Week two: Safe parking proposal shut down, possible 2nd black hole, new Northern Cafe spot
(Left to right: Amy Dixon/Daily Bruin senior staff, Martín Bilbao/Daily Bruin senior staff, Ashley Kenney/Daily Bruin)
By Cecile Wu
Jan. 17, 2020 1:12 p.m.
This Week in the News serves as The Quad’s space for reflection on current events at and around UCLA. Every week, Daily Bruin staffers will analyze some of the most significant stories to keep readers up to speed.
Week two is wrapping up, and Bruins are starting to experience the grind of winter quarter. In case your New Year’s resolution of keeping up with the news is faltering, here’s The Quad’s roundup of the top stories for This Week in the News.
UCLA rejects parking space proposal for students experiencing homelessness
An effort between a local council and UCLA students to provide on-campus parking spaces where students experiencing homelessness can sleep has been rejected by UCLA.
Last year, the North Westwood Neighborhood Council and the Undergraduate Students Association Council urged UCLA to consider safe parking spots on campus to aid UCLA students experiencing homelessness, said to stem from the high financial burden of living in pricey Westwood. UCLA, however, rejected the proposal.
Michael Beck, the administrative vice chancellor, stated at the meeting on Jan. 8 that the parking spaces would be unsanitary for the students and said UCLA is instead planning to create a hostel-like environment for students to sleep at. An inventory was also conducted and concluded that only 13 individuals slept in parked cars. There was no elaboration on how the inventory was conducted.
Beck said a more safe and sanitary solution is under consideration. A smaller version of the hostel program with about 100 beds may arrive as soon as fall quarter, with a larger, more permanent facility following after.
Michael Skiles, president of the NWWNC, believes this solution may cause problems. Because Westwood is such an expensive neighborhood, students with homes might compete with students experiencing homelessness for a spot in the hostel program.
In the meantime, Beck said any student experiencing homelessness can receive immediate assistance through the Economic Crisis Response Team.
Astronomers discover possibility of second black hole in Milky Way
Researchers at UCLA hinted at the possibility of a companion black hole at the center of our galaxy.
Smadar Naoz, the lead author of the study, is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA. She and her team are using measurements of a star’s orbit to gather this information, which could either confirm or deny the presence of a second black hole. Naoz said that while a majority of galaxies have a single massive black hole, merged galaxies could have multiple black holes in the middle.
Naoz also stated in the article that they were able to know where this possible sibling of the Milky Way’s black hole, Sagittarius A*, cannot be, as well as a range of the companion’s mass. The discovery could challenge current ideas of galaxy mergers.
UCLA men’s basketball losing streak
The Bruins are officially in a three-loss streak after suffering a defeat against the Cardinal this week. Previously, UCLA was taken down by Washington State and USC.
Washington State took the win 79-71 against UCLA on Jan. 4 at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins gave up a double-digit lead in the second half and were outscored 14-6 in overtime.
The Bruins also lost 74-63 to the Trojans last Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. Coach Mick Cronin chalked it up to not being a solid defensive team.
He and co-lead redshirt senior guard Prince Ali agreed USC’s eight second-chance points and 36 points in the paint boosted its momentum down the line. Cronin said the cause was over-rotating on help defense outside.
The latest blow came Wednesday when Stanford beat UCLA 74-59. This game was the Cardinal’s first win at Pauley in nearly 15 years.
One of the main issues the Bruins faced was a high turnover rate, which Cronin attributed to the team’s lack of “mental fortitude.” UCLA had 16 turnovers, which Stanford converted into 21 points.
While other restaurants close, Northern Cafe to open 3rd Westwood location
The Northern Cafe franchise is expanding with another location in Westwood Village, making it the third within close distance to campus.
The new location is set to become a hot pot joint and will arrive on Broxton Avenue later this year, accompanying a dumpling house on Gayley Avenue and a noodle station on Weyburn Avenue. This development is a striking success against the current high vacancy rates in Westwood Village, which is over 20%. Fallen restaurants from 2019 include Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, SpireWorks and Nushii.
The Westwood Village Improvement Association has been working to resolve this problem with renovations and proposals.
Andrew Thomas, the executive director of the WVIA, is excited about the new opening. He believes new additions will promote business and invite new tenants. The opening will be a message to businesses that there is a possibility of success in the community.
