Los Medanos College Political Science 10

M. Clarke, Instructor

FIELD STUDY AND IN-CLASS PRESENTATION

Students in this section of Political Science 10 will have the opportunity to substitute one
course examination for the optional Field Study and Presentation component of this course.
This assignment serves as an avenue for observing State or local political institutions in
practice. Through such observations, students will have the opportunity to witness the
“practical” application of course subject matter in the operation of government and other
politically-related institutions.

The Field Studies and presentation process should provide students with an on-going
assessment of local political institutions. Ideally, the visit to specific sites and the
subsequent reports will empower students to inform the wider community about the conduct
of government and implementation of laws. In doing so, students will be strengthening the
democratic and participatory nature of our political system.

SITE VISITS

Students will be required to visit two different sites (see list of possible sites) or visit the
same site twice, under circumstances approved by the instructor. ​Students are expected
to spend a minimum of two hours at ​each​ site.​ Please be prepared to take notes and if
possible, ask questions. Attending some type of governmental meeting is the preferred kind
of site visit. However, basic requirements for a site visit are: ​two-hour time commitment​,
regularity, having a process to observe, verification, and a governmental/
legal/political-relationship.

VERIFICATION

Students will be required to obtain some form of documentation from the site visit, which
verifies attendance. Meeting agendas or minutes are the preferred form of documentation.
Site visits to courts can be verified by obtaining the names of at least two people consisting
of court officials and individuals who are required to attend (e.g. judge and
defendant)(please see the additional criteria for a visit to court on page 2).

Please be aware that the falsification or “fabrication” of any aspect of the field study
process could result in an “F” grade for the course ​pursuant​ ​to CCCCD Student
Services Procedure 3027 which specifies that grounds for disciplinary action includes
“Acts of academic dishonesty,” “fabrication,” and “assisting others in an act of academic
dishonesty.”

IN-CLASS PRESENTATION

Students will be required to conduct a presentation on their respective site visit activities during
normal class time. This presentation will be based on the questions listed on the site visit
reporting form. Although students will be awarded 15 points for presenting this report, both the
presentation and written Site Visit report forms must be completed to receive the total 75 points
awarded for this assignment. Site Visit reports must be completed prior to in-class
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presentations. ​Each individual presentation should take no longer than 5-7 minutes​. The
scheduling of the in-class presentations will be at the discretion of the instructor.

WRITTEN SITE VISIT REPORTS

Students participating in this activity will be required to complete two Site Visit Report forms
based on their two respective site visits. All site visit reports must be typed. Completed
Site visit report forms that deviate in any way from the attached original form will not be
accepted. One site visit report and presentation will not be accepted and no partial points
will be awarded. Students will be awarded 5 points for answering each question on the Site
Visit report form. A total of 30 points will be awarded for each completed report. The
failure to complete the sections that include your name, site name, time of arrival and
departure and date of the site visit will result in a one point deduction for each uncompleted
section. A minimum of five sentences (one point per sentence) must be completed for each
question in describing the meeting attended. A meeting or other types of site visits in which
there is the absence of activity is not an acceptable site. Each site visit must have some
activity or discussion to report on.

Although you will not be graded for grammar, students are expected to submit reports that
are clear and that meet the normal standards of college-level composition. Students will be
required to re-write reports that failed to meet these conditions.

Court Site Visits

When using a court as a site for the field study project, special conditions apply, in addition
to the criteria stated above. ​The failure to comply with these requirements will
disqualify the submission of site visits reports.​ These conditions include:

1. When answering question#2 “​What were the main or major item(s) discussed or
type of activity at the site visit?” ​include either the name of the case(e.g. “The People
v. John Doe,” or if not a specific case, the type of legal procedure that was being
conducted(e.g. arraignments, pre-trial hearings).

2. When answering question#2 “​What were the main or major item(s) discussed or
type of activity at the site visit?” ​and the site visit activity involves an actual legal
case, the site report must:
- cite the type of activity taking place(e.g. testimony, jury selection,
summation), as one part of the five major points that describe this activity.
If the site visit activity involves a legal procedure(e.g. arraignments):
-there should be a description of at least three legal cases or a
breakdown of the time expended on a procedural matter related to one
defendant.
The requirement of five sentences per question continues to apply.
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POSSIBLE SITE LOCATIONS

1. Superior Court 8. Fire District Meetings
2. Park District Meetings 9. Water District Meetings
3. School Board Meetings 10. LMC Student Senator Meetings
4. City Planning Commission Meetings 11. Board of Supervisors Meeting
5. County Planning Commission Meetings 12. Advisory Board Meetings
6. Human Relations Commission Meetings 13. City Council Meetings
7. LMC Academic Senate 14. LMC Curriculum Committee

SACRAMENTO:​ California’s state capital can be the source of many different types of site
visits. There are many possible interesting opportunities to fulfill the Site Visit requirement,
including for example visits to Assembly/Senate Chambers-Offices, Lobby/ Public interest
offices, and state government offices. Students that are considering a trip to Sacramento
are encouraged to refer to guidebooks, maps, directories for information about Senate/
Assembly Schedules, and the offices of their state legislative representatives.

COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS: ​Meetings are held once a month on

Wednesday evenings and usually begin around 7:00pm. Students interested in attending
this meeting should confirm the starting time prior to attending.
Location: George Gordon Education Center Bldg., 500 Court Street, Martinez, CA
 SITE VISIT REPORT FORM

Name: Mauricio bermudez____________________________

Site____pittsburg superior court_______________________________

Date of Site Visit____________may 14, 2019_________________

Time of Arrival___11________ Time of Departure___5_______ (5) Points

1. Description of Organizational Structure and Attendance.(5) points)

A. Who were the main individuals leading or involved in this

site visit? -​There were a few individuals who were leading the site visit, first off
Judge Wendy Coats. Then there was sherif Martinez who basically did everything
that was needed like pass papers throughout the court and help keep order. we also
had the DA Natasha Metha and the PD Naomi Farvwell. Last but not least the most
important part the last 14 jury with 2 alternates that made the last cut, they basically
decide the fate. there are alot of moving parts in a courtroom but when ran smoothly
it all comes together to solve everything with the utmost of fairness.

B. Where was the site visit located? Was the site conveniently located
and conducted in an adequate environment? -​The site was located at the
Superior court of California, County of Contra Costa Pittsburg. One could say
that the site was conveniently located, due to the fact that it sits right off the
freeway easy access coming from both ways. The conduction took place in a
quite adequate environment. the courtroom wasn't nothing like the movies but
it was quite official had the judge and all. just the surroundings alone turned
me in to my inner “justice must be served” phase the one i tap in to when i sit
down and watch my favorite crime movies or tv.

C. How many people were in attendance? What percentage appeared to

be observing the activity of the site and what percentage appeared to
 be at the site for a specific purpose? Any other details about those in
attendance will be appreciated.-​ The court room wasn't that big to begin
with and the viewing area had like three rows so There were about 13-18 people.
while scanning the audience you can see how certain people react or pay more
attention to specific things that's when you can see what they are there for. like
me for instance you can tell I was there for school coming in with my notebook
and a pen observing. then you have the other majority who is most likely there to
give support for the loved ones who are on trial, who are there for a specific
reason. I would say it was a 80-20, 80% attending for a specific reason and the
other 20% just observing a case.

2. What were the main or major item(s) discussed or type of activity at the site
visit?(5 points)​- This was a currently on going case so I was missing some
information but the kind bailiff caught me up to speed and helped me know what was
going on. Basically I was attending a trial of the People v. Frankie Farwell where the
charges were identity theft, and forgery relating a check, bond, bank, bill, note or money
order not exceeding 950$ in value. majority of the time spent that day was picking the
right jury members, the ones who seem can judge this trial fair based off asking a set
number of questions asking about their beliefs and history with the law to see if any of
that will change the outcome of the trial. “are you able and willing to judge the trail fairly
without giving the law enforcement a leg up or a leg down…” (Judge Coats)

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3. Do you think that the meeting, operations or activity at the site was
successfully conducted? Why or why not?(5 points)​- yes, when it comes to
the Superior Court it should be conducted sucssesfuly. even though i've only
been to court a few times they seem to be reasonable and fair throughout their
trials. they were really thorough on choosing the jury members who were going to
make the cut asking for reasoning if they answered a question a little off or
simply if they just said no. that was my favorite part but also a part that explains a
lot on why minorities serve longer sentences more frequently, you have a jury
made up of people probably not even from your community with different
problems and different beliefs with your life in their hands just doesn't sound all to
fair.
4. If you could change one aspect of the activity at the site, what would you
change?(5 points) ​- it is probably hard but I would try to fill the jury with more
people from around the actual area and community . The trial I attended had people all
the way from the silicon valley. Maybe make the process much smoother at times it felt
like the trial was being elongated and dragged out. also I know it is a smaller courtroom
but maybe a little more viewing area everyone was squashed in there. other than that I
think everything went smooth and I wouldn't change anything else.

5. Hypothetically or not, what did you observe at the site visit that would
encourage you to become a member of this group or organization and what
would not?(5 points) ​-
- During this site visit I observed a whole lot I always had interest in being
either a lawyer, officer, or something else in that field but the thought of
being in court everyday didn’t seem appealing to me. But after this visit I
gained a whole different perspective about the whole situation and how
everyone plays a role and comes together to hold a fair trial. I would want
to either sit in more trials or be apart of the jury before I make my decision
If that's the route I would want to take. The one thing that I did observe
was that trials can take up to​ ​days, weeks, and even months that was
major turn off. But like I said I would need to spend a little more time to
decide.
 SITE VISIT REPORT FORM

Name________Mauricio Bermudez____________________

Site______________pittsburg city offices________________________

Date of Site Visit____may 8, 2019_________________________

Time of Arrival____6:30_______ Time of Departure__8:30________ (5)

Points

1. Description of Organizational Structure and Attendance.(5) points)

A. Who were the main individuals leading or involved in this

site visit?- ​here's a list of some of the names who were involved in this site
visit: Hitesh Haria, Dr. Laura Canciamilla, Alex gonzalez, Deshawn
woodridge, Diane Smith, and Dr. Janet Schultz. Each person came to the
table and represented something, like Alex Gonzalez represented the student
body in the meeting. also there were many teachers in attendance and
involved with this visit all backed up by their students, fighting together.

B. Where was the site visit located? Was the site conveniently located
and conducted in an adequate environment? -​ The site was located at the
right next to the Superior court of California, County of Contra Costa
Pittsburg. One could say that the site was conveniently located, due to the
fact that it sits right off the freeway easy access coming from both ways. The
conduction took place in a quite adequate environment. the council room
wasn't nothing like the movies but it was quite official had some chairs
microphones and flags with the seal. just the surroundings alone turned me in
to my inner “justice must be served” phase the one i tap in to when i sit down
and watch my favorite crime movies or tv.
C.

D. How many people were in attendance? What percentage appeared to

be observing the activity of the site and what percentage appeared to
be at the site for a specific purpose? Any other details about those in
 attendance will be appreciated. ​The council room wasn't that big to begin
with and the viewing area had like three rows plus another room where you can
visually see what was going on but you can just hear them speaking. so There
were about 30-50 people jam packed in 2 rooms. while scanning the audience
you can see how certain people react or pay more attention to specific things
that's when you can see what they are there for. like me for instance you can tell
I was there for school coming in with my notebook and a pen observing. then you
have the other majority who is most likely there to give support for the loved ones
who are speaking and ones who are there for a specific reason. I would say it
was a 80-20, 80% attending for a specific reason and the other 20% just
observing the site. this site visit specifically had a very large crowd due to the
topics that were being addressed a lot of teachers and students were in
attendance.

2. What were the main or major item(s) discussed or type of activity at the site
visit?(5 points)-​ there quite a few items discussed many were ongoing
discussions just being revisited. the first topic brought up which really opened my
eyes was the talk of a teachers salary, not just any specific teacher but all the
adult education teachers in this district. They went on about how they only work
19.5 hours a week so they fall just an hour short to receive full benefits but don't
even make enough to basically survive and many teachers have to keep multiple
jobs just to get by. the second topic was on band students and basically them not
receiving p.e credits after being told that band practice will fulfill the high school
requirements for their p.e. credits. with that happening a lot of students are
playing catch up their senior year and even attending lmc summer classes just to
graduate from high school.

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3. Do you think that the meeting, operations or activity at the site was
successfully conducted? Why or why not?(5 points)- ​yes i specifically liked
the way the meeting was conducted, in the middle of the meetings they open up
 the stand for 30 minutes allowing anyone to speak on anything for a max of 3
minutes. and everyone who spoke used up all their time wisely with no delay.
only complaint is again the building was quite small a lot of people were just
standing around even though it was a packed house they should find a better
larger more suitable area to house these council meetings. and if they can make
the speaker time to 45 min instead of 30 i feel like there was more to be said but
we were cut by time.

4. If you could change one aspect of the activity at the site, what would you
change?(5 points) ​i would just change the location of the site. everything ran
smooth, it just got a tad bit to stuffy up in there. it was a two room spot meaning one
room which contained all the desks and some seating, attached with another room
which housed majority of the people. everyone in the second room couldn't really see
they just relied on a decent speaker system to be kept up with what was going on.

5. Hypothetically or not, what did you observe at the site visit that would
encourage you to become a member of this group or organization and what
would not?(5 points) ​I observed a lot to be honest, the open mic part really got
to me and if i ever have a concern and i feel the need to bring it to the council
meeting to better my local community i sure will. it was pretty amazing how ma y
people came in support of the teachers and students, i mean there were people
crammed in the building and flooding to the streets. if that isn't a great
representation on how a community should come together to fight for what they
believe in then i don't know what is, and yes i would like to become apart of this
group.