative CommonsOn Memorial Day, we remember sacrifices -- and don't really update Navel Gazing. But since you're here, how's this for sacrifice: Second-year UC Irvine student Christopher Proffitt has penned a letter to the campus taking full responsibility for causing ... More >>

U-C-I Sweatshirts Banned on Campus

A feature story by Colin Stack in today's edition of UC Irvine's student newspaper New University reveals that cotton sweatshirts with the familiar "U-C-I" capital letters across the chest have been effectively banned on campus since April 29.The ban has nothing to do with student self loathing--or ... More >>

UCI Muslim Student Union Event Draws Ire of Local Jews

As this promotional video shows, UC Irvine's Muslim Student Union is at it again, presenting 18 days of events this month under the banner "Israel: the Politics of Genocide." Among those coming to the campus through May 21 are: George Galloway, the British member of Parliament who speaks against th ... More >>

Monday - 11/19

“Honesty Is the New Black” at the ARTery, Erwin Chemerinsky at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

"Only in New Jersey!"

And other important "local" stories on Daybreak OC

Who (almost) Dunnit?

The world may never know who leaned on UCI's Michael Drake to unhire Erwin Chemerinsky

Friday's Headlines & Surprises: The Drake Two-Step

Dancing With the Fibber: UC Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake has inspired a new dance. We’re calling it the Drake Two-Step, and it goes like this: hire, lie, fire, lie, rehire, wiggle. For a story in today’s Times, Drake admits that he “bungled” the firing last week of Erwin Chemerinsky a ... More >>

Chemerinsky and Drake kiss and make up

UC Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake spent the weekend on his knees, begging Duke's Erwin Chemerinsky to return to the dean's post at UCI's law school after Drake dumped the guy for being too liberal last week. At 10:10 a.m., the Times reported that Drake traveled to Durham, N.C. over the weekend t ... More >>

Sunday's Headlines & Surprises: Register UCI Panic!

OC Gym Crook Arrested in LA: Police arrested Ronald James Navarrette Jr. of Mission Viejo Friday in El Segundo for breaking into men's lockers at the Spectrum Athletic Club not far from LAX. Gym employees had been on the lookout for the 45-year-old crook they knew from surveillance video taken at o ... More >>

Saturday's Headlines & Surprises: Calling Nurse Ratched

UCI Cluster Fuck: News emerged today that Michael J. Schroeder, OC GOP heavyweight, participated with a group of 20 fellow Republicans to pressure the UCI Chancellor from hiring liberal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky as dean of the university's first law school. Michael V. Drake offered the job to Cheme ... More >>

Friday's Headlines: Blunt force trauma or natural causes?

Should UCI Chancellor Michael V. Drake step down? Drake's decision to drop scholar Erwin Chemerinsky for being too liberal to run UC Irvine's new law school has some faculty members calling for his resignation, reports the Times. More folks sue the sheriff: Last week, a Muslim lady sued Sheriff Car ... More >>

Thursday's Headlines & Surprises: Hiii Chemerinsky!

The Government has gone Plasma TV crazy: Even though they have an entire cable television channel to carry their lame communications, Santa Ana city officials are spending at least $242,000 more to install 10, 42-inch flat screen TVs at 10 public locations. These TVs will have no sound, and will br ... More >>