BRATTON…Greenway Plot News, Our Downtown, Our Future action, Justin Cummings Party, film critiques, Live Here Now. GREENSITE… Casualties of Gentrification. KROHN…will be back next week. STEINBRUNER…S Cruz County draft plan delays, Greenway on the June ballot, project Homekey, Kaiser Medical facility glitch, septic system, CZU fire aftermath, Care Court and troubled people. HAYES…will be back next week. PATTON…What Putin’s Nuclear Threats Mean. MATLOCK… RUSSIA, IF YOU ARE LISTENING…GET THE HELL OUT OF UKRAINE! EAGAN…Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. QUOTES…Daylight Savings Time.
SANTA CRUZ AND OUR WHARF 1961. Also note the absence of the Abbott Lighthouse and The Dream Inn. Look even closer and check out the Boardwalk wharf…those were the days.
To put items and facts in proper order, the No On Greenway group issued a press release this morning (3/7) that brings out more facts, figures, and problems with the Greenway issue. Read the complete release, see what Supervisor Bruce McPherson states, read Commissioner Andy Shiffrin’s statement. Remember to vote NO on Greenway in June.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COUNTY REPORT CONFIRMS GREENWAY INITIATIVE IS CONFUSING AND MISLEADING.
Report to Board of Supervisors highlights Greenway plan’s higher costs, lack of feasibility and failure to define interim use
SANTA CRUZ, CA (Mar. 7, 2022) – The NO WAY Greenway campaign today released the following statement in response to the County report to the Board of Supervisors released this week, titled “Election Code Section 9111 Report Regarding the Santa Cruz County Greenway Initiative”:
To educate the Board of Supervisors, the County’s best technical experts studied the confusing and deceptive Greenway initiative for several weeks and were unable to summarize their findings for the Board of Supervisors and the public, choosing instead to advise readers to review the entire 10-page analysis in order to gain any understanding of the initiative.
It should be seen as a red flag to voters that local government experts need over 5,000 words across 10 pages of analysis to explain Greenway’s plan.
The Greenway initiative has been intentionally crafted to be confusing and misleading. Greenway is hiding their true aim – which is to kill rail forever, in favor of a linear park to be used for e-bikes and e-scooters – under a mountain of fine print and gobbledygook they hope voters will never read.
In calling for the report to be done, Supervisor Bruce McPherson said it was needed because, “We need to (limit) the ambiguity.” Yet, the Greenway initiative’s ambiguity has survived even the most focused efforts by technical experts to clarify it.
The report also highlights key areas of ongoing deception by Greenway, including:
Greenway’s failure to define the meaning of the term “interim” as characterized in their trail-only plan. The report highlights that “there is no time frame given or definition of ‘interim’ within the Initiative…or how long the ‘interim’ use would remain in place.”
Establishment of a so-called “interim” trail (trail-only) is not possible without railbanking (which requires forced abandonment of the Santa Cruz Branch rail line and the stranding of Roaring Camp’s rail line) and the report highlights, “If the Corridor is unable to be railbanked, any interim trail that requires the removal of the railroad track would be infeasible.”
The report concludes that, “the overall long-term costs [of the Greenway initiative] would be higher because a trail constructed on the railroad track alignment would need to be removed, the rail line re-constructed, and a new trail built next to the rail line if the line is restored for future rail use.”
Despite Greenway’s sweeping vision to change the currently planned use of the rail corridor to be trail-only, the report notes that the ballot measure will “have no impact” on sections of the rail trail that are in the City of Santa Cruz, including between the San Lorenzo River and the Santa Cruz Harbor, nor will it have any impact on sections that run through the City of Capitola.
Now that the staff report has been completed, RTC Commissioner alternate Andy Shiffrin’s public comments from the RTC meeting on Feb. 1, 2022, remain true now more than ever, “…unfortunately, from my perspective Greenway advocates make a number of misleading arguments that only confuse the issue.”
To learn more about NO WAY Greenway (FPPC # 1442272), visit www.nowaygreenway.org or find updates on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
OUR DOWNTOWN, OUR FUTURE, get involved….!
Our Downtown, Our Future’s measure provides a straightforward, holistic way to get a better future for Downtown. Their integrated approach:
Prioritizes 100% affordable housing on specific City-owned parking lots downtown, including Front Street’s Parking Lot 7.
Creates a City of Santa Cruz dedicated funding stream for affordable housing, building housing equity by using parking revenue saved from not building an unnecessary garage. Parking revenue would also supplement Measure S funds for Library renovation and improvements for the Farmers’ Market and community space.
Preserves the large, sunny and centrally located Parking Lot 4 as a public space that provides a permanent location for the Farmers’ Market, saving 10 Heritage trees, and creating the future potential for a green community space – a Downtown Commons.
Renovates the City’s Public Library at its historic Civic Center location.
Creating 100% affordable housing while improving the Library and the Downtown Farmers’ Market offers an environmentally appropriate approach to addressing our housing crisis. It will improve the public space and facilities of our Downtown – for the increasing number of people living and working Downtown, for other people living in Santa Cruz and neighboring places, and for visitors attracted to our community.
The way to get involved is to join their Onward to March Madness, gathering signatures to put Our Downtown, Our Future’s measure on the November ballot. We now have about 7-1/2 weeks, and we’d like to get 1500 more signatures, so this is the big push! And watch for it, we will have a major gathering of volunteers and supporters in the next few weeks.
We continue gathering signatures at the Downtown Farmers’ Market and other key locations but will increasingly we are canvassing neighborhoods, and we are finding the vast majority of people who are home are ready to sign! Other notes below.
We will gather again on the deck at the deck back [west] side of the London Nelson Center, 301 Center Street, 9.30am, Saturday March 12 until at least 10.30, so drop by and hang out a bit. If you can’t make it, no worries: shoot us an email. In the past few weeks, the great troubadour Rus Brutsché provided music, so maybe this week too! And I suspect there will be mid-morning snacks from Susan Renison.
If you haven’t canvassed before, you can get a brief orientation Saturday and pick up a petition packet for a particular neighborhood to keep and go out and canvass over the next several weeks. It is great to talk with people in the community, and it’s excellent exercise!
If you have come before, you can turn in completed petitions and precinct lists, get new ones, and even choose a new precinct to canvass.
In addition, we have kits available so that you can collect signatures using your own personal pandemic-cautionary practices with family and friends. To get a kit, either come to the London Nelson Center on Saturday or email ourdowntownourfuture@gmail.com.
Signature validators request:
Assure that anyone about to sign is a registered voter in the City of Santa Cruz
Ask signers to “please print clearly so the City Clerk can read it!”
Check their printing and ask them to clarify, if necessary
Be very careful to keep petitions intact: no pages torn away from staple!
We want every signature to count!
Message clarification: The Farmers Market will be moved if our measure does not pass, but it will not leave Santa Cruz. We are not “saving” the market; we are keeping the market where it is, where it works well.
Thanks so much for your support, it is terrific!
Co-chairs: John Hall & Lira Filippini
JUSTIN CUMMINGS FOR SUPERVISOR PARTY. According to reports a good time was had by all at this Garden Fundraiser (3/5) and a friend sent me a list of some of the folks who attended Justin Cummings party which was held at the home of Jane Weed and hubby Ron Pomerantz…”Local children’s author, bilingual educator, and Grammy Award winning recording artist, José-Luis Orozco, started off the program with a rousing sing along rendition of This Little Light of Mine (“Here with Justin Cummings, we’re gonna let it shine..”); followed by event host Ron Pomerantz, Fred Keeley, and Justin. Attendees included Gary Patton, Jane Weed-Pomerantz, Tim Fitzmaurice, Katherine Beiers, Sonja Brunner, Denise Holbert, Sandy Brown, Al Holbert, Nikki Patterson, Jeffrey Smedberg, Sally Arnold, Chris Weir, Dana Frank, Andy Hartmann, plus Beverly Deschaux”. One message passed around the group was a reminder that Bud Colligan gave $500 to Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson for her campaign, so we do know where she stands on development.
Be sure to tune in to my very newest movie streaming reviews live on KZSC 88.1 fm every Friday from about 8:10 – 8:30 am. on the Bushwhackers Breakfast Club program hosted by Dangerous Dan Orange.
THE BATMAN. (Del Mar theatre and every other theatre) (8.6 IMDB) A shocking surprise happened when the “world” reacted and returned to their theatres, breaking box office records. Trade papers say that the future of real movie houses was re-ignited last weekend when over $134 million dollars poured through the box offices. That makes it the second biggest covid era hit since Spider-Man. Yes, the Riddler is back so is the penguin and a version of the joker too , and the story starts with Bruce Wayne’s parents (Thomas and Martha) and why they were ordered.. It’s one of the darkest films I’ve ever seen, literally. Robert Pattinson is a very serious Batman even in today’s world. Zoe Kravitz does a fine job as the Catwoman and there’s Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, and John Turturro too but I’m still not sure if I liked this movie. Go see it and let me know your reaction. It’s about three hours long.
LUCY AND DESI. (PRIME VIDEO MOVIE) (7.9 IMDB). This documentary features Bette Midler, Carol Burnett and Desi’s daughter Lucie Arnaz telling the story behind the most famous couple ever in Hollywood history. It covers their business sense in Desilu Productions, their dependence on each other and all done in the very early years of television. If you enjoyed the award winning “Being The Ricardos” this is required viewing.
PIECES OF HER. (NETFLIX SERIES) (6.7 IMDB). Toni Collette leads the cast of this saga that starts off with a mass shooting in a restaurant that forces Toni to take her daughter to someplace safe. But her daughter notices Mom’s hidden secrets and struggles to find what is motivating her. It’s long, drawn out and not nearly as interesting as it should be. We end up not caring THAT much about Mom’s secrets.
FRESH. (HULU MOVIE) (6.7 IMDB). This is billed as a Comedy Horror Thriller but I never laughed once but was genuinely horrified and thrilled. It’s no spoiler to tell you it’s about cannibalism!!! A smart, sweet Doctor lures pretty girls to his home where he and his wife enchain girls in cells, fatten them up and sells their flesh to rich men around the world. Yes, we watch the eating, slicing and garnishing of this flesh and I’m still trying to figure where the laughs were supposed to be. The problem is that I’m still trying to decide if the well done directing and photography makes this worth watching.
THE DROP OUT. (HULU SERIES) (7.4 IMDB) Amanda Seyfried plays Elizabeth Holmes the would be CEO of the Theranos blood sampler tech start-up. Its origins and centering is around Stanford and Sand Hill Road so it’s good to see more of that start-up era. Holmes incredible drive to make millions by copying the techniques of high tech startups is shocking, amazing, cruel, and envy-causing. Seyfried does an excellent job with an almost superhuman role to play. I remember when Dominican Hospital sent my blood to be typed by Theranos only to have it returned unfinished. Whew!
AGAINST THE ICE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.5 IMDB). This is one thrilling, exciting and tense movie. It’s a true story about the exploration of Greenland in 1909. It’s mostly done with dog sleds and just plain grit by a seasoned explorer and a new young kid who face all the elements. Charles Dance is in it briefly as the British authority who has to decide whether or not the explorers can be saved. The photography is superior, the acting including the polar bears works perfectly, and it’s an excellent movie.
THE SURROGATE. (PRIME VIDEO) (6.1 IMDB). Filmed and mostly taking place in California a couple decide to hire a surrogate to have the baby. The husband is a successful writer and the would be surrogate is a psycho who is secretly in love with him. She murders another possible surrogate and it gets way more complex than that. Some moments of tension might remind you of Hitchcock but only for a minute or two. There are better ways to spend your time.
MY WONDERFUL LIFE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.8 IMDB) This Polish film centers on a woman who works hard at being a wife, mother, teacher, and being a daughter. Mostly it’s her teaching life that we watch the most. In addition to those challenges she has a secret life with a fellow teacher. But someone knows about her secrets and begins blackmailing her. That’s the plot, who is the blackmailer? A lot of weed smoking but it doesn’t seem to help anyone in the film. The acting seems stagy, and forced and we never see her ultimate decision.
SPECIAL NOTE….Don’t forget that when you’re not too sure of a plot or need any info on a movie to go to Wikipedia. It lays out the straight/non hype story plus all the details you’ll need including which server (Netflix, Hulu, or PBS) you can find it on. You can also go to Brattononline.com and punch in the movie title and read my take on the much more than 100 movies.
RESTLESS. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.7 IMDB). A very shady, questionable French police lieutenant gets involved with an even shadier, illegal drug mob. Violent, bloody, complex and still fast paced enough to keep you glued to the screen. Being French it’s tough to analyze the plot twists which are many.
NO EXIT. (HULU MOVIE) (6.1 IMDB). I believe that a lot more of this plot was based on Jean Paul Sartre’s play in the 1940’s then has been noticed. A young girl addict leaves a AA meeting and gets stranded in a Sacramento Highway Patrol office during a very bad blizzard. She’s stuck there with some awfully suspicious characters and a kidnapped little girl. What she does and what they do to her makes a tense and somewhat confusing adventure.
FERIA: THE DARKEST NIGHT. (NETFLIX SERIES) (5.7 IMDB). This is a Spanish thriller that clues us in to a religious cult that was next to bloodthirsty. Two teen age daughters find out that their parents were cult members and were very involved in the deaths of 23 local members in a very deep and dark mine. And the mine and nearby waters have a viscous and nearly invisible snake like monster. Its rapid moving and well photographed and tight.
THE RHYTHM SECTION. (PRIME MOVIE) (5.7 IMDB). Jude Law is in it along with Blake Lively so there’s two good reasons to view this one. Car chases, many grappling and griping fight scenes, and it’s about a woman’s search to find out who or which mob planted a bomb on a plane that crashed killing her parents. It flips from London to Spain to Scotland, and New York and Marseilles so it’s a challenge to keep track. Agin it’s a fine diversion
BOOK OF LOVE. (PRIME MOVIE) (5.5 IMDB). It starts off in London and an inexperienced author with a failing new book. Suddenly we’re in Mexico where his book has had a very sexy translation by a very sexy translator. Their relationship follows exactly what you’d expect and there are some good laughs and pre used corn along the way. It could just possibly take your mind off The Ukraine for a brief spell.
THE SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS ANNOUNCED THEIR LATEST CONCERTS.
This fourth concert in their series is titled Elegant Exuberance with Music by Grieg, Schubert, and Schumann. Players will be Roy Malan, Concert Director and Violin, Susan Freier, Violin, Polly Malan, Viola, Stephen Harrison, Cello and James Winn, Piano. It happens Saturday, March 12, 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 13, 3:00 pm.The concert begins with the Allegro from Schubert’s stunning String Trio in Bb, D471, followed by another tour de force, Grieg’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in C Minor! The concert ends with Schumann’s astonishing Piano Quintet in Eb, Opus 44. Tickets for Concert Four are available now! IMPORTANT: All tickets must be purchased online or through the mail prior to the concert. Tickets will not be available at the door. Proof of full vaccination with matching ID and masks will be required for all concerts. Click herefor complete COVID-19 Health & Safety Requirements, and for the location of the concerts.
JEWEL THEATRE’S NEXT PRODUCTION. Playing from March 30 through April 24 will be “Remains To Be Seen”. Kate Hawley wrote the play and it’s a world premiere. Their program states…Every five years a group of old drama department friends reunite. This year it’s at Jack and Clare’s and Clare is dreading it. Are these old friends really still friends, or are they just old habits drained over the years of any genuine fondness or rapport? It is certain that everyone will drink too much and Gordon will talk too much and Sissy will bring her damned little dog when she was specifically asked not to. On top of it all, recent widower Stuart is bringing a mysterious new love. What’s happened to their dreams and old ambitions? Good actors as they may have been, they can’t prevent the truth of their lives from making an appearance. It features Paul Whitworth and Mike Ryan. Go here for tickets and info…
March 7
CASUALTIES OF GENTRIFICATION
The empty storefront pictured above was a thriving small business, University Copy, until a few weeks ago. It now stands lifeless and empty as does India Joze, as will all the familiar small businesses along Front Street, soon to be bulldozed out of existence so the lucrative new real estate investments can tower over the San Lorenzo River.
Nor does this trend stop at Front Street. On the eastside, along Water St. long-time small businesses stand empty and abandoned as property owners consolidate their lots, oust the businesses and sell to real-estate investors for handsome profits, facilitated by the city’s Economic Development Department.
I could go on about how I miss chatting politics with Tom at University Copy while he filled my modest duplicating order at a modest price or how I miss exploring the now shuttered China Shop on Water St. where long ago I bought a treasured Lenox mug which still makes for the best morning cup of tea. Proponents of the new Santa Cruz dismiss all this as nostalgia, as though a sense of place is not created from an accumulation of such experiences over time. Rebecca Solnit has written: “Sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and spatial perception together.” I believe she meant it to be positive if not crucial to our lives.
The investors, the YIMBY’s, the new Student Housing Coalition, the Business Council, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, the city’s Economic Development Department have no time for such sentiments. Nor apparently do they have truck with the fast disappearing small town character of Santa Cruz. Most of them are new-comers, or don’t live in town, or stand to make big money from the make-over. That such gentrification is raising the value of land and therefore rents and forcing low-income workers to move out of Santa Cruz doesn’t move their $ compass needle.
In their corner and amplified at every opportunity is the mantra of the so-called housing crisis. We know it’s a housing cost crisis but the operative word is rarely foregrounded or examined. Despite the plethora of second homes, despite many unfilled new apartments, despite the many empty second homes crying out for an empty home tax, despite all this, market rate projects are approved by city council on a regular basis. That some contain 10-15% below-market rate units is seized upon as justification, despite research that market rate units up the Area Medium Income (AMI) further distancing the “affordable” units from those who need them. The codification of potentially thousands of 260-400 sqaure feet market-rate units under current council review suggests developers and the city have a particular demographic in mind and it doesn’t include low-income working families.
This real-estate bonanza is accelerated by new state housing laws, promoted and passed by so-called progressive Democrats. Their campaign contributors, the big moneyed real-estate interests tell the hidden story while their public voices lament a lack of housing. And as a city, we tend to fall for it.
Meanwhile on a global level, more and more money is being invested in real estate. According to Samuel Stein, author of Global City, 60% of the world’s assets are in real estate with 75% of that in housing. In the US, in 2016 (and it can only have gotten worse) 37% of home sales were made to absentee investors, mostly banks, hedge funds and private equity firms.. Housing is a globally traded financial asset and is increasingly becoming central to investors. Stein calls this the real estate state, “a political formation in which real estate capital has inordinate influence over the shape of our cities, the parameters of our politics and the lives we lead.”
Meanwhile back in town, planners and politicians give real estate developers and investors everything they want and more, including exemption from environmental review under CEQA, going beyond state law, which has already stripped us of most local control.
We are relatively early in this new power struggle and there is still space and time to save what’s left of the character of Santa Cruz, including ensuring affordable housing for workers and working families who live here. If we remain stuck on accepting a trickle of affordable units for whomever within a deluge of market-rate units, that is a formula for gentrification and displacement of current workers, with affordability an ever retreating goal. Planners and politicians seem stuck at this level. Big investors appreciate the support .
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.
March 7
Chris Krohn will be back next week.
Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and a Santa Cruz City Council member from 1998-2002 and from 2017-2020. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 16 years. On Tuesday evenings at 5pm, Krohn hosts of “Talk of the Bay,” on KSQD 90.7 and KSQD.org His Twitter handle at SCpolitics is @ChrisKrohnSC Chris can be reached at ckrohn@cruzio.com
SUSTAINABLE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY DRAFT PLAN FINALLY RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT…DRAFT EIR “COMING SOON”
This is the most significant County document released in years, and we all need to read it and get involved because it will shape what our neighborhoods look like in the future.
After languishing in the Planning Dept. for seven years, Dudek consultants have finally completed the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Draft Plan, which updates the General Plan for land use and County Codes. That hasn’t been done since 1994…so hold on and start digging into this massive document, and write the dates of all five public meetings on your calendar.
Here’s the Big Deal:
The Sustainability Policy and Regulatory Update (Sustainability Update) includes changes to the County’s land use rules and regulations, in order to support sustainable development and meet the modern needs of the community. The Sustainability Update involves work on three County documents:
(1) Amendments to the General Plan/Local Coastal Program
(2) Amendments to the County Code
(3) Creation of Countywide Design Guidelines
Draft documents are now available! Explore the sections below or use the quick links to the right to learn more about what’s included in the Sustainability Update and view draft documents.
The Sustainability Update is also being evaluated for environmental impacts with an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Check out the EIR page to learn more about the environmental review process. [What’s Included]
According to Planner Stephanie Hansen, the Draft EIR is not yet complete, but it is anticipated that Dudek consultants will release it soon.
Here is a list of the five public meetings that begin March 16 (the only hybrid meeting planned):
Note the focus topics of each meeting. Will these meetings be video recorded and posted for those who cannot attend? Will the meeting presentation slides be posted for viewing by those who participate via telephone?
Let’s hope so, but write Ms. Hansen and Planning Director Paia Levine and request such.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS LIKELY WILL APPROVE PLACING GREENWAY INITIATIVE ON THE JUNE BALLOT
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will likely follow recommendation at the March 8 meeting to place the Greenway Initiative on this June’s ballot. However, the problem is that the Greenway Initiative bases everything on the County’s 1994 General Plan, which is about to take on significant changes by the actions associated with the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan.
Don’t you think it is interesting that the County released this Draft Plan without the associated Draft EIR? Maybe it was important to be one step ahead of the Board’s Greenway Initiative ballot action?
Stay tuned…we are all going to learn a lot in the next few months.
PROJECT HOMEKEY AT 2838 PARK AVENUE IN APTOS REMOVES COUNTY AND PUBLIC DISCRETIONERY REVIEWS
Recently, a proposed 36-unit modular apartment building, each unit being 400SF, for support of homeless in transition has gained public attention because “it’s being pushed through without the public knowing.” This is just one of the many such “by right” projects under AB 2162, signed into law by Governor Brown in 2018 and now taking effect that eliminates the requirement for any public hearing before the project is deemed “approved” within 30 days after submitting the application.
What does “by right” mean? It means that local jurisdictions no longer have any discretionary power over the development projects, other than making sure health and safety codes are met.
The language in AB 2163 means the projects are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provisions. Although the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) conditions apply, they need not be approved for the project to proceed. It means that local land use agencies cannot impose conditions of approval (such as community garden space or energy and water efficient provisions) and cannot require minimum parking requirements if the project is within 1/2 mile of public transportation.
It means the public and local government have no say in what is built if the project provides low to very-low housing deeded as such for 55 years, and is a mixed use development providing services to the tenants.
And, AB 2163 mandates that the project is deemed “approved” within 30 days after the developer submits the application unless the local land use government agency can present clear evidence that the project violates health and safety codes. It eliminates the requirement for any public hearings.
The project at 2838 Park Avenue in Aptos is one of three California Project Homekey grant applications the County Board of Supervisors approved January 25, 2022, as a Consent Agenda item. #53. The Board earlier approved a $101,000 Pre-development Loan Agreement and Promissory Note for the 2838 Park Avenue developers, and a conditional commitment of up to $1,400,000 in development financing.
We can expect a report back to the Board regarding this Project on March 22, 2022.
The Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors also has reviewed this proposed project at 2838 Park Avenue on February 15, 2022. It is expected to increase local water demand by 5.1 Acre-feet annually. That’s quite a lot for an over drafted aquifer to handle. Soquel Creek Water District no longer requires the developer to do water-saving projects to offset this new demand. Instead, they happily accept $55,000/Acre-foot new demand to help pad their hemorrhaging budget, caused by the Modified PureWater Soquel Project.
When the District Board considered Novin Associates’ application for new service, which had a special request to waive a requirement to meter each of the 36 affordable units, the Board balked, and requested further negotiation.
“The units are awfully small’ commented Vice Chair Carla Christensen. Yes, 400SF each is small, yet Supervisor Manu Koenig cites that some may be dedicated to housing families.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Second District Supervisor Zach Friend had town hall meetings…or even office hours? He’s just having too much fun in the sun in Coronado to be bothered.
KAISER MEDICAL FACILITY IS BACK ON TRACK BUT WITH A SLIGHT GLITCH
This Project had paused, with Kaiser’s contemplation of making an offer to buy Watsonville Community Hospital but is now back on track after “reconsideration”. According to Board Chair Manu Koenig, Kaiser and another hospital management agency were poised to make an offer on the Watsonville facility, but “reconsidered”.
So, the massive facility and 700+ car four-story parking garage at 5940 Soquel Avenue Frontage Road is back on the table, but finding a place to build 102 units of affordable housing is now a major issue, due to new State law mandating that if the County rezones an area planned for affordable housing, another area must CONCURRENTLY be approved to provide the same amount of affordable housing in another location. So, the 57 units at 1500 Capitola Road will NO LONGER COUNT, nor any of the other 40-some-odd in the County that Kaiser had counted on before.
County Supervisors, planners and the developer are scrambling for ideas on other locations. The 102 affordable units can be distributed among multiple locations, but all must be approved and dedicated concurrently with the action to rezone the R-combining parcel the County had earmarked for dense affordable housing, but that now Kaiser wants to develop.
However, the question that begs to be asked is this: Is the location at 5940 Soquel Avenue frontage road, which has no bus service, sidewalks and already suffers gridlock, really the best place to put this large medical facility?
Don’t you think it is interesting that reportedly the only potential buyer for the supposedly financially-beleaguered Watsonville Hospital was the newly-formed Pajaro Valley Health Care District non-profit, supported financially by the County (driving the budget into the red), the City of Watsonville, and non-profit health groups? Another twist of the Rubiks cube and closed door sessions to make CAO Carlos Palacios’ empire expand? Hmmmm……
STATE MOVING FORWARD TO MANDATE CONSOLIDATION OF SEPTIC SYSTEMS
The Regional Water Quality Control Board met recently and reviewed a State law SB 1215 that mandates Counties to develop recommendations to consolidate septic system properties with sewer systems nearby. The Board discussed SB 1215 program requirements to consolidate on-site septic systems with conversion to sewer systems and if necessary, mandate consolidation.
But what about these questions:
1) How will it be possible to issue priority lists of areas eligible before the project application deadline of “by the end of 2022”?
Staff mentioned the prioritization for projects will result from extensive public outreach and agency discussion that may be completed by 2023. The $650 million fund account monies all must be allocated to projects by 2024. This is a near-impossible timeline, especially for small disadvantaged communities, for which the benefit of SB 1215 is focused, to attain and manage.
2) Language in SB 1215 notes restrictions of California Water Code Section 13288. The definition therein of on-site sewage treatment state:
(g) (1) “Onsite sewage treatment system” means an onsite sewage treatment system, as defined in Section 13290, that is not operated by a local agency, as defined in Section 56064 of the Government Code, or a utility regulated by the Public Utilities Commission.
Would this definition then preclude the SB 1215 funding consideration from applying to County Service Areas (CSA) that manage septic treatment?
There are many of these in Santa Cruz County, such as CSA 2 Place de Mer, CSA 5 Sand Dollar, CSA 7 Boulder Creek, CSA 10 Rolling Woods, CSA 20 Trestle Beach areas, as well as CSA 12 Santa Cruz Countywide septic assessment areas wherein the San Lorenzo Valley properties are assessed a higher rate: “$18.54 paid by all properties with septic systems in the San Lorenzo Watershed, an area which is designated as Zone A of CSA 12. This charge is in addition to the annual county wide CSA 12 charge of $6.90.”
It is unclear how the program will identify and prioritize disadvantaged communities. The map in Attachment 1 identifies some general areas, but they are not identified. At the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s January 29, 2021 meeting (Item #7. Attachment #1), they approved staff’s Report that identified a number of disadvantaged communities in Santa Cruz County, including:
Santa Cruz County Specific Census Tract or Block Group Areas:
Amesti, Capitola, Davenport, Santa Cruz, Soquel, Twin Lakes, and Watsonville.
Will these areas be identified now for priority funding where there are septic systems?
At issue is the very high cost of water and sewage for the residents in the town of Davenport, and that community is considered a disadvantaged community. Will Davenport receive any relief via this SB 1215 program?
I was pleased to hear Director Stephanie Harlan’s comment that the SB 1215 consolidation will play an important role in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire areas, where over 900 homes on septic systems were destroyed.
The San Lorenzo Valley was not listed as a disadvantaged community in your Board’s January 29, 2021 report, but it would likely benefit by sewer service. Recently, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved extending sewer service in Boulder Creek to some residents on Highway 236 corridor.
Former Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Resources Director John Ricker opined that constructing a network of septic tank effluent collection pipes that would connect to existing septic tanks and collect effluent only to be transport via a collective effluent pipe beneath Highway 9 in the San Lorenzo Valley would eliminate the failing leach field problems plaguing the area and improve water quality in the San Lorenzo River.
Could a project such as this be considered for SB 1215 funding, even though the San Lorenzo Valley communities of Felton, Brookdale, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek are not included in the Waterboard’s 2021 determination of Disadvantaged Communities?
California Water Code Section 79505.5 defines a disadvantaged community as “a community with an annual median household income that is less than 80 percent of the statewide annual median household income.”
How will the SB 1215 program determine whether any cause of nitrate in the groundwater is directly attributable to septic systems vs. agricultural or other sources?
There are high nitrate levels in the north Monterey County area groundwater, but it is not all caused by failing septic systems. There are likewise such situations in the San Andreas and La Selva Beach areas of south Santa Cruz County.
“Inadequate and aging or failed septic systems have been identified as a source of increased nitrate contamination in domestic water supply wells throughout the state. An onsite sewage treatment system is considered inadequate if it has the reasonable potential to cause a violation of applicable water quality objectives, impair present or future beneficial uses of water, or cause pollution, nuisance, or contamination of waters of the state (California Water Code Section 13288).”
How will the impacts of removing septic system percolation and groundwater recharge in areas of potential seawater intrusion be evaluated?
How will this SB 1215 consolidation program work together with LAFCO? This is especially important if the Central Coast Regional Water Board were to mandate consolidations: SB 1215 authorizes Regional Water Boards to encourage, and if necessary, mandate the provision of sewer service to eligible communities (California Water Code, commencing with section 13288). Wastewater Consolidation
Stay tuned for the continued discussions.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE BACKFIRES THAT GOT OUT OF HAND IN THE 2020 CZU FIRE? SSSHHHH….
After nearly eight months, CalFire legal agents decided any information regarding the many backfires that people witnessed CalFire crews setting during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire can be kept secret.
Take a look below at this Public Records Act request the citizen filed on May 31, 2021…and the response the State provided March 2, 2022.
Pursuant to the CA Public Records Act, I am writing to request copies of all records, including written records, emails, and recorded radio communications, that pertain to any backfires that may have been ordered and/or set by any unit of Cal Fire, within the Bonny Doon, Swanton, Davenport, North Coast, and San Lorenzo Valley areas of Santa Cruz County, during the CZU Lightning Complex Fires of August 2020.
This fire event lasted from about August 16th to about September 22nd, 2020.
A backfire is defined by Dictionary.com as: “To start a fire deliberately in order to check a forest or prairie fire by creating a barren area in advance of it…. or a fire started intentionally to check the advance of a forest or prairie fire.”
The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has reviewed your request and has determined that the records requested are exempt from disclosure under the balancing test found in Government Code section 6255 and Government Code section 6254(c).
Sincerely,
Mark Springer
PRA Attorney
Sacramento – HQ – Legal Office
Question…What is the “balancing test”?
Sec. 6255
(a)
The agency shall justify withholding any record by demonstrating that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of this chapter or that on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record.
Sec. 6254
(c) Personnel, medical, or similar files, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
It seems the “balancing test” means “we just don’t want to let you know the truth”.
SOMETHING BETTER COULD COME OUT OF THE ASHES
After the CZU Fire, many shook our heads and cried out that something different had to be done to empower residents to be better prepared for another wildland fire, and to improve fire defensible space around homes. Some looked to the Australian model to train wildland fire brigades, and asked to implement similar programs. Some looked to what North Sonoma County Fire has done, and asked “Why can’t we do that here?”
Sonoma County Fire Chief Marshall Turbeville won national recognition for his work with the community to establish Wildland Fuels Crews and Community Chipping Days.
With the likely dissolution of the Branciforte Fire District, maybe something new and different that could really help rural Santa Cruz County, based on the Sonoma County model, could happen at the Branciforte Fire Station in conjunction with the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association. Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association Awarded CalFire Grant
Maybe, just maybe, we can follow the good lead of Sonoma County and Australia and create a wildland fire response and vegetation reduction crew center…right in the heart of Santa Cruz County.
The Branciforte Fire District Board meets Monday, March 7…stay tuned.
SHOULD WE LOCK UP TROUBLED PEOPLE AND FORCE THEM TO TAKE DRUGS?
Last week, Governor Newsom announced a proposed spending of $2 billion (to add to the already approved $12 billion) to establish a new “Care Court”. This could allow family members and emergency responders (including law enforcement) to declare a person unable to care for themselves, forcing them to stay in a facility, forced to accept prescribed care, and forced to take medications.
While I agree there are many unfortunate souls out there needing help, I do not believe they should be forced, possibly under unrepresented conservatorship.
A few years ago, an acquaintance experienced pure hell when her out-of-the-area family simply requested a welfare check when they could not make contact with her. These checks are done by law enforcement. At 7am, four male sheriff deputies showed up at the woman’s rural doorstep and wrestled her to the ground when she ordered them off her property. She was forcibly taken to the County Mental Health facility, not allowed to call her family, and then transferred to the large Fremont Mental Health facility.
Again, she was not allowed to contact her family. A facility staff person declared the woman was not competent to make her own choices regarding medication treatment, and she was forced to take injections of a long-lasting drug that made her ill.
Governor Newsom’s idea may seem like a good response to the growing problem in San Francisco and Santa Cruz streets, but it is a slippery slope that could cause great abuse of personal civil rights.
Others have spoken out about this, namely the ACLU. Others point out that California already has Laura’s Law that accomplishes this pathway to helping those needing mental health help, but having more safeguards to protect civil liberties.
Santa Cruz County is not a Laura’s Law County, and in fact has voted not to implement it.
Think about this and write our elected representatives who will be considering Governor Newsom’s new $2 billion proposal.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. YOU CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IF YOU JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK.
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.
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
I appreciated the fact that Caitlin Talmadge addressed the “elephant in the room” in an article published in the March 5, 2022, edition of The Wall Street Journal. Talmadge’s article was titled, “What Putin’s Nuclear Threats Mean for the U.S.” The subtitle is what specifically grabbed my attention: “Washington needs to develop new strategies for a world where nuclear weapons don’t deter conventional aggression.”
As I think the Russian invasion of Ukraine makes abundantly clear, nuclear weapons most certainly do not “deter conventional aggression.” Our idea has been that “mutually assured destruction” is a good way to prevent military aggression of all kinds, but it has now been revealed by current events that the threat of such “mutually assured destruction” is totally ineffective as a deterrent to military aggression using non-nuclear force.
No one wants to start a nuclear war, because the title of the doctrine does, perfectly, express what is the obvious outcome. If nuclear weapons are ever used then the almost inevitable result is, like the doctrine says, “mutually assured destruction.” Not wanting to be destroyed, the nuclear powers are not going to use their nuclear weapons – unless by grievous error and mistake, which the presence of these weapons in the world makes unacceptably possible.
We are stymied! That is, basically, what Putin’s invasion, and his threat to use nuclear weapons, has made very clear. Talmadge is certainly right to open up discussion of the topic. Now that we have seen that the strategy of “mutually assured destruction” doesn’t work to achieve what we have thought it would, what’s the alternative?
Well, I wish I could say that Talmadge has presented what I consider to be a good answer to the question she poses. I commend her analysis to you (clicking this link will get you there, if you can penetrate any potential paywall problems). I do not, though, think Talmadge gives us much by way of a viable solution. Here is the conclusion to her article:
The U.S. should focus its own conventional posture on the goal of denying Russia and China the ability to conduct rapid military campaigns that revise the territorial status quo. In coordination with allies, the U.S. should prioritize intelligence assets, forward deployment of munitions and equipment, and investment in weapons systems such as nuclear-powered attack submarines and penetrating bombers that have the best chance of surviving a fight with a highly capable adversary. Even in the presence of large nuclear arsenals, these conventional capabilities will remain vital to keeping the peace against opponents who may otherwise believe that nuclear weapons give them cover for aggression.
The U.S. nuclear arsenal remains the ultimate backstop of its alliance commitments. Distasteful as it is to contemplate, having the ability to threaten limited nuclear attacks, particularly against military targets, remains important for deterring Russia and China, both of which are readily deploying such weapons. The key is to signal prior to any war both that the U.S. has no desire to initiate conflict and that threats of nuclear escalation won’t force the U.S. to back down. The presence of the American arsenal can also help reassure allies that the U.S. will defend them, making them less likely to seek nuclear weapons of their own.
If I am reading this correctly, Talmadge’s “solution” is “more of the same.” She wants the United States to maintain its nuclear arsenal (with the idea that this is a “deterrent” of some kind – something she has convincingly demonstrated it isn’t). Plus, Talmadge suggests that we get even more prepared to carry out conventional military actions everywhere around the world, specifically including getting ready to get into a conventional war with China.
How does this prescription get the world out of the box in which Putin’s invasion has shown it to be confined? Answer: it doesn’t! The subtitle that grabbed my attention contained the idea that “new strategies” were needed. Well, they definitely are!
I would like to suggest a different way of looking at what Putin’s invasion has taught us – or should be teaching us. Let me go so far as to say that it could well be that Vladimir Putin has done us all a great good turn. He has demonstrated, as the world ponders appropriate responses to his outrageous invasion of Ukraine, that military preparations don’t deter military aggression, and that the worst option would be to use nuclear weapons, in response to his threat to use them himself.
What about the idea that the United States should now tell the world what should be obvious:
The kind of aggression that Putin has launched on Ukraine is outrageous and must be condemned and opposed by every other nation in the world, and the heroic self-defense efforts of Ukraine must be supported by all nations;
It is obvious that military actions of all kinds have no positive benefits, and must be denounced now, and eliminated in the future;
It is clear, since military actions don’t work to keep the peace, or bring prosperity, that we need to disarm the nations of the world, and that we specifically need to eliminate nuclear weapons;
New international ways to combat aggression must be developed, and some of the innovative ways that non-military efforts are combating what Russia has done with its invasion of Ukraine are hopeful experiments, and that these and other efforts must be increased;
The United States will lead the way towards nuclear disarmament, and to ultimately military disarmament, using the United Nations, and not proprietary military alliances like NATO, as the forum in which these efforts will be advanced.
Horrible and outrageous as the Russian invasion of Ukraine is, the United States has carried out many such outrageous invasions itself – for what it has claimed was a good cause. These kinds of military invasions of other nations need to stop now – and so does the use of the threat of such military actions.
Since the end of World War II, the United States has been trying to build a “New World Order” on the foundation of nuclear and military threat. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows, military and nuclear threat is not a solid foundation on which to build world “order.” As the leader in advancing the idea that nuclear and military threats are the best way to bring peace, the United States now needs to take the lead in dismantling this approach.
If we, collectively, don’t dismantle the world’s nuclear and military apparatus now – with efforts beginning immediately – the nuclear nations of the world, with the United States leading the pack, are going to blow the world up.
That’s what “mutually assured destruction” means.
“Assured.” That’s the word we need to highlight.
It’s time to move on!
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
RUSSIA, IF YOU ARE LISTENING…GET THE HELL OUT OF UKRAINE!
Trump’s much-heralded social media, Truth Social, still constantly bombards email accounts with multiple messages daily to signup. With only an estimated 140,000 followers, so far, the reports of many dropouts due to difficulties in using the site, and complaints about the uselessness of the Twitter clone don’t bode well. Still no word about the Golden Grifter’s running a third time for the high office, but his victims still appear to be shelling-out their dollars into his fundraising coffers, which he isn’t required to report until he declares. Melania needs a lesson from him since her charity fundraisers seem to be less successful, not to mention illegal. The Republican stalwarts are looking for any crumbs from the table for their mid-terms election money box, since the Trump Cartel seems to be the biggest recipient of conservative contributions at this time.
Trump is still harping about the unfinished border wall, which Texas governor Abbott pledges to complete, even after $2.6 million was spent to repair breaches in 2019/2020. Drug smugglers sawed through segments 3,272 times (and counting). Power tools available at Ace or Home Depot were used to open a passage, with vertical bollards then replaced into position, and camouflaged to prevent detection. In March ’21, an entire segment was hacked, allowing SUVs loaded with migrants to drive through. Climbing over the fencing, however, is most common for migrants and smugglers by using ropes, or ladders made of rebar. Wow, how did they come up with such shrewd solutions?
Former Attorney General Bill Barr has a new book out, in which he attempts to portray himself as one who spoke truth to power in serving the Trump administration. As an enabler of Trump’s lies and assaults on democracy and our government institutions, while denigrating the Mueller Report, he now wishes to be seen as a defender of truth? While the former AG maintains he resigned after Trump’s attempt to overturn the election, Trump claims he fired Barr. Barr’s description of DJT’s legal team as a ‘clown show’ is fitting, but someone should remind him that he was quite prominent in that clown car, as well. He probably still has the orange wig as he looks forward to a new casting call.
The State of the Union address last week was predictable, but reasonably well-delivered and punctuated by Biden’s trademark expression (“Look, folks..”), with a couple of well-worn anecdotes, and a few stumbles. President Biden’s ratings rose after his speech, in spite of Republicans sitting on their hands, and Representatives Boebert and Greene catcalling during his delivery. Boebert called the entirety a lie, worse than imaginable, while attempting to justify her shouting as necessary, and closing her social media post with, ‘Drill, baby, drill.’ A bored Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) probably angered Trump by attending the SOU, but his phone occupied much of his time. Stephen Colbert’s follow-up monologue jumped on Kmac’s ignoring Biden’s speech – “Not everyone was focused on the speech. Kevin McCarthy was there but busy looking at his phone. To be fair, today’s ‘Wordle’ was pretty tricky. Of course, the minority leader in the House not paying attention looked disrespectful. But keep in mind, he might’ve been on Amazon shopping for a spine.”
Russia’s destruction of Ukraine continues to escalate with even more firepower, seeing the fall of southern cities and a harrowing attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was captured, with another nuke plant on the verge of being overtaken. Already under control of the invading force is Chernobyl, the failed nuclear plant, a cause for concern because it requires constant attention – still leaking radiation.
U.S. House of Reps passed House Resolution 956 this week, entitled “Supporting the People of Ukraine,” with 426 votes in favor. A non-binding resolution, stating, “supports, unequivocally, Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and “states unambiguously that it will never recognize or support any illegitimate Russian-controlled leader or government installed through the use of force,” while calling for the U.S. and other countries “to deliver additional and immediate defensive security assistance.” The ending phrase, that the House “stands steadfastly, staunchly, proudly, and fervently behind the Ukrainian people in their fight against the authoritarian Putin regime,” must have dissuaded three Republicans, Paul Gosar (AZ), Thomas Massie (KY), and Rosendale (MT) from voting in favor of the resolution. Trump’s initial declaration supporting Putin’s attack on Ukraine apparently influenced those three nay votes, to the delight of the likes of Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and the Fox News puppets.
Last week’s AFPAC (America First Political Action Conference) in Orlando, headed by white nationalist and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes, of 2017’s ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville (‘Good people…on both sides’), brought out Marjorie Taylor Greene, who feigned innocence at knowing what the group stands for, and, the aforementioned Congressman Paul Gosar, a 2021 attendee who sent a video clip to welcome the crowd. Former Congressman, Steve King of Iowa, once booted from his committee for being racist, addressed the crowd, who cheered Vladimir Putin, and welcomed comparisons between Putin and Hitler, while chanting Putin’s name. It’s hoped that Ms. Greene now knows that she was rubbing elbows with fascists, though Senator Mitt Romney intimated that she is missing a few IQ points.
Senator Graham (SC) called for the narcissistic Putin’s assassination (“a Russian Brutus should take him out for the good of your country and the world”), which drew cringes from a wide spectrum of politicos, but Russian businessman Vladimir Konanykhin pledged a one-million dollar reward to the Russian citizen willing to bring Putin to justice, “Dead or alive, for mass murder.” Former banker Kananykhin, now a CEO of a California startup, has a net worth of around $300 million, having left Russia for the USA in 1992 in a disagreement with the Kremlin. He has since withdrawn two postings of his offer, saying only that Putin needs to be brought to justice.
With Paranoid-Putin cutting off social media outlets, preventing the dissemination of news to Russia’s citizens, messages are getting through with global citizens leaving five-star reviews on Google and other websites for various Russian restaurants, bars and hotels, which are prefaced with words of praise for the venue, followed by commentary, or news of the day that never makes it onto Russian newscasts. This was given as an example for a posting: “The food was great! Unfortunately, Putin spoiled our appetites by invading Ukraine. Stand up to your dictator, stop killing innocent people! Your government is lying to you. Get up!” As Russian censors catch on to any new tactics, many in the movement are switching to Yandex Maps, a widely used Russian equivalent of Google Maps to carry forward with the messaging.
Sadly, we are soon to be deprived of the antics of Texas Congressman Louie (Gomer) Gohmert, whose decision to run for Attorney General of his state rather than run for his congressional seat, has left him unseated and in fourth place for the AG title. Perhaps Tucker Carlson will take pity on “po’ Louie” and ask him to be his court jester after his unceremonious rejection. At least for the time being, we still have Louisiana’s Senator ‘Goober’ Kennedy to keep us amused…all least until he swallows his tongue.
The deer-in-the-headlights winner last week was Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, who was evidently expecting softball questions from George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week. Asked twice if he supported Trump’s praise of Putin and the invasion of Ukraine, the silence, followed by wide-eyed and tight-lipped fumbling was a classic TV burn.
Wait, wait! Don’t pour that bottle of Stolichnaya down the drain. Originally branded as Russian vodka in 1938, it is actually produced in Latvia by Stoli/SPI Group, who announced their product will be rebranded as ‘Stoli’ in opposition to Putin. Still a bit wary about the switch? One top-shelf vodka fan suggests buying Costco’s Kirkland Vodka which is bottled by Grey Goose.
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.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
“When told the reason for Daylight Saving Time the old Indian said, “Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket.”
~Author unknown
“A guide to turning your clocks ahead in March:
Smartphone: Leave it alone to do its magic
Sundial: Move one house to the left
Oven: You’ll need a Masters in Electronic Engineering, or a hammer
Car radio: Not worth it, wait six months ”
~Author unknown
“Daylight saving time is the practice of adjusting clocks by one hour to make it easier for people in 1918 to tend their crops”.
~Author unknown
Voice impressions… this girl is really good at them! 🙂
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Direct email:Bratton@Cruzio.com Direct phone: 831 423-2468 Cell phone:831 212-3273 All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
