Bratton… The Food Bin Neighbors… Greensite…on the loss of our big trees… Steinbruner…Housing on campus…. Hayes…Re-run, and it’s all Gunilla’s fault…Patton…The Downside Of Upzoning… Matlock……trial of the century drags on, Giuliani is 80 and served…Eagan…Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. Webmistress…… Quotes….”Democracy”
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DATELINE MAY 22
FOOD BIN’S 5 (FIVE) STORY PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION. Many, many of the folks who live around the neighborhood of the Food Bin on Mission Street have formed The Food Bin Neighbors. They sent out this press release Sunday May 19 and I’m repeating it here. Mission Street is our designated corridor and belongs to all of us. If you want to contact them go to foodbinappeal@gmail.com
Dear Neighbors and Santa Cruz Residents,
Thank you to everyone who has written letters to City Council, shown up to hearings, and supported modifications to the Food Bin Project! We remain concerned that the Food Bin owners and developer think that a 5+ story building with almost no setbacks from the creek and next door neighbors is acceptable. This project will set a precedent for future projects in Santa Cruz (including several currently proposed by Workbench) and it deserves a robust community response.
What we need:
- On Wednesday 5/22 at 7 pm we will be holding a zoom meeting for anyone interested in helping or in learning more about the appeal. [zoom link]
- Show up to the City Council hearing on May 28th. We will update everyone if we get a specific time.
- Continue to write your letters of concern to the City Council and news outlets! We have appreciated the City Council’s support through this process, but we need to continue to let them know that this issue matters!
- Review a few of the recent articles and letters to the editors:
- Food Bin development changes reviewed by Planning Commission
- Food Bin appeals-delayed culvert construction to begin
- Why Food Bin developer has trust issues
At the Planning Commission meeting last Thursday, the owner of the Food Bin announced that everyone besides a few people in the immediate neighborhood are excited for the giant project as it is! We know that is not the case. While almost everyone recognizes that we need more housing, residents citywide are unwilling to sacrifice our neighborhoods, creeks and wildlife. We don’t have to choose one over the other. We can have both! A smaller building would provide needed housing, while still allowing a reasonable setback from neighbors, without overhanging Laurel Creek or intruding into its riparian zones. We are hoping to inspire developers to rethink their gargantuan designs and build projects that our community would be proud to welcome.
The scale of the currently proposed building is so far out of line with the Mission Street Urban Design Plan and the City-Wide Creeks and Wetlands Management Plan, that it takes more from the community than it gives. In that the Planning Department has recommended that it be exempt from CEQA, its full impacts to our community won’t even be evaluated.
There will be more information coming out as we move forward with this, so stay tuned!
Please let us know if you have any questions!Sincerely,
1200 Block of Laurel, Cleveland, and Van Ness Neighbors
DARK MATTER. Apple series (7.4 IMDB) 
Yes indeed, another space bending, time warping 9 episode distraction. This one stars Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly. There’s a robbery he gets beat up then he gets reborn backwards 14 months and 10 days in his life. He made and remakes mistakes and so do many other characters in their new growth decisions, but it’s not all that bad. Go for it.
A NEARLY NORMAL FAMILY. Netflix series. (6.4 IMDB) A beautiful 19 year old daughter gets raped by a 40 year old guy. Turns out he’s not such a bad guy except that he gets murdered and she gets accused. Her parents and many friends and you too, will defend her. The ending is a surprise. It’s enticing, engrossing, and it has just a few gaps in the telling of the plot but watch it at your earliest convenience.
THE HIJACKING OF FLIGHT 601. Netflix Series (6.7 IMDB) This is a thriller from Columbia and it’ll keep you attached for all 6 episodes. It’s based about 80% on the true story of that high jacking of a passenger plane in the 1970’s. It’s full of government officials, much airline hostess’s activity and genuine well developed suspense. They manage to portray a lot of politics and the evils of huge sums of money and be sure to allow yourselves enough time to watch all 6 of the series because you’ll care which side wins.
REPTILE. Netflix movie. (6.8 IMDB) Benicio Del Toro is near perfect as the detective who works full time and near silent investigating the murder (cruel stabbing) of a housewife. Real Estate plays a background setting as Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone do only halfhearted acting in their fill in parts.
MIDSUMMER NIGHT. Netflix series. (6.7 IMDB) Set in Norway this celebrates Midsummer Night which is the longest night of the year. (news to me!) It’s contemporary and they use their cell phones a lot. Lots of sex involved here and some of it is surprising because it’s between and older male and a young babe. You’ll probably up thinking about your own morals and their validity. Go for it.
MAXTON HALL. Prime series. (7.5 IMDB). 
This saga is centered on the full relationship/courting of a rich, well-endowed, young male and a girl who barely makes a living and still they both go to Oxford. They use iPhones which keeps it current but the tensions and the repairs to their coupling start out so boring and end up barely making it plausible. He also plays lacrosse which should give you clues right there.
SUGAR. Apple series (7.8 IMDB) A genuine Hollywood movie about Hollywood. It stars Colin Farrell who does an excellent job in this absurd exploration of improvable plots. They throw in many, many cuts from classic Hollywood films in B&W and color. James Cromwell plays a legendary producer whose granddaughter is missing. It’s fun to watch especially when you try to match the old footage with the current confusing action.
FRANKLIN. Apple Series (7.01IMDB) Michael Douglas does a half convincing job as an older version (70) of Benjamin Franklin in this politic filled boring movie. Noah Jupe is his young boyfriend. It’s full of twists, romance, and a lot of the script is in French so you’ll be watching subtitles more than usual. Not recommended.
UPGRADED. AMAZON Movie. (6.1IMDB) 
Listed as a comedy I thought I’d try finding something to laugh at in this lengthy half interesting vehicle. Marisa Tomei plays a driven manager of an art investment company in London that auctions off “masterpieces”. Lena Olin is back in her usual tempestuous bossy role and has always been a favorite of mine so all in all there are a few smiles and near laughs… so do watch this one.
SOUND OF FREEDOM. PRIME Movie. (7.61 IMDB) The story centers on child abuse and the pedophiles who run the children’s sex trafficking between Honduras, Columbia, and South America. The actual statistics are horrible and run into millions of children annually. The movie stat3es that there are more slaves today than there ever were even during the time we had slavery in the USA It’s still not a great film but it does get the message across.
STOLEN. NETFLIX Movie (5.6 IMDB) In northern Sweden / Lapland there’s a settlement of islanders who raise reindeer as a way of life. They are known as Sami and are treated as racially and inhumanly as any minority ever has. This is a drama about a deer kill that brings out the worst in this isolated community. Watch it but be prepared to squirm.
BABY REINDEER. (Netflix Series) (8.2 IMDB) A cute and cuddly title for a British series from a book written about a true story. There’s a bartender who doubles his life as a standup comic. He becomes stalked, really stalked by a hefty woman who doesn’t give up. They go to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival and have quite a weird time. It’s neurotic but well worth watching.
FALLOUT. Amazon (8.6 IMDB). You’ll probably recognize and try hard to remember Kyle McLachlan who has a small part in this ridiculous, violent, near satire of an atomic attack on Hollywood in 200 years from now. There’s long scenes of mindless murders and just plain script flips of a plot that never makes sense… don’t go here.
LAKE ERIE MURDERS. MAX (7.1 IMDB) Being from Buffalo, New York I hoped this was filmed there but nope Lake Erie borders on four states and parts of Canada. It’s a documentary and is also referred to as Who Killed Amy Mihaljevic. Amy was only 10 in 1989 and the murder is still unsolved to this day. Dozens of interviews with possible kidnappers, yes they found her body but have never found enough proof or evidence to convict anyone. Go for it but don’t expect any satisfactory ending.
If ever asked to describe the worst thing about Santa Cruz, I’d not hesitate to say, “the wanton destruction of big, beautiful mature trees.” From my early days in Santa Cruz to today, the chain saws are still hard at work felling nature’s creations. What we didn’t know then, that we know now, is the critical importance of big trees in storing carbon. That trees give us oxygen and take in carbon dioxide should elevate them to a status of reverence. Many old cultures did worship trees without knowing a thing about climate change. Poets capture the beauty of trees and our place amongst them. And still, the chainsaws whine and another giant is brought down, carefully, as ever more machines make human labor less arduous.
The big tree in the photo is a recent casualty of human power over nature. It was growing on Rio Del Mar Avenue. I’d estimate it at over a hundred years old. The species can live up to four or five hundred years but few, if any, will, given the casual disregard for non-native trees, irrespective of their age or habitat value. Add a dose of hatred for the species and you get the usual slew of online comments such as “good riddance” and “this is what should happen to all eucalyptus.”
Such disregard for non-native trees is not limited to the layperson. A recent op-ed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel by an evolutionary biologist made essentially the same point. In minimizing the impact of tree loss (803 trees to be cut down) for Segments 10 and 11 of the rail trail, she wrote “Of the 1,883 trees in the arborist’s table, more than a thousand are invasives, such as eucalyptus and acacia. But of the native trees slated to be cut, only about 67 are even moderately substantial trees, 20 or more inches in diameter.” Apparently, 736 trees are not considered a loss because they are non-native. She does acknowledge that “all trees have value-for wildlife, for our enjoyment, and for carbon storage” but that lone sentence does not deter from the main thrust of the argument that it’s only 67 large native trees that will be cut down for human infrastructure. And after all, “it’s not like clearcutting square miles of ancient coast redwoods.” No it’s not, but that style of arguing belies any lesser impact that still is keenly felt.
A few facts are needed to counter lay ignorance and academic bias. The first is that eucalypts are generally not invasive. That fact can be checked from aerial photographs in McHenry Library. For example, look at Moore Creek and Arroyo Seco over a sixty- year period. The trees are bigger of course but their spread is limited, and their range is shrinking.
Eucalypts did not eradicate native oaks. Dairy farmers cut down the oaks and then, looking for a quick-growing tree for windbreaks, planted eucalyptus, imported from Australia in the mid-nineteenth century. Despite ignorant statements to the contrary, the wood of the Tasmanian blue gum makes excellent structural timber so long as it is properly dried. If we want to favor native trees and were wise, we would plant blue gums for fence material and spare native redwoods.
Then there is the issue of habitat. Before cheering the demise of the eucalyptus, consider the research of Dr. David Suddjian. On eucalyptus and birds, he writes: “the flowers of blue gum, red gum and other species provide a bounty for many different birds during the winter and spring.” He continues, “Over 90 species of birds make regular use of eucalyptus in the Monterey Bay region during the course of the year, in addition to a wide variety of rare migrants…” On nesting, he writes, “at least 59 species of birds have been found nesting in eucalyptus stands, in the Monterey Bay region. That is equivalent to about 40% of all species known to nest in Santa Cruz County.” Such habitat value is not so easily dismissed under the pejorative, non-native.
I do not know the reason for that majestic trees’ demise. The County does not protect big trees outside of a narrow strip of the Coastal Zone or in a mapped creek and habitat area so elsewhere, anyone can cut down a significant tree without consequence. The County also has a poor history of protecting big trees even in a habitat area. Moran Lake, a recognized overwintering site for Monarch butterflies has had hundreds of its eucalyptus trees cut down for views or just cos they are non-native. Historical photos document the loss.
As the science of global warming temperatures becomes more recognized as urgent, there are valiant efforts underway to plant more trees on a local and global level. However, planting saplings is a fool’s errand without also protecting the big trees. Neither the birds, nor the planet care about their heritage.
| 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. |
COUNTY BUDGET WOES
The Board of Supervisors heard a tale of woe from the County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios and Budget Manager Marcus Pimentel on the first of two days of County Budget hearings. CAO Palacios began by whining that “an individual” has decided to move forward with a legal challenge regarding the County allowing city voters to decide the fate of Measure K’s new half-cent sales tax even though the tax only applies to businesses in the unincorporated areas. CAO Palacios cast aspersions that even though the legal challenge had not succeeded in obtaining an injunction before the election, insinuating that it will not succeed on legal merits in the Courts either. Rubbish. The reason Judge Volkmann denied the injunction to stop ballots including Measure K from going out to city voters was because he did not see “adequate proof of harm” if the measure were presented to the city voters. It was shocking.
Now the legal challenge continues and I am grateful to that individual for standing up to demand that the County follow the law. According to CAO Palacios, the County can still collect the money, but it is embargoed and cannot be spent. Can we trust that the County will keep separate the Measure K half-cent sales tax monies it collects from the unincorporated businesses and NOT spend it? If the legal challenge is successful, will the County return the money to the businesses and taxpayers?????
If the County Board of Supervisors responded to the Grand Jury Report recommendation that monies from another sales tax measure in 2018 (Measure G) could not be kept separate for public transparency because it would be too complicated, how can we trust the County to be able to keep Measure K monies separate and embargoed until the legal challenge is resolved???
Budget Manager Marcus Pimentel presented a whirlwind summary of the County’s Budget. The discretionary fund of $7.5 Million will get spent down to less than $1.25 Million now to save worker jobs, according to him and CAO Palacios. Three new jobs will get added in Public Defender and one new job for the District Attorney Dept. to accommodate an unfunded State mandate to implement the CARE Act (CARE-ACT) Capital Improvement Projects will now be handled by the General Services Dept., not Public Works, and will cause 10 full-time staff to transfer to General Services Dept. and also add a new full-time person to General Services.
Hmmm… No one could answer my question as to how this can improve efficiency, or if it is even realistic logistically.
At the same time, the $4.4 Million General Fund money that used to support General Services Dept. will evaporate to $0, in order to allow in part the $8.5 Million payment needed from the General Fund to pay the County’s debt service on the unprecedented $95 Million lease bond the Board approved last week, plunging Santa Cruz County into massive debt.
What bothers me is that the Supervisors and CAO complain that our County only receives 13cents/$1 property tax, yet the Supervisors never seem to express interest in trying to change that with lobbying action at the State legislation level. Why not?
I am very worried about this. Are you?
Write your County Supervisors and let them know your thoughts. You and I have had to learn to live within our means on a realistic budget…don’t you think it is time the County does, too?
County Board of Supervisors 831-454-2200 BoardOfSupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov
HIDING A SPECIAL PROPERTY TAX INITIATIVE IN THE BUDGET CONSENT AGENDA
The Board of Supervisors heard Budget Matters on May 21 and May 22. However, hidden on the May 22 Consent Agenda was a Resolution to allow the Santa Cruz County Land Trust-sponsored Special Property Tax initiative on the November, 2024 ballot.
Take a look at Consent Item #19
Why did the Supervisors hide this in the Budget Hearing Consent Agenda? Who would suspect to see such an action during the Budget Hearings? Why isn’t it scheduled for the June 4 regular Board Meeting?
If you think the Board is eroding public trust and local government transparency, please let them know: 831-454-2200
Board of Supervisors BoardOfSupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov
DID SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT STAFF LIE?
The Board of Directors for Soquel Creek Water District approved a Resolution on March 5 to approve the contract with CH2M Hill and Jacobs Engineering to operate the PureWater Soquel Project wastewater treatment plant for ten years. The problem was that the Board nor the public ever saw the complete contract and had no idea what was really included in it. The Resolution stated that the Agreement could be viewed by contacting the General Manager, the custodian of the document.
I filed a Public Records Act request on March 23 and March 25 to obtain the Agreement, and to also make an appointment with General Manager Ron Duncan to review the document at District Offices.
Just this week, I received the District’s response: “The District does not have this document in its files as of March 23, 2024, the date of the request.”
So, did District staff lie or misrepresent information to the Board to convince them to approve the Resolution 24-04 and give the General Manager a blank check to do whatever he wanted regarding how the Project treatment and injection wells will be operated, or what safeguards would be put in place to protect the public drinking water or be transparent with the costs the Board were earlier told would justify the recent four-year annual rate increases to customers??? Hmmmmm……
Well, the matter returned to the Board on May 7, to let the Board approve everything. That landed a 2,000+ page attachment in their agenda packet, and I am convinced that none of them read it before approving it as what initially was a consent agenda item. That Resolution 24-07 was missing sections and had no explanation of the costs inherent in the Agreement.
What’s more, the Board did not revoke their first Resolution…so what is operative now in the Agreement with CH2M Hill and Jacobs Engineering????
The Board is asleep. Rate payers should rightfully be worried. CH2M Hill stated March 5 that the PureWater Soquel Project wastewater treatment plant will only be staffed Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, and will run on auto-pilot with operators on call at all other times. Hmmm…what could go wrong? Injecting contaminated water into the groundwater supply for other water users? Oh well, the District’s mitigation for that is to provide bottled water to those affected, such as the Pine Tree Lane Water Mutual and other private well owners nearby.
However, with the lack of transparency the District seems to embrace thus far, how would anyone ever know if there is a malfunction of the treatment process???
THE SIERRA CLUB AGAIN PLEADS WITH SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT TO POSTPONE LAUREL STREET BRIDGE COSMETIC WORK TO PROTECT CLIFF SWALLOW NESTS
Once again, the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Sierra Club wrote to the Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors to plead that the District’s contractor, Garney Construction, halt all work on the Laurel Street Bridge in Santa Cruz in order to not disturb the migratory Cliff Swallows nesting under the Bridge. This urgent request is in compliance with the PureWater Soquel Project Mitigations, which Garney seems to be ignoring.
[Sierra Club letter – URGENT – PureWater Soquel Project wildlife impact]
The PureWater Soquel Project construction update issued last Friday by Soquel Creek Water District for this week states there will crews resuming work on the Laurel Street Bridge regarding the conveyance pipeline:
Laurel Street:(Work hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00-4:00 PM)
- Architectural cover work will resume next week and continue for approximately two weeks.
- Construction Updates
The Cliff Swallows are now in their active nesting season, and likely are either incubating eggs or have live hatchlings. Crews working on the Bridge will disturb the birds and interfere with their breeding season.
Cliff swallows are federally protected, migratory songbirds, and it is a violation of state and federal laws to harm them or interfere with their nests while they are breeding. All swallows are state and federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
Both the Sierra Club and I have asked the District to please cease and desist any and all work on the Laurel Street Bridge until September 1, 2024 when the Cliff Swallow breeding season is complete.
No one from the District responded to my request. Purportedly, the only response the District provided to the initial March 5 request made by the Sierra Club was “We care about the environment, so thank you for your letter.” Period. (pages 9-12)
Please write the District <bod@soquelcreekwater.org> and the Santa Cruz City Council <citycouncil@santacruzca.gov>
Garney Construction’s behavior and the District’s complicity are unacceptable.
CPUC REJECTS AT&T APPLICATION TO DITCH COPPER LANDLINE TELEPHONE SERVICE
On May 10, the proposed decision of Administrative Law Judge Thomas J. Glegolawas published.
First, we learned that the California Public Utilities Commission denied AT&T’s request to no longer meet its obligation to provide basic telephone service as the carrier of last resort. I weighed in with the Commission to protest AT&T’s request because many of my constituents rely solely on their landline service for all their communications. Many live in remote, hard to access areas where cell service and internet access is spotty, unreliable, and in some cases, completely unavailable. Others are elderly and retired, living on fixed incomes. Maintaining carrier of last resort status ensures every Californian has access to reliable and affordable communications no matter where they live. This decision is a victory for them. The final vote by the CPUC on this decision will on June 20th.
WOULD ALLOWING PRIVATE RURAL CAMPGROUNDS INCREASE FIRE HAZARD FOR RESIDENTS AND DISTURB WILDLIFE HABITAT?
Yet another unfunded State mandate,
| THE LATEST NEWS ON THE REDMAN-HIRAHARA HOUSE IN WATSONVILLE Last weekend’s County History Fair was wonderful and really educational. I met Dr. Jacob Stone there, who had a table about the Redman-Hirahara House and Farmstead, displaying artifacts and photos relative to his study of the Japanese-American internment. Take a look and please let me know if you are willing to help Dr Stone and me work to preserve this National Historic Registry gem. |
SB 620 would amend existing law, the Special Occupancy Parks Act, and require counties statewide to allow Low Impact Camping on private lands and to establish codes and requirements that adhere to County Fire Codes, but mandating only waste disposal and quiet hours, as amended by the Senate on March 22.
Santa Cruz Planning Commissioners have been reviewing the proposed Santa Cruz County Code changes since February, 2024, and most recently on May 8, when the Commission sent the proposed Ordinance UNAPPROVED to the Board of Supervisors. This matter will be heard on June 25.
The CalFire Chiefs had requested each campsite have 10,000 gallons water stored on site and accessible for fire engines. However, Supervisor Zach Friend and his analyst Alysson Violante, who happens to be the Chair of the Planning Commission, removed that requirement.
The proposed Low Impact Camping ordinance would allow one campsite per acre on parcels five acres or more, with four campers per campsite. No on-site campsite host would be required, but someone must be responsible for the site and be either 15 miles or 60 minutes away. What if there is no phone service at the campsite to call the host, or to call 911 if needed?
Listen to the Planning Commissioners deliberate: Item #8, Planning Agenda
- Read the correspondence page 48 Fire Chief’s Association requiring connectivity to report 911
- page 36 excellent letter by Patricia Damron
- page 29 Jonathan Wittwer…this is NOT CEQA exempt
- One owner who has been hosting campers already reported a camper started a fire, even though no campfires allowed.
Speak up about this on or before June 25 Board of Supervisors meeting.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE PUBLIC INSURANCE ADJUSTERS AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU?
A Public Insurance Adjuster is there to help you when you need to file a claim…like a flood, fire, etc. They are an insurance adjuster, licensed with the California Department of Insurance, that may be hired directly by the insured to represent them against their insurance company for the purpose of settling the insurance claim. Typically a public adjuster will charge a percentage of the claim proceeds for their services as their fee. Go here for more info!
WORK BEGINNING AT THE RISPIN MANSION GARDEN
The work has finally begun on the Rispin Mansion Garden project in Capitola. I am glad to see that the original plan to remove the historic masonry wall bordering Capitola Wharf Road was altered so that portions of it will remain (see attached photo below)
According to Capitola Councilman Kristen Brown, the City has no plans to restore the mansion.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A BUDGET HEARING IF YOU CAN AND ASK QUESTIONS.
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY JUST DOING SOMETHING.
Cheers,
Becky
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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 |
[Webmistress here. Grey was supposed to have had the week off last week, but I somehow ended up posting his piece for this week. Hence this re-run… all my fault!]
Fog, and Fog Lifting
Tall black burned tree trunks hazily emerge into view through the thick fog. Days upon days of fog prevalence make many scenes more mysterious. That eerie scene of black tree poles joins other fog-induced memories this past week: puffs of blowing dense fog hiding and then revealing drippy, dark groves of live oaks; awakening to a wall of silver cloud obscuring everything beyond the window ledge, and one evening’s approach of fog…suddenly pouring over the farm’s western ridge and down the hillsides towards the farm like a wave of terrifying suddenly-released floodwater. Each morning every spider web is illuminated by silver moisture, every leaf and blade adorned by shiny droplets.
Us Moist Critters
The dawn bird chorus is delayed and the songs fewer because all animals are made chilled and sleepy, enveloped in low clouds. The brush rabbits shake the wetness from their pelts between bouts of meandering nibbles. Extended families of quail wander slowly along roads to avoid vegetation soaking their feathers. In the absence of bird song, there is a more peaceful constant patter of dripping. Sweaters, jackets, and long pants are in order for spending time outside. The richly humid air makes breathing feel refreshing and helps accentuate late spring farm scents.
Peak Perfume
The transition between spring and summer is the season of peak perfume. Eight foot tall bolting poison hemlock emits its telltale dusty, bitter odor, which carries far in the fog-moist air. When the clouds lift and the day warms, sweeter, resinous scents are released from the sage, coyote brush, and fir. Fresh-cut-hay smell is omnipresent across the fields and down the roads as mowers constantly challenge the burgeoning grass. Warmer days bring surprising clouds of sweetness, begging for a pause to ponder the origins of scent: madrone, French broom, lilac or lupine could be the source, but maybe there’s something new to discover. I squint to the distance, upwind for patches of flowers, then shift my gaze closer to see if there are bunches of hidden flowers. There it is! – clusters of tiny poison oak blossoms sparkling with nectar and wafting notes of clove and citrus.
Fog recently drapes the ridges surrounding Molino Creek Farm
Drying
The drippy fog does little to keep the inevitable drydown at bay. Deep soil cracks split and widen. Dust cakes vehicles and brush along the roads. This is the first week that the farm must irrigate everything or the plants will wilt and begin to die. The solar well pump runs continuously and the diesel generator will start shortly to push greater volumes of water to the grapes and storage tanks. The summer pattern of orchard watering commences: zig-zagging across acres of trees, digging 8″ deep into the soil to test moisture, adjusting irrigation strategies, turning valves, recording data, monitoring storage tanks, and communicating between many farmers to assure smooth operations. For now, cool days keep this work less hectic, but one eyes the forecast and makes plans for hotter spells.
Molino Creek Farm’s amazing onions, freshly planted and regularly irrigated
Snakes, a Month Late
April is normally snake month, but the cool, wet start of this season delayed the emergence of our slithery friends. Sylvie and her brother Isaac reported a surprising night time rubber boa, crossing the road despite the drippy fog. Smooth, fresh snake tracks cross the dusty roads, always wisely perpendicular. An irate hissing baby gopher snake lunged at my leather gloves from a patch of freshly pulled weeds. We are constantly surprised by scaled creatures jetting away from disrupting orchard management: a swift yellow-bellied racer snake, head held high, escaping…giant alligator lizards making for safer ground away from hoeing. Wherever we look there are oodles of lizards and snakes, an homage to organic tilth, the diversity of plants, and the wealth of prey that result from good land management the collective respect for nature found at Molino Creek Farm.
Cherries, lushly growing with irrigation and nestled in fog drip
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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 |
Dateline: May 17, 2024
#138 / The Downside Of Upzoning
The five-story building pictured above is located in Washington, D.C. I found the picture in The New Republic magazine, illustrating an article titled, “The Case Against YIMBYism.”
YIMBYs would, presumably, cheer the newer building pictured as helping to meet local housing needs. Others, quite likely, would think that the new building is an affront to the character of a beautiful little neighborhood, and might point out some practical problems, too, like parking demand, solar shading, and the like.
Those who regularly read my blog postings may remember that I have writtten about “YIMBYism” before, and I didn’t have much good to say about it in my earlier comments. While I absolutely believe that there are often very good reasons to urge new residential development projects, and increased density in urban areas, I strongly object to efforts by those who advocate pro-development policies, and who call themselves YIMBYs (“Yes In My Backyard”), to pretend that there is a comparable, organized, and anti-development group called NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”).
There is no such “NIMBY” group. No one has ever organized a group to oppose all development, period, and called it “NIMBY.” Saying that someone is a “NIMBY” is plain-old name calling. Those who oppose specific developments are usually better called, “neighbors,” and they often have very good reasons to oppose a proposed development project, when they do come out in opposition. Such project opponents are not – as the name “NIMBY” is meant to imply – selfish, greedy, uncaring and probably racist opponents to anyone who isn’t already living in their neighborhood.
The New Republic article, linked above, focuses on how the YIMBY movement operates. The main point of the article is revealed in its subtitle: “Why encouraging more private development won’t solve the housing crisis.” I endorse the findings outlined by The New Republic, but want to add on an observation that is only very briefly mentioned in what that article says.
YIMBY (the group) is of, by, and for the development industry. The actual aim of YIMBY, which tends to claim that its main purpose is to promote affordable housing, is to promote housing development, period. If there is any validity (or sincerity) to the YIMBY claim that building more housing will make housing more affordable, that claim rests upon the fallacious argument that there is a “law of supply and demand,” and that if the supply of housing is increased, the price of housing will inexorably fall, thus making housing more affordable simply by building more of it.
There are a number of fallacies involved in this claim – and The New Republic article gets at a number of them. What the article does not stress, though, is the following. In order to increase the “supply” of housing, YIMBY advocates routinely want to “upzone” land. “Upzoning” means changing local ordinances, and/or the local General Plan, to designate a particular piece of real property with a zoning designation that will allow more development than the former zoning designation would allow.
Obviously, if the zoning designation on a piece of property would allow the construction of ten new units of housing on that property, and the zoning designation is changed, and “upzoned,” to allow the construction of twenty new units, the “upzone” that made that change possible will permit the property owner/developer to produce more housing. Even if you believe that producing “more” housing will automatically mean that the “more” housing produced will be “more affordable” (which is not necessarily the case, as The New Republic article notes), there is a fallacy in the argument for “upzoning.”
The price of a new residential unit, where prices reflect the so-called “free market,” will depend, of course, on how much it costs to produce that residential unit. When land is “upzoned,” permitting more housing to be built, the price of the land will increase, to reflect this new reality. So, the benefit of “upzoning” will go to the property owner, not to the purchaser of the new units produced under the new zoning.
That is one of the major “downsides” of upzoning. It’s not the only one, of course, because community costs will also go up as land is “upzoned” for greater density.
Who mainly benefits from upzoning? Not those seeking more affordable housing. Who benefits are the property owners, whose property just became more valuable, thanks to the upzoning approved by local officials. Lucky for the property owners, it just so happens that those folks have a bonafide nonprofit corporation to represent them, and to help them argue for those very profitable “upzonings.”
I know you have already guessed. That nonprofit corporation, of by and for the property owners and developers is called, “YIMBY,” and The New Republic is right on target in presenting its case against YIMBYism.
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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 |
TRUMP COUNTING SHEEP, RUDY BREWS ESCAPE
Don’t hold your breath for this one, but Representative Lauren Boebert co-sponsored House bill H.R. 8386 to award the twice-impeached, indicted felon Donald Trump the Congressional Gold Medal for his “dedication to strengthening America’s diplomatic relations.” The former president’s diplomacy is notable for his attempt to extort Ukraine to get incriminating information on Joe Biden, and most recently encouraging Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to our allies. The Congressional vault probably has a few extra medals on hand after Boebert voted ‘No’ on awarding such to the Capitol Police officers for defending the lives of Congress members during the January 6 Insurrection.
Perhaps we’ll get to see Trump exercise his diplomacy bona fides at the upcoming debate with President Biden on June 27 at CNN’s Atlanta studios. Catching the Trump team off guard, Biden challenged Mr. Trump to two debates on ABC and CNN, with Trump’s immediate acceptance and his keepers probably gagging at the prospect, especially with Biden’s taking the lead on the debate issue…will they or won’t they? Many are saying we will only see a walking corpse, with Trump stumbling his way around, no idea what’s going on in a nonexistent campaign where his babysitters keep a tight rein on his appearances. Former Fox News host, Chris Wallace, who moderated the first 2020 debate between the two candidates, says it will be “suicidal” if Trump conducts himself as he did in that flame-out of a debate. Trump interrupted both Biden and Wallace in excess of 100 times, with his own team saying he “came on way too hot.” Wallace suggests, “If I were giving Trump advice, I would let Biden talk, because sometimes Biden gets himself in trouble. And then I’d counterpunch…I think Trump thought, ‘I’m going to be able to throw Biden off his game, I’m going to be able to get him confused.’ It didn’t work, Biden kept his cool, and the person who ended up looking bad was Trump. If he does the same thing again, he’s a fool.” What will Trump do without a teleprompter?
It does seem that Mr. Trump is able to scribble notes to pass on to his Greek Chorus of GOP acolytes who have started to show up at his hush-money trial, which they then elaborate from outside the New York court house, sounding very much like a limited vocabulary Trump with endless, whining recitations. New York Magazine’s Andrew Rice noted that during the trial the former president was seen editing the statements of witnesses that he wanted his cohorts to feed to the media gathering. MSNBC’S Alex Wagner questioned the legality of this activity since the gag order prohibits Trump from directing others to say those things he is not allowed to utter. Case in point being, Senator Tommy Tuberville admitting that “one of the reasons” for his attendance and commentary was “to overcome this gag order” imposed on Trump, who is enduring “mental anguish” in this “depressing” courtroom. And, chiming in was Senator J.D. Vance, who criticized Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter which Trump himself had done previously but is now gagged against doing so. Parroting Vance was North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who denied that Trump had instructed him to speak of the judge’s daughter. Tuberville doubled down later on Newsmax’s Chris Salcedo Show, saying, “Hopefully, we’ll have more and more senators and congressmen go up every day to represent him and be able to go out and overcome this gag order, and that’s one of the reasons we went – is to be able to speak our piece for President Trump.” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said he sees it as “both thuggish and pathetic” how Trump appears, via his stooges, to be trying to circumvent the gag order which bans him from talking about witnesses, jurors, court staff and their families.
Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC was in attendance, reporting that Vance and Tuberville sat in the “vice presidential nominee audition bench” behind the “Eric Trump bench” during the court proceedings. At the first recess, the two senators left their seats, going straight to the reporters outside the courtroom, with Vance questioning Michael Cohen’s credibility and criticizing the judge’s daughter, while Tuberville questioned the citizenship of the jurors, wisecracking that “supposedly American citizens were in that courtroom.” O’Donnell described Vance as being “on his phone the entire time…there was really no reason for him to come if he wasn’t going to take in everything that was happening,” referencing Vance’s statement that he was there “to show support for a friend” and to be a “friendly face in the courtroom.” For a friend who will soon select a VP running mate?! Co-host Willie Geist on ‘Morning Joe’ described the duo’s commentary as performative outrage on behalf of the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. “Vance is a US Marine, for God’s sake, where it’s all about honor. It’s very sad,” he added. Joe Scarborough reminded him of Vance’s previous disdain for Trump, when he said in 2016, “If you love Jesus, if you were a Christian, you cannot support Donald Trump. Now furiously on the vice presidential treadmill, he has changed his mind and has decided that this is the most noble of men in his porn star trial.”
The following day, the Greek Chorus saw House Speaker Mike Johnson, along with Florida Representatives Donalds and Mills fill the space for “friendly faces,” joined also by Vivek Ramaswamy and Governor Burgum. A fed-up Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted to convict the former president in his second impeachment trial in 2021, unloaded on fellow GOPers who have attended Trump’s hush-money trial, saying to HuffPost, “Do we have something to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial? I mean, this is ridiculous.” But Trump appears happy with such visible support from his MAGA base, commenting, “I do have a lot of surrogates, and they are speaking very beautifully. We have a lot of great people here to talk to you.” Speaker Johnson declared, “President Trump is innocent of these charges. This is the fifth week of a sham trial…they are doing this intentionally to keep him here and keep him off the campaign trail.” But Trump has squandered his days off from the trial by playing golf or holing up at Mar-a-Lago…talk to his babysitters! Senator Mitt Romney says the entourage of GOP leaders showing up outside the New York City courthouse is “a little embarrassing…a little demeaning where we’re talking about an allegation of paying a porn star. Really difficult to watch. There is a level of dignity and decorum that you expect from people who are running for the highest station in the land, and going out and prostrating themselves in front of the public to try and apparently curry favor with the person who is our nominee.”
After Tuesday’s trial, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow expressed her surprise at the “sad” way in which the latest batch of GOP grovelers attended the proceedings, dressing like the former guy…“It was like they were the Rockettes,” she observed. However, she mockingly suggested that Speaker Johnson was allowed to wear a striped tie because of his leadership role, but they all used “the same language, describing Trump as their friend. I don’t know if Trump has friends. I don’t think Vivek Ramaswamy is one of them, if he does have friends. And this is a display of sycophancy and a job interview,” she added. Panelist Nicolle Wallace’s one-word description hits the bullseye…“clownish.” This is a sensitive subject for many Republicans who prefer anonymity, who feel that Johnson, a supposedly devout Southern Baptist who built his political career on his fight for Christian values and moral conservatism, is undermining the party’s family values image for Trump’s favor. One House GOPer feels that Johnson has to answer for that dichotomy at sticking his neck out in light of his previous standing. Johnson disclosed a couple of years ago that he and his son monitor each other’s porn intake with the app, Covenant Eyes, “a platform that helps you live porn-free with confidence,” according to its website. The Speaker bragged back then that, “I’m proud to tell you, my son’s got a clean slate.” “I wonder if he had to report the New York visit to his son?” one lawmaker asked facetiously. Former Representative Liz Cheney accused Johnson of abandoning his commitment to advancing high-minded moral principles, by admitting he wants to be in the “I Cheated On My Wife With A Porn Star” club.
While some Republicans have veered from the path by ignoring the actual charges, and defending the former guy from the process, a familiar refrain being, “I don’t think it has anything to do with what he’s charged with. I think it’s all about just the way the trial itself has been conducted and the fact that there’s a lot of unfairness that’s going on.” That coming from Representative Aderholt of Alabama. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats argue that it was irresponsible for the Speaker, a figure who is third in line to the presidency, to disparage the country’s judicial system, undermining the public’s trust in a foundational institution that’s long been a source of national pride. California’s Pete Aguilar said, “It’s disappointing to see the Speaker speak negatively of independent criminal investigations, but that’s the price House Republicans have to pay; specifically, Johnson, for Trump to have his back.” Another anonymous House Republican raised concerns that Johnson who is a constitutional lawyer was casting doubt on the judicial branch, saying, “What I really didn’t like was the fact that as an officer of the court, he walked out and bashed the proceedings, the court, the judiciary, and that’s not fair. And as an officer of the court you have a duty to uphold that. It’s one thing when Trump, who’s not a lawyer [nor a president…yet], does it. It’s quite another thing for a member of the bar.”
‘Late Night’s’ Seth Meyers says it was probably inadvisable for Trump’s entourage of “MAGA weirdos” to show up at his criminal trial, especially where character is essential to the case…and Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert aren’t the role models you want in the room. “Man, Beavis and Butthead are everywhere! That’s like if O.J.’s buddies at his trial were Charles Manson and Hannibal Lecter,” he quipped, adding, “I’m surprised to see Boebert there. Not surprised she showed up…just surprised she hasn’t been kicked out yet. Seriously, there are more Republican members of Congress at Trump’s trial than there are in the Capitol. Just going to throw this out there…might be a good day to storm it.” He goes on to say that they had to sit next to Eric Trump because they got their tickets from Seat Freak. Stephen Colbert commented about Trump speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, complaining about his prosecution, calling the trial “a scam, and it’s a sham.” “Coincidentally, ‘scam’ and ‘sham’ are the Secret Service code names for Eric and Don Jr,” Colbert disclosed. Desi Lydic on the ‘Daily Show’ said, “Michael Cohen is the linchpin of the government’s case, because his testimony directly ties Trump to the falsification of business records, which, remember, is the actual crime here. The porn star hush-money part is just a little thing we keep saying because it’s fun. Trump’s defense attorneys have been doing their best to make Michael Cohen seem less credible than a Boeing in-flight safety video.” Bill Maher on his ‘Real Time’ show asks, “Why can’t everybody live in my world, in the middle, where we’re not nuts?” He also comments about Republicans showing up at the trial dressed like Trump with this observation: “J.D. Vance was there, and Vivek Ramaswamy, Tommy Tuberville, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. No wonder Trump falls asleep in the trial…he’s counting his sheep.”
You’re probably too late to get in on the special sale during the launch of America’s mayor’s new coffee enterprise. Rudy Giuliani, saddled with his $148M debt amid his bankruptcy filing is attempting to at least maintain his lifestyle, the debt being secondary to him…no doubt. A two pound bag of his beans…regular price $29.95…was available at $17 with the first 100 bags adorned with his signature, as he aims for a June ship date! So, let’s see…how many $30 bags does he have to sell to even approach his outstanding debt…yikes!? Better keep those roasteries hot! Poor Rudy was indicted by an Arizona grand jury last month for his attempt to reverse Trump’s 2020 election loss in that state, but the servers were finding it difficult to serve him with the summons as he eluded their efforts to find him. The prosecutors were faced with issuing an arrest warrant as the appointed date for this flibbertigibbet’s appearance approached, with Rudy seeming to relish the game of taunting the authorities by posting clues of his whereabouts, while bragging that you “can’t catch me!”…which would result in some kind of exoneration? Actually, an arrest would have landed him in jail, while being denied bail. But his boldness led to his downfall as he sent a tweet from his eightieth birthday party held in Palm Beach, boasting that he had avoided being served with only a day to go! Within the hour process servers had their own celebration by handing Rudy the summons, thanks to his hot tip on Xwitter. Andy Borowitz, in ‘The Borowitz Report‘, says the process server followed a trail of jet-black hair dye to locate him, and “the former mayor willingly accepted the summons, apparently mistaking it for a cocktail napkin.”
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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.
“Democracy”
“Democracy arises out of the notion that those who are equal in any respect are equal in all respects; because men are equally free, they claim to be absolutely equal.”
~Aristotle
“After each war there is a little less democracy to save.”
~Brooks Atkinson
“Democracy is a small, hard core of common agreement, surrounded by a rich variety of individual differences.”
~James B. Conant
“A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience.”
~John Dewey
“Democracy! Bah! When I hear that word I reach for my feather boa!”
~Allen Ginsberg
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Early, EARLY color photography. This is fascinating! |
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