Sexual violence, harassment, racism and transphobia: Students at CSU’s Maritime Academy share their stories

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, Dec. 15. I’m Ryan Fonseca.

Stories of harassment and assault keep coming out, and they never get easier to read. But they’re important, especially in terms of holding accountable institutions that are supposed to protect people from harm.

A Times investigation, published this week, reveals accounts of sexual violence, harassment, homophobia, transphobia and racism on California State University’s lesser-known campus — a maritime academy.

Located in Vallejo, Cal Maritime trains students for careers at sea. And, with roughly 800 students, it’s the smallest and “most insular of the CSU campuses,” Times reporter Colleen Shalby explained to me this week.

“Even though it’s a Cal State, it has a culture most people would find more similar to a military-style school,” she said. “Because of that [and] because of the industry, there are a lot of misogynistic issues ... that aren’t fixed [and] aren’t talked about.”

(For full transparency, I’ll note here that I teach journalism part time at Cal State Northridge)

Colleen and fellow Times reporter Robert J. Lopez spent the last couple of months talking to cadets, staff and faculty about those issues. From their reporting:

The story is the latest in a series highlighting scandals within the CSU system over its handling of sexual misconduct and retaliation claims.

Robert said he and Colleen realized the story was “an opportunity” to take readers into a little-known culture — and an outlier among CSU schools.

“We’re talking about a campus that’s 80% men, 48% white, compared to the CSU overall, which is nearly 60% women and a little over 20% white,” he said.

Colleen said there’s a “real frustration” among those they spoke with over how campus leaders have addressed — or not addressed — reports of misconduct. Some students also worry about the consequences that speaking out could bring.

“We heard from so many cadets who spoke about fears of ruining their reputation if they were to go forward with reporting misconduct,” she said. “It’s a small industry, and they’re worried that their reputation on campus could follow them into their careers.”

The size of the campus means word can travel fast, Colleen said. Plus, there’s “the sea element,” she explained:

In a statement, Cal Maritime said top administrators have “strongly and repeatedly denounced” misconduct. The school cited actions it says aim to address the problems, including hiring two consultants to improve the complaint reporting process; increasing sexual harassment and reporting training; and opening a community center that serves as a “welcoming place for cadets to gather and study.”

A number of their sources were willing to go on the record, which Robert said “displayed a lot of courage.”

Colleen added: “We have connected with so many different women [and] people who have had these experiences of harassment and assault, and I just think that it’s incredibly courageous for anybody to come forward and share a personal story. It’s not something that we take for granted.”

You can learn more by reading Colleen and Robert’s investigation into CSU’s Maritime Academy.

And now, here’s what’s happening across California:

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L.A. STORIES

I’m still on P-22 watch, and the latest news isn’t great. The famed mountain lion won’t be returning to his Griffith Park home. Biologists say the big cat’s health is deteriorating and they’re considering whether to relocate him to a sanctuary or euthanize him. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

To settle a civil rights lawsuit, the city of Hesperia and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department will pay $1 million to tenants evicted through a “crime-free” housing policy. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city and the Sheriff’s Department in 2019, arguing the policy violated federal fair housing and antidiscrimination laws and unfairly targeted Black and Latino residents. Los Angeles Times

The timeline to build new housing in San Francisco is often measured in years. An analysis of city permit-approval data reveals it typically takes 627 calendar days to get a full building permit for a multifamily housing project and 861 days for a single-family residence. San Francisco Chronicle

CRIME, COURTS AND POLICING

A new report has found the Los Angeles Police Department is not fully tracking how its officers use facial recognition. The LAPD inspector general’s office says department personnel used the AI software nearly 2,000 times last year, but the agency lacks a clear process to document how often the technology is successful — and how often it leads to misidentifying people. Los Angeles Times

Police agencies in California are facing major staffing shortages — and departments in rural communities are feeling it the most. The two key factors: a lack of qualified applicants and wages too low to keep officers around for too long. CalMatters

HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

A drought emergency has been declared for all of Southern California. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is calling on all regional water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies, citing “dire” conditions on the Colorado River. The river’s water levels have fallen dramatically and officials said it could reach “dead pool” levels (below the lowest intake valve). Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

As the drought persists, one enchanted garden at the foot of the Sierra tends to people. An array of fruit — including guavas, papaya, bananas and jujube — flourish at the 13-acre Woodlake Botanical Garden. Times writer Diana Marcum highlights the humans who keep the community garden green and growing. Los Angeles Times

Four more years for Mayor Max! (Or 28 more dog years!) I know journalists should avoid showing political favoritism, but there is one elected leader in California I’m very excited about: Mayor Max III of Idyllwild, who is by all appearances a very good boy. Max and his Cabinet (also dogs) make frequent public appearances and you too could meet him if you make the trip. But that’s not the only reason to visit — travel writers Julie Wolfson and Fiona Chandra put together a list of 19 other things to see and do in Idyllwild. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles: mostly sunny, 62. San Diego: mostly sunny, 61. San Francisco: mostly sunny, 55. San Jose: patchy frost and fog then mostly sunny, 56. Fresno: patchy frost then mostly sunny, 53. Sacramento: frost then sunny, 53.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory is from Sean Leonard:

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

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