The Brief

Nicole Salaver’s uncle, Patrick Salaver, was one of the leaders behind the Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State University in the late 1960s. This movement ultimately brought ethnic studies programs to colleges nationwide. Despite his role as a Filipino civil rights leader, Patrick Salaver is largely unknown by the public. On episode 9 of Inheriting, Nicole Salaver sets the record straight and honors her uncle’s legacy, while building her own.

Meet Nicole Salaver

Nicole Salaver is an artist and filmmaker. She’s also a program manager at Balay Kreative, a studio that provides financial support and workspaces for Filipino artists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her uncle Patrick Salaver helped to raise her and fostered her love for arts and culture.

“He basically took me in and was like a second father,” Nicole Salaver says. “When I realized I wanted to be an actress, it was a lot because of my uncle Pat. He gave me (my first) VHS camera, and (through that) I got to act for the first time. I got to direct for the first time and write.”

Patrick Salaver’s superpower was storytelling. He would tell his niece countless tales about his past, but growing up, Nicole Salaver never paid much attention. It wasn’t until she got to college and took a Filipino American history class at SF State that she finally understood. Her uncle had once led a movement that transformed higher education and paved the way for ethnic studies programs in colleges nationwide.

Nicole Salaver and her uncle, Patrick Salaver, when Nicole was a baby.

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Courtesy of Nicole Salaver

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A Brief History of Pat Salaver and the Third World Liberation Front

In the late 1960s, Patrick Salaver was a student at SF State – with a front row seat to an era of political change: the convergence of the Civil Rights Movement with protests against the Vietnam War and the establishment of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, Calif.

But rather than remain a bystander, Patrick Salaver got involved. Student groups at SF State, led by racial and ethnic minorities, were waging their own battles against the college administration. Organizations known then as the Black Students Union, the Latin American Students Organization, El Renacimiento, and the Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor, which Patrick Salaver co-founded, came together to form the Third World Liberation Front. Among their demands, the coalition called on the administration to admit more students of color to the school and to implement a college of ethnic studies.

The stakes were high. The war in Vietnam raged on. A disproportionate number of men of color were being sent overseas to fight. Patrick Salaver and his fellow organizers knew that college enrollment could protect men of color from the draft

Nicole and Patrick Salaver at her graduation from San Francisco State University in 2003. Nicole lobbied for SF State to give Pat an honorary degree at the graduation

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Courtesy of Nicole Salaver

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“This is the tenth year of our participation in the war in Southeast Asia, and it has been clear for some time to many that it was wrong,” Patrick Salaver would later write.

He and his fellow students participated in a violent, months-long student strike – the longest in U.S. history. While it ultimately led to some major wins, Patrick Salaver’s activism and refusal to report for induction into the military took a toll on his personal life. It’s a legacy that Nicole Salaver wants to honor, by making a feature film about her uncle.

“It's my life's mission … to have his story out there so that other Asian Americans and just Americans in general can see the importance and sacrifice that my uncle laid his life for,” Nicole Salaver says.

How can I listen to more of this story?

Hear Episode 9 of Inheriting:

New episodes of “Inheriting” publish every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts and on LAist.com/Inheriting.

Warmer temperatures are on tap through Wednesday, but don't worry, cooling will return for Thanksgiving.

Low clouds and some fog will cover the beaches Tuesday morning, but that will clear by the afternoon. Along the Orange County coast, expect highs of between 68 and 74 degrees. For L.A. County, highs will be from 70 to 78 degrees.

More inland, valley communities will see highs of up to 81 degrees in some areas. Temperatures for the Inland Empire will range from 74 to 80 degrees.

In Coachella Valley, expect daytime highs of up to 79 degrees. The Antelope Valley will be cooler, with highs reaching 67 degrees.

Santa Ana winds forecast

Santa Ana winds are returning, which means it will be breezy all day in most areas. Gusts could reach up to 25 mph in the foothills, around 30 mph for the 5 Freeway corridor and Santa Clarita Valley, and up to 35 mph for the San Gabriel Mountains.

If you’ve noticed more wildlife visiting your yard in recent years — maybe digging up your vegetable garden or even drinking from your pool — you’re not alone.

A recent study from UCLA found that larger predators like mountain lions and bears are more likely to interact with humans and travel closer to population centers in drier years. To determine this, the researchers analyzed state data collected on reported property damage, nuisances, conflicts and sightings.

“It kind of runs the full gamut of how people interact with wildlife around their neighborhoods and their homes,” said UCLA postdoctoral researcher Kendall Calhoun, the lead author on the study.

It's not just P-22. Mountain lions across the whole state are forced to leave their habitats for survival.

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Courtesy Kendall Calhoun

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Different motivations for different animals

As you might expect, different animals might have different reasons for entering populated areas. But in large part, Calhoun said, it comes down to animals’ survival instincts.

The primary motivator for many herbivores is likely to be food. That’s because with less precipitation, there’s also less plant material for them to eat. (Don’t forget: even with all the rain we’ve had recently, much of Southern California is still in a drought.)

“ Deer and elk might be pushed to find those food resources in places that they normally wouldn't go, like agriculture, crops, things from people's yards, persimmons from your tree,” Calhoun said.

And as herbivores get pushed toward humans, the animals that prey on them are too. In fact, the species that saw the highest increases in clashes with humans were omnivores and carnivores, specifically mountain lions, coyotes, black bears and bobcats.

But even these animals have varying reasons for getting close to people.

“Mountain lions might be more inclined to look for supplemental food in livestock — that might be a sheep or a goat,” Calhoun said. “Black bears may be more willing to go into your trash to look for food to help supplement what they're missing in their resource-scarce natural areas.”

Meanwhile, animals of all kinds might enter a yard even when they have enough food to look for standing water.

About the data

Researchers analyzed data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that were reported over the last several years as part of a citizen science initiative.

One important caveat is that the researchers primarily looked at conflicts between wildlife and residents, and there may be differences in how these interactions are reported.

For example, you might not report a deer eating fruit from an overloaded tree as a nuisance, but even a peaceful black bear digging through your trash could raise alarm bells.

 "People also really value having wildlife living alongside them," Calhoun said. "It really is important for us to try to strike that balance where there's pros for both sides, without some of the negative interactions that come with living in close proximity with wildlife species."

Learn more about human-wildlife interactions

There’s more background on the research on UCLA’s website, and you can find the full study here.

You can also learn much more about interactions between humans and wildlife in LAist’s Imperfect Paradise podcast series, “Lions, Coyotes, & Bears.”

Low-cost internet service will soon roll out in parts of L.A. County at the end of this year, and organizers say eligible households can sign up for alerts when the service becomes available.

The service — a partnership between L.A. County and internet provider WeLink — is the latest project from the county’s “Delete the Divide,” an initiative meant to bridge the digital divide in underserved neighborhoods.

Major funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as a grant from the California Public Utilities Commission.

It’s badly needed

About 23%, or more than 20,000, households in the East L.A. and Boyle Heights area don’t have home internet, according to Delete the Divide.

The service will also soon be coming to South L.A., where more than 40,000 households were identified as lacking home internet.

What you need to know

There will be different plans available — including low-income, market-rate and small business options — at fixed prices. The low-cost plan will start at $25 per month for qualifying families. Those who don’t qualify could also purchase plans starting at $65 a month. Monthly rates are fixed until at least September 2027.

Every plan includes unlimited data, a router and parental controls.

Low-cost internet service will soon roll out in South L.A. at the end of this year.

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Courtesy of L.A. County

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Low-cost internet service will soon roll out in parts of East L.A. and Boyle Heights at the end of this year.

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Courtesy of L.A. County

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How it works 

WeLink will install a Wi-Fi router inside a home and a 4-inch radio on the roof to connect the household to the internet.

Interested households can sign up for updates and be notified by WeLink when service is available here.