Bruce Bratton hosts University Grapevine, linking local and campus issues, every Tuesday 7:30-8:30 p.m. on KZSC 88.1 fm.
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SANTA CRUZ'S WATER GIFT TO UCSC. Gary Patton made an eloquent presentation on behalf of The Community Water Coalition to the Santa Cruz City Council last Tuesday (June 23). John Barisone life-time city lawyer side stepped and Bill Kocher city water guru, tap danced his way around several crucial facts in the ongoing struggle to get Citizens and their Council to at least listen to what's really going on. Gary wrote and is delivering a program on KUSP Thursday that tells as much as I've ever heard about the real issues. I'm re-printing it right here...so you don't miss it. The Sentinel sure did. UCSC Gets Its Say
The Community Water Coalition (CWC), a relatively new group based in the City of Santa Cruz, has drawn attention to how future UCSC growth might impact current and future water supplies for non-University water customers. Those who have a stake in the issue include not only residents and businesses in the City of Santa Cruz, but also residents and businesses in Live Oak, Pasatiempo, parts of the City of Capitola, and North Coast farmers. It's no secret that the KUSP's and my Land Use Report has been trying to focus attention on the connection between water supply planning and land use planning. I, personally, have been trying to promote some public discussion about how well we are coordinating these planning efforts. The issues involved go far beyond the impacts of proposed new growth at UCSC, but the University is asking for the lion's share of what "surplus" water the City may still have, so any examination of how well we're doing, in coordinating land use planning with water supply planning, definitely impacts the University. Furthermore, the UCSC settlement agreement calls for special treatment of this issue by the Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO. Listeners who'd like to get the University's perspective (and the University can point with some pride to the excellent work that they are doing on water conservation) can find some helpful links below.....
More InformationSanta Cruz Sentinel Editorial, June 26, 2009 - http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_12693949 Santa Cruz Sentinel Letters to the Editor, June 27, 2009 - http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/letters/ci_12702321
UCSC statement on the background of the UCSC-CLUE-City litigation - http://lrdp.ucsc.edu/litigation-background.shtml UCSC public statement on the settlement agreement - http://messages.ucsc.edu/text.asp?pid=2366UCSC's summary of the UCSC-CLUE- City settlement agreement - http://lrdp.ucsc.edu/settlement-summary.shtml UCSC FAQ sheet - http://lrdp.ucsc.edu/faq.shtml
If you would like a copy of a letter and PowerPoint presentation provided to the Santa Cruz City Council by the Community Water Coalition, referencing City reports that outline some important concerns about the City's water supply and land use planning efforts, send a request to land@kusp.org. (end of Patton's Program part 1.)
STATE PARKS ACTION ALERT
The legislature's budget debate deadlocked on Friday, as expected. The State Park Access Pass was proposed but defeated on a party-line vote. The whole process now moves behind closed doors, where the so-called Big Five, consisting of the Governor and the Senate and Assembly Democratic and Republican leaders, will presumably come up with something to take back to the legislature early next week. It is extremely important that as many people as possible call the Big Five before Monday and make it known that they want the State Parks kept open.
Here are the phone numbers:Darrell Steinberg, Senate President Pro Tem: 916-651-4006
Dennis Hollingsworth, Senate Minority Leader: 916-651-4036
Karen Bass, Assembly Speaker: 916-319-2047
Sam Blakeslee, Assembly Republican Leader: 916-319-2033
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: 415-703-2218
You will get an office staff-person. Keep your message short and simple. They'll be counting it but not expecting arguments or statements of the "what State Parks mean to me" variety. Right now it's all about the numbers. Sample message:
"My name is _____________. I live in Santa Cruz, zip code 95060. I want to urge Senator Hollingsworth to do everything he can to keep the state parks open".You can also email the legislators:senator.steinberg@senate.ca.gov
senator.hollingsworth@senate.ca.gov
assemblymember.bass@assembly.ca.gov
assemblymember.blakeslee@assembly.ca.gov
An update on our state government budget negotiations
This information just in from Deirdre Des Jardins. "In a negative development on Friday, only 14 Democratic state Senators voted for two fees to raise revenues for targeted purposes. The first was a $15 vehicle registration fee to fund the state parks and the second was a 4.8% commercial and residential fire insurance policy surcharge to fund Cal Fire." Where were the rest of the Democrats on these issues? Shame on them! I'd love to be able to pay $15 per year for a State Parks pass. Today they cost from $90 to $125! (Paul Elerick is a member of Nisene 2 Sea's steering committee, the group that is working to preserve the access to Nisene Marks State Park though the land above Cabrillo College. This has been a 10 year effort, not yet achieved, but getting closer. Call him for more information if you want to help, 688-2304).
Last Tuesday the City Council dodged a very significant issue, one that could impose a very substantial financial cost to the City. The Council ignored a request to at least discuss whether to continue with a commitment to pay half the costs of an EIR and a LAFCO application for the proposed UCSC expansion. The Council also does not want to discuss who/how or why a commitment was made to pay these costs.
Developers should and do normally pay the costs they incur in processing development plans. In fact, earlier in the session last Tuesday the Water Department head and the Public Works head each assured the Council that the developer was paying all the costs attributable to its development on North Campus. They were right as to their departments; they were wrong as to a cost item that could cost the City thousands of dollars.
Some background on this water issue: Several months ago, (nobody knows or is willing to say how), the City, without any public hearing or Council decision, offered to do that which it never does: it agreed to file the LAFCO application and pay half the costs attributable to the UC intent to obtain water for the North Campus development. We (and I suspect the Council members as well) don't know who, when or why the agreement was made. Katherine Beiers made an attempt---she asked the City Attorney whether there was a written agreement---and got no answer.
There is no bright line that separates things the Council must decide from things the either the City Manager decides or things that somehow get decided but nobody quite knows how or where or when. One would have thought that when we are facing the most serious budget crisis in several generations, when the Council is cutting salaries and reducing services, the Council would be interested in how it came about that the City committed itself to a potential liability in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What we do know comes from a Public Records Request. It revealed that the last communications between the City and the University on this issue were several e-mails from a UC attorney with reference to the cost-splitting: "Based on a telephone message from John Barisone..." she had the understanding that the City's desired cost-splitting proposal was that each pay their own LAFCO fees, split cost of Strehlow and City pay for Jim Moose (consultants). The e-mail says she left a message for John Barisone "...agreeing to his above-proposed fee-splitting arrangement on Tuesday of this week".John Barisone is the City Attorney. Was he authorized to make this open-ended agreement on behalf of the City? If so, who gave him that authority? The e-mail continues: "The University may be amenable to other fee-sharing arrangements, so if the above-proposal is not what the City desires, please let me know." Wouldn't this conciliatory gesture at least be worth discussion by the Council? Apparently not----and I suspect most Council members didn't know of this e-mail.
3 months after that e-mail, another University attorney wrote to the Planning Department: "I asked if John Barisone and Kelly Drumm (UCSC attorney) had put together a letter that identified a cost sharing for the SOI EIR, and I heard that Barisone indicated that City staff would prepare a cost sharing agreement - have you done that?...if not could you put together a letter that we can have in the file so we can issue the City a check for Stephanie's work." The records that were produced show nothing further. The Council members were specifically asked to discuss whether they wanted to visit the cost-splitting issue. No interest has been shown at all, except from Katherine Beiers. Maybe there is no budget crisis. Maybe the Council didn't want to know; maybe they simply didn't want to ask any questions.
Watsonville City Council Opposes Open Space Special District BillAuthored by Senator Joe Simitian, Monning and Caballero Senate Bill 211 authored by Senator Joe Simitian and co-authored by Assembly members Bill Monning and Anna Caballero is getting some local opposition by the Watsonville City Council. The special legislation, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Land Trust, aims to create a specified procedure for the creation of the Santa Cruz County Regional Open Space District, which would aim to preserve open space and agricultural lands, and would have authority to place a local tax measure on the ballot to fund it. Current law requires such a proposal to go through the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), but the bill allows the proposal to go forward through an expedited procedure without LAFCO approval.
The Watsonville City Council claims that no one has recently consulted local stakeholders in the Pajaro Valley about the actual bill although there were some discussions of the general concept with a few community leaders about a year ago. The city council also felt the bill would give South County little or no representation on the district board, and may curtail any future growth for the city decades into the future. The decision making power would ultimately lie with the County Board of Supervisors, which would leave decisions impacting the Pajaro Valley with those outside the area. SB 211 caught the city council by surprise after Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, the chair of the Assembly Local Government Committee, brought the bill to the city's attention. Mayor Antonio Rivas sent a letter opposing the bill along with a list of the city's concerns.
The Santa Cruz County Land Trust was present at the last Watsonville City Council meeting on June 23 and heard a mouthful from numerous city council members. The Land Trust promised to work with the city to address its concerns after the city council voted to send a letter to all the area legislators about the ongoing concerns of the bill. Failing to win support from the City of Watsonville from the inception may hurt the chances of passing a local measure on a future ballot down the road to fund a special district, which would require a 2/3 majority approval. See a copy of the city council report on SB 211 and the bill text here.
EAGAN'S DEEP COVER. Tim speaks out on what Obama should say, scroll down about two pages...
LANDAU'S PROGRES (Saul Landau is an award winning author and film maker, and an authority on Latin American Issues. Read his last biographical piece on coming of age in America. Be sure to read Progreso Weekly's other fine articles from Cuba and environs.
WATERS WEIGHS IN. Christina's back with tips about cheap, good wine and a rave about the big Westside block party last Saturday. All at http://christinawaters.com. p.s. don't ask her about her trip to Israel!!!
CABRILLO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. The event starts August 2nd with a free evening rehearsal at 7:30. You can get a copy of the rehearsal schedule and the real concerts by going to www.cabrillomusic.org . Housing a musician is a big deal and very worthwhile tradition with the CabFestCon. Ever since its beginning back in 1963 locals housed the musicians....and loved it. If you live downtown near the Civic Auditorium and have a room to spare call the Fest at 831 420-5260. Responses from this column have helped a lot in the past years and thanks. The concerts themselves are made of music by all living composers. Conductor Marin Alsop's reputation grows world wide faster than ever. And tickets to the concerts are also going faster than ever. You should make plans immediately. Check out all the free events like talks by Philip Collins, Phyllis Rosenblum and Roger Emanuels and the annual Music Art Food & Wine Festival on Church Street August 8th and 9th. There's a free family concert that day too.
HOSTETTERS HOT STUFF. A little reminder of this (i.e. LAST) weekend's concerts and the promise of others coming real soon, all here! A little something for everyone! ph
SILENT FILM FESTIVAL. The San Francisco Silent Film Festival has been happening for 14 years now and trust me it is fabulous. I've covered at least the last ten years and it's as much fun as it is educational. It's always at the famed Castro Theatre in S.F. and there's always live music accompanying the films. Russian, French and Chinese silents, Lillian Gish, Josef Von Sternberg, W.C. Fields, silent Disney cartoons, Douglas Fairbanks, Lupe Velez and tons more stars and stuff will happen this year. Go online to www.silentfilm.org to get details it runs July 10-12. I'll save you a seat.
WOODY ALLENS LATEST "Whatever Works" ...SUCKS. Go rent Vicky Christina Barcelona again instead of seeing this failed and embarrassing attempt at humor by Woody Allen. If you've ever watched Larry David do his Curb Your Enthusiasm bit on the HBO series (and I have for years) he's way better there than in this flop. Evan Rachel Wood plays the usual Allen nymphet and Patricia Clarkson gives it her all BUT she can't save this 30 year old script. Don't even rent it, ever. It's the worst Allen film I've seen in years.
FOOD INC. Please see this film especially if you are a typical Santa Cruzan who always says "I already know enough about food and I always eat healthy". There's a lot even you don't know and especially the behind the scenes conglomerates that control our nations fields, crops, farmers and food. It should be required viewing.
UNMISTAKEN CHILD. This is a documentary mostly for Buddhists. It's too dull and predictable for regular film goers. Don't expect much more than a couple of minutes of the Dalai Lama one of the tulkus, in spite of what the ads promise.
GIRL FROM MONACO. A gorgeous beauty stars in this French comedy-mystery. It should be called Bodyguard From Monaco but at any rate go see it. Good fun and I predict (just as several critics have) that you'll stand around in the lobby talking about the ending ....we all did.
SISTERS KEEPER. This weepy mess isn't all bad. It does cover many, many completely vital personal decisions and Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin do perfectly fine work with the sobby script they got. Alec Baldwin was forced into a bizarre scene that is totally off the wall...wait and rent it, at your locally owned video rental store.
TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen. A friend told me he couldn't understand the plot so I went planning on really, really getting what the plot was. I lost it in minutes!!! Shia LeBeouf of the L.A. LeBoeuf (not the Santa Cruz LeBeoufs) does as well as possible considering he has to act only with a green screen and $300,000,000 worth of special effects. The babe is named Megan Fox and she is about the most beautiful actress working today...not that that is important of course. It's a tale told by idiots for idiots and those idiots have of course come close to making box-office money history with this empty headed spectacular. Do NOT rent this at home, no matter how big your screen is. Only IMAX would do it justice.
UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at WWW.KZSC.ORG. This Tuesday (June 30th) my guests will be .. Jeff Emery winemaker from The Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and Chris Finnie who'll tell us how the Democratic Party really works in California. Later on like July 7 we'll have Cynthia Martino about Nutrition, and Susan Hillhouse and Paul Figueroa from MAH talking about Plein Aire and other attractions at the Art Museum. Later on we'll have Supervisor Mark Stone about County Politics, and Assemblyman Bill Monning on August 4th and after that Congressman Sam Farr and other wide ranging but apt topics and appropriate topics..
QUOTES. "Having reached the end of space, you look across the wall and there's more space", Paul McCartney. "Where it all ends, there it all begins", R.D. Laing. "The Truth is Silly Putty", Paul Krassner.
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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SANTA CRUZ'S FUTURE, OUR WATER SUPPLY AND UCSC. The Santa Cruz Water Coalition has been working on the many issues involved with our giving away fully one half of our drinking water to allow UCSC to build 3 million square feet of expansion into what they call their North Campus. Gary Patton talks about it in his weekly radio broadcast and in his re-print in BrattonOnline. He says it all... "Tomorrow, the Santa Cruz City Council will receive a report on the implementation of a settlement agreement between the City, the County, the University of California, and CLUE (the Coalition to Limit University Expansion). The settlement agreement resolved multiple lawsuits contesting a plan to expand the UCSC campus into a currently undeveloped, natural area, and to construct more than 3,000,000 square feet of new buildings. Local residents and community leaders have always had a special kind of difficulty dealing with University growth plans, since the University is exempt from the land use planning requirements that apply to other developers. In settling the lawsuits last year, an accommodation was reached on a number of traffic, water, housing, and financial issues.
At the Council meeting tomorrow, which begins at 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon, an initial report on how the agreement is working out in practice will be made. CLUE is going to make a presentation, and so is the Community Water Coalition, which has raised concerns about the water provisions of the agreement. If you are a resident of the City of Santa Cruz, or live in Live Oak, or Pasatiempo, or if you are a farmer on the North Coast, or maybe even if you live in the City of Capitola, tune in on TV or come to the meeting at 3 p.m. Your water future is definitely affected by the provisions of the settlement agreement.
BIG CREEK LUMBER ASKS FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT. Last week Weekly Metro Santa Cruz did the usual local media thing and made Big Creek Lumber out to be saints and protectors of our forests in a "lovey-dovey-kissy" article. Environmentalists know better and Jodi Frediani who was quoted in the article isn't satisfied with the coverage and wrote a letter to the Weekly Metro and sent us a copy. Here it is...(the original Weekly Metro piece is linked afterwards...)
"I'm afraid I have to editorialize about this article. It is filled with too much mis-information to let slide by. (Jodi is the Forestry Consultant of the Santa Cruz Group
Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club and Director of the Central Coast Forest Watch).
1. At issue locally is not Scott Creek, it is all creeks in Santa Cruz County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and San Benito County. Coho were found in Soquel Creek last summer and have been found there historically. They have also been found in Waddell, San Vicente, and Laguna Creeks. But in populations (including Scott Creek) they are so low that the Coho verge on the brink of extinction. A handful (I believe the most recent run was far less than 40 fish) in any given stream does not mean that stream health exists.
2. Big Creek is asking for 'special consideration' for the whole Southern Sub-District (SSD). They do not want increased WLPZ restrictions with increased canopy retention for Class II streams. These are the 'streams that do not have fish'. Actually, they are parts of the streams that have fish; they are the reaches upstream of barriers that prevent fish passage, or other conditions that prevent fish from surviving in those reaches. The science has deemed that it is important to have more trees adjacent to these streams to provide shade to keep stream temperatures low, and allow for large wood recruitment into the streams when the trees fall. LWD provides lots of value for the fish.
3. Big Creek's voluntary measures? I have no idea what those are. They play by the same rules as everyone else. But these rules are not about Big Creek. They apply to all loggers statewide. Big Creek's proposal would apply to anyone logging anywhere in the SSD.
4. Big Creek adheres to the 50% canopy retention required by the Forest Practice Rules for Class II streams. That's not voluntary. The proposed rule change would require a 30' no harvest zone for certain Class IIs and would require only 65% canopy retention for another 70' in those same streams.
5. The temperature data that Big Creek refers to was largely collected by the foresters themselves as a requirement of the timber waivers. I have seen the data. It does not show any scientific rigor. It does not address downstream (where the fish are) temperatures that are too high in some of our local streams.
6. Sean Hayes seems to forget that Coho have been found in other local creeks including Waddell, Laguna, San Vicente and Soquel. And the current population even in those streams is so low as to threaten extinction.
I encourage folks to submit letters to the editor to help set the record straight.
Jodi Frediani Read the Weekly Metro piece here
MARVIN KAPLAN RESTING UNSURELY. Marv took a nasty fall a few weeks ago, banged his head, and hasn't been the same since. The last I heard he was at the Driftwood Convalescent place. Marv was very instrumental in getting me up and running with BrattonOnline. He re-introduced me to Gunilla Leavitt who re-creates and gets this column online every week under the Godmoma's Forge logo. Marv was once a court stenographer which not everybody knows. Wish him well as soon as possible.
CAMPAIGN'S COMMITTEE FOR SENSIBLE TRANSPORTATION. This is to let you know that the Committee to Support METRO will be meeting tomorrow evening that's Tuesday, June 23, 7 pm at the LONDON Nelson Center (probably Room 6, but check the board as you enter)301 Center Street, Santa Cruz. On the agenda will be continuation of the discussion about what we can do to restore funding for our transit district (which now ranks 50th in the nation). All are welcome to attend this meeting. I hope you can attend! More information is available from our website (recently updated) at http://www.sensibletransportation.org/, so be sure to check it out. Peter Scott sent this for The Campaign for Sensible Transportation.
PATTONS PROGRAM. (Gary Patton is "Of Counsel" to the Santa Cruz law firm of Wittwer & Parkin, which specializes in land use and environmental law. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are Mr. Patton's...hrumphfff).Gary talks about the presentation tomorrow by CLUE and The Community Water Coalition CWC against the City giving UCSC our water supply. He tells more about CEQA and how it works. Then he discusses San Luis Obisbo County's land use deals, and about the Big Sur Land Trusts website
So who needs the California Department of Housing and Community Development?
Our County leaders voted last week to rezone four acres of Dominican Hospital's property known as Poor Clares to accommodate 100 units of senior housing. They did not, however, go for the rest of their staff's recommendation of rezoning six acres for a medical complex. But now the County is off the hook with the State of California's Department of Housing and Community Development – at least for the time being.
With our state awash in red ink, billions of dollars short of having a balanced budget, why are we paying for such a heavy-handed enforcement agency like HCD that must have a budget of their own in the millions of dollars?
Local governmental agencies know what is available for housing in their jurisdictions, and should be making these decisions. Now the City of Capitola is under the gun to rezone Capitola property to accommodate more housing. Why should they be forced to take land already developed for housing or targeted for economic development, for even higher density housing of 20 units per acre? The very livable units at 600 Park Avenue and the vacant property at McGregor and Park Avenue previously suggested for a visitor-serving hotel are two such examples of property that shouldn't be rezoned.
It's time for the state power brokers in the Department of Housing and Community Development to be done away with. Long before the Governor closes our State Parks to save money
Here's an interesting Website, that describes what HCD does, or at least did back in 2007, the last year referenced on the site. I tried to determine if anything this organization has done has benefited very many people in California, and I couldn't. The references to the access of millions of Federal dollars needs to be spelled out, like when and how much money has been generated by HCD, and how much do we pay HCD to stay in business".
EAGAN'S DEEP COVER. Scroll down for Tim's take on the world around us, but especially if you don't feel well....
TENTATIVE DEAL LIKELY BETWEEN
CITY AND WATSONVILLE FIREFIGHTERS.
The Watsonville City Council will be looking to make a final decision on its city budget on Tuesday, June 23rd. But there were two issues yet to be resolved in order to make sure the budget ends up balanced. One was whether the Watsonville Firefighters' union, Watsonville Professional Firefighters Local 1272, would take a share of the pain. The other 7 bargaining units in the city have already voted to accept cuts to their departments, but the firefighters were the remaining unit to reach a tentative agreement with the city negotiators. Late last week, they reached a tentative agreement, but it still needed to go before its members for ratification. The results of that vote are not yet available. The second issue of contention in the budget talks was the allocation to community non-profit groups. The city staff was recommending the non-profits take a 20 percent cut, but some claimed that was making the non-profits to take a larger and unfair share of the burden. Other city department took at 7.5 or a 10 percent cut in contrast. The city later proposed totally eliminating funding from two of the non-profit organizations, Pajaro Valley Children's Center and Salud Para La Gente Medical Clinic, in order to lower the proposed percentage in cuts. But that didn't sit well with the non-profits who strongly disagreed with the city singling out any one non-profit. Instead, they argued that all the non-profits that are already receiving funds from the city would prefer taking a equal cut and avoid anyone from being completely being terminated from funding. But the big vote comes down on Tuesday. Check out the meeting on Community TV even if you cannot attend the meeting in person.
NEW DEMOCRATIC STATE PARTY CHAIR BURTON
CONFIRMED FOR PAJARO VALLEY DEMOCRATS EVENT.
Former state senator and new Democratic State Party Chair John Burton has confirmed being the keynote speaker at this year's annual fundraiser for the Pajaro Valley Cesar Chavez Democratic Club on August 20th (6pm). The event has sold out every year and has featured former State Party Chair Art Torres, Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta and former National MALDEF President and Voting Rights Attorney Joaquin Avila. Co-sponsorships are available and tickets will be on sale soon. Make sure to come and be part of the new state party chair's first visit to Santa Cruz County since taking his new post.
There are many issues besides budget problems that cause sleepless nights. Transition Santa Cruz is part of a world-wide movement towards community resilience, mainly caused by the imminent diminution in oil supply. The mission of the local group is "to be a catalyst for Santa Cruz' relocalization—the development of local self-reliance in food, energy, transportation, media, systems of care, economy and the arts—through a broadly inclusive community-building process".
That's a substantial agenda and the group is discussing all of it. Last Saturday the group held two more of its seminars. A group of about 30 local activists, some the usual progressive suspects and some not, talked about re-creating neighborhood identity and alternatives to the car culture. The car culture has been remarkably successful in creating a carbon dependent society. In the process it has destroyed neighborhoods, decimated public transport and helped to destroy local food production. None of that is news. How to reduce car dependency? Use public transport, of course, ride bicycles or walk. But public transport is feasible only where there is adequate density. City Planner Michelle King tells us that about 80% of City residents live in single family accommodations. I believe most of those are detached homes. What are the odds of that 80% accepting increasing density? How can they be persuaded to permit commercial and industrial uses in residential areas, so that walking or cycling are reasonable alternatives? What are the odds of people giving up their cars, even if that option is a reasonable one? It sounds very much as though regression to the (good parts of the) pre-car culture is what we seek. Maybe progressives can work towards this reactionary (or is it progressive?) agenda. They have a lot of convincing to do, but it's not impossible---it's the way of life in many parts of the world.
Councilmember Don Lane came up with several imaginative suggestions--- one that struck me was that of somehow having food shopping facilities in or immediately adjacent to public schools---so Mom or Dad can do her shopping while ferrying the kids to school. Of course we'd like the kids to cycle or walk to school, but it's still a good idea. Or public libraries and other community facilities as part of the school?
Another group talked about how Personal Rapid Transit could complement the rail-trail. That trail can be available for commuters as well as for cyclists and walkers. Most County growth will be in the Watsonville area, and a good many of those people will need to commute to UCSC. Highway l cannot accommodate them nor can local streets to get to campus, even if oil were available. How very appropriate, then, for both PRT and the Trail to be implemented, so South County residents can use the rail line to the Boardwalk area, then use PRT for a quick 10 minute ride to campus. Density may be a necessity for most public transport, but there is already more than adequate density for the PRT line. It'll all happen one day, but certainly not until the budget problems have long since been overcome".
LANDAU'S PROGRES. Read part #4 of little Saul Landau's youthful exploration of the USA he titled, "Ready for my own bed and a Nathan's hot dog" in Progreso Weekly
FOOD INC. I asked nutritional therapist Cynthia Martino to write what her reactions were to Food Inc. She wrote, "I saw Food, Inc. and its right up there with King Corn and Your Daily Bread in regards to the information presented. It is definitely not a date movie but I hope that everyone who goes to see it will take along at least one family member, neighbor or friend. Food, Inc. has lifted the veil and shed light on the dark subject of how our country has turned growing food into a factory farmed nightmare.
As Americans we suffer from a serious case of food amnesia and turning the clock back to traditional farming methods, such as Food, Inc.'s portrayal of heroic Farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, may be our only hope of waking folks up from their junk food induced comas.
My grandparents were corn farmers (the kind of corn that you could eat not the government subsidized filler grown today to make batteries, disposable diapers, and almost everything else on your mega supermarket shelves.) The farm stories that I heard as a child were a far cry from the horrific tale Food, Inc. is telling but none the less must be told. It is now up to us as consumers to vote with our food dollars even if it means canceling cable TV and then spending that money at our local farmers' market. The food giants may think they have us licked as was expressed in most of Food, Inc. but there are growing pockets of educated and devoted farmers committed to organic and healthful farming methods. These traditional farmers are our protectors and are insuring quality food products that our appointed government officials at the FDA and Dept. of Agriculture are ignoring in the name of profit. This denial of human rights has lead to unsanitary conditions for factory farmed animals and meat processors, increasing health risks from E-Coli, a diabetic and obesity epidemic, and the destruction of independent small farms.
Food, Inc. makes it very clear that this is not just an omnivore's dilemma as author and narrator Michael Pollan has effectively addressed, but everyone's dilemma, as non-meat eaters should also be concerned that the movie's villain and seed thief Monsanto has achieved 80% of its goal to genetically modify and patent 100% of all soy beans.
Well, enough said, ending on a positive note as suggested in Food, Inc., I'm going out to work in my small garden". (End of Cyn Martinos critique)
SLEEP DEALER. A wonderful thoughtful Mexican Science Fiction film dealing with immigration, robots, cheap labor, drugs and human connections. See it, you'll like it. Excellently acted, fine photography, and entertaining!!!
YEAR ONE. Jack Black and Michael Cera are nowhere near as funny as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby or Abbott and Costello and this comedy's few laughs depend on the eating of shit and circumcision jokes. Really gross disgusting humor. No one is this desperate for laughs except the millions who made it the #1 film of last week's openings. Don't go.
SUMMER HOURS. It is ridiculous to try to improve on Roger Eberts' review of this magnificent film...he said, "The actors all find the correct notes. It is a French film, and so they are allowed to be adult and intelligent. They are not the creatures of a screenplay that hurries them along. The film is not about what will happen. It is about them. The recent American film that most resembles this one is Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married." Some audience members didn't know what to think of it, because it didn't tell them. Sometimes you just have to figure out what you think for yourself. "Summer Hours" ends on the perfect note, the more you think about it". The director also did "Irma Vep" and it stars Juliette Binoche go by all means. It opens this weekend.
PROPOSAL. Sandra Bullock is now 45 and that's not very important even if you do go see Proposal and that's not an important or very funny film. Maybe two laughs in it, and they're so contrived you'll cringe. It's just another Hollywood dim- witted flaky attempt at making money from summer type comedies. Rent it in a couple of weeks.
AWAY WE GO. It's cute nice, precious, and the humor in it reminded me a lot of "Little Miss Sunshine". The director Sam Mendes also did "Revolutionary Road" but you couldn't guess it from this blah plot. Only Maggie Gyllenhaal adds any life to it. Go but go warned.
CHERI. Michelle Pfeiffer is now 51 and that's important if you go see Cheri. You should see Cheri it's an excellent adaptation of two of Colette's books. Michelle was going to be a court reporter like Marv Kaplan but went to work as a checker at Von's in Southern California. Luckily she leaves her Atherton home and makes films every so often. Kathy Bates isn't too good in this truffle about retiring fille de jour (ladies of the evening)but if you like sumptuous costume dramas that will entertain you don't miss it.
LYME DISEASE FILM."UNDER OUR SKIN". Lyme disease is a more fiercely debated topic amongst doctors then we ever knew. With Nisene Marks being a hot spot locally for Lyme bearing ticks all locals should learn about Lyme disease. Well forget Christian Scientists but everybody else. See this documentary it isn't an excellent documentary but it is important. AND click here for a Santa Cruz Lyme disease brochure
HOSTETTERS HOT STUFF. Skip the outdated stuff, but stay in touch by navigating on over to http://www.lutherie.net/live.music.htmlYou still have time to think about Richard Thompson and some other things, some of which are on this page too. Then there's the entire month of July. Have a good weekend. Wear sunblock. ph
MOSAIC THEATRE CREATES MEMORABLE PRODUCTION. Nabil Ghachem's Mosaic Theatre's production "Of Mint, Olive Oil and Zaatar" packed the 418 Project and gave us an evening of laughs, serious drama, poetry and a mix of cultures. Ghachem acting as guide, lectured, cajoled, and dramatized what it means to mix cultures and live with that mixture. Farima Berenji danced and acted her role as a woman facing the deep issues of war, modern times and love. See this evening "Of Mint, Olive Oil and Zaatar" in September when it plays one time only at the opening night of Cabrilho's Black Box Studio Theatre.
UNIVERSITY GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m. I host University Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer at WWW.KZSC.ORG. This Tuesday (June 23rd ) my guests will be ...author Amber Jayanti all about Tarot cards, and Ellen Primack the executive director will reveal all sorts of secrets about The Cabrillo Festival Of Contemporary Music. The weeks ahead features such guests as (June 30) Jeff Emery winemaker from The Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard and Chris Finnie who'll tell us how the Democratic Party really works in California. Later on like July 7 we'll have Cynthia Martino about Nutrition, and after that Mark Stone about County Politics and after that Congressman Sam Farr and other wide ranging specials.
QUOTES. "It's better to be black than gay because when you're black you don't have to tell your mother", Charles Pierce. "Never go to bed mad---stay up and fight", Phyllis Diller. "Every time a child says, "I don't believe in fairies," there's a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead", J.M Barrie. Editors note...I wish we could say the same thing about developers.
Deep Cover
Bruce critiques films every Friday on KZSC-FM (88.1) on The Bushwhacker Breakfast Club at 8am.
It's free! Click here.
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