University of California-Riverside

Meet the "Irvine 11" Appellate Case, Same as the "Irvine 11" Superior Court Case

The 77-page appellate brief filed this week by the defense seeking to overturn the misdemeanor convictions of 10 of the so-called "Irvine 11" boils down to the same question that was before Orange County Superior Court in 2011: Did the free speech rights of Muslim students who loudly and systematica ... More >>

What Do a Santa Ana Artist, Ex-Surf City Art Center Director, Leonardo da Vinci and Citizen Space Exploration Have in Common?

A Santa Ana artist who has created an institute dedicated to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci has joined visions with a former Huntington Beach museum director opening a new exhibit on citizen space exploration "to dream, conceptualize and build the world of tomorrow." You can't see the fruits ... More >>

Mexi, African-American Med Students at UCI Organize Conference for Their High School Peers

The words "cardiothoracic surgeon" are most likely not found in the vocabulary of any two-year-old, except for Barbara Williams, a second-year medical student at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine. Williams recently completed clinical cardiovascular research at the nationally r ... More >>

UC Irvine MFA Writers: Your Clip-and-Save Review

The end of the academic year approaches, which finids Mr. Bib looking forward to the arrival of annual literary journals sponsored by local colleges and universities. Alas, The Ear, Irvine Valley College's magazine is long gone as, it appears, is Orange Coast Review, out of OCC. Still UC Riverside p ... More >>

Poets and Politicians: Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and Governor Jerry Brown

​Governor Jerry Brown named Juan Felipe Rivera, UC Riverside poetry professor of Chair of Creative Writing, as California Poet Laureate on Wednesday, but he's just getting to know the wordsmith. The appointment is a first ever for a Latino in the state and the poet's writings articulate the life e ... More >>

OC Bookly Interview: Victoria Patterson

This week, class-conscious literary star and local girl makes good Victoria Patterson makes bad, very bad, or at least naughty in this, OC Bookly's first author interview. Patterson, whose take on alienation, greed and South County luxury-life mores comes with plenty of winning characterization, sty ... More >>

Taher Herzallah, "Irvine 11" Defendant, is Unrepentant at UC Santa Barbara

​"My people are being killed, my people are being oppressed, I'm going to do everything I can do to stop this. I'm not going to follow a form of protest that fits the status quo that allows my people to be oppressed." --Taher Herzallah, one of the so-called "Irvine 11," speaking at UC Santa Bar ... More >>

Angelique Deleon Dies After Snowboard Fall at Mtn. High

​A 23-year-old woman who resided in Anaheim while attending university in Riverside died after falling while snowboarding at Mtn. High resort in Wrightwood Sunday afternoon.After the accident, Angelique Deleon was taken to Community Hospital of San Bernardino, where she was pronounced dead from he ... More >>

WINNER'S CIRCLE: Dee Nguyen

[BEST OF 2011: GAME ON!] Owner of Break of Dawn

Hakim Nasreddine Kebir, Irvine 11 Defendant Who Settled Case Early, Has Charges Dismissed

​Sitting in a Santa Ana courtroom March 11, I did not think the couple around my age sitting next to me wanted to be there. They fidgeted, had long faces and acted quite unlike the parents and supporters who seemed much more defiant on behalf of the so-called "Irvine 11." I recall at one point eve ... More >>

[UPDATED with Responses:] Irvine 11 Verdict: Guilty

Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklySee updates at the end of this post. ORIGINAL POST, SEPT 23, 12:04 P.M.: Cries and wails erupted in the Santa Ana courtroom as the verdict was read. All 10 defendants in the Irvine 11 case have been found guilty of ​disturbing a public meeting and engaging ... More >>

Who's Gagging Whom In the Irvine 11 Case?

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

"Gustavo's Awesome Lecture Series!" Returns This Month to Fullerton Public Library with Lalo Alcaraz, OC Register Reporters--and More!

​After a summer hiatus, the lecture series (unfortunately titled "Gustavo's Awesome Lecture Series!"--not my choice) I host at the Fullerton Public Library in conjunction with Cal State Fullerton's Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies (where I lecture) returns next week on Sept. 29 with a vis ... More >>

Irvine 11 Trial: 'Put a Straitjacket and Muzzle on Them?'

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly​Was there an explicit rule against the Irvine 11's act of protest at the Israeli Ambassador event?  The defense argues there was not, and witnesses have testified that at such controversial events, it may be impossible to enforce one.  Sociologist Steven Cl ... More >>

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 >>

Irvine 11 Trial: Defense Compares Protest to Comedy Club Heckling--'Rude, Not Illegal'

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly​"Of course it was planned," said defense attorney Jacqueline Goodman in her opening arguments today, addressing the charge that the so-called Irvine 11 (now 10) conspired to disrupt a public speech.     "They conspired to obey the law, which is the opp ... More >>

Irvine 11 Trial: Students Planned a 'Chicago-Style Disruption,' Emails Reveal

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly​Trying to show jurors that the Muslim students on trial did not act spontaneously in their disruption of the speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, prosecutors presented a series of emails that were sent by the defendants in the days leading up to the protes ... More >>

[UPDATED with Delay:] "Irvine 11" (-1) Case Heads for Trial

​UPDATE, AUG. 15, 2:33 P.M.: The "Irvine 11" trial (now with one fewer defendant) was scheduled to begin today in Santa Ana.That didn't happen.Trial has been rescheduled to Aug. 29, which is when jury selection is scheduled to begin.

Downgraded S&P Rating, China, Cuba, Obama, The Illuminati and Their Scary Ties to Newport Beach

​As Republicans in Congress and Democrats in the White House argue over whose role in the debt-ceiling crisis led Standard & Poor's for the first time ever to downgrade U.S debt from an AAA to AA rating, evidence mounts that the cause for this possible push into a double-dip recession was bor ... More >>

[UPDATED with 11 Becoming 10?] "Irvine 11" Case Heads for Trial

​UPDATE, JULY 21, 3:25 P.M.: The Irvine 11 may soon become the Irvine 10.If Hakim Nasreddine Kebir completes 40 hours of community service at the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa by Sept. 23, the 20-year-old will be removed from the controversial case pending in Orange County Superior Co ... More >>

A Secret History of Thai Food in Southern California

​By now, any true Southern Californian eats Thai food as part of their regular diet, whether at Thai Nakorn, Bangkok Taste, Siam Taste of Asia, or any of the dozens of Thai restaurants in OC and the hundreds in Southern California. But ever wonder how we became the beneficiary of so much great foo ... More >>

[UPDATED with Defense Motion Denied:] "Irvine 11" Case Heads for Trial

​UPDATE, JUNE 21, 11:51 A.M.: An Orange County judge last week denied a defense motion claiming 11 college students cannot be prosecuted criminally for disrupting an Israeli ambassador's speech at UC Irvine.Attorneys for the so-called "Irvine 11," who are enrolled at UCI and UC Riverside, argued t ... More >>

[UPDATED with Veteran Prosecutor Joining Defense:] "Irvine 11" Again Go Before the Judge

Liroff​UPDATE, MAY 31, 1:18 P.M.: The lead prosecutor in the "Irvine 11" misdemeanor criminal conspiracy case is Dan Wagner, who earlier this year was named head of the Orange County District Attorney's Homicide Unit. He'll now match legal wits with another veteran homicide prosecutor as Lane Liro ... More >>

School Daze At UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton

While CSUF students find an administration that applaud their protests, UCI coeds deal with heavier-handed officials

RX Bandits Announce Break Up

​Seal Beach's RX Bandits, formed in 1995, last night announced that they were calling it quits after their final tour. They released this statement on their site, saying "the last tour is upon us":Dear friends,We would like to express our love and appreciation for all that you've done for us and ... More >>

UPDATE: Alan Lin, Drowned UC Riverside Student, Had High Alcohol Level at Time of Death

Alan Sun-Long Lin, 22​UPDATE: APRIL 1, 4:20 P.M.: According to The OC Register, Alan Lin has tested for a blood-alcohol level between 0.16 and 0.19 the night he went missing after last being seen at a Newport Beach pub. As a result, Lin might have been disoriented. UPDATE: FEB. 18, 11:23 A.M.: A m ... 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 >>

[UPDATED: Memorial to Take Place Sat.] Missing: UC Riverside Student Alan Sun-Long Lin Last Seen at Newport Beach Pub

Alan Sun-Long Lin, 22​UPDATE: FEB. 18, 11:23 A.M.: A memorial will take place for Alan Lin tomorrow, Sat., Feb. 19, at Crystal Cathedral (12141 Lewis St, Garden Grove). The memorial starts at 9:30 a.m. and will be open to the public. UPDATE: FEB. 15, 9:20 A.M.: An autopsy has indicated Lin died by ... More >>

Five Caifanes Songs Neblina Should Cover

​The anthology of songs crafted over the years by the rock group Caifanes is seemingly as sacred to rockeros as the passages of the Popol Vuh were to the Mayans. The pioneering Rock en Español band from Mexico City formed in 1987 and went on to record many of the most classic songs the genre ha ... More >>

Federal Lawsuit Alleges Racial Discrimination Against Black Professor at Chapman

​The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced today it had filed a lawsuit against Orange-based Chapman University, alleging the school denied tenure to and fired a business professor because she's black.

Bicycling: So Hot Right Now

​Bikes are sooooo hot!In Long Beach, they are hot in the stolen property sense. More on that in a bit. First, we turn more positively to Orange County's LB.

The Double Play's the Thing

[Summer Guide] The sweet science and the ol' ballgame dominate the theater's sports-themed lineup

UCI Explores Philip K. Dick in OC

Flickr user NikiSublimeDick head on a train.​Six years ago, OC Weekly wrote about what happened when one of the greatest minds in sci-fi made plastic-land U.S.A. his home. Yes, Orange County drove Philip K. Dick mildly insane (can you blame the man?), but it also inspired some of his best work. UC ... More >>

Orange County Great Park Not Yet Sustainable, But Its Lecture Series Is

OCGP.orgPreview Park at Orange County Great Park in Irvine.​With the jury (grand and otherwise) still out on whether the Orange County Great Park is a sustainable project--fiscally, environmentally, popularly--the Great Park Conservancy tonight launches a free natural history lecture series dedica ... More >>

The Furries Fly at ESPN Zone

Will Peter the Anteater or Tuffy the Titan win the ultimate mascot-off?​If you've ever wondered who would whip whose ass--UC Irvine's Peter the Anteater or Cal State Fullerton's Tuffy the Titan--the answer may be fothcoming today in Irvine.

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 >>

Victoria Patterson's "Drift" a Story Prize Finalist

​Victoria Patterson's excellent work of fiction Drift--which is composed of 13 intertwining stories about people struggling to eke out existences in Newport Beach and surrounding communities--is a finalist for The Story Prize.

Mendez vs. Westminster, OC Latino History, and the Ever-Revealing-Itself Genius of Carey McWilliams

McWilliams: The Original Gunkist Historian...​This week's cover story on the controversy in the retelling of the historic Mendez vs. Westminster decision has a brief mention of the case's best chronicler: the great progressive historian Carey McWilliams. The Fullerton College professor quoted in t ... More >>

UC Irvine's Day One Dance Trumps Walkouts

Ho-hum, another first day of classes for the UC system, another student/faculty/staff walkout over budget cuts, tuition hikes and work furloughs. The photo roll above from UC Irvine is not only less inspiring than the ones from bastions of rabble-rousing UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, but even bass ... More >>

UC Irvine Faculty, Students, Staff to Teach In, Turn On, Walk Out Today

​Ah, the first day of school. Time to roll out of the dorm-room bed five minutes before class, throw a cap on to cover up the bed head and quickly jaunt to class . . . . . . So you can storm out of it in protest.UC Irvine faculty, students and staff will stage a walkout today--the first day of sch ... More >>

Someone Stop Don Papi Pulido From Lubing Up Santa Ana For Mike Harrah--Again

Pulido: Pay your taxes!I'm supposed to be relaxing at the Parker Resort in Palm Springs, a beautiful lil' oasis where UC Riverside MFA program in creative writing is holding a writer's retreat (I'm an invited lecturer), but news that SanTana mayor Don Papi Pulido is busy lubing Orange County's seat ... More >>

As Stephen Smith Leaves Town, Irvine's "Tattler" Calls on Others to Step Up

Stephen C. Smith calls on others to keep tabs on Irvine City Hall.CORRECTED!Lost in Santa Ana a few months ago, half paying attention to the street signs and half to Larry Mantle's KPCC interview show blaring out of the car speakers, I heard the host steer his Orange County "roundtable" guests--Oran ... More >>

New Hate-Group Tracking Website Tracks O.C. Hate Groups, Annoys Hugh Hewitt

Brian Levin is the director for the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, a frequent guest on my KPFK-FM 90.7 radio show, and someone who condemns hate groups on the left (that anti-Semitic imam whom the UCI Muslim Student Union always invites) and right (too many t ... More >>

Moyers Picks Brain of Last Socialist (and Weekly Pal)

Saturday Night Live had this skit years ago where they presented a Fugitivesque TV show called The Last Liberal. With all the talk on Fox News and conservative talk radio about the rise of Socialism in Obamerica, Bill Moyers decided to go out and find The Last Socialist to get the other side of the ... More >>

It's a Quick Read 12

Orange County Register: It's all cars, all the time! The driver killed in the early morning Newport Beach crash that severed and mangled a $140,000 '04 Ferrari is identified as "Mask," Huntington Beach's 45-year-old mixed-martial arts promoter and TapouT clothing company founder Cha ... More >>

Prepare for the OC Invasion of the LA Art Show

Organizers claim the LA Art Show -- a massive, mixed-media event that showcases everything from cutting-edge contemporary installations to works by Renoir and Monet -- is the main reason the Los Angeles City Council declared January "Los Angeles Art Month." What their resolution doesn't mention is h ... More >>

Little Hoover, Big Problem

The Little Hoover Commission* (the bipartisan, independent state commission dedicated to "promoting economy, efficiency and improved service in the transaction of public business") has issued a new report on the state prison system, one that neatly dovetails with recent Blotter posts on sentencing a ... More >>

Go Ask Alice

First-time actress at 77 bares all about Apart From That

Diary of a Mad County