October 9 – 15, 2024
Bratton… Check yourself… Greensite… on City Council Response to Grand Jury Reports… Steinbruner… back soon! … Hayes… Conversations You Might Have… Patton… Deplatformed … Matlock… wind comes sweeping down the plain…lunacy…a defenseless Fox… Eagan… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover… Webmistress serves you… AGT winner’s performances Quotes on… “Halloween”
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Dateline: October 9, 2024
THE ELECTION IS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER! Do you know if your voter registration is up to date and your information is all correct? Are you sure? Be that as it may, The California Secretary of State has a website where you can go check, just to be certain: voterstatus.sos.ca.gov
Here you can:
- Check if you are registered to vote.
- Check where you are registered to vote.
- Check your political party preference.
- Check your language preference for election materials.
- Check the status of your vote-by-mail or provisional ballot.
- Find your polling place.
- Find information for upcoming local and state elections.
- Find contact information for your county elections office.
- Choose how you want to receive your state and county voter guides before each election.
So go verify – what can it hurt? I’ll be back here next week. I’m currently investigating a story (and taking care of some health issues) at Dominican.
No new movies this week, but the ones below are still fresh.
CIVIL WAR. Max movie (7.1 IMDB) Has some fine scenes, but falls apart en toto. Kirsten Dunst, Jessie Plemons and Wagner Moura lead the cast. It really is about a new civil war right here in the USA. Reporters, photographers and politicians all race around headed to Washington D.C. to talk to and change how the president is thinking. Texas and California withdraw from the union and more hell breaks out. Watch it only if this seems and looks like a nightmare to you.
THE DELIVERANCE. Netflix movie. (5.1 IMDB) Glenn Close leads the first part of this haunted house re-hash and she does a fine job. Then all the other characters turn it into the old Hollywood scary movie vehicle and take the thrills and fun out of it. As apparently required nowadays the racial issues are thrown in to give us some thoughtful stuff to focus on. Avoid this one.
THE PERFECT COUPLE. Netflix series. (6.6 IMDB) It takes place on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. Nicole Kidman, Live Schreiber and Dakota Fanning are the lead stars. A big and important wedding is about to happen and there’s a murder of all things. So the movie is all focused on whodunit! Suspicious darts are thrown and there really isn’t much of a surprise left to care about. It’s about a blah movie and you’ve seen it many, many times before.
BREATHLESS. Net series. (6.3 IMDB) This Spanish production centers and details the business side of running a hospital. It deals with, and carefully exploits the union angles of labor managing, it revolves around the constant conflict between medicine and money. There doesn’t seem to be much difference between Mexican and United States in hospital operations
KAOS. Netflix series. (7.5 IMDB). Even after viewing this one I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a comedy or a semi serious religious Greek drama. Jeff Goldblum and David Thewlis play their darndest at being Zeus and Hades stomping around Olympus trying to influence any survivors who’ll listen to them. Read a good book instead.
SLOW HORSES. Apple series. (8.2 IMDB) There’s been five seasons or series of Slow Horses so far and I never watched any of them. Slow Horses is British slang for “slough house”. And Slough House is where the wild, clever talking M15 British agents who have made professional mistakes hang out between cases. Gary Oldman is the lead and he’s a perfect fit as are Kristin Scott Thomas and Jonathan Price. Set aside some down time and watch this one. It’s been nominated for 9 Emmy awards.
MONSIEUR SPADE. Netflix series. (6.9 IMDB) Clive Owen is either paying off a bet or simply forgot how to act…he plays at being the Dashiell Hammett character Sam Spade in this political drama set in France in 1963. He lives in the south of France and is supposed to be 60. A priest, an investigator, a mess of a cast all looking for a young girl named Teresa, don’t even think about this one!
HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA. HBO series (6.8 IMDB) Kevin Costner (who must have had some lifting of face) not only directed this saga but is one of many featured costars along with Sienna Miller, and Luke Wilson. There is a murder in Montana during our civil war and the movie features a large focus on “Native Americans” being careful to respect them as important humans in a rare drama.
THE WATCHERS. Max movie.(5.7 IMDB) An incredibly puzzling movie set in Ireland with Dakota Fanning delivering a parrot to a more than unbelievable and invisible bunch of humans hiding out in an impossible part of a forest. Full of legends, myths, and puzzles, it’s worth your time.
AMERICAN MURDER: Laci Peterson. Netflix series. (7.0 IMDB) It’s a documentary about a murder that happened in 2002. Laci Peterson was murdered and her husband Scott was convicted, and more than 20 years later he and his family are still working to disprove his involvement. It takes place in Berkeley and Modesto and gives us some concept of how big a role the media plays. There’s more documentaries being produced on the Peterson case and we are advised to wait for a better version.
October 7, 2024
Fool Me Once, Shame on Thee; Fool me Twice, Shame on Me
You might recall my positive reaction to the unanimous council vote on September 10 to postpone for a month their required response to two Civil Grand Jury reports: Housing for Whom? and Preventing Rape and Domestic Violence: Where’s the Priority? Expressing the view that these reports were “worth the paper they were written on” and putting staff on notice in future to get their response to council a month earlier rather than at the last minute, the mayor thought it “a good idea to take a look at this” and “take a little more time to provide some feedback.” Hence my optimism that the dismissive staff response would be replaced with a thoughtful council response. Boy, was I fooled!
Council’s postponed response to the Grand Jury is on the Tuesday October 9 agenda. Barring any surprises at the meeting, the council response is basically the staff response with the same wording, same disinformation,and same errors.
The full reports contain all the evidence to support the Findings and Recommendations. You can find these two reports and all the reports here.
You be the judge. Would you agree with the following three Grand Jury Recommendations on Inclusionary Housing?
Inclusionary Housing Preferences
- A city code requirement since 2006 states that income-qualified residents and local workers receive preference or priority for Inclusionary Housing. However, the city does not track whether these preferences are being followed. It relies on the property managers and developers to follow their written agreements to rent to residents or local workers. Since nearly 50% of Inclusionary housing is rented to Voucher holders who do not have to be city residents or city workers, the Grand Jury Recommendation is that the city develop a tracking system to document and verify within 30 days of occupancy whether the preference code is being followed and for what percentage of units.
The council disagrees. It believes existing mechanisms in place are sufficient; in other words, the city will continue to rely on the developers and property managers to follow the preferences without independent verification that they are doing so. Thus, the council claims (erroneously) that the Recommendation has been implemented although no data will be gathered, or tracking done to check whether the code is being followed. Council further claims that such data gathering would violate privacy by revealing addresses and personally identifiable information, even though no such information beyond numbers and percentages would be shared with council or the public.
Inclusionary Housing Income Levels
- The Grand Jury Investigation discovered that eight City Resolutions between 1985 and 2018 mandate that Inclusionary Housing be limited to Low, Very Low and Extremely Low-Income levels. However, the city is adding Moderate Income, both on its website and in its approval of some housing projects. The Grand Jury Recommendation is that the city state exactly which HCD income levels are covered by the Ordinance and Resolutions.
The city incorrectly states that this Recommendation has been implemented. It finagles this by misrepresenting the Recommendation, offering the numbers of units monitored at each income level, including Moderate rather than resolving whether the Moderate -Income level should legally be included for Inclusionary Housing.
Inclusionary Housing and UCSC students
- The Grand Jury Recommendation is for the city to document the percentage of Inclusionary Housing and 100% Affordable Housing occupied by income verified UCSC students.
The city punts this one to UCSC saying that they can track where their students live. The city doesn’t think that many students occupy Inclusionary Housing, but they have no data to support that assumption. They state that the Recommendation will not be implemented.
The other Grand Jury Report is: Preventing Rape and Domestic Violence: Where’s the Priority?
For this report the Grand Jury developed ten Recommendations. Council’s response is that five will not be implemented, three require further analysis and two have been implemented. Overall, the response is depressingly inadequate for issues that the City is mandated by Ordinance to make one of its highest priorities. I will focus on one Recommendation that council states has been implemented. It concerns rapes committed by unknown assailants. You be the judge.
Up until 2016, the Commission for the Prevention of Violence against Women (CPVAW) collected and published a wealth of data for community awareness. It documented that the city of Santa Cruz had a far higher incidence of rapes by strangers than state or national averages. It is on record that in those earlier years, the Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) issued public alerts when such a rape was committed, and the perpetrator was not arrested. The alerts were accompanied by an artist’s sketch for possible identification. The community was kept informed. The aim was to raise awareness and increase personal safety. After 2016, when CPVAW lost its coordinator, its visibility and its support, such alerts appear to have ended. The Grand Jury Recommendation is that the SCPD reinstate community alerts for incidents of stranger rape, with case-by-case updates. However, the city claims that” SCPD never stopped community alerts for incidents of stranger rape when the circumstances were necessary to keep the community safe and well-informed.” Thus, the council entry is that this Recommendation has been implemented.
Hold on a moment. I follow these issues. I have not seen a stranger rape alert in the past decade. Since CPVAW no longer keeps track of the number of stranger rapes, the community has no idea if we still have a higher-than-average percentage of such rapes. We do know totals. For 2024 up until August there have been 34 rapes reported to SCPD. Even if only a third are committed by unknown assailants (it has been as high as 50% when such data was tracked) that is at least ten. If these alerts have never been stopped, when was the last one issued? What did it say? Where was it posted? What circumstances are necessary to prompt an alert? I heard that SCPD posts crimes on Facebook, a place I wouldn’t think of checking, but I did. Lots of crimes detailed but no rapes, stranger or non-stranger listed for 2024, one for 2023, none for 2022 and none for 2021.
I think it clear that the Grand Jury Recommendations are likely supported by the community. They are not supported by city management staff, not it seems by city council. City council members and the mayor are elected to represent the community, not to protect city management staff and appointed commissions from public criticism. Of course, I may be surprised at the council meeting. I did submit a detailed rebuttal to their response. Maybe council will have a change of heart? More likely, it’s fool me once, shame on thee; fool me twice, shame on me.
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild. |
Becky will be back soon, and until then she maintains:
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. READ YOUR BALLOT INFORMATION CAREFULLY AND VOTE.
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY JUST DOING SOMETHING.
Cheers!
Becky
Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes. She ran again in 2020 on a slightly bigger shoestring and got 1/3 of the votes.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com |
Conversations You Might Have
Talking about conservation is one of the pro-environmental behaviors almost anyone can help with. What are we talking about? Seriously, what are we really talking about in our day-to-day lives? Most of us profess a love for Nature, so why don’t we talk about Her as much as the other things we love? One rule is to avoid talking about religion or politics, but talking about Nature doesn’t violate that rule. Perhaps we feel insecure about our level of knowledge, but don’t we initiate conversation about all sorts of things we don’t know that much about? First, I want to walk you through the steps of more meaningful discussions and then I want to suggest some topics and how to start conversations about them.
Meaningful Dialogues
Talking through the Awareness Wheel is a great way to have a more meaningful conversation and to learn more about each other’s perspectives. Use an internet search to find out more, but here are the 5 questions you ask, in order:
- What do you notice about {____}? (what are you seeing…hearing…reading)
- How do you feel about {it}?
- What do you think about {this situation}?
- What do you wish would happen about {this}? (what do you wish would change)
- What will you do about {this situation}? What would your next step be?
Your job is to ask the questions and listen- for best results, don’t add in your perspective. Ask the first question, first. Keep asking the first question until the person you are speaking with runs out of things they are noticing. Then, for a good conversation, you ask the second question, keep asking until they finish…and so on through the last question. Sometimes, people want to add something to prior questions, so you go back…but, keep going through to the last question, which really caps the whole thing well. After you have heard from the other person, have them go through that same line of questioning (and listening) for you.
Conservation Conversations
Here are some suggestions about how to start dialogues about conservation. My challenge to readers is to start at least one of these conversations in the next week. You’ll be doing a world of good. Try a version of the titles of the next sections as a way of starting.
What have you seen happening to address water quality issues in Santa Cruz County?
The majority of people in the United States want our environment to have clean water. In Santa Cruz, many people are fond of the ocean and beaches and our economy relies on tourism which is much driven by our coastal environment. You don’t need to be an expert to start this conversation – maybe we’ll learn something from each other’s perspectives.
Do you see how the question I posed fits in with the Awareness Wheel? What would the second question be for this subject? It might be: ‘How do you feel about what you’ve observed about water quality in the County?’ Or, “How do you feel about water quality on the Monterey Bay?” And then, “what do you think about the situation with water quality around here?” And so forth.
Here are some resources you can turn to if you want to learn more. County Environmental Health does routine water quality checks and publishes those data online. Although First Flush monitoring has apparently been abandoned (probably was Bad Press), there is still a program to monitor water quality each spring during Snapshot Day. If you read just a bit from these links, you’ll see that there’s a conversation worth having.
What do you see happening with managing the many visitors to our parks?
Again, this would be the first question to start a conversation about one of the most pressing threats to wildlife in our County. The problem, though, is one of vocabulary: how to we refer to parks visitors? They may or may not be ‘tourists’ because they might be locals. You don’t want to show bias by referring to them all as mountain bike riders, or singling out a different group like hikers. Then, there’s the issue that not everyone thinks about ‘managing’ visitors: what do you mean when you use that term? Parking lot size, bathroom provisions, trail signs, controlling off leash dogs, erosion causing dangerous trail impacts, illegal campers and trash, etc: all of these things are the objects of ‘managing’ visitor use. You might have to get the conversation going by mentioning these sometimes seemingly subtle things.
I would supply you with links to find out more, but there isn’t much out there. Someone I know who seems like they should know keeps saying how “well managed” our parks are, but they haven’t supplied me with any support for this seemingly naïve proposition.
Who do you see leading Santa Cruz County’s ecological conservation efforts?
This is a great conversation starter for recognizing individuals doing good work, a very positive conversation that shows great respect for those important people. The object of your discussion might be working for non-profits or government agencies, or they might just be working on their own. But, here again, you might find some perplexing questions, so you might need to reach into the past for examples before getting into the current situation. Why is easier to go past tense with this question? If you can somehow get an answer to this, the next questions in the Awareness Wheel are interesting, too: “how do you feel about their work?” “what do you think about their conservation accomplishments?” “What do you wish they would do?” and maybe the last question would be “what can you do to support them?”
Again, I can’t find any references to help you prepare for this conversation, so you’ll have to do your own research and preparation.
What do you sense is the most pressing wildlife conservation concern in the County?
This conversation could be awkward if someone were to feel ignorant about wildlife conservation: who am I to suggest priorities? So, you might have to ask a few other questions to allay that fear. Something like “What do you see people emphasizing for wildlife conservation in the County?” might work. You might have to go all the way to something like, “have you noticed anything anyone has been doing for wildlife conservation around here?” The following questions might be easier: “how do you feel about wildlife conservation around the Monterey Bay?” could also be “how do you feel wildlife are faring in this region?”
With this last conversation, I wish I could supply you with more information to prepare, but there’s not much out there. The Conservation Blueprint might help, but focuses more on protecting acreage rather than how those acres are managed, which can make a huge difference. Perhaps if enough of us start this conversation, we’ll make better progress in this area as a society.
Grey Hayes is a fervent speaker for all things wild, and his occupations have included land stewardship with UC Natural Reserves, large-scale monitoring and strategic planning with The Nature Conservancy, professional education with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and teaching undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz. Visit his website at: www.greyhayes.net
Email Grey at coastalprairie@aol.com |
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
#283 / Deplatformed
As we get closer to our upcoming election day, let’s remember something about the Republican National Convention. The picture above, taken during that convention, shows our former president with his emblematic bandage; it was published in The New York Times, online, on July 19, 2024. The article from which I took that image was titled, “How Trump Dominated His Own Party on a New G.O.P. Platform.” If you click that link, but are not a subscriber to The Times, you will quite likely not be able to read the story. Here’s the online subhead, to give you a quick synopsis of what the article reports:
Donald Trump and his team displayed a ruthless efficiency in the process of making a platform, confiscating delegates’ cellphones and stifling dissent and even debate.
As readers may remember, there has been some serious talk about how the Republican Party has shifted towards “dictatorship,” as the model for what a democratic government should actually be trying to do. The link will take you to one of my earlier blog postings. And, presumably, everyone remembers that former president Trump has promised to take office as a “dictator,” on his “day one” in office, should he be elected in November.
What the July 19th article in The Times documents is a successful effort by Donald Trump to prevent any actual deliberation over what the Republican Party “Platform” should say. Those delegates to the Convention, who thought that they were going to help develop an explanation of what the Republican Party is trying to achieve, and why voters should vote for their candidates, were prevented from discussing or deliberating about the content of the “Platorm.”
The expression “deplatform” is usually employed to state how those who seek to express themselves on social media, on the internet, are deprived of their ability to do that:
Deplatforming, (no-platforming), [is] a form of Internet censorship of an individual or group by preventing them from posting on the platforms they use to share their information/ideas. This typically involves suspension, outright bans, or reducing spread (shadow banning).
It looks to me like Donald Trump, and “his” Republican Party, are definitely committed to a “democracy” that essentially tells citizens this: “sit down; shut up; do what you’re told.” Trump, aided by his family members and followers, essentially “deplatformed” the delegates who came to the convention to “share their information/ideas.”
If you don’t think that approach to government and politics is what we need, then don’t vote for candidates whose political party actually does think that “dictatorship” is the true object of “democracy.” Click this link to read that earlier blog posting, because the stakes are really high!
Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com |
RELIGIOUS COERCION, TOURBILLONS, INANITIES & DISINHIBITION
Steve Schmidt on his The Warning blog hosted by Substack, writes, “George Washington did not have the insight to realize that all men are created equal, despite fighting for a cause that declared it an unalienable truth. That said, he certainly had the foresight to see the danger of political parties to warp patriotism into tribalism. In his farewell address on September 17, 1796, he said this:
‘However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion, as they accuse entire peoples of stealing and eating their neighbors pets.'”
Okay, okay…he didn’t say that last part nor did Schmidt write it, but Washington COULD have, had he given his farewell speech in 2024. Schmidt says, “the quote that defines a generation (‘They’re eating dogs!’), and an era that is exhausted, stale, ludicrous and coming to an end. Someday, someone somewhere is going to closely examine the inanity that occurred on CNN during the two hours that preceded the debate (with Kamala Harris) during which Trump psychologically decomposed on national television, and realize the scale of idiocies dressed up as commentary describing he greatest threat to freedom in America since 1860. Trump is most certainly an unserious man, but he is covered by a bevy of unserious people whose smugness blinds them to the reality that they make MAGA grow by fertilizing fascism with so much curiosity, wonder, and detachment. Standing for the proposition that what is cannot be, is as delusional as the fulminations from the deranged gentleman foaming at the mouth about immigrants eating dogs.” Schmidt accuses CNN in the hours leading up to the debate of heralding Trump as Muhammad Ali incarnate, with Harris being mocked as an empty vessel. MAGA VP candidate, JD Vance, had claimed that Haitian migrants were “causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” by abducting and eating pets, so naturally the former president spouted that charge during the debate. Cue up the bomb threats by crazies toward schools and public buildings in Springfield!
Schmidt takes Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to task over an editorial he wrote defending Battlefield Springfield and its residents, with Schmidt’s calling his piece a struggle between the lie and truth. DeWine describes how he was born in the town, tells of his familiarity with businesses, churches and events, and mentions a rich history of providing refuge for the oppressed and being a place of opportunity, and how it hit tough times in the ’80s and ’90s. He feels Springfield has a very bright future, praising the Haitians who arrived there to make their dreams come true…the American story. He expresses his disappointment that it is now the epicenter of vitriol over the national immigration policy, but here is where DeWine veers off-track according to Schmidt. “Understanding what has happened is materially and significantly different from how it happened, no matter what the event may be. Why is DeWine willing to tell the truth about what is happening…the people being smeared, but afraid to tell the truth about how it happened and why it happened?” he asks. DeWine writes, “As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield. This rhetoric hurts the city and its people, and it hurts those who have spent their lives here.” Schmidt goes for the jugular, “Come again? Repeating claims? That’s what happened? Really? Why won’t Mike DeWine tell the truth about Donald Trump and JD Vance?…a career public servant, a governor, a father of eight, grandfather of 28, great-grandfather of one, husband of 56 years…in his last years of public life, pushing 80 years old, and not defending his hometown from the men assaulting it? What does Trump have on him?”
Schmidt says that DeWine’s choice is common and typical, a perfect specimen of a fascist apologist…a little man in a job too big for him when courage is in retreat and viciousness is the only virtue that matters within a party led by a rapist and criminal promising retribution, revenge, and violent mass arrests and deportations against his enemies…a hollow man kneeling to a vicious man. If we ever want to know what really happened in Springfield, and everything that mattered in ten years of MAGA, read DeWine’s essay. National Review’s editor-in-chief, Rich Lowry, explains: “Banking on evil is the strategy, and Mike DeWine has played his part. He is an appeaser and a weakling.”
On Fox News’ Media Buzz program, Democratic strategist Tim Hogan pointed out that Biden’s Homeland Security removed a higher percentage of arrested border crossers in its first two years than the Trump administration did in its last two. “You had Karl Rove on this network yesterday talking about the numbers on immigration. Yes, it’s still an advantage for Trump, but that is sliding away from him in some battleground states…in Arizona. But also, nationally, so I think it is smart to go at some of his advantages, and also, when he talks about the issue, sometimes he slips into lunacy,” he charged. “Lunacy?” questioned host Howard Kurtz. Hogan reminded Kurtz, “We saw it during the debate where he’s talking about losing cats and dogs.” Kurtz had to admit, “Well, yeah, and that one I can’t defend.”
Finally, The New York Times has come to its senses, with the editorial board endorsing Kamala Harris for president, claiming that Trump’s “first term was a warning and that a second term would be much more damaging and divisive” than his first stint. Kamala is described as a “dedicated public servant” with “a set of thoughtful plans to help American families,” with the November election being about something “more foundational” than two candidates’ competing visions for the country. The editorial board concludes, “It is about whether we invite into the highest office in the land a man who has revealed, unmistakably, that he will degrade the values, defy the norms and dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong,” adding, “It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump,” a man who “has proven himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest.” The Times says, “He rambles, he repeats himself, he roams from thought to thought…some of them hard to understand, some them unfinished, some of them factually fantastical. He voices outlandish claims that seem to be made up out of whole cloth. He digresses into bizarre tangents about golf, about sharks, about his own ‘beautiful body.’ He relishes ‘a great day in Louisiana’ after actually spending a day in Georgia. He expresses fear that North Korea is ‘trying to kill me’ when he presumably means Iran. As late as last month, Mr. Trump was still speaking as if he were running against President Biden, five weeks after Biden’s withdrawal from the race.” In an interview, he vividly recounted how the audience at his debate with VP Harris was on his side…“they went crazy.” Only problem being it was in an empty hall…no audience to go crazy or otherwise!
A computer analysis conducted by The New York Times in cooperation with ChatGPT reveals that Trump speeches now drone on for 82 minutes on average, compared to 45 minutes in 2016, and proportionately, he uses 13% more all-or-nothing terms like “always” and “never” than in 2016. In the same vein, he uses 32% more negative words than positive words currently, as compared to his first run for office, an indicator of cognitive change; plus, he uses swearwords 69% more often, a trend experts would call ‘disinhibition.’ His comparing Joe Biden’s physique in a bathing suit to that of Cary Grant’s at the same age? Let’s not go there, and let’s skip his claim about his own body – “You have never seen a body so beautiful.” His expertise on any subject is his pride and joy, being well-versed on “nuclear” because “my uncle…yada, yada yada…” Claiming that Venezuelan gangs are arming themselves “with MK-47s…I know that gun very well” since “I’ve become an expert on guns.” Probably meant AK-47s, you think? A Times reporter is annoyed that “it’s not possible to really cover him because he challenges news media process daily, has for years. The systems were not built to deal with somebody who says things that are not true as often as he does or speaks as incoherently as he often does.”
Jon Shore, who identifies himself as a psychotherapist, asks on Quora, “Does Trump’s peddling $100,000 gold and diamond watches make him more relatable to the middle class?” Jon has looked over the website for the Trump watches, reading the fine print, and doing some research, which has led him to these conclusions: The watches don’t exist at this moment; watches not guaranteed to look like product in the photos (for illustration purposes only); watches aren’t returnable; not Swiss made, Chinese made; sold by a fake company in Sheridan, WY, a lawyer’s office from which Trump tchotchkes are hawked, along with sex toys and various other products by unnamed companies; and, watches shipped worldwide. So, if you want to send Donald Trump $100,000, order as many as you wish…doesn’t matter if the product is real, fake or non-existent…just send lots of money. Shore is calling it a typical Trump scam. He doesn’t have to disclose buyers, whether they are Russian oligarchs, Saudi princes or even Elon Musk…it’s simply ‘personal funds’ for unlimited campaign cash. Where’s the Justice Department when you need…oh yeah, never mind!
A distinctive and anachronistic feature of the Trump watch is the use of a tourbillon (a French word for ‘whirlwind’), an 18th century invention used for improving timekeeping accuracy by suspending the components in a rotating cage, therefore counteracting the effects of gravity. The device is no longer functionally necessary with advances existing in today’s watches. But Swiss brands such as Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet have used them for years to signify status and success, with their brands costing $250,000 plus, so Trump is touting his watches as “not just any watch; it is one of the best watches made.” TAG Heuer offers one of its versions for less than $25K, and Seagull Watch Company in China sells one for around $1,700. Vintage-watch dealer, Mike Nouveau, calculated the value of some of the watch’s parts, coming up with a reckoning far below the retail price of $100K, saying that any company can order a tourbillon off the shelf and stick it in their watch. The 200 grams of gold and the 100 diamonds might give the Trump watch an added value of $16K, and with fabrication added, the final cost to make each is probably between $20K and $30K. The timepiece’s movement is actually Swiss-made by Olivier Mory of OM Mechanics but the company making the purchase will be producing the final product elsewhere, with Mory not concerned about his movements being used by a brand tied to Trump. He remarked, “I don’t have to be interested by a foreign politician…I don’t see any reason to be ashamed as movement producer. The US political system is like coming from another planet.” Only with if Trump’s name is on the dial face!
The real border crisis in America raised its ugly head last week…the one between church and state…when Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools, Ryan Walters, submitted a request for $3M from the Department of Education to buy 55,000 Bibles for placement in the state’s classrooms. Not only is he pushing Bibles, he’s mounting a scheme to enrich Donald Trump with taxpayer dollars. Seems that the requirements laid down by Walters fit only the Trump-endorsed ‘God Bless the USA Bible’ which raised cries of ‘corruption and manipulation.’ The Oklahoma Watch reported on a fresh wave of criticism in several areas, one of which pounced on the former president’s grifting, in particular with Bibles. Broad efforts have been ongoing by Christian nationalist organizers to assert themselves into the state GOP, encouraging that taxpayer monies be spent to place religious books in public school classrooms. The vendors who bid on the contract for the classroom Bibles must specifically provide the King James Version, with Old and New Testaments, must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, with a binding of leather or leather-like material. One vendor carries 2,900 Bibles, but none fit the specs…only one fills the bill…Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA Bible, endorsed by Donald Trump, who gets a fee for lending his name to the cesspool. Superintendent Walters said, “We are going to be so proud here in Oklahoma to be the first state in the country to bring the Bible back to every single classroom and every state should be doing this…President Trump praised our efforts. President Trump has been a leader on this issue.” Well, gaaaahly, gee whiz! Why would that be? Prior to the Trump Bible issue, civil rights groups had spent months sounding the alarm over Walters’ push to mandate Christian teachings in public schools.
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, released a statement saying, “Oklahoma taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll Superintendent Walters’ Christian nationalist agenda. His latest scheme is a transparent, unlawful effort to indoctrinate and religiously coerce public school students. Not on our watch. Public schools are not Sunday schools.” Experts are warning that contract specifications might actually represent a breach of state law, since they seem to target only one edition of the Bible…the Greenwood/Trump publication. “It appears to me that this bid is anything but competitive,” former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson told The Oklahoman newspaper. “It adds to the basic specification other requirements that have nothing to do with the text. The special binding and inclusion of government documents will exclude almost all bidders. If the bid specs exclude most bidders unnecessarily, I would consider that a violation.” The Atlantic’s David Graham calls the situation “incredible grift,” and Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall declared it “somewhere between hilarious and grotesque.” While you’re at it, why not go for the watches too, Oklahoma? Those tourbillons will fit right into your very essence!
Dale Matlock, a Santa Cruz County resident since 1968, is the former owner of The Print Gallery, a screenprinting establishment. He is an adherent of The George Vermosky school of journalism, and a follower of too many news shows, newspapers, and political publications, and a some-time resident of Moloka’i, Hawaii, U.S.A., serving on the Board of Directors of Kepuhi Beach Resort. Email: cornerspot14@yahoo.com. |
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. View classic inner-view ideas and thoughts with Subconscious Comics a few flips down.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Deep Cover” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Halloween
“Halloween was the best holiday, in my opinion, because it was all about friends, monsters, and candy, rather than family and responsibility.”
~Margee Kerr
“Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.”
~Steve Almond
“The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we’ve come to need Halloween.”
~Paula Curan
“Halloween was confusing. All my life my parents said, ‘Never take candy from strangers.’ And then they dressed me up and said, ‘Go beg for it.'”
~Rita Rudner
“Just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t believe it!”
~Jack Skellington
With a nod to Gary Patton, who posted about this guy’s first appearance on AGT a few weeks ago, here are all of Richard Goodall’s performances! |
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
84 Blackburn Street, Apt 102
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Cell phone: (831) 212-3273
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
October 2 – 8, 2024
Bratton… input on Measure U… Greensite… on West Cliff Drive… Steinbruner… Fairgrounds lawsuit, LAFCO, and No on Measure Q…. Hayes… Earth to You: Checking In… Patton… I Willl Protect Women (At A Level….) Matlock… …where’s the money?…baggage diversity…closeted security… Eagan… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover… Webmistress serves you… Billie Eilish breaks down her career… Quotes on… “Classics”
|
Dateline: October 2, 2024
INPUT ON MEASURE U. Jim Mosher lives in Felton and was a leader in the Friends of Locally Owned Water (FLOW). He is the chair of the No on Measure U Campaign Committee. He’s responding here to an article Becky Steinbruner wrote in BrattonOnline about measure U on September 23.
Save San Lorenzo Valley Water — Vote No on Measure U!
Measure U proposes drastic budget cuts for the San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD), undoing the current rate structure recently adopted by the SLVWD’s Board of Directors and threatening the District’s future. Here are the facts:
Measure U threatens SLVWD’s ability to recover from the CZU fire and prepare for the next fire or storm.
It would reduce revenue by at least $1 million and probably more by eliminating the CZU Fire Surcharge and the Capital Charge. These fees are needed to address the $50 million cost of replacing critical infrastructure damaged in the fire and upgrading aging infrastructure that cannot support fire-fighting. The District would lose approximately $170,000/month in revenues until a new rate study can be prepared and approved, at a minimum a 6-9 month process assuming that it is not again challenged by the proponents.
Measure U threatens SLVWD’s future.
SLVWD is already facing a serious financial crisis. This is why it enacted the new rate structure and rate increase, following the required, complicated process that included multiple opportunities for community engagement. [Click here for more information on the new rate structure and its rationale.] The district faces huge challenges even with the rate increase. Without it, we will be following the path of the privately-owned Big Basin Water Company, which is now in receivership. Its ratepayers have unreliable and often unsafe water supply and face plunging housing values. Underinvestment is not a viable option. The savings now will be more than wiped out by avoidable increased costs in the future.
Measure U would create financial instability and create a huge financial burden on the SLV Unified School District.
Measure U places a 2% cap on future fixed rate increases for the next 25 years, which would force the district to drastically increase water usage rates over time. Water use fluctuates dramatically, particularly with anticipated droughts and wet winters, resulting in unpredictable revenue. SLVWD would not be able plan and manage effectively, and the overall rates will need to be even higher in order to maintain an adequate reserve. This is why the expert consulting firm specifically advised SLVWD to increase the fixed-rate share of its revenue. The SLV School District is among the largest water users in the valley, consuming about 6.5 million gallons a year, so even small increases in water usage rates translate into dramatically increased water charges for the district.
The arguments for Measure U are misleading or false.
The new rate study does NOT shift the primary financial burden onto low-volume water users. Proponents simply ignore the new tiered water rate structure that places the primary burden on heavy water users, particularly over the five-year period.
The new rate structure increasing fixed rates IS equitable. Repairing and upgrading infrastructure to recover from the CZU fire and prepare for the next disaster benefits everyone regardless of the amount of water a ratepayer uses. Yet Measure U would eliminate the fees designated for these repairs and upgrades. It would force the District to find an alternate source for this revenue (e.g., by relying more heavily on volume-dependent water rates) makes no sense because over 90% of the District’s costs are fixed and independent of how much water a given ratepayer consumes. We are paying primarily for the privilege of having clean, reliable water come from our tap when we turn it on and water available for fighting fires, protecting our homes.
The new rates DO support conservation. Tiered rates, which the SLVWD has now adopted, are the best strategy for promoting conservation.
The best way to support low-income households is through the District’s Ratepayer Assistance Program. The one SLVWD board member supporting Measure U repeatedly voted against this program, arguing that the District could not afford it.
No wonder Measure U is opposed by State Senator John Laird, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, Supervisors Bruce McPherson and Justin Cummings, former Supervisor and State Assemblymember Mark Stone, the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee, the Democratic Club of North Santa Cruz County, among other civic leaders, organizations, and SLVWD ratepayers.
Vote NO on Measure U.
For more information go to: www.saveslvwater.org.
CIVIL WAR. Max movie (7.1 IMDB) Has some fine scenes, but falls apart en toto. Kirsten Dunst, Jessie Plemons and Wagner Moura lead the cast. It really is about a new civil war right here in the USA. Reporters, photographers and politicians all race around headed to Washington D.C. to talk to and change how the president is thinking. Texas and California withdraw from the union and more hell breaks out. Watch it only if this seems and looks like a nightmare to you.
THE DELIVERANCE. Netflix movie. (5.1 IMDB) Glenn Close leads the first part of this haunted house re-hash and she does a fine job. Then all the other characters turn it into the old Hollywood scary movie vehicle and take the thrills and fun out of it. As apparently required nowadays the racial issues are thrown in to give us some thoughtful stuff to focus on. Avoid this one.
THE PERFECT COUPLE. Netflix series. (6.6 IMDB) It takes place on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. Nicole Kidman, Live Schreiber and Dakota Fanning are the lead stars. A big and important wedding is about to happen and there’s a murder of all things. So the movie is all focused on whodunit! Suspicious darts are thrown and there really isn’t much of a surprise left to care about. It’s about a blah movie and you’ve seen it many, many times before.
BREATHLESS. Net series. (6.3 IMDB) This Spanish production centers and details the business side of running a hospital. It deals with, and carefully exploits the union angles of labor managing, it revolves around the constant conflict between medicine and money. There doesn’t seem to be much difference between Mexican and United States in hospital operations
KAOS. Netflix series. (7.5 IMDB). Even after viewing this one I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a comedy or a semi serious religious Greek drama. Jeff Goldblum and David Thewlis play their darndest at being Zeus and Hades stomping around Olympus trying to influence any survivors who’ll listen to them. Read a good book instead.
SLOW HORSES. Apple series. (8.2 IMDB) There’s been five seasons or series of Slow Horses so far and I never watched any of them. Slow Horses is British slang for “slough house”. And Slough House is where the wild, clever talking M15 British agents who have made professional mistakes hang out between cases. Gary Oldman is the lead and he’s a perfect fit as are Kristin Scott Thomas and Jonathan Price. Set aside some down time and watch this one. It’s been nominated for 9 Emmy awards.
MONSIEUR SPADE. Netflix series. (6.9 IMDB) Clive Owen is either paying off a bet or simply forgot how to act…he plays at being the Dashiell Hammett character Sam Spade in this political drama set in France in 1963. He lives in the south of France and is supposed to be 60. A priest, an investigator, a mess of a cast all looking for a young girl named Teresa, don’t even think about this one!
HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA. HBO series (6.8 IMDB) Kevin Costner (who must have had some lifting of face) not only directed this saga but is one of many featured costars along with Sienna Miller, and Luke Wilson. There is a murder in Montana during our civil war and the movie features a large focus on “Native Americans” being careful to respect them as important humans in a rare drama.
THE WATCHERS. Max movie.(5.7 IMDB) An incredibly puzzling movie set in Ireland with Dakota Fanning delivering a parrot to a more than unbelievable and invisible bunch of humans hiding out in an impossible part of a forest. Full of legends, myths, and puzzles, it’s worth your time.
AMERICAN MURDER: Laci Peterson. Netflix series. (7.0 IMDB) It’s a documentary about a murder that happened in 2002. Laci Peterson was murdered and her husband Scott was convicted, and more than 20 years later he and his family are still working to disprove his involvement. It takes place in Berkeley and Modesto and gives us some concept of how big a role the media plays. There’s more documentaries being produced on the Peterson case and we are advised to wait for a better version.
September 30, 2024
West Cliff Drive. Real Work versus Make-Work
Had I not had a conflict I would have attended the online September 26 city – sponsored community meeting on the Five-year West Cliff Roadmap. Fortunately, the event was well-covered by Sentinel reporter Aric Sleeper. Apparently, the aim is to help the city figure out what near-term projects to prioritize along West Cliff Drive over the next five years. This was the first of three such meetings. The consultant-run meetings regarding the future of West Cliff Drive are typically heavy on bureaucratese. This one was no exception.
What in plain English does following say? It is from the operations and project lead for Farallon Strategies.
Is the process consistent with an adaptive management approach which includes a structured and iterative process of robust decision making in the face of uncertainty with the aim of reducing uncertainty over time via systematic monitoring?
This consulting group has been on the city dime for quite a while now. Following the severe storm damage of winter 2023, Farallon Strategies (at $250 an hour) was hired by the city to conduct numerous community meetings and surveys drafting a 50-Year Vision for West Cliff Drive. Under most circumstances such robust community input would be welcome and applauded. It became clear, however that there was an agenda behind this ostensible concern to capture the voice of the community: that was, and maybe still is, to turn West Cliff Drive into one-way for cars. Beyond that? I’m sure behind closed doors plans have been hatched.
At the city council meeting in April of this year, maybe transportation management staff and consultants were high on their own rhetoric or maybe they thought no-one would notice that the 50 Year Community Vision they presented for council approval declared that “the City will transition from two-way vehicle traffic along West Cliff Drive to one-way westbound vehicle traffic,” even though council had never given prior policy direction to staff for this significant, controversial change in traffic flow. Fortunately, community members, particularly the surfing community and lower westside neighbors turned out in large numbers at the council meeting and the rush to one-way was rejected, at that time.
As a member of the Technical Advisory Group for West Cliff Drive, well before the storms of 2023, I had noticed the tendency of staff and consultants to cherry pick facts that suited their agenda and omit ones that didn’t. One example from the April council meeting was the specter presented in the staff slide show that the city would need to buy private property along West cliff Drive, at great expense to the city, if the road had to be moved inwards to keep two-way traffic. The glaring omission from this scenario is the fact that the city has a legal five-foot easement along the inward side of West Cliff Drive. I had written numerous emails asking that this easement be included as part of the options to consider. It wasn’t mentioned by staff at the meeting.
Meanwhile, as the bucks keep flowing to Farallon Strategies and arcane community meetings are held, city Public Works engineering staff and Granite Rock are hard at work fixing the damage to West Cliff Drive. Progress reports to council from the Public Works director are clear and free of the abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions that pass for content in the Vision and Roadmap arena. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard the end of the Vision and Roadmap gibberish. The second meeting is on October 21, followed by a third on November 19 headed to council in January 2025. Despite the stated objectives, all signs point to an agenda to transform West Cliff Drive into an economic-generating recreation destination. One way for people in cars may be just the thin end of the wedge.
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild. |
CIVIL CASE AGAINST FAIRGROUNDS AND FORMER CEO DAVE KEGEBEIN
Two former Fairgrounds employees have filed a lawsuit against former Fairgrounds CEO David Kegebein, the 14th District Agricultural Association (DAA), and the State of California for wrongful termination. Quite frankly, these two loyal employees suffered unbelievable abuse from then-CEO Kegebein, as well as the two Interim CEO’s that stepped in upon approval by the Fairgrounds Board after Kegebein was fired.
Take a moment and read through the Complaint filed May 22, 2024 and amended on August 2 in Case 24CV01524
No one should have to suffer under such harassment or demeaning treatment as these two endured.
LAFCO REVIEWS NEW PLAN FOR COUNTYWIDE EMERGENCY SERVICES
How would a new fire district serving the greater part of rural Santa Cruz County fair if other fire districts consolidate with existing services currently contracted with CalFire to provide when not in fire season?
That is what Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) will now link arms with the County General Services Dept. Director Michael Beaton to move forward and accomplish…but will people be able to afford it?
Oct 2024 Agenda
There are several questions that need to be addressed as part of the plan,
including but not limited to the following:
- Will the current level of service from CSA 48 continue under the new fire district in
accordance with the contract between the County and CalFIRE? Will the existing
contract be transferred over, or will a new contract be needed? - Will the new fire district continue to operate under the Amador model?
- How many board members will the new distract have? How many district-based
election zones will be needed? - What is the cost to provide the same level of service under CSA 48 to the new fire
district? Are there potential cost-savings from the reorganization? - What level of service can be adequately provided based on the current revenue
structure? - Can the new fire district operate sustainably for the next 10, 20, 30 years?
LAFCO Director Serrano intends to move this along at break-neck pace
Contact Mr. Serrano with your thoughts: Joe Serrano <joe.serrano@santacruzcountyca.gov>
COMMENT OPEN NOW FOR WATSONVILLE CITY GENERAL PLAN 2050 UPDATE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Does it make sense to you that the City of Watsonville is planning to focus future dense development near the airport, and potentially threaten its existence in the future?
When major disasters strike Santa Cruz County, we often become isolated from nearby areas that supply medical supplies and food. In those times, the Watsonville Airport has historically provided the only link to quick delivery of medical supplies coming in and transporting injured patients out to receive life-saving care.
I am concerned that the largest areas on the radar for Watsonville City’s future dense development are near the airport.
Santa Cruz County LAFCO Director Mr. Joe Serrano is concerned that the environmental analysis fails to address the issue of dense new housing in areas that are outside the City limits.
The Watsonville City Planning and Community Development Dept. is accepting comment on environmental review until October 14 and will hold a public hearing October 9:
Due to the time limits mandated by State law, your response must be sent at the earliest possible date and not later than 30 days after receipt of this notice. The review period for public comments pertaining to this NOP extends from September 13, 2024, to October 14, 2024.
Please send your response to Justin Meek, AICP, Assistant Community Development Director at the address shown above. We will need the name of a contact person . in your agency.
An EIR Scoping Meeting for this project will be held at the following date, time, and location: When: Wednesday, October 9, 2024, from 1 :00 to 3:00 p,m. Where: One-Stop Conference Room 250 Main Street
Please write and urge no development near the Watsonville Airport, and include analysis of potential impacts to emergency public health and safety service,
Justin Meek <justin.meek@watsonville.gov> 831-768-3050
In my opinion, the Watsonville Airport should be financially supported by the entire County and city jurisdictions because it is such a valuable life-saving asset in the Community in emergencies. Please write the County Board of Supervisors about that if you agree, and suggest that the County consider exploring such analysis. Board of Supervisors <boardofsupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov>
ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO VOTE “NO” ON MEASURE Q
The Santa Cruz County LAFCO examined the efficiency and financial health of the MidPeninsula Open Space District at Wednesday’s meeting. You should note that this organization is a special district, and subject to LAFCO’s Spher and Service Review every five years.
You should also note that the organization is one of the three large non-profits throwing big money at Measure Q to grab $87/parcel forever countywide to fund their nebulous projects.
So, take a look at what LAFCO’s study determined:
The District has dealt with annual deficits. MROSD has experienced an annual deficit during the last five fiscal years (FY 2018- 19 to FY 2022-23).The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s financial standing continues to be strong, General Fund Revenues continue to outpace General Fund Expenditures. When analyzing all funds, there is a structural deficit due to the significant investments the District made in a new administrative office partially covered by committed fund balance and several large land purchases covered by Measure AA bond funds. The District’s net position has grown by 33% in the last five years to $489 million, demonstrating that the deficits do not have a negative impact on the District’s overall financial standing.
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Service & Sphere Review
The District currently encompasses over 550 square miles of land located in the County of Santa Clara (approximately 200 square miles), the County of San Mateo (approximately 350 square miles), and the County of Santa Cruz (approximately 2.6 square miles). For purposes of this report, Santa Cruz LAFCO’s analysis will focus on the lands within Santa Cruz County only (totaling 1,968 acres).
So, why is the MidPeninsula Open Space District throwing so much money at Measure Q? Hmmmm…..Whatever this large organization has planned to grab a big bite from your wallet is a mystery, but obviously they have expensive ideas. Maybe a larger office?
Just vote NO on Measure Q.
LEARN ABOUT GOOD FIRE
Can fire really be a good thing to consider? Learn more about the use and restrictions of “Good Fire” this Saturday, October 5 in Felton. Many thanks to Ms. Lynn Sestak, FireWise Coordinator for the County FireSafe Council, for the information about this educational event.
The Central Coast Good Fire Fair at Henry Cowell State Park in Felton, is happening this Saturday Oct 5th, 10-3. There will be live fire demos, hose lay races, fire ecology walks, home hardening for wildfire, food trucks and a kid zone. Rx burn season is right around the corner, some come check it out!
NEWS ON HEALTH THAT HITS HOME
A few years ago, residents in Watsonville fought and won the battle to reject the City’s plan to fluoridate the drinking water. It is a very good thing they won that fight because now the Courts have ordered the EPA to begin drafting a rulemaking that declares the unreasonable health risk of fluoride to children merit banning fluoridation in public drinking water.
I was disturbed to hear that fluoride treatment for children is a standard practice recommended in the County’s Oral Health Access Strategic Plan presentation at the September 24 County Board of Supervisor meeting
-Please write the Board of Supervisors if you think this policy needs to be dropped, based on the Federal Court ruling below: Board of Supervisors <boardofsupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov>
The ruling requires the EPA to take regulatory action to eliminate the risk, in a decision that could end the use of water fluoridation chemicals throughout the U.S.
[Federal Court Rules That Water Fluoridation Poses an “Unreasonable Risk” to Children]
After a precedent-setting 7-year legal battle in federal court, an historic ruling by the United States District Court of the Northern District of California has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take regulatory action to eliminate the “unreasonable risk” to the health of children posed by the practice of water fluoridation.
The verdict is a significant loss for the EPA and the promoters of fluoridation like the American Dental Association and the US Centers For Disease Control because the court found that their claims of safety–made for over 75 years–were in fact not supported by evidence.
Senior Judge Edward Chen wrote, “the Court finds that fluoridation of water at 0.7 milligrams per liter (“mg/L”) – the level presently considered “optimal” in the United States – poses an unreasonable risk of reduced IQ in children…the Court finds there is an unreasonable risk of such injury, a risk sufficient to require the EPA to engage with a regulatory response.”
“In all, there is substantial and scientifically credible evidence establishing that fluoride poses a risk to human health; it is associated with a reduction in the IQ of children and is hazardous at dosages that are far too close to fluoride levels in the drinking water of the United States…Reduced IQ poses serious harm. Studies have linked IQ decrements of even one or two points to, e.g., reduced educational attainment, employment status, productivity, and earned wages.”
The ruling did not specify exactly what measures must be adopted by the EPA, but under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), once the court rules that a chemical poses an unreasonable risk, the EPA is obligated by law to restrict or eliminate the risk.
Judge Chen described a range of options for regulating fluoridation, including banning it, but he warned, “One thing the EPA cannot do, however, in the face of this Court’s finding, is to ignore that risk.”
APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT IS SIMILAR TO TOOTH DECAY….IT’S ROTTEN AND PAINFUL
Swenson is blasting through on Phase 2 and 3 of the Aptos Village Project, causing congestion and, with the County’s blessing, taking away precious on-street parking for the public. The last round of Project modifications removed spacing between buildings that would have provided some area for trees and landscaping.
Anyone arriving by public transportation is poorly-served by the fact that the County allowed the westbound bus stop to be shoved far away from where people might actually need it to be for easy access to events at Aptos Village Park or the dense stacks of housing. Many of the commercial spaces in Phase 1 are still empty and will be joined by more in Phase 2 and 3.
What a mess. Supervisor Zach Friend is exiting, now that the nasty work former Supervisor Ellen Pirie, who brokered this rotten deal, left behind for him to finish is nearing completion.
Please write a letter to the editor of your favorite local newspaper with your thoughts about this dense development that has destroyed the character of the historic Aptos Village.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. READ YOUR BALLOT INFORMATION CAREFULLY AND VOTE.
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY JUST DOING SOMETHING.
Cheers!
Becky
Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes. She ran again in 2020 on a slightly bigger shoestring and got 1/3 of the votes.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com |
Earth to You: Checking In
What did it mean to you when you read the title? I’m suggesting that you take the opportunity to check in with Earth, in person and soon. I’ll provide an example from my checking in just today…maybe that will help motivate you to do the same.
How Dry Is It?
Do you recall the last time there was significant rainfall? “What is significant?” you might ask. For this question, I ask myself…”when was the last rain before the ground really started to turn dry?” There was a rain in early May that helped keep the ground wet, but after that…nothing. So, let’s say May 5th was when those last drops hit the ground. It has been 147 days of drying so far…it is pretty darn dry but each day is getting drier.
Besides reckoning on days of drying out, how do you determine how dry the natural world is? Everything is relative, right? Fire professionals measure fuels moisture and create predictive maps like this one. Even though local CAL FIRE units collect fuels moisture data regularly, I haven’t been able to find where the public can view those data, though it would be interesting and important for us all to do so. Agricultural scientists use models for how dry the soil should be, and this map is interesting that way.
Here are my observations about how dry it is right now in the natural world around us. I look at streams I know well and, for the last week I’ve been saying, “that stream is running pretty well!” Scott Creek and its tributaries Mill Creek, Big Creek, Little Creek, and even Queseria Creek all have more water flowing in them than I am used to seeing this time of year. Of course, those watersheds all burned and trees drink water, so perhaps those flows are more because of that. A recent walk into Majors Creek also revealed good flow. Small tributaries, springs and seeps in the areas around those streams also seemed to have unusually high amounts of moisture. This all makes sense given the past winter’s rainfall, but it is still nice to experience WET in the DRY season.
What Do Birds Say?
Another way to check in on the Earth is to observe birds. What’s going on with them right now, right here? Golden crowned sparrows made their seasonal debut in our area this past week, right on schedule in the wee hours of the Equinox. Even if you don’t recognize birds by their plumage or shape, the sound scape changed with the arrival of the golden crowned sparrows. Everywhere you go, you will now hear their unmistakable call. Meadowlarks arrived, here, too, in the past week or so. Lots and lots of birds are on the move right now. Check out this web viewer that well illustrates the millions of migrating birds moving through the USA. I am really pleased to recognize the arrival of various favorite birds and even to hear the honking geese way overhead (at night) and to occasionally see their characteristic V patterns when they rarely fly overhead during the day.
Another Critter’s Story
There is another natural phenomenon that shows me where we are with the progression of the season. Deer have rubbed the felt off of their antlers by now. I haven’t heard the sparring noise, but I expect to: the fascinating noise of deer antlers clashing. It is rutting time for our local deer population. Yesterday, I saw a medium-sized buck holding its head too low right behind a female as they trotted along. Her adolescent offspring followed the buck, a family (for now at least) of three. Speaking of deer and ‘how dry are we?’ – I have also been noticing how lovely the deer are this year: shiny healthy coats, full bodies fattened up with the great abundance of food from the prior wet winter.
Botanically Speaking
Few do it, but I’ll still urge you to ‘check out the plants!’ The most stunning revelation of right now in the plant world around here is the MAST. Everywhere you go, it is a mast year: the acorn crop is Huge. Coast live oaks, Shreve oaks, and their distant relative the tan oaks are all dropping acorns. If you walk trails, they are under foot going crunch. I haven’t seen a jay carrying an acorn, but that is my own fault for not slowing down enough to notice. They are undoubtedly carrying acorn after acorn, burying them, and keeping track of where they put them. Jays have an uncanny ability to recall their placement of acorns. Acorn woodpeckers, too, are harvesting acorns and placing them in their towering hole-punched trees, aka granaries. If Old World Peoples hadn’t exterminated the local tribes from their homeplaces, people around here would be harvesting acorns by the basketful and placing them in their own granaries…protected from bears and other critters. We are missing that harvest not only for the food but for the connection that food would bring us to the natural world. Maybe one day…
There are few flowers in blossom, but two stand out: coyote bush and California aster. Coyote bush is the most common native shrub around and it is in full bloom right now. There are male and female bushes and the females are beginning to look like they are covered with white fur- the seeds are like tiny dandelion seeds with even tinier parachutes to carry the seeds far. The flowers are unimpressive to us but very impressive for the many butterflies, flies, and bees that need nectar and pollen for food. The bushes are teeming with insect life! California aster somehow miraculously makes lush spikes of purple flowers when nothing else gives up that intensity of color. But, those flowers don’t have anywhere near as many bugs.
The Weather of Now
I have a refrain for this time of year: when Winter fights with Summer. No matter how ‘indoorsy’ you are, you’ve no doubt noticed one thing about the Earth around you: the weather. If you want some real heat on Santa Cruz’ warm days, go up to Scotts Valley where the sun wants to roast you. This time of year there are these warm spells and then there are cool, drizzly spells. These oscillations have been especially evident this year, but I remember being struck by this in prior years. It makes sense.
Anticipation…
Sometime soon Winter will win and it will be all drizzle and cool. Enjoy the bits of summer that are left, even the hot spells. October is notorious for bringing at least one nice heat wave, often approaching 100F. Fire season isn’t over until the world gets wet…and even then, sometimes there are winter fires.
It is a ways away, but another thing to look forward to is The First Big Wind. For years, I have made my seasonal conifer wreaths from the branches dislodged by the first wind storm, just prior to Thanksgiving. I scoot out after that storm and gather fallen branches and then wait for that storm’s other Thanksgiving gift: chanterelles.
The seasons are shifting, the days not yet too short: here’s me urging you- get out and let the signs of the times sink in! Nature heals, and recognizing the patterns of nature is a pathway to that healing. Good luck!
Grey Hayes is a fervent speaker for all things wild, and his occupations have included land stewardship with UC Natural Reserves, large-scale monitoring and strategic planning with The Nature Conservancy, professional education with the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and teaching undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz. Visit his website at: www.greyhayes.net
Email Grey at coastalprairie@aol.com |
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
#268 / I Willl Protect Women (At A Level…. )
Donald J. Trump, currently campaigning as a candidate for the presidency, has recently posted what AlterNet calls a “late-night, all-caps rant directed at women.” Here is that “rant,” presented in full:
WOMEN ARE POORER THAN THEY WERE FOUR YEARS AGO, ARE LESS HEALTHY THAN THEY WERE FOUR YEARS AGO, ARE LESS SAFE ON THE STREETS THAN THEY WERE FOUR YEARS AGO, ARE MORE DEPRESSED AND UNHAPPY THAN THEY WERE FOUR YEARS AGO, AND ARE LESS OPTIMISTIC AND CONFIDENT IN THE FUTURE THAN THEY WERE FOUR YEARS AGO,” the former president wrote. “I WILL FIX ALL OF THAT, AND FAST, AND AT LONG LAST THIS NATIONAL NIGHTMARE WILL BE OVER. WOMEN WILL BE HAPPY, HEALTHY, CONFIDENT AND FREE!
I WILL PROTECT WOMEN AT A LEVEL NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THEY WILL FINALLY BE HEALTHY, HOPEFUL, SAFE, AND SECURE,” he continued. “THEIR LIVES WILL BE HAPPY, BEAUTIFUL, AND GREAT AGAIN!
I immediately noticed that this late night communication demonstrated a Trump trait that I have mentioned before; namely, that when our former president makes an assertion, complaining about what he is complaining about or claiming what he is making claims about, he frequently states that his assertion demonstrates something that is is, or will be, “at levels never seen before.”
My main reason for this blog posting, though, is not to provide additional evidence for my earlier comment, made on September 12th. Rather, I want to make a point, again, that I frequently make, in various ways. Anyone who thinks that the health and welfare of the people of the United States is something that is provided by the government (or by any individual person in the government, specifically including the president) is not properly understanding what our American idea of “government” is really all about.
Our governmental system is a system of “self-government,” in which we, the “governed,” are also those who “do the governing.” What the future of our government will be – as to any issue, including those of preeminent importance to women – will depend on how much, and how effectively, we get involved in government ourselves.
There is still plenty of time, before November 5th, to get involved in the upcoming election. Getting involved in government means, at a minimum, that we must VOTE. However, self-government really demands more than that. We need to “Chop Wood, Carry Water.” Click that link to be introduced to a daily blog, by Jessica Craven, that can provide you with some good ideas on how to do that. You don’t have to “Upgrade to Paid,” if you’d like to economize. Click on the link and you’ll find out that there is a “free” option.
Here is my main point. Do we want to “Protect Women”? Well, women are probably particularly interested in that, and they don’t need to rely on a male candidate who has been convicted by a jury of sexual harassment to provide the protection they both want and need. Women are able to do that for themselves – and men can help, of course, as I would hope they would choose to do. The AlterNet article makes very clear that our political and governmental system lets us take political action ourselves, which is exactly how our system of self-government is supposed to work:
While Trump argued that the question of abortion is now “WITH THE STATES, AND A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE,” it’s worth noting that since Roe’s fall in 2022, every single state has voted in favor of abortion rights when it came up on the ballot. This includes deep-red states like Kansas, Kentucky and Montana in 2022, and Ohio in 2023. Voters will be deciding the issue this November in Trump’s newly adopted home state of Florida.
Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com |
The Nebraska GOP’s sneaky attack to change their electoral voting system from a 2/3 split among their five electors to a winner-take-all rule was thwarted last week, which will likely give one vote to Kamala Harris instead of all five to Trump in November’s election. The state legislature couldn’t manage to get the votes together for inclusion of a heavily Democratic district into their MAGA cesspool, which could give Harris a bit of an edge in the final Electoral College result. Republicans still have a month to figure out their next attack plan.
North Carolina’s governor’s race lays scattered in ruins since the revelations about ‘Black Nazi’ and Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s past adventures on porn sites, and his posting of inappropriate comments popping up to derail his gubernatorial candidacy. Several of his campaign staffers promptly resigned, but since then several conservative donors are now wondering how money was spent, especially since his campaign had been lagging behind so badly. The New York Times reports that the departure of chief consultant Conrad Pogorzelski, and finance director Heather Whillier has led to increased scrutiny of the campaign’s expenses, with Pogorzelski taking around $2M and Whillier’s group being paid $1.3M from the coffers which reported $15.8M on hand at July’s end. Former chair of the University of North Carolina, Harry Smith, admitted that he contributed $6,400, expressing regret that he had donated to Robinson with whom he wasn’t very impressed with from the start, as he confessed that Josh Stein will get his vote anyway. Panic took over the state’s GOP with the developments, and some members of Robinson’s team sought help from the Trump campaign to convince their candidate to drop out of the race. Of course it was too late to remove the Lt. Governor’s name from the ballot, and military ballots and overseas voter ballots were already in the pipeline; besides, who would stand in his place as a candidate? Plus, the Trump campaign had no comment, and even Donald Trump being asked for comment by a reporter, only brought his standard reply, “I know nothing about the situation.” He obviously felt he didn’t need to get into another hot mess.
Despite being a detriment to GOP prospects up and down the statewide ballot, Robinson says he is standing pat, so far, all in the face of critics blaming the party for getting into this fiasco. With many Republican leaders touting his candidacy, and Trump’s promise of an endorsement, they blundered ahead, with the national party looking the other way in spite of the many unseemly comments Robinson had uttered publicly. Robinson was probably vetted to a point, but his awfulness was accepted because he was a new, diverse, and magnetic voice for the North Carolina party. Party stalwarts who knew of his weaknesses, about some of his baggage, were horrified at Trump’s pledge for an endorsement, knowing they were rendered impotent to speak out against this apparent rising star. State treasurer, Dale Folwell, says, “Robinson was selected by former president Trump and other party officials who elevated him, and those officials and their consultants did know, should have known, or didn’t want to know about Robinson’s flaws. The party I joined nearly fifty years ago was based on conservatism, common sense, courtesy, humanity, humility, and ethics…not counterfeit conservatives like Mark Robinson who think they can build our party by people who to hate.” With Robinson’s vow to remain in the race, the state GOP concluded the damage had been done, end of conversation.
Another politician has fallen into his own trap, this time a Democrat; New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted last week on five federal charges of bribery, fraud, corruption and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. As Jimmy Fallon said on ‘The Tonight Show,’ “Its’ always fun when the city mimics the exact plot of the ‘Batman’ movie.” Adams is accused of accepting over $100K worth of free plane tickets and hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals and a government official. Fallon joked, “Adams insisted that he’s innocent and made it clear that he has no intention of resigning…unless ‘someone wants to give me $100K to go away. And then maybe we’ll talk about it.'”
Then, we have the case of GOP Mayor Doug Diny of Wausau, WI, who contracted right-wing-bird fever, then dressed up as a maintenance man…hard hat, work gloves, and Department of Public Works Department jacket, and perhaps steel-toed boots…so he could remove a ballot drop box outside the city hall. Moved it to his office for security! Right!..a guarantee to securely reduce the number of ballot box locations for those exercising their voting rights! Mayor Doug said, “I’m a staff member…nothing nefarious going on here…I’m hoping for a good result.” Your Groucho eyebrows, glasses, nose and mustache are slipping down your face, sir. Diny says the city clerk should have sought permission from the city council before situating the box, even after the state Supreme Court had just ruled in July that city clerks were the decision makers for best accessibility for the voting public. Of course, Mr. Vigilante Mayor feels that the best solution is to use a dolly to wheel the offending ballot box into his office closet…make those voters appreciate the value of the vote. Diny is now under criminal investigation in Marathon County, his act being a felony for impeding “the free exercise of the franchise at an election” – due to ignorance, ineptitude, or obtuseness? You choose.
Or, how about Portage County Ohio Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski who asked his followers on Facebook to “write down” the address of those who place Harris-Walz campaign signs on their front lawns, in order for him to drop off any undocumented immigrants, or “Illegal Human Locusts” in his words, who turn up. “They’ll need a place to live, so we’ll have addresses of their new families who support their arrival,” he says. Trump won Portage County in 2020, but recent polling points to thousands who support Harris-Walz, undoubtedly to the complete consternation of Sheriff Z.
Donald Trump is being obliged to play his concertina as he enters the stage at his rallies, since most musicians have protested his non-pernitted use of their recordings. He feels disadvantaged that he doesn’t play the guitar, but since he regularly claims that he is “greater than Elvis…the greatest of all time,” and draws bigger crowds, he won’t be buying one soon…though perhaps selling autographed instruments may be on the horizon as he attempts to grift every dollar from the pockets of his base. His latest grift is selling $100K watches, joining the trove of non-fungible tokens, Bibles, or your choice of assassination-themed or gold sneakers. As JD Vance says, “People can’t afford to buy eggs today!” – but maybe they can scrape up a few thou for a Trump tchotchke. And the watches may be appropriate in Senator Marco Rubio’s eyes, who in 2016 suggested Trump would be “selling watches in Manhattan” absent his father’s fortune. Former RNC chair Michael Steele excoriated the former president as a “two-bit huckster,” and Republicans Against Trump mocked him as “truly a man of the people.” Yep, a man of the people who needs their money to fund his failing campaign, pay his legal fees and shore up Truth Social! In all fairness, he is offering a “Fight, Fight, Fight” version of the watch for only $499, which features on the back an image of Trump with his fist in the air ala the post-assassination photograph…but it’s not political he claims.
On his show, Jimmy Kimmel blasted “Trump’s brand crap to sell to his lemmings,” dubbing the watch “Ro-Lex Luthor.” He played the commercial ad for the watch line, to which he responded, “Trump time, by the way, is five to seven years or four with good behavior.” Kimmel didn’t give Melania a break after her appearance on Fox News to promote her upcoming memoir release. “We now see Melania on the same schedule as Punxsutawney Phil, since rarely does Fox News allow a brunette to appear on their shows,” he jabbed. The book, ‘Melania,’ sits atop the Amazon.com best-seller list for pre-orders as doubting-Thomases speculate how many have been purchased by the Trump Crime Syndicate to manipulate the publicity prior to the release date. Kimmel then switched to Rudy Giuliani who was just disbarred from practicing law in Washington, DC, suggesting a New York City mayor opening might be arising soon now that he needs a new gig, especially with current Mayor Eric Adams‘ tenure looking pretty iffy. Kimmel said Democrats are hinting that Adams should step down with his new legal troubles, but encouragingly, “Republicans are urging him to run for governor of North Carolina.” In a poke at Donald Trump who called Kimmel “one of the dumbest human beings ever…what a dope,” he responded with, “Isn’t that sweet…he’s confusing me with one of his sons again!” The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon also got in on the watch grift, saying, “Your can tell it’s a Trump watch because of the tiny hands. Also, if you try to set it to military time, it says, ‘Sorry, I have bone spurs.'”
Two election prognosticators have joined the heated social media posts on their presidential election predictions, in the midst of the many polling result that appear on a daily basis. American University professor Allan Lichtman, who has gained notoriety by correctly predicting nine of the last ten elections, using his ’13 Keys’ method. Political pollster Nate Silver, founder of website Five Thirty Eight, now known as 538, is questioning Lichtman’s readings of his own numbers, saying his keys clearly favor Trump instead of Harris-Walz as he has previously indicated. Silver asks if Lichtman is being “totally arbitrary,” with Lichtman responding that Silver “doesn’t have the faintest idea how to turn the keys.” Silver says that although the Democratic ticket leads national polls by nearly three points, but Trump-Vance have a 56.2% chance of winning the Electoral College. Lichtman maintains that Silver is not a historian or political scientist, and has no academic credentials, while touting their opposing views on Obama’s 2010 re-election. Silver hit back at Lichtman on X with, “He is comically overconfident and doesn’t own up to the subjectivities in his method.” as the X audience cheered on the shouting match. Capitol Forum reporter Paul McCleod commented, “If you don’t know what they’re talking about this whole exchange looks like two wizards bickering.”
A data scientist from Northwestern University, Thomas Miller, has developed a model that uses info from political betting sites rather than polls, outperforming those using multiple voter surveys in three 2020 contests. Miller contends that political betting sites are best at “predicting the wisdom of the crowd,” with polling data being backward-looking. The betting sites have a steady stream of investors, thus a better measure of future outcomes. “It’s gone from a drastic landslide in Trump’s direction to a drastic landslide for Harris,” according to Miller, who adds that it would take an equally dramatic shift in Trump’s favor for the former president to move back into contention…as things stand now it appears as if Harris will win big in November. Shawn Tully, in a Fortune piece, writes: “Miller’s view merits close attention for two basic reasons. First, it’s based on numbers-crunching that’s arguably a lot more scientific than the voter surveys cited in charting the contest’s trajectory, and second, he achieved pinpoint accuracy four years ago.” So there we have it…jump on the winning bandwagon and leave the clown car in the dust!
Tim Walz posted a short video from his campaign stop at H&H Soul Food in Macon, Georgia last week, the main subject being a wall sign that reads, “Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy.” Serve us up, Tim!
Dale Matlock, a Santa Cruz County resident since 1968, is the former owner of The Print Gallery, a screenprinting establishment. He is an adherent of The George Vermosky school of journalism, and a follower of too many news shows, newspapers, and political publications, and a some-time resident of Moloka’i, Hawaii, U.S.A., serving on the Board of Directors of Kepuhi Beach Resort. Email: cornerspot14@yahoo.com. |
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. View classic inner-view ideas and thoughts with Subconscious Comics a few flips down.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Deep Cover” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Classics
“Remember this: classics never make a comeback. They wait for that perfect moment to take the spotlight from overdone, tired trends.”
~Tabatha Coffey
“With the Stray Cats at least, we really took the music somewhere else. First, we wrote our own songs. That’s a real weak point in modern classics if you do rockabilly or blues.”
~Brian Setzer
“But really, it was reading that led me to writing. And in particular, reading the American classics like Twain who taught me at an early age that ordinary lives of ordinary people can be made into high art.”
~Russell Banks
“‘King Lear,’ I’ve been seeing all my life. I mean, the great actors of my lifetime… to join their company, as it were, by playing a part that’s challenged them, is one of the great joys of being an actor who does the classics.”
~Ian Mckellen
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I think it’s really important to remake things. If you never remake the classics, no one would know Shakespeare.”
~Ryan McCartan
Billie Eilish breaks down her career. This young woman is quite accomplished, and seems like she has a good head on her shoulders. |
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