The Daily Cal continues to use its front page as a negotiating tactic.

The question of the day is: is the Daily Cal bluffing, or are they really that close to moving off campus? If it's a bluff, it's a pretty good one! They're aggressively roughhousing the prickly CalSERVE Execs, which they have to know will make them less cooperative, not more. (CalSERVE does not respond well to threats from people it hates.) They're demanding emergency meetings from the Store Operations Board when the Board is already in turmoil. They're threatening massive lawsuits while announcing they've signed a letter of intent... if they want to stay on campus, they're hiding it well.

Most of all, if they're bluffing, and truly want to stay, I'm not sure this is how to go about it... You bluff, them cut some bullshit deal to let the Execs save face. You certainly don't publicily humiliate and pressure them.

So wherever this new place on Bancroft is, it must offer them: reasonably low rent, adequate space, reasonably close to campus, and security from invasion. Hence the threats.

CalSERVE is never going to get anywhere with threats, either. They're essentially asking the Editorial Staff to commit Career suicide by signing on to this defacto oversight deal. Daniel Hernandez took a huge amount of heat for a questionable apology to the Horowitz ad of some time ago. This would be giving the reins to a lowly student government over a rent issue. It'll get some press. The New York Times is not going to hire the wimps who gave in to some protesters.

CalSERVE could control the Daily Cal in time, if they were patient about it. Work from the inside. Turnover at the DC is astounding. Get some friendly people to write for them, work their way up the ladder, and eventually assume editorial control. If they were determined enough and discrete, it'd work. At least, I can't see any other way to go about it.

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