Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – Berkeley Political Aide James Chang is innocent. In a blockbuster bit of news, a person who requested anonymity for this publication, was an eyewitness to the events involving James Chang, the Berkeley political aide and once candidate for Berkeley City Council, says that he did not do sexual assault to the person making the heresay claim. As stated many times, James Chang is innocent.
On April 16th, 2024, The Daily Californian reported “A UC Berkeley undergraduate student close to District 7 candidate James Chang’s campaign alleged Chang sexually assaulted them at a rave.
The Daily Californian report continued “The student, who requested anonymity out of fear for personal safety, alleged that Chang groped them and made unwanted advances after taking psychedelic drugs at the rave. The student fled the event, accidentally taking Chang’s wallet with them.”
James Chang Daily Cal Story Is A Lie
That story told by the the Daily Californian is a lie according to Chang and an eyewitness to the events involving James Chang and the so called accuser.
James Chang said “I did attend a concert on March 30th with a date. This person Is approximately 25 years old and not the child-student the Daily Cal suggests. We attended the concert together with two other people and I was in a public space with hundreds of other people the entire time. My date and I were in close proximity to each other during the musical event. I deny categorically that I ever touched their genitals as the article claims.”
James Chang continued “The individual mentioned in The Daily Cal’s story did at one point indicate he was going to the bathroom, but took my wallet and coat with him. He has refused to return my things following my repeated written request to do so.”
James Chang continued “When my date went home without me and wouldn’t return my things, I became concerned he was upset about something or that I had made him uncomfortable in someway. Via texts and in phone messages, I apologized again and again for causing any distress. But I never apologized for a sexual assault as the source of the Daily Cal article implied, because there never was asexual assault.”
As reported here at ZennieReport.com before, the claims against Chang are without merit.
Eyewitness Signs Affadavid That James Chang Did Not Do Sexual Assault To His Date
An eyewitness to the episode involving James Chang has come forward and issued a statement that does exonerate the Berkeley political aide. Here is the sworn statement in full, but with the name witheld:
On March 30, 2024, I attended a concert with James Chang and his date. I was there with them the whole time, they were never alone, I was sober. Here’s what really happened: a group of us went out to an event. Everyone danced and partied. I witnessed no sexual harassment or assault. I know who made the false and defamatory report because he took James Chang’s wallet. This individual accused of James taking drugs – there was no sexual harassment, touching, or assault during the time which we were with James the whole time until 1:30am, March 31, 2024. During the middle of the group together, the individual left the group abruptly and took James’ wallet and coat that did not belong to him, and hasn’t returned them. To this date, no press, no police, has contacted me or to my knowledge anyone else who was at the event.
I, Name Witheld, under the penalty of perjury, do hereby certify that the foregoing information is true and correct.
This is the 22 day of April, 2024.
– Statement from Eyewitness who did not give permission to use their name here.
Daily Californian Did Not Check The Claims Of James Chang’s Date
What’s strange about this story is that the Daily Californian did not reveal in its reporting that it endorsed the political candidate running against Chang. Moreover, The Daily Californian claimed that it’s editorial board is separate from its news department. We checked that.
The Daily Cal says that its editorial board is….
The Spring 2024 Editorial Board comprises Miriam Klaczynska, Kavya Gupta, Matthew Brown, Aarthi Muthukumar, Adriana Temprano, Amber X. Chen, Erkki Forster, Ananya Rupanagunta, Ratul Mangal and Harol Guerra.
Now, who’s who?
First, in this update, Sandhya Ganesan, (profile) one of the authors of the original story about James Chang, is also listed as “the head city news editor for the spring 2024 semester”, but not listed on the Daily Cal Editorial Board? That reads fishy. Almost as if someone took her name off of it for some reason. After all, the title of “head city news editor” implies that she should be on the editorial board.
Miriam Klaczynska is an employee of the Daily Californian who’s held several editorial positions, including three editorial positions according to her Linkedin profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-klaczynska
Kavya Gupta was the Daily Californian Editor in Chief and President for the 2023-24 academic year. She joined staff in spring 2021
Matthew Brown is the managing editor for the 2023-24 academic year. He joined staff in fall 2020
Aarthi Muthukumar says she was the Creative Director at The Daily Californian, “I oversee all visual aspects of the City of Berkeley’s official newspaper” she says on her Linkedin profile.
Adriana Temprano lists herself as “President of the Latinx Pre-Law Society and Managing Editor of Race and Equity for The Daily Californian newspaper” through 2024.
And a search of the backgrounds of Amber X. Chen, Erkki Forster, Ananya Rupanagunta, Ratul Mangal and Harol Guerra, revealed that all of them were employed by The Daily Californian as editors and reporters. In other words, much of the Daily Cal newsroom staff was the Editorial Board that made decisions on endorsements.
That flies in the face of The Daily Californian claims that the Editorial Board is separate from the Daily Cal newsroom – it’s clearly not. This finding also calls into question the decision to write the article and then drop it on election day. Why not hold it until after election day?
Also note that the Berkeley Police were never asked to write a police report, and never called. All of this was made to look like James Chang did something criminally wrong, when an eyewitness says nothing happened. The Daily Californian did not pay attention to making follow-up stories about Chang after the election because it did its job of sand-bagging James Chang: he lost to Cecilia Lunaparra.
Prior to the election The Daily Californian gleefully posted articles about how two Berkeley councilmembers dropped their endorsements of James Chang. The Daily Californian was clearly vested in bringing Chang down for what the eyewitness claims are made up reasons.
The Daily Californian Acted In Violation Of IRS Law In Coverage Of James Chang
The Daily Californian is a 501(c)4 organization. A news company with a 501(c)4 nonprofit news structure, is prohibited from making partisan political articles or endorsing candidates according to the Internal Revenue Service.
In Political Activities of Exempt Organizations”, the IRS writes the following:
Exempt function. An exempt function means influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to any federal, state, local public office or office in a political organization, or the election of the Presidential or Vice Presidential electors, whether or not such individual or electors are selected, nominated, elected, or appointed. It also includes certain office expenses of a holder of public office or an office in a political organization.
The Daily Californian clearly operates in direct violation of IRS law.