Blog Archives

McHugh Bianchi Store January 27, 1967. This interesting, attractive marvel of a store was at the corner of Mission, Water, Pacific and Front streets. It is now the Bank of The West. It was built in 1886. We started a long battle to save it in 1972, but it was torn down in 1974.                                               photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE March 4, 2019

SAVE THE CIRCLE CHURCH. (Errett Circle). A bunch of Errett Circle residents are working hard to save the historic Church from being torn down and replaced with unwanted development. They sent a letter to the City Council, the planning Commission and the Mayor,  and want any and all of us who care about history, housing and community to help them out. Here’s the entire letter…

“We are writing to let you know our concerns regarding the development proposal for 111 Errett Circle. We are advocating for the preservation of the “Circle Church” as crucial to the integrity of our neighborhood and as a significant element in numerous ways within the larger context of the City of Santa Cruz.

You are aware that recently the church was sold and plans are being made to demolish the existing Church building and develop the property as residential. While we are in solidarity with the city and our fellow community members about the need for more housing in our City, we don’t believe that the proposed development provides the type of housing that is greatly needed – on-site low-income housing and housing for students.

We feel that the proposed residential use of this unique property for a small number of people is outweighed by its historical significance as a center for gatherings and activities that we believe should continue into the future to benefit a wide diversity of residents and visitors.

The Planner for this project informs us that soon documents will be available for public consideration. We are looking forward to engaging with that process, but to be clear, our intention is to advocate for the greater good so that The Circle of Friends LLC investors come to understand the negative impacts of their proposal and agree that the neighborhood and community are best served by preserving and breathing new life into this property, not demolishing and developing it into private housing. There are many pieces to be envisioned and negotiated between where this process is today and a fully supported project that serves the larger community, but we are determined and convinced that as our group widens, a sustainable, creative, and compassionate outcome can be attained.

We look forward to collaborating with you further about why it is so important to preserve the Circle Church.

Here is a partial list of our additional hopes and concerns:

1. The property at 111 Errett Circle has been used as a spiritual center and community gathering place since the late 1800s – for over 125 years. A building called the Tabernacle was dedicated in August 1890. A series of circular streets, which are still an integral part of the urban infrastructure of the Santa Cruz westside, were laid out around the Tabernacle. Streets were named for ministers affiliated with the church, and these are still the street names today. When the Tabernacle burned down in 1935, the congregation met across the street on Errett Circle. The center of the circle was used for a recreational area and community gathering location until Garfield Park Christian Church was built there in 1958.
2. From our review of both the California Register of Historical Resources and the National Register of Historic Places, we believe that the Errett Circle Church meets the criteria for historical designation. We would like to start the nomination process, but this would require support from the property owners.
3. We are concerned that the proposed project does not reflect the historic cultural and ethnic diversity of the Circles and lower westside community.
4. We are concerned about the impact that the proposed project will have on our neighborhood. The Circles area is already very dense, with smaller than standard lots. The proposed project would intensify this density, with high use of infrastructure: water, sewer, traffic, parking.

   Errett Circle has a unique urban layout within the City of Santa Cruz. It is a complete circle, with four streets leading to the center, and as such it creates a dramatic landmark, especially when viewed from West Cliff Drive. In urban design terms, Errett Circle creates a “terminating vista” – which is an important method for adding aesthetic appeal to a city and to emphasize historic structures or monuments. Errett Circle is a visual and metaphoric focal point for neighbors, community, and visitors. We believe that focal point should be maintained into the future, encompassing a larger meaning – as a center that draws people together and reflects the diversity of interests of the Santa Cruz community.

5. Community members that have gathered for over 125 years at the Errett Circle church and meeting rooms – for religious services, classes, and activities – have enjoyed the very special opportunity to connect visually with land, water, and sky, with a view south along Woodrow Avenue to the Pacific Ocean. Community members are already reporting a sense of “eco-anxiety” when contemplating the destruction of the church and the use of the property only for a small number of residents.

On November 28 an Outreach Meeting, as required by the Planning Department Community Outreach Policy, was held at the Church by the prospective developers, “The Circle of Friends Community LLC.” The meeting was well attended as reported in an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. However many of us came away frustrated that the presentation avoided the intent of the Outreach Policy, i.e., that “The applicant will present the project to the community and solicit input that is intended to improve the project so that the final outcome is more satisfying to both the applicant and the community.”

We think that it is essential that community members be given a voice in visions for the future of the property at 111 Errett Circle. Our concerns are for the preservation of the historic structure so that the larger community can enjoy this cultural treasure for many generations into the future.

Sincerely,

John Sears
Sue Powell
Freya Sands

UCSC AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Chloe Reynolds and Laretta Johnson, the editors of City On a Hill Press, and staff, issued a special edition “The Climate Issue” last week. (vol.53 Issue #18). Its not just a helpful guide to recycling, but also reveals the problems and issues that UCSC has dealt with for decades. We (you) can and should read the entire issue here… . But actually the hard print newspaper is easier to read.

So I’ve picked out a few salient issues and skipped around so you can digest the high points. Such as… 1,800 tons of UCSCs excess waste food went to the dump during the 2017-2018 year. In 2016, 44 percent of UCSC students “experienced food insecurity”.  “Afrikan/Black/Caribbean students experienced it at 62 percent and 51 percent respectively”. UC has a zero waste deadline approaching in 2020 “but last year only 69 percent of total waste was diverted into landfills”. UCSC generates 56 pounds of pizza boxes per year. 100,000 to 150,000 pizza boxes are delivered in Santa Cruz each year. About 80 percent of what Americans throw away is recyclable… yet we recycle only 28 percent of it..

Monarch Butterflies have declined by 86 percent since 2017 in Coastal California. There were fewer than 30,000 in the most recent season. They are more than a tourist attraction. They are vitally important to the ecosystems they inhabit. UC refuses to sever ties with the fossil fuel industry which is largely responsible for the Climate Change. On Climate Changes…July 2018 was Californias hottest month in history, at 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 degrees warmer than the norm. Santa Cruz versus Ice Plant. Ice plant overpowers native flora on the bluffs near Natural Bridges, and disrupts the breeding of the cormorants in the area. There’s lots more in that City on A Hill issue. Check it out.

UCSCS EAST MEADOW. The East Meadow Action Committee (EMAC) released their latest update last week. It says that the University released the final EIR report for the Student Housing West. It’s been submitted to the Regents for approval at the March 13 and 14th meeting in L.A. and looks like it’ll be approved. If so, then EMAC and the rest of the world can either watch the bulldozers tear into the East Meadow, or file suit under the California Environmental Quality Act. They’ll file suit. EMAC needs our help… go to the funding appeal page on their website (eastmeadowaction.org), or use this direct link to the gofundme here

March 4, 2019

CITY COUNCIL AND FOREIGN POLICY (REALLY) MATTERS

City Council This Week

The city council continues to work well together in the policy realm and is not shying away from tough issues. Of course, homelessness for now has been at the top of our list. These are some of the issues that were addressed at the Feb. 26th council meeting:

• The council affirmed that the Ross Camp will not close until adequate space has been opened for the 150-plus campers;
• city staff will return to council with a list of possible places on city-owned property where transitional encampments and RV parking might go;
• staff will bring updates of those who responded to the county’s RFP process to access the $10 million in state funding that came to Santa Cruz County;
• no homeless emergency was declared, and NO parking of RVs will be permitted on Delaware Street;
• the Verizon proposed cellular project at 117 Morrissey Blvd. was denied an encroachment permit for a second time;
• the city council approved a study session, set for March 19th, to look at
• a) transportation demand management (TDM),
• b) parking, and
• c) housing in the downtown;
• Altaira Hatton was selected for the Parks and Rec. Commission and she now joins Gillian Greensite, Jane Mio, and Dawn Schott-Norris on that commission;
• The Santa Cruz City Public Works Department is recommending raising sewage fees by 32% over the next 5 years (7% in each of the first three years followed by 6% for two years), sounds pretty hefty. Council needs to hear from you as all utility payers will be notified by post card soon;
• there was a budget adjustment of $83,000 related to costs at the Ross Camp since December and these costs include the placement of port-a-potties and hand washing stations, distribution of wood chips, regular garbage pick-up, and the placement of a large Sharps Container;
• city council voted to send the 15% inclusionary ordinance (mandated affordable units in every project) to its closed session meeting on March 12, given a pending law suit filed against the city over the Devcon-Lawlor 205-unit Pacific and Laurel project;
• the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance was finally approved and passed on its second reading. The controversial part here is that it will relieve all detached ADU home builders of building an on-site parking space. The council will revisit this ordinance in one year and evaluate how it is proceeding with the idea of overturning it if it is found that neighborhoods have been adversely impacted.
• City council voted unanimously to place an item on the March 12th council agenda to have the community discuss the Homeland Security Investigations-ICE raid that took place in the Seabright neighborhood at 4am this past Feb. 15th.

Not bad for one a council meeting that began at 12:30pm and ended at 1:05am. Long day!

BRAVE U.S. REPRESENTATIVES OR JUST PURSUING A COMMON SENSE FOREIGN POLICY?
Certain elements within the Trump White House are perhaps seeking to orchestrate US troop deployments either along the Venezuelan-Colombian or Brazilian border, or inside of Venezuela itself, or to act as a support network–“advisors”–to a rebel force. The US government, not the United Nations, has recognized Juan Guaidóas the legitimate president of Venezuela (Oil, Inc.? Largest known reserves in the world). With National Security Advisor John Bolton and “Special Venezuelan Envoy” and war criminal, Elliot Abrams stirring the interventionist pot, it is not much of a long-shot bet to say money, advisors, troops or all three are being decided upon, maybe over Chablis and brie, at the Trump International Hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. Now, enter a group of cooler-headed congress members who are saying ,’not so fast.’ Without mentioning Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua earlier in the century, just since 1954 the US has overthrown, intervened or just screwed with governments in Iran and Guatemala in the ’50’s, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, and the Congo in the 60’s; Chile in the 70’s, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Grenada in the 80’s…and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan. All of these ventures saw the US exhibiting an historic imperialist swagger by employing a screenplay ofpolitical rhetoric, often created within the bowels of Langley, Va. and then followed-up by a populist sell-job on the American people. Having been trained in Latin American Studies and having lived through several of these interventions they usually use the following recipe ingredients: 1) identify and make into a hero a local politician or soldier (Guaidó, for example in Venezuela, or former Somoza attaché, Enrique Bermudez in Nicaragua or Jose Napoleon Duarte back in the day in El Salvador), 2) send an aid convoy and have it be rejected (International aid orgs would not even touch US aid destined for Venezuela recently), 3) hope that violence on the part of the government takes hold (and it is very sad that at least two reported deaths happened during the recent aborted food delivery), 4) create a standoff, which usually leads to more violence, or military defections, in hopes of bringing down the government, or create a Gulf of Tonkin scenario or just have the CIA send in an “asset” to kill or be killed, and then later 5) send in advisors and air cover for local rebels, and finally, as Colin Powell famously said before the Iraq invasion, you break it you fix it, and thus 6) the US is “forced” to send in the troops to put the broken pieces back together into a US-style democracy. Seems like any president’s poll numbers almost always go up at the start of any war, no matter how popular or unpopular, just sayin’.

Nope, Just Common Sense Foreign Policy

But wait. There’s a group of at least 47 law-makers, 45 Democrats and two from GOP who signed on to H.R. 1004, which is “to prohibit the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities with respect to Venezuela, and for other purposes.”Here’s the list, hope to see our congress member Jimmy Panetta on there soon. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1004/text?r=11&s=1  It is really not about whether Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is bad or good, incompetent or crafty. It is about sovereignty and letting the Venezuelan people decide their future. Intervention will only bring that country more together around patriotism, and perhaps behind an unpopular president. The Vatican, Mexico, and Ecuador have offered to mediate. Take them up on it.

BERNIE SANDER’S TOWN HALL.
It was a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was interviewing presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders. About 40 local “Berners” gathered inside the Dem Party headquarters at the Galleria Building in downtown Santa Cruz to celebrate Bernie’s candidacy and listen to him joust with the legendary newscaster. Actually, it seemed at times like Bernie was playing Abbott to Blitzer’s Costello, as he would sometimes end Wolf’s sentences, or begin to tell a story and then say, that’s for some other time. Often Bernie would be interviewing the interviewer too. It was the perfect setting, with mostly graduate students from D.C. colleges seemed to be present to emphasize his single-payer healthcare program (now called Medicare for All), tuition-free state college and university waivers, support for universal childcare, his version of the Green New Deal, acknowledging the gargantuan task that the changing climate presents and begin addressing it, and he also strongly supports ano-interventionist policy in Venezuela “because I’m old enough to remember” all those interventions mentioned above. Right now, among the announced candidates and possible contenders, only Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Bernie support all of these issues that seem to matter most to Americans. There are officially 12 Democratic Party candidates and a few others who have not announced who may not yet be there.

By the way, it is interesting to note that as of March 4, according to Ballotpedia, there are now 581 candidates registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for President of the United States in 2019. Yes 581. There’s 195 Democrats and 78 Republicans included in that number.

BERNIE’S, um, AOC’S TWEET OF THE WEEK. Since Bernie is running for President I am going to jump on the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bandwagon (been there since last July) and begin tweeting AOC’s best stuff.

AOC tweets: “According to the GOP, when poor + working people advocate for themselves, we shouldn’t listen bc they’re ‘irresponsible.’ Yet when higher incomes fight for working people, we shouldn’t listen bc they’re ‘hypocrites.’ How about we fight for the right thing bc it’s the right thing?” (March 3)

(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020. Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

March 2, 2019
#61 / Lennie

Pictured is Lennie Roberts. She is “Lennie” to all who have worked with her (and maybe even to some of those who have worked against her). Click that link to her name, and you’ll be able to read a Sierra Club accolade to Lennie Roberts as an “environmental hero.” The write-up might even be a bit understated!

A tribute to Lennie, and a celebration of her conservation work, will be held on June 21, 2019, under the auspices of Committee for Green Foothills. Lennie played a leadership role in preventing Caltrans from constructing a new, growth-inducing freeway to connect the San Mateo County coastside with San Francisco. We have the Devil’s Slide tunnel instead, plus a coastal trail of breathtaking beauty. Take a ride and try it out, if you haven’t already. Thanks to Lennie’s work on that project, the San Mateo County coastside is now better protected from growth pressures originating on the other side of the hill than anyone could have hoped for. You can click right here for some information on the June celebration. 

Lennie has been on the Board of Directors of Committee for Green Foothills for fifty years. She has served as a policy and legislative advocate for the Committee for forty years. Here is a link to an edition of the Committee for Green Foothills’ Winter 2018 Newsletter, documenting Lennie’s contributions. It is well worth reading, and I particularly commend Lennie’s “Ten Tips For Advocates.”  Lennie is trying to “pass on the spirit,” and I am reproducing them, below, to save you a “click.”

My summation? Thank you, Lennie! My suggestion? Let’s hunt down the “environmental hero” possibilities we all have within us. It’s time to start working on the next fifty years!

My Ten Tips for Advocates

    by Lennie Roberts, Legislative Advocate

Here are ten common sense tips that I point to when people have asked me, “how do you do it?”

1. Learn everything you can about your issue. Knowledge is power!
2. Research the decision-making process and timelines for decisions. Find out what is important to people you are trying to influence.
3. Enlist allies to increase your clout. Empowering others is often a critical element in success.
4. Develop relationships with key people. Building trust with others gives you a huge advantage.
5. Never lie or mislead anyone. If you inadvertently use wrong information, admit your errors!
6. Do not attack others personally. Even with the most vexatious provocateurs, you can—and should—strongly argue against ideas, but not the person.
7. Keep your eye on the goal. Your issue may require many years of effort.
8. Maintain a sense of humor. It will keep you going through the most challenging times.
9. Remember that results are what counts, not your personal glory. Work with anyone and everyone you can, and let others bask in the spotlight wherever possible.
10. Celebrate others genuinely and frequently. Gratitude for large and small victories helps sustain and inspire our efforts.

Good luck, and remember that victories are often temporary, but defeats are permanent. A great deal of the environment that we enjoy and depend upon today has already been compromised. It is vitally important to defend what is left in order to provide for future generations.

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

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. See another view of what and why we tick with our “inner” associates”. Scroll below

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “classic 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.

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. The fifth concert in their season is titled “MUSA—Chinese Baroque” it presents music by Rameau, Pedrini, Pu’an, and more. Derek Tam is the concert director and plays harpsichord; Rita Lilly, soprano; Mindy Ell Chu, mezzo-soprano; Addi Liu, violin and viola; Laura Gaynon, cello; David Wong, guqin and guzheng!!  “Chinese Baroque” explores the dynamic and complex cultural exchanges between Western Europe and China in the 17th and 18th centuries, through the lens of music.  Enjoy rare delights ranging from the only Western-style sonatas written in China before the 20th century to a tune played by the Emperor Kangxi! There’s two performances  Saturday, March 16, 7:30 pm and
Sunday, March 17, 3:00 pm. The Chamber Players concerts are all at … Christ Lutheran Church 10707 Soquel Drive, Aptos (Off Highway 1 at Freedom Blvd.)

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa orders…”Save the date! I’ll be speaking at Porter Memorial Library, the tiny treasure of Soquel Village, on Wednesday, March 13. Rain or shine! I’m bringing all my books, along with the harrowing tales of how I got them into print. Read all about it this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Also, there’s still time to catch up with Never Look Away, the recent Foreign Language Oscar contender about art and life in postwar Germany. Read my review in this week’s Good Times, then hie thee to The Nick, while it’s still in town!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Rick Longinotti will be talking about a park, a commons, and downtown on March 5th. Then author and art critic Carolyn Burke discusses her newest book, “Foursome”. It focuses on the relationship between two famous couples. March 12 has Jim Coffis Co-Founder and director of Green Trade talking about cannabis factors. Workmen’s comp. attorney Bob Taren returns to talk area politics and changes in issues following Coffis. On March 19 Maestro Michel Singher talks about the Espressivo Orchestra concert happening March 31st. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Don Stump president and CEO of CCH talks about senior housing and related issues on March 26. May 21st has concertmaster Roy Malan discussing the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert occurring on June 2nd.  OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc   You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “STORMS”
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”Vivian Greene
“I
think that the
world should be full of cats and full of rain, that’s all, just
cats and
rain, rain and cats, very nice, good
night.”
Charles Bukowski, Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories

“The rain set early in tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its best to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up and all the cottage warm;”
Robert Browning