Class Action Lawsuit Against Major Torrance Industry

Amanda Peck

November 14, 2019

For many, 2015 was a year of normalcy. Middle school was nearing its end, Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris had made their relationship public, Hotline Bling was the most overplayed song on the radio, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens was just released. Life was simple; life was good.

But, for the residents of Torrance, there was one event that would change the lives of hundreds. In 2015, the ExxonMobil Refinery exploded. Due to this explosion, over 100 residential and commercial property owners within a close range of the plant have filed a class-action lawsuit.

In this case, there are two classes of plaintiffs that have been affected by the plant and are moving to declare the refinery as a public nuisance. The demands also include that the refinery stop employing the use of hydrofluoric acid due to its highly toxic properties. The filing could result in all 100 property owners receiving financial compensation due to the effects of soil vapors that come from contaminated groundwater that has been seeping through the ground.

Joshua Boxer, a lawyer of the Manhattan Beach Matern Law Group, had filed the lawsuit in 2017. He states his hopefulness that, “the court’s ruling will set the stage for substantive relief for the community.” Aside from just receiving financial compensation due to contamination detailed within the plaintiff’s lawsuit, reparations may include purchases of affected properties as well as installing better ventilation and vapor extraction wells. ExxonMobil has already done so with Del Amo Boulevard which runs east and west aside the refinery.

Matt Edling, an attorney based in San Francisco at the firm Sher Edling LLP, is working on the case with Joshua Boxer and stated that he hopes to, “prevent those types of elevated emissions so those that are living around this refinery can actually live in an area that isn’t contaminated both by air and by ground.”

Kiran Abayaratna (12) is a Torrance resident who is settled less than three blocks from the refinery. Educated on the details of the case and its monetary motivations, Abayaratna expresses his doubts about the plaintiff’s true reasoning for pursuing the case. “One of the biggest concerns I’m sure [the plaintiffs] have is how the refinery brings down their property values.” The West High student shared his worries of, “how much carbon emissions the refinery produces.” Abayaratna’s statement showcases a whole other quandary of the way the environment as a whole is impacted. Because nature and the environment cannot be compensated through money, the plaintiffs and legal team – with a broader reach – could make a great, positive environmental impact.

Link to article on West Signals

A New Way to Live on Campus

Amanda Peck

October 22, 2019

Imagine: You are a college student in LA County. Your last class of the day has just ended and you head to the vending machine for a quick and easy dinner. As you pop open your soda and chips, you unlock your car that has been sitting in the campus parking lot all day and toss your backpack into your car and grab your shower caddy. The bathroom facilities that have been recently installed in the parking lot aren’t even that bad; they’re actually convenient. After you’ve washed up for the night you head back to your car, fold down the seats, and roll out your bed set-up.

For many students, this is not just a game of pretend– it is their life. Estimates state 16% of college students in Los Angeles have experienced homelessness in their college careers or are currently still in the unfortunate situation. In the past year, a new bill has been drafted by Assemblyman Marc Berman that addresses the student vagrancy issue. The bill is aimed to allow college students to live out of their car on campus parking lots that will be equipped with bathroom facilities. This bill mirrors a law passed in 2016 allowing homeless students to utilize athletic locker-room showers and facilities, no matter if they are in a sport or not.

Although this destitution is a pressing issue creeping into colleges, the bill Berman is attempting to enter into legislation is not geared toward solving transient living situations of students but to provide assistance and support for those who need it.

Former Warrior and current college student, Joji Maldonado expresses his empathy for the students involved in the circumstance at hand. “I can see that there are positive aspects of this bill as a student myself, but that’s just not humane. Can’t the colleges use funds to help give the students dorms?” Maldonado raises a very interesting question: “Just for example, the National Collegiate Athletic Association accumulates a huge profit but where does that money go? I think money like that should be taken into consideration.”

A universal question that many students ask themselves sometime in their schooling is “What is the university doing with my money?”. Aside from the proposed bill and the law of the athletic shower rooms, not much is being done by the colleges themselves. This is worrisome for many incoming college freshman who may face similar challenges as those living in their cars.

As many students at West High are preparing for the shift from high school to college life, what is happening to students among the UC’s and Cal States is troubling those who are applying. Taylor Fjellstrom (12) ardently shares her thoughts on the topic: “They are literally telling their students to be homeless because education is greater than a home or decent shelter. I understand the importance of school, but what about a real home?” Fjellstrom indicates a riveting problem that colleges today are raising: Is education a higher priority than having a real place to live? Along with the timeless question, “Should the schools be responsible for their students’ living situations?”

Link to article on West Signals

Life During Lockdown

Amanda Peck

May 6, 2020

During these trying times amid COVID-19, the world has come to a stand-still economically and socially. In the learning community, teachers and students are trying to continue with classes online and keep on as regular of a schedule as possible – which is no doubt a challenge in the face of such uncertain times.

When asked if she thinks her education quality remains the same after transitioning to all online classes, Alessia D’Eusebio, a second year student at El Camino College, replied, “No, not at all.” D’Eusebio explains how “in-person classes provide a better understanding and level of comprehension that a digital education just can’t match.”

Among many college students who had expected a normal and in-person education, the question of whether tuition costs will be reduced, returned, or rolled over to the next semester has been raised. D’Eusebio doesn’t know how the situation should be carried out but she thinks students “should definitely get money back in some way because they are allowing students to drop classes without notations and refunds if students can’t take online classes. In my case I don’t want to drop any classes or waste time. We are being forced to do online classes which we didn’t pay for so I would like some sort of compensation.”

College students are not the only ones who are facing situations they’d never imagined. Taylor Fjellstrom (12) is a member of the Drill team at West High. Drill’s competition season was cancelled the week classes were dismissed. “The last week we were in school … state and two other national competitions were cancelled. It’s just so hard because it was supposed to be our last competition season as seniors.” Having your last season of your sport cancelled is a big hit the senior class has had to take. Not only is the 2020 senior class losing electives and sports, they are also losing activities such as prom, grad night, senior sunset, and many other events that high school students look forward to for all four years.

Fjellstrom explains how upset she is: “I’ve worked so hard throughout my whole education with stressful nights, mental breakdowns, and disappointments because of school and I’m not going to be able to have any fun or reward for it.” Fjellstrom is most likely leaving California this summer to continue her education at Ball State in Indiana. “It’s my one chance to see all of these people again in the same place and now I’m never going to get that.”

Not only are the seniors facing a somber time, but all high schoolers. Danielle Ciscel (9) expected a drastically different experience of her first high school year. “It’s not fun at all, it doesn’t feel like the freshman experience everyone talks about.” Many would think online classes would be a vacation or a godsend, but Ciscel, like many others, “prefers to be in class” rather than out of it.

On the bright side, this lockdown does provide time that none of us would typically have. Alessia D’Eusebio says that “I have almost no time [normally] due to school work but when I’m not studying I’m cooking or baking.” D’Eusebio advises people to “do their work when they would typically be in that class and to find shows on Netflix or Hulu to pass the time.” This is not a usual time, so everyone has had to improvise and find ways to maintain sanity and stay productive outside of the classroom. Taylor Fjellstrom has “started running and working out every morning because I don’t have Drill anymore and I’ve started doing house work like cleaning and fixing things.” Fjellstrom claims that “working out has given [her] a purpose and [she’s] savoring this extra time [she] wouldn’t usually have.”

It is always good to look on the bright side of the situation and people like Fjellstrom, Ciscel and D’Eusebio definitely are doing just that. Whether it be meditation, yoga, exercise, cooking, painting, reading, writing, cleaning, etc. it is especially important to stay productive and mindful at this time and to maintain a schedule so that when the time comes for life to resume, we may find our way back to normalcy a bit easier.

Link to article on West Signals

Skincare in Quarantine

Amanda Peck

May 26, 2020

During these stressful times under worldwide lockdowns, many people have found lots of free time on their hands. To combat the stressors of the new normal, many individuals have found solace in the rituals of skincare.

Skincare is one of the most common forms of self-care and a way to destress as well as brighten, tone, and clear the skin. Oftentimes products are made with relaxation in mind; they are paired with calming fragrances in order to bring an atmosphere of zen into daily life.

Taylor Fjellstrom (12) has upped her skincare game during the quarantine. Typically she does the basics; face wash, toner, moisturizer. Fjellstrom says that she now actively pampers her skin because “I have time and it’s something to do; it makes me feel normal again.” Skincare is a luxury and privilege to some people, so the act of treating oneself by “doing face masks,” says Fjellstrom, makes the world feel like things might just be okay.

Not only is skincare a way back to feeling normal, it is a great way to decompress after a long day. El Camino student Alessia D’Eusebio takes care of her skin by means of luxurious baths. “Now that I have more time I set up candles and a diffuser to create a calming atmosphere. I also love adding bath bombs to the water.” D’Eusebio is currently in the throes of her anatomy class and explains how she “can never catch a break. Spending an hour in the bath with Netflix on and a snack helps to rejuvenate me and my energy.”

In times such as these it is very important to take care of oneself. Being mindful and monitoring stress levels is what will get people through this uncharted terrain of quarantine. In an Allure article, Nicola Dall’asen explains how “even if it’s hard right now, sticking to a beauty routine does help me feel more normal … That’s why I’ve started keeping a beauty schedule so I know exactly when I need to put on a face mask, groom my eyebrows, or even tend to my body hair… so I can keep track of what day it is or how much time has passed.” Keeping set routines, rituals, and schedules is a healthy way to cope with these extraordinary times we all are facing. Not only is skincare a way to keep a routine, it keeps people feeling their best in a time where such mundane things may help to keep us afloat.

Link to article on West Signals