By Eleni Economides Gastis

Peralta Community College District’s student-run publication – Laney College’s The Citizen in Oakland, California – is no stranger to shining a light on issues that impact the community.

The Citizen serves the four-college district with an emphasis on investigative reporting. Using resources that include public records requests or the publication’s industry-standard encrypted leak portal, students have uncovered important stories by:

• Asking for an incident report as part of its reporting on campus security, including notable charges brought against the district’s director of public safety.
• Documenting requests for proposals/contracts and reflecting the hopes of the campus Black Minds Matter group to transform campus safety and wellbeing, in a story about the section of campus security vendors.
• Reviewing a grand jury transcript, request for proposals and other public documents about a construction consulting firm tied to past controversies, including allegations of bribery and fraud, at school districts in southern California.
• Requesting purchase order reports as part of an investigation that revealed outside speaker fee payments ranging from $150 to $60,000 in the absence of a district-wide policy.
• Using the California Public Records Act to review elevator safety issues that occurred with passengers inside.
• In January 2023, filing a public records lawsuit against the district for outstanding public records they had sought for up to two years. After receiving outstanding public records, students from The Citizen settled with the district in October 2023.