The Monarch

Crisis at the Border

With tensions around immigration rising across the country, the United States must address an important question: How can the nation ensure that immigration policy balances its humanitarian impulses with pragmatic action?

Anik Chobe, Staff Writer • February 26, 2024

The continued conflict between the Federal Government and Texas has been a clear demonstration that the government’s long-standing immigration policies have been ineffective at actually solving the causes...

BART’s Financial Crisis: Let’s Keep the Cash Flow on Track!

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, BART and other public transportation systems have begun to experience a sharp decline in ridership and revenue, propelling the overall structures of these systems to collapse. As BART is an integral part of the transit infrastructure in the Bay Area, concerns regarding the impact that commuters and residents will face on the daily following BART's recents budget cuts have become a conversation of increasing urgency.

Ryan Tsai, Ritish Anand, and Cameron To • February 26, 2024

The BART financial crisis is in full swing as economic vitality of the Bay Area continues to be compromised.

Shoplifting: The Rise of Bay Area Bandits

Countless videos of people getting caught shoplifting in the Bay Area have surfaced across the internet. Shoplifters continue to have their way as communities frantically wait for a solution. The question businesses are searching for the answer to: How do you stop an offense that can’t even be punished?

Ryan Tsai and Ritish Anand • December 8, 2023

Recent legislation in California has reclassified certain misconducts like burglary and drug possession as “misdemeanors,” leading these scofflaws to receive more lenient penalties. At the expense of our society, shoplifters are now taking full advantage of the loopholes in the law while simultaneously reaping a dishonorable bonus from workers all across the Bay Area.

Putting a Roof Over the Head of California

California’s homeless population continues to skyrocket despite legislative action. But, what is the social impact of rising homelessness—and what can the state government do to support these communities?

Anik Chobe and Navya Tyagali • December 6, 2023

Over the last decade, California’s homelessness crisis has only continued to increase—pushing citizens out of housing and inflating housing prices to be unaffordable for nearly 85% of California’s population.

Instagram v.s. Reality

Meta, the company that runs Instagram and Facebook, has landed itself a lawsuit because of accusations that features like "updating statuses on Facebook" have further implications of spiraling into ensnaring addictions for youth.

George Feng and Isabel Carvalho • December 6, 2023

Scrolling through Instagram and Facebook to catch up with old friends and family might not be the same anymore with the company because Meta, the company that owns the two social media platform, has recently been the spotlight of criticism and has recently been sued.

The Rising Need of Food in the Bay Area

The issue of food hunger is prevalent everywhere in the Bay Area, and the average costs of living after the COVID-19 pandemic have made it challenging to meet the demanding costs of common items, including food. Yet, this haunting problem is not as difficult to solve in our community as we think it to be.

Grace Wang and Alexandra Nguyen • October 18, 2023

Almost one million people in the Bay Area experience food insecurity on the daily, despite the booming economic status of the area. How did this happen?

Unraveling the Decline of San Francisco

Is San Francisco truly a bustling metropolis with picturesque scenery and a fruitful economy, or is reality much more dreary? Recent surges in homelessness, the drug crises, and crimes in the city have taken a profound toll on its reputation.

Ryan Tsai and Ritish Anand • October 18, 2023

What happens when the Bay Area's prosperous “City Upon a Hill” transforms into a dangerous city?

Fast Fashion, the Environment, and Human Right

With the help of social media, the fast fashion industry is taking the world by storm. But what countless people don't know is that this phenomenon is threatening lives and our planet.

Cameron To, Staff Writer • October 18, 2023

Shein, one of the most lucrative fast-fashion brands, has recently responded to its allegations of unethical working conditions by using a questionable source of propaganda: TikTok influencers. Influencers are depicted touring the "ethical" and "livable" Shein factories, essentially re-branding Shein's tarnished reputation of notorious sweatshops. Yet, this move by Shein only backfired, ensuing even more criticism and backlash regarding the potential ramifications of the fast-fashion industry, but one question comes to mind: what is to come if fast-fashion companies continue their harmful practices?

The Fall of Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed on Friday, March 10, 2023, in what is now the country’s second-largest bank failure, after the 2008 financial crisis.

Anik Chobe, Sanjana Bhupathi, and Alice Kang • May 2, 2023

Silicon Valley Bank was among the top twenty American commercial banks, with $175 billion in deposits. SVB’s success was spurred on by the pandemic, with its bank deposits increasing drastically from 2020 to 2022 due to low-interest rates. However, even as SVB saw increased success, not everything was going smoothly

Teenagers’ Struggle With Mental Health

Student Wellness and Mitty

Aarav Bavishi and Nicholas Corral • April 30, 2023

The surgeon general has declared it “the defining public health crisis of our time.” The American Academy of Pediatrics has declared it a national emergency. Not COVID-19, but teenage mental health.

Fentanyl? You Better Fend for Your All

After Mrs. Didier’s compelling speech at this month’s assembly, I’m sure we’ve all been left wondering: how bad can the crisis be to affect us? The answer to that question? There is no answer to take home, only precautions to heed so that it doesn’t extend to you.

Terena Nguyen, Staff Editor • February 19, 2023

Emerging as a national threat, the opioid crisis has continued to plague our country with fatality rates that continue to toll to larger numbers. In recent years, the proliferation of the infamous synthetic opioid fentanyl has driven communities to shambles, as anxiety of whether the next victim is a loved one mars the vitality of our society.

It’s Low Tide for California’s Homeless

For California’s most vulnerable, an influx of rain brings an influx of consequences. Without shelter, the homeless population faces the foreseeable challenge of surviving in extreme weather.

Anika Bhutani and Katherine Wilcox • February 17, 2023

After several weeks of intense rainfall, Californians are finally able to walk outside their front doors without onslaughts of heavy rain. While the rain only lasted for a few weeks, the amount of water...