BRATTON…Tribal gambling propositions, Peter Beagle reimbursed, KSQD interview, movie critiques, Here Now Live. GREENSITE…on light pollution: an updated entry from a year ago. KROHN…Political Heat, council seats, Keeley vs. Schendledecker, goodbye Becky Blythe. STEINBRUNER…County supes term limits, traffic impacts and developers, no fixing emergency routes, Davenport water source, World Bee Day. HAYES… caring about public land management. PATTON…Joshua Trees ad Climate Goals. MATLOCK… Grifting along with the raiders & spy vs. spy in history. EAGAN…Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS’ pick of the week. QUOTES…”Heat Waves”
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DATELINE August 15
THOSE TRIBAL GAMBLING CASINO PROPOSITIONS. We’ve been swamped with TV commercials featuring American Indian tribal members pushing their seemingly opposing views on props 26 and prop 27. I asked our former County Supervisor, column writer, site host at gapatton.net/ Gary Patton what he’s figured out about those props. Gary is one of the most trustworthy, knowledgeable political-minded people I’ve ever known. Gary not only gave his views on those two props but continued beyond. He stated…
“I did hunt down the qualified ballot measures, online. Here’s where you can find them:
Secretary of State Website
Ballotpedia (more information)
There will be two gambling measures on the ballot. Both would expand gambling opportunities in the state.
Proposition 26 would expand gambling opportunities in two kinds of physical locations: Indian casinos located on tribal lands; and on race tracks, in the four counties where such race tracks already exist. The new arena for gambling is “sports gaming.”
Proposition 27 would allow new gambling opportunities ONLINE, without any need for the gambler to go to any physical location. Again, “sports gaming” would be the new arena for gambling.
It appears that the existing tribal bands having casinos are against Proposition 27, since online gambling would be, essentially, a new business competitor.
The advocates of Proposition 27 say that 85% of the monies generated (after various expenses have been deducted) would go to an expansion of homeless and mental health assistance.
Both measures are pretty complicated, and I did not analyze them in detail.
Looks like the League of Women Voters does intend to provide recommendations, but I don’t see any yet: LWVC Ballot Recommendations; The “Voters’ Edge” website, recommended by the LWV, is apparently where these recommendations will be found when they’re available.
Other Measures on the Ballot:
Proposition 28 would require a minimum source of annual funding for K-12 public schools, including charter schools, to fund arts education programs. The annual minimum amount established by the law would be equal to, at minimum, 1% of the total state and local revenues that local education agencies received under Proposition 98 (1988) during the prior fiscal year. The minimum under the proposed law would be in addition to the funding required by Proposition 98. According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the ballot initiative would likely result in increased spending of $800 million to $1 billion each fiscal year.
Proposition 29 would enact staffing requirements, reporting requirements, ownership disclosure, and closing requirements for chronic dialysis clinics. – Supported by unions / opposed by the medical establishment.
Proposition 30 would increase the income tax by an additional 1.75% on income above $2 million for individuals. Income above $2 million for individuals is taxed at a rate of 13.3% in California. Revenue from the increased income tax would be appropriated into the Clean Cars and Clean Air Trust Fund (CCCATF). It would then be allocated to the following three sub-funds: Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Investment Plan Sub-Fund (35% of revenue), Zero-Emission Vehicle and Clean Mobility Sub-Fund (45% of revenue), and Wildfire Green House Gas Emissions Reduction Sub-Fund (20% of revenue). The sub-funds would fund zero-emission vehicles, charging stations, and infrastructure, as well as hiring and training firefighters
Proposition 31 is a referendum, which seeks to overturn Senate Bill 793 (SB 793), which was signed into law on August 28, 2020. SB 793 was designed to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products and tobacco product flavor enhancers, with exceptions for hookah tobacco, loose leaf tobacco, and premium cigars. Retailers would be fined $250 for each sale violating the law. A “yes” vote is to overturn the ban.
In terms of the sports gaming initiatives, I think, personally, I will likely be voting “NO” on both of them, since expanding gambling opportunities is not something I think is beneficial. For someone who thinks that gambling on “sports gaming” should be legalized, I tend to think that Proposition 26, tying gambling bets to the need actually to go to a specified physical location tends to be the best way to do it. However, let’s see what the analysis in the Voters’ Pamphlet shows, when that’s available, about what sort of monies would be generated for homeless and mental health support. Could be a lot (and a significant part of that coming from poorer people who can’t really afford to use their scare assets for gambling).
PETER BEAGLE IS ALIVE & WELL AND BEING REIMBURSED. One of our well-read readers sent me a note asking me if I knew Peter Beagle the author of The Last Unicorn. Sure I knew him and told her “Yes I knew him from our Friday night media group drinking gang. Back in those days the Sentinel, Good Times, Pajaronian, authors, all hung together and went to the old then the new Catalyst, The Oak Room in the Cooperhouse, Santa Cruz Hotel Bar and grill etc. We were easy going, sharing, and happy. Peter also hung with Jim Houston, Morton Marcus, and genuine authors….well it turns out that Peter had been royally screwed out of his royalties from the Unicorn and other books. This article from the NY Times tells all about it. [paywall] Folks new to Santa Cruz should know that Peter wrote of the Unicorn while he lived here. He also sang in a local pub, which surprised me.
MY KSQD INTERVIEW. Kind friends and relatives asked me if it’s possible to still hear the interview with me that Chris Krohn did last month on KSQD. Yes it’s available here…
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
CODE NAME EMPEROR. (NETFLIX MOVIE) ( 6.0 IMDB). Luis Tosar a Spanish actor you’ll recognize leads this former cops and robber guy through some extremely delicate and illegal gang scenes in Madrid and beyond. For some believable reasons he gets into cocaine smuggling and dealing with big time killer mobs. Complex, believable and well done movie. Go for it.
THE SANDMAN. (NETFLIX SERIES) (7.8 IMDB) This comic book hero Dream also known as Morpheus from Neil Gaiman’s pen comes back from the dead in 1916 Britain and haunts and curses everybody from Berlin to modern day venues. Tom Sturridge plays Morpheus and if you like DC comics at their near best go for it. But only IF…
PERFUMES. (PRIME VIDEO) (6.6 IMDB). A woman who was a world famed perfume maker loses that ability. She regains that talent with help from a fellow middle aged guy who’s a taxi driver. It’s a fine and well executed film with tender and educational parts centering on what we can and can’t smell. Their relationship and being a well-made movie makes it very worthwhile watching.
BODIES BODIES BODIES. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (6.7 IMDB) Six young women (in their 20’s) decide to spend a few days and nights in a friend’s mansion. Along with cocaine, booze and increasing silliness they decide to play a “who kills them” game. So there’s murders and blood, and some very silly dialogue before we find out the truth….and you won’t be able to follow it any ways. Avoid this mess.
EMILY THE CRIMINAL. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.1 IMDB) Aubrey Plaza plays Emily and is becoming an excellent actress, whether being serious or into comedies. Emily has a student loan and needs more money to live and pay off her debts. She makes many decisions and gets deeply involved with phony big time credit card duplicators in Los Angeles. She makes friends with Theo Rossi who does a fine job as her mentor and friend. Fine exciting, fast paced movie…go for it.
NOBODY KNOWS I’M HERE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.5 IMDB). A tender, unusual story of a young boy living in Chile who makes a hit record as a teen ager but then has huge issues and grows into a larger than life recluse. Slow pacing and barely average photography keep this from being a classic but it’ll make your troubles seem smaller. Go for it.
MINAMATA. (HULU MOVIE) (7.7 IMDB) This should be required viewing for anyone concerned with industrial pollution. This true story has Johnny Depp as a Life Magazine photographer who forces his way to Japan to photograph the death and destruction caused by the Chisso Chemical plant that dumps its mercury filled waste into the local’s drinking water. Bill Nighy is the Life Magazine editor and does a memorable job. Don’t miss it.
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.
BULLET TRAIN. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.5 IMDB). This violent mess is billed as a comedy starring the 59 year old Brad Pitt. With zero to no background story there are five professional assassins on board Japan’s Bullet Train. For over two hours they work very hard to out bloody each other. Sandra Bullock and Michael Shannon make unnecessary guest appearances. The stabbings, chokings, murders, and almost continual bloody scenes aren’t anywhere as funny as director Leitch tries to force on us. I don’t need to watch any more violence than what I see every day in the media and you should skip this mess.
THIRTEEN LIVES. (PRIME MOVIE) (7.8 IMDB). Ron Howard directed this near documentary of the saving of 13 Thailand Soccer team who got trapped underwater in a cave. It is intense even though we know the outcome. Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell are the lead divers who supervise the rescue. More than 5000 people volunteered from 17 countries to aid the underwater return. It all took place in a tourist cave with railings, steps and the captain of the boys’ soccer team was the one who led the boys into the cave but saved them by human touches. Fine film, tense, claustrophobic, and well worth watching.
RECURRENCE. (or PIPA) (NETFLIX MOVIE) (4.3 IMDB). There was a murder of a 15 year old girl at a party and the woman detective Pipa is bound by guilt and duty to find the murderer. It takes place in the Argentine and makes some points dealing with local Indian history. It’s slow, confusing and is actually the third film in the Pipa series. Don’t bother with this one.
THE 355. (PRIME MOVIE) (5.4 IMDB). Somebody invented a super hi tech iPhone looking thing that could change the world’s communication system. Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Lupita Nyong’o make up the dynamic action filled quartet that fly all over the world tracking down the thieves who stole that secret iPhone. It’s about these two secret agencies that compete in car chases, climbing tall buildings and keep extra secrets from us in this looney plot.
UNCOUPLED. (NETFLIX SERIES) (7.0 IMDB). A very silly comedy about what rich, light weight gay white men do in New York City. Neil Patrick Harris leads the cast and he’s very gay and in a 17 year relationship. Marcia Gay Harden plays a very wealthy matron and manages to steal every scene she’s in. The movie contains only one gay male stereotype group and I’d imagine that less silly sex driven gays could seriously object to this farce.
HIDDEN VALLEY STRING ORCHESTRA which is Sixteen of Northern California’s finest string players will perform without a conductor. Prepared under the direction of concertmaster, Roy Malan. Comprising sixteen of Northern California’s most talented and accomplished string players, the String Orchestra of Hidden Valley debuted to acclaim in November 2014. Lyn Bronson of Peninsula Reviews said of the String Orchestra’s debut, “A gorgeous performance. Every section . . . a perfect jewel.” Featuring works by Richard Wagner, Efrem Zimbalist, Jean Françaix, Germain Tailleferre, Wiliam Grant Still, and Frank Bridge in Santa Cruz Sunday September 11th at 4:00 p.m. at Peace United Church 900 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Go here for more info…
SANTA CRUZ ACTORS’ THEATRE & “8 Tens at 8” NEWS. Andre Neu activist and eager arts enthusiast sent this news.” As an active theatre-goer, I figured you’d be interested in hearing that Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre is doing a “reboot” of its “8 Tens at 8” series in early September. After Wilma Marcus Chandler and Andrew Cagllio resigned earlier this year, the company regrouped and has come together to stage what was to go forth before COVID struck. The new company, headed by Suzanne Schrag, includes quite a few familiar theater folks and seems pretty secure in what they’re doing, Andre.
A GLARING EXAMPLE
Rarely does a bank get singled out for praise but praise is due to the US Bank Branch at 110 N. Morrissey Blvd. When a member of the International Dark-sky Association (IDA), Santa Cruz Chapter (of which I am a member) brought to the bank’s attention the light pollution blasting from the numerous Wall Pack lights on the bank’s periphery, they were eventually replaced with properly shielded, amber lights and the difference is evident in the before and after photos below.
© Andy Kreyche: IDA Santa Cruz
© Andy Kreyche: IDA Santa Cruz
Eliminating light pollution is not simply an aesthetic preference. It is increasingly recognized as a significant source of human sleep deprivation; human health problems documented by the AMA; a disruptor of avian migration; a killer of migratory birds; a cause of the rapid decline in insect populations as well as negatively affecting the life cycles of plants. To quote from the IDA website which is an excellent resource for learning about light pollution:
“For billions of years, all life has relied on Earth’s predictable rhythm of day and night. It’s encoded in the DNA of all plants and animals. Humans have radically disrupted this cycle by lighting up the night. Plants and animals depend on Earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythm to govern life-sustaining behaviors such as reproduction, nourishment, sleep, and protection from predators. Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects, and plants.”
Not only does light pollution negatively impact all life, in less than 100 years, the bright starry night sky including our own galaxy, which was previously visible with the naked eye, has been lost to over 99% of people in the USA and Northern Europe. This brightening of the night sky with artificial light is termed “skyglow.” For today’s children it essentially is the night sky; featureless, with a yellowish glow that never really gets dark.
The good news is that it is one of the easiest pollutions to fix and reverse. Just turn off the switch! Of course, nothing involving humans is ever easy.
We are conditioned to believe that light equals safety so many feel the more light the better. Perhaps there is an evolutionary sense of safety around a night fire, but we have gone too far in that direction in trying to erase all darkness. Corporate interests capitalize on light to display and persuade. Poorer communities are often the most impacted by light pollution, but globally it is largely a product of greater affluence.
As documented on the IDA website, overly bright lights, especially LEDs and especially in the cool color (white) temperature range, if not properly shielded, make it difficult to see at night due to the glare. They create adjacent deep shadows where a person with bad intentions can hide. Forty years ago, as a new staff member at UCSC and in charge of Rape Prevention Education, I intervened to dissuade the administration from changing the lights in the small wooden bus shelters from the warm low wattage to a bright, glaring alternative. The logic was obvious to me. A brightly lit person in a bus shelter is an easier target for someone to evaluate and surprise. The person in the bus shelter cannot see out into the darkness due to overly bright lights within. I was successful and the lights were not changed, at least during my 30 years, nor were there any reports of attacks on women at night while waiting at bus shelters. Much of the education I did with new students was to reassure them that the dark woods and softly lit paths on campus were not the sites of sexual assaults. Those sites were parties, usually well lit, loud, and populated. It was difficult to overcome the myths associated with the dark and that hasn’t changed. What has changed is far more light pollution emanating from the City on a Hill, something that IDA Santa Cruz is trying to address. With the return of students will come the return in winter of the rugby field lights that create a massive source of glare for the town and can be seen from 4 miles south along Highway 1. UCSC’s motto of Fiat Lux: Let There Be Light should not extend beyond the metaphor of learning and education.
There are many examples of light pollution in the city of Santa Cruz and far more skyglow than in previous decades. Car lots, ball fields, bridge lights, businesses, private homes, even city hall are all sources. This, even though the city’s General Plan mandates the city take steps to reduce light pollution and create a Dark-Sky Ordinance. Other cities have adopted such ordinances with good effect. We need to catch up.
Hopefully there is light (well-shielded) at the end of the tunnel. IDA Santa Cruz recently worked with city Public Works to ensure that the new lights being installed on both sides of the San Lorenzo River levee north of Water Street, which currently has no lights, be properly shielded, of warmer color temperature and equipped with adaptive controls. While not everything we suggested was adopted, some progress was achieved. IDA also urged the city to address the bridge lights over the San Lorenzo where glare spilled over into the river, affecting salmonids and other river life. The city has installed a temporary fix that has helped the river however glare onto the roads affecting night driving is still a problem.
Rather than community members taking on one source of light pollution at a time, much more progress could be made if the city council adopted a model Dark-sky Ordinance and enforced it. If you would like to get more involved, or share a light pollution example, or find out how to get the city to better shield your streetlight, you can reach IDA Santa Cruz at: santacruzdarksky.org/
| 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. |
August 15
SANTA CRUZ POLITICAL HEAT
It’s only August, but several campaigns are rolling
Warm
There’s two city council seats up for a vote this November. They are for districts 4 and 6. In the old days you could vote for both seats, but now you can only vote for one city councilmember who represents your district. Most Santa Cruz city voters will not be voting for any council candidate this year since the city council 5-2 majority—Kalantari-Johnson, Golder, Meyers, Bruner, and Watkins—rammed through a six-district, direct election of mayor scheme this past year. Yep, now we have districts and only a handful of candidates are running. Normally, voters would be able to choose three councilmembers. The window to register as a candidate closes this Thursday (8/18) for District 4. It was extended because Justin Cummings is not running again. So far, only two candidates are running in District 6, incumbent Renee Golder will be up against Planning Commissioner Sean Maxwell. There are four candidates running in District 4—suit and tie UCSC Lecturer Scott Newsome who has practically no digital footprint I could find, Steve Jobs-wannabe Gregory Hyer, UCSC student Bodie Shargel, and just graduated UCSC alum, Hector Marin. (Latest news as of this going to print is that Joe Thompson decided not to run in District 6.) It seems like one or two more candidates may enter the race before the deadline, but I am not holding my breath. This district election scenario appears to have caught many would-be candidates off-guard. Practically no one I’ve spoken with can actually name the district they reside in.
Heat
Fred Keeley vs. Joy Schendledecker. Before you say, ‘Joy who?’ maybe take a step back and look at what is occurring in our town. Go to the Santa Cruz city Planning Department website to see what those in charge–developers and real estate industry insiders–and those who are pushing their products of greed–5-member council majority, Economic Development Director Bonnie Lipscomb, and Planning Director Lee Butler—have in store for us rank and file Santa Cruzans. My guess is that the status quo was not doing so well with the mayoral years of Watkins-Meyers-Bruner, so those same real estate and developer entrepreneurs have upped their game and are seeking to install an elected mayor to, well, administrate the 1000-2000 mostly market-rate housing units planned by Lipscomb and Butler, and also to get that Warriors arena built with a couple hundred condos to boot. Their man, in Santa Cruz, appears to be Fred Keeley.
Fire
Fred is saying all the right things in helping move more rapidly that ‘build-baby-build’ agenda. Now enter artist, mom, and community activist, Joy Schendledecker and if you have had enough with those get-rich-quick titans of real estate, you will get a warm and fuzzy feeling that finally there is someone to push back on the realtor agenda, and she’s got the luck name, JOY, to go along with an agenda of compassion, social justice, affordable housing, and better-paying jobs. “Go Joy!,” you might hear yourself spontaneously murmuring over the coming months. Next question, who is Joy? Well, go to her website and find out. Joy, by not being a friend of real estate and developer interests is an absolute amigo, cuate, companera, and champion to the teachers, renters, students, and all the hard working folks, you know, “the essential workers,” who make this town go, make it what it is—a surf mecca, environmental show piece, artsy village, and student home…you know, the bulk of the voters in this town. There could not be clearer, cleaner, and more principled differences between two candidates for the same office, and yes, there are only two running for mayor. You decide, Joy or Fred?
Their Positions
Okay, I am going to go out on a limb here and make some predictions about where these mayoral candidates come down on the critical issues facing Santa Cruz. Some of these positions are known, because each candidate has stated a position publicly, or in some cases, they are what I have been able to glean from their years in the public spotlight and the company they keep.
| Burning Santa Cruz Issue: | Joy: | Fred: |
| Empty Homes Tax | Strong supporter | Not public yet. Likely opposes. |
| Our Downtown, Our Future | SUPPORTS | Not public yet. Likely opposes. |
| 205 Units under construction Laurel & Pacific, with no affordable units | Did NOT Support | Likely supports market unit building |
| Over-sized Vehicle Ord. | Supports over-turning | Work to over-turn? Unlikely. |
| Cruz Hotel on credit union site at Front & Laurel | Does NOT support | Supports. |
| “density bonus” law that yields less actual affordable housing | Does NOT support | Likely supports |
| Car-free Pacific Avenue | SUPPORTS | ??? |
| Economic sanctions against UCSC for taking on more students without providing resources to support them | Likely supports | Likely does not support |
| Further Gentrification of SC | Does NOT support | Supports |
| Living wage for SC workers | SUPPORTS | ??? |
| Cut bloated salaries of City Manager and dept. heads | SUPPORTS | ??? |
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Postscript
I just found out today (8/15) that a dear friend of the progressive community, Becky Blythe, passed away in early June after a four-year battle with cancer. I have limited information, and if you have more, please let me know (ckrohn@cruzio.com). Becky ran Keith Sugar’s successful city council campaign in 1998 and later was on the executive board of the Santa Cruz Action Network (SCAN). She worked for many years as a farm certification review specialist at CCOF, California Certified Organic Farmers. Becky loved music and art and theater and she will be greatly missed in this community. She was 66, according to a mutual friend.
Starbucks’ workers staged a successful 3-day strike against the coffee giant at the Water and Ocean store for failing to negotiate a contract…”No Contract, No Coffee” was the chant of the day.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
August 13
COUNTY SUPERVISORS REJECTED PROPOSED TERM LIMITS OF THEIR JOBS
Last Tuesday, Supervisor Greg Caput tried to get fellow County Board of Supervisors to schedule a Special Meeting and place an initiative on November’s ballot that would allow voters to decide if they want to limit terms of their Supervisors to three consecutive terms.
All four fellow Board members rejected the idea.
“We just don’t historically have a problem with that in this County,” said Supervisor Zach Friend, who is now completing his third consecutive four-year term. “I am not available on Thursday at 4pm for the Special Meeting,” said Supervisor Bruce McPherson, who is also now completing his third consecutive four-year term. “This action is just coming too fast,” he added.
Supervisor Caput explained that he had asked County Counsel Jason Heath to bring it forward earlier, but was told there was “just too much on the agenda”, with CORE and the Budget. That is why he had to bring it to the first meeting in August after everyone returned from vacation for the entire month of July and required to ask for a Virtual Special Meeting in order to meet the August 12 deadline to get the initiative on the November ballot. Hmmmmm……
There are 12 Counties in California that do have term limits on their District Supervisors. Supervisor Caput felt it was important to bring in fresh ideas and energy to the Board, and recognized that incumbents always have an advantage at the polls in name recognition and fund raising.
Supervisor Caput made the motion to approve a maximum of three consecutive terms, and to place the action on the ballot at some point in the future (addressing the “rushed” comment by Supervisor McPherson). The room was silent for an uncomfortable length of time until Chair Manu Koenig seconded the motion “for the sake of discussion”. There was no further discussion. All but Supervisor Caput voted NO.
Outside in the hallway after the meeting adjourned, I saw Supervisor McPherson. “I think that would have been a good thing,” I said, referring to the just-ended discussion. “I got termed out at the State, that’s why I’m here,” he replied, and ducked into his newly-remodeled office.
I later wrote Supervisor Zach Friend, requesting he send the link to the information he cited in his testimony as to why he felt protecting unlimited Supervisor jobs from term limits was not an historic problem here. He has not responded….I wonder if he will?
With the exception of Supervisor Greg Caput, it seemed that the Supervisors were more concerned about protecting their own jobs than any forward-thinking to benefit the County residents with action to encourage new ideas and fresh energy in policy making and budget oversight. Well, you know those Supervisors and their staff are always quick to say….“Change is hard” when we speak out in opposition to monstrous developments, such as the Aptos Village Project.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON…
Last week, the link to the August 9 County Board of Supervisor agenda was broken, prohibiting public access to the agenda and all associated documentation the entire day before the meeting occurred. Some people wrote the Board Clerk and Chairman to alert them to this problem.
The link to the agenda was finally repaired at 7:51pm the night before the meeting.
At the beginning of the 9am Tuesday Board meeting, the Clerk announced that there were still problems with the public access platform, and that access via computer was not working, but that people could call in on the telephone. It was not made clear how people prevented from accessing the meeting online would know that.
The meeting proceeded, with few members of the public participating and many important issues discussed by the Board (eg, Report on Response to Homelessness) or hidden in the Consent Agenda.
I had attempted to enter written comment on the agenda portal, but it required a new password to do so. I requested the ability to get a new password but never received any e-mail notification associated that would enable me to do so. Hence, I could contribute no written public comments on agenda items.
I stated these problems publicly to the Board when I went in person to their 9am Tuesday meeting. No Supervisor or staff responded.
DEVELOPER TRAFFIC IMPACTS COULD BE MITIGATED ANYWHERE
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a Consent Agenda item that will now allow developers who are required to mitigate the traffic their projects would cause to implement those mitigations anywhere in the County…maybe regionally. Does that make sense to you?
This can all be judged acceptable (on paper) because the County now measures traffic impacts by “Vehicle Miles Travelled”, no longer assessing “Level of Service” at nearby affected roadways and intersections. This comes on a change issued by the State to assess the overall carbon footprint of the impact, and allows for mitigations to be done on a broader basis.
An environmental mitigation example of this happened last year when mitigations for destroying riparian areas along Highway One widening were allowed to be done on the hilltop above Anna Jean Cummings Park in Soquel.
Now the County will expand that to include traffic mitigations that can be done regionally, and Kimley-Horn consultants will now develop a plan for doing so.
Take a look at Item #34 on August 9 Board of Supervisor consent agenda:
Contact the Board with your thoughts
County Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us or call 831-454-2200 and ask to speak with your Supervisor. Not sure who he is? Check here.
NO EMERGENCY ROUTES IN THE COUNTY WILL GET FIXED THIS YEAR
Last Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors blindly rubberstamped action that canceled all work on track to improve the emergency routes in our communities because the lowest bid exceeded the County Engineer’s estimate by about $400,000, requiring the County to match more than an anticipated $51,386 in staff time as part of a grant award of $396,614 to improve public safety.
Given the importance of repairing and maintaining our main emergency routes, don’t you think that CAO Carlos Palacios could have come up with a way to fund that and get the work done this year before the price of oil goes any higher?
Take a look at Consent Agenda item #41
Please contact your Supervisors with your thoughts.
NEW MEASURE D MASTER AGREEMENT WITH RTC FOR SURFACE STREET REPAIRS
Also buried in the Consent Agenda of last Tuesday’s County Board of Supervisors in Item #49 was this:
On November 8, 2016, Santa Cruz County voters passed Measure D, a one-half cent sales tax that funds transportation projects for 30 years. Subsequently, on June 27, 2017, the Board approved the Master Funding Agreement between the County of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC). This agreement expired on June 30, 2022.
The Board’s action extends the agreement to December 31, 2047.
Financial Impact
The County’s anticipation of revenue of Measure D funds
as represented in the Proposed FY2022-23 Road Fund budget is $3,668,209.
NO PURPLE PIPE IN DAVENPORT FOR RECYCLED WATER USE
Last Tuesday, the County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation from Ms. Ashleigh Trujillo of Public Works about increasing the cost of potable water and for the first time, offering bulk recycled water to be available for sale in Davenport.
I was surprised to learn there is no purple pipe to take the recycled water for local irrigation use by area farmers.
Ms. Trujillo said the farmers were initially interested, but the farmer on the inland side and adjacent to the Recycled Water plant has now decided not to farm the land any longer. She said the County had actually put a pipe stub under Highway One so that the farmer (who leases the land from State Parks) could finish the piping and install a pump in order to irrigate with the recycled water, she said he now has no interest because it would cost $50,000-$80,000.
Do you have any thoughts about this? I suggested that there are likely many State grants available for recycled water projects. While the price for recycled water that people can purchase at the Davenport Recycled Water facility to haul away is lower than the price of potable water, I question why there is a charge at all.
Scotts Valley City provides any City resident 250/day
FREE recycled water for irrigation to encourage conservation of potable water.
I mentioned this during public comment on the Item #8 public hearing, but no one responded.
I spoke briefly in the hallway with Ms. Trujillo about the project, and she agreed to send me further information about the water quality, regarding Title 22 Recycled Water compliance testing and data.
Just how much water does this relatively new Recycled Water Facility in Davenport create? Here is information that Ms. Trujillo kindly provided, answering that question:
- When the storage pond is full, 3.87 acre-feet of water is available for withdraw
- When the storage pond is full there is additional recycled water available from the plant, as it is produced. The amount available is dependent on the amount of wastewater coming into the plant. Some of the recycled water flow has to be diverted to the Red-Legged Frog habitat that we were conditioned to create as part of the project (adjacent to the water treatment plant). As it is hard to know how much recycled water will be produced, and how much will need to be diverted to the frog pond (since evaporation and percolation vary at different times of the year), we cannot guarantee a specific quantity of recycled water available. However, for comparison sake, in 2021 the recycled water plant produced 28.97 acre-feet of water, and 0.05 acre-feet was diverted to the frog swale. If the pond were full, this would leave 28.9 acre-feet of recycled water to be used for agricultural (or other uses). As flows are higher in the wet season, there would be more recycled water available during periods when farmers would not need it, and less available when they would need it.
Learn more about why the County thought the Davenport Recycled Water Project felt this was a feasible project in 2015
WILL SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT BUILD A DAM ON THE 200 ACRES THEY PURCHASED FOR THAT PURPOSE?
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a Plan to financially support new water supply projects that include upgrading existing dams in the State and building new ones to allow for capturing more stormwater when it is available.
Soquel Creek Water District purchased nearly 200 acres of land from the City of Scotts Valley decades ago. The District holds an “In trust” water right of 7,250 acre feet per annum.
That is nearly five times the amount of water the District’s ridiculously expensive, energy and technology-intensive PureWater Soquel Project will produce.
Water Rights to Soquel Creek have been adjudicated
Every year, the District Board reviews this land as “excess property” owned by the District, yet makes no effort to sell the land and recover the purchase cost.
Take a look at page 27-28 in this 2012 Soquel Creek Water District Technical Memo
Do you think it is a good idea to capture stormwater in wet years to help augment local water supplies?
Write the District Board of Directors
WORLD BEE DAY THIS SATURDAY…EXTRAORDINARY FILM AT LA SELVA BEACH LIBRARY
This Saturday (8/20) is World Bee Day, celebrating the importance of pollinators in our environment. The Santa Cruz Public Library will host a free screening at the La Selva Beach Branch Library of an amazing film about backyard garden bees.
See bees like you’ve never seen them before in the PBS Nature documentary, “My Garden of a Thousand Bees”.
Locked down during the coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn set out to record all the bee species in his tiny urban garden in Bristol, England. Filming with one-of-a-kind lenses he forged at his kitchen table, he catalogues more than 60 different species, from Britain’s largest bumblebees to scissor bees the size of mosquitoes. Over long months, Dohrn observes how differences in behavior set different species apart. He, eventually, gets so close to the bees he can identify individuals by sight, documenting life at their level as we have never seen it before.
After the film, there will be time for discussion.
Date: Saturday, August 20, 2022
Time: 10:30-12:00pm.
Branch: La Selva Beach
Write one letter. Make one call. Go see a good film and plant something in your garden to support pollinators. Make a big difference this week, and just do 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 |
August 14
CARING ABOUT PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT
What’s going on with public land management around you, and what are you doing about it?
Most citizens of the U.S.A. state that they want healthy wildlife populations and clean water for their communities and for future generations to enjoy. And yet, repeated surveys of Santa Cruz County residents suggest declining efforts to learn about wildlife so that individuals could take action to protect assure wildlife conservation. We can see this decline also reflected in our activism and politics.
When was the last time you heard about an environmental activist group taking a stand to protect local wildlife? Which politician can you name that had environmental conservation as a major portion of their platforms? Have you looked at the agendas or minutes from Santa Cruz County’s Commission on the Environment or Fish and Game Commission – both advisory bodies to County Supervisors?
I challenge you to find any evidence of solicited or unsolicited advice to the Supervisors. In short, our County, at the top of the nation’s biodiverse counties, is effectively asleep while their precious natural heritage is being rapidly eroded by neglect. I frequently hear how much Santa Cruzans appreciate the wildlife, the open space, and the natural beauty of this area. If we take these things for granted and do not make efforts to be involved with conservation, I think we know what will happen to these values: they will decline, whither, and disappear altogether with time. It is time to make a shift, and the shift is best focused on our public lands management.
One of the most important things we can do as citizens of this county is to be involved with the management of the public lands around us. There are many ways to be involved in wildlife conservation on public lands throughout the region: volunteering for stewardship, rallying political support for increased conservation on public lands, and supporting environmental conservation organizations. There are three main threats facing nature conservation public lands: changed disturbance regimes, invasive species, and poor management of visitor use. I discuss each briefly in the following and present ways that you might be involved in solution for improved public lands management.
With climate change and increased development encroachment on natural areas, natural disturbance regimes, such as fire and grazing, are rapidly changing and present a high degree of danger to nature conservation. With climate change, fires are expected to be more frequent and more severe; this is exacerbated by increased human interactions at the Wildland Urban Interface where accidental fires more frequently occur. Likewise, we have removed tule elk and pronghorn and it is becoming increasingly difficult for natural areas managers to use livestock to mimic natural grazing regimes. With both fire and grazing, public lands managers need more public funding to increase their ability to manage natural systems. There needs to be more public outcry and support for both funding and expertise within those agencies to improve lands management. Those kinds of support are also important for invasive species management. A different kind of support is needed for better management of natural areas in the face of poor visitor use management.
Badly managed visitor use in natural areas is a major cause of concern globally for nature conservation, and locally this seems to be nearly entirely ignored. The most glaring evidence that this is a problem is the nearly ubiquitous and unquestioned philosophy that increased access to natural areas is an important goal for nature conservation. Look carefully around our local parks agencies and you’ll also notice that there are no personnel trained at managing the conflict between nature conservation and visitor use, the field of study necessary to assure nature conservation in parks.
The most recent planning effort for visitor use in a public park was with the BLM’s Cotoni Coast Dairies property, a real disaster in public process with recreational infrastructure development proceeding apace despite an active and unsettled legal appeal by a very small of citizens who have seen too little community support. Of the many larger, environmental groups in the area, only the Sempervirens Fund has offered publicly stated concern…“Important details remain to be determined and we look forward to working with BLM to resolve them.” For the grave impacts to nature from visitor use in natural areas, there seems to me to be a need for a fundamental shift in both public perception and in the public lands management agencies to better recognize and address this issue. The following section outlines some actions you can take to help this process forward.
There are many ways, big and small, for you to be more involved with the paradigm shift needed to better address the serious issues surrounding visitor use management in natural areas. First and foremost, many more of us should become educated about the science documenting the concerns and how those concerns are addressed through social and environmental carrying capacity analysis and adaptive management. Social carrying capacity analyses define the limits of acceptable change from visitor use conflicts: conflicts between different types of uses (for instance, mountain bikers vs. passive recreational use of families with children) or conflicts due to overcrowding. Ecological carrying capacity analyses define the limits of acceptable change for soils, biota, or other natural phenomenon (for instance, amounts of trail erosion, wildlife such as cougars that are easily disrupted by visitors).
Another thing we can do to help the situation of poor visitor use management in our parks is to advocate for improvement. We should tune our senses to notice negative impacts of visitor use and then aim our activism towards change: make formal reports of issues to natural area managers, follow up on those reports, and also message higher level administration, commissions overseeing those agencies, and politicians who are invested in agency oversight. Persistence will help. Let’s also vote for politicians who promise to help. And, let’s support environmental groups who promise to work on these issues. Finally, many more people who care about these issues need to be involved with public lands management planning. Currently, mainly exploitive and well-funded non-passive recreational users are organized and vocal during these processes (i.e., Outdoor Industry Association funded groups like mountain biking advocates). Meanwhile, traditional conservation groups like the Sierra Club and Audubon Society have shied away from such issues due to either controversy or co-option. We need a new group or need to sway old groups to take these issues on.
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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 |
August 15
#228 / Joshua Trees And Climate Goals
I have to confess that I was pretty offended after reading a recent column in Cal Matters, an online political newspaper that has what I would consider to be a generally “conservative” bent.
A Cal Matters “guest commentary” by Ethan Elkind, entitled, “Joshua tree protection could slow state’s progress on climate goals,” suggests that California needs to “pave the desert” with solar energy facilities, to stave off global warming, and that this needs to be the state’s first and highest priority. Efforts to protect and preserve those damn Joshua Trees are really getting in the way of this beneficial effort, according to Elkind.
How ironic, I thought, as I read the article, since global warming is one of the main reasons that the Western Joshua Tree is in danger of extinction. “Developers,” of course, are also highly implicated in the adverse conditions affecting the future of the Western Joshua Tree, as those developers cut the trees down in connection with new subdivisions and other projects. Still, the Elkind analysis reminded me of that “we need to destroy the village in order to save it” approach that worked out so well in Vietnam!
Elkind’s main thesis is that it is essential to maximize new solar energy development, and he posits that we need lots of desert land for solar collectors – land where sun is abundant and there aren’t any competing human uses. This is, by the way, a position that is endorsed by the big public utilities – those massive private corporations that do that kind of thing. According to Elkind, we need to eliminate any constraints on big energy corporations that might be related to allowing endangered species to survive. Proposed efforts to save the Western Joshua Tree are “excessive,” the way Elkind sees it. He doesn’t think that the trees are that threatened, anyway.
Elkind is an attorney who directs the climate program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment at UC Berkeley Law, and I have made favorable mention of him before. The job he holds undoubtedly helps explains his willingness to sacrifice endangered species for more solar energy facilities. I’d like to think, though, that Elkind’s employer might insist that all the words in the Center’s name have equal dignity, and that “Energy” isn’t any more important than “the Environment,” even though “Energy” is listed first.
Is there a way to combat global warming without sacrificing desert species? I think there probably is, but the first essential step is to make a commitment to protecting the endangered species. Then, having established that we are going to protect endangered species, we need to formulate our plans with that constraint in mind.
I think we can do it. Two things strike me.
First, the Elkind-endorsed approach takes for granted that we need to build extensive new energy production facilities (solar, of course) to replace the energy now produced by fossil fuel combustion. To some degree, it is obviously true that we do need new energy production facilities that will produce energy from non-fossil fuel sources. But what Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute used to call “nega-Watts” is another way of getting to where we need to go. Energy “conservation,” in other words, is an alternative (and non-impactful) way to “produce” the energy we need, as we eliminate current fossil fuel generating plants. Before we start paving over the desert with facilities that look like the ones pictured below, let’s put a vigorous energy conservation program in place that will allow us to save desert habitat by maximizing conservation. We’re not doing nearly enough on that front.
Second, if we need to increase new solar energy production, let’s start by installing those new solar energy facilities on already-existing structures, and on infill sites – not on endangered desert habitats. I have already written about efforts along those lines, and there is a lot more we can do:
Only when we have done the two things I suggest above should we contemplate bulldozing our sensitive desert habitats. We haven’t maximized conservation, and we have not utilized already developed properties as the location for new solar energy generating facilities. Elkind’s brief article doesn’t even attempt to convince readers that we have done those things. He jumps immediately to the “easy thing,” proposing to take some non-developed land, and put new development all over it. Isn’t that the way it always seems to go, as Joni Mitchell’s song about that “Big Yellow Taxi” reminds us? And isn’t Mitchell right, too, as she continues to tell us, “you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”
Wipe out what’s there and put up something new! That is how “development” has been done, from time immemorial. That is not what a Center for Energy AND The Environment should be advocating.
I confess, I got irritated when I read that Cal Matters article. I confess that I am getting tired of hearing arguments that more environmental destruction is the way to cure the problems of the environmental destruction that we are already causing by our failure to respect the limitations of the Natural World. Our past efforts – often so well-intentioned – are putting hundreds of thousands of species in danger of extinction.
The Western Joshua Tree is on that list. We are, too – make no mistake. So, let’s have a little fellow feeling for the Joshua Trees! Their fate, and our, are intertwined.
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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 |
GRIFTING ALONG WITH THE RAIDERS & SPY VS. SPY IN HISTORY
This past week provided plenty of entertainment with the bombshell news of the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-A-Lago mansion – announced by the EXPOTUS Rex himself on his very own Truth Social site. His ‘poor-me’ appeal to his supporters claimed that “my beautiful, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.” He probably wanted to throw grenades, smoke bombs and flame throwers into the mix of charges, but was likely held back by his supple-fingered keepers. He went on to say, “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate.” He fails to mention that the Feds had been working with him and his underlings for months to recover materials after a tipster ratted on him about a treasure trove of boxes stolen during his White House flight in January 2020. An FBI visit to the club in June resulted in a subpoena for recovery of the boxes, cautioning Trump to better secure the remaining items. It turned out that twelve MORE boxes were retrieved last week, even after fifteen were voluntarily surrendered in January of this year to the National Archives and Records Administration. The Don rattled on with, “It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats who desperately don’t want me to run for President in 2024. Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries.” In other words, “shit-hole” countries as he characterized them during his reign. “Sadly, America has now become one of those countries, corrupt at a level not seen before. They even broke into my safe!” Reportedly, it was a cheap, hotel-type safe which the agents broke into with a convenient McDonald’s toothpick and a couple of bent paper clips.
Butternut Bozo had to be in ecstasy that he could bring Hillary Clinton into his diatribe, claiming that she was allowed to delete and acid-wash 33,000 emails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress, and even took antique furniture and other items from the White House. Crooked Hillary wasn’t held accountable for anything! Lock her up, lock her up! While the FBI had chosen to pursue document recovery quietly, out of respect for the former president, Captain Chaos chose to take to his soapbox to inform his minions that the enemy was at the gate! Needless to say, this instigated chatter within the Trumpy underground that it was time to lock and load, with the Republican pols indignantly demanding answers about the warrant and the resulting search. Attorney General ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick of dynamite’ Garland was quick to answer in defense of the action, while standing up for his agents, explaining that Trump had copies of the warrant and receipts, which he could legally disclose at his discretion – so put up or shut up! Even with that challenge to DJT, Garland asked the judge in the case to make the documents public to settle any misgivings held by doubters, and to head off trouble.
The judge agreed to do so, with Trump’s statement, “Encouraging the immediate release of those documents.” Now, our Man of Steal has Egg McMuffin on his face, dripping down his red tie onto his Brioni suit, and into his cloven-hooved-hiding custom oxford shoes. Not only does the warrant authorizing the raid indicate a federal investigation is ongoing into potential crimes, the resultant recovery of documents provides a clear picture of how the search originated, in both size and scope of the seizure. Investigation of potential violations of the Espionage Act, which states that, an official entrusted with sensitive or classified information who allows it to be taken away from its secure location through ‘gross negligence’ or who knows it’s been removed from safety and doesn’t report such to federal officials can be fined or imprisoned for up to ten years. An inquiry into possible improper removal or destruction of federal records, and obstruction of a federal investigation are also suggested.
The receipt of items removed from Mar-A-Lago, shows eleven sets of documents, including items related to French President Macron, handwritten notes, photos, and TOP SECRET materials. The Washington Post reported that classified nuclear documents may be among those recovered, concerning because of allies and adversaries who have access to the golf club housed in the same building. Receipts are available for viewing online, and it is startling to scan the list of items that Trump absconded with for himself, either to accompany him back to the White House for a second-term, or for profit. Do we know how many secrets are already in the hands of Putin or Prince Mohammed bin Salman? How was son-in-law Jared Kushner able to easily get a two-billion dollar investment into his business by the Prince, six months after the Trump presidency ended? Nuclear Codes R-US!
It should be noted that Trump’s lawyer, Christina Bobb, was present during the search, and the Secret Service detail at Mar-A-Lago had been notified of the impending search earlier to facilitate access to the property, but did not participate in any way. The ex-prez spends his summers at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and was not present during the FBI visit; but he and his hangers-on declared it to be politically motivated, though the Biden White House had no knowledge of the action. As word spread of the activity at Mar-A-Lago, cars of Trump supporters assembled in the streets nearby, sporting ‘Trump 2020’ banners, and American flags, all of whom were outnumbered by media personnel and their cameras and mics.
Benedict Donald allowed that the invasion of his property was simply more “Russia, Russia, Russia” which will all bounce off his teflon suit in due time. However, Russians were outraged at the raid against their favorite American president, “Trumpushka”, and called out for an offer of asylum, while the broadcast of ‘The Evening with Vladimir Solovyov’ praised the recent CPAC participants in Texas, and other Trump allies. On Russian-state TV program, ’60 Minutes’, military expert Igor Korotchenko sounded a plea for open support of a 2024 Trump candidacy. Kremlin propagandists predicted that such persecution will spark a U.S. civil war “against this symbol of inordinate despotism”, as they claim that ‘one hundred FBI agents and hordes of police dogs rummaged through Mar-A-Lago’. ’60 Minutes’ host, Evgeny Popov, also a deputy of Russia’s State Duma, joked that agents found a couple of matryoshka, Putin’s portrait, a pioneer scarf, two icons, a parachute, and a chained bear with balalaika…humorous to somebody? Popov accuses Biden of turning America into Ukraine, and predicts that Florida will split from the U.S., and that a newly reelected Trump will have a new constitution stating that there are only two genders: male and female. Russian TV correspondent, Valentin Bogdanov, stationed in New York City says, ‘The civil war is already underway in the United States. For now, this is a cold civil war, but it keeps heating up.” Oddly enough, in 2028 Trump amended the very law which could signal his final downfall. A bill signed in January of that year had a provision which increased the punishment for knowingly removing classified materials with the intent to retain them at an ‘unauthorized location.’ Prior to his signature, someone found guilty of this crime could face up to one year in prison; now, a person found guilty of this felony-level offense can face up to five years imprisonment.
As reported by Jon Schwarz in The Intercept, there is a parallel to Trump’s conduct: as LBJ’s presidency ended in 1969, to be succeeded by Nixon, Johnson ordered an underling to surreptitiously take highly classified material with him on the way out. Anti-war protests across the country and around the world were intense, and polls showed Americans now believed troops in Vietnam was a disastrous mistake, with the loss of life on both sides, and the expense of the effort to contain China. Consequently, LBJ chose not to launch a campaign to remain president, also believing that a peace agreement could be reached which would bolster a Humphrey candidacy. Nixon did everything in his power behind the scenes to see that peace was not in the cards to boost his own desirability as a candidate. Johnson’s national security adviser, Walt Rostow, got wind of Nixon’s meddling to block any discussion of peace, but the LBJ administration decided to do nothing, even after FBI surveillance, to reveal the underhanded workings against peace, thinking that should Nixon win the presidency this interference would reflect badly on an incoming administration and against the country’s interests. Upon Nixon’s victory, Rostow gathered up the incendiary documentation of Nixon’s treachery and at LBJ’s request, had him hold it personally. Since no laws governed that type of conduct, it was in a sense ‘legal’, but most who knew of the events viewed it as scandalous. As Dean Rusk explained, revealing the information “would be very unwise. I mean, we get a lot of information through these special channels that we don’t make public…for example, some of the malfeasances of senators and congressmen…I think that we must continue to respect the classification of that kind of material.”
After Johnson’s death, Rostow gave the sealed documents to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, TX, requesting that the envelope remain sealed for fifty years, or for an additional fifty years if the library felt revelation was too early. The envelope was actually opened in the ’90s but some material is not declassified. Nixon lied until his death about the circumstances of this episode, but his direct involvement has been proven beyond a doubt. Schwarz feels that Trump’s purloined documents could be as momentous as those LBJ tried to extract from a tortured era in our history, but with our presidents efforts to mislead us, don’t count on anything at this juncture. The Department of Justice is opposing the release of details in an affidavit that lays out the argument made by investigators to the magistrate judge explaining the probable cause it had to search Mar-a-Lago, or should the judge decide to make it public it should be heavily redacted. DOJ said disclosure would “cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation. The redactions necessary to mitigate harms to the integrity of the investigation would be so extensive as to render the remaining unsealed text devoid of meaningful content, and the release of such a redacted version would not serve any public interest.” Maybe fifty years from now, or another fifty if Ivanka Trump is president in the interim?
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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.
“Heat Waves”
“If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?”
~Steven Wright
“It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.”
~Yogi Berra
“He who cannot put his thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of dispute.”
~Friedrich Nietzsche
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These are cute! Some of these things I have seen, but not all. We had knob-and-tube wiring in the attic of the house we lived in 20 years ago, for instance.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
August 10 – 16, 2022
BRATTON…Fred Keeley returns signed mayor papers, Joy Schendledecker’s launch party, Justin Cummings announces lawn sign time and kickoff party.GREENSITE…on the downtown library battle. KROHN…reprint from February 17, 2017 with BearCat tank, ICE raids, UCSC housing. STEINBRUNER…County supes term limits, LAFCO and Soquel Creek Water District, Watsonville boundaries, Central Valley Dust Bowl, elephant seal research, CZU Fire film showings. HAYES…Mammals around us. PATTON…Deep changes needed. MATLOCK…a home grown MAGAt, with a soft autocrat on the side. EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS on organizing QUOTES…”Fires”.
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DATELINE August 8
POLITICAL WHEELS TURNING AND ALMOST CHURNING AGAIN. It’s probably all over our media that Fred Keeley is returning has filled out papers that’ll commit him for running for Mayor this Thursday (08/11).
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While this website is a work of passion (Bruce and the other writers don’t get paid), there are still costs associated with it. We are in our 20th year, believe it or not! Should you feel like contributing, know that it will be very appreciated! The button below will take you to the secure donation form. Thank you!
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Justin Cummings reminded us that as of last Tuesday (8/9) it’s ok to put up your yard signs. Cummings fall kickoff will be on Thursday, August, 18th from 530-730 at The London Nelson Center in downtown Santa Cruz. If you haven’t rsvp’d please click here. If you are not able to attend here are some other ways you may support his campaign. Go here to check out his website cummingsforsupervisor.com. More from Joy Schendledecker whose campaign for Mayor is making great strides and her address for now is… instagram.com/joyforsantacruz2022. Her big launch party is happening Friday, August 12th, 5:30-7:30pm, at London Nelson community Center.
EMPTY HOME TAX. (repeat) I can’t reveal where or who this email came from but it says a lot. “Wednesday July 27, in a shocking development, the Democratic Central Committee endorsed the Empty Home Tax. Only 3 DCC members voted to oppose it: Cynthia Mathews, Carol Fuller and Joe Hill. This will totally fuck up all their door hangers as the Democratic Women’s Club voted a No on the EHT endorsement”.
HACKED! (more repeat) It’s now been about ten days that I’ve been on the receiving end of emails offering rebates, sale items and offers with my own home email address and name as the sender. Do not reply or even open those emails from “Bruce Bratton”. And if you have any suggestions how to stop somebody from using my name please get in touch.
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
BULLET TRAIN. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.5 IMDB). This violent mess is billed as a comedy starring the 59 year old Brad Pitt. With zero to no background story there are five professional assassins on board Japan’s Bullet Train. For over two hours they work very hard to out bloody each other. Sandra Bullock and Michael Shannon make unnecessary guest appearances. The stabbings, chokings, murders, and almost continual bloody scenes aren’t anywhere as funny as director Leitch tries to force on us. I don’t need to watch any more violence than what I see every day in the media and you should skip this mess.
THIRTEEN LIVES. (PRIME MOVIE) (7.8 IMDB). Ron Howard directed this near documentary of the saving of 13 Thailand Soccer team who got trapped underwater in a cave. It is intense even though we know the outcome. Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell are the lead divers who supervise the rescue. More than 5000 people volunteered from 17 countries to aid the underwater return. It all took place in a tourist cave with railings, steps and the captain of the boys’ soccer team was the one who led the boys into the cave but saved them by human touches. Fine film, tense, claustrophobic, and well worth watching.
RECURRENCE. (or PIPA) (NETFLIX MOVIE) (4.3 IMDB). There was a murder of a 15 year old girl at a party and the woman detective Pipa is bound by guilt and duty to find the murderer. It takes place in the Argentine and makes some points dealing with local Indian history. It’s slow, confusing and is actually the third film in the Pipa series. Don’t bother with this one.
THE 355. (PRIME MOVIE) (5.4 IMDB). Somebody invented a super hi tech iPhone looking thing that could change the world’s communication system. Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Lupita Nyong’o make up the dynamic action filled quartet that fly all over the world tracking down the thieves who stole that secret iPhone. It’s about these two secret agencies that compete in car chases, climbing tall buildings and keep extra secrets from us in this looney plot.
UNCOUPLED. (NETFLIX SERIES) (7.0 IMDB). A very silly comedy about what rich, light weight gay white men do in New York City. Neil Patrick Harris leads the cast and he’s very gay and in a 17 year relationship. Marcia Gay Harden plays a very wealthy matron and manages to steal every scene she’s in. The movie contains only one gay male stereotype group and I’d imagine that less silly sex driven gays could seriously object to this farce.
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.
FIRE OF LOVE. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.7IMDB). An amazing, beautiful, haunting documentary about a married couple who are volcanologists. They travel around the world climbing to the closest, most dangerous vantage points to study bursting lava and trying to predict the next disaster. It’s surprising how little is known about volcanos, and how much death and destruction they cause every year. Katie and Maurice Kraftt the volcanologists died by being too close to Japan’s Mount Unzen in 1991. If ever a movie required a big screen to really view properly this is it.
TRADING PAINT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (4.4 IMDB) “Trading Paint” means in the dirt track racing at Talladega crashing each other’s racing cars. This botched up simple minded mess has John Travolta (age68) racing against his own son and his long time movie friend from Pulp Fiction Michael Madsen. It’s full of bad acting, has a very forgetful bad ending, and the racing photography isn’t much to look at either. Don’t bother.
SURFACE. (APPLE TV SERIES) (5.5 IMDB) It’s filmed a lot in San Francisco and its always extra fun to see sites you know. Gugu Mbaytha and Oliver Jackson top the cast and the slow moving plot could have been shortened but it is really complex. A young woman was either pushed off a boat or she attempted suicide. She’s having weird dreams and nightmares and is seeing a psychotherapist. Much of it happens in the Sheraton Palace Hotel where I worked as a producer at KCBS so I had an extra attraction. Its good watching, go for it.
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.5 IMDB). The charming unassuming Lesley Manville is the London based cleaning woman who has a dream of going to Paris and specifically to own a Christian Dior gown. Isabelle Huppert has a small and nasty part of this silly comedy. It’s a feel good movie for sure and we need those more than ever right now. Go for it.
ANYTHINGS POSSIBLE. (PRIME VIDEO MOVIE) (4.7 IMDB) It would be too easy to report that this is a silly, colorful light hearted teen age comedy centering on a Trans girl and her troubles in high school in Pittsburg. Eva Reign does an excellent job in the lead and there are some very deep and involving Tran’s issues dealt with and exposed, in this complex drama.
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be this Sunday (August 14) from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
SANTA CRUZ ACTORS’ THEATRE & “8 Tens at 8” NEWS. Andre Neu activist and eager arts enthusiast sent this news.” As an active theatre-goer, I figured you’d be interested in hearing that Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre is doing a “reboot” of its “8 Tens at 8” series in early September. After Wilma Marcus Chandler and Andrew Cagllio resigned earlier this year, the company regrouped and has come together to stage what was to go forth before COVID struck. I’ve attached a press release to give details. The new company, headed by Suzanne Schrag, includes quite a few familiar theater folks and seems pretty secure in what they’re doing, Andre.
Actors’ Theatre ‘reboots’ 8 Tens production
The Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre, which earlier this year had almost permanently closed its doors, has instead regrouped to produce a live “reboot” of eight selections from of its 8 Tens @ 8 Short Play Festival. It will restage eight selections from the short play lineup, originally scheduled in January, running at the Actors’ Theatre from Sept. 9 through Oct. 2. Tickets on sale NOW.
The presence the COVID-19 outbreak coincided with the resignations of the company’s artistic director, company co-founder, promotion director and board of directors, and led to the cancelling of 8 Tens in January. “However,” said new board president Suzanne Schrag, “we humans are resilient, creative, inventive and communal creatures. It is this spirit that we are re-launching, rejuvenating and rebooting Actors’ Theatre to continue to be a vibrant and vital part of the Santa Cruz Arts community.” A new board of directors has also been assembled and other positions are being filled. All productions will be in the Actors Theatre in the Santa Cruz Art Center, 1001 Center Street. Most of the directors and actors are from the original production scheduled in January.
Actors’ Theatre will continue to follow COVID protocols; masks and proof of vaccination will be required to attend. The Theater has also invested in a high-efficiency electronic air cleaning system that completely refreshes the air in the space every 15 minutes. Meanwhile, a committee of Actors’ Theatre members has read 259 short plays submitted by local, state and nation-wide writers in preparation for the 2023, 8 Tens @ 8 Festival, scheduled for Jan. 18 through Feb. 26, 2023.
I happened to be downtown this morning and took a moment to pause and photograph the downtown library. With the Civic Auditorium at my back, City Hall across the street and the Public Library opposite, it doesn’t get more “Civic Center” than this. For many residents, these public buildings embody a sense of place and history, distinct from the ever-changing commercial businesses elsewhere. I thought the word “home” on the library window captured what has motivated many thousands to support the Our Downtown Our Future (ODOF) ballot Initiative that we will vote on in November. If you haven’t done so already, go to their website and support with at least a donation, the hard work of those community members bringing our voice to the ballot box.
Much like the tearing down of the Cooper House forecast a change in the character of Pacific Avenue, the tearing down of the city’s main library, if it happens, will forecast a decisive shift to a more modern, high-rise, glass and steel, car-centric built landscape for downtown. By casting the library adrift from its current location, the supporters of this move reveal a lack of civic pride. Or maybe they have yet another hidden agenda to let the Civic Auditorium flounder and decay as a new shiny multi-purpose Warriors Arena is built south of Laurel in the new Downtown Extension with its skyscrapers piercing the skyline.
It’s no secret that the authors of Measure S hid their intent to tear down the main library to get votes from unsuspecting people like me. The Downtown Library Advisory Committee skirted the issue to avoid letting the community know it was considering removing the current library. When people did show up to testify at the public meetings, the Committee voted first on their own recommendation to move the library, then opened the floor for public comment. Their widely circulated survey with many questions to ostensibly gauge what respondents wanted in a future library avoided asking even one question on “would you support the relocation of the downtown library?”
There’s something corrupt about changing the character and feel of a town to serve the interests of economic developers, planners, investors, and the needs of people who don’t yet live here. If you’ve ever travelled to small, centuries- old European towns and villages, have you wondered how they have survived for so long? I guess because people treasured what they had and still have, and their elected representatives respected their wishes.
Since we seem to lack such representation, we do have a chance in November to right this wrong and send a clear message that we care about our existing library’s location; we care about our fast-disappearing heritage trees; we care about creating an open space for public gatherings; we care about affordable housing and we don’t want public monies spent on a parking garage while new construction, including a hotel gets away without providing sufficient space.
| 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. |
August 8
Note: This column is a reprint from February 17, 2017. No one can say we were not warned about the impending ghoulish developers now gobbling up Santa Cruz real estate, felling trees, bulldozing history, and putting up some industrial-like mostly market-rate, awful buildings.
Beginning: When ICE Came to Town
Last week (Feb, 2017) began with a blitzkrieg-style raid by agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A BearCat tank was seen near the Boardwalk. It was reported by several residents in the Seabright area that children were left alone after their parents were taken into custody. An immigration raid? Searching for terrorists? Or was it both? Pretty serious stuff. These actions were carried out in Santa Cruz County’s mostly Latino neighborhoods in Beach Flats, Live Oak, and Watsonville.
Ending
My week ended at an academic conference on the UCSC hill, “Democratizing the Green City: Sustainability and the Affordable Housing Crisis.” It was a discussion that ranged from Ernest Callenbach’s, Ecotopia to the current research findings of UCSC sociology professors, Miriam Greenberg and Steve McKay concerning the Santa Cruz plague of high housing rates combined with low wages. They invited a bunch of their friends from New York City, Minneapolis, Seattle, Berkeley and Davis to share their research as well. Turns out we’re screwed, but we are not alone.
Surreal Links
Were these two events perhaps interrelated? While the raid was an out-of-nowhere slap-upside-the-head to all undocumented area residents who are not members of the Mara-Salvatrucha 13 gang, the conference was a further head-scratching discussion of the age old question, ‘Who gets to live in Santa Cruz?’ The Greenberg-McKay investigation of the extreme differences between the high cost of housing and the miserably low wages paid to workers right here in Surf City often pushed hard against Callenbach’s visionary book. That book was a green revolution bible for many, but essentially it presents a segregated nation-state concept that seeks to transform the Sixties dominant hippie paradigm into a green paradise with a socialist veneer. Who knew that Callenbach’s eco-village—trees, greenbelts, bike lanes—would end in a boon to real estate developers while failing to produce a cross section of housing for all income groups, but especially the service worker sector? Is equity even possible in Santa Cruz? Or Minneapolis, Berkeley, Davis, or New York City?
Can Democratic Cities Be Made Green?
Conference participant, Jennifer Rice, a professor of geography at the University of Georgia quoted an activist in Seattle, but could’ve easily been describing one from Santa Cruz. Rice said, “Our planning department continues to approve significant numbers of market rate housing (and upscale hotels) while people with families are forced to move,” (first to Live Oak then to Watsonville and finally out of the county). Of course, many of us are keenly aware of those who perform even a different housing dance. The first move is often from their house or apartment into a vehicle, then inside a tent, and finally they may end up under the eaves of city hall or the post office. Prof. Rice also suggested in her talk that residents can successfully protest large capital projects in Seattle, for example, where a proposed $160 million police headquarters was scratched in favor of affordable housing bonds. It seemed to be one positive activist response in the era of sky-high housing costs.
Gawd, I love this town!
The late Herb Caen used to use the phrase, “Gawd, I love this town,” and I am appropriating those words in this week’s column because I love Santa Cruz. Our people can put up a fight in the face of injustice, no matter how well-armed the foe may be. There were urgent, organized, and immediate responses by neighbors and activists to the DHS raids this past week. Homeland Security’s intrusions into our community sent ripples of fear and uncertainty through the homes of hardworking Santa Cruzans, and that is likely just what this ICE raid intended. A day later, several groups were present at city hall to confront the city council I serve on. They were led by “Sanctuary Central” and demanded a community forum to talk about DHS’s tide of terror that was witnessed by residents, many who are now too fearful to even leave their homes. The Activists shut down the meeting for about twenty minutes as the city council huddled in the back room wondering what to do next. Before additional police officers actually arrived to clear the room of protesters as called for by some councilmembers, a negotiation of sorts took place. Vice-mayor Terrazas and I waded back into the council chambers to open negotiations with the 200-plus crowd. An agreement was soon reached that agenda item 17, which had to do with Santa Cruz sanctuary city status, would be moved up so that those present could immediately comment on the DHS-ICE raids from the day before. The police never had to arrive to clear the room, and residents were able to vent about this serious and delicate issue. Is that what “a win-win” is?
Bottom Line
The affordable housing conference at UCSC cannot have come soon enough because Greenberg and McKay actually provide plenty of data, on the ground interviews, and open-ended analysis of the severe housing crisis that is no longer the elephant standing in the Santa Cruz city living room because everybody is talking about it now. This crisis is front and center and may be the story within the story in the immigrant neighborhoods that were raided. Mayor Cynthia Chase, upon taking office in January said she would be pursuing an affordable housing agenda this year. The community appears urgently poised to join her.
Short-takes
In-between the raids and the conference, I encountered several other locals and experiences that made me say to myself again and again, “Gawd, I love this town.” I will offer a Cliff Notes version of those conversations, while I am hoping to expand upon the themes in future columns.
- Airbnb is large—$37 billion and growing—and an exceedingly complex corporation. Its social reach includes the disabled, the temporarily unemployed, or single moms just renting out a room in order to make ends meet, all the way to individuals renting and re-renting large numbers of units, and in the process wholly transforming Santa Cruz neighborhoods. In addition, I fear the Airbnb model is more numerous than any of us might have imagined. It is now estimated that there are 577 Airbnb dwellings, and counting, according to one local well-placed real estate investor. This same close observer also told me that “perhaps hosted vacation rentals represent even a greater threat than un-hosted ones.” Stay tuned, the STVR—Short-Term Vacation Rentals—committee is studying the vacation rental issue and will send it to the city council “soon,” perhaps by May or June I am told. But a couple of sticking points that may not go away are the existing ADA provisions along with parking requirements that could be enforced on each vacation rental.
- Who is the “General Strike Planning Committee” and what are their intentions? I do know that hundreds have turned out to their five “planning” meetings and beer hall (Lupulo) reading group discussions. In fact, over 100 showed up at the London Nelson center last Friday to participate in an “(Un) President’s Day” event. It was a smorgasbord of social justice and environmental groups presenting themselves and all are organizing in the spirit of resistance during the age of Trump. Along with the Woman’s March it seems very encouraging, if somewhat chaotic with lots of unplanned planning sessions along the way.
- At the UCSC affordable housing conference I was struck by one of NYU sociology professor named, Gianpaolo Baiocchi. One of his solutions to the rental crisis included, “Squatting is a pretty effective housing solution.”
- The Fruit Tree Project, led by Andy Moskowitz, Debora Wade and Steve Schnaar, organized a work day to plant fruit trees where San Lorenzo Blvd. meets Riverside Ave., alongside Mike Fox Park. Seventy-five volunteers showed up one morning to assist in furthering the local community garden revolution. Wow!
- From the too many conversations I’ve had with locals, I’m fast becoming convinced that the enduring 3-legged stool of high rents is caused by a) the university’s ability to allow in more students and its inability to provide more beds; b) the city’s Rental Inspection Ordinance that took out hundreds of housing units, many unpermitted; and c) the rampant growth of Airbnb and the entire vacation rental market. But what is really troubling is that the seat of this stool is not really for the people of Santa Cruz to sit on, but is actually a resting place for the enormous derrière of Silicon Valley disposable income.
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The pictures of the week are a sequence of signs seen inside of NYC subway cars urging cannabis users to use the product with care now that weed is legal in the city. I do not recall a campaign like this in California.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
August 8
PROPOSED TERM LIMITS FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS?
If the Board approves staff recommendations during a 4pm Special Virtual Meeting on Thursday, August 11, County voters may see a new proposed Ordinance added to limit County Supervisors to no more than three consecutive terms in office. If approved, this would add County Ordinance 2.02.070 to County Code relating to the Board of Supervisors.
Does it make you wonder why the Board is taking such a rushed action? In the immediate future, this could affect whether or not Supervisors Bruce McPherson and Zach Friend are able to run for fourth terms in 2024.
At the time of this writing, the link to the County Board of Supervisor “Meeting Calendar” is broken, so I cannot provide further details, but did see earlier that this will be discussed as Regular Agenda Item #10 at the August 9 Board Meeting, when the Board will publicly schedule the August 11 Virtual Special Meeting for 4pm.
Read the Staff recommendations for this matter by clicking on Item #10, when the website is (hopefully) repaired. Participate on August 11 at 4pm and see if you can understand what is really going on.
LAFCO PULLS SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT PORTION OF COMPREHENSIVE REPORT FOR FURTHER REVIEW
Last Wednesday (8/3), at the request of Alternate LAFCO member Mr. John Hunt, the Commissioners pulled the Soquel Creek Water District section of the comprehensive Countywide Water Service and Sphere Review of nine agencies providing water in the County. Commissioners, who also included Second District County Supervisor Zach Friend, stated that the recommendations to formally change service boundary areas of La Selva Beach and Seascape would open the doors for annexation and increased development in the future. The Commissioners had reviewed just such a case earlier in the meeting for a subdivision in Scotts Valley (Item 6a)
LAFCO Director Joe Serrano issued a Declaration that the Countywide Water Service and Sphere Review is CEQA-exempt…but maybe that finding cannot be made in the case of the Soquel Creek Water District analysis.
Reason Why Project is Exempt: The LAFCO action does not change the services or the planned service area of the City. There is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment–State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3).
Please write the Santa Cruz County LAFCO with your thoughts on this matter.
c/o Joe Serrano joe.serrano@santacruzcounty.us
Of note is the fact that Ms. Rachel Lather is currently the Chair of LAFCO, and also the President of the Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors. Do you think she should have recused herself or abstained from voting on this issue? She did not. I wrote Mr. Serrano to ask about it…he replied that it is up to a Commissioner them self to take such action.
RUN FOR SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS SEATS
This Friday (8/12) is the final date to file for elected position campaigns Three seats are up for election on the five-member Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors. In my opinion, there really needs to be sweeping changes on that Board that will begin to question the runaway expenditures for endless outside contractors to do actual work while giving high-level staff monthly bonuses of $1000 and more….not to mention the problems associated with injecting treated sewage water into the pristine Purisima Aquifer that provides drinking water for the entire MidCounty area.
If you live within the District, please run. The District’s staff really needs to be held accountable and only a new Board who will pay attention and ask questions will cause any change. Did you know that Ms. Lather demonstrated that she had no idea what the Final EIR for the PureWater Soquel Project really was? Do you know that none of these incumbents asks any meaningful questions regarding District Budgets and rates?
Here is a link to the candidate resources
CHANGING WATSONVILLE’S BOUNDARIES?
Last month, the Watsonville City Council held a Special Council Meeting and Public Hearing to discuss and approve growth-related measures that will be on the November election ballot. It was well-attended. The Council split 4-3 to place a competing initiative on the ballot that will essentially oppose the renewal of Measure U’s renewal that, 20 years ago, protected Watsonville’s agricultural lands and limited urban sprawl.
Here is the link to the two-hour proceeding, and a Pajaronian analysis
Given the proposed Draft Santa Cruz County General Plan Update, which recommends some annexations to Watsonville’s City boundaries, this will prove interesting for the future of the area.
REMOVING PRODUCTIVE FARMLAND TO CREATE A DUST BOWL IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY?
The Public Policy Institute projects that over 500,000 acres of good farmland in the Central Valley will have to lie fallow in order to restore groundwater levels. All that fallow land could likely cause a return of the Dust Bowl that drove many poor landowners out of the Midwest and gave John Steinbeck meat for his Grapes of Wrath novel.
“Agricultural operations and wind erosion are two of the largest sources of dust in the valley. We project that over 500,000 acres of farmland may need to be taken out of production over the next two decades to help bring groundwater basins into balance under the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). This is an immense amount of land, and without careful stewardship, widespread fallowing could cause a surge in windblown dust.”
Commentary: San Joaquin Valley’s Next Big Air Pollution Threat—Blowing Dust from Fallowed Farmland
Will the Great Dust Bowl return, but to California? Wouldn’t it be better to continue growing food and devise more water-efficient irrigation methods?
SHOULDN’T RESEARCHERS GLUE TRANSPONDERS TO THEIR HEADS, TOO?
A few years ago, when my family visited Año Nuevo State Beach to see the Elephant Seals, my young children became very upset at learning that researchers glue electronic transponders to the bodies of young seals in order to study them.
The recent article below, asking for crowd-funding to help do more such treatment of wild animals caused me to ponder….shouldn’t the researchers have to also glue transponders to their own heads and research any impacts on themselves?
Just a thought to ponder…..
UCSC professor seeks to bring elephant seal research to K-12 classrooms [SC Sentinel article, behind a paywall]
Please write these UCSC researchers with your thoughts:
University of California at Santa Cruz
science@ucsc.edu
plkoch@ucsc.edu Paul L. Koch, Dean, Physical and Biological Sciences
rsbeltra@ucsc.edu – Roxanne Beltran, Associate Professor
PEOPLE, WE NEED TO SPEAK UP…BUT IT IS GETTING MORE CHALLENGING
Last week, at the suggestion of Parks Dept. Director Jeff Gaffney, the County Parks & Recreation Commission reportedly seemed to adopt a new but questionable procedure of calling for Public Comment on an issue after the Commission had already voted on the matter.
Hmmmm…..Does that seem right to you? I think it violates the Brown Act, which mandates the public right to comment before or during each agenda item:
“Regular Meetings
The Brown Act mandates that agendas for regular meetings allow for two types of public comment periods. The first is a general audience comment period, which is the part of the meeting where the public can comment on any item of interest that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the local agency. This general audience comment period may come at any time during a meeting (Section 54954.3).
The second type of public comment period is the specific comment period pertaining to items on the agenda. The Brown Act requires the legislative body to allow these specific comment periods on agenda items to occur prior to or during the City Council’s consideration of that item (Section 54954.3).”
In a recent informal survey posted on local news site Lookout about what residents are doing to make positive differences, this one really struck a chord…especially given odd occurrences such as what Director Gaffney caused last week:
“I am working to increase public participation in local government, at the county and municipal levels. More than periodic voting, our representative democracy requires active public participation in the process of government decision-making. Advisory body meetings, such as commissions, are rarely attended by the public, leading representatives to make decisions that are not based on full knowledge of the public will. This gives unelected staff greater power to shape the course of government behind closed doors where the public is denied knowledge and influence.” —Michael Lewis, Live Oak
Write County Board of Supervisors and Mr. Gaffney with your thoughts.
Board of Supervisorsboardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
Jeff Gaffneyjeff.gaffney@santacruzcounty.us
A POWERFUL FILM ABOUT AND BY CZU FIRE: IN THEIR OWN WORDS
CZU Fire: In Their Own Words, directed by Boulder Creek resident Mr. Peter Gelblum, is a well-done and powerful film based on many interviews with people affected by the fire. Take a box of tissue because it is powerful.
Next week marks the two-year anniversary of the devastating CZU Lightning Complex Fire that destroyed 911 County resident homes and burned over 86,000 acres that included large portions of Big Basin State Park. The devastation lingers in the charred hillsides and in the lives of hundreds who have not yet been able to rebuild. Many have given up, and moved away.
Go see this film at the Del Mar Theater on August 16 at 7:30 pm, with other viewings tentatively scheduled for the Felton Library on September 10, and another September date to be confirmed at the Bonny Doon Elementary School. Mr. Gelblum asked to include a showing at the August 18 commemorative event scheduled for August 18 at the Brookdale Lodge, but organizers declined.
Suggested donations of $10/person will be given 50/50 to the local volunteer fire departments who fought the fire and saved many homes, and also the Fire Recovery Fund at the Santa Cruz County Community Foundation.
Here is an interview with Mr. Gelblum from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, article behind a paywall.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. GO SEE THE FILM ABOUT THE STORIES OF THE CZU FIRE SURVIVORS AND DONATE WHAT YOU CAN.
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 |
MAMMALS AROUND US
This biodiverse region around us includes such a wealth of native mammals that we might take them for granted unless occasionally reminded what they are and where they live. Chances are good that you can see a few of these species if you are alert to them and take a walk in the many natural areas that surround our built environment. This essay outlines only the mammals that are native to this area; there are many nonnative mammals, as well. And, I focus only on terrestrial mammals…there are many marine mammals just offshore. I also leave out the many bat species.
Ungulates
Let’s start with the largest terrestrial mammals around: Columbian black-tailed deer. Many people call them ‘The Deer’ as in “The Deer devoured the landscaping.” These are the last of a great legacy of ungulates that have grazed the forests, shrublands, and grasslands around these parts for millions of years. Up until the late 1800’s, there were tule elk…basically a bigger deer…also roaming this area; maybe sometime soon the elk will return- they are close: just across Highway 101 east of us. There were also pronghorn with the elk. 15,000 years ago there were even more species of ungulates, including species of bison and native horses.
Many old timers say that the numbers of Columbian black-tailed deer are way down from historic herd sizes, but folks on the edge of town would probably argue. The Deer seem to be denser close to where they can easily access forage from summer watered gardens and lawns. They also probably know that being close to neighborhoods is safer from mountain lions.
Rodents
Rodents are as a group scorned for their pestiferousness, and we’ve got a diverse array of rodent types. The rarest local rodents are kangaroo rats (aka k-rats), the Santa Cruz K-rat is down to one population at Henry Cowell State Park. There is also a different species of not-as-rare k-rat in the sandy soils of Corralitos down through Fort Ord. Kangaroo rats have long back legs and dig dens into sandy soil.
There are a bunch of species of deer mice in our area, all in the genus Peromyscus. My favorite is the big eared ‘Mickey Mouse’ deermouse aka pinyon deermouse: P. truei. There are three other deermouse species around here. Rumor has it that we’ll soon recognize a newly described deermouse that is native to our area.
There are many other species of native rodents around here: pocket mouse, meadow vole, San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, two types of squirrels, a chipmunk species and the renowned pocket gopher. Pocket mice are relatively small and have pockets in their mouths for carrying about caches of food (mostly seeds). Meadow voles make grazed-bare highways in the prairies and have episodically huge populations that can eat most of the grass down to nothing. San Francisco dusky-footed woodrats are pack rats that make big stick houses and have museum collections of every plant in their vicinity. This subspecies of dusky footed woodrat is listed as a species of concern by the State and are therefore protected by law. If you are lucky enough to have these pack rats around you, best to give their homes a wide berth and watch out for them dragging your belongings into their homes.
We have two native squirrels: one in trees and the other in the ground. Many folks have been concerned about the apparent decline of the Western gray squirrel, which has a salt-and-pepper fluffy tail and mostly found away from people. I worry that fires and non-native squirrels are edging out our native tree squirrel. The California ground squirrel used to have big colonies at UCSC where burrowing owls and other critters shared their burrows. I’m still waiting to hear what happened to the once-extensive ground squirrel colonies at UCSC’s East Meadow. Now, ground squirrels are more numerous along the north coast bluffs and at the Moore Creek greenbelt.
Mirriam’s chipmunks are my favorite rodent. These striped little folk give loud cheeps when you get close to them, scampering up trees or diving into shrubby cover. There’s something about their black and dark brown fur patterns that make me especially happy to see one.
I recently wrote an essay on Botta’s pocket gopher, the subsurface architect of nearly every square foot of the soil around us.
Small, Furry and Insectivorous
If you are like most folks, you don’t think about the many tiny insect eating mammals in our midst. The most commonly recognized one is the broad-handed mole, which I mostly see mysteriously dead with no evident damage. There is also a rarely-encountered shrew mole that likes living in burrows in our conifer forests, near streams; no one I know has seen that one. There are also three types of shrews in our area: ornate, vagrant, and Trowbridge. Shrews eat day and night. Like moles, I’ve seen a few of those mysteriously dead lying trailside. All of these critters eat insects and so can’t be seen as pests, though some folks insist on killing moles for making burrows in their yards.
Not Rodents: Lagomorphs
People routinely call rabbits rodents, but they aren’t…they are lagomorphs! Brush bunnies are common in our area. There are probably also still black tailed rabbits in Santa Cruz County: these look like jackrabbits. Black tailed bunnies were once in the inland sandhills habitat alongside the aforementioned kangaroo rats.
Raccoon and Friend
There are lots of species of raccoon, so you have to call ours by its right name: Northern raccoon. Most folks know this masked rascal, which has higher populations near people but is missing altogether in the wilder parts of the mountains. In those wilder parts is the very, very rare close relative: the ringtail. Ringtails like to live near streams and look like a cross between a Northern raccoon and a Western gray squirrel. There were some recent sightings of ringtail in Bonny Doon after a long period of no one reporting them. I’m happy that they are still around.
Stinky Mustelids
Scent gland wielding ‘mustelids’ have a few species around here: badger, long-tailed weasel, and two species of skunk. Badgers are increasingly rare due to bad endings from encounters with vehicles. Long tailed weasels have done a great job of surviving our urban sprawl and are pretty common. We mostly know about striped skunks, but if you have seen the rumored spotted skunk, will you please let me know? Spotted skunks pirouette on their hands if alarmed….
Bigger Carnivores
We are especially lucky to have mountain lions, gray foxes, coyotes, and bobcats so commonly in our region. The health of large carnivores is a sign of ecological health. I won’t tell you any stories about these critters this round, but there are lots of good stories about these…stay tuned for more!
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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 |
August 3
The Santa Cruz Sentinel, the local newspaper in Santa Cruz, California, has opined that “Deep Changes Will Be Needed On Housing.” I am quoting the hard copy version of the headline that appeared on the Sentinel’s editorial statement on July 1, 2022. Online, the headline is slightly different. The entire editorial statement is appended at the bottom of today’s blog posting.
I think the Sentinel is absolutely right that “deep changes” are necessary to address our housing crisis. As the Sentinel notes, properly characterizing the dimensions of our problem: Housing in Santa Cruz County is “unaffordable for anyone not making upward of $200,000 annually.” Since the Census tells us that the median annual household income in Santa Cruz County is $89,986 that means that housing (both rental and ownership housing) is unaffordable for huge numbers of local residents. The Sentinel is definitely right in describing the problem, and this is not a news flash for any current Santa Cruz County resident.
Unfortunately, having identified this huge and horrible problem, the Sentinel does not really tell us why the problem exists. In general, the newspaper blames “regulatory overkill” and “local government officials who cater to the not-in-my-backyard sentiments of constituents.” Those things, to the extent they actually exist (and they may, to a minor extent), are not really what’s causing the housing crisis.
The actual “problem” is that housing prices are, with very few exceptions, set by “the market.” As we all know, or as we all should know, “markets” are designed to provide scarce goods to those who have the most money, and who can thus outcompete those who have less. Housing in Santa Cruz County is a “scarce good.”
This community is one of the nicest places to live in the entire world. It is also right “over the hill” from one of California’s most dynamic job-producing centers, the Silicon Valley, where millions of people live. Many workers in the Silicon Valley do earn $200,000 or more, annually, and lots of them would prefer to live in Santa Cruz, as opposed to living in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Gilroy, or San Jose. Furthermore, housing costs in the places I just mentioned are typically greater than housing costs in Santa Cruz. Furthermore, many people think that Santa Cruz real estate is a very good investment (which it is). This fact creates another demand for Santa Cruz property. Not only do people who work in the Silicon Valley want to live in Santa Cruz, and so create demand for Santa Cruz housing that way, they also want to purchase property here as an investment, increasing demand for housing in Santa Cruz even more. And, of course, it is also true that those who want to invest in Santa Cruz property may well come from anywhere – even from other countries.
The “demand” for housing in Santa Cruz, in other words, is pretty much unlimited, practically speaking. What about the “supply?” Could Santa Cruz County actually supply enough housing to bring down local prices (and especially to bring them down to the place where someone with an annual income of $89,900 could afford to buy or rent)?
The answer to that question is pretty easy: NO.
In other words, expecting the “private market” to solve the housing crisis by building enough housing to lower the price here to something “affordable” is, essentially, to expect the impossible.
“Reality” is sometimes hard to contemplate, but we do need to be realistic. The private market will never produce affordable housing in Santa Cruz County – even if we reverse our past decision to preserve and protect prime farmland and environmentally sensitive areas – even if the City starts allowing developers to build twenty-story towers, and the City stops caring about the neighborhood impacts of big, high-density developments. There also isn’t enough infrastructure to handle the traffic that would be generated by massive new housing developments. And there isn’t enough water, either. Neighborhood concerns aren’t just based on selfishness (in fact, I think that’s the exception, not the rule). New development does have adverse impacts, and it’s not fair to existing residents to ignore those.
So, we do need “deep changes” to address the housing crisis, but let’s start getting realistic about just how “deep” those deep changes need to be. The private market can’t and won’t produce housing that ordinary working families can afford. That means that we need public financing to produce affordable housing, because “affordable” housing means housing where the price is not set by the “market,” but where prices are fixed at amounts that permit the housing to be affordable. That requires governmental action.
How can that be accomplished? Well, there is money in our state and national economy that could be used to build housing, but the government would have to obtain that money from those who have it now. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders calls them the “billionaire class.” The Occupy Movement called them the 1%.
“Deep changes” really are needed. If California and the nation are not willing to mobilize public funding to produce price-fixed housing with the prices set at a level that ordinary working families can afford, then the picture below shows where those who can’t afford market price housing (rental and ownership) are going to end up. It’s already happening. If we don’t make the deep changes needed, at the state and national level, it is only going to happen more:
As We See It
Deep Changes Will Be Needed On Housing
Second of two parts on housing affordability:
By now, the reasons for California’s and Santa Cruz County’s chronic housing shortage are evident. Factors include high costs, regulatory overkill and resistance from local government officials who cater to the not-in-my-backyard sentiments of constituents.
Not only do prices that make housing unaffordable for anyone not making upward of $200,000 annually, but the recent spike in interest rates, which have sparked some owners lowering asking prices, probably won’t mean housing will get much cheaper, real estate analysts say – not with supply so low and demand so high.
It remains a seller’s market. The state says 180,000 new housing units are needed each year to begin to close the supply and demand inequality that continues to drive prices out of reach for the majority of residents. The median home value for the entire state is almost $900,000, the highest in the United States, according to the state Department of Finance (and more than $1.5 million for much of Santa Cruz County) – a more than 250% increase from a decade ago. In roughly that same period, the median household income in the state has risen just 28%, from $61,400 to $78,700.
Renters aren’t faring any better. The national real estate site Zillow also expects rent prices in the region to rise as rental demand continues to increase. Our Bay Area News Group recently reported that at $3,295, typical rents in the San Jose area rose more than 12% from the previous year.
The dismal reality is that California has the nation’s second lowest level of homeownership. Just 56% of California’s families live in homes they own, barely higher than New York’s 55% rate and nearly 10 percentage points behind the 65% national rate. That figure is even lower for Black Californians, at 37%, and Latinos, at 44%, statewide.
“Homeownership has long been a central feature of the American dream,” a recent Public Policy Institute of California report stated. “It is the leading source of wealth for most families, and over the long run provides families with more stable and lower housing costs compared to renting. Yet … homeownership is out of the reach of many Californians.”
This is one of those crises where government has to be a solution. One way is to enforce regional housing goals. All cities and counties need to contribute their fair share to meeting housing needs but many communities have worked around requirements for new housing units mandated under the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation goals. These requirements can seem overwhelming for communities such as Santa Cruz, where the city was tasked with developing a minimum of 747 new housing units by the end of 2023. And according to according to the AMBAG draft RHNA plan, the state may expect as many as 3,400 new housing units from the city by 2031.
Then there’s the new California Dream for All program, where the state plans to allocate $1 billion a year for 10 years to provide down-payment loans to first-time buyers.
Under this program, concurrent with a buyer’s main mortgage, the state offers a second mortgage that covers 17-20% of the home’s price. Buyers would make no payments on this loan until they sell. The idea is to cover the down payment, which means buyers don’t have to save as much up front; it also means their main mortgage is lower, which reduces monthly payments.
While this program has good intentions, it would help only an estimated 7,700 families in a state where about 7 million families are renters. Program sponsors also recognize that pumping money into the system could just drive prices even higher. Others worry that government intervention in home ownership led to the 2008 foreclosure crisis when people were enticed to buy homes they couldn’t afford.
The ultimate solutions will take much deeper changes: Removing local impediments to housing construction, getting more housing near jobs and transportation, creating policies that lead to more middle-income jobs and improving educational outcomes for poor children in a state where more than a third of the state’s nearly 40 million residents live with financial distress.
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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 |
August 8
A HOMEGROWN MAGAt, WITH A SOFT AUTOCRAT ON THE SIDE
It’s been a jam-packed week for news, so getting some of the putrid happenings dispensed with seems appropriate, and what could have been more repulsive than the GOP’s Conservative Political Action Conference in that most deserving of cities – Dallas, TX! The event that had to rank with the lowest of the low saw Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán parading his ‘twin front’ message in his keynote address, describing Hungary and America in a joint struggle against globalists, progressives, communists and ‘fake news.’ Sounds familiar. The PM has stripped his country of its democratic institutions and demonized immigrants, while embracing his brand of eugenics, warning of ‘racial mixing’ whereby white Christian Europeans are being eliminated by primarily Islamic people…part of Tucker Carlson’s ‘replacement theory.’ His utterances are, of course, familiar to any who have studied the Nazis and their holocaust. In fact, after one of his speeches a close advisor resigned, calling it “pure Nazi.”
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson had critical remarks for those who are insulted by Orbán’s presence, by saying, “So Viktor Orbán is now a Nazi because he wants national borders?” We can’t forget that Carlson did a special broadcast from Budapest last year, during which Orbán and his country were praised as a model for this country. Our former president has watched admiringly as Hungary has made this turn toward authoritarianism, with many in the GOP ranks falling in line to march with the white nationalists. The racist tropes of ‘invasion’ and ‘replacement’ are bandied about by the likes of Arizona’s Blake Masters, running for the Senate, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp, Florida’s Senator Rick Scott, and Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake. Meant to stoke fear and drive votes, they also fuel violence, evidenced by the killing of Latino people at a Walmart in El Paso three years ago. Black shoppers gunned down at a Buffalo grocery this year, was a motivation driven by replacement theory.
Viktor Orbán has a reputation as a ‘soft autocrat’, who doesn’t threaten or kill his political opponents…he handily changes the rules to entrench power. He says that the constitutions of our two nations are quite different, in that Hungary’s is easy to change, and therefore, he has made changes that make it harder for his electoral opponents to be victorious…free and unfair elections. Hungarian media has suffered under crackdowns, with him and his allies owning many newspapers, driving out smaller independents. The GOP’s MAGAts appreciate how flippant the PM is with his opposition, the media, elites, and liberals to solidify his base, seeing his as a savior for social conservatism. Says William Galston, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan think-tank, the Brookings Institution, “If Trumpism is a political religion, Budapest is their new Rome. Viktor Orbán is their beau ideal of a national conservative leader.” Earlier this year, CPAC leaders actually held a conference in Budapest! Orbán began his kickoff by saying, “This is a culture war. The only thing we Hungarians can do is show you how to fight back by our own rules.” He explains that his country prevents migrants from entering illegally, upholds traditional gender norms and heterosexual marriage, and stays true to ‘Judeo-Christian values.’ It becomes obvious where the GOP is drawing its inspiration to replace election officials with party stalwarts, for submitting fake slates of electors and tweaking election rules.
Political scientist, Lee Drutman, believes the simultaneous polarization for both nations should be viewed as most dangerous. “The strength of the authoritarianism on the right is fueled and serviced by the sense that the Democrats are not only the opposition but anti-American, dangerous to this country, radical, extreme,” says Drutman. “When you have a system polarized along these identitarian fights – what does it mean to be a true Hungarian? A true American? Who’s a traitor? Who’s a patriot? – that justifies these kinds of extreme antidemocratic actions in service of victory.”
Our homegrown Agent Adolf made his appearance at the Saturday session of CPAC, exhibiting his power as a possible candidate in 2024, even as he kept fishing for applause with his ‘stolen election’ asides and his defense of his actions during the Capitol riot. With Biden’s bill, Inflation Reduction Act, being debated on the Senate floor, Trump threatened to campaign against Joe Manchin in West Virginia in retribution for his support of the legislation. Evidently, DJT was looking at the wrong calendar…Manchin isn’t running on this election cycle, and The Don will be in prison in 2024.
MAGAt, social media personality, and J6 riot defendant, Brandon Straka, who confessed to attending the riot, was arrested, and pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct, attended CPAC in a ‘performance art’ staging by sitting in a jail-like cell, crying as recordings of fellow-defendants described their arrests. He avoided jail time, but received 90 days of home confinement and three years’ probation at his sentencing, yet he argues that lawmakers haven’t done enough to assist him and the rioters, all while seeking presidential pardons for their own actions. And, Straka was blessed to have a visit from Marjorie Taylor Greene in his ‘cell’, as she hugged and prayed with him. Needless to say, there was virtually no recognition by attendees of Trump’s role in initiating the attack, even though the House Select Committee is bringing the chickens home to roost.
Cheeto Benito, in his speech, dispensed his endorsements and blessings on Texas candidates, while declaring Democratic-run cities as ‘hellscapes’ awash in crime and lamenting how the southern border is no longer as safe as he once made it. He brought down the house with his suggestion to “abolish the Department of Education since it has fallen under control of liberals who are indoctrinating students with content of library books, and lectures on race and history. Family values are being destroyed with sports teams allowing transgendered players.”
MAGAt merchandise was being sold in the halls, from books, to clothing, to bejeweled stilettos with DJT’s name, to alternative cell phone providers, to ‘Swing State Steal’ board games…one seller was hawking framed photos of Ronald Reagan, but the Bush family presidents, ‘a part of the establishment,’ proved to be a step too far for most takers. Speakers lambasted the Biden presidency and China’s influence in this country. A satirical news segment, with Jesse Kelly portraying a new anchor on fake media outlet, ‘Socialist News Network’, made lewd jokes about VP Harris, and downplayed the COVID-19 death toll, saying, “This virus has almost killed as many people as Hillary Clinton.”
It happened in our largest state, but fits in quite nicely with the CPAC sentiments in the second largest state. A woman was pulled over for speeding in Anchorage, Alaska, and was unable to produce her driver’s license, but asked the two cops if her ‘White Privilege Card Trumps Everything’ would suffice. They laughed, having never seen the novelty card, allowing her to go without a citation. Unclear at this time what disciplinary action the officers may see, but be forewarned – it’s not going to work again in Anchorage.
Wow! No time left to cover Trump’s asking ‘his generals’ to be more like WWII Nazi generals while in office…even after WH Chief of Staff Kelly told him there were three assassination attempts…Trump discounted that, obviously not up to date on that page in his history book.
And, wait, wait…the FBI is raiding Mar-A-Lago? Gotta go see this action….later!
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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.
“Fires”
“The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire”.
~Richard M. Nixon
“Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life”.
~Terry Pratchett
“Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant”.
~Mitch Kapor
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A bit of brilliance: “It’s not about making people adhere to the system, it’s about making the system adhere to the habits of people.”
In this particular case, we are talking about organizational systems, and the video is from Caroline Winkler. I watched this, loved her, and immediately subscribed.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
August 3 – 9, 2022
BRATTON… Joy Schendledecker for mayor, Democrats (some) for Empty Home Tax, I’ve been hacked, film reviews, Live Here Now. GREENSITE…on a trip to Oregon. KROHN…Taxes, again. STEINBRUNER…Downtown growing, Branciforte fire district issues, Rispin Mansion, Capitola City Council meetings, Laurel Street Bridge, Soquel Creek Water District, barrels at the county building? HAYES…Sagebrush Country. PATTON…I am seeing some kind of irony, here. MATLOCK…The plot(s) only thicken – send flowers. EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS’ pick of the week. QUOTES…”Tomatoes”
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DATELINE August 1
JOY SCHENDLEDECKER FOR OUR “AT LARGE” MAYOR. That was the newest campaign news of the week and so many remarked “she doesn’t have a chance”. Nope, I’d never met her or even noticed her name either. But her decision, plus checking out her friends and supporters convinced me she not only has courage but an excellent set of goals and platforms. Go to her webpage at joyforsantacruz.com. Her commitment to solving our housing and houselessness issues, labor support (unions) and especially the environment make her very unique. Go to her Facebook page here. See her support of the Amah Mutsun, note her No on D friends, her wide support from so many activists. Sure there’ll be more entrants for our new at large mayor but none more enthusiastic and devoted than Joy Schendledecker.
EMPTY HOME TAX. I can’t reveal where or who this email came from but it says a lot.
Wednesday July 27, in a shocking development, the Democratic Central Committee endorsed the Empty Home Tax. Only 3 DCC members voted to oppose it: Mathews, Fuller and one other I can’t remember. This will totally fuck up all their door hangers as the Democratic Women’s Club voted a No on the EHT endorsement.
HACKED! It’s been about three days that I’ve been on the receiving end of emails offering rebates, sale items and offers with my own home email address and name as the sender. Do not reply or even open those emails from “Bruce Bratton”. And if you have any suggestions how to stop somebody from using my name please get in touch.
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
FIRE OF LOVE. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.7IMDB). An amazing, beautiful, haunting documentary about a married couple who are volcanologists. They travel around the world climbing to the closest, most dangerous vantage points to study bursting lava and trying to predict the next disaster. It’s surprising how little is known about volcanos, and how much death and destruction they cause every year. Katie and Maurice Kraftt the volcanologists died by being too close to Japan’s Mount Unzen in 1991. If ever a movie required a big screen to really view properly this is it.
TRADING PAINT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (4.4 IMDB) “Trading Paint” means in the dirt track racing at Talladega crashing each other’s racing cars. This botched up simple minded mess has John Travolta (age68) racing against his own son and his long time movie friend from Pulp Fiction Michael Madsen. It’s full of bad acting, has a very forgetful bad ending, and the racing photography isn’t much to look at either. Don’t bother.
SURFACE. (APPLE TV SERIES) (5.5 IMDB) It’s filmed a lot in San Francisco and its always extra fun to see sites you know. Gugu Mbaytha and Oliver Jackson top the cast and the slow moving plot could have been shortened but it is really complex. A young woman was either pushed off a boat or she attempted suicide. She’s having weird dreams and nightmares and is seeing a psychotherapist. Much of it happens in the Sheraton Palace Hotel where I worked as a producer at KCBS so I had an extra attraction. It’s good watching, go for it.
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.5 IMDB). The charming unassuming Lesley Manville is the London based cleaning woman who has a dream of going to Paris and specifically to own a Christian Dior gown. Isabelle Huppert has a small and nasty part of this silly comedy. It’s a feel good movie for sure and we need those more than ever right now. Go for it.
ANYTHINGS POSSIBLE. (PRIME VIDEO MOVIE) (4.7 IMDB) It would be too easy to report that this is a silly, colorful light hearted teen age comedy centering on a Trans girl and her troubles in high school in Pittsburg. Eva Reign does an excellent job in the lead and there are some very deep and involving Tran’s issues dealt with and exposed, in this complex drama.
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.
THE LAST MOVIE STARS. (HBO MAX SERIES) (8.3IMDB).Ethan Hawke directed this six part documentary and looks foolish as he does it. Paul started Newman’s Own in 1982 and I haven’t reached that part of his Santa Cruz connected life yet. But I need to say I’ve never forgotten seeing Paul and his wife Joanne Woodward holding hands and walking on Pacific Avenue near where New Leaf and The Del Mar theatre are today. It’s a worthy series and details his great film career as well as his drinking problems and having love affairs. He was 82 when he died.
THE GRAY MAN. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.6 IMDB). Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and good old Billy Bob Thornton are the leads in this terribly violent, plotless, spy drama. It is the most violent, bloody, big budget movie I’ve seen in years. It’s about secret moves by the CIA to kill one of their own members. The plot is actually ruined by the number of car chases and bloody cut throat scenes. Yes, I watched all of it but I’m sorry I did. The ending doesn’t end anything.
NOPE. (DEL MAR THEATRE). A very complex movie. It’s a horror film with flying saucers who visit and spew out whatever they suck up. It all happens on ranchland with cowboys and horses and those skinny flapping balloon figures from used car lots suggesting something. It’s all about suggestion, hints, and deciphering what director Jordan Peele is trying to create. No one has figured the plot out yet so don’t feel bad if you do go.
UMMA. (NETFLIX MOVIE)(4.6 IMDB). Umma means mother in Korean and Sandra Oh tries very hard to lead this horror film both as actor and executive producer. Delmont Mulrooney is a neighboring bee keeper and Sandra can’t deal with electricity. Aside from that Because of a grave misunderstanding her mother’s ghost comes back very often just to scream and terrify. It’s different but not that different….save your rental fees.
PERSUASION. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.6 IMDB). Another adaption of a Jane Austin book. This copy is modernized, it has a multi-racial cast and is billed as a romantic comedy. The acting is stylized, awkward, and doesn’t hold together. Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot talks to the camera and makes it watchable but not as much fun as previous versions.
COLLISON, (NETFLIX MOVIE) (3.9 IMDB). A South African film from Johannesburg that has three confusing stories. Father and daughter and their relationship, a teenage girl is kidnapped, and a phony business man deals with his dealers. Amateurish, many, many dialects and poorly assembled. Not worth your time.
DON’T MAKE ME GO. (AMAZON PRIME MOVIE)(6.4 IMDB). John Cho does his best to play the father who learns that he’s dying from a brain tumor. He decides to take his teenage daughter on a long cross country trip to find her mother. It’s billed as a comedy drama but the acting, the plot, and the incredibly slow pace made me turn it off when they got to Texas….you’re on your own for this one.
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts now through this Sunday August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director has returned and will be conducting. The concerts include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
SANTA CRUZ ACTORS’ THEATRE & “8 Tens at 8” NEWS. Andre Neu activist and eager arts enthusiast sent this news.” As an active theatre-goer, I figured you’d be interested in hearing that Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre is doing a “reboot” of its “8 Tens at 8” series in early September. After Wilma Marcus Chandler and Andrew Cagllio resigned earlier this year, the company regrouped and has come together to stage what was to go forth before COVID struck. I’ve attached a press release to give details. The new company, headed by Suzanne Schrag, includes quite a few familiar theater folks and seems pretty secure in what they’re doing, Andre
Actors’ Theatre “reboots” 8 Tens production
The Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre, which earlier this year had almost permanently closed its doors, has instead regrouped to produce a live “reboot” of eight selections from of its 8 Tens @ 8 Short Play Festival. It will restage eight selections from the short play lineup, originally scheduled in January, running at the Actors’ Theatre from Sept. 9 through Oct. 2. Tickets go on sale Aug. 1.
The presence the COVID-19 outbreak coincided with the resignations of the company’s artistic director, company co-founder, promotion director and board of directors, and led to the cancelling of 8 Tens in January. “However,” said new board president Suzanne Schrag, “we humans are resilient, creative, inventive and communal creatures. It is this spirit that we are re-launching, rejuvenating and rebooting Actors’ Theatre to continue to be a vibrant and vital part of the Santa Cruz Arts community.” A new board of directors has also been assembled and other positions are being filled. All productions will be in the Actors Theatre in the Santa Cruz Art Center, 1001 Center Street. Most of the directors and actors are from the original production scheduled in January.
Actors’ Theatre will continue to follow COVID protocols; masks and proof of vaccination will be required to attend. The Theater has also invested in a high-efficiency electronic air cleaning system that completely refreshes the air in the space every 15 minutes. Meanwhile, a committee of Actors’ Theatre members has read 259 short plays submitted by local, state and nation-wide writers in preparation for the 2023, 8 Tens @ 8 Festival, scheduled for Jan. 18 through Feb. 26, 2023.
August 1
BETTER, NOT MORE, MANAGEMENT IS KEY
The photo I took of Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan receiving the gold medal for the 100M Hurdles at the conclusion of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene captured a thrilling start to a week’s camping trip in Oregon and northern CA. Besides stunning scenery and my first ever visit to and swim in Crater Lake, the week also provided an opportunity for comparisons.
A walk along the Willamette River was surprisingly free of campers and garbage. I wondered aloud how that was achieved given that Eugene has a sizable homeless population. The answer lay just around the corner when we encountered two uniformed men on bikes who were willing to respond to several questions from this curious visitor. They are Park Ambassadors and regularly patrol the river and the city’s open space and parks. While they are not police, their team includes officers dedicated to the city’s parks. They explained that when they come across illegal activity, including off-leash dogs (one of my pet peeves) or garbage or illegal public drug use they chat with the people, ask them to shape up or the next people they will be talking to will be the police. According to the ambassadors, people usually comply. The program has been in operation since 2015 and the positive results are evident. I asked if Eugene was similar to Santa Cruz in that houseless activists regularly oppose efforts to get compliance and the answer was yes. Despite millions of dollars thrown at the same problem in Santa Cruz, we have failed to achieve anything close to what Eugene has achieved. Eugene is almost three times the size of Santa Cruz city yet has only twice the number of sworn officers, so lack of resources is not the answer to our lack of success. In its infinite lack of wisdom, the city council majority voted to end the park ranger program a few years back in one of its budget-cutting cycles and that decision has had the predictable result. City workers share that when they do call the police, officers rarely respond and part-time workers at the city-sanctioned camp say they lack authority, all a set-up for failure. To be generous, maybe the relatively new Homelessness Response Manager and the state-allocated $14 million will lead to visible results but so far, Eugene is far ahead of Santa Cruz in handling this complex problem.
A further positive for Oregon is the lack of a sales tax. Given that ballot Measure F, the attempt by the Santa Cruz city council to raise our sales tax from 9.25% to 9.75% was narrowly defeated by a mere 50 votes and I was one of 3 community members who wrote the ballot argument against the Measure, I was curious to see how Oregon works without such a regressive tax. Would the state parks be well-maintained, for example? The answer is a resounding “yes!”
Not only maintained but campsites are cheaper, hot showers when available are free and bathrooms are spotless. Oregon’s income tax is less than California’s and property taxes similar so somehow Oregon is better at managing its resources.
I came home to read in the Sentinel about the city manager, Matt Huffaker expressing disappointment at the failure of Measure F and how that loss of anticipated funds “puts significant pressure on the City’s capacity to address homelessness.” He added, “those dollars could have gone toward supporting critical services for the community, addressing deferred capital and infrastructure needs to making continued progress on employee compensation.”
With Oregon fresh in my mind, I could only snort, “What rubbish!” If the city needs to squeeze more dollars from everyone including the low-income with a regressive tax to pay its low-income workers a living wage, something is amiss. One explanation can be found at the top management level: there are too many of them and their numbers are ever-increasing.
Not too long ago, the City Manager’s office consisted of a city manager and an assistant to the city manager. Then the assistant was upgraded to Assistant City Manager. Then an Executive Assistant to the City Manager was added. Then a Communications Manager and Public Information Officer was added and added also to the Police, Water and Public Works Departments. Most recently in May a Deputy City Manager position was created, and a further highly paid person added to the bulging upper management level. All these positions will require hefty retirement monies in the near and distant future. Given this context, the city’s effort to squeeze more monies out of the public via a regressive sales tax is reprehensible.
No, I’m not moving to Oregon although my hunch is a few at our Santa Cruz city hall would give me a one-way ticket. The battles ahead over UCSC growth, skyscrapers in a new downtown, commercialization of open space and bloated upper management will be intense. I wouldn’t miss that even for Oregon.
| 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. |
August 1
TAXES, AGAIN
Measure F, the ugly duckling of a tax measure placed on last June’s ballot by a misinformed, get-money-in-the-budget-quick city council majority, lost by a mere 50 votes. But it lost, and it should never have been on the ballot. It was a regressive sales tax measure and any progressive community should not be supporting such taxes, by definition. Progressives understand that paying taxes increases the general quality of life for all, it can level the playing field in terms of funding local nonprofits that provide services, and also ensure that city parks are accessible, homeless services maintained, a functioning sewer system, and garbage pickup timely. Increasing the sales tax, Measure F, was a mistake from the get-go. The city’s pollster, Gene Bregman, once again asked the wrong questions. Wrong, because along with a city council sub-committee, he refused to ask voters about raising the real estate transfer tax, which is a tax sellers pay when they sell their homes and likely make oodles of money in a sky-high housing market not of their making. Bregman failed to poll locals on significantly raising the tax on Santa Cruz hotel bills too, the transient occupancy tax, a fee usually paid by visitors already with disposable income, not folks living paycheck to paycheck. And what about a tax on the $765 per year A-sticker, which the University charges the owner of each vehicle to park a car which enters campus using the city’s infrastructure—roads, stop lights, signage, GHG reduction program–but receives no compensation? (Have you seen the ingress and egress of traffic on Story and High Streets on a typical university day?)
Case for Raising the Real Estate Transfer Fee (What is this fee?)
Many have bought, speculated, and house-flipped homes in this town because it is not only an enviable place to live, but it turns out real estate is sound investment too. That is, if you have the capital. Most locals do not and this is evidenced in the large number of renters in town, 60%, but in order to help pay for city services, why shouldn’t city coffers share even more in the good luck of those buying and selling homes here? The real estate transfer tax is currently $1.10 per $1000 of the sales price. In other words, a $900,000 home sale in the city of Santa Cruz would yield a $990 fee with half going to the city and the other half to county coffers, $495 each in this case. BUT, if this same home sold in Alameda, Emeryville, or El Cerrito where the transfer tax is $13.10 per $1000, the fee would be $11,790 with the entire $990 going to the respective county, but a healthy $10,800 goes to each of those cities’ general fund budgets that pay for police, fire, parks, and homeless services. In the city of Albany ($15), $13,860 goes to the city. Many towns like Richmond, Berkeley, and San Francisco have progressive real estate transfer taxes, meaning homes of $1 million pay more and ones sold for over $2 million pay even more, so the local municipality not only shares in the windfall of the crazy housing market, but it also channels that money towards paying for city services. HERE is a transfer tax table for the entire state. Seems like only cities considered “progressive” ones have raised their transfer taxes.
Hotel Tax Makes Sense in Tourism Communities
Most tourists are able to tour because they have disposable income. In fact, among the largest California hotel tax rates, 15%, is in arguably the biggest tourism market, Anaheim, i.e. Disneyland. (Turns out, Palo Alto has the state’s highest rate, 15.50%) Higher hotel taxes do not always correlate with politically-progressive cities. Currently, the city of Santa Cruz charges hotel bills an 11% tax, which is an additional $11 on a $100 hotel bill, of course most hotel bills are far greater. Turns out, many tourist cities like Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, and Marina charge more. Other non-tourist cities including Diamond Bar, Culver City, and Inglewood are all at 14%. Currently, a room at the Dream Inn can go for between $600 and $700, but there are none available this Friday night, but Saturday is available for $665 before tax according to their website. City tax is an additional $73.15 (11%). If the hotel tax went to 14%, like many other cities not including Anaheim, that same tax would be $93.10. The 3% additional tax would yield millions more for the Santa Cruz budget and likely never stop any potential Dream Inn patron from booking a room. Raising the hotel tax is progressive, and a way to fund more city parks, fund more affordable housing, and supplement homeless services as well. HERE is an insightful primer on the collecting of hotel tax.
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Judi Grunstra, former librarian and former New Yorker, gave me strict orders, “Chris, go touch the lions (third eye?) in front of the main branch of the public library when you are in NYC. It will bring good luck to Our Downtown, Our Future.” So, I did.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
August 1
IS THAT DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ OR DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE?
Last Thursday (7/28), I happened to see the huge construction crane being installed, and now it resides at Laurel Street and Front Street/Pacific Avenue. Such a sight is common in San Jose, but not here. As I watched the action and heard the horns of many near-miss accidents due to lack of traffic management, I had to wonder what the City of Santa Cruz will look like in five years…with not only this seven-story structure now in the works, but also the 17-story structure the City Planning Commission just approved.
| A view from Laurel Street Bridge last Thursday at about noon. |  |
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Front Street traffic blocked by construction equipment encroaching into street without benefit of traffic control. |
| Installing the final component of the sky crane at the construction site. |  |
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This is the crane and sections parked on Laurel Street, approaching Front Street from Pacific Ave. No traffic control at any points of the disturbed intersection caused many near-accidents, especially coming from the bridge side. |
BRANCIFORTE FIRE DISTRICT BOARD SAID “NO”
Last Thursday evening, the majority of the five-member Branciforte Fire District Board of Directors took the bold action to protect their neighbors from a potentially huge parcel tax associated with a merger with Scotts Valley Fire District, saying NO to spending nearly $50,000 for a feasibility study that would lead to a rushed and weighted ballot action.
Board members debated that the proposal from SCI consultants was moving too quickly when the majority of those who would be potentially taxed $1500 per parcel annually for fire protection have no idea the action is moving along at break-neck speed.
They also pointed out that Scotts Valley Fire District will gain all assets of the Branciforte Fire District, including the Measure T property tax assessments that help provide revenue for the existing District.
The link on the website to the agenda did not (and still does not) function on my computer system, but LAFCO Director Mr. Joe Serrano was kind enough to help me access the virtual meeting:
For your convenience, here is a direct link to the agenda packet
The matter will be continued next month, and likely discussed at the August 3 Santa Cruz County LAFCO meeting. Stay tuned.
RISPIN MANSION PARK FUNDING APPROVED
Last week, the Capitola City Council was happy to see the Rispin Mansion Park matter before them and quickly approved the use of an additional $30,000 from the General Fund to allow a green light for contractors to submit bids. The Bids will be opened September 7 and approved in October. The work should begin next spring and be completed by the fall of 2023.
The new Park, using historically-similar plantings and California natives when possible, will include ADA-accessible paths, in addition to the one constructed last year with a new bridge over Soquel Creek, to the lower areas of the Park where a new outdoor amphitheater will be built. The Park will feature a new Bocce Ball Court and a children’s play area. The Grand Staircase will be restored as will the fountain and reflecting pool, but the water features will become operational at a later date.
The stucco walls flanking Wharf Road will be restored but lowered, with wrought iron fencing added on top to address security concerns neighbors have expressed. There will also be new lighting installed addressing the same concerns.
Councilman Jacques Bertrand asked the amphitheater’s partial encroachment into the riparian easement for the Creek, but was assured by staff that mitigations have been implemented. Council woman Kristen Brown confirmed the timeline that will see this Park completed by fall of 2023. Mayor Sam Storey was glad to see this finally happening after nearly a decade of delay, but grateful for the $756,000 in General Funds that have been spent on the planning and engineering, likely helping to get the State Parks Grant last year for the additional $178,000.
Capitola City Council Agenda Report, Meeting: July 28, 2022
CAPITOLA CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO BEGIN HOLDING HYBRID MEETINGS ON AUGUST 25
How refreshing to hear the Capitola City Council acknowledge that it is important and valuable to allow the public to present their thoughts in person if they wish. Hence, after considerable discussion, the Council unanimously voted to begin holding Hybrid meetings at their next meeting on August 25. Mayor Sam Storey stated, “People want to look us in the eye…there is a lot that gets missed with Zoom……As Mayor, I will be there every meeting.” Council members Kristin Brown and Jacques Bertrand immediately also volunteered. Staff will return with guidance on how to safely hold the hybrid meetings next month, but for now, it is a go to have at least one and up to three Council members, who will rotate, to be physically present at all meetings unless health conditions change. “Before COVID, we all were committed to being present at the Council chambers” pointed out Mayor Storey.
CAPITOLA CHARGING RESTAURANT OWNERS FOR OUTDOOR DINING SPACE
Those lovely outdoor dining spaces in Capitola take up space that the parking meters now miss. Therefore, all restaurant owners with such outdoor spaces will need to pay a new fee for lost parking revenue and sidewalk maintenance.
Below is the staff report. The Council unanimously approved the new fee structure.
Background: Since the adoption of Resolution No. 4276 adopting the City’s Fee Schedule for FY 2022-23, the City’s Outdoor Dining Program has received final approval from the California Coastal Commission. The fees associated with the Outdoor Dining Program were not included with the proposed FY 2022-23 fee schedule prior to adoption, primarily due to the timing when staff received the Coastal Commission’s Conditional Certification. In April 2021, the City Council directed staff to develop a program for permanent outdoor dining. Over the next several months, the City Council conducted two public hearings, two public surveys, and provided direction to staff to develop an outdoor dining program. In December 2021 the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1050 establishing an outdoor dining program which received final certification from the California Coastal Commission on July 14, 2022.
Discussion: In order for the City to recover the costs associated with the Outdoor Dining Program, staff recommends amending the fee schedule to include the following new fees:
- Revocable Encroachment Permit (one time only): $230
- Design Permit for Custom Deck: $1,000 deposit – actual staff time billed against deposit
- Outdoor dining space rent (annual):
$3,400 per parking space (or partial space)
$18/sq. ft. on sidewalks and non-parking areas
- Outdoor dining maintenance deposit (one time only):
$500 for sidewalk
$1,000 for 1-2 parking spaces
$1,500 for 3-5 parking spaces
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT CHANGES PLANS TO ATTACH LARGE PIPE TO LAUREL STREET BRIDGE DUE TO PUBLIC PROTEST
Jane Mio, a local environmental steward, raised significant questions to officials regarding the potential adverse impacts of Soquel Creek Water District’s PureWater Soquel Project’s construction plan to attach a 14″ treated sewage water to the Laurel Street Bridge because of the disruption it would cause to the Swallows who nest on and under the bridge.
She never received a response, but happened to speak with a biologist who had been asked to evaluate the validity of her complaint. The person told her that because of her complaint, it was determined that the construction would be disruptive to the Swallows, a federally-protected migratory bird, and therefore the construction cannot occur on the bridge while the birds are in residence.
Many thanks to Jane Mio for taking action. Although she was never formally informed of the responses to her complaint, made in the best interest of the wildlife adversely affected by the District’s construction work, she DID make a positive difference.
Thank you, Jane!
MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY RECEIVES $7.6 MILLION GRANT THAT WILL PARTIALLY BE USED TO PAY FOR SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S PROJECT TO INJECT TREATED SEWAGE WATER INTO THE AQUIFER
An undetermined amount of a large State Water Board Grant to the Midcounty Groundwater Agency to support sustaining healthy groundwater levels in the Midcounty area will be used to help Soquel Creek Water District pay for their expensive project to inject potentially contaminated treated sewage water into the aquifer. While this is not surprising, it is disappointing that the District has failed to present any Final Anti-Degradation Analysis, required by State law, to show this injected water will not harm the high-quality water of the Purisima Aquifer.
The State approved the MidCounty Groundwater Agency’s Sustainability Plan two years ago that made the PureWater Soquel Project a keystone project in their plan to restore and maintain groundwater levels, even though the Project’s three injection wells are not located in the La Selva Beach area where seawater intrusion is reportedly the greatest threat.
Read the list of elements the public money will fund for Soquel Creek Water District’s project on page 25 of the Aptos Times August 1, 2022 issue: Aptos Times: August 1, 2022 — Times Publishing Group, Inc. The article begins on page 19. I wonder if the photo showing District Project Manager Melanie Mow-Schumacher jumping gleefully into the air is reflective of her appreciation that the District ratepayers are paying her a $1600 monthly bonus while the Project is under construction??
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| Construction site of PureWater Soquel Project’s Advanced Treatment Facility that will use reverse osmosis “energy hog” technology to remove some, but not all, contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, hormones and other unknown substances from treated sewage water before the District injects it into the aquifer. This facility is on Soquel Avenue Frontage Road, just across from the County Sheriff Center. | |
EXCELLENT COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF LOCAL WATER SUPPLIERS IN LAFCO REPORT
Bravo to Director Joe Serrano who just released the very comprehensive Sphere and Service Review that includes evaluation of all local water agencies.
There are a number of recommendations for increasing “Strategic Partnerships” between larger agencies, and for consolidations or annexations of smaller water providers.
Here is the link to that 229-page thorough analysis.
The Commission is asked to do this:
Adopt a Resolution (LAFCO No. 2022-11) approving the 2022 Countywide Water Service and Sphere Review with the following terms and conditions:
- Reaffirm the existing spheres of influence for Scotts Valley Water District and San Lorenzo Valley Water District;
- Amend the existing spheres of influence for Central Water District, City of Santa Cruz, City of Watsonville, and Soquel Creek Water District to accurately reflect the areas currently within the agencies’ jurisdiction and/or already being served;
- Adopt a sphere of influence for the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency to be coterminous with the Corralitos Basin;
- Adopt a zero sphere of influence for County Service Area 54 and the Reclamation District No. 2049 as a precursor to dissolution;
- Direct the Executive Officer to distribute letters to the small water systems to ensure that they are fulfilling the statutory requirements under Assembly Bill 54; and
- Direct the Executive Officer to distribute a copy of the adopted service and sphere review to the nine water agencies, Monterey LAFCO, San Benito LAFCO, and any other interested or affected parties, including but not limited to the Civil Grand Jury of Santa Cruz County.
Note that for the City of Santa Cruz….
See page 68:
LAFCO Staff Recommendation: The City should explore additional ways to share services and resources with neighboring agencies, including but not limited to nearby water districts.
(Many ratepayers of the Soquel Creek Water District have repeatedly asked for consolidation.)
See page 72:
Proposed Sphere Boundary In January 2019, the Commission amended the City’s sphere to include three nautical miles offshore to reflect the city’s legal limits. In accordance with state law, the sphere boundary should focus on areas that may receive services from the City in the foreseeable future. Based on staff’s analysis, the City provides services outside its city limits, totaling 10,757 parcels (approximately 17,000 acres). These parcels were previously shown in Figure 21 on page 67.
LAFCO staff is recommending that the sphere boundary be amended to remove the three nautical miles and include the City’s water service area, excluding the areas located within the City of Capitola’s jurisdictional and sphere boundaries.
This would remove areas of Live Oak, Pleasure Point and Capitola currently being served by Santa Cruz City. Hmmm… See Page 73 for that proposed map.
Take a look at the map on page 81 and 92, showing the large area that the City of Watsonville serves with potable water. According to the discussion on page 91, the City has provided water to these 4,700 parcels for a long time, pre-dating LAFCO’s formation in 1963.
The number of small private water systems in the County is quite amazing. The LAFCO Report explains that under AB 54, these private water systems that are organized as mutuals (customers own a share of the business) are also subject to LAFCO review. Director Serrano’s Report states he will send letters to all such water mutuals to outline necessary AB 54 compliance requirements and will potentially advise consolidation if adequate water service cannot be provided.
That move to consolidate, in tandem with SB 552’s aggressive push by the State Water Boards for consolidation, is worrisome to me.
LAFCO recommends that all agencies reviewed submit a Plan to address potential consolidations by 2027 for the next Service and Sphere Review.
How many small water mutuals are there included in the Service and Sphere Review? The Appendix A lists 132 total.
Here are some shown on maps but that overlap with other nearby agency evaluation:
42 near the City of Watsonville (page 94)
43 within the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency jurisdictional boundaries (page 130) many overlapping with the City of Watsonville
41 near the San Lorenzo Valley Water District (page 174)
10 near Scotts Valley Water Agency (page 196)
33 near Soquel Creek Water District (page 220)
The history of the Mountain Charlie Water Works, now County Service Area 54 Summit West Water Mutual is interesting. See page 102.
Page 111 describes the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency:
The municipal, agricultural, and industrial wells are metered and they account for approximately 88% of the total groundwater basin water use. There are approximately 1,100 wells serving the rural residential parcels, which account for approximately 2% of the water use, and the remaining 10% of water use is by delivered water users.
The explanation of the “Delivered Water Zone” and associated Augmentation Charges on pages 112-113 is notable.
This Agency’s jurisdictional boundaries span the Counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito. (See map on page 114. The Governance Board is a seven-member panel, four of which are elected using a district-based method and:
“The remaining three directors are separately appointed by Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, and the City of Watsonville. Appointed directors serve two-year terms and must derive at least 51% of their net income from agriculture.”
Note that there is no representation from San Benito County. That County has a much higher projected growth rate than other local counties, but an overall lower population: (page 115)
“Table 53 shows the anticipated population within PVWMA. The average rate of change for Monterey County is 0.25%, Santa Cruz County is 0.86%, City of Watsonville is 2.78%, and San Benito County is 6.54%.
This Agency, in coordination with the City of Watsonville, built a tertiary water treatment facility that can produce 4,000 Acre-feet/Year of recycled water for agricultural irrigation when blended with other sources. (Page 129)
The College Lake Reclamation District analysis is shocking: (page 138)
“Services and Infrastructure: The District’s sole purpose is to drain the College Lake once a year to allow for farming purposes during the summer season. The District currently uses one weir, a small water damn, to control the flow of water. The District does not provide any other services or has any other infrastructure or facility, as shown in Tables 62 and 63. While the District has been in existence for 102 years, its service operation and overall governance is in disarray.”
All five Board position terms have expired, two of which are vacant, the Board had not met for two years, and County audits of the agency finances for 2011-2015 caused the agency to be put on notice in 2017, with no action taken. The agency has continued to collect the assessment fees but provide no accounting.
It is a good thing this agency will likely be absorbed by Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency as the College Lake Groundwater Recharge Project moves forward, no longer draining College Lake.
The San Lorenzo Valley Water District analysis is well worth reading, along with this recommendation (page 172):
“LAFCO Staff Recommendation: SLVWD should coordinate with LAFCO to analyze possible annexations and/or sphere amendments to include any mutual water companies or other nearby water systems affected by the recent fires or can no longer provide adequate level of service.”
Analysis of Scotts Valley Water District begins on page 181, and is also worth taking time to read as there are moves afoot for consolidation.
Soquel Creek Water District’s service area will have a real booming population increase, according to page 208:
“It is estimated that SqCWD will serve an approximate population of 47,200 people in 2040.” That is a 5.06% increase. (This comports with the County’s proposed General Plan Update to locate extremely high-density residential development in Seacliff and Seascape, as well as Live Oak.)
Financial information is shocking: (page 209)
At the end of Fiscal Year 2020-21, total revenue collected was approximately $40 million, representing a 52% increase from the previous year ($26 million in FY 19-20)
Note this on page 217:
Based on staff’s analysis, SqCWD is providing services outside its jurisdiction to 290 parcels through five separate extraterritorial service agreements approved by LAFCO. Figure 79 on page 218 shows the subject parcels receiving services outside SqCWD’s jurisdiction.
LAFCO Staff Recommendation: SqCWD should consider annexing these parcels if the District and the affected landowners determine it would improve the level of service and increase local representation.
Page 219 does not acknowledge past difficulties between Soquel Creek Water District and the City of Santa Cruz, nor does it acknowledge the collaboration currently happening to treat sewage water to inject into the aquifer.
LAFCO Staff Recommendation: SqCWD should explore additional ways to share services and resources with neighboring agencies, including but not limited to nearby water districts.
Again, many District ratepayers have repeatedly asked the District to consolidate with the City of Santa Cruz Water Department for more efficient operation and likely lower rates. The District’s administration is resistant, even though their rates are the second-highest in the State for a system their size.
SAN LORENZO VALLEY WATER DISTRICT BOARD WILL EVALUATE IMPORTANT EIR THIS THURSDAY EVENING (8/4) IN VIRTUAL MEETING
There is certainly a lot to talk about, with a Draft EIR that includes four possible water sharing scenarios with other neighboring water agencies but is missing a lot of information. The Board is seemingly being asked to move ahead anyway. Some of the options would be very expensive.
At the November 4th, 2021 Board of Directors meeting the Board approved moving ahead with the consultant Rincon Consultants, Inc. under the District Managers purchasing authority of $30,000 to complete an updated project description. The updated project description is shown as exhibit A.
Within the project description there is bracketed information that needs additional review or further analysis. The remaining information cannot be updated until discussions with the City of Santa Cruz regarding the District’s Loch Lomond allotment are had and further technical analysis and modeling are completed. These data values and missing information will be added as the project moves forward.
Exhibit B is a tentative schedule for moving the conjunctive use plan EIR forward.
Next steps include coordinating with the City of Santa Cruz, working with regulatory agencies Agenda: 8.4.22 Item: 10a 5 1 of 23 to begin permitting the associated water diversions, and determining which studies the District will need to pursue to support the EIR.
Tune in Thursday evening (8/4) at 6:30pm and participate.
WHAT’S IN THOSE BARRELS OF CONTAMINATION AT THE COUNTY BUILDING?
| These barrels of contaminated soil securely stored on the sidewalk outside the 701 Ocean Street Government Building caught my attention… | 
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as did these barrels in the basement entry that were not so secured, but full of something. |
| When I asked a worker about the contents of the barrels, he said the diesel tanks for the County Building’s generator were over-filled and leaked into the soil. That’s what is in the barrels, with unknown disposal time or location. |  |
I am sorry the expensive diesel was wasted, but glad the contaminated soil got cleaned up.
Do you think you or I could be allowed such leniency?
A LOCAL PIONEER PICNIC THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR 84 YEARS…MAYBE LONGER
What a delight to attend the Soquel Pioneer Picnic in Pringle Grove last Saturday! That event has been happening for over 84 years. The land was given to the community group in the 1930’s by the Merrill family with the condition that the picnic and business meeting occur annually.
The group rents a space within the Porter Memorial Library that showcases Soquel history.
There used to be a functioning water fountain there, but Soquel Creek Water District removed the connection, demanding thousands of dollars for a proper hook-up and a monthly $60 service fee.
Funny, the District did not mind knowingly providing free water to the Aptos Village Project developers for over a year from a renegade service connection on Granite Way. Hmmm….
A good turnout for the annual picnic, with families describing their roots in Soquel.
Guest Speaker Bert Izant, describing his book about Soquel history “Writings, Memories: Glimpses of Santa Cruz and Soquel from three Pioneer Families”. He talked a lot about how important baseball had been to him and other local youth, and that the community built a grassy playing field so that Soquel could have their own team in the Little League tournament. Sadly, he said, the field is now a subdivision. There were many stories told by others about the rich fishing memories on Soquel Creek, catching 8-12 pound Steelhead.
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 |
July 31
SAGEBRUSH COUNTRY
Sagebrush is coming into bloom here and across the west, a fascinating group of plants that blanket thousands of acres across California and beyond. You probably won’t be wowed by the flowers (without a hand lens), but the stories behind the plants are fun to learn.
What’s a Sagebrush?
You should know off the bat that, despite its name, sagebrush isn’t a sage, though it is a bush. Sage are mint family plants, sagebrush are sunflower family plants: big difference. Perhaps someone thought there was a similarity in the scent of the leaves. Sagebrush leaves aren’t minty to my nose, though.
Tarragon, wormwood, mugwort (pictured at left), and sagebrushes are in the genus Artemisia. Tarragon doesn’t smell like the other sage brushes growing across California. Like sunflowers, Artemisia has two types of flowers. In the cultivated big yellow sunflowers, you can see hundreds of disk flowers in the center and there is a ring of ray flowers around the outside of the flower head…these have large petals. Now that you know this, next time someone points to a sunflower and says ‘nice flower!’ you can reply, ‘which one?’
Artemisias have odd flower heads with two types of flowers: ‘pistillate’ flowers and ‘disk’ flowers- these are too tiny to see for most people. But, knowing how many disk vs. pistillate flowers is important to figure out if you want to know which species you are looking at if you get out across California much. Luckily, only one thing is called sagebrush around here: California sagebrush.
California Sagebrush
California sagebrush stands make pure stands- gray, velvety slopes from a distance- or creates light green highlights in a sea of darker green shrubs with which it shares space near the coast of Santa Cruz County. Its leaves are wispy and its branches wand-like. This shrub often has multiple trunks and shreddy bark. As they get older, California sagebrush leans this way and that. Little grows in its understory in dense stands, but it can eke out a living on rocky outcrops where it shares space with bright red flowing Indian paintbrush and evening-blossoming spidery-flowered soaproot and a wealth of other species that pop up in such coastal scrubby places.
California sagebrush flower heads nod, and you can barely tell when the flowers are open. Each tiny flower head is less than 5 mm across and contains between 20-40 flowers. When the flower heads are open, the center of each seems a little yellow, but there are no petals. Many people know when this and other sagebrushes are in blossom because their eyes start itching and they sneeze a lot. On the East Coast and Midwest, people are familiar with ‘ragweed’ flowering season in the summer for the allergies those plants trigger. Fewer people understand that sagebrush is causing their postnasal drip. Starting in about 3 weeks, the winds coming into Santa Cruz will carry clouds of sagebrush pollen: get ready!
California Sagebrush Wildlife
There is one California sagebrush-dependent bird, but other birds like hopping around it, too. In southern California, there is a bird that has a tiny range and is so endangered that it has halted development on some of the most expensive real estate in the world. The coastal subspecies of the California gnatcatcher calls coastal sage scrub its sole home…and it needs a lot of California sagebrush to thrive. That bird doesn’t live close to us, but Wrentits seem to like living in coastal scrub. Wrentits are easy to recognize from a distinct call, the male song is likened to a ping pong ball dropping.
Great Basin Sages
The sagebrush you probably first heard about from Western movies or the ‘sagebrush rebellion‘ that helped make Reagan president is called ‘big sagebrush’ aka Artemisia tridentata. Various subspecies of this plant cover more than 14 million acres of land in the Great Basin, including Eastern California. It has smaller, wider leaves than California sagebrush and three lobes of each leaf which is why its species is ‘tridentata.’ It has similarly nondescript flower heads and a similar propensity to make people sneeze, except there might be fewer people downwind and in sneezing distance of this species. There are a number of other sagebrush species in the Great Basin – I recognize silver sagebrush as more silvery and in wetter areas than big sagebrush.
As with the California sagebrush habitat, big sagebrush has its rare bird, the sage grouse. Friends in Eastern California have shown me the tell-tale sign of sage grouse: poop pellets of compacted, half-digested sagebrush leaves (etc.).
Sage in Your Yard
If it doesn’t make you sneeze, our local California sagebrush is a great addition to the landscape. It is quick growing and provides a good short visual screen in little time. For fire safety, you can cut leggy shrubs with dead branches back to the ground and they sprout right back with more lush, vigorous branches. You can also shape them with hedge shears to whatever size you like shy of their maximum of around 4 ½ feet. Once established, plants need no summer water and no fertilizer. It would be more difficult to grow big sagebrush around the Monterey Bay as those plants like to be quite dry and might not make it through our rainier winters.
Your Homework
I hope that you will sidle up to a local sagebrush this summer and look carefully at it, rub it, and smell it. The pendulous flower heads are cute! The scent of sagebrush leaves is heady and memorable. And, the habitat where this plant grows often unveils interesting things. Plus, you might get to hear a wrentit’s unique and distinct song.
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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 |
July 29
#211 / I Am Kind Of Seeing Some Irony, Here
Pictured above is the folded-up James Webb Space Telescope, as it was prepared for mounting on a rocket and for its launch last year at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. I got the picture from an online version of a New York Times’ article, “No Sign of Martians, but Webb Will Keep Looking.” The online headline is different, as is so often the case.
The first images we have received, now that the new space telescope is operational, are truly awe-inspiring. You can click the link to view them. What I was mainly interested in, though, in The New York Times article, was this description of what scientists are trying to find, using this new hardware:
This month will mark a new chapter in the search for extraterrestrial life, when the most powerful space telescope yet built will start spying on planets that orbit other stars. Astronomers hope that the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal whether some of those planets harbor atmospheres that might support life.
Identifying an atmosphere in another solar system would be remarkable enough. But there is even a chance — albeit tiny — that one of these atmospheres will offer what is known as a biosignature: a signal of life itself.
“I think we will be able to find planets that we think are interesting — you know, good possibilities for life,” said Megan Mansfield, an astronomer at the University of Arizona. “But we won’t necessarily be able to just identify life immediately.”
So far, NASA has spent $10 billion on the James Webb telescope. I suppose that’s not really very much, when we consider that the United States government is spending about $800 billion a year on what is euphemistically called “defense.” In an excellent column in the San Jose Mercury News, Lindsay Koshgarian ably demonstrates how we could vastly improve life on Earth, were we to redirect those funds.
Still, $10 billion is a lot of money to be looking for atmospheric signatures indicating life on exoplanets around stars located in other galaxies, thousands of light years away.
Maybe it’s just me, but I am kind of seeing some irony, here, as we look for life on planets that are light years away while we happen to be living on the only planet in the entire universe where we know that life exists, and where we are in the middle of a massive extinction event – the “Sixth Extinction” – caused by our own human activities.
Am I off base, here, or are you feeling some irony, too?
Another NASA image. No new telescope required.
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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 |
August 1
THE PLOT(S) ONLY THICKEN – SEND FLOWERS
Seems that we can all probably agree that the recent decision by the Trump Family Trust & Crime Syndicate to put the deceased Ivana Trump out to pasture at the Bedminster, NJ Trump National Golf Club is par for the course. That action for burial of a loved one in itself seems somewhat out of line, but the photos of the dreary gravesite near the first tee showing up on the internet have people shaking their heads in disbelief, calling it disrespectful and bizarre. The bare dirt, sans manicured grass or landscaping, is comparable to a pauper’s gravesite, and even DJT would call it disgusting had it had been done by someone other than him. Hand it to the Gang of Four, however, for remembering to order and place an engraved plaque with Ivana’s name and dates of her existence – a certain and easily removable souvenir for some wanderer’s backpack.
There is some historical background, as reported by NPR in 2012, with the headline ‘Fairway to Heaven,’ that Trump planned to build himself a nineteen-feet high stone mausoleum mid-course, which drew some unfavorable local commentary. His proposal was later expanded to having a cemetery for upwards of a thousand graves, but that plan was dispensed with for a time, calling for a ten-plot private family cemetery. Further refinement of the proposal spelled out a commercial 284-plot cemetery, the Washington Post noting that buyers, presumably avid golfers, “could pay for a kind of eternal membership” to the exclusive club. It is unknown what plans exist for the resting place of the ‘Eternal Donald’, since he has a plot near those of his parents in Jamaica, Queens, but he feels that the mausoleum was a “rational choice.” He is quoted further as saying, “It’s never something you like to think about, but it makes sense. This is such beautiful land, and Bedminster is one of the richest places in the country.” It probably gives the delusional ‘Golden Cheeto’ comfort to believe he’s taking it all with him.
As we drill down into the nitty-gritty of this burial-plot-plot, it turns out to be an attempt at a tax dodge and insulation against future criminal charges. New Jersey exempts cemetery land from all taxes, rates and assessments or personal property taxes, but also business taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, and inheritance taxes – so potential tax advantages could benefit the family trust in a state noted for high property rates. Brooke Harrington, professor of sociology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, has looked into these possibilities, calling it a “trifecta of tax avoidance,” adding that the tax code does not stipulate the number of human remains in order to qualify. But, according to the Washington Post, it is unlikely that the 1.5 acre plot would deliver tax exemptions to the full Bedminster course, any break only affecting less than ten acres. But every break counts for one who is taking it with him, and Tin Foil Hat Donny has previously designated the plot as a farm because some on-site trees are turned into mulch for the flower beds. Look for a GoFundMe appeal to buy flowers for Ivana’s spot.
Evidently, the interment had no bearing on the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series at Westminster, where Trump took center stage in the face of criticism, as several top U.S. golfers abandoned the U.S. Golf Association and PGA tours. Especially critical were survivors, friends and families of victims of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, who are suspicious of the Saudi ties to the plane hijackers. The Tangerine Caligula dismissed the critics who felt he was being insensitive and disrespectful by telling ESPN, “Nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately.” AG Merrick Garland and the House J6 Committee seem to be getting to the bottom of one attempted hijacking, however…fingers crossed!
Not content to be offensive about the tourney and with his comments, Trump was blatant in his use of the presidential seal on several items during the tournament. The seal was plastered on towels, golf carts and other souvenir tchotchkes, all in violation of federal law which could convey ‘a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States.’ He is a repeat offender, having used the seal at other Trump properties and golf courses, and in 2018, the Trump Organization ordered golf course tee markers, a violation which could result in imprisonment of ‘not more than six months, a fine, or both,’ punishments rarely dispensed. Last year, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint against Bedminster Golf Club for using and profiting from the image, saying, “Unlawful use of the presidential seal for commercial purposes is no trivial matter, especially when it involves a former president who is actively challenging the legitimacy of the current president.” Stay tuned.
Senator Josh Hawley is still a victim of finger-pointing mockery as a result of the House J6 Committee video of his flight from the insurrectionists that he helped to inflame with his raised fist salute prior to the invasion of the Capitol. It has been proposed that the American idiom ‘to haul ass’ be changed into ‘to hawley ass.’ Nevertheless, he insists he doesn’t regret his actions in support of the MAGAts, and he thinks it’s a privilege to be attacked by the J6 Committee which has been a boon to his fundraising. He stated in a CNN interview, “This is an attempt to troll…the reason I’m being attacked by the committee is because I’m in their way.” Running coach, Zoe Rom, in The Outsider has a poignant critique of his running style – a stick-man lacking a good forward lean. “Hawley’s torso is straighter than Mike Pence’s freshly cleared search history, possibly due to absence of a spine. He needs lower-core work and/or adherence to any core values. His foot is landing on his heel, well in front of the knee – called ‘overstriding.’ His escalator ride has a shorter stride, great form for efficiency and injury prevention and a clear indicator of one who’s been practicing their footwork by dancing around any form of accountability. His gear, a suit from Brooks Brothers “We’re-Totally-Getting-Away-With-It” Collection prevents range of motion when desperately fleeing the consequences of your own actions – recommend a good pair of split shorts allowing proper knee-drive in a sweat-wicking fabric, perhaps Merino wool which is perfect for sheep-like devotion to a minoritarian movement – and, it’s odor-blocking! Leather wingtips are perfect for trolling climate activists from a Martha’s Vineyard summer cottage, but less effective for escaping the 4Chan mob at your office door. For making a break down a marble hallway, try a shoe with a rubber sole and more breathability. It’s a bad look to be fleeing an insurrection you caused, but if you’re going to do it, at least have the proper form and equipment – the only fate worse than jail time for treason is plantar fasciitis.”
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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.
“Tomatoes”
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad”.
~Brian O’Driscoll
“My greatest strength is common sense. I’m really a standard brand – like Campbell’s tomato soup or Baker’s chocolate”.
~Katharine Hepburn
“I love judging food by its smell and feel and taste. The healthiest tomato isn’t always the perfect one that’s been covered in pesticides”.
~Sheherazade Goldsmith
Many of the things the slow food people honor were innovations within historical times. Somebody had to be the first European to eat a tomato.
~Nathan Myhrvold
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I got to thinking about Nina Hagen the other day for some reason. I found a YouTube of her entire first album (Nina Hagen Band), which I played to death when it came out in 1978. It’s entirely in German, and damn if musical memory isn’t an amazing thing! I found myself singing along to stuff I hadn’t heard since Jr High… She is known as The Godmother of Punk, was born in East Germany, and has a voice with an incredible range. She is a trained opera singer, somethihng which a lot of people don’t know. Here she is singing Carmen in French, on stage in Copenhagen in 1985. Watch the whole thing, there’s an interview after the song.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
July 27 – August 2, 2022
BRATTON…Mayor of Santa Cruz, County Supervisor race, movie critiques, Live Here Now. GREENSITE…will be back next week. KROHN…Country Divided. STEINBRUNER… Aptos Village issues, County Fairgrounds problems, Rispin Mansion Park, Watsonville Hospital, Central fire district needs help, Capitola Library, Aptos Library, Castro Adobe tours. HAYES…Grazing goats for fire safety. PATTON…Standing by for Civil War? MATLOCK…House select committee wraps it up for Garland…Hello, Hello? EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS..The history of Rock ‘n Roll that you never knew. QUOTES…”August”
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DATELINE July 25
MAYOR OF SANTA CRUZ. With Fred Keeley making his move to be our next mayor so quickly folks gotta be wondering who or even IF anybody will be running against him. Fred’s got some big time supporters and folks are wondering about his love, loyalty and backing of the Warriors Basketball Empire has anything to do with the development around the Warriors territory? It’ll be a big change in how our City is run with representatives from six districts sharing their power and time. We’ll see what happens to the nearly unlimited power and control the City Manager has over the council. That power will be diminished under Mayor Keeley’s command, I’ll bet. Some rumors say that a woman from the DSA is considering a mayoral run…let’s hope!
POLITICAL LULL TIME. This is that time of the year when we see little political local action. We know that the candidates are ramping up for September and the big push to get votes in November, but its summer. Justin Cummings in his run for Santa Cruz County Supervisor has some fine events scheduled and I support him all the way. He sent this schedule…
Justin Cummings City Council Beach Cleanup Competition. Saturday July 30, 10am-12pm: meet at the Ideal Bar and Grill deck area. The Santa Cruz City Council is once again having its annual beach cleanup competition amongst council members and I would be so grateful to have your support. Last year we won by bringing out the most participants to help with the cleanup and we’re hoping to defend our title this year. City staff will provide supplies for the cleanup, but if you have your own, please feel free to bring them. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and good shoes to walk on the sand.
Thursday August 18th from 5:30 – 7:30, we will be kicking off our fall Supervisor Campaign at London Nelson Center. Click here to RSVP. This is a family friendly event and we will be providing food and drinks. Please join us as we continue to build community, and mobilize as we move into the fall cycle of our campaign. This is a fundraiser, so please consider donating to the campaign at the event. If you are unable to make it to the event, please consider donating online and let us know how you can help support us by putting up a yard sign, hosting an event or meet and greet, walking precincts, or phone banking. It takes a village and we are confident that our village will be victorious this fall. For more information and to donate please visit:
More than that, go to his website check out the endorsements. You’ll see that so many are from the NO on D campaign majority. Check out Shebreh Kalantri-Johnson’s website and note the support and money come from pro-growth/Colligan/Cynthia Mathews and her City Council sisterhood.
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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 LAST MOVIE STARS. (HBO MAX SERIES) (8.3IMDB).Ethan Hawke directed this six part documentary and looks foolish as he does it. Paul started Newman’s Own in 1982 and I haven’t reached that part of his Santa Cruz connected life yet. But I need to say I’ve never forgotten seeing Paul and his wife Joanne Woodward holding hands and walking on Pacific Avenue near where New Leaf and The Del Mar theatre are today. It’s a worthy series and details his great film career as well as his drinking problems and having love affairs. He was 82 when he died.
THE GRAY MAN. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.6 IMDB). Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and good old Billy Bob Thornton are the leads in this terribly violent, plotless, spy drama. It is the most violent, bloody, big budget movie I’ve seen in years. It’s about secret moves by the CIA to kill one of their own members. The plot is actually ruined by the number of car chases and bloody cut throat scenes. Yes, I watched all of it but I’m sorry I did. The ending doesn’t end anything.
NOPE. (DEL MAR THEATRE). A very complex movie. It’s a horror film with flying saucers who visit and spew out whatever they suck up. It all happens on ranchland with cowboys and horses and those skinny flapping balloon figures from used car lots suggesting something. It’s all about suggestion, hints, and deciphering what director Jordan Peele is trying to create. No one has figured the plot out yet so don’t feel bad if you do go.
UMMA. (NETFLIX MOVIE)(4.6 IMDB). Umma means mother in Korean and Sandra Oh tries very hard to lead this horror film both as actor and executive producer. Delmont Mulrooney is a neighboring bee keeper and Sandra can’t deal with electricity. Aside from that Because of a grave misunderstanding her mother’s ghost comes back very often just to scream and terrify. It’s different but not that different….save your rental fees.
PERSUASION. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.6 IMDB). Another adaption of a Jane Austin book. This copy is modernized, it has a multi-racial cast and is billed as a romantic comedy. The acting is stylized, awkward, and doesn’t hold together. Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot talks to the camera and makes it watchable but not as much fun as previous versions.
COLLISON, (NETFLIX MOVIE) (3.9 IMDB). A South African film from Johannesburg that has three confusing stories. Father and daughter and their relationship, a teenage girl is kidnapped, and a phony business man deals with his dealers. Amateurish, many, many dialects and poorly assembled. Not worth your time.
DON’T MAKE ME GO. (AMAZON PRIME MOVIE)(6.4 IMDB). John Cho does his best to play the father who learns that he’s dying from a brain tumor. He decides to take his teenage daughter on a long cross country trip to find her mother. It’s billed as a comedy drama but the acting, the plot, and the incredibly slow pace made me turn it off when they got to Texas….you’re on your own for this one.
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.
BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE. (Also known as “FIRE” online) Del Mar Theatre. (6.9 IMDB) Juliette Binoche has never been better than this movie, and that’s saying a lot because she’s always marvelous. It’s very French and goes deep into the past lives and loves between two sets of exes dealing with how to stay friends. It’ll cut deep into your own past relationship issues and aside from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf I can’t remember any drama going this complex and realistic.
HOUSE OF GUCCI. (PRIME VIDEO MOVIE) (6.6 IMDB) Such a cast…Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, and also Salma Hayek!! Such a notable and based on truth story about the Gucci family and fashion clothes industry but it comes off as silly and half dramatic. There’s even a murder, much double dealing, heavy mugging and unreal makeup on some of the cast. It’s imposable to tell what the famous director Ridley Scott had in mind other than making viewers cringe every 20 seconds. Watch only if necessary.
FOR JOJO. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (3.7 IMDB). A sad German saga dealing with the relationship between two women who have been very close since they were kids in Berlin. Jojo falls in love and wants to marry a black guy and Paula just loses it. Their histories could have been better exposed but it’s intense and worth watching.
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND.(NETFLIX SERIES) (8.3 IMDB). Author and UC Berkeley professor Michael Pollan wrote HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND in 2018. Now he produced this four part series centering on four psychedelic drugs and how they can change your personality and your life. Episode 1 is about LSD and its history, episode 2 centers on Psilocybin, episode 3 hits home and features Santa Cruz’s own Rick Doblin founder of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) talking about MDMA or Ecstasy. The last episode focuses on Mescaline. You’ll see Ram Dass, Stewart Brand, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, and the influence psychedelics had on the very founding of Silicon Valley. Huge advances both legally and scientifically have been made proving the usefulness of these hallucinogens and this documentary is as entertaining as it is thoughtful.
CENTAUR. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.3 IMDB) This is a Spanish movie about a superbike racer, which really means motorcycles like Kawasaki’s and Hondas. It seems like hours of track racing and that’s fairly exciting. Then he gets into trouble with big time drug/mafia types and he has to run the drugs using his racing motor bike. It’s a poor copy of a plot and should only be watched by track fans only.
JEWEL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS. Their current production is “Deathtrap” which was Broadway’s longest running comedy-thriller play. Tense, funny, and it was for me at least in the top three plays I’ve seen at the Jewel, and I’ve seen almost all of them. The written play by Ira Levin who also wrote Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, and The Boys From Brazil is at near genius level. The acting and Jewel Theatre production is shocking, good fun and amazing. It’s at the Colligan Theatre and runs from now through July 31st. Call 831 425-7506 or go to www.JewelTheatre.net
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts now through August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
July 25
Gillian will be back next week.
| 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. |
July 25
Country Divided
New York is back. There’s a 200% increase in the number of tourists this summer than last summer. The city advises everyone to wear masks, everywhere, but my experience so far is that less than 20% heed that advice. People are tired–covid-fatigued, willing to chance it—and they will tell you they have both vaccines and two booster shots. I’ve not encountered any anti-vax movements here in Manhattan, just people who want to get back to a normal that is likely still far away. Who I am spending time are two old friends, a retired medical injury lawyer and his banker wife. They both lean way-Republican. We all began hanging out in grammar school and on multiple Long Island basketball courts, we’ve been good friends ever since. These friends’ love-story began long after and they were married about 15 years ago.
The Good
Arnie lives with his wife of a decade and a half, Stella (not their real names), who was in my kindergarten class around the time JFK was murdered. Four years ago, they bought a newly built four-bedroom house on Long Island. It’s located in a neighborhood where you can hear a pin drop on the freshly resurfaced asphalt street in the middle of the day. Arnie carries a Catholic conservative belief system: hates most taxes, is anti-abortion, believes the less government the better, supports more funding for police not less, and is truly convinced that private property is sacred and you can do with it anything you want, you own it after all, he often says. We agree on few current political issues, but what we both seem to agree on is that corruption indeed exists within the government; Lee Harvey Oswald did not kill JFK; no one should be able to run for office after the age of 75; it’s a shame, but you have to fight for good medical care in this country; we hold my daughters in high esteem; and the 1969 New York Mets world series win was a significant highlight in each of our lives.
The Not so Good
Arnie voted for Trump in 2016, but declined to do so again in 2020. He originally voted for him because Trump’s candidacy offered a large middle finger to who Arnie perceived as the ruling class, read, the Democratic establishment. He believes Trump did a good job in keeping taxes low and pulling back on military commitments abroad. He bemoans the military budget rising egregiously under Trump, but thinks moving the Israeli capital to Jerusalem was a noteworthy accomplishment. He said he did not vote for Trump in 2020 because he had become a distraction and the Republicans ought to move on to someone in their full clubhouse of eligible candidates. Arnie is also convinced that Joe Biden is standing on the precipice of senility, way too old to be President. Needless to say, he did not vote for Joe. But he has a larger beef with Biden, it’s about his son, Hunter, and this piece of news I’ve recently come to understand is a major example of the Republican-Democrat political divide, because of how the media treats it.
Hunter-gate
I’ve not been following closely Hunter Biden’s financial-political woes with respect to the Ukraine and China, but Arnie sure has and it is current events topic number one among his conservative demographic. That’s the avowedly rightwing New York Post crowd. The Post has relentlessly run story after story that Hunter Biden almost certainly broke foreign lobbying laws, according to “experts.” According to the Post, Hunter lobbies on behalf of foreign governments, but he has never registered as a foreign agent. And since Joe opened the overseas cargo doors for his son to make oodles of money, the way the Post tells the story, the President himself must surely be culpable as well. How does the New York Post know any of this? “The revelations were contained on a laptop abandoned by Hunter Biden at a Delaware computer repair shop in April 2019.” That laptop was supposedly then given over to Post reporters by an unknown source. The United States Justice Department has opened an investigation and the Post accuses the DOJ of dragging its feet in investigating the paper’s allegations stemming from the laptop dump of compromising emails. According to said paper, their information caused Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley to write a letter in 2020 to the DOJ. “Since then, I’ve only seen and gathered more records and information that confirm that [Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden] are closely linked to foreign interests,” the Post reported Grassley saying recently. How can the Bidens get away with this, the Post constantly bemoans. It’s all contained in the emails they say. Qatar, Serbia, and Colombia are also all places where Hunter had dealings. The Post knows all this because it’s in the emails. Politico reported in July that “[E]very month, there are dozens of stories about Hunter Biden attributed to a hard drive of a computer he left behind. The New York Post published 23 this past month. The Daily Mail has penned 20.” But now, the mainstream media led by another Post, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, and Newsweek have all reported out on this story, with Newsweek reporting in late July that a decision on the DOJ probe may happen within 60 days.
Tower of Babel News
So why am I carrying on with this story? Because there is this gulf between what news sources conservatives and liberals, left and right, read regularly. And in the case of Hunter’s laptop, the rightwing media is all over it and the mainstream has up until now given it a sort of, meh. Why? Politico reports, “The White House and Hunter’s representatives have largely taken a “no comment” approach to the laptop even as photos, videos, text messages, voicemails, and emails continue to trickle out on a weekly basis. They declined to comment for this story as well.” My friend, Arnie, says it is one of the stories of our time and only Fox, Sky News, and the N.Y. Post are committing resources to it, so far. It’s a big reason why Republicans feel that mainstream news is biased. Why are they not covering a big story like this? Arnie and other conservatives are all over this one and several others that only usually appear in the conservative media bubble. Most people I know are not following this story closely, but they are watching the January 6th hearings, but not as many Republican-leaning voters are. It is this severe information source divide that should concern us. Not only do we Republicans, Democrats, and Independents not agree on issues, we most often are not aware of the issues the other side is being made aware of, nor do we ever tune into the outlets they are hearing it from—Fox, Sky TV, or Newsmax. Just sayin’.
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Information Gap? While the Democrats are appalled by christian nationalists attacking the US capitol on January 6th, many Republicans have been feverishly following the Hunter Biden laptop email scandal with often equal interest, condemnation, and disdain towards the Biden Administration.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
July 25
A CHANGE ORDER IN COUNTY MEASURE D FUNDS TO HELP APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT DEVELOPERS
Last Wednesday, the County abruptly closed Soquel Drive in Aptos Village without any signage for advance notification that traffic would be detoured to Trout Gulch Road to Aptos Creek Road via the very narrow Aptos Village Way within the subdivision. Very few business owners along Soquel Drive knew the closure was going to happen.
Why did this happen?
According to my on-site conversation with Public Works Dept. engineer Tim Nguyen on July 20, the urgency was due to a Change Order for local Measure D road surfacing publicly-funded work so that the Aptos Village Project developers could cash in on having the contractor from Sacramento do the work before leaving to return to Sacramento
Mr. Nguyen informed me he had talked with the merchants that he knew a day ahead of time, but there were some he did not know, so did not contact.
Here is a link to the 2022 Countywide Measure D-funded street repairs and resurfacing
How did the Dept. of Public Works initiate this publicly-funded favor to the Aptos Village Project developers?
According to a telephone conversation with the McKim Corporation engineering consultant for the 2022 Countywide Measure D work, his office was contacted on June 7, 2022 by Ms. Carissa Duran, County engineer and project manager for the past Aptos Village Traffic Improvement Project Phases 1 and 2B, requesting a Change Order that would include the section of Soquel Drive between Trout Gulch Road and the new Parade Street intersection.
According to McKim Consultants, the request “sort of fell off the table” until Ms. Duran again contacted them about the Change Order on July 11. After negotiation, County Dept. of Public Works Director Matt Machado and Ms. Duran signed the official Change Order with approval of McKim Project engineer Mr. Tommy Munro on July 18, 2022.
That explains the rush job and lack of public notification for the July 20 work, I guess, doesn’t it?
I asked the McKim consultant how much the Change Order cost? That information, he said, has to come from the County.
The question remains…WHY IS THE COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS GIFTING THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT DEVELOPERS WITH MEASURE D PUBLICLY-FUNDED WORK? What street improvements will not get done in order to divert the money needed for this gift?
Take a look here:
| Here is the closed section of Soquel Drive at the new Parade Street entrance to the Aptos Village Project |  |
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This is Soquel Drive at the Trout Gulch Road intersection. Note that the entrance to the historic Bayview Hotel in the foreground is slurry-sealed, even though the County and the Aptos Village Projects plan to close it when the new Parade Street intersection to Soquel Drive is complete…perhaps by the end of August. |
| All busy Soquel Drive traffic was routed between Aptos Creek Road and Trout Gulch Road via the narrow and congested Aptos Village Way in the Subdivision. The Metro buses had a difficult time negotiating the narrow turning radius at the intersections…that was one of the many concessions the County allowed the developers. |  |
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Here is what Soquel Drive looks like now at that Parade Street intersection. Mr. Nguyen from County Public Works assured me that the bike lanes will be 5′ wide…how will this all fit? |
I suggest we hold our elected officials accountable and demand answers:
Chairman of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Manu Koenig manu.koenig@santacruzcounty.us
Not elected, but certainly omnipotent is Matt Machado, Assistant County Administrative Officer to CAO Carlos Palacios, and now also Director of the County Public Works Dept. AND the Planning Dept. now that the two have merged:
Matt Machado matt.machado@santacruzcounty.us
Also, contact the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) who oversees the Measure D funding allocation and Citizen Oversight Committee:
Luis Mendez lmendez@sccrtc.org
Rachel Moriconi rmoriconi@sccrtc.org
Shannon Munzsmunz@sccrtc.org
Tracy Newtnew@sccrtc.org
Pay attention to the Citizen Oversight Committee1
Finally, attend the August 4 RTC Regular Hybrid meeting and ask for an explanation
Does the RTC and County extend such generous favors to all developers in the County????
FAIR BOARD VOTED TO DEMOLISH LIVESTOCK BARNS, LEAVING LITTLE FOR EVACUEES TO DEPEND ON FOR SHELTERING ANIMALS
Last Tuesday, July 19, the Santa Cruz County Fair Board voted to demolish the historic Mel McCandless Swine Barn and the goat /sheep barn as quickly as possible and put up temporary large tents for the 2022 Fair exhibitors to show their livestock under. The tents will only be in place for the Fair, leaving nothing for possible emergency evacuation needs.
Two wise Directors voted against the shove by the Fair Manager’s feverish insistence that the foundations cannot be repaired in time for the Fair, and that the barns are old and should be replaced by a “cost-effective multi-purpose building”. Many thanks to President Dietrich and Director Campos who voted to first get alternative emergency shelter in place for disasters before demolishing the existing barns, repairing the foundations to give more time.
Although she agreed with members of the public later in the parking lot that the Fair Manager really needs to follow the law and stop his renegade actions that have resulted in the State Construction Authority’s determination that the swine and goat/sheep barns are “unstable and unsafe”, Director Flores went timidly swimming along with the crowd and voted to approve the demolition.
What is shocking is that Fair Manager David Kegebein publicly stated to the Board afterward that “since no State money is going to fund this work, the State Building Codes don’t apply.”
Here he goes again…another arrogant disregard for the law governing the State-owned Fairgrounds property. What he claimed is not true, borne out by explicit language in a letter the State Dept. of Food & Ag Fairs and Expositions Director sent all Fair Boards on September 22, 2021 reminding them of State Building Code Section 105.1, requiring State permits, plan review and inspections of all projects (demolitions included) regardless of how they are funded.
105.1 Permits Required. Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building structure, or facilities or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit
Rispin Mansion Park Workshop Notes, April 11th, 2015
That letter was included in the November, 2021 Fair Board packet on pages 5 & 6
Oddly, after the vote, Director Estrada jubilantly instructed Fair Manager to “get started at 7:30am tomorrow morning and get this done!” Well, well…she seemingly has no respect or regard for proper process to follow California State law, does she?
Here is one of the two barns that some of the Fair Board and Fair Manager want to demolish, after dumping $45,000 in Fairgrounds Foundation donated money in new materials for “seismic upgrades” and another $441,700 in State Prop 68/SB 5 public grant money spent on electrical upgrades.
Although Fair Board Director Fontana insists she cares only about safety, and the “barns have been condemned”, this barricade is all that protects the public from entering the barns, and was not implemented until May, 2022 at the direction of Board President Dietrich. If you were a kid, would you climb through this??? No matter, Fairgrounds staff sets the fence aside for campers and their own use of the barns, as the collection of July 20, 2022 photos attached at the end of this blog show.
WERE THE FAIRGROUNDS AVAILABLE FOR THE ANZAR FIRE EVACUEES? NOPE!
Last Thursday, the Anzar Fire broke out, causing evacuations of that tri-county area. Residents had no instruction as to where to take their animals. Some just let them loose, others who were preparing for a possible expanded evacuation order loaded their livestock into trailers and spent the night sleeping in their trucks…there was no safe place issued for them to go, and no one wanted to risk driving to Watsonville and be refused.
Likely, they would have been refused because there was a large horse show occupying all 300 horse stalls and overflow stalls in the remaining covered beef barn.
2022-85 American Quarter Horse Association of Santa Clara 7/18-25/2022 Horse Show Invoiced after use Horse Show Facilities
(See page 10 of the contracts)
Oddly, the San Benito County Fairgrounds was not activated. Neither was the Monterey County Fairgrounds. In a subsequent conversation with the later Fairgrounds Manager, Ms. Kelli Violini, she said she thought the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds had been most likely activated.
It was news to her that the Fair Board had voted last week to demolish two large livestock barns, that the unpermitted work directed by Mr. David Kegebein last year had caused the State to now deem the barns “unstable and unsafe”, and that the Santa Cruz County Fair youth exhibitors will be in tents only for the Fair time, with the tents disappearing afterward. She kindly said she would contact Mr. Kegebein and offer to loan additional portable pens.
So, one must wonder what the status really is of the MOU between the County and the Fairgrounds for this matter…and who is planning for the next disaster?
Contact General Services Director Michael Beaton michael.beaton@santacruzcounty.us` and
David Reid, david.reid@santacruzcounty.us He is the Director of the Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience (OR3…formerly known as the Emergency Services Office before CAO Carlos Palacios wiped it and the very competent Rosemary Anderson off the table, stating it would “save money”, just before the CZU Fire broke out)
CAPITOLA CITY COUNCIL HOLDING PUBLIC HEARING TO GO TO BID FOR RISPIN MANSION PARK
This project has been on the books for a very long time, with the most recent public activity being a couple of workshops held in 2015…yep…seven years ago.
However, the project is finally going out to bid, after a public hearing this Thursday:
Item 9a:
Review the Rispin Mansion Park Project and Consider Authorizing Advertising for Bids Recommended Action:
1) Approve plans, specifications, and budget for construction of the Rispin Mansion Park;
2) Authorize advertising the project to receive bids setting the opening date for September 7, 2022; and
3) Approve the proposed resolution amending the budget by transferring $30,000 from the General Fund to the Rispin Mansion Park Project.
So far, no documents have been included in the Council’s Agenda Packet for this item, but here is what was on their table seven years ago.
Take a look at what people had to say the last time there was a public hearing
Tune in Thursday evening for this Hybrid Public Hearing!
HOW CAN THERE BE AN ELECTION FOR A BOARD THAT DOES NOT EXIST?
Last Thursday, the Pajaro Valley Health Care District Trust approved a consent agenda item to place an election for two seats to its Board on the November 8 ballot. How can voters be asked to elect representatives before the agency exists other than on paper and before any deal is finalized to purchase the Watsonville Community Hospital?
The agency has not yet received 501-c-3 tax-exempt status.
The July 21 Board packet states it is a risk issue (page 13, RAID Items shown in red)
Take a look at the issues identified regarding physician contracts (page 14)
(RISK) Physicians are potentially being compensated above market rates for call coverage arrangements -Performed analysis regarding FMV rates for call coverage arrangements entered into with various physicians and groups
• (ACTION) Physician compensation strategy discussion with Cecilia Montalvo and Steven Salyer
• (ISSUE) Locate outstanding contracts and/or amendments
And…..
• Research the OB/GYN call environment to provide recommendations related to whether OB/GYN call coverage is a necessity on a go-forward basis (i.e. does it make sense to pay OB/GYN providers when they essentially are only providing coverage relating to their already established patients).
• Schedule additional calls as needed with Steven Salyer and Cecilia Montalvo to discuss strategy for contractual negotiations with physicians.
• Schedule and perform negotiations with in-person ICU group
See pages 15-17 for other RISKS that include Revenue Cycle Management, Purchasing, and Human Resources:
• (RISK) Union Planning: Determine if any implications with changing Retirement Plans
• (RISK) ADP Contract: Tight timeline to complete SPIN; Final paycheck calculations and distribution.
• (RISK) Payroll & Tax: Bank accounts must be set up for new legal entities
• (RISK) HR 30+ Contracts: Buyer needs to review, assign, or create new to cover the existing HR contracts
Look here for video recordings of past meetings, and the agendas for what’s coming up. This group will be making many critical decisions in the feverish focus to shove this purchase through.
CENTRAL FIRE DISTRICT NEEDS YOU ON THEIR BOARD
Two seats on the Board overseeing fire protection and public safety for the areas from Live Oak to La Selva Beach and up into the wildland areas contiguous are up for election this November. The Candidate Filing period is now open but will close August 12.
https://www.centralfiresc.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=192
Board seats up for election are Districts 4 and 5…take a look at the interactive map to see where you are and consider running for the job if you care about fire safety and public service. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A FIRE FIGHTER TO BE QUALIFIED. You just need to care.
Here is a link to the District’s new maps showing the boundaries, with the interactive function of locating addresses within the County to determine whether you or someone you know lives within the Central Fire District boundaries and if so, which new representational district applies.
Who has filed for Candidacy for all local public service opportunities in the County? Take a look
EXCELLENT EXHIBIT AT CAPITOLA LIBRARY SHOWING HISTORY OF THE CAPITOLA WHARF
Go see the “My Neighborhood” local history exhibit at the Capitola Library. It changes regularly and is always excellent.
This month features a history of the Soquel Landing (aka Capitola Wharf), with amazing photographs and brief description of how the area went from being “La Playa de Soquel”, a wetland area purchased in 1856 by Frederick Hihn, to having a 450′-long wharf built two years later. Because it connected via what is now Wharf Road to the Soquel Turnpike (now called Soquel-San Jose Road), the area became known as Soquel Landing. Ten years later, Mr. Hihn and his partner Mr. Lynch added 1,200′ to the wharf to enable large Pacific Coast Steamship Company freight ships to dock, transporting massive loads of lumber, leather, grain and potatoes.
The area developed in the 1870’s to a fishing village when Mr. Hihn leased the area adjacent to the wharf to a group of Italian emigrants. This village flourished until the early 1900’s when the wharf’s condition became so bad, the fishermen moved on to Santa Cruz. In 1919, Mr. Rispin purchased most of what is now Capitola, demolished the fishing village and built the Venetian Court that we see today.
I have heard the new Aptos Library will feature historic exhibits when the library opens. I hope they are as interesting and well-done as those that always catch my attention upon entry to the Capitola Library.
PROGRESS ON THE NEW APTOS LIBRARY
Work continues at a good pace at the new Aptos Library construction site. Still no response from project Manager Mr. Damon Adlao about those large piles of covered soil??? Is it contaminated?
CASTRO ADOBE STATE PARK IS A GEM
I had the great pleasure of joining a private tour with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) of the Castro Adobe State Park in Larkin Valley last weekend. Charlie and Patty Kieffer, Docents Extraordinaire, lead us through the Adobe, along with Ms. Charlene Duval, Historian, and State Park Ranger Mark.
The next public tours will be August 28…go see this great restored adobe treasure that brings back a sense of time long ago in local and State history.
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Here are Charlie and Patty Kieffer, describing the gentle touch the Vaqueros used with their sure-footed and loyal Spanish horses. The Kiger horse photo Charlie holds is one of a wild herd discovered in the Steens Mountain area of southeastern Oregon.
Charlie is a descendant of the Castro family that came to California in the 1775 Anza Expedition. |
| Here is Historian Ms. Charlene Duval, in the Sala, showing the Oriental embroidered shawl owned by the last Governor of Alta California, pre-1850. It was a gift to the collection by Edna and Joe Kimbro, former owners of the Castro Adobe, and also the Branciforte Adobe in Santa Cruz. |  |
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Here is State Park Ranger Mark in the Sala, describing the vibrant shipping port of Monterey, with Spanish and Chinese artifacts shown on the table in the foreground. |
BALD EAGLES AT NEW BRIGHTON STATE BEACH
Many thanks to my friend, Al, who sent me the photo below of one of two Bald Eagles currently being spotted at New Brighton State Beach area. The photo was posted on Aptosia, a local group interested in supporting and sharing news of the Aptos area. Go see our country’s National Birds!
MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. ATTEND A PUBLIC HEARING AND DEMAND ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS. GO SEE SOME OF THE MANY AMAZING TREASURES LOCALLY AND WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR TO ENCOURAGE THOSE TREASURES ARE APPRECIATED AND PRESERVED.
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 |
July 25
GRAZING GOATS FOR FIRE SAFETY.
One of the more common questions I’m getting these days is: what do you think about all this goat grazing for fuels reduction? I suspect the questions are coming to me because folks want to hear about my ecological perspective about goat grazing effects. There are other concerns, and I try to wrap those into this essay.
Goat Grazing Benefits
Grazing goats can produce many benefits from food and fiber production to wildfire fuels reduction, invasive species control, ecological restoration, and endangered species recovery. Goat meat is popular in many different people’s cuisines, and raising goats locally reduces transportation costs and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. Many have criticized the beef industry for greenhouse gas emissions impacts, this might be a better solution for those who desire meat as part of their diet. Goat hair (angora, cashmere, etc.) is a useful fiber in place of sheep’s wool, and goat skins are used to create and repair drums and banjos. Is anyone doing these kinds of things with the herds of goats used for fuels reduction?
Goat herds are mainly being used for reducing the fuel loads that could make wildfires more catastrophic. Goats are useful in this way as they readily eat brush as well as grass. Sheep, cows and horses mainly eat grass, though they’ll nibble at shrubs, too. Goats like to eat shrubs so much that they will get on their hind legs and pull at branches as far up as they can reach. They’ll even climb trees!
Properly managed goats can help to reduce the cover and reproduction of invasive plants, including shrubby species. Goats can reduce thistle patches, mow down infestations of invasive grasses, and tear up French broom. These things qualify as ecological restoration, but goats can do more than just this…
By properly managing goats, we can help to restore evolutionary grazing disturbance regimes on which ecosystems and endangered species depend. By reducing the growth of grasses, or the thatch that grasses make, goat grazing can facilitate the germination and survival of wildflowers, which also helps restore pollinators. By grazing brush, goats can keep coastal prairies more open, conserving habitat for grassland dependent birds, such as black shouldered kite, burrowing owl, and grasshopper sparrow. When livestock reduces thatch in grasslands, grasses are less competitive and wildflowers flourish; so, endangered butterflies like the Bay checkerspot which depends on wildflowers can thrive.
Cautions about Goat Grazing
Note that I’ve said ‘properly managed’ a lot. Saying ‘goat grazing is good’ is like saying ‘weather is good’ – both statements are nonsensical without details. The four variables to control with livestock grazing are seasonality, intensity, duration, and frequency. Grazing in the winter growing season can help reduce the growth of cool-wet-season grasses and so favor wildflowers (and thistles!). Putting many, many goats in an area is more intense than just a few. Putting many, many goats in an area for a long period of time is more impactful than a short period of time. Returning a herd of goats to an area more- versus less-frequently makes a difference. I just witnessed a recently goat-grazed public park area near San Rafael where there was almost no grass left and the oak and eucalyptus trees had been moderately damaged by goats gnawing through bark. Grazing goats in the early summer certainly made sense to reduce the potential for soil compaction and erosion on the steep slopes I was visiting. But, on the ungrazed adjoining areas, native tarplants were in blossom – I’m not sure if those will come back in the goat grazed area so that pollinators will have something to visit. Small oak trees that had goat munched bark scars from the previous year were dying or dead. I questioned not only the need to graze the ground so hard as to negatively affect native trees, but I also questioned the health and welfare of the animals: was it necessary to make those animals very, very hungry to eat the grass down to near dirt and then start gnawing on tree bark?
Other cautions about goat grazing I wonder about: flies, manure, and weeds. Do communities near goat grazing areas get more flies, even biting flies? Does the manure wash off the grazed barrens and into streams and cause pollution? Are the goats transporting weed seeds onto the property from an area they grazed right before they were temporarily transported for fire control? All good cautions to ask about when reviewing the costs vs. the benefits of goat grazing.
The last caution I have is about training mountain lions to eat goats. I’ve heard too many folks raising goats blame the mountain lions for the loss of their animals when the fault almost certainly lies with careless livestock managers. Proper protection includes guardian dogs, electric fencing, and lion-proof night pens. When folks don’t properly protect goats, mountain lions figure out a way to eat them…and then become accustomed to those easy meals. At that point, the human has effectively trained the mountain lion to eat livestock and then there’s a problem.
Challenges Ahead
It seems that goat grazing is an expanding enterprise for fuels reduction, so how do we make it work better? Part of the solution is already on the table: all livestock grazing programs must be approved by a state-licensed Certified Rangeland Manager. This is a parallel program to the Registered Professional Forester who signs off on any timber production in California. A Certified Rangeland Manager has the skills to outline a plan to maximize the benefits and minimize the problems of a goat grazing operation.
Even with a good plan, there are significant challenges ahead for goat-led habitat and fuels management. For instance, given the oversight needed for each herd, how do we afford the shepherds and still affordably manage goats? Goats are escape artists, so shepherds are necessary to keep them contained and well supervised, if only to assure that areas don’t get overgrazed and the goats stay healthy and safe. We need to find the right way for shepherds to have a good standard of living and decent working hours in an economy that already has a difficult time paying a living wage. If we can find and keep the labor, how do we train enough people to pay enough attention to the nuances of habitat management so that we restore habitats instead of destroy them while we seek a more fire-safe landscape?
In Conclusion
Next time you see goats arrive to do some work, I’m hoping you ask some of the questions I posed above. Only by having respectful dialogues about these issues can we hope to find the ‘right’ place for goat powered fuels reduction and habitat restoration. Such conversations can elevate the intelligence of all parties as we seek a better way to live on this super biologically diverse, fire prone landscape.
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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 |
July 23
#205 / Standing By For Civil War?
As some of my recent blog postings reveal, I have been thinking a lot about the French Revolution. As much as I’d like to see some fundamental changes in the government, and in what our government is doing (and in what our government is not doing), I can’t really say that I am having many warm and friendly feelings about how nice it would be to have something like the French Revolution happen right here.
There are quite a few Americans, however, who seem to be looking forward to a new civil war, right here in the United States of America. At least, that is what the results of a nationwide survey, carried out a little over a month ago, seem to indicate.
I learned about the survey from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, authored by Joe Garofoli. The title on Garofoli’s article was this: “Survey: Half of Americans think civil war coming.”
The survey was carried out by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program. Here is a description of the survey, with some of its findings:
A total of 8,620 people who are adult members of the Ipsos Knowledge Panel participated. The sample was designed to represent the general adult population of the United States.
The researchers conducted the nationwide online survey in English and Spanish from May 13 to June 22. The questions were designed to gauge current attitudes and concerns about violence in the U.S. and willingness to engage in specific political violence scenarios.
The researchers note that the findings, coupled with prior research, suggest a continuing high level of alienation and a mistrust of American democratic society and its institutions. Substantial minorities of the population endorse violence, including lethal violence, to obtain political objectives [my note – this is just what happened in the French Revolution].
The survey questions focused on three areas: beliefs regarding democracy and the potential for violence in the United States, beliefs regarding American society and institutions, and support for and willingness to engage in violence, including political violence. Some key findings from those surveyed:
- 67.2% perceive there is “a serious threat to our democracy.”
- 50.1% agree that “in the next several years, there will be civil war in the United States.”
- 42.4% agreed that “having a strong leader for America is more important than having a democracy.”
- 41.2% agreed that “in America, native-born white people are being replaced by immigrants.”
- 18.7% agreed strongly or very strongly that violence or force is needed to “protect American democracy” when “elected leaders will not.”
- 20.5% think that political violence is at least sometimes justifiable “in general.”
Among participants who considered political violence to be at least sometimes justified to achieve a specific objective, 12.2% were willing to commit political violence “to threaten or intimidate a person,” 10.4% “to injure a person,” and 7.1% “to kill a person.”
Among all participants, nearly 1 in 5 thought it was at least somewhat likely that within the next few years, in a situation where political violence was justified, “I will be armed with a gun.” Four percent thought it at least somewhat likely that “I will shoot someone with a gun.”
Examining the results as just reported, more than two-thirds of those surveyed think there is a “serious threat to our democracy.” However, over forty percent of those surveyed don’t think that democracy is as important as “having a strong leader.”
It seems pretty clear to me that those two findings are related. If more than forty percent of the population really thinks that having a “strong leader” is more important than democracy, that fact is exactly the reason why there is a “serious threat to our democracy.” The “serious threat” is that almost half of the population thinks government happens to them, instead of thinking that government is something that they do themselves.
“Democracy,” by the way – the way I use the word – is really a stand-in for “self-government.” Understanding that what we are really taking about is “self-government” may provide us with a way to start changing attitudes – and realities – so that the predicted “civil war” does not, in fact, materialize.
Surveys generally seek to answer questions from the point of view of an “observer.” They are intended to inform us about what reality “is,” at the time the survey is undertaken.
In fact, as I never get tired of pointing out, every human reality that we attempt to assess, looking at reality from the point of view of an “observer,” fails to recognize that human realities can be changed (and rather quickly, too). That is true because we are not only “observers,” but are “actors,” as well. As I pointed out in an earlier blog post, even “Bimbos” understand that “the whole world we made is literally made up, so we can make up solutions to the issues we have.”
If there is a “high level of alienation and a mistrust of American democratic society,” which is what the survey says is true, the people’s “alienation” from what we still call our “democratic society” derives from the fact that our society is not, in fact, “democratic,” at all, if what you mean by “democratic” is that the government is working to try to do what the majority of the people want. Lots of surveys show that what the people want is exactly what the government is NOT doing.
Naturally, if we think the government of a “democratic society” should do what the majority want (and if the government isn’t doing that, as it demonstrably is not), then it’s natural why about half of the people are standing by for a civil war, and why a lot of them are willing to pick up the gun and get involved.
That said, when more than 50% of the people in the United States say that “in the next several years, there will be civil war in the United States,” they are making that prediction based on their “observations,” not making a commitment to take “action,” to help bring that about personally.
What if we could get those alienated people to stop waiting around for a “strong leader?” What if we could get people to stop believing that a “democratic society” is something that we “observe” (or not), and understand that a “democratic society” is something that we must “create,” by our own actions?
If we don’t “act,” and take action pretty soon, we are, actually, just standing by for a civil war (which is what that survey says we are doing). The survey seems to suggest that the “civil war” that is anticipated is coming to us in “the next several years.” Since our next presidential election is scheduled for 2024, with the next president to be inaugurated in early 2025, that “next several years” time period may well be related to that presidential election timetable.
Do we have to just “stand by” for civil war (and maybe acquire a gun, for our personal use, just in case)? That is really what that survey is prognosticating.
I would like to propose that we don’t just stand by for the predicted civil war, and that we stop talking about “democracy,” and start talking about “self-government,” which places the emphasis on our own individual and collective responsibility for having our governmental institutions do what the majority of the people want.
The majority wants big changes, and we can achieve those big changes, too (without waiting for the strong leader, and without picking up the gun).
But that means we need to divert our personal attention and activity to self-government (less Netflix and online gaming; more personal participation in small groups dedicated to political change).
To say it one more time: Self-government (what we often call “democracy”) requires that we get directly involved in government ourselves.
Are you unwilling to do that – unwilling to get involved in government yourself? Are you waiting around for that “strong leader,” instead?
Well, if that’s how you see it, stand by for a civil war, because that’s just what “standing by,” and looking around, and “observing,” and not “acting,” is going to get us.
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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 |
HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE WRAPS IT UP FOR GARLAND…HELLO, HELLO?
With the House Select Committee’s prime-time wrap-up of their first series of public airings of evidence and interviews concerning the January 6, 2021 Washington, D.C. insurrection, one would think that there is enough substantiation of criminality to ship former president Benedict Donald and his coup crew off to their own private Elba forever. And though the committee will announce a resumption of its telecasts at a later date, with even more evidence as it rolls in, with more individuals coming forward to offer their take on experiences leading up to that fateful day, the dam isn’t breaking quickly enough for some, with criticisms of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s seeming hesitancy to prosecute the perpetrators as he lags behind the House Committee’ revelations. Garland has tried to reassure the critics that the department is deeply involved and that their “investigations aren’t carried out in public,” yet, some of the heavy players in the plot are holding their ground and a frighteningly significant percentage of Trump backers are not convinced that evil was manifested over those several hours of destruction.
Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney and deputy assistant attorney general, and legal affairs columnist for the L.A. Times opinion page, has emphasized in his columns and in guest appearances on MSNBC, that a gap exists between the House’s findings and the most fitting charge against the former prez, which only the Justice Department can fill. The hearings have presented a general narrative of Team Bratman’s attempt to overturn Biden’s victory, along with some facts to back it up. Litman feels that the “Justice Department must develop a legal case containing admissible evidence proving criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and if possible beyond Republican cavil as well.” He goes on to say, “The committee’s work has given rise to a sort of parlor game of ‘name that Trump crime’ among commentators, everything from manslaughter to destruction of federal property. That won’t cut it for the Justice Department.” He suggests that if AG Garland takes the unprecedented step of prosecuting a former president, it would be for a grave crime against the country, most likely ‘seditious conspiracy,’ which is defined as two or more people agreeing to ‘oppose by force’ the government’s authority, or agreeing ‘by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the U.S. Success is unimportant, the crime is the agreement.
In other words, an autogolpe, a Spanish term for a self-coup, a form of coup d’état in which a nation’s leader, having come to power by legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means. Coming to power by legal means remains questionable for the Trump legacy…Russia, Russia, Russia, but the volumes of evidence of the Donald’s part in J6 has only resulted in circumstantial evidence of a seditious conspiracy. A major new revelation by the Committee could weigh heavily, but the Justice Department has to provide the filler. The most effective method, traditionally, would be a charge based upon information provided by the likes of Giuliani, Bannon, or Meadows, who could be given a promise of immunity, which only Justice can offer – not the House committee. Though the majority of our voters may see DJT’s obvious guilt, it has to be proven in a court of law…just keep that orange jumpsuit handy…and, how about hopes and prayers?
It all sounds a bit discouraging in light of Trump’s escape from two impeachment trials, and even as he continues to grift and prey upon his doting worshippers, unimpeded and legally, as his gaming of the system’s loopholes allows his criminal enterprise to rake in millions of dollars to carry forward his dream of power. As Trump has told close associates, he will run to retake the presidency in 2024, not only to regain the glory of that position, but to escape any criminal charges that result from the ongoing investigations; he obtains a get-out-of-jail-free card, plus he gets to free all those convicted of crimes from J6 participation with pardons, making us all subject to violence and mayhem in each election cycle. Attorney Sydney Powell from Trump’s legal team will be calling to ‘release the Kraken’ once again, with Co-Supreme Court Justice, Ginny Thomas, doing her happy dance!
One of the highlights of the final Select Committee’s presentation was the contrasting videos of Senator ‘C.S.’ Josh Hawley of Missouri, saluting the insurrectionist crowd at the Capitol with a raised fist as he made his way to the chamber for the impending vote, to be followed by the hilarious display of him high-tailing it down the hallways to escape the invading mob as they stormed the building. The Kansas City Star editorial board called Hawley a ‘National Laughing Stock’ for his display of cowardice in light of the Senator’s previous virile bravado toward the assembling rioters, having tweeted in the past that American men lack masculinity, while standing up for reinstalling a presidential election loser. Al Franken believes there is a case for prosecuting ‘Chicken’ for his part in encouraging the insurrection from the beginning, and that the raised fist was the equivalent of pouring gasoline on the fire.
While our Agent Orange was sitting alone in the dining room during the insurrection, ‘doing nothing’ but directing the 187 minutes of turmoil at the Capitol, Worst Lady Melania Trump was supposedly unaware of the madness, as she fulfilled the ‘duty’ of photographically recording the contents of the White House’s historic rooms as she explained to Fox News – in normal times a responsibility of the White House Historical Association. Mel claims she had assembled a team to “ensure perfect execution on behalf of our nation.” It would seem that if, indeed, she was being halfway truthful she had no ‘team’, and that she was ‘casing the joint’ preparing for the final exit. Why not check those boxes that the Crime Family removed for ‘storage’ at Mar-a-Lago?
On matters of bravery and virility, our Blitzkrieg Bozo told a crowd in Florida at the Turning Points Action conference how deserving he was of a Medal of Honor, America’s highest award to recognize valor in military combat, after flying on Air Force One to Iraq to assess the fight against ISIS. As the lights on the plane were dimmed to prevent detection upon arrival, he grew uneasy and made his way to the cockpit to harangue the pilot regarding the landing descent – even told his wife later how brave he was, as the crew made a safe landing. Evidently, he attempted to give himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, but ‘they’ wouldn’t let him do it, saying it would be inappropriate to do so. Maybe Jeff Hawley can give him a lesson or two for future occasions. Trump’s bravery also stood out with the video outtakes shown by the J6 Committee, as he attempted to make a speech, coached by Ivanka, to the American people following the Capitol riot – he just couldn’t make himself say peace, or ‘the election is over,’ nor could he disown the riotous mob, his ‘loved and very special’ adherents. His lack of compassion for those who were injured, inconvenienced, and who died shows his complete narcissism, expected but almost unnoticed with this monster.
Former Attorney General, Bill Barr, casting off the demons of his servitude to DJT by calling the ‘Stop the Steal’ claims nothing but ‘B.S,’ has now embarked on his next evil, anti-democratic venture with Karl Rove, Steve Wynn and Bobby Burchfield by launching a nonprofit called Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE). The innocent-sounding name shadows an attempt to defend state legislatures in setting election laws, while bypassing courts for setting rules. The group has already filed briefs in Montana and Florida to assist in defending against legal challenges. These laws will make it harder to vote by limiting drop boxes, disallowing same-day voter registration and increasing voter identification requirements. Saying the group is all about aiming to ‘assure voter confidence in our democratic process’, they seem to be ignoring the GOP’s role in enabling the J6 insurrection, while obstructing the ongoing investigation into its origins. So, Barr is back at it with faulty magic…and, oh look…a bunny.
One of the best stories of the week involves the senate race in Pennsylvania, where John Fetterman is running against Dr. Mehmet Oz, a New Jersey resident who wants to represent the ‘Quacker’ state, it appears. So, Fetterman has started a petition campaign to recognize Oz’s New Jersey pride by getting him inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. You can sign the petition here – @NJHalloFame, to honor the interloper and send him back to Jersey.
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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.
“AUGUST”
“One day you discover you are alive.
Explosion! Concussion! Illumination! Delight!
You laugh, you dance around, you shout.
But, not long after, the sun goes out. Snow falls, but no one sees it, on an August noon.”
~Ray Bradbury
“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.”
~Sylvia Plath,
“The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzled.”
~Sue Monk Kidd
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They made a documentary called “Rumble”. It’s about the role Native Americans played in the origin (and continuance) of Rock ‘n Roll. So much stuff I had NO IDEA about, and I actually paid attention in music class in high school… See the trailer, and then check out the movie on Netflix!
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
July 20 – 26, 2022
patton
BRATTON…Expanding Highway 1 with HOV lanes, more on Donna Meyers, Cotoni Coast National park, stinky plant, Streamers and screamers, Jewel theatre critique, Live Here Now. GREENSITE…Santa Cruz city growth tops the state. KROHN…the University again, growth, the regents, oversized vehicles. STEINBRUNER…County Fire Dept, CZU fires, Pleasure Point highrises, tiny houses ordinance, historic resources, Villa de Branciforte, Aptos Natural Food Store for sale, the Webb telescope sightings. HAYES… Toyon. PATTON…Stanford’s Billion Dollar Climate School. MATLOCK…Rumors, reality, rationale, and repulsiveness. EAGAN… WEBMISTRESS…Alice Barker, 1940s Harlem dancer. QUOTES…”BRIDGES”
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DATELINE July 18
CELEBRATING THE VICTORY OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION AND THE SIERRA CLUB RE… HIGHWAY 1.
Rick Longinotti heading the Campaign for Sustainable Transportation very happily sent out the following press release…
Lawsuit Against Hwy 1 EIR Prevails
On July 12, 2022, the Sacramento Superior Court ruled in favor of the Campaign for Sustainable Transportation and the Sierra Club and against Caltrans, finding that the Caltrans Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the expansion of Highway 1 in Santa Cruz County is inadequate. The decision states, “The Court orders that CalTrans’ approval of the Tier I Project and the EIR shall be set aside, and that CalTrans shall recirculate a revised DEIR for public review and comment.” (ruling attached)
Rick Longinotti, chair of the Campaign for Sustainable Transportation (CFST), responded to the decision, “This decision means our Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) has an opportunity to reconsider transportation strategies other than the pie-in-the sky notion that it will build HOV lanes from Santa Cruz to Watsonville, which an RTC report admits is unfunded until ‘after 2035’. What people do not realize is that the RTC has no effective plan to offer commuters who are stuck in traffic.”
The only component of the Highway 1 expansion project that can be funded is auxiliary lanes (exit-only lanes) from Santa Cruz to State Park Dr. The Caltrans EIR for the next auxiliary lane segment, from Soquel Ave to 41st Ave. estimates, “the auxiliary lane alternative would slightly worsen traffic operations in the southbound peak commute hour”.
“Why would we build auxiliary lanes that offer no safety or congestion benefit, when we could spend the money offering real alternatives to being stuck in traffic?” asks Longinotti.
CFST is asking, among other things, that the RTC convert their plan to build auxiliary lanes to a bus-only lane on the shoulder of the highway. The RTC’s current plan is to run buses in the proposed auxiliary lanes, where, like everyone else, they will be stuck in traffic. A dedicated bus lane project would offer a substantial number of commuters a viable alternative to sitting stuck in traffic, and not worsen the evening commute.
If Caltrans still wants to proceed with the project, it will be required re-circulate a draft EIR for public review. The new EIR will need to conform to recent state legislation, SB 743, requiring mitigation of projects that increase vehicle miles traveled, the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases in the state. “That could be an insurmountable barrier for a highway expansion project. Rather than keep pushing an unsustainable project that doesn’t solve congestion, we’re asking the RTC to engage in community dialogue about funding solutions that work,” explains Longinotti”. It’s dedication and hard work like Rick’s and the entire CFST that keeps our community as alert and as progressive and protected as it is…thanks Rick and all of CFST.
DONNA MEYERS FOLLOW UP. Last week I announced that our former mayor Donna Meyers and current city council person is going to move to Carmel probably after her term is up on December 12. I also tried to guess which local “press” would interview her about the reasons she’s leaving. She’s lived here a long time, headed a number of organizations. As California Local states…. “Donna Meyers first won her seat on the Santa Cruz City Council in 2018, running on a message of climate resiliency for the city. Meyers became the first openly lesbian mayor in the city’s history when she was named to the position in November 2020. Meyers spent the better part of two decades working on coastal management and conservation, having served as the director of conservation programs for the Big Sur Land Trust and the executive director of the Coastal Watershed Council. She lives with her wife and two dogs in Santa Cruz”. So will we find out if she’s mad, just tired of politics, health reasons, what??
COTONI COAST DAIRIES PLOT AND PLAN. I’ve been more than concerned about our great environmental gift ever since Pres Obama declared it a National Park. BLM has been slowly creating new changes to the land which make it an even larger, more permanent threat to the land and our North Coast community. Friends of the North Coast organization realizes some of the issues. Go here to check in with Friends of The North Coast…
Here’s what Dr. Jacob Pollock, ecological researcher specializing in ecological monitoring, design and analysis stated at a recent community presentation…
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“I hope today to impress upon you that the BLM monitoring plan for Cotoni Coast Dairies is inadequate. It’s overly vague, too general, and is not based on the latest science. In simple terms, it is lacking.
First, it is lacking in a baseline knowledge of what it is supposed to be protected. You can’t know what has changed if you don’t know where you started.
Second, it is lacking any monitoring of the specific protected species or objects of the monument. You can’t see what has changed if you don’t look at the things you care about.
Third, it is lacking any monitoring of the specific causes of impacts. You can’t know why things change if you don’t look at the stressors.
Fourth, it is lacking in science based management informed by monitoring results. You can’t fix what has changed if you don’t decide how much changes too much, and if you don’t learn from mistakes.
I also want to impress upon you that BLM is refusing to do effective monitoring and refusing to obtain adequate baseline data. The BLM monitoring plan, biological monitoring plan states, quote, monitoring protocols for each species discussed in the proclamation is not recommended or proposed.
Also, at a community meeting in Bonny Doon, Central Coast Field Manager Ben Blum, in a discussion about baseline monitoring, left everyone feeling powerless and unheard by proclaiming that baseline monitoring is not necessarily a prerequisite before we would open the property to the public. And that’s where I think we are going to have to disagree”
EXOTIC STINKING PLANT ON SHOW …NOW!!
Lincoln Taiz formerly professor at UCSC is now hopeful that as many of us as possible get to see and smell the rare Titan Arum plant at UCSC’ s Greenhouse he sent this…EXCITING NEWS! Our Titan Arum plant (Amorphophallus titanum) is getting ready to flower for the first time after growing for ten years in the UCSC Greenhouse. It will be on display at the UCSC Arboretum and we hope as many of you as possible will come to see it. I strongly recommend coming several times over the next two weeks to see it at several stages of opening. There is a window of 12-24 hours just as it opens when it gives off a terrible stench (hence its common name ‘corpse flower’) which attracts pollinators like dung beetles and flies. At the same time the giant spadix heats up to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, a process called thermogenesis. The heating helps to volatilize the odor molecules. If you’ve seen photos of this plant in flower you know how huge it can grow. It’s not a single flower but an inflorescence containing hundreds of flowers. The male flowers are at the top of the spadix and the female flowers at the bottom. The huge leafy structure that surrounds the spadix is called a spathe. DON’T MISS IT. THIS IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS A VERY EXOTIC BOTANICAL PHENOMENON RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD. COME EARLY, COME OFTEN! IT WILL BE LOCATED IN THE PATIO BETWEEN THE ARBORETUM OFFICE AND THE CLASSROOM BUILDING.
Check out their frequently updated Instagram on the right
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE. (Also known as “FIRE” online) Del Mar Theatre. (6.9 IMDB) Juliette Binoche has never been better than this movie, and that’s saying a lot because she’s always marvelous. It’s very French and goes deep into the past lives and loves between two sets of exes dealing with how to stay friends. It’ll cut deep into your own past relationship issues and aside from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf I can’t remember any drama going this complex and realistic.
HOUSE OF GUCCI. (PRIME VIDEO MOVIE) (6.6 IMDB) Such a cast…Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, and also Salma Hayek!! Such a notable and based on truth story about the Gucci family and fashion clothes industry but it comes off as silly and half dramatic. There’s even a murder, much double dealing, heavy mugging and unreal makeup on some of the cast. It’s imposable to tell what the famous director Ridley Scott had in mind other than making viewers cringe every 20 seconds. Watch only if necessary.
FOR JOJO. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (3.7 IMDB). A sad German saga dealing with the relationship between two women who have been very close since they were kids in Berlin. Jojo falls in love and wants to marry a black guy and Paula just loses it. Their histories could have been better exposed but it’s intense and worth watching.
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND.(NETFLIX SERIES) (8.3 IMDB). Author and UC Berkeley professor Michael Pollan wrote HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND in 2018. Now he produced this four part series centering on four psychedelic drugs and how they can change your personality and your life. Episode 1 is about LSD and its history, episode 2 centers on Psilocybin, episode 3 hits home and features Santa Cruz’s own Rick Doblin founder of MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) talking about MDMA or Ecstasy. The last episode focuses on Mescaline. You’ll see Ram Dass, Stewart Brand, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, and the influence psychedelics had on the very founding of Silicon Valley. Huge advances both legally and scientifically have been made proving the usefulness of these hallucinogens and this documentary is as entertaining as it is thoughtful.
CENTAUR. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.3 IMDB) This is a Spanish movie about a superbike racer, which really means motorcycles like Kawasaki’s and Hondas. It seems like hours of track racing and that’s fairly exciting. Then he gets into trouble with big time drug/mafia types and he has to run the drugs using his racing motor bike. It’s a poor copy of a plot and should only be watched by track fans only.
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.
THOR: LOVE and THUNDER. (Del Mar Theatre) I’m not going to see, let alone review this mess. Marvel super hero films don’t qualify in my definition of cinema, even if Natalie Portman is in it.
BLACK BIRD. (APPLE SERIES) (8.5 IMDB) Ray Liotta’s last film and it’s a good one. Greg Kinnear and Taron Egerton also star in this former cop who’s now in jail and gets offered freedom IF he’ll go to another prison to secretly question and get a confession from another felon. It’s a bit hammy and slow moving but watchable.
HELLO GOODBYE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. (NEFLIX MOVIE) (4.7 IMDB) It is billed as a “teen movie” and I thought it would be a switch from all the heavy serious films I usually watch. I wouldn’t advise any teen I know to see this mess. Maybe or possibly kids under 10 could possibly like it. Stay warned.
AV THE HUNT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.5 IMDB). A dark, depressing view of violence against women. It’s a Turkish movie and has superior photography but it’s a pointless tirade against the tribal, traditional sex prejudice that is rampant and never ending. Mostly implausible and has a plot that needed more work.
THE TURNING POINT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.1 IMDB). A robber hides in a nice guy’s apartment and they become unbelievably good friends. Many cinema zingers in this Italian pseudo comedy/drama. Not very funny, not very plausible and poor acting too. Don’t waste your time, and warn any sensible friends too.
THE WRATH OF GOD. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.7 IMDB). This excellent Argentine movie makes a mystery out of a famous author’s connection to the murders he writes about. Those murders all center on a beautiful former employee of his. Believable, tense, absorbing and good viewing.
JEWEL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS. Their current production is “Deathtrap” which was Broadway’s longest running comedy-thriller play. Tense, funny, and it was for me at least in the top three plays I’ve seen at the Jewel, and I’ve seen almost all of them. The written play by Ira Levin who also wrote Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, and The Boys From Brazil is at near genius level. The acting and Jewel Theatre production is shocking, good fun and amazing. It’s at the Colligan Theatre and runs from now through July 31st. Call 831 425-7506 or go to www.JewelTheatre.net
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts on July 24-August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39 th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
GROWING PAINS
With its natural beauty, mild climate and hitherto small-town appeal, Santa Cruz has long been a desirable place to visit. Now it is a desirable place to live for an influx of newcomers who can afford it. The recent population increase of the city is bucking CA state trends and breaking all records.
While the growth of Santa Cruz city is not a new phenomenon, the scale and speed of recent growth is unprecedented. The city, like the state of CA has almost doubled in size since I arrived in 1975. Most of the growth of the city during that period has been due to a massive increase in student numbers from 5,000 to close to 20,000 with a projected further growth to 28,000 with commensurate increases in staff and faculty.
Now, for the first time CA is experiencing a net loss of population. A recent Mercury News article by reporter George Avalos on the loss of CA’s population to other states included a breakdown of cities with figures for population losses and for some, mostly smaller cities, modest gains. San Jose fell below a million in population for the first time since 2013 and San Francisco dropped 3%. On the other side of the equation, Sunnyvale had an increase of 0.6%, Santa Clara had an increase of 0.8% and Berkeley increased by 2.7%. So far, nothing startling until I read the following paragraph:
Of statewide note: One of the biggest population gainers among California cities in 2021 was Santa Cruz. The seaside municipality added 6,481 people, an increase of 11.3% from the year before, for a new total of 64,075 residents.
That caught my attention. Suddenly everything made sense. Development money is flowing into Santa Cruz with new projects emanating from the city Planning and Economic Development Departments almost weekly. The Downtown Extension project with a projected 1600 units of housing in buildings up to 17 stories in height is probably just the tip of the iceberg. The impetus for such growth, apart from UCSC, is the new ability to work from home for predominantly high-income workers. In former days, if you wanted a high-paying job in San Jose and live in Santa Cruz you had to drive over the hill. No longer.
While local population growth is nothing new, its current scale and impact should be better addressed by the community and its leaders. In the 1970’s, Santa Cruz County was growing in population at twice the CA rate. Thanks to the 1978 voter Initiative Measure J and the work of Gary Patton and others, growth management and 15% below-market rate housing were codified into new developments. Pro-growth advocates have maligned Patton ever since, placing the blame for the ever-increasing cost of housing and rents on those trying to preserve what’s left of the character of Santa Cruz as though real-estate speculation is only a spectator rather than the key player in the game.
To be sure, new state housing laws, a pro-growth Planning Department, a pro-growth council majority, a growing UCSC, a bottomless pit of wealthy people wanting to live in Santa Cruz and billions in real-estate investment monies make the current Goliath loom larger with David’s stone seemingly shrunk to a pebble. However, it also looked grim in the 1970’s and people did not give up. We need to start by debunking the pro-growth jargon and false narratives.
At every project hearing, the developer’s representative trots out the same old story about how Santa Cruz needs more housing. Only true if you are thinking of those well-off people who want to move to Santa Cruz, who of course are the ones the developer is thinking about. In two years, by the end of the current cycle, the city will have built its share of regionally required housing and exceeded its market rate share. We do not have a housing crisis: we have a cost of housing crisis and no amount of building other than 100% affordable housing will change that. If you listen to the pro-growth crowd, all the new housing will be for people already living here: the students, the single professionals, the downsizers. Don’t buy it.
Another version of the same theme is that we need to provide workforce housing for our teachers, fire-fighters, and police. If so, how come 1010 Pacific, specifically earmarked for that segment of the workforce ended up as student housing? What about the scores of lower income workers who are cooks, janitors, dishwashers, maids or receptionists who are being displaced as rents rise with the ever-increasing AMI (Area Median Income) due to all the newcomers with high salaries? That alone should be a moral argument against any new market rate housing.
Then there’s the old saw: growth is going to happen, it’s best to plan for it rather than it being unplanned. This one is a word trickster and is usually trotted out by people who make or have made their living from the housing market. No building is going to spring up “unplanned”. It doesn’t work that way. What this really means is “let’s build for the people who want to come and live here. Otherwise, they may go somewhere else.”
Another common attack is: “You’ve got your piece of paradise, now you don’t want anyone else to live here.” That has been used successfully by the UCSC administration over the past two decades to tamper down students’ arguments against further campus growth.
The response to both is to ignore the guilt trip and focus on the need for an honest appraisal of the impacts of unlimited future growth. Both at UCSC and in town. While historically CEQA has been the tool to evaluate environmental impacts of growth, it is under attack with State Senator Scott Wiener and other pro-housing activists working to limit and weaken its oversight.
In the same vein, many of the new projects in town are determined by the Planning Department to be CEQA exempt.
What is needed and what we don’t yet have is a Planning Department, a city manager and city council that are more concerned with the big picture impacts of such growth and less with just smoothing the way for its implementation. If the town’s population has increased 11% in one year, what are the future impacts of continued growth at this rate on schools, water supply, sewage system, landfill, roads and traffic, housing costs, especially rents, access to medical facilities, overcrowding of parks, beaches, and open space? Who will service the consumption needs of all these new affluent people? How far will the workers need to travel? Where is the land to build new facilities? These and other questions need to be posed and answered. Not just “is this good for business?”
| 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. |
July 18
THE UNIVERSITY, AGAIN
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mario Savio. I’m reading a book about the 1960’s, Subversives, the FBI’s War on Student Radicals, and Reagan’s Rise to Power, by Seth Rosenfeld. Remarkably, Mario stood on the roof of a police car in the fall of 1964 in front of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley. Of course, he removed his shoes. Jack Weinberg, a recent UC graduate was inside the police car having just been arrested for political tabling near the intersection of Telegraph and Bancroft. Savio, courageously and without thinking about how it might affect his future career, called out the UC Regents for censoring students and acting like a corporation. Some say, the Free Speech Movement was born that day. Documentarian Harvey Richards notes in his video of that time, “The interlocking connections between the members of the Board of Regents and economic power structure of the state became a matter of public concern.” Well, they still are, and even more money is at stake. Savio was wildly successful in putting Berkeley on the map as a place where people cared about speech and were willing to stand up to Regential overreach. On Oct. 2, 1964 some 800 UC Berkeley students were arrested for occupying Sproul Hall, the main administration building on campus. Those arrests turned the university community in favor of student demands. It had the same affect when UCSC graduate students went out on a wildcat strike in February of 2020 and the Regents sent in cops from all over to bash future professorial brains. It was not pretty, but what it proved is that UC is vulnerable when students and the community organize.
UC, Incorporated
The protests of the 1960’s did not keep the UC Regents in their cage. They have turned former President, Clark Kerr’s dream of a multiversity, into a full-fledged corporation, leaving its young people in debt and graduate students still disenchanted because of rent and the high numbers of students they are expected to teach. Beginning with the UCSC graduate student grade-strike of 2019 and amidst undergraduate cries of “Cops off campus,” the Regents have failed to not only bring down the price of housing on campus, but in fact are acting in ways that cause rents to rise all over Santa Cruz and make student less safe and secure. University students will be the working and professional people of the future. Why is tuition so high? Why does it cost both an arm, and a leg, to live on campus? I have written before about how the university drives up rents in the local housing market, but it bears repeating as the 19,500 student 2005 LRDP-approved glass ceiling may be broken this fall and even more enthusiastic and bright-eyed young people will descend upon Surf City and slam right up against the absurd cost of housing wall. But, what the UC Regents has not done before is purchase off-campus market-rate housing in the city of Santa Cruz. It is true, they own the University Town Center building on Pacific Avenue where students live, but it was not previously rented out in the community housing rental market. What seems apparent from paperwork I have seen, but neither confirmed nor denied by three separate university spokespeople, is that the 168-unit Hilltop Apartments at 363 Western Drive was purchased for $117 million by an entity at 1111 Franklin Street in the city of Oakland, which happens to be the office of the UC Regents (8th floor). If anyone has additional information about this purchase and is willing to share it, please contact me at ckrohn@cruzio.com.
Addendum
Along with the news concerning this sale that broke in this column and in radio interviews, the residents at the Hilltop Apartments have been organizing. They sent a letter to the management company, Greystar, asking them to back off on issuing 60-day notices. I was told by a resident that the organizing worked and the company has since rescinded the notices. Don’t mourn, organize!
The People 2, City of Santa Cruz 0
Coming off a narrow, but loudly reverberating defeat of a half-cent sales tax measure by Santa Cruz voters, the city council took it on the chin again as the California Coastal Commission expressed dismay for its “Oversized Vehicle Ordinance,” and said on the record that it was lacked clarity and their findings were: “substantial issue found, de novo hearing continued.” The staff report included this zinger:
In terms of environmental justice, staff has concluded that unsheltered individuals that use an oversized vehicle as a place to sleep at night constitute an environmental justice community to which the Coastal Act’s environmental justice provisions and the Commission’s Environmental Justice Policy apply.
This seems to be what advocates have been arguing all along. Pity the poor city attorney’s office after hearing from commission staff that they just have not made the case for discarding certain city residents from their living spaces. This means, the ordinance that was going to criminalize people for sleeping in their vehicles because it’s so expensive to buy a house or even pay rent in this town, cannot be enforced in the coastal zone pending a further hearing. Read all about it HERE. This is good news for the one hundred-plus people who live in their vehicles within the coastal zone in Santa Cruz, an area which is essentially presided over by the California Coastal Commission’s rules. Can you say, “Amen” for the 1976 California Coastal Act?” Amen. Also, three cheers for the appellants, the ACLU and Santa Cruz Cares.
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The Piano Man is back and can be found on Pacific Avenue outside of Verve coffee house. Thanks much to Lisa Sprinkle and Jeb Purucker, owners of the Tabby Cat café for storing the piano when not being played on The Avenue.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
July 18
F.I.R.E. FOUNDRY MODEL COULD HAPPEN HERE? ASK COUNTY FIRE DEPT. ADVISORY COMMISSIONERS THIS WEDNESDAY…7/20.
A friend let me know last week that her neighborhood’s safety in Marin County improved with work performed FOR FREE by F.I.R.E. Foundry crews. Why can’t we follow this model in Santa Cruz County?
The Fire Innovation, Recruitment and Education (F.I.R.E.) Program is the result of collaborative work between the Marin County Fire agencies, California Conservation Corps, and educational institutions that include Stanford University. Recruits are 18-30 years of age, are paid $18-$20/hour, and gain valuable emergency responder skills and education. The community wins, too.
Initiative to Reduce Wildfire Risk Also Creates Career Pathways
Here is the F.I.R.E. Foundry Program Objective: “To establish a science and technology-savvy, community-oriented wildfire prevention workforce, by providing job training and skills development for underserved, underrepresented and underfunded community members in Marin County and the surrounding Bay Area.”
Write to the Santa Cruz County Fire Dept. Advisory Commission (FDAC) and also the County Board of Supervisors to ask that this program model be implemented here in Santa Cruz County.
FDAC Administrative Clerk Melissa Scalia <melissa.scalia@fire.ca.gov>
Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
You can also speak directly to the Commission this Wednesday, July 20 at 4pm. Here is a link to the FDAC website where you can find the virtual meeting agenda. FDAC
Remind the County Supervisors they need to allocate some of the money promised to voters in the 2018 Measure G ballot to add a new 1/2 cent sales tax to help fund fire and emergency response. To date, ZERO dollars brought in by Measure G approval have funded any fire agency. After all, they have to answer to the Grand Jury investigation and report.
TWO VIDEOS TELLING STORIES OF THE CZU FIRE
Mountain Community Theater produced a 90-minute film “The CZU Fire In Their Own Words—Fighting Fires, Losing Homes, and Rebuilding Community” to raise funds for the local volunteer fire departments and the Community Foundation Fire Recovery Fund.
The first screening happened last Friday at the Zayante Fire Station, but you will have another chance to go on August 7, 1pm at Park Hall in Ben Lomond (9400 Mill Street).
Admission is free, with a suggested $10 donation.
If you were able to go to the screening last Friday, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
The second video just released on the topic is about Big Basin State Park and the CZU Fire recovery. It’s about 11 minutes long, and is available here:
Although he could not get to Big Basin State Park in time, State Archaeologist Mark Hylkema raced with other Parks staff to save historic documents from other treasured places in the face of the CZU Fire. You can read about that here
PLEASURE POINT IS NOT A PLACE FOR HIGH RISES: NEIGHBORS HAVE A SOLUTION THAT HONORS THE CHARACTER OF THEIR COMMUNITY
Recently, County Planning Commissioner Rachel Dann stated “This is the biggest land use change our County has seen in 40 years, but not many people seem to be aware of it.” She was talking about the Draft Santa Cruz County Sustainability Policies and General Plan Update, first presented to the Commission on May 25, 2022 in Item #6: Santa Cruz County Planning Department
To a large extent, Commissioner Dann is right.
However, it is encouraging to see that a group of astute neighbors in Pleasure Point ARE AWARE, they have organized and are keeping their seats at the Planning Dept. table to do all they can in a constructive way to protect their Community’s character.
My friends Al and Patti sent me this information highlighting “Save Pleasure Point”:
Pleasure Point is not a place for high rises: Rezone our neighborhood the right way
This thoughtful group painstakingly reviewed the Santa Cruz County Draft Sustainability Plan and Regulatory Updates over the course of nine intense days. They put together their comments and sent them in early, because they have seen the County’s deadlines for doing so can be somewhat mysterious and misleading.
Their comments really hone in on the inappropriate plan to re-zone Pleasure Point to put this neighborhood in the cross-hairs of ultra-dense development when it is already challenged with traffic congestion, and is at the far-end of 41st Avenue corridor connection to Highway One.
Shouldn’t those ultra-dense developments be located closer to the main Highway One corridor…or enable passenger rail opportunities along the rail corridor?
A few years ago, I attended some of the Pleasure Point community meetings when the Planning Dept. and Supervisor John Leopold were pretending to be interested in the public’s opinion of their proposed Pleasure Point Commercial Corridor Plan. No one wanted to reduce the number of lanes on Portola Drive, but that is what ended up in the Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Read the comment card input for the two public meetings held, and you’ll find that the proposed Santa Cruz County Draft Sustainability and General Plan Updates ignores what the people wanted.
APTOS NATURAL FOODS FOR SALE
I remember when this store first opened in 1990, and it is sad to see it struggling now. It is officially for sale, so I hope the business will survive. Many thanks to my friend, Al, who sent me this post from social media sent out just a few days ago:
William D. Mar Vista
Re: APTOS NATURAL FOODS It is sad to announce that ANF is for sale. My brother is the owner and he suffered a TBI about 2-weeks after he bought the store in 2015. Unfortunately, the management he had put in place in 2015, tried to get him to change his will and did other nefarious/dubious things that caused a separation. My brother replaced him with new management that ran it into the ground. I tried to help, but I have my own company and now my own clients are starting to suffer. I cannot continue to help him and now he wants out. I do not have any ownership, however, I have power of attorney, which has its own limitations. So, if you would like to chat about buying ANF or know of someone who may be interested in getting a landmark store at bottom-dollar pricing, please PM me and I will send my contact info so we can have a phone or Zoom conversation. Please help me spread the word… you can do that by sharing this post and chatting this up in your network of friends. Thank you!! W 7506 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA
A BRIGHT LIGHT HAS LEFT OUR COMMUNITY
On a sad note, Kenneth Coale, who, with his wife Susan, organized and led the County Equine Evacuation effort, passed away suddenly last week due to complications caused by an aortic dissection. He was volunteering on a local horse event, providing amateur radio communication public service, when the problem occurred. He was a wonderfully kind soul who led the animal evacuation effort during the CZU Fire. He co-authored many interesting scientific papers in the field of marine science and worked to improve local policing operational procedures and behavioral health trainings after the tragic killing of Sean Arlt in Santa Cruz City in 2016.
Kenneth was kind, intelligent and witty…I will miss him greatly.
A VAST SENSE OF BEAUTY
| WATCH LIVE: Stunning new images from James Webb Space Telescope offer fuller picture of our universe |
These amazingly beautiful images from the James Webb telescope that NASA released last week should give us all pause to wonder about our place in the big picture of Life.
Many thanks to my friend, Al, for sending this lovely image. Each dot is a galaxy. Here is a video explaining these amazing images (begin at minute 52:00):
MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. ATTEND A PUBLIC HEARING. VISIT ONE OF THE MANY GOOD LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUMS TO LEARN ONE NEW THING. CALL A GOOD FRIEND AND HAVE COFFEE.
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 |
TOYON
There’s an important plant showing off right now. Cast your eyes across our hillsides or hike deep in the ravines, and you may catch a glimpse of large multi-trunked treelike shrubs festooned with bright white blossoms. 
In December, these plants will be weighted with bright red berries, just in time for the holidays. Branches with berries were as popular as wild gleaned holiday décor that Californians had to pass laws to prohibit harvesting in the early 1900’s. This big shrub or at times small tree is called “toyon,” Hollywood, or Christmas berry.
Madrone-like Different Apple
The plant’s genus name “Heteromeles” means ‘different apple’ (“hetero” translates as ‘different’ and “meles” references the apple genus ‘Malus’), which makes sense because this super shrub is related to apples, which are also in the rose family. You can see why it is a rose relative if you examine the small flowers and find that they are five-petaled, like wild roses. I captured a photo of a honeybee visiting Toyon flowers (note the attractive red leaves in the background). Like roses (and apples!) the flowers have an alluring scent…some say like Hawthorn – but, does anyone know how to describe hawthorn smell?? Oh, so much to learn…in Nature, there’s always more to learn.
More plant name etymology…as we already covered the secrets behind the genus name. Botanists often play most playfully with “plant nomenclature.” As a profession, they might be the punniest. This shrub-tree’s species name is “arbutifolia” referring to the shape of the leaves, which are like leaves in the genus Arbutus, which includes our native madrones. I recognize that the overall leaf shape fits and that the leaves are extremely waxy like madrone leaves. But, Toyon leaves are a darker green and have little teeth on their margins, unlike madrones. Nevertheless, if you cut branches of this plant for the holidays, you’ll get both a dark green ‘holly-like’ leaf color as well as the bright red distinctly holly-like berries- a fine combination.
Do We Eat Them?
Yes, we do eat them. The original people of this land made delicious food out of Toyon berries. The name Toyon is a Spanish-era mispronunciation of the native peoples’ name “totcon.” There is a problem, though…when ripe, the seeds are full of cyanide, so one must process the berries to get rid of that poison. I don’t know anyone who has done that work, and I leave the berries for the birds.
What Else Do We Do with Toyon?
Toyon wood is epically useful but little known these days. Know anyone with a toyon wood anything? Native peoples used the wood for poles, arrows, bows, pegs, pestles, frames for furniture, bowls, etc.
Nowadays we use the plant in restoration and habitat management. The birds, pollinators, and mammals like it a lot- a prime candidate for restoration in many ecosystems.
Wildlife Food
Wildlife worship at the Toyon many times a year. Now, when the shrub trees are in bloom, they vibrate with pollinator noises in all octaves. Being one of the only early summer abundant sources of pollen and nectar, Toyon is the go-to nectar bar for a wide variety of buzzing floral resource collectors. The distinct drone of European honeybees emanates from the flowering canopy, joined by the high whine of numerous flies and the deeper tones of larger native bees. And then there are fruit…
The fruit take a long time to mature, a long wait until berries are ripe and delicious, but as with the good fortune of early summer flowers, the fruit arrives at a time when few other such foods are available. One of my favorite wintertime visitors, flocks of noisy cedar waxwings descend on a toyon and feast joyously on the berries. The amazing photo is copyright by Creative Commons and is by Flickr user Becky Matsubara. Robins, too, regular fruit eaters, gulp them down. I’m not sure how coyotes reach the Toyon fruit around here, often too high to reach. If there were bears still around, they would feast on Toyon berries, probably tearing off limbs that bore berries too high for their reach. All of these critters disperse Toyon seeds with their poop. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a waxwing-dispersed toyon sprouting up in your home’s vicinity…or, if an open space near you doesn’t sport crowns of Hollywood stars…there’s always a chance to plant them!
Landscaping with Toyon
Toyon is a great landscape and restoration plant when you want a large, resilient, and wildlife friendly shrub. The species isn’t the fastest growing, but it is quick enough! After 10 years, you can count on a 12′ tall, 10′ diameter plant with a full round crown chock full of flowers. What you can’t count on is a full canopy of leaves…or red berries…it seems that those only occur on the driest of sites – mine get mildewy leaves that fall off readily and the berries turn moldy black in many years. The flowers, though, consistently appear in larger and larger bee-covered masses. Count on multiple trunks with smooth grayish bark that are easily pruned up to be more fire safe. If there is a fire, you can count on Toyon to bound back with new sprouts so perhaps once established a shrub can live a very long time. Another bonus- although Toyon is ostensibly evergreen, it does shed its leaves a few at a time…and as those leaves get ready to shed they turn a bright and beautiful red.
I took this photo of a 10 year old toyon just today, high above Davenport – in bloom and very lush looking.
Your Task
Your homework, should you decide to take my advice, is to spot the Toyon. There really aren’t that many trees or near tree shrubs to learn in our area, and this one is a great one to add to your repertoire of local knowledge. Where will you go to find this species???
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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 |
July 18
THAT BILLION DOLLAR CLIMATE SCHOOL
Venture capitalist John Doerr, and his wife, Ann (both pictured above on Stanford’s Inner Quad), have given $1.1 billion to Stanford University, to set up a new school on the campus that will be devoted to the study of climate change and its solutions.
This “Climate School,” as both the San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Chronicle have called it, will officially be named the “Doerr School of Sustainability.” Incidentally, this is not our nation’s first “Climate School.” Columbia University also has one, and Columbia just calls it the “Columbia Climate School.” As far as I can tell, there weren’t any billion-dollar donors around when Columbia set up its program, which probably explains why plain-old “Climate School” was good enough for Columbia.
I think it is a very good thing that our best institutions of higher education are now trying to focus on the need to combat global warming and the associated climate changes that are putting human civilization – and tens of thousands of living species – in extreme peril. Anyone reading one or more of my recent blog postings – like the one you can read by clicking this link – would certainly know this.
So, thank you John and Ann Doerr – but with a significant footnote! Providing economic resources to have the “best and the brightest” of our educators work on ways to avoid the global warming catastrophe that we can so plainly see coming is definitely a good thing. What is NOT so good is the proposal to accept financial support and contributions from the fossil fuel industry. According to an opinion column published in The Stanford Daily, that is exactly what is happening.
I have another comment about Stanford’s new “Climate School” curriculum, too. Here is what The San Francisco Chronicle says about that, in the news story linked above:
The School of Sustainability will open Sept. 1 with 90 Stanford faculty coming from other departments with 60 positions to be added later, the university said. The initial push will be in four areas: energy systems, climate, sustainable development and environmental justice.
The first students will come over from the existing school of earth sciences, which will be folded into the new school, along with its faculty.
Undergraduates may declare majors in disciplines to include the oceans, civil and environmental engineering, climate science, and global and environmental policy. There will be an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree along with master’s and doctorate degrees. The first degrees will be conferred in June 2023.
It appears to me that Stanford and the Doerrs are treating the global warming problem as, mainly, a “technical” problem, a problem that can be achieved by working on “the science,” with efforts aimed, mainly, at “engineering” solutions.
I would like to suggest that this is an inadequate way to approach the global warming problem, which is a “human” problem even more than it is a scientific or engineering problem. Where are the faculty from education, sociology, philosophy, history, economics, literature, anthropology, psychology, religion, and politics?
We will not be able to “engineer” ourselves out of the crisis we have created. We are going to have to transform how we conduct ourselves as human beings, in the face of the climate crisis we have brought down upon both the human and natural worlds. Engineers and scientists are needed, certainly, but those in the humanities and social sciences must be called to the task, as well. The crisis we face is truly an “all hands on deck” situation. We need a fully “interdisciplinary” approach.
Ultimately, what we most need is a type of “metanoia,” a complete transformation of all of our expectations. Our current ecological footprints are several Earths over the limit (the limit is one). We won’t be able to survive the coming catastrophe unless we can “do the math.”
In this case, however, “doing the math” is not a problem for engineers, it is a human problem. That makes it, also, a spiritual problem, and (let me make it clear) a POLITICAL problem.
Ultimately, we are totally dependent on the World of Nature (that is the “one” world that the earth sciences students know about).
Most immediately, however, we live in a political world, and our key challenge is the political one, not the engineering one.
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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 |
RUMORS, REALITY, RATIONALE, AND REPULSIVENESS
Our self-named “favorite President” must be running low on grifting cash from his online criminal activity…he’s touting an upcoming announcement for his media transcribers who oblige him by heralding a possible fall announcement for a third run at the presidency. Wowie…stand back and stand by with plenty of snacks, a bucket o’chicken, and your red MAGA hat! According to the Washington Post, two ‘unnamed advisors’ are hinting at a September ride down the golden escalator for the candidacy statement. In doing so, he would be ignoring GOP wishes to at least hold off until after the mid-term elections, to prevent the divisiveness this might bring, not to mention poor results for GOP contenders. Some GOP strategists worry that such an early announcement would play into the hands of Democrats who would attempt to use the vote as referendum on some of the extreme foundations of his base.
Though Agent Orange has been ‘leaking’ the same rumor for months, we can bet (careful where you place that money) that his coffers are swelling once again with responses to his daily blasts for more…too much is never enough, according to niece, Mary Trump. But, what is the likelihood that will really be a participant? Some are saying that his mind is too far gone, and the reason his handlers are limiting his public appearances…though one emergence is one too many it seems. We can only hope that a run will be hindered by his senility, and court appearances before the Department of Justice and the Georgia bail hearings. The Dems are hoping for a mendacious, but desperate Trump campaign where he falls on his face, as they make a referendum of Baby Finger’s toxic unpopularity while tying the GOP to his criminality. Nevertheless, Democratic candidates have their work cut out for them.
We can only hope that Republicans continue to produce daily horror stories and gaffes, with the assistance of the U.S. Supreme Court, of course. Idiots like Congressman (Coach) GYM nasium Jordan, Ron Johnson, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert (former Shooter’s Grill & Botulism owner), and Marjorie (Hooked on Phonics) Taylor Greene will be great assets for the Dems. Nefarious proponents of The Big Lie have won over 100 GOP primaries across the country, according the the Washington Post, as they attempt to take positions such as County Clerk, Secretary of State, or on elections boards to gain a foothold for controlling elections. Recently, a GOP-led commission in a New Mexico county refused to certify the results of a fair election until intervention of the state supreme court, an ugly example of actions the power-seeking election deniers are ready and willing to initiate. ‘The Onion’ newspaper reports that a Republican platform plank will propose that schools, to save money, should eliminate teaching the past tense in English classes.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, closed the last J6 Committee hearing with words of warning about witness tampering, saying that an upcoming witness had received a phone call from Amnesty Donald, considered a bombshell by some. Newsmax host Greg Kelly asserted that the former Prez surely wouldn’t have made such a call…could have merely been a “butt call.” While the witness declined the call after recognizing the phone number, they alerted an attorney who then informed the Select Committee, the chair passing it on to DOJ. As for Kelly’s “butt dial” remark, one commenter pointed out that the posterior of The Donald would have rendered the phone inoperable before a call could be completed. Look for a resurrection of terms such as, ‘Benghazi’, ‘Hillary’s emails’, or even the old chestnut, ‘Obama’s birth certificate’ in the coming days. ‘Hunter Biden’ will obviously gather multiple usages.
In the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, President Biden, to highlight the dangers of the ruling, told of a ten-year-old Ohio girl, who was raped and was forced to travel to Indiana in order to terminate her pregnancy. The deniers immediately launched their criticisms, one of whom was Ohio Attorney General David Yost who suggested it was not “likely” that such a crime took place, making himself available to media sources to crow about it, while lobbing this national talking point upon a child-victim. Jim Bopp, the general counsel for the anti-abortion group, National Right to Life, felt carrying to term would have been the proper decision, “as many women rape-victims have, to their benefit.” Jim failed to note that this concerned a ten-year-old? Congressman Jim Jordan tweeted that Biden had lied, then quietly scrubbed the message upon the arrest of the rapist. What, no apology, Gym? Even Ohio AG Yost issued a statement that it “appeared to be true.”
A Republican candidate running for Virginia state representative, Yesli Vega, made the most nonsensical and outrageous statement regarding rape by criticizing the Left, and hawking her law enforcement career, by babbling, “…there’s so much going on in the body. I don’t know. I haven’t, you know, seen any studies…Because it’s not something that’s happening organically. You’re forcing it. The individual, the male, is doing it as quickly – it’s not like, you know – and so I can see why there is truth to that. It’s unfortunate.” Got that? A vote for Yesli is a vote for nonsensical decision-making.
But, Fox News’s Jesse Watters, after calling the story a hoax, credited his show with assisting in apprehending the rapist, an undocumented immigrant, by “covering the story heavily, and putting pressure toward ‘seeing that justice is being served’.” Watters covered the news in several segments, while sowing doubt with interviews and emphasizing the unverifiable elements, which privacy laws concerning minors prevented him from knowing. Jesse, a wingman of Fox News colleague, Tucker Carlson, didn’t apologize after taking credit for the arrest, and went on to demonize immigrants, and villainizing the abortion doctor by continually running her photo during his airtime.
Bocha Blue writes in the Palmer Report, that we now have a “Manchurian Court”, a la the book and movie, ‘The Manchurian Candidate.’ Blue refers us to a ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine article which describes how Peggy Nienaber of Liberty Counsel, was overheard on a ‘hot mic’, claiming to be frequently praying with “certain Supreme Court justices…those that like us to pray with them.” Liberty Counsel is a frequent visitor to the Court, often arguing cases before them. The group, founded in 1989, is a 501 tax-exempt organization that engages in litigation related to evangelical Christian values. Chairman Mathew Staver, and president Anita L. Staver, a married couple, are both attorneys. They employ 38 people, and are headquartered in Maitland, FL and have revenue of $5.57 million annually, with expenses of $5.26 million, according to a 2015 report. According to Nienaber, they actually pray inside the court with those out-of-control justices who will participate as they chip away at America’s foundation. This should scare the hell out of any American…so vote! This must stop!
U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York believes our runaway Supreme Court is out of control, and in particular after his last opinion, Clarence Thomas, who he classifies as a hater. He writes that Justice Thomas hates civil rights, women’s rights, reproductive rights, voting rights, marital rights, equal protection under the law, liberty and justice for all, and free elections. Undoubtedly, Co-Justice Ginni Thomas concurs.
In a New York Times editorial, Adam Liptak, says that with its relentless move to the right, this Supreme Court is the most conservative since 1931. The last time the rate of conservative decisions came close to the present court’s decisions, was in 2005, Chief Justice John Roberts first term. Since that year, the court tended to have a mix of decisions based on the differences in ideology of the members. Since Justice Barrett’s appointment, that dynamic has become quite different and lopsided, what Justice Sotomayor calls “a restless and newly constituted court,” with the three remaining liberals saying the court has replaced reason with power. “The Supreme Court went a lot farther a lot faster than I expected it to this term,” said Tara Leigh Grove, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Despite a Gallup Poll showing the court’s public approval rating in a dive, this group isn’t slowing down as they approach decisions on affirmative action, voting rights and same-sex marriage starting in the October term beginning. Hold onto your hats…and not the MAGA ones!
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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.
“BRIDGES”
“The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn”.
~David Russell
“If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he’s dead, then maybe he was a great man”.
~James Dean
“What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal”.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
“A politician is a man who will double cross that bridge when he comes to it”.
~Oscar Levant
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You will forgive me if I’ve posted this before… It is so absolutely wholesome. Alice Barker was a dancer in Harlem in the 1940s, and this video shows her in a nursing home at age 102, being shown videos from her performing days, videos that she had never seen before. She passed away in 2016 at 103, and enjoyed a tremendous amount of attention, fanmail, and notoriety in her last couple of years.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
July 13 – 19, 2022
BRATTON…Donna Meyers moving to Carmel, more about Pacific Avenue, SCChamber Players Concert, Krohn KSQD interview, film critiques, Live Here Now. GREENSITE…more on the Downtown Extension project. KROHN…Crazy Times, City growth, Roe v Wade, getting along. STEINBRUNER…County Fair Board and barns, Calfire understaffed, Grand Jury and fire risk. HAYES…Botta pocket gophers. PATTON…A house divided. MATLOCK…A need for courage, creativity and resolve (gun control). EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS PICK OF THE WEEKcrowd at a Green Day concert when they think no one is watching…QUOTES…”TIDES”
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DATELINE July 11
LATTE BREAKING NEWS…EX SANTA CRUZ MAYOR DONNA MEYERS MOVING TO CARMEL! Donna Meyers was elected to the Santa Cruz City Council in 2018. Her term ends this December and she’s moving to Carmel. We need to have a news contest and see who does the second reporting of her move. The Sentinel, Lookout, Local, Patch? Hopefully we’ll learn about her sense of commitment, loyalty, and community.
BEAUTIFYING, ENLIVENING PACIFIC AVENUE. Some super reactions and ideas came in about bringing more life back to our Downtown. Here’s a letter from a reader with her powerful views…
“Around 10 years ago, I offered to create a program for Downtown, based on a program in Los Gatos, to sponsor the planters in downtown. The theory is that companies or families would adopt a planter, keep it in fresh plantings, weed & care for their planter. The downtown crew would water them, since they already do. Los Gatos always looks so friendly with their flowers and frequent benches.
Los Gatos Adopt-A-Planter Program
At the time, Dannettee Shoemaker was in charge of SC City Parks & Rec… and P&R was in charge of Downtown. I presented her with my proposal and she handed it over to her second-in-command. He told me he’d support the idea, ONLY if I also started an “Adopt a Median” program for the medians around town. I passed, since I was doing this for free and for the love of Downtown. I didn’t want to sign up to arrange the median on Morrissey to be landscaped, ya know?
City Council doesn’t care what Downtown looks like or they wouldn’t keep turning it into an ugly area lacking the charm it once had. Parks &Recs has never cared what Downtown looks like. What about the Downtown Association? Shouldn’t they be interested in a program to put things in the empty windows?
Speaking of the City Council and the plans for Downtown… Petaluma has kept its lovely & charming old downtown. One smart thing they do: when Starbucks wanted to put a store in Downtown Petaluma, they were required to create a public space next to it. This is what Santa Cruz should have required of Starbucks on Ocean & Water (and all new buildings), so the entrance to Santa Cruz would look better”. There’s a lot to consider and a lot needs to be done…we just need responsible leaders in the City Structure or the Downtown Association or the Chamber of Commerce to get to it. As previously stated that applies especially to the former Palace Stationers, Peets Coffee and the Pizza house next door.
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS CONCERT. For more than 40 years the Santa Cruz Chamber Players have been presenting six or more excellent concerts per year and I’ve attended almost all of them. Last Sundays (07/10) concert featured The Nisene Ensemble playing the music of Gabriel Faure and His Circle of Influence (Martinu, Boulanger, Kodaly, Bloch and Saint-Saens) it was surprising in its newness, and excellence. Michel Singher founder, conductor of Espressivo the small intense orchestra, was there and he liked it too. The Chamber Players next concert will be September 17 and 18 with music by Beethoven, Jon Scoville, Ligetti and Couperin. Go here for tickets and info…. www.scchamberplayers.org
TALK OF THE TOWN RADIO PROGRAM KSQD. Chris Krohn came by my home last week (see attached photo in his section) and interviewed me for his KSQD program to be aired Tuesday, July 19 at 5 p.m. KSQD is at 90.7 fm There are also other ways to listen. We covered a lot except maybe my film history of at least six years of film classes at UC Berkeley and here at UC Santa Cruz. Plus my friendship in Berkeley with Pauline Kael, one of the world’s best film critics.
BANJO LESSONS NEEDED!! A good friend (also named Bruce) wants to find a banjo teacher who teaches 5 string banjo and Scruggs style. If you know anybody call Bruce at 831 331-5380, and tell him I sent you!!
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
THOR: LOVE and THUNDER. (Del Mar Theatre) I’m not going to see, let alone review this mess. Marvel super hero films don’t qualify in my definition of cinema, even if Natalie Portman is in it.
BLACK BIRD. (APPLE SERIES) (8.5 IMDB) Ray Liotta’s last film and it’s a good one. Greg Kinnear and Taron Egerton also star in this former cop who’s now in jail and gets offered freedom IF he’ll go to another prison to secretly question and get a confession from another felon. It’s a bit hammy and slow moving but watchable.
HELLO GOODBYE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. (NEFLIX MOVIE) (4.7 IMDB) It is billed as a “teenmovie” and I thought it would be a switch from all the heavy serious films I usually watch. I wouldn’t advise any teen I know to see this mess. Maybe or possibly kids under 10 could possibly like it. Stay warned.
AV THE HUNT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.5 IMDB). A dark, depressing view of violence against women. It’s a Turkish movie and has superior photography but it’s a pointless tirade against the tribal, traditional sex prejudice that is rampant and never ending. Mostly implausible and has a plot that needed more work.
THE TURNING POINT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.1 IMDB). A robber hides in a nice guy’s apartment and they become unbelievably good friends. Many cinema zingers in this Italian pseudo comedy/drama. Not very funny, not very plausible and poor acting too. Don’t waste your time, and warn any sensible friends too.
THE WRATH OF GOD. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.7 IMDB). This excellent Argentine moviemakes a mystery out of a famous author’s connection to the murders he writes about. Those murders all center on a beautiful former employee of his. Believable, tense, absorbing and good viewing.
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.
YOU DON’T KNOW ME. (NETFLIX SERIES) (6.8 IMDB). A British courtroom drama centers on a man accused of murder. It’s tight, well-acted, intriguing, believable, and even mysterious. His surprising version of his innocence is certainly worth your viewing.
THE PRINCESS. (HULU MOVIE) (5.3 IMDB). Hard to imagine watching a princess escaping from a castle tower movie again. This trite piece of junk adds nothing to the oft repeated retelling. The princess isn’t exactly beautiful, she’s supposed to be about 15 years old and has had martial arts training! The fantasy it tries to create is almost worse than those related on Fox News!
OFFICIAL COMPETITION. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.2 IMDB) This is a Spanish must see comedy for any and all cinema enthusiasts. Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas take the leads in this film centering on how movies are made. Plenty of inside digs and barbs on art house creations will keep you involved and even laughing. Surprising to watch Cruz’s comic timing…who knew?
THE TERMINAL LIST. (AMAZON PRIME) (8.2 IMDB) Chris Pratt takes the part of a Navy Seal officer whose troops were ambushed during a secret mission in Syria. He suffers from shell shock/concussion and the search for the unknown enemy is a good one. The movie is believable, well-acted, nicely photographed and even mysterious. Go for it.
MARRY ME. (AMAZON PRIME) (6.0 IMDB) This is meant to be a comedy and features Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Her role is a hugely successful superstarwho gets jilted by a big deal rock star and ends up partnering with a “humble” normal guy instead. Wilson’s forever mugging and hammy style of delivery make this barely viewable. There’s some singing and more staging by Lopez but it isn’t worth your time.
THE DESPERATE HOUR. (HULU MOVIE) (4.7 IMDB) Naomi Watts must have been paid millions to do this tragic flop. She plays a mother out jogging whose son Noah is inside a school that is being held captive by a shooter. She jogs throughout the entire movie and telephones everybody involved to learn about and connect with her son. There’s little tension, unfair emoting and is a below the belt attempt at reality.
DOOM OF LOVE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (4.8 IMDB). This movie from Turkey is flimsy, trite, and dull and is supposed to deal with a young man’s search for inner happiness. He deals with love, playing the drums, and finding friends. Because his business had failed there’s a big focus on making money OR being happy…apparently we can’t do both. Much better to take a walk in this beautiful July sunshine.
BACKTRACE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (3.8 IMDB). It was mostly curiosity that made me watch a movie with Sylvester Stallone in it. And even wearing a foolish looking wig he’s still painful to watch. Mathew Modine plays a guy who stole a big bunch of money and hid it. He does time in prison, gets released and they give him drugs so he’ll remember where he hid it. Stallone is the cop who supervises the search. Not worth your time or even thinking about it.
CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH. (APPLE MOVIE) (7.4 IMDB). A very corny, poorly acted, fell good movie about a kid who falls in love at a Bar Mitzvah party. He dances and dates an autistic girl and makes friends with her mother. I couldn’t take more than 23 minutes and 3 seconds.
JEWEL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS. Their next production is “Deathtrap” which was Broadway’s longest running comedy-thriller play. Tense, funny, and the movie version with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve was near perfect. It’s at the Colligan Theatre and runs from July 6 through the 31st. Call 831 425-7506 or go to www.JewelTheatre.net
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts on July 24-August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
July 11
IF YOU THINK IT’S BAD NOW…!
Traffic crawls southward down Center Street on an unremarkable Saturday afternoon, July 9th. Drivers inch towards the first roundabout, in and out of gridlock as vehicles from Front and Center streets converge. Walking to London Nelson center I have a hard time imagining the Downtown Extension project with its 1600 housing units in this same area, in towers between 15 and 17 stories high to bankroll a new enlarged Warriors arena, and all the additional vehicles such a project will generate.
You may recall the already approved project at 130 Center St. adjacent to the Hertz rental car business in the photo. When built it will be 75 feet high or 5 stories for 233 units between 290 and 400 square feet, aka SRO’s or Single Room Occupancy units. This single project is estimated to increase daily traffic by 1100 vehicle trips. I represented the community group, Santa Cruz Tomorrow in appealing the project based in part on the failure of the traffic study to include weekends for its projections, which concluded there would be no significant impact from such an increase. One of those sneaky although apparently legal maneuvers to avoid grappling with real life impacts. In theory, most traffic is commuter traffic so that is what is usually studied and that they did. Except as anyone who lives in Santa Cruz can tell you, these roads are heavily tourist and visitor impacted on summer weekends, so those days, not only weekdays should have been the obvious days to include in the study. When this fact was pointed out, planning staff responded that the project didn’t cause the heavy weekend traffic so there was no need to study it. Except one is supposed to study if a project will worsen existing conditions, not whether the unbuilt project caused existing conditions.
We lost that appeal. The developer offered 4 additional “affordable “units to bring the total to 15% and UCSC students generated over 100 form emails in support of the project, so not one council member was willing to take the traffic impacts and the appeal seriously.
As the Downtown Extension project is pushed forward by city planning staff and the Santa Cruz Warriors, experience suggests the aim will be to get the project approved with as few hurdles as possible, even if a hurdle for the developer lessens the impacts for neighbors, residents, and visitors. Given the fan base for the SC Warriors, including past Mayors and council members and the involvement of well-endowed groups such as YIMBY’s (Yes in Your Back Yard) and MBEP (Monterey Bay Economic Partnership) and SHC (Student Housing Coalition) this will be a fight for the soul of Santa Cruz surpassing the struggles to save Lighthouse Field and Wilder Ranch. The pro-development forces go well beyond the usual suspects; the propaganda will evoke abstractions such as equity and sustainability even as long-time local low-income workers are forced to relocate.
The project requires an EIR, an Environmental Impact Report which is expected to be launched late August or early September. If history is a guide, (Wharf Master Plan, anyone?) the city will do its darndest to avoid an honest assessment of environmental impacts. It shouldn’t be so, after all, city management staff should be working for us, but bringing this project down from its high in the sky profile to something more in keeping with Santa Cruz will require alert community scrutiny, input and if needed, legal challenge.
If the Santa Cruz Warriors require imposing unprecedented 17 story buildings on our town to fund their arena, maybe their funding strategy needs a more careful review. Better now than after a year’s work, to end up in the same place as the Oakland A’s with a lawsuit threatening its new stadium and related project due to inadequate attention to its environmental impact.
| 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. |
July 11
CRAZY TIMES.
Crazy bat-shit times in America. Insanity coursing its way through the Open Veins of North America, and this time we are pillaging ourselves. Exhibit A, former President Donald Trump, according to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ secretary Cassady Huchinson, lunged for the clavicle (throat) of his driver, demanding he be allowed to join protesters on January 6, 2021 as they marched on the Capitol to disrupt vote tallying. Exhibit B, US sends $40 billion in military weapons to Ukraine…so much for the peace dividend vision after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Exhibit C, D. E and F, supreme court essentially strikes down Roe v. Wade, thus ending 50 years of women’s freedom to choose and have sovereignty over their own bodies; same court strikes down gun-control law in NYC; same court sides with football coach’s proselytizing of young players in organizing his prayer group at the 50-yard line after each game; and finally, supremes also rule that the Environmental Protection Agency cannot regulate the coal industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. This is the WEEK that was, and a week from hell. What’s in store for us in the coming weeks? And why aren’t we calling for a General Strike? Shut it down until the Democrats get enough votes to turn this around. Are we Americans not that courageous after all?
Homefront
What about Surf City rhetoric and reality? Protests at the town clock and the county building yielded outrage against this Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade debacle of a decision. It is likely that upwards to 80% of Santa Cruz voters support a woman’s right to choose. No ifs, ands, or buts. The jury of the people’s court is clear on abortion rights, case settled for Santa Cruz County. What is not so clear are the egregious claims that a place cannot be found for Food Not Bombs to feed hungry people; that the UC Regents has purportedly bought, for the first time I know of, real estate—168-unit Hilltop Apartments at 363 Western Drive—that is occupied by townies to pack it with gownies; that the nefarious, underhanded, and low-down political action committee (PAC), erroneously called Santa Cruz Together, is already organizing their real estate and developer loot to defeat what most consider a pretty reasonable initiative, the Empty Homes Tax; also, that out of town real estate people are seeking to turn the existing Santa Cruz County Credit Union building on Front Street into the “Cruz Hotel” with of course, what all locals have been clamoring for, a rooftop pool; and finally, another PAC has been recently organized to defeat the visionary and community inspired, Our Downtown, Our Future initiative headed for the November ballot. Many of the same people attacking these local initiatives and supporting the greed-driven development of Surf City wax awfully progressive, and a bit hypocritical, when it comes to a woman’s right to choose. Santa Cruzans, choose wisely this November.
Can’t We All Just Get Along
Well, yes, we could if money and prestige and empire-building were not involved. I get along pretty well with most of my neighbors, politics aside. We talk baseball, birds, our gardens, and again all politics aside, we all agree the city’s street sweeper rarely comes down our street even though city officials maintain that it should be there the very next day after garbage collection. How’s your street doing? It does seem somewhat easy, and frankly beautiful, to live in a town that collectively is absolutely appalled by the above supreme court decisions—feels really good, doesn’t it–but on another hand, is so divided on the future of Santa Cruz itself. And it is not divided by simple yes and no wanton speculations. There are many shades, opinions, beliefs, and judgements in-between. I simply cannot agree with the sentiment I often hear, Well, that’s Santa Cruz, they can’t agree on anything…or when it comes to 16 and ½ story buildings, oh, that’s just progress. People have been drawn to Santa Cruz over the years since the university arrived because it’s a place that has shown over and over again that you actually can fight city hall and banks and developers, and corporate real estate interests. Lighthouse Field, Wilder Ranch, no nuclear power plant in Davenport, the preservation of the Pogonip and Moore Creek Uplands greenbelt properties, several parcel tax initiatives for public schools approved, and the recently passed NO on Measure D (it might be dreaming of rail, but people are still dreaming and that is reason enough to stay here!). And now, there will be two initiatives on November’s ballot that have the chance of shifting the city’s status quo power dynamic–similar to how the monied interests took it on the chin in the Measure D election—and displayed how community power might be wielded in the name of the community. Our Downtown, Our Future and the Empty Homes Tax are glimmers of real people-power, real opportunities for folks to get involved and decide what kind of town they want to live in, one that is architected and handed them by city planners, developers, and real estate people, or a future designed with care, and love, by the voting public? We will have our say in November. These two initiatives will be fiercely contested by the very interests who might benefit from owning two or three homes and letting them sit vacant, or who want a library-garage to support a Cruz Hotel and Warriors home games. Tuesday, November 8th is decision-day, although everyone will receive a ballot by mail starting in early October, and Santa Cruz city voters will absolutely have something to vote for this November.
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Bruce Bratton at home and awash in memorabilia, mementos, and memes
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
July 11
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY FAIR BOARD HAS NEW DATE TO DISCUSS WHETHER TO DEMOLISH LIVESTOCK BARNS AND ERASE EMERGENCY LIVESTOCK SHELTERING AT THE FAIRGROUNDS
If you care about whether rural residents with livestock will continue to have any future ability to shelter their animals safely at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds,
please mark this NEW DATE of July 19 to speak up.
Last week, the CEO did a bang-up job withholding critical information and convincing the Livestock Committee to agree with him that the barns cannot be repaired in time for the September 14 Fair to correct the damage done by his earlier renegade actions that caused them to now be UNSTABLE AND UNSAFE. He insists it is not possible, but the California Construction Authority (CCA) inspector who has been involved in the debacle, disagrees. Although the engineer from Donald C. Urfer & Associates chose to do a very complicated and expensive design to repair the unstable upright support posts, she could have designed a simple re-enforced concrete slab meeting State Building Codes, and the CCA would accept that method of repair.
This same CCA inspector has also been conducting the inspections of the new expensive electrical improvements in the barns, paid for by public taxpayer funds with SB 5 grant monies.
He said he was also very surprised when the CEO informed him last week that the barns were going to be demolished. How can CEO Dave Kegebein state to not only the CCA inspector, but also the County, Animal Services, and Equine Evacuation leaders, that the livestock barns will be demolished when the Fair Board has not approved such action???
Write to the State leaders who oversee the Fairgrounds and attend the
July 19 hybrid Fair Board Special Meeting at 6:30pm
Mike Francesconi <mike.francesconi@cdfa.ca.gov>
Michael Flores <michael.flores@cdfa.ca.gov>
Samantha Diaz <samantha.diaz@cdfa.ca.gov>
And copy
Don Dietrich<dietrich@
Cynthia Mazzei <cynthia@santacruzcountyfair.
CALFIRE IS UNDERSTAFFED AND CANNOT MEET 3-PERSON / ENGINE STATE RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS
I continue to hear that this fire season, CALFIRE does not have the people to staff their fire engines at the State-required three responders/engine level. CALFIRE/ Santa Cruz County Fire Chief Nate Armstrong alluded to the problem in his June 28 presentation to the Board of Supervisors “We’re hurting in the crew world, for sure.” Social media posts this weekend regarding the Armsby Fire in Morgan Hill confirm it.
More Tweets from Zeke Lunder ~ The Lookout
There is a staffing crisis unfolding in the wildland fire world. Incident command teams can’t roster enough people to respond to large fires, and many that are getting staffed are short in key positions. This will be a major issue in 2022. Here are some firefighter perspectives
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Locally, this could indeed pose a risk of CALFIRE again using the 2020 CZU Fire fiasco’s mantra of “lack of resources” to justify letting our communities burn.
Think about that as you listen to what County Fire/CALFIRE Chief Armstrong told the Board of Supervisors during his annual 2022 California Fire Season Report in Item #7:
(beginning at minute 1:25:35 with comment at minute 1:26:45 that CALFIRE usually has 200 hand crews trained, but this year only has 60-70…the number needed for a single large wildland fire…”We’re hurting in the crew world, for sure.”)
Contact State Senator John Laird with your concerns about the risks not being addressed by CALFIRE, and ask for an investigation as to why the staffing is so dangerously low:
email Senator Laird directly at Senator.Laird@senate.ca.gov
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION ON LOCAL FIRE RISK
Here is yet another good 2022 Grand Jury Report: “Reducing Our Community’s Risk From Wildfire: It Will Take Time, Money and Serious Cooperation”. It is a follow-up to the 2020 Report “Ready? Aim? Fire! Santa Cruz County in the Hot Seat” responses by the County Board of Supervisors.
To summarize the positions stated in those responses two years ago:
- Property owners are responsible for vegetation reduction on their property, not the County.
- The County could improve its vegetation reduction activity on County-maintained roads.
- County Fire does not have a plan. It coordinates with CAL FIRE to identify priority projects.
- Because there is no funding for vegetation-management planning, the planning isn’t being done.
- Priority projects are only done after grant funding has been obtained.
the County Fire Master Plan (pdf)
Ah, yes…there is that familiar CALFIRE mantra “lack of resources” again. It was interesting that a member of the public raised the issue on June 28 to the Board and Chief Armstrong about the County’s violation of defensible space State requirements by failing to do roadside mowing anymore. (hear Mr. Deitch’s good testimony before the Board at minute 1:54:00 on June 28 public hearing
When Chair Manu Koenig asked Chief Armstrong about developing new emergency evacuation routes and maintaining the ones existing, the CALFIRE mantra “not enough resources” bubbled out again as a vague answer that also rolled in the statement that the FireSafe Council and Resource Conservation District advise CALFIRE about potential projects, but it’s a problem when private landowners won’t cooperate.
Rubbish! And no one answered the question from the public about why the County doesn’t mow evacuation route roadsides for public safety.
The report notes on page 4 that CALFIRE has not updated the Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP) since 2007, and likely the risk severity has changed in Santa Cruz County and statewide. Even the city areas are likely more at risk, because of changes in fire behavior…we saw that in Santa Rosa in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.
Take a look at the 2007 map, and see what your neighborhood was designated for risk.
Sign up here to get information from CALFIRE regarding work to update the FRAP assessments
Maybe something will happen soon that could help prioritize the State’s resources for emergency response, and you’ll be the first to know about it!
Write to the Santa Cruz County Fire Dept. Advisory Commission (FDAC)
Doug Aumack dougaumack@att.net, Melissa Scaliamelissa.scalia@fire.ca.gov
The next FDAC virtual meeting is scheduled for July 20 at 4pm
Rushing to complete the County Fire Master Plan will likely be on the agenda (because it is expected to be completed by the August 3 LAFCO meeting), as well as discussion of the Grand Jury Report.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION: MISUSE OF LIBRARY FUNDS USING MEASURE S TAXPAYER MONEY TO BUILD A COMMUNITY CENTER WITH NO BOOKS?
How can the Board of Supervisors justify approving the use of Measure S tax monies, which are restricted to improving libraries in the County, to build the Live Oak Library Annex near Simpkins Swim Center, when there will be NO BOOKS AND NO LIBRARIANS AVAILABLE at the facility?
Take time to read this excellent County Grand Jury Report: “How a Community Center Became a “Library”…The Transformational Power of Measure S Funds”.
It begins with this…
“In 2016, residents within the Santa Cruz Public Libraries’ service system approved Measure S, a special tax that, over time, would raise $67 million. As a special tax, Measure S funds were restricted for use in modernizing, upgrading, and repairing local library branches.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors elected to use Measure S funds to complete a Santa Cruz County Parks project which they call the “Live Oak Library Annex.” The Annex (currently being constructed) is about one mile from the existing Live Oak Branch Library. The Annex is, in essence, a collection of study and education spaces with publicly available computers and internet that will be managed by County Parks staff. Santa Cruz Public Libraries (SCPL) will not have librarians or books for loan at this location.”
Hold the Board of Supervisors accountable. While the Annex Community Center is likely needed for activities associated with the Boys and Girls Club and the Parks Dept., it is fraudulent to use Measure S monies that voters passed with promise that the money would be used for libraries.
This Grand Jury Report illuminating misuse of Measure S tax money, along with the other excellent Grand Jury Report released stating that the Board of Supervisors never intended to actually restrict Measure G funding to matters promised on the ballot, should cause every voter to soundly reject any other tax measure on the ballot in the future until local government can clean up their act and regain voter trust.
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
and copy
Senator John Laird email Senator Laird directly at Senator.Laird@senate.ca.gov
LET AMBAG KNOW WHAT YOU THINK
This just in….
Interested Parties:
AMBAG is developing a Regional Early Action Program 2.0 (REAP 2.0) framework and we could use your help. REAP 2.0 is a new $10 million grant program provided to our region by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). This grant program is intended to help communities accelerate housing production, improve housing affordability, place housing closer to jobs, and reduce vehicle miles travelled in personal vehicles. In addition to these objectives, the grant seeks to address housing and infrastructure needs of communities, accelerate infill housing production to benefit disadvantaged communities, provide more transportation options, and affirmatively further fair housing.
AMBAG’s eventual REAP 2.0 program will be driven by the State’s final program guidelines and a stakeholder engagement process. Throughout 2022, AMBAG will be conducting outreach to a broad array of stakeholders to identify programs and partners and develop the full REAP 2.0 application, due to the State by December 2022.
Please take the short survey to provide us feedback on how AMBAG should structure its regional REAP 2.0 program. For more information on REAP 2.0, go here.
Regards,
Heather Adamson
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Please take a moment to complete the Associated of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) to let them know what you think about mandating dense developments without sufficient infrastructure to support it…and whatever else is on your mind about the quality of life in beautiful Santa Cruz County.
WRITE ONE LETTER TO PROTECT EVACUEES AND THEIR LIVESTOCK AT THE FAIRGROUNDS. MAKE ONE CALL TO HOLD A LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ACCOUNTABLE TO ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS.
ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING.
JUST DO ONE THING THIS WEEK AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
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 |
July 10
BOTTA POCKET GOPHERS
Pocket gophers are an important and very common mammal in many habitats in our area, so it seems appropriate to learn a little more about them. Most people know them as pests of ornamental plants or crops, but they play important roles far beyond that pestiferousness. And, just look at how cute they can be – photo by Flickr user Chuck Abbe
What is a Pocket Gopher?
Why is this critter called a pocket gopher? No, it’s not because of some 1970’s fad of domesticating gophers and putting them inside pocket protector-lined pockets. BTW, this fad fantasy must include pocket protectors because gophers have sharp teeth that they habitually gnaw with to wear them down…without such nervous-seeming gnawing, their teeth would be 11″ long by the end of the year. This fad could really take off one day because pocket gophers are not legally protected by the State!
Back to the subject at hand…the ‘pocket gopher’ name comes from odd pockets that these critters use as their cargo containers, hauling soil or food. Those pockets extent from the cheeks back to their shoulders. Inside those furry pouches, they haul food into their burrow, creating food storage piles in a deep portion of their burrow system. This food pantry also serves as their sleeping, baby raisin area, so food’s close at hand. That makes me think that maybe there’s a niche for food-storing bedroom furniture for humans!
Local Gophers
Our local species of pocket gopher is the most widespread in California, and so there’s lots of information around about its natural history. Our species, Botta Pocket Gopher, is almost everywhere in the state except the high Sierra Nevada. Like most pocket gophers, the males of this species are larger than the females. So, it’s likely that the Jury Room sign that was posted for years ‘Home of the Giant Gopher’ referenced a male. Not that you’d try, but you tell pocket gopher species apart from where they live and then the size of their rear feet, the shape of their ears and the relative size of the dark area around their ear.
Territorial Gopher
Pocket gophers are very territorial, protecting their extensive burrow system which represents the extent of their feeding ground. The size of their territory depends on how much food there is, but they range from the size of a tennis court or, sometimes, you can fit 10 gopher territories in the space of a tennis court. If you kill a gopher, its burrow system won’t be vacant for long…
Waves of Dispersing Gopher Young
During breeding season, gophers become less territorial, allowing visitors into their burrows, which seems sensible for reproduction. Where people aren’t watering plants, and the summers are so very dry, pocket gophers have a single breeding season in late winter. They bear 2-5 blind babies (aka ‘pinkies’). Gophers kick these offspring out of their burrows as soon as they are weaned (40 days after birth), and those young have to find a place to live. Those dispersing gopher children are why folks suggest leaving root protection cages out of the ground 6 inches. That wave of dispersing gophers will try to occupy whatever burrows they find…including the burrow complexes that have been abandoned by other gophers due to trapping or old age. People think that our gophers only live 3 years.
Gophers Drought Solutions
Gophers are soil engineers and are so good at their work that they are known to be an important solution to California’s water crisis.
Some have suggested that restoring mountain meadows in the Sierra Nevada could store as much water as two new giant reservoirs. Part of this would be done with reintroduction of a different rodent, the beaver, but another part is already under way by the pocket gopher. Pocket gophers are excellent hydrological engineers, assuring infiltration of snow melt and rain through the soil through their burrows, which include specific drainage architecture. Gophers can drown and need to breathe air, so their burrow systems must accommodate drainage for the rainy season.
Native Meadow Gardener Gopher
The better local natural historians around us will already know about the super-diverse and super-interesting mima mound meadows around Santa Cruz. These are caused by eons of soil movement by gophers, which means that they are literally “ecosystem architects.” Atop the mima mounds, there are poppies, lupines, purple needlegrass and other ‘dry’ loving species; between the mounds there are buttercups and rushes as well as streams and pools of water weeping from ancient gopher mounds during the winter. Dry and wet gopher-created ecosystems in close proximity makes for extraordinary species diversity.
Gopher Burrows: Habitat for Other Creatures
All of those gopher burrows are quite inviting to other creatures. In other places, scientists have described insect species that only live in gopher burrows. I see a species of brown fly come out of gopher burrows around here – there’s probably much more to be discovered. Pocket gophers don’t much like to invite things to enter their homes, so they plug their holes with a distinctive soil plug. However, I’ve seen newts poised for nocturnal forays at the mouths of gopher burrows. Others have seen rare California tiger salamanders using gopher runs. Those tunnels would of course be cooler and moister than the surrounding habitats in the summer. I commonly see the aptly named gopher snake winding its way from one gopher hole to the next, only the middle of its body visible. If gophers plug their holes, how do the snakes find their way in? Somehow they know…I saw a gopher snake recently quickly and energetically ‘dive’ into a gopher-strewn dirt pile and disappear quickly. Many are thankful for gopher predators because of the damage gophers can do to human-plants. Gopher snakes and alligator lizards are the most effective gopher control, because they can get down in the gopher burrows and eat the pinkies, controlling many gophers at one sitting.
What to do About Gophers
There are plenty of websites with information about how to, and many tools to, kill gophers, but is there another way to coexist with these creatures? I have spent a fair amount of money and time killing gophers or protecting plants from gophers using buried metal caging, and I have a few suggestions for gopher coexistence.
Lawns are pretty much passé at this point in California, so how about letting gophers make their homes in what would have been a lawn? The only drawback I’ve experienced is the mounds of dusty soil that they pile up, making a mess of what I want to be level ground without trip hazards. Use a gravel rake and smooth those mounds out and you’ve got a great seedbed for wildflowers to sprout from next spring. Yes, with all of that soil disturbance, gophers are doing a great job of preparing wildflower beds – poppies, lupines and other wild pea relatives, new yarrow seedlings, redmaids, owls’ clover, and lots more appreciates that fresh ground.
Another thing to do is choose plants that gophers don’t bother. Colt rootstock for cherry trees is highly resistant to gophers. Wild rushes (especially Juncus patens) stay green through the summer and are so tough that gophers can’t destroy them.
A final solution is to cultivate meadow voles, which are superior at running gophers out of their tunnels. Voles like lots of mulch – put mulch around and voles proliferate…and the gophers run away (or die at the homicidal teeth of the vole militia).
I’d like to see more discussion about human-gopher coexistence, so these important creatures can continue to do so much good across our region.
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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 |
July 6
I was genuinely thrilled when I saw the cover on the July 4, 2022, edition of The New Yorker magazine. I have reproduced the cover art, above, and you can get a better view by clicking this link. I thought the cover image truly captured what our national holiday is all about. Red letters on the left. Blue letters on the right:
On the left, “Black Lives Matter,” and one of those “In This House We Believe” signs, like the one on my own front lawn. On the right, an admonition to “Back The Blue,” and to “Thank A Veteran.”
In front of the house on the right, there is a plastic, artificial lawn. On the left, prolific natural growth – a pollinator’s paradise.
On the left, there is a “Little Free Library.” On the right, a home surveillance camera.
On both front porches, there is an American flag, and residents on both the left and the right are on their phones.
We may have different views, and concerns, but we are all Americans, here!
That is how I “read” the front cover image, which is by artist/cartoonist Chris Ware. That is the message I got when I just looked at the picture as I pulled the magazine out of the mail.
It may well be, though, that Ware didn’t intend his image in quite the way I saw it. He titled the cover, “House Divided.” I found that out when I opened up the magazine.
The magazine has published a brief little interview with Ware, in which he indicates some trepidation about the nation’s future. Ware said, in fact, that he “was buoyed by the brief flirtation with reality that the January 6th hearings have resurrected in a sliver of the G.O.P., but now the Texas Republican party’s vote to adopt a platform that asserts the illegitimacy of Biden’s electoral victory makes it feel as if something very, very, very bad is about to happen.”
Well, something “very, very, very bad” could be about to happen, and if Abraham Lincoln is right (and he was a pretty smart guy), “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
But let me suggest that the kind of divisions pictured in Ware’s cover drawing are not the kind of “divisions” that mean our house “cannot stand.” In fact, both the home on the left, and the home on the right, look pretty solid to me. We are “in this together,” I hear them say, despite those different opinions and views about priorities and politics. This is exactly why I was cheered by the image.
I think we need to see our differences for what they really are: differences. Differences of opinion – not different truths! That’s OK. Let’s celebrate those differences, right? We have to learn to do that. Wait! Even better: we know how to do that!
All sides can fly the flag. That’s what this picture tells us. We are all Americans here!
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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 |
A NEED FOR COURAGE, CREATIVITY AND RESOLVE
After the recent spate of mass shootings, the dumbest man in the U.S. House of Representatives and beyond, Louie Gohmert of Texas, ranted about the debate on gun reform legislation saying, “Look, maybe if we heard more prayers from leaders of this country instead of taking God’s name in vain, we wouldn’t have the mass killings like we didn’t have before prayer was eliminated from schools.” He went on to say that most shootings were in Democrat controlled cities, so it’s their fault, and unfair to accuse pro-gun Republicans of complicity in the murders.
A political cartoon blasted the blindness surrounding the gun debate by pointing out that a recent E. Coli outbreak was related to Romaine lettuce, with thirteen people hospitalized, and fortunately, no deaths. The product was pulled from nationwide shelves within hours. In 2016, firearms owners were responsible for 38,000 deaths, and the intervening years have resulted in no action to ward off the danger. Yes, we’ll have our AR-15s, with Marie’s Chunky Bleu Cheese dressing, on the side, s’il vous plait.
A ban on military-style assault rifles, as were used in Uvalde, Buffalo and Highland Park, doesn’t seem to be in the offing, though President Biden is trying to take the recent bipartisan gun reform to the next level by banning these weapons of war. He takes credit for leading the fight in 1994 to ban these weapons, but blames the NRA, gun manufacturers and their lobbyists, and ‘others’ for overturning the ten year existence of that law in 2004, even though mass shootings decreased in that period. Sadly, he will not get the support in Congress for the success of his efforts. Polling shows that such a ban is approved by 51% of Americans, somehow a low percentage which will surely go up as the carnage continues.
The necessity of such weaponry was expressed by Senate Minority Whip, John Thune of South Dakota, in support of farmers and ranchers who must kill small rodents to protect their interests, with prairie dogs being named as an example. His sentiments were echoed by Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, who said his constituents need to protect their chickens from raccoons and foxes. The family of the AR-15’s inventor has said he would be horrified to know that his battlefield design is being used to slaughter children and innocents, so let’s hope and pray that prairie dogs, foxes and raccoons don’t start to proliferate in shopping malls, churches, schools, and during patriotic events. And, we’ll have our AR-15s with a side of protected Kentucky Fried, y’all.
“The gun lobby has backed and bought a lot of opposition to gun violence prevention,” remarked Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. “The NRA is less powerful than they were, due to legal fights, but they still have the fear factor. They can intimidate.” The group’s continued clout was evident by the GOP heavyweights who attended and spoke at the NRA convention held after the Uvalde massacre of nineteen students and two teachers. CEO Wayne LaPierre described his organization as a champion of school safety, crediting their School Shield Program for helping fund and promote the “necessary security that every school child needs and deserves.” This program was launched after the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders of twenty students and six adults, NRA’s website proclaiming it to be “America’s Leading Charitable Organization Helping to Protect Our Children.” Leaked documents show that in 2021 the program was expected to spend less than $20,000, from their revenues of $282 million, or 0.007% of its income. These documents also show that Mr. LaPierre billed NRA $39,000 for designer suits purchased on one visit to Zegna in Beverly Hills. This is compounded by LaWayno’s purchases totaling $274,695.03 between 2004 and 2017 at the posh Rodeo Drive operation. The NRA defends these expenses as justified due to the CEO’s many public appearances…because he can’t afford to buy his own suits on a salary of +$1.8 million? In 2019, the NRA Foundation supposedly distributed tens of millions of dollars (but reported no grants under School Shield), only reporting grants to schools with competitive shooting programs. AR-15s with a Juicy Juice box and a couple of Oreos?
A Texas lawsuit filed by a former NRA advertising agency, alleges that School Shield was only a ‘shell program’ initiated to accelerate fundraising appeals, with no intention, or worthwhile wherewithal toward validity. An early settlement for undisclosed funds avoided a trial which would have disclosed the Shield program and other facets of NRA activities. A primary recommendation of the Shield program was placement of armed law enforcement officers at schools, in the face of failure during the shooting at Columbine, where officers were present, and later, at Uvalde. Critics of the program note that placing armed officers at every school would “increase juvenile contact with the criminal justice system” and “increase the potential for injuries and deaths from firearms.” Other recommendations suggest drastic pruning or elimination of trees near buildings, removing dense vegetation or planting thorn-bearing or sharp-leaved plants, and hardening campuses by installing ballistic protective glass, and creating a single point of entry with an entrapment area. Senator Ted Cruz picked up on this theme by proposing just one door for ingress and egress, with armed officers standing by. Imagine the lineup before morning classes at some schools…by the time everyone made it inside the class would be over, or the day would be over. Or, how about a separate building for each class, with only one door each, having an armed officer or two? Schools don’t receive enough money to initiate such programs, even though politicians continue to tout the NRA’s proposals. Uvalde’s Robb Elementary received a state grant of $69,000 in 2020, and the presence of armed officers did not ward off Salvador Ramos‘s siege; and, increasingly it appears that throwing money at such programs has had no effect on the violence. Hopes and prayers were only an afterthought. The next time someone utters ‘thoughts and prayers’ after a school shooting, outfit them immediately into a strait jacket and send them off for a mental evaluation to the Institute for Hopes and Prayers Conversion Therapy!
A search for clear answers on the rising tide of bloodshed has experts looking at the factors of COVID-19 stresses, fraying trust between police and citizenry, anger at government institutions, mental strains of modern life, and obviously, the absolute numbers of gun ownership. Some say it’s the natural evolution of societies in decline, or, Tucker Carlson might blame it on the loss of testosterone among American males. Or addiction to porn, perhaps. The Fourth of July weekend gave us the Highland Park parade shooting, but also, in Chicago ten people were killed, and sixty wounded in a string of shootings. Across the country our pressure cooker society saw several more deaths and injuries, not qualifying as a newsworthy mass shooting because of ‘low numbers of victimhood.’ The Washington Post reports federal data on background checks showing firearms purchases in 2020 and 2021 of more than 43 million. Not surprisingly, the rate of gun deaths in those years hit the highest level since 1995, with over 45,000 fatalities each year.
Local leaders, law enforcement officials, and anti-violence operatives say the trend is settling disputes by gunfire, and not by fisticuffs as in the past. The Reverend Eileen Smith in Pittsburg says, “They’re not fighting, at least not outside of school. They’re killing.” Access to guns weighs heavily in this, and Americans are arming themselves from fears and divisions, scary public conflicts of gunfire, or simply because they know or suspect others may be armed…“I need a gun because everyone else around me has a gun.” The frequency of nonfatal shootings and deaths has become a uniquely American phenomenon. Other countries have people living in unfavorable circumstances, who may be angry or alienated, but guns are absent. Behavioral scientist, Andrew Morral at the Rand Corporation says rise in gun sales might play a role. “But the real question in my mind is, is that the key driver? Does that explain a lot of the jump or a little of the jump? And I don’t know.”
Following a mass shooting, politicians are quick to bring up mental health, but research has established that those with mental health issues are a small percentage of interpersonal and gun violence, and are more likely to be the victims of such. This insistence of a mental health problem allows officials to distance themselves from the horror of the event, a way to explain a profound and mystifying occurrence without having to deal with it directly, validating a fake explanation…a person has done a terrible thing because they are mentally ill because they did a terrible thing. And, on and on.
Much of this lies with Second Amendment interpretations, with some politicians translating their zealotry into law. The rest lies with everyone who has yet to find the courage, the creativity, or the resolve to stop it. As filmmaker and activist, Michael Moore said, “Look, I support all gun control legislation, not sensible gun control. We don’t need the sensible stuff. We need the hardcore stuff that’s going to protect ourselves and our children.”
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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. Viewclassic 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.
QUOTES. “TIDES”
“Life is a little like a message in a bottle, to be carried by the winds and the tides”.
~Gene Tierney
“The thing about literature is that, yes, there are kind of tides of fashion, you know; people come in and out of fashion; writers who are very celebrated fall into, you know, people you know stop reading them, and then it comes back again’.
~Salman Rushdie
“Little ups and downs and high and low tides are there in everyone’s career”.
~Randhir Kapoor
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This makes me smile. The entire crowd at a Green Day concert singing along to the music playing while they wait for the band, truly a joy!
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
July 6 – 12, 2022
BRATTON…Beautifying our downtown, County Supervisor campaign finance investigation. GREENSITE…on the Sea Dubs Arena. KROHN…UCSC housing issues. STEINBRUNER…County Fairgrounds & livestock shelter, closing the county dump, CZU fire issues, Watsonville hospital money, Aptos Library, CEQA laws. HAYES…Birds from the coffee region. PATTON…Slow Riot/ mass shootings. MATLOCK…Cutting and pasting into an unknown future. EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS pick of the week… How I love Betty White! QUOTES on “WAVES”
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DATELINE July 4
STOREFRONT LIFE ON PACIFIC AVENUE…CONT. In my column of June 13th I wrote…“BEAUTIFY PACIFIC AVENUE. Our Santa Cruz Pacific Avenue Downtown looks terrible. All those shuttered, closed businesses with sloppy, hasty, taped-up, butcher-papered windows are a disgrace. Starting with the former
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Bratton Online is a work of passion. Bruce and the other writers don’t get paid to do this. However, websites still cost money to run. We are in our 20th year and in need of some upgrades on the back end, so any help is much appreciated! The button below will take you to the secure donation form. Thank you!
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Andy’s Auto Supply, then there’s Logo’s, Palace Stationers, Peets, and the long time deserted Starbucks patio plus more. Why doesn’t the Downtown Association or MAH, The Chamber Of Commerce, or the schools do something to brighten up those windows and make our downtown attractive and encouraging? Get those great muralists to create windows that cheer us up, have schools put children’s art on display, have a nursery create a growing display in that old Starbucks patio. People are coming back to Pacific Avenue, let’s think of even more ways to restore its charm and uniqueness”. The reactions were just fine and of course nothing has beenI done…yet! Now in today’s San Francisco Chronicle (7/4) there’s a front page article by John King titled “CITIES MUST FILL EMPTY STORE FRONTS WITH NEW IDEAS”.
It states things like empty storefronts have taken over the heart of what long ago was the center of the downtown like San Francisco and Oakland. It casts a pall over the downtowns and poses a challenge with ground floor spaces that have not been leased. The damage is cumulative and deep. King goes on to suggest that civic and cultural institutions could program a year of exhibitions. Travel posters, school art displays and dozens more visual attractions would restore that life. City Hall could start a service center where citizens could get assistance “face to face” and that includes vaccinations. He goes on to write that building owners “take the ground floor out of their business model and think of it as part of the public realm”. Civic groups could create new centers to house volunteer events.
We need to get the City Council interested and active and involved…let’s do what we can to save our best laid plans of a Santa Cruz Downtown…and soon!
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE INVESTIGATION. I can’t be sure where this press release came from. Could be from either Lookout or Serf City Times or Santa Cruz Local…
Campaign finance probe starts
California’s Fair Political Practices Commission this month opened an investigation into Santa Cruz County supervisor candidate Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and political committee Santa Cruz Together after an allegation of a campaign-finance disclosure violation. Supervisor candidate Ami Chen Mills filed the complaint. She ran against Santa Cruz City Council members Kalantari-Johnson and Justin Cummings in the District 3 county supervisor race.
An earlier version of Chen Mills’ complaint was dismissed by the commission in May. Chen Mills re-filed the complaint in June with a more detailed description of the alleged violations. The new complaint also included Santa Cruz Together as a respondent.
- Chen Mills alleged that Kalantari-Johnson and Santa Cruz Together violated campaign finance rules for reporting expenses at a Santa Cruz Together event on May 2 at Stockwell Cellars on Fair Avenue in Santa Cruz. At the event, a Santa Cruz Together leader gave instructions to attendees on how to donate to support Santa Cruz Together’s efforts to help elect Kalantari-Johnson to the county board of supervisors, according to an audio recording.
- A June 16 letter from the commission to Chen Mills stated that an investigation has been opened, but the commission has not determined the validity of the complaint or the culpability of Kalantari-Johnson or Santa Cruz Together leaders.
Kalantari-Johnson and Santa Cruz Together Chairperson Lynn Renshaw said in May that they did not violate any rules of the Fair Political Practices Commission. Chen Mills said that she was “pleased to learn” about the investigation. “The public should always demand full transparency and it is always appropriate to hold all players accountable,” Chen Mills said.
A violation of California’s Political Reform Act can result in a penalty of up to $5,000 per violation. Minor violations can result in a warning letter. “Minor, technical” violations that are not a great harm to the public typically involve penalties of a few hundred dollars, said Jay Wierenga, a Fair Political Practices Commission spokesman. Kalantari-Johnson and Cummings are expected to face off for the supervisor’s seat in the Nov. 8 general election. Chen Mills received the fewest votes in the June primary election and no one captured more than 50% of the vote”. Let’s hope some results and decisions come soon and are honest.
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
YOU DON’T KNOW ME. (NETFLIX SERIES) (6.8 IMDB). A British courtroom drama centers on a man accused of murder. It’s tight, well-acted, intriguing, believable, and even mysterious. His surprising version of his innocence is certainly worth your viewing.
THE PRINCESS. (HULU MOVIE) (5.3 IMDB). Hard to imagine watching a princess escaping from a castle tower movie again. This trite piece of junk adds nothing to the oft repeated retelling. The princess isn’t exactly beautiful, she’s supposed to be about 15 years old and has had martial arts training! The fantasy it tries to create is almost worse than those related on Fox News!
OFFICIAL COMPETITION. (DEL MAR THEATRE) (7.2 IMDB) This is a Spanish must see comedy for any and all cinema enthusiasts. Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas take the leads in this film centering on how movies are made. Plenty of inside digs and barbs on art house creations will keep you involved and even laughing. Surprising to watch Cruz’s comic timing…who knew?
THE TERMINAL LIST. (AMAZON PRIME) (8.2 IMDB) Chris Pratt takes the part of a Navy Seal officer whose troops were ambushed during a secret mission in Syria. He suffers from shell shock/concussion and the search for the unknown enemy is a good one. The movie is believable, well-acted, nicely photographed and even mysterious. Go for it.
MARRY ME. (AMAZON PRIME) (6.0 IMDB) This is meant to be a comedy and features Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Her role is a hugely successful superstar who gets jilted by a big deal rock star and ends up partnering with a “humble” normal guy instead. Wilson’s forever mugging and hammy style of delivery make this barely viewable. There’s some singing and more staging by Lopez but it isn’t worth your time.
THE DESPERATE HOUR. (HULU MOVIE) (4.7 IMDB) Naomi Watts must have been paid millions to do this tragic flop. She plays a mother out jogging whose son Noah is inside a school that is being held captive by a shooter. She jogs throughout the entire movie and telephones everybody involved to learn about and connect with her son. There’s little tension, unfair emoting and is a below the belt attempt at reality.
DOOM OF LOVE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (4.8 IMDB). This movie from Turkey is flimsy, trite, and dull and is supposed to deal with a young man’s search for inner happiness. He deals with love, playing the drums, and finding friends. Because his business had failed there’s a big focus on making money OR being happy…apparently we can’t do both. Much better to take a walk in this beautiful July sunshine.
BACKTRACE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (3.8 IMDB). It was mostly curiosity that made me watch a movie with Sylvester Stallone in it. And even wearing a foolish looking wig he’s still painful to watch. Mathew Modine plays a guy who stole a big bunch of money and hid it. He does time in prison, gets released and they give him drugs so he’ll remember where he hid it. Stallone is the cop who supervises the search. Not worth your time or even thinking about it.
CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH. (APPLE MOVIE) (7.4 IMDB). A very corny, poorly acted, fell good movie about a kid who falls in love at a Bar Mitzvah party. He dances and dates an autistic girl and makes friends with her mother. I couldn’t take more than 23 minutes and 3 seconds.
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.
ELVIS. (DEL MAR THEATRE). This is an artistic, dramatic version of Elvis’ life not a documentary. Director Baz Luhrmann who did Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby made Tom Hanks into an impossible phony character just like Colonel Tom Parker really was. Austin Butler as Elvis is over the believable top and does an excellent job. I didn’t realize that Elvis made over 30 movies and I can’t remember seeing more than 2. Elvis also sold more hit records than any solo artist in history.
HUSTLE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (7.4 IMDB). Adam Sandler plays a basketball league scout and wears a phony beard that is as believable as the boring plot in this no slam dunk of a movie. Queen Latifah hams her way through a doubtful role and they even stood 91 year old Robert Duvall in a doorway and had him say a few lines. It’s a trashy attempt at making basketball into a dramatic sport.
LOOT. (APPLE TV SERIES) (5.7IMDB). Former UCSC student Maya Rudolph is the main star and former Santa Cruzan Adam Scott is in two of the Loot episodes. She inherits billions of dollars and tries to get laughs as she attempts to lead a normal life. I couldn’t take more than 2 episodes before it became unwatchable.
THE OLD MAN. (HULU SERIES) (8.6 IMDB). Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow had a secret partnership during the Russian-Afghan war. Now they are opposite official sides (like the FBI and the CIA) and carry out a complex never ending chase adventure. The first two episodes are well done, exciting, and nicely carried out….highly recommended.
THE TAKEDOWN. Omar Sy plays the smart cop and Laurent Lafitte is his odd and mismatched partner who reunite and try to figure out who not just murdered but cut the corpse in half. Many racial jokes, lots of really well done chase scenes, and fine photography throughout. But there are few valid reasons to watch this….we’ve seen it all before…many, many times.
IRMA VEP. (HBO MAX MOVIE) (7.1 IMDB). If you’ve watched and enjoyed the new version of Irma Vep starring Alicia Vikander you’ll enjoy it even more if you watch the original Irma Vep filmed in 1996. It stars Maggie Cheung a beautiful Chinese actress who speaks no French hired by the French group trying to remake a silent film about Vampires. It’s really a brilliant attempt at criticizing the French Cinema during the 1950’s. There are many themes and none of them very deep and the film itself is a showpiece of cinema techniques. Well worth watching.
JEWELL THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS. Their next production is “Deathtrap” which was Broadway’s longest running comedy-thriller play. Tense, funny, and the movie version with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve was near perfect. It’s at the Colligan Theatre and runs from July 6 through the 31st. Call 831 425-7506 or go to www.JewelTheatre.net
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. Present their rescheduled concert “Gabriel Fauré and His Circle of Influence, Part II”. Playing those dates will be the Nisene Ensemble. The Nisene Ensemble are: Cynthia Baehr-Williams, Concert Director and Violin, Chad Kaltinger, Viola, Kristin Garbeff, Cello and Kumi Uyeda on Piano. The dates are Sat, Jul 9, 7:30 PM, and Sun. Jul 10, 3PM.at the Christ Lutheran Church • Aptos, CA. Go here for tickets and details…
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts on July 24-August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
THE COST OF AN ARENA
The campaign to convince the community to embrace a whole new downtown with buildings similar in scale to the one above is underway. The Guest Commentary in Sunday’s Sentinel by Chris Murphy, President of the Santa Cruz Warriors contains all the self-congratulatory accolades and popular phrases to gain project support. The commentary includes a few minimizing misstatements such as (the project is) “rezoning a small portion of downtown” when in fact it is not of or in downtown. It extends the current boundaries of downtown by 29 acres which is close to the size of Lighthouse Field. More significantly it contains some warnings that should not be ignored just because everyone loves the Sea Dubs.
When the plan to embark on extending downtown from its current boundary at Laurel Street was first mentioned in a quick, non-agendized comment by the Planning Director at the end of a late-night Planning Commission meeting, I wondered, “where did that come from?” It had never been on a Planning Commission or City Council agenda. In fact, neither body nor the public has ever been given the opportunity to discuss and vote on whether the project itself should be supported. When it finally emerged out of the back rooms into public light of day, the discussion and vote centered on exploring a choice of map boundaries for extending downtown. The project itself, to extend downtown, was going forward; the only issue was the choice of where.
When it came to council on June 14th, after minimal public outreach, the question of “where did that come from?” was answered. The desire to establish a permanent Santa Cruz Warriors Arena was always part of the mix. What hadn’t been made clear, even to council given the questions posed to staff by some council members, was that funding for the new arena will come from Santa Cruz Warriors investments in real estate in this new downtown. Or to put it another way, they need profits from multiple 17 and 15 story market-rate housing/commercial towers to pay for the arena. As much as I love basketball, I spot a few issues with this investment strategy. Apparently also does Chris Murphy.
He writes: “Building a future home for the Santa Cruz Warriors means committing to the fiscal and political realities of financing these significant improvements to our downtown.” What does this mean? Who is “committing”? The city staff, city attorney and the SC Warriors surely know the answer even if the public and council don’t. And in the same paragraph he writes, “We look forward to building a new arena—and embracing the economic realities required to finance and sustain such an arena…” Does “embracing” include taking full responsibility? Or, if real estate takes a turn for the worse for investors, will the Warriors be coming cap in hand to the city and the community? We have a right to know the details of the agreement and contract being signed on our behalf.
Apart from that there are multiple issues insufficiently explored in this project. While Chris Murphy assures us that these housing towers will contain affordable housing “at the same level of affordability required elsewhere downtown” that is not reassuring if you’ve been following various recent developments. Some contain none, one contains 11% and another under construction had to be taken to court to include affordable units. Not a good track record. That begs the question of market rate housing raising the AMI (Area Median Income) to which all “affordability” levels are hinged. “Affordable” just isn’t. Although even the penthouse at the top of these towers is “affordable” to someone. A speaker at the council hearing in full support of the project described all the low-income workers at $20-$30 an hour who will be living in the “affordable” units. A bit out of touch. Most low-income workers, especially those who lack papers earn $16 an hour. With families. These units are not for them.
Then there’s multiple significant issues with cramming 1600 units of housing and commercial into the main route to the beach, Boardwalk and lower westside; the visual and access impacts on nearby residents; the dislocation of current low- income renters; the impact on nearby habitat areas (SL River and Neary Lagoon); the shift of activity away from current downtown and the impact on businesses; the abandonment of the Civic as the cultural heart of Santa Cruz etc. etc. etc.
“But we are required to build 3800 more housing units in the next 8 years!” is the city’s rejoinder. Except that is almost double what is required of the county and could have been and wasn’t appealed. One gets the sense that the current Planning staff welcome these projects. Job security and many don’t live in the city. And a touch of preference for an urban skyline which Santa Cruz lacks.
In the late 1990’s, city staff and some council members tried to sneak the Beach/South of Laurel Plan (B/SOL) past an unsuspecting community. Fortunately, activists such as the late Doug Rand caught it and helped organize massive opposition. I remember multiple council hearings; one so large it was moved to and filled the Civic. Hundreds spoke. The project was scaled back before it was passed. This downtown extension project is B/SOL on steroids.
Yes, we have a housing affordability crisis that did not exist in the late 1990’s and not because of a lack of building. It is because investing in real estate is now #1 in rich people’s portfolios.
This project with its estimated 1400 market rate and 200 “affordable” units is guaranteed to worsen the housing cost crisis in Santa Cruz. No feel-good phrases change that reality.
| 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. |
July 4
UC Regents Mum on Acquisition of 168-unit Hilltop Apartments on Western Drive
Strange days get even stranger. It appears the “Regency Hilltop LLC” (also possibly “Regency Broadway Properties, Inc.”) was sold in December of 2021 for more than $117 million according to the Santa Cruz County Assessor’s office. If it is the same Hilltop Apartments at 363 Western Drive in Santa Cruz, formerly Outlook Apartments, which were bought by Goldman Sachs for $55 million in 2018, that would represent a tidy real estate profit in four years’ time, even in these heady Santa Cruz-is-for-sale real estate times. What may be most remarkable about this sale is that it appears to involve the UC Regents. A property called the Regency Hilltop, LLC, is registered as a California company as of February 7, 2022, and is owned by an entity that is listed at “1111 Franklin St., Oakland, CA.” According to a search on Bizapedia, “The company has 1 contact on record. The contact is The Regents of the University of California; Regency Broadway Properties, Inc. from Oakland, CA.”
Plot Thickens
When I became aware of this apparent sale of market-rate housing to the UC Regents, I reached out to Scott Hernandez-Jason, the director of news and media relations at UCSC since 2014. The only other time I reached out to him was when the university announced it would grow to 28,000 students. I wrote an email that stated in part:
UCSC is simply not affordable. It is not affordable to live on campus. Students cannot wait to get off campus, unless their parents are wealthy, or if they are receiving significant financial aid, most students simply cannot afford the rents charged on campus. Most students I know would love to live on campus, be close to the library and redwood trees, this is despite the myth that they want to get off campus and be “independent.” Not my experience. I understand why the campus puts campus rents up so high, I do not agree, and something first, is seriously wrong with the UC housing formula (I understand you probably know that), and secondly, we need to change it. Not until campus rents are significantly cheaper than in-town rents will anything change in this Town-Gown economic scenario. Bringing more students to Santa Cruz, above the 19,500 negotiated through the 2005 LRDP is frankly irresponsible given what it costs to live here and the University’s current inability to lower the rents that it charges students to live in a dorm. I feel incredibly saddened by the situation that exists. Our students are leaving with so much debt, and for what? They subsequently are hemmed into a job market and feel tremendous pressure to begin paying their loans off.
I received no answer at that time, but this time, Scott Hernandez-Jason responded:
“As to your question, you should reach out to the UC Office of Media Relations at media@ucop.edu.”
No Comment
It takes five full-timers to handle the UC president’s media correspondence and I called one of them, Ryan King, Associate Director of Media Relations for UCOP, UC’s Office of the President, twice. I received no call back and instead, emailed media@ucop.edu and received another terse response from Stett Holbrook, UCOP’s Senior Communications Strategist (so many BIG titles!). I wrote: Dear Media Relations, Question: Did the UC Regents, through their real estate office, purchase the Hilltop Apartments on Western Drive in Santa Cruz? Holbrook wrote: “Thanks for reaching out, but UC Investments has no comment on this matter. Best, Stett Holbrook” Something smells funny here. I was fully ready for them to deny any relationship with the Hilltop Apartments, but they didn’t. In the past it was taboo for UC to even think of buying up existing rental housing in the city of Santa Cruz. Perhaps it still is and they are trying to fashion just the right response because existing residents at the Hilltop Apartments tell me they are being told to leave. Devin Fitzgerald is a UCSC graduate student and 3-year resident of Hilltop. He received a 60-day eviction notice last week. Remember when UCSC rented the old Holiday Inn, now Hotel Paradox, on Ocean Street? It caused an uproar and the University ended up paying the city a fee to cover police and fire protection, but it did not take out existing units from Surf City’s housing stock as the Hilltop purchase would. The Holiday Inn rental was sort of a win-win as it occupied hotel units with students during the tourist off-season and the hotel was open to tourists from June to September. Are we also to assume too that the $658,000 paid in property tax by the previous owners would no longer be paid if the UC Regents owned the 168 units?
The Rents Are Too Damn High
If you are lucky enough to own a home in this town, you do not think much about paying rent. Unless, you are a landlord. Many landlords look at what the dorm rates/rents are on the UCSC campus, and they are astronomical. If you think rent in Santa Cruz is expensive, think “Five 55 Pacific,” or the “Cypress Point Apartments” on Felix, or “Pacific Shores” on Shaffer Road. Let’s just take a 2-bedroom apartment for argument’s sake and compare it with how much dorm rents are on the hill. A cursory look at four large apartment complexes is mind-boggling. The cash these outside corporations are making off jamming 3-7 students, tech workers, and baristas into studios and 1&2 bedroom apartments is as infuriating as it is shocking. And to those who don’t think much about rent, think again. If you are wondering why the artists, writers, and musicians are moving away from Santa Cruz, simply visit the following web sites.
It is owned by Greystar, “The global leader in rental housing,” according to their own web site. It is located on a cul-de-sac at the end of Felix Street not far from downtown. They generally pack FIVE students into a 2-bedroom, cordoning off the living room with a curtain for that fifth roommate. It is 240 apartments that were built in 1973. If you want a pet, its fifty bucks more per month and a $400 deposit…something university housing does not include. There are NO 3-bedroom apartments and no apartment has more than one bathroom according to Greystar’s web site, which is different than the Cypress Point Apartment one. I have often heard terrible stories from students about living here and the Yelp Reviews certainly bear that out. One irate parent wrote, in capital letters:
“DO NOT RENT HERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE ON THE HOOK WITH NO HELP AND PUT INTO A CORNER.”
440 sq. ft. Studio: $3,005 (five available)
625 sq. ft. 1-BR: $3,333 (two available)
771 sq. ft. 2-BR $3,952 or $3,989 (two available, why the $37 difference?)
Pacific Shores on Shaffer Road is even more costly, most notably the pet rent is $100 a month along with a $950 deposit. By the way, their web site states the following:
“Must have 2.5x the rent in total household income (before taxes)”
This means, you would need to be making over $13k per month to rent one of the apartments below.
Apartments.com lists a couple of 2-bedroom apartments:
817 sq. ft. 1-BR: $3,500
1035 sq. ft. 2-BR: $5,348
Sprawled near the Highway 1 and 17 interchange at 200 Button Street is another infamous stucco apartment complex, the Hidden Creek Apartments, and it is surely nothing to write home about. Their web site will not even tell you how much a studio or one-bedroom rents for, it states, “Call for details,” while a 686 sq. ft. 2-bedroom goes for $3,645. On ApartmentRatings.com Hidden Creek received a 2-star rating out of 5 from 46 respondents with comments like: If you love throwing your money away, come live here. The rent is incredibly high for an apartment that is tiny, located in one of the worst places in Santa Cruz.
UCSC On-campus Housing ’22-‘23
If you go to this housing web site, you quickly learn why rents are so damn high in the city of Santa Cruz. On campus rents for tiny dorm rooms and student lounges turned into dorm rooms are eye-popping. They range from $1,907 per month for a single at the “Redwood Grove” (no meals) to $3,200 for a “double” at the downtown “University Town Center” UC property. A quad is four students paying $1300 per month, which totals $5,200. After arriving to campus and spending a year in the dorm, students quickly begin looking off-campus to cut their housing costs. In order to reduce housing costs in Santa Cruz, UCSC should cut its dorm rents in half, build more housing to accommodate students living here now, and stop admitting any more bodies until they can house the current ones.
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Say it ain’t so! The final 25th and final Kate Wolf Music Festival happened, so they say. It was last weekend and it was stupendous. Here is Bruce Cockburn jamming with Ruthie Foster
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
July 4
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR LIVESTOCK SHELTER IN EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS?
The livestock barns at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds may soon get demolished, and no longer provide any rural evacuees with animals the ability to shelter with their animals at the Fairgrounds. Even though the Fair Board has not approved it, the Fair CEO plans to demolish the barns in order to build a “cost-effective multi-purpose building”, with no timeline and unknown funding, and rent large tents for kids to keep their animals in during the Fair….but there would be nothing for emergency evacuees.
The existing barns have been deemed “unsafe and unstable” by the California Construction Authority (CCA) because of the renegade actions the CEO took to demolish in-place wooden pens that provided structural stability, and then proceeded to remove and replace all upright posts while adding massive timber beams and questionable fasteners and post anchors to aged concrete pilings. The Board knew nothing of this. The CCA learned of the work just days before the 2021 Fair was to open, and allowed restricted use of the barns only for the Fair.
No one but the CEO knew of these safety restrictions…not even those kids who had their animals in the barns.
Now the CCA is requiring a new reinforced concrete foundation to tie in the new upright posts safely. However, the Fair CEO is trying to convince the Fair Board to simply demolish everything, and put up large tents only during Fair time.
If this concerns you, by all means, you need to participate in a Fair Board Special Meeting scheduled for July 12 at 6:30pm and let the Board know your thoughts on this because otherwise the Fairgrounds CEO will convince them to demolish the barns and send evacuees to farms throughout the region to shelter animals in the next disaster.
In fact, he has already met with County disaster planners and told them that this will happen.
See the attached Fair Board Special Meeting scheduled for July 12 at 6:30pm. It is a hybrid meeting.
If the CEO gets his way, the livestock barns would be demolished, in order to build a new multi-phase “most-effective multi-purpose building” with unknown funding, and people would have to take their animals to various farms, potentially in the middle of the night, throughout the region for emergency shelter in a disaster.
I personally witnessed this happening on the first two days of the CZU Fire evacuations while volunteering at the intake area. No one could bring horses because a large horse show was in progress and the organizer did not want to stop the show. (On Day 3, Supervisor Caput had to personally issue eviction orders because of the disaster.) No poultry could be sheltered, because the CEO refused to show up in the night and empty the poultry barn of stored equipment, some of which may have been his own.
I remember the exhausted response from the evacuees the first night when given a cell phone number of a rancher who might come open his gate to let them in…”Oh, my God, I am SO TIRED!” said the evacuee. Some just kept their trailered animals in the parking lot, and fed and watered them there.
It was a nightmare that I will never forget.
Shockingly, the County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3), (created by CAO Carlos Palacios after eliminating the superb Emergency Response Manager, Rosemary Anderson, supposedly to save money in 2020), County Animal Services and County Equine Evacuation leaders recently met with the Fairgrounds staff and agreed to a plan that would unnecessarily repeat this nightmare.
I am concerned that those involved in planning animal evacuation and emergency sheltering for residents of the County would agree to basically eliminate readily-available shelter at the Fairgrounds for which the County has an existing MOU with the Fairgrounds to provide, in favor of multiple locations, perhaps located out of the area.
Why would the County, Animal Services and Equine Evacuation leaders be so willing to repeat this distressing plan that is completely unnecessary and violates the MOU? Evacuees want and need to shelter near their livestock in disasters to provide a sense of emotional comfort as well as assurance that their livestock is safe.
It seems the County, Animal Services and Equine Evacuation leaders are willing to accept causing the public with livestock unimaginable stress for the sake of assisting the Fairgrounds staff in making a “more cost-effective” venture to benefit the fairgrounds, even though none of the proposed demolition and construction has been approved by the Fair Board.
You can review the 2003-2033 MOU Agreement between the County of Santa Cruz and the 14th DAA to ensure disaster sheltering for the public at this link to the April 28, 2020 Fair Board meeting under “New Business” (pages 89-97):
It is my understanding that the Fair CEO, Mr. Dave Kegebein, at that time requested the Fair Board to consider terminating that MOU with the County, but the Board did not take action.
It is important that the public weigh in on this disturbing plan that will cause hardship on rural evacuees and their livestock in times of disaster.
See the attached Fair Board Special Meeting scheduled for July 12 at 6:30pm. It is a hybrid meeting.
Shouldn’t the Fair CEO be held accountable for the consequences of his renegade actions that caused the livestock barns to become “unstable and unsafe”? I do, and that is the job of the Fair Board to address.
TAKING AWAY FARMLAND TO CHANGE THE COUNTY DUMP
The proposed County General Plan update will take farmland out of production in order to build a trash transfer station at the Buena Vista Dump in Watsonville, and reduce the buffer to other farm land from 200′ to 40′. Does that seem like a good idea to you?
Read the minutes of the May 20, 2022 Agricultural Policy Advisory Commission
- Project: 211042 APN: 052-021-33
Study Session to discuss a proposal to build a solid waste transfer station at the Buena Vista Landfill to meet State mandates. The project includes re-aligning Harkins Slough Road to the northeast to keep all recycling and solid waste activities on internal facility roads and maintain a public road on the outer perimeter of the facility. The project requires amendment to the General Plan and Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan designation from AG (Agriculture) to P (Public Facility) and Rezoning of a portion of the parcel from CA-AIA (Commercial Agriculture- Airport Combining District) to PF-AIA, removal of Type 3 Agricultural Resource land designation, an Agricultural Buffer Reduction Determination to reduce the required 200-foot agricultural buffer setback to approximately 40 feet, and a Coastal Development Permit.
Please submit your comments on this to the Community Development Dept. (aka Planning Dept.) and contact the Board of Supervisors with your thoughts.
County Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
CAO PREVENTED COUNTY FIRE CHIEF’S ANSWER TO LACK OF CZU FIRE INVESTIGATIONS AND REPORTING
Why hasn’t there been a thorough investigation of the problems that occurred during the 2020 CZU Fire that has caused six County Volunteer firefighters to either resign or be dismissed by CALFIRE? Public testimonies asked, and Chairman Manu Koenig started to ask CALFIRE/County Fire Chief Nate Armstrong to answer at conclusion of his 2022 Fire Season Report on June 28, but CAO Carlos Palacios interrupted and warned the Chair: “No, no. We don’t do back and forth at our meetings! The public can contact Chief Armstrong outside the meeting.” With that, Chair Koenig backed off, acquiescing to the CAO’s false claim that getting answers to public questions on an agenda item is not allowed.
Rubbish. The Board has done it frequently under Chairman Koenig’s direction.
So, what is the CAO wanting to hide from the public?
I followed Chief Armstrong out of the Board chambers and into the hallway, to pursue answers to some of the questions.
- Q: Why did Mr. Kaufman get dismissed as a volunteer, rather than suspended, following County Fire Policy?
- A: I can’t discuss that, but what he posted on social media, representing County Fire, was dangerous and he had to be removed. {note: Mr. Kaufman merely criticized CALFIRE.}
- Q: What about the other volunteers that have been dismissed or resigned? Were there investigations?
- A: I can’t discuss that, but there were equally dangerous issues that required they be dismissed. there is a lot of misinformation out there…we did not tell the volunteers to go home in the CZU Fire, they were told to leave the station because the area was under evacuation.
- Q: Will County Fire conduct an After Action Review for operations during the CZU Fire?
- A: CALFIRE did one, but people just wanted it to be more.
- Q: Was that the 2020 Fire Siege Report?
- A: No. We did another one, with town hall meetings and such.
- Q: But that did not include any input from the volunteers. Will County Fire do one now and interview the volunteers? It is important for future planning and to heal the mistrust in the community.
- A: No. Look, County Fire is really only four of us, and we just don’t have the money for doing something like that. We’re underfunded.”
- Q: Why isn’t County Fire or CAL FIRE attending any of the OR3 Permit public meetings? I went to one recently at the Bonny Doon Elementary School, and there was no fire presence at all.
- A: We were not invited.
- Q: Why not then hold town hall meetings and get the community together for discussions? You said County Fire wants to have public input on the County Fire Master Plan revision.
- A: We’re going to send out surveys and go from there.
- Q: Why not town hall meetings that don’t cost so much…surveys are expensive, and would benefit by prior public discussion at gatherings.
- A: I can bring that idea to my team.
- Q: Who is the team?
- A: The County and others.
- Q: Will CAL FIRE and County Fire lead discussions with State Parks to help the Last Chance Community get the evacuation route through Big Basin open again?
- A: No. There are private property owners who also have to come on board with that, and State Parks won’t be the leader. I visited Last Chance last year and gave them a list of things to do to improve their road. All they have to do is follow my directives in that report. {Note: Many of his directives are incredibly expensive and may not be required under existing State Fire Codes not yet legally amended by the State Board of Forestry.}
At that point, Chief Armstrong said he had to leave.
Watch the June 28 Chief Armstrong’s 2022 Fire Season presentation to the County Board of Supervisors: (Item #7 at about minute 1:04:00) and subsequent sham of a public hearing for CSA 48 and CSA 4 tax increases to fund fire protection in the County:
Video Outline – Santa Cruz County, CA
Here is the documentation associated:
Write the Board of Supervisors with your thoughts and demand a response.
COUNTY BUDGET FINAL HEARING: CONFUSING SMOKE AND MIRRORS TO AWARD CAO STAFF IMMEDIATE SALARY INCREASES WHILE DUMPING MORE MONEY INTO THE WATSONVILLE HOSPITAL BUY-OUT
Confusing, isn’t it? Buried in there are many sizable salary increases that will take effect July 9. Somewhere there is information about the County going $25 million into debt to fund purchase of the Watsonville Hospital, hoping that the State Budget will repay us. We will still be on the hook for the interest on the debt, even if the State comes through, and it will be taxable.
I could not stay for the afternoon Final Budget hearing on June 28, but spoke briefly with County Auditor and Tax Collector, Ms. Edith Driscoll, in the hallway outside the Board Chambers as I left. She let me know that the State Budget “will likely fund $25 million” for the Watsonville Hospital purchase. The CAO staff report earlier had requested as much as $30 million.
On local radio news the next day, I heard it announced that the County had also pledged an additional $5 million…but I will verify that with Ms. Driscoll.
Wow. A $1.03 BILLION dollar County Budget. How much debt burden can local taxpayers handle? Smoke and mirrors.
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Many trucks have come and gone to fill the deep hole excavated for the new Aptos Library, but what sadly has gone this week are all the trees. There used to be a number of large trees along the parking lot bordering Soquel Drive. All vegetation is gone now. |
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I wonder why these piles of soil are covered? |
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You can see the foundation footprint here. |
CEQA IS WORTH FIGHTING TO PROTECT
Last week’s Bratton Online contribution by Grey Hayes really highlighted the importance of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) laws that are the public’s only real chance to have meaningful and informed voices on projects in our communities.
The problem continues, however, when the lead agency just doesn’t care about what the public concerns, or how the environment and community may be harmed. That was most certainly the case with the Aptos Village Project that somehow, with great County assistance, was deemed to have no significant impacts on the Aptos community or the environment with the shocking “Negative Declaration”.
The same could be said of the Soquel Creek Water District’s PureWater Soquel Project, currently under construction, wherein multiple environmental requirements, such as the State-required Final Anti-Degradation Analysis to determine how the treated sewage water injected into the pristine groundwater of the Purisima Aquifer or evidence that the District collaborated with the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife to develop meaningful and enforceable mitigations, were never done. The district’s Board of Directors have twice approved major revisions to the Project without any public hearings or public comment period, as is required by CEQA. The Board skirted this requirement by approving two Addendums, rather than conducting more thorough and meaningful Subsequent Environmental Impact Reports (EIR).
Why? It’s all about money. The District accepted a $50 million grant from the State Water Dept. of Water Resources that has a deadline of 2023 to complete the Project. That placed the Project on “fast track” mode, and was complicated by the major design modifications needed when the District got new and significant information that the sewage water source was higher in nitrite, ammonia and total organic carbon than initially known. That required adding a new phase of treatment.
I have also just learned that some of the soils at the Chanticleer Avenue construction site where the Advanced Water Treatment Facility (and Chanticleer Pedestrian Overpass) will be was contaminated and required remedial action, as determined by analysis submitted by Weber, Hayes & Associates on June 29, 2020 due to a discharge of motor oil, contaminating the Project site. The County took over the work of determining what remedial action was required.
Maybe that, coupled with the State Water Quality Control Board rejection of trenching beneath the San Lorenzo River to run the pressurized 14″-diameter treated sewage water, caused an 8-month delay to the Project starting.
Unfortunately, the only recourse the public has when a lead agency like Soquel Creek Water District just thumbs their nose at public concern and environmental problems is to take legal action against them. Lead agencies, like Soquel Creek Water District, cry foul, accuse the litigants of spouting “misinformation”, and costing ratepayers extra money to build the project. This is exactly what has happened to me with my Pro Per legal challenges against the District to simply demand that they follow the law….to protect the environment and the Community.
I support the use of recycled sewage water for irrigation, but I do not think it is wise to inject it into the groundwater…especially without any Final Anti-Degradation Analysis or long-term studies of health impacts of pharmaceuticals, hormones and unknown contaminants to those who will drink it…
Lead agencies with arrogant attitudes like Barry Swenson Developers and Soquel Creek Water District are behind the legislative weakening of CEQA support now. That is why it is important for those of us who care about our community’s future and the quality of life and environmental health need to keep our eyes on this issue and contact our elected representatives with our thoughts.
[CEQA advances environmental justice, so why all the hate?]
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING TO SPEAK UP FOR COMMUNITY DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AT THE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS.
DO ONE THING THIS WEEK AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
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 |
BIRDS FROM THE COFFEE REGION
Many of us enjoy both delicious coffee and the fascinating birds that hail from coffee growing regions: how do these two seemingly disparate subjects relate to our daily lives?
Coffee Botany
Coffee shrubs are beautiful, lush shrubs, 6-15′ tall and wide with many stems and glossy oval leaves with long ‘drip tips’ – a common feature in rainforest plants that help shed water. I have a potted, indoor coffee plant and many of my friends have raised them, but they are notoriously finicky to care for and especially prone to indoor plant pests. That coffee plant is the thirstiest of my house plants, wilting quickly when drying out: at least it is good at communicating! That thirstiness makes sense as coffee is naturally an understory plant, originating in the lush damp shade of African tropical rainforests.
After 5 years, my coffee plant blossomed this spring, and I was reminded of it’s very sweet smelling (like jasmine!), small white tubular flowers. Now, I’m looking forward to the tasty fruit, which is confusingly called a ‘cherry’ and turns deep maroon-red when ripe and is soft-fleshy (slimy?) sweet (like hibiscus) and full of antioxidants. In the center of the red fruit, there will be a pair of seeds…called coffee ‘beans’ – another misnomer associated with this plant as the plant isn’t related to cherries or beans! Whenever I encounter a small red fleshy fruit, I’ve been trained to suspect the plant co-evolved with birds for seed dispersal. Even when coffee is grown far from its African origins, there are birds that devour the fruit, but cultivated coffee has a more important relationship with tropical birds.
Coffee Farms and Birds
Coffee is a lucrative tropical farming product and is cultivated on 27 million acres. Tropical regions are the most biologically diverse areas of the planet with many species still being discovered. Conversion of tropical rainforest to agriculture is occurring rapidly, threatening that biodiversity. Soybeans and palm oil are two crops that are expanding rapidly, but coffee is much more lucrative per acre. And coffee can be grown more in harmony with tropical biodiversity, but only if it is ‘shade grown.’
Shade Grown Coffee
As reviewed by independent, peer reviewed, published science, the only credible shade grown certification is from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, carrying the logo inserted here.
The standards for this certification include maintaining real shade provided by diverse overstory trees as well as organic practices (certified by another agency)…and diverse other plant life, maintenance of natural mulch, and protection/buffering of waterways.
These standards have been shown to support native bird life as well as providing habitat for many other native species, including mammals.
The Effects of the Central Coast’s Coffee Shed
Here on California’s central coast, we are lucky to have both coffee AND birds that hail from coffee growing regions. Judging from the aroma of roasting coffee, the many businesses supported by serving coffee, and the plethora of local coffee labels, our region greatly appreciates this caffeinated beverage. I am curious about how many acres of coffee farms are needed to support Santa Cruz County’s coffee-drinking habits – anyone know? We can call that our ‘coffee-shed.’ If we support a coffee shed that nurtures the birds that come visit us in the summers, we can look into those birds’ sparkling eyes through the steam of a latte and be proud of those connections…
Beautiful Migratory Songbirds
There are many migratory bird species that come to California’s central coast for the summer to nest, raise young and store up enough reserves to return south before our winter gets too harsh. I’ve been enjoying steaming cups of shade grown coffee while watching two beautiful tropical migratory songbirds this summer. The startling colored thick-billed black headed grosbeak is fledging young right now on the Central Coast. Check out this photo from a Flickr site by Kersti Niebelsek; maybe this striking image will inspire you to purchase certified shade-grown coffee and grab some binoculars to see the bird in the wild.
The other striking species that lights up my mornings and gets me pouring boiling water to drip through freshly ground, certified shade grown coffee is the lazuli bunting. Be similarly inspired by another extraordinary photo, this time by Flickr user Julio Mulero who captured this pretty bird at Ed Levine Park in Milpitas.
Both that grosbeak and the bunting may have traveled from the coffee growing region of southern Mexico, where they spent last winter. Other species come from coffee growing areas even farther away, including: ash-throated flycatcher, olive-sided flycatcher, Wilson’s warbler and yellow warbler. That last deserves a photo, as well. That photo is compliments of Flickr user Kelly Colgan Azar.
Finding and Procuring Certified Shade Grown Coffee
Surprisingly, it is Very Difficult to find certified shade grown coffee in our area. You can always search the internet and have it delivered! Last I checked Whole Foods had one of its wall of coffees that was certified shade grown. Not so for any of our other local grocery stores! You can find all sorts of supposedly “bird friendly” or “shade grown” coffees, but only those with the certification shown above are verifiable. Because shade-grown coffee produces less per acre, you are going to pay more for it. Think of those extra dollars going to the trust funds for these beautiful birds.
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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 |
David French, writing for The Atlantic, says that we don’t have any strategy that is likely to stop the cascade of mass shootings that seem to have been occurring around the country in ever greater frequency:
A Rand Corporation review of studies of the effects of 18 policies designed to address mass killings… “found no qualifying studies showing that any of the 18 policies … investigated decreased mass shootings.” To be clear, for nine of the policies (including red-flag laws and arming teachers), there were no studies that met Rand’s standards for quality and rigor. We don’t know the effects of those policies on the present crisis. It’s too soon to tell.
But nine policies were rigorously studied, and they include many of the most popular gun-control proposals in America, including background checks, bans on the sale of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, minimum age requirements, and waiting periods. This finding is consistent with a famous fact-check by The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler, where he found that neither enhanced background checks nor assault-weapons bans would have prevented recent, deadly mass shootings.
Here is what French concludes. We have, in fact, a “slow riot,” as described by Malcolm Gladwell some years ago:
In 2015 Malcolm Gladwell wrote the single best, most insightful, and most sobering work yet written about mass shootings. The piece is complex, but the thesis is relatively simple—the United States is in the midst of something like a slow-motion riot, where each mass shooter is lowering the threshold for the next. The Columbine murders kicked off the “riot,” and we’ve been living with the consequences ever since.
Gladwell relied heavily on the work of Stanford sociologist Mark Granovetter, and Granovetter argues that it’s a mistake to view each incident on its own: In his view, a riot was not a collection of individuals, each of whom arrived independently at the decision to break windows. A riot was a social process, in which people did things in reaction to and in combination with those around them. Social processes are driven by our thresholds—which he defined as the number of people who need to be doing some activity before we agree to join them.
The “slow riot” theory is another example of the idea that we tend to do what is expected. French makes clear that something pretty much like what Granovetter describes is, in fact, exactly what is happening. The example provided by one mass shooting helps stimulate the next one. It’s hard to know exactly how to turn the principle in a positive direction, in the case of mass shootings.
Still, hard as it may be to know how to accomplish what we need to do, we do need to be working on turning a “vicious circle” into a “virtuous circle.” We need to “expect” something different from each one of us, and one way to try to generate a new dynamic is to start “expecting” social solidarity and support, as opposed to our expectations that it’s “every person for themself.”
When we think it’s acceptable for poor people to sleep in drainage ditches, and along freeways, and on the banks of the river – and that’s what we expect to see when we leave our own homes – we are telling everyone that no one cares about anyone’s personal problems – even when they are dire. We are telling everyone that no one should expect any help or assistance, with any problem that a person might have.
That could lead people to cease caring about others, since caring about others is not what anyone should expect. That could lead people to kill other people, since…. Why not?
Social solidarity – providing “mutual aid” until everyone actually “expects” it – could help change the direction of the cumulative and circular causation now making things, every day, worse. Mutual aid could help “bend the arc.” At least, maybe it could. Maybe it would help reduce the examples of mass shootings, until the “slow riot” simply dies away.
More social solidarity as a way to stop mass shootings? I’d say it’s worth a try!
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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 |
CUTTING-AND-PASTING INTO AN UNKNOWN FUTURE
We credit the Greeks for planting the seeds of democracy into our founding fathers who created our original form of government, and now we can credit a minority of our political spectrum for instituting the current ‘minority rules’ oversight brought about by our courts system. A first century Greek, Heron of Alexandria, published a treatise on mechanics, entitled Pneumatica, in which he detailed a variety of mechanical devices, one of which was a coin-operated vending machine…not for dispensing ouzo or baklava, but holy water. Seems that many temple leaders felt their worshippers were taking more than their share of holy water, so the attempt at moderation required that a coin be dropped into the machine, after which a system of pulleys and counter balancing arms would unplug a container of the hallowed liquid to give the supplicant an adequate amount to be properly cleansed, at least in the eyes of the CFO. It would take another 1800 years or so for Heron’s contraption to see widespread use, making it indispensable (pun intended) for getting our fair share of Evian or Fiji waters, or potato chips, colas, flip-flops and fuzzy dice.
Evidently, our Supreme Court has a liking for this dispensing principle, the just-ended term providing a plethora of decisions, some served up with a side of holy water. Representative Adam Kinzinger referenced the six justices as the “Christian Taliban,” after the Court’s decisions overturning Roe v. Wade; and, requiring the state of Maine to pay tuition for rural students at private religious schools; and, ruling in favor of a Bremerton, Washington football team coach, fired after he led post-game prayers mid-field with the school’s football team. Religious conservatism has long been on the rise, a core part of Donald Trump’s electoral success. “I’ve never seen this kind of fandom by so many in Church leadership who are going to these lengths to defend such a flawed man,” Kinzinger said in a statement, in reference to the Golden tRump.
Colorado’s Representative Lauren Boebert, on the other hand, takes a polar-opposite view, believing government is overreaching to control the church. “The government is not supposed to direct the church, the church is supposed to direct the government…the way our Founding Fathers intended,” thereby stoking fears of Christian conservatives advocating for a state-run religion, or a government influenced by religion. When met with Twitter comments such as ‘Jesus would never own an AR-15‘, she goes on to defend gun ownership by saying, “Right! He didn’t own enough to keep his government from killing him!” – somehow missing the whole point of the faith’s basic tenets. V.P. of strategic communications at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Andrew Seidel, said Supreme Court decisions and Boebert’s comments are rooted in Christian Nationalism. He feels religious freedom for everybody is being ignored, and that religious favoritism is prevalent in the case of the prayerful football coach. Boebert, in her diatribe, called Thomas Jefferson’s reply to the Danbury Baptists Association, a “stinking letter,” where he expresses a belief that the First Amendment establishes “a wall of separation between Church and State.” Is that now a thumb’s-down on what the Founding Fathers intended, Lauren?
Over the years, the High Court has referenced Jefferson’s letter, but of late, has slowly chipped away at precedent. Seidel goes on to say, “There is no freedom of religion without a government that is free from religion. The wall of separation between church and state is an American invention. We should be proud of that fact. And the people who claim to be patriots are out there undermining it with myths of a Christian founding.” Doug Mastriano, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania’s governorship, has made Christianity a campaign centerpiece, calling the separation of church and state a “myth.” And, Trump-backed Illinois candidate, Rep. Mary “Victory for White Life” Miller, has been one of the most outspoken for injecting prayer and God into society, saying, “Our children are suffering and we face a mental health crisis in our country because the radical left has spent decades removing God from our schools and our society. Our country must be guided by our Judeo-Christian faith…we need to go back to God, people.” David Barton of Wallbuilders argues, “The First Amendment was intended to keep government out of regulating religion, but it did not keep religion out of government or the public square.” Yep, that and thirty pieces of silver.
Singer Barbara Streisand last week, called the Supreme Court the “American Taliban”, arguing that “it uses religious dogma to overturn the Constitutional right to abortion.” Her comment, and Kinzinger’s ‘Taliban’ comment gave rise to many more such comments on Twitter, but Daily Beast columnist, Wajahat Ali, took issue, saying, “it is Christian Nationalism, not Islam, that poses the biggest threat to the country and making a Taliban comparison is an unnecessary distraction.”
Within the maelstrom of this fundamentalist mosh-pit of gun fervor, women’s loss of rights and religious revivalism are groups in Florida who have filed suit challenging the state’s newly enacted ban against abortion after fifteen weeks. A synagogue feels threatened, saying it prevents Jews from having a procedure that, in some cases, Jewish law would require them to have. The Florida ban, for Muslims, is an infringement on their religious freedom, condemning it as “Christian Sharia,” – a religiously oppressive law being not only Islamophobic, but morally wrong. There is not just one sharia rule on abortion, but many within the many Muslim schools of thought, with scholars of the past being more lenient than are those of the modern era. Because there is no Islamic ‘church’ as such, or a formal clergy…adherents select the sharia school of thought they wish to follow, resulting in a wide range of opinions.
Historically, Muslim tolerance of diverse religions protected for centuries those who lived under their rule, and sharia never insisted that the state enforce those edicts…until the modern era. It has now come to pass, that some Americans want the government to force everyone to live by one interpretation of Christianity, and now we find ourselves on the verge of a religio-political movement taking hold, attempting to impose its will upon the people. Our Constitution was born in history’s pall of Catholic-Protestant wars in Europe, emphasizing for our founders that those dangers must be avoided in the new nation, bringing forth the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause disallowing favoritism of one religion, with the Free Exercise Clause protecting individual religious practices. However, despite historical precedent, our Supreme Court majority is unconcerned, and the trend of state laws toward particular Christian beliefs seems not to sway the court’s approach to the Constitution.
Howard Zinn, in his ‘A People’s History of the United States‘, relates how in 1844, the European migration to this country also brought the antagonisms of religious passions, resulting in violence between Irish Catholic weavers and native-born Protestant skilled workers near Philadelphia. He writes, “…rioters destroyed the weavers’ neighborhoods and attacked a Catholic church. Middle-Class politicians soon led each group into a different political party (the nativists into the American Republican party, the Irish into the Democratic party), party politics and religion now substituting for class conflict.” David Montgomery, historian of these riotous times wrote about this fragmentation of the working class, “…it thereby created for historians the illusion of a society lacking in class conflict,” while in reality the class conflicts of nineteenth-century America “were as fierce as any known to the industrial world.”
Zinn writes how the Irish, remembering the hatred experienced on their arrival upon these shores, began to get jobs with the new political machines, many becoming policemen. In July 1902, the New York Jewish community held a mass funeral for a rabbi which resulted in a riot led by Irish, many of whom were on the police force, who resented the presence of Jews in their proximity. Charges against policemen for unprovoked and brutal clubbing led to reprimands or loss of pay, but no dismissals or firings. Desperate economic competition between newcomers, based on racial, religious or class status resulted in violence, with destruction of property, injuries or deaths. Novelist Bret Harte wrote an obituary for a Chinese man named Wan Lee: “Dead, my revered friends, dead. Stoned to death in the streets of San Francisco, in the year of grace 1869 by a mob of half-grown boys and Christian school children.”
Asifa Quraishi-Landes writes in the San Francisco Chronicle, that the High Court’s shift to nationalization of American law should concern all Americans, especially minorities. Are we backsliding into the time when only rich, white, Christian men held power, limiting constitutional rights only to those “deeply rooted in (our) history and tradition?” She writes further, “Whatever the future holds, let’s be clear: What the Supreme Court may be about to do is not ‘Christian sharia.’ It is medieval state church thinking. And we need to stop it before it turns into a crusade.”
It is notable that in 1765, eleven years before his work on the Declaration of Independence, and during his law studies, Thomas Jefferson purchased an English translation of the Qur’an in order to understand Islam’s influence on legal systems, and how ‘Mohametans’ or ‘Turks’ should be considered in the parameters of religious freedom. He and others failed to note that at least twenty percent of African slaves were Muslims, and many simply didn’t acknowledge that Muslims existed in America, being discussed only in the hypothetical. Jefferson eventually criticized the religion as being anti-science and anti-reason, but was a staunch defender of Americans to hold any religious belief. His Qur’an is now in the Library of Congress, and was used in the swearing-in ceremony of Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota in 2007. The intervening years have seen several congress members being sworn in with their own copies of their holy book.
Jefferson, in his only book, ‘Notes on the State of Virginia,’ writes, “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” Our third president clearly favored Christianity as an extraordinary framework for a moral code, only seeing Jesus as an esteemed social philosopher who established a revered system of morals, but felt that adding tenets of other faiths could improve the doctrine. Jefferson also rejected the stories of miracles, science and reason being his watchwords, and in a letter to his nephew, urged him “to question with boldness even the existence of god.” In 1820 he completed an 84-page manuscript he called the ‘Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth‘…unpublished until 2011 when the Smithsonian started a restoration project which became known infamously as the ‘Jefferson Bible.’ The book was essentially a cut-and-paste project, in which Jefferson used six copies of the New Testament, razor-cutting, rearranging and pasting together selected verses, eliminating any miraculous or supernatural references, highlighting the life and teachings of Jesus, and reducing the Gospels to the core message.
Jefferson, who was criticized at times of being an atheist or an infidel, was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, asking that it be one of three accomplishments on his tombstone. This law then became the foundation of those religious protections later defined in our Constitution. Somewhere along the way our elected leaders, our jurists, appointed officials have lost the thread about our origins as a country. The struggles we have experienced and suffered through for measured gains are precipitously sliding back to the mayhem of the nineteenth century which can only result in disaster this time around – we had our chance…maybe we still have some hope, but history won’t smile a second time! We need to do some serious cutting and pasting to put it back together.
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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.
“Waves”
“We fell in love with each other as the waves fall in love with the shore.”
~Avijeet Das
“There are always waves on the water. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small, and sometimes they are almost imperceptible. The water’s waves are churned up by the winds, which come and go and vary in direction and intensity, just as do the winds of stress and change in our lives, which stir up the waves in our minds.”
~Jon Kabat-Zinn
“Waves tossed themselves against the shore, dragging grit and sand between their nails as they were slowly pulled back out to sea.”
~Holly Black
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Betty White and Joan Rivers in an absolutely delightful segment from when Joan Rivers guest-hosted for Johnny Carson. I miss Betty White!
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June 29 – July 5, 2022
BRATTON… Stop the garage, save the library, keep the farmer’s market. GREENSITE…will be back July 4. KROHN…will also be back July 4. STEINBRUNER…Supes and measure G and grand jury, Cal Fire volunteers and CZU fire issues, Pajaro Valley Health trust hiring?, County Supe analyst conflict, new Aptos library. HAYES…Land Ethic. PATTON…”Originalism” (Roe v. Wade) MATLOCK… Women’s rights supremely trampled upon by robed vigilantes. EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS pick of the week… that massive asteroid…QUOTES…”ABORTION”
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DATELINE June 27
STOP THE GARAGE, SAVE THE LIBRARY, KEEP THE FARMER’S MARKET.
John Hall the co-chair of Our Downtown Our Future sent this notice (6/27)…
“It’s official! On June 28, the City Council will receive the City Clerk’s statement of verification for the Our Downtown Our Future signature petition and vote on putting the measure on the ballot. This is agenda item #41, likely to be heard around 4.30 or 4.45pm.
You can take part in the meeting in person or by zoom. Most important, you can make a public comment about why you support the ODOF ballot measure. You can also ask the council to direct its consultants’ impact analysis to consider the impact of the ODOF measure not passing: building a carbon-intensive parking garage, risking City finances on a project with an unfunded parking garage, displacing the Farmers’ Market, preventing the establishment of a public plaza that will be a magnet to downtown for the community and visitors alike, and so on.
To see the agenda and how to make a comment by zoom or phone, go here.
I hope you will help us take this important step!
Also, please plan to join us to help ODOF move ahead and to raise funds for the campaign with “A Night at the Movies,” including a great series of short local activist films, a silent auction, and food and drink. Thursday, June 30th at 6pm • Vets Hall, 846 Front Street, Santa Cruz. Click here for details!
Connect with and learn more about Our Downtown Our Future! Website: ourdowntownourfuture.org Email: ourdowntownourfuture@gmail.com
MORE ABOUT SAVE THE LIBRARY. Jean Brocklebank prime mover of DON’T BURY THE LIBRARY team sent this note with more details…
“At Tuesday’s meeting (6/28), the Board of Supervisors is going to weigh in on the downtown library by passing a resolution opposing the ballot initiative (for November) that would, in part, require the existing downtown library to be renovated/renewed/rebuilt. This resolution is by Supervisor Ryan Coonerty.
The Board has no business doing this because the downtown library branch is the jurisdiction of the City of Santa Cruz. The Board never butted in with the City of Scotts Valley’s branch plans. Never butted in with the City of Capitola’s branch plans. Nor did the Board pass any resolution concerning the City of Santa Cruz’s other two branches (Branciforte and Garfield).
Everyone who cares about revitalizing our existing downtown branch must send a comment to the Board ASAP and oppose this resolution as completely inappropriate. The County has no business doing this.
The following was contained in Supervisor Koenig’s newsletter. One may click on the agenda 41 link and get the full information. On that web page there is a way to type in a comment that will go to the full Board. If that does not work for you, then send an email comment copied to all supervisors (Manu Koenig manu.koenig@santacruzcounty.us“>, Zach Friend Zach.Friend@santacruzcounty.us“>, Ryan Coonerty ryan.coonerty@santacruzcounty.us“>, Greg Caput greg.caput@santacruzcounty.us“>, Bruce McPherson bruce.mcpherson@santacruzcounty.us“>).
Please, take action now! If you can’t do so electronically, then plan to attend the Board meeting on Tuesday and speak directly to the supervisors”.
BECKY STEINBRUNER WINS AWARD. It was only by luck this week that I learned from a Facebook note that Becky Steinbruner won the “Lion of the Year” award from the Cabrillo Host Lions Club. The Lions Club states… “The Lion of the Year Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Club upon one of our members”. She adds so much to our community and to BrattonOnline!! Big Congrats.
QUESTION OF THE DECADE. Shouldn’t we be calling it… WOE V RAID?
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
ELVIS. (DEL MAR THEATRE). This is an artistic, dramatic version of Elvis’ life, not a documentary. Director Baz Luhrmann, who did Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, made Tom Hanks into an impossible phony character just like Colonel Tom Parker really was. Austin Butler as Elvis is over-the-top-believable and does an excellent job. I didn’t realize that Elvis made over 30 movies and I can’t remember seeing more than 2. Elvis also sold more hit records than any solo artist in history.
HUSTLE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (7.4 IMDB). Adam Sandler plays a basketball league scout and wears a phony beard that is as believable as the boring plot in this no slam dunk of a movie. Queen Latifah hams her way through a doubtful role and they even stood 91 year old Robert Duvall in a doorway and had him say a few lines. It’s a trashy attempt at making basketball into a dramatic sport.
LOOT. (APPLE TV SERIES) (5.7IMDB). Former UCSC student Maya Rudolph is the main star and former Santa Cruzan Adam Scott is in two of the Loot episodes. She inherits billions of dollars and tries to get laughs as she attempts to lead a normal life. I couldn’t take more than 2 episodes before it became unwatchable.
THE OLD MAN. (HULU SERIES) (8.6 IMDB). Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow had a secret partnership during the Russian-Afghan war. Now they are opposite official sides (like the FBI and the CIA) and carry out a complex never ending chase adventure. The first two episodes are well done, exciting, and nicely carried out….highly recommended.
THE TAKEDOWN. Omar Sy plays the smart cop and Laurent Lafitte is his odd and mismatched partner who reunite and try to figure out who not just murdered but cut the corpse in half. Many racial jokes, lots of really well done chase scenes, and fine photography throughout. But there are few valid reasons to watch this….we’ve seen it all before…many, many times.
IRMA VEP. (HBO MAX MOVIE) (7.1 IMDB). If you’ve watched and enjoyed the new version of Irma Vep starring Alicia Vikander you’ll enjoy it even more if you watch the original Irma Vep filmed in 1996. It stars Maggie Cheung a beautiful Chinese actress who speaks no French hired by the French group trying to remake a silent film about Vampires. It’s really a brilliant attempt at criticizing the French Cinema during the 1950s. There are many themes and none of them very deep and the film itself is a showpiece of cinema techniques. Well worth watching.
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.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU LEO GRANDE. (HULU MOVIE) (7.1IMDB) Emma Thompson bares it all many times in this “comedy” about a 63 year old woman who, two years after her husband’s death, decides to hire a handsome 30-year-old sex worker. It’s a deep, many sided take on women’s sexuality and aging. Definitely worth everyone’s time to see and feel our repressed beliefs not just on sex but on communicating.
BRIAN AND CHARLES. (Del Mar Theatre) (7.2IMDB). This is billed as a comedy from Wales near England’s west shore. It’s a looney, hard to understand that Welsh dialect, movie about a lonely guy who creates a 7 foot robot named Charles out of washing machine parts. They become friends and have dozens of scenes with area locals and work hard to get laughs. It was dull, dry and impossible to enjoy at any level.
KEEP SWEET: PRAY AND OBEY. (NETFLIX SERIES) (7.4 IMDB) A documentary focusing on the old and also present practices of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints branch of the Mormon church. They believe in the plural marriages of old men (like in their 80’s marrying several teen age and younger girls and raising their children. It exists in Arizona, Utah and Texas. It centers on Warren Jeffs the leader of the FLDS and how he rose to power. Sickening, shocking and another example of inequality against women. Definitely worth watching and learning from.
SPIDERHEAD. (NETFLIX MOVIE) Chris Hemsworth is the heavy lead in this flimsy sci- fi flop of a movie. He’s the secret owner of a pharmaceutical company who forces drugs on and into special prisoners in a remote and confined prison. Miles Teller is the victim who works hard to escape the drugs and Hemsworth’s control. Poor script, bad acting, and zero plausibility make this a very forgettable movie.
NO TIME TO DIE. (PRIME MOVIE) (7.3 IMDB). It’s been 60 years since Sean Connery played James Bond in Dr. No. And there have been 25 Bond films. Daniel Craig has played Bond in 5 films, and now that No Time To Die is streaming and has lost more than 100 million dollars at the box office he states that he won’t be doing any more Bond films. That’s a good thing ….for sure he’s no Sean Connery. This movie has almost no plot and its two hours and 45 minutes long. It really doesn’t spoil things by revealing that James Bond dies at the end.
BEN & JODY. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.4 IMDB). It takes place in Jakarta/Indonesia and deals with illegal loggers who kill and rob locals of their coffee producing land. According to the critics there have been two other earlier episodes to this story. It’s terribly corny, hammy acting and some of the worst faked fight scenes ever filmed. Do not watch.
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. Present their rescheduled concert “Gabriel Fauré and His Circle of Influence, Part II”. Playing those dates will be the Nisene Ensemble. The Nisene Ensemble are: Cynthia Baehr-Williams, Concert Director and Violin, Chad Kaltinger, Viola, Kristin Garbeff, Cello and Kumi Uyeda on Piano. The dates are Sat, Jul 9, 7:30 PM, and Sun. Jul 10, 3PM.at the Christ Lutheran Church • Aptos, CA. Go here for tickets and details…
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts on July 24-August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
June 27
Gillian will return next week.
| 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. |
June 27
Chris will return next week.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
COUNTY GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION DETERMINES BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WERE NOT TRANSPARENT WITH MEASURE G INITIATIVE BALLOT LANGUAGE AND CONTINUE TO LACK TRANSPARENCY WITH EXPENDITURES
I was shocked to learn from the Secretary of State that voter initiatives do not have to be truthful or accurate.
The Santa Cruz County Grand Jury just released “Words Matter: Did Measure G Mislead Voters?” examining the issues and does an excellent job of analyzing the deception the Board of Supervisors and County Administrative Office built into Measure G in 2018, basing their ballot narrative on survey language, and adding other elements to promote likelihood of voter approval. County Counsel’s “Impartial Analysis” likewise aided in the deception by failing to explain what “citizen oversight” actually meant…or not.
The Grand Jury did an excellent job not only comparing Measure G’s half-cent sales tax increase with the 2016 Measure D half-cent sales tax increase, but also with similar ballot initiatives written by the cities of Sacramento and Milpitas that provided clearer information to their voters.
The Report further discusses that the 2022-2023 County Budget tool makes it even more difficult than before for the public to find information about how Measure G revenues are actually being spent. It also raises the very real problem that Measure G was limited to 12 years in order to increase the odds of getting voter approval, yet over 50% of the money is being spent on employee salaries that will only increase, causing impending County budget deficits unless yet another sales tax measure is approved.
Recently the Board of Supervisors put Measure B on the June 7 ballot to increase Transient Occupancy Taxes (TOT) to supplement County staff costs, although that narrative, like Measure G, included a laundry list of things the County might fund with the tax increase. However, as the Grand Jury report explains, the County does not have to do what it said it would do, because of a catch phrase “…and other essential services”. That is the vague signal of a general purpose tax that requires a much lower voter approval threshold, while letting the County off the hook for spending the money on any of the laundry list items that people like and need…fire, road repairs, etc.
Below are a few gems from the Report, but I urge you to read this well-researched and well-written report
The Board of Supervisor, County Administrative Office and County Counsel are all required to respond by September 19, 2022 regarding the Grand Jury’s findings. Let’s hope that they will take the opportunity to improve transparency and accountability to the people.
Many thanks to the Grand Jury. Watch for more reports due out soon.
2021-2022 Grand Jury Reports and Responses
2021-2022 Grand Jury Reports and Responses
“The County’s ballot consultant recommended including a fixed time limit on the collection of Measure G revenue to make the tax measure more likely to pass. There are significant ramifications to this decision. The first section of the Measure G Financial Summary, called Measure G funded programs (Figure 2), indicates that over 50 percent of Measure G funds ($4,534,818) are projected to be spent on salaries for “essential county services” staff. Salaries are an ongoing expense. Unless voters permanently extend the sales tax increase, a financial risk looms for Santa Cruz County residents.”
“There is no guarantee that future voters will be inclined to renew the tax. Political winds often blow in unexpected directions. Based on our analysis, Santa Cruz County’s structural deficit will persist, and is currently the justification of yet another general revenue measure that was put before the voters in the unincorporated Santa Cruz County in June 2022, Measure B—the TOT Ballot Measure.[43] The TOT Ballot Measure does not include an audit, citizens oversight, or an expiration date. “
“As the Grand Jury was processing this report, County Government introduced its proposed FY 2022–23 Budget[44] through an online budget tool that the County claimed will provide greater transparency. The Grand Jury examined the tool in light of the issues raised in this report. We found that the tool offers less transparency for citizens oversight as to how the County Government proposes to spend Measure G revenues. The Measure G Financial Summary shown in Figure 2 is absent. All general fund revenues are grouped together for the purpose of showing expenditures. The tool misstates Measure G as a “one-quarter cent” sales tax, but eventually you can navigate to see Measure G projected revenues. However, the navigation path was convoluted and difficult to repeat. Citizens will be less informed about proposed Measure G revenues and expenditures under this budget tool.”
IS CAL FIRE ACTING TO ELIMINATE FIRE VOLUNTEERS WHO QUESTIONED WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CZU FIRE?
Correspondence #af on the June 28, 2022 Board of Supervisor agenda from a County Fire Dept. volunteer makes it known that CAL FIRE is dismissing the volunteers or causing them to resign over the odd and unreasonable orders issued during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. Volunteers were ordered to stand down…to NOT protect their communities. Some of those volunteers who ignored the unreasonable CAL FIRE order were terminated afterward. Those volunteers, such as Mr. Mathew Kaufman who wrote the Board of Supervisors on June 9, 2022, who openly continue to question the CAL FIRE administrative policies and unfair practices are summarily dismissed at a time when fire season is a threat to public safety and all hands are needed.
[County of Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting 6/28/2022]
What is going on? Why didn’t CAL FIRE ever conduct a meaningful After Action Review of the CZU Fire? Why hasn’t the County of Santa Cruz conducted an operational After Action Review of the interactions and logistics, including questionable backfires that were used, that occurred between the County Fire Dept. volunteers, other local fire agencies and CAL FIRE?
The purpose of such reviews is to identify what changes need to be made in planning and logistics for future disasters. Why isn’t the County or CAL FIRE doing this? Why is CAL FIRE effectively removing the County Fire volunteers who simply question and have become more vocal about their questioning because they are ignored or treated poorly? CAL FIRE/County Fire Chief Nate Armstrong continually wonders at County Fire Dept. Advisory Commission meetings how to retain or attract volunteer emergency and fire responders???
Please write the County Board of Supervisors, the decision-making body of County Fire Dept., and demand an investigation right away. We saw that it was the volunteers who stayed behind, sometimes working with other residents who chose not to evacuate, that saved many homes in their communities when CAL FIRE “simply did not have the resources” and was nowhere to be seen.
Email Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors at boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us>
or call 831-454-2200. Hold them accountable for protecting public safety…their primary responsibility as our elected public servants.
WHAT WILL A 400′-WIDE FUEL BREAK ALONG WARRENELLA ROAD ACCOMPLISH AT A COST OF $3 MILLION?
During the CZU Fire in 2020, CAL FIRE crews sat back and basically let the Warrenella Road fires burn. Maybe they thought the 150′ wide shaded fuel reduction project the Bonny Doon Fire Safe Council had just done would stop the fire. It didn’t.
Now, Assemblyman Mark Stone has managed to get $3 million in State funds for expanding the fuel break to 200′ on both sides of the road (400′ wide total) and to improve Warrenella Road itself to be passable for year-round emergency use.
Will this help? What will the area look like and how will it handle future intense winter storms?
Learnings from the CZU Fire: Now Is the Time to Act
Who knows? And besides, there is no description of what “road improvements” entail, but anyone still living on Warrenella (and hopefully those who are rebuilding) will find out very soon. The work will start this summer and be completed before winter rains return. That’s a big project.
WHO CARES IF THE PAJARO VALLEY HEALTH TRUST BREAKS THE LAW, AS LONG AS THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AGREES?
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District wants to hire Ms. Beatriz Flores, the recently-retired Watsonville City Clerk, and is asking the County Board of Supervisors this Tuesday (6/28) to waive any legal requirements that would normally preclude them from doing so. Wow.
The California Public Employees Pension Reform Act (PEPRA), effective January 1, 2013, requires that public employees who retire from a job with Cal PERS pension benefits must wait at least 180 days before returning to a job providing CalPERS benefits. Also, under the “Anti-revolving Door Rules”, local government officials are banned for one year from taking a non-governmental job with duties similar to those they performed before retiring. (Government Code 87406.3)
[Public Officials and Employees Leaving Local Government Service]
CAO Carlos Palacios’ rush is feverish to shove through the County’s purchase of the Watsonville Hospital, demanding the County go into $30 million additional debt to buy it, and now commanding the Board of Supervisors to approve a waiver of the law and hire Ms. Flores without regard to laws that would prevent her from accepting the job.
“…a management team must be in place to seamlessly assume ownership and operations. Given the tight timelines, with a transfer and assumption of ownership to occur within about 90 days, additional interim administrative staff are required to support the work of the administrative team. Beatriz Flores, recently retired as the City Clerk for the City of Watsonville, has special expertise and skills, and her knowledge of the hospital project’s participants and needs of the community make her especially qualified.
Financial Impact
There is no new financial impact. Appropriations to cover extra help costs are included in the County Administrative Office budget.”
Undoubtedly, Carlos Palacios worked with Ms. Flores when he was the Watsonville City Manager, so he is only too happy to add her to his budget payroll.
Here is the CalPERS Complaint Contact
THE CAO WANTS TO THROW THE BUDGET DEEP INTO THE RED
CAO Carlos Palacios is intent on driving Santa Cruz County finances deeper into debt by asking the Board to approve $30 million in loans that will cost County taxpayers $111,000 to process and attach the following debt that the Hospital District may repay.
Financial Impact
Based on current market conditions and the $20 million par amount of the Revenue Notes, the annualized interest rate on the taxable Revenue Notes and GAN is expected to be 4.25%. The interest rate will be based on the final maturity of June 30, 2023, even though it will be redeemed early when the Grant is received. A deposit of four months interest on the GAN with the Authority will require an estimated $285,000 (GL Key 369301/GL Object 74310), or $71,250 per month if the Grant is for $20 million and $425,000 or $106,250 per month if the Grant is for $30 million. Any amount not needed to pay interest on the Revenue Notes due to an early redemption will be refunded the County. If the Grant is not received until June 30, 2023, the maximum interest would be estimated at $780,000 for a $20 million Grant and $1,170,000 for a $30 million Grant.
Interest (which could be as high as 5%) on the Notes will be taxable, not tax-exempt, due to the various ownership layers involved in the purchase and operation of the hospital.
Take a look at Item #11 on the June 28 Board agenda
Contact the Board and urge them to slow down and think rationally about the debt that CAO Palacios is feverishly pursuing without any real business plan intact.
Email Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us or call 831-454-2200.
SHOULD COUNTY SUPERVISOR ANALYSTS BE ALLOWED TO SERVE ON CITIZEN COMMISSIONS ADVISING THE BOARD?
Second District Supervisor Zach Friend has chosen one of his analysts, Allyson Violante, to serve as the Planning Commissioner for his District. Does it make sense to you that Supervisors rob the abilities of having their constituents advise them instead of someone who works under them as a paid employee of the County, potentially just extending the opinion and strengthening the vote in favor of the Supervisor?
- Supervisor Ryan Coonerty’s analyst, Ms. Rachel Dann, also serves on the County Planning Commission.
- Supervisor Greg Caput’s analyst, Tony Gregorio, serves as an alternate on the Commission for the Environment.
- Supervisor Ryan Coonerty’s analyst, Andy Schiffrin, serves on the Housing Authority Commission
- Supervisor Bruce McPherson’s analyst, J.M Brown, served on the Housing Advisory Commission until recently.
[Commissions, Committees, Advisory Bodies]
I see this happening more and more, and I think it is wrong. The Planning Commission By-Laws are silent on this (pdf), however, the Commissions are supposed to reflect the broad diversity of those in the Districts.
I do not think appointing District Supervisor analysts to Commissions serves the public interest or necessarily meets the intent of Santa Cruz County Code 2.38.080(D):
- D) Department Advisory Group Representation. The agency or department head selecting the members of a department advisory group shall ensure that a broad range of qualified members of the public are provided an opportunity to request selection to the group. Persons meeting the minimum qualifications for service on the department advisory group shall, as much as possible, also be generally representative of the diverse skills, backgrounds, interests, and demography of persons residing in the County. [Ord. 4573 § 1, 1999; Ord. 3305 § 1, 1982; Ord. 2971, 1980; Ord. 2390, 1977; Ord. 2218, 1975; Ord. 2173, 1975; Ord. 2130, 1975; Ord. 2078, 1974; prior code § 3.01.060].
See Item #37 on the June 28 Board Consent Agenda:
NEW APTOS LIBRARY DUE BY NEXT SUMMER
The recent groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new Aptos Library triggers a contract agreement that in one year, the project will be completed. It will be interesting to watch this magic happen. For now, massive excavation is occurring, removing 1,760 cubic yards of soil, and bringing back in 275 cubic yards of rock fill material. I do worry that I never see an archaeologist or Native American observer at the excavation site, which has now cut down into the native slope by about 8′.
Here are the plans for this new 12,490SF single-story library.
I am glad there will be solar panels on the roof, making the new facility a net-zero energy demand, according to Librarian Heather Periera when we spoke at the groundbreaking event on June 9. The parking lot will now include four electric vehicle charging stations.
MELVIN WILDER’S HAM RADIO CALL SIGN BACK ON THE AIR FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1941
In 1941, the US government ordered all Ham radio operators to become silent, due to fear of spy activity during WWII. Melvin Wilder, a Ham radio operator with the unique identifier of “W6CEH”, at the Wilder Dairy Ranch in Santa Cruz was one of hundreds who stopped all radio communications. Melvin (“Mel”) did not live to see the return of government authorization for amateur radio operation in 1945. No one has used his W6CEH identifier on the radio air waves since.
However recently, on June 18, for the first time since 1941, Mel’s “W6CEH” call sign identifier was activated again at Wilder Ranch State Park by the charter members of the “Wilder Radio Club” during State Park Week, having conversations with other Ham radio operators in Nevada and Northern California.
If you have ever visited Wilder Ranch State Park, you know that the Wilder family was extremely innovative, using the Pelton Wheel and water sources to bring electricity to the farm. What you might not know is that Mel Wilder was one of the first Ham radio operators in Santa Cruz County and served as President of the nascent Santa Cruz County Amateur Radio Club at a time when the new technology was helping people speak with each other over the air hundreds and hundreds of miles away.
Even though W6CEH has been silent all these years, Mel’s identifier is once again alive and active at Wilder Ranch State Park. I am sure Mel would be pleased.
Many thanks to Mr. Richard Adams, seated here before a much smaller radio than what Mel Wilder would have used, for forming the Wilder Radio Club, and rekindling “W6CEH” activity on the air waves from Wilder Ranch State Park.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. READ THE CONSTITUTION AND CELEBRATE JULY 4 WITH THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO CREATE AND SUPPORT OUR GREAT COUNTRY.
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK AND JUST DO SOMETHING.
Happy Independence Day,
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 |
LAND ETHIC
Have you formed ethical standards for your relationship with Earth? Most people teach ethical standards to children in what behaviors are ‘right’ and how best to treat other people. As we grow, we learn through experience how to build on those ethical standards to be good people. But, few people I’ve met have taught their children the ethics of their relationship outside of the human world. How would you answer questions about how to act ethically with the natural world?
Aldo Leopold wrote possibly the most influential modern treatise on this subject, which was published in his Sand County Almanac and entitled The Land Ethic. I suggest you read that 14 page essay first and this second, as I supply a framework for how his thoughts apply in our shared place, the central coast of California.
We Hold These Truths…
Are these statements true to you?
- Our food, air, and water are products of Nature
- Nature is very, very complex: there is wisdom in considering the precautionary principle when considering impacts to the natural world
- As citizens of this particularly ecologically rich place, we have a particularly high level of responsibility for nature conservation.
Land as Economic
As Leopold suggested was normal throughout the USA in 1949, so it is today…we citizens of central California are continuing to commodify nature. We treat our agricultural lands as short-term profit-making properties; most are barely cover cropped so that soil is washing away at tremendous rates, many agricultural properties are awash with fertilizer and chemical pesticides that have had too little human health and environmental impact study. Our conversations around property circle around what ‘rights’ we are afforded, not what duties we have: even knowledgeable people lack the information to well manage private property. Land Trusts commodify land that they hold, managing negatively impactful agriculture, grazing, and other uses and expanding recreational use with little idea of its impacts. Public parks are even more guilty of commodifying nature for highly exploitive, barely planned/monitored recreational uses that are rife with negative impacts on soil and wildlife. Economic interests drive these types of nature commodification, those interests are embedded in even local politics, yet few people vote for candidates based on these types of issues.
Aldo’s Land Ethic
“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
~Aldo Leopold
What would happen if we all used Leopold’s land ethic when weighing proposals on natural lands around the Central Coast? For instance, how would application of that ethic affect how you feel about the development of the Homeless Garden Project in the middle of Pogonip Greenbelt’s main meadow? What about the way proposals have been made for the new trails at Cotoni Coast Dairies? What would you think about the plans for post-fire re-building of Big Basin State Park’s visitor center? How do your feelings on those proposals compare with how you think about applying Leopold’s Land Ethic to the planned wildlife tunnel under Highway 17…to restoring the Scott Creek Marsh on the North Coast?
Is Education Enough?
Most people with whom I discuss the Land Ethic emphasize a problem Leopold anticipated: they focus on a perceived need for more education before it will be possible to apply the Land Ethic. I have spoken with leaders and practitioners of environmental education around the Monterey Bay, and they all reiterate the primary need for education until a more ethical approach to Nature can take hold. And yet, almost none of these educators are familiar with well-established tools to change human behavior towards the environment. I wonder how many would be able to help others by describing what a Land Ethic might be?
The same goes for most staff whose jobs entail environmental protection. Parks law enforcement staff rarely give tickets for environmental destruction, preferring ‘education.’ Municipal planning agency personnel rely almost entirely on education in hopes that it will serve to protect nature in the Central Coast. The personnel responsible for protecting whales and other marine mammals in the Monterey Bay also entirely rely on education to accomplish their mission. With the many interactions I’ve witnessed with these individuals, none have ever tried to help elevate awareness of the ethics of caring for Nature. I have heard political decision makers cite anything like the Land Ethic very, very few times.
The Central Coast has a large variety of environmental organizations focused on environmental education. I hope that they will incorporate the Land Ethic in their curricula, including the many available local case studies to further illustrate lessons.
A Place for Science?
We are lucky to have the California Environmental Quality Act (aka CEQA) as a potential to start the conversation about portions of Leopold’s suggested Land Ethic. For instance, lead agencies using CEQA might ask ‘How does the proposed project affect the integrity of the biotic community?’ What if this question were posed about the numerous wetlands that will be obliterated along the proposed Rail Trail on the North Coast? I would anticipate that the lead agency would pick scientist-consultants to outline a restoration program somewhere along the coast that would ‘improve’ the integrity of wetlands in the project vicinity…checking that box in CEQA…and proceeding with the project. The ‘improved’ wetlands would likely have some attention for restoration for 3 years, but with no long term proposal for management or monitoring. It is very likely that the more correct answer to the Land Ethic-informed question would be ‘the proposed project negatively affects the integrity of the biotic community.’ But, even in the unlikely possibility that the lead agency received that answer from their paid consultants, they would likely proceed with a “statement of overriding considerations” and proceed anyway…because there is no chance that anyone would be held accountable during their election to political office. In short, there is a lot of demand for consultant-scientists to create plans that appear to address the Land Ethic but which in fact are just the excuse a project proponent needed to proceed with their destruction of Nature.
The Solution?
Any decision maker in our region whose work impacts the environment should have access to the smartest ecologists around, so that they receive the best information possible to make excellent decisions to conserve nature. For a while, this happened in the Santa Cruz County Planning office. That model could expand. There are certainly a very many well respected biologists in our region who we might learn from!
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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 |
June 24
As has been expected, we now have a final Supreme Court decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This is a case in which the petitioners have asked the Supreme Court of the United States to overrule the Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade and the Court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
In both Roe v. Wade and Casey, the Supreme Court held, definitively, that women have a constitutional right to obtain an abortion. The Court has now reversed those prior holdings – and this has required the Court to overrule and repudiate its own precedents. Now, each one of the fifty states can make up its own rules about abortions. There is now no “right,” based on the United States Constitution that would override what a state legislature might decide. Some states, like California, will continue to provide women with the right to obtain an abortion. Other states will declare abortions unlawful and illegal. In fact, some states have already done that.
As I am sure everyone remembers, we saw a “leaked” version of a draft decision in the Dobbs case. This “leaked” decision may, or may not, be what the Court has decided, ultimately, to publish (I have not yet had a chance to do a comparison reading). It is probably pretty safe to say, though, that the reversal of the Court’s longstanding precedent in Roe v. Wade, and in Casey, is premised upon what is popularly called the doctrine of “originalism.”
Now, I have read the original words of the Constitution many times, including all those words found in the first ten amendments, which are most commonly known as the “Bill of Rights.” I have to confess that there is no statement in the Constitution, as originally promulgated, that mentions abortion, or that provides a right to obtain an abortion. There is also no language in the original Constitution that provides us with a right of “privacy,” although the Supreme Court held in Griswold v. Connecticut, a 1965 decision, that “the Constitution does provide us just such a right.
Roe was significantly based on Griswold, so if the Court now decides that the protections provided by the Constitution are limited to those that are explicitly found in the words of the “original” Constitution, then we should be prepared to say “goodbye” to the right of privacy, too, in all of its manifestations.
We are told not to worry about that, though! Justice Alito, himself, tells us not to worry, in the “leaked” draft – he knew we would be worrying! According to Alito, the right for a woman to have an abortion is something quite different from the right to have sexual relations with someone of the same sex, or the right to marry someone of a different race. The Supreme Court, in the past, has validated those “rights,” not spelled out in the text of the “original” Constitution, largely based on the decision in the Griswold case. But don’t worry, says Justice Alito, the Supreme Court isn’t coming after those “rights,” even though they are not spelled out in the words of the “original” Constitution.
You can think about this more, if you want to, by reading an opinion piece that David J. Garrow wrote for The Wall Street Journal. Garrow seems to be delighted with the “leaked” decision in Dobbs:
Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization represents the auspicious culmination of the conservative legal movement, which has fundamentally transformed U.S. constitutional interpretation over the past quarter-century.
Garrow professes no significant worries about what this “fundamental transformation” of the Constitution really means, and what it might portend. My own evaluation? This “fundamental transformation” means real trouble!
Now, I have my own theory about why we do, in fact, have a Constitutional “right to privacy,” and all those other allied rights that the Supreme Court has recognized, including the right, provided to women, to decide to have an abortion. My theory is based on words that are absolutely present in the “original” Constitution, which includes the Bill of Rights. Here is my theory, explained succinctly:
The Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution (part of that Bill of Rights) is absolutely intended to make sure that the text of the “original” Constitution is never read as a “limitation” on the rights that the Constitution protects. Read the text of the Ninth Amendment for yourself:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
As you can see, the Ninth Amendment specifically says that the people retain rights not “enumerated” in the “original” text of the Constitution, i.e., not spelled out in the “original” text. What kind of “rights” might those be?
Let me refer you, please, to the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution must be seen as the way that Americans of our revolutionary generation decided to “institutionalize” their independence, and the Declaration of Independence says this straight out. Hopefully, the following words from the Declaration don’t come as a news flash to anyone:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness [and] That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted …
Assuming that we should take the Declaration of Independence seriously, as a statement of what the government we instituted (in the Constitution) is all about, we will see that our government was formed in order to “secure” rights that are “unalienable,” and that among these rights are “life,” “liberty,” and the “pursuit of happiness.”
Life, liberty, and “the pursuit of happiness” are commonly encompassed in a word that has been beloved by Americans over hundreds of years: “Freedom.”
The “original” Constitution is dedicated to the proposition that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – human freedom – will not be foreclosed by the national government, and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution makes abundantly clear that these protections must be provided by the state governments, too, not just the national government.
That “leaked” opinion?
That “leaked” opinion is the opposite of “originalism,” because it defiles and denies the “original” idea of what this country is all about.
As I noted before, in a blog posting that appeared shortly after that “leaked” opinion surfaced, all of us – those of us who are true “patriots,” and who love this country because of its dedication to human freedom – must now be energized to make good on what both the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution say. We must engage in the political struggles that are the way – the only way, and the right way – we can demonstrate our commitment to all those who live and seek shelter in this “land of the free,” this “home of the brave.”
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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 |
WOMEN’S RIGHTS SUPREMELY TRAMPLED UPON BY ROBED VIGILANTES
Last week was one for the history books with the rapid-fire sequence of events from Washington, D.C. For starters, we had the two noteworthy sessions of the House Select J6 Committee hearings providing more clarity into the snake pit of the Trump Fascist Group’s efforts to overthrow Biden’s election to the office of the presidency. The coup plotters attempted to influence state officials into cooperating by altering vote counts or appointing Electoral College delegates favoring Trump, even as they tried to convince the Justice Department to declare a fraudulent election, after which Trump maintained that he and “the Republicans would take it from there.” State election officials were harassed and attacked in devious ways, resulting in many departments being depleted by resignations out of fear for their safety and that of their families. This works perfectly toward setting up new election boards for the mid-term and 2024 elections who will favor Trump and his henchmen…no surprises here…they’ve told us WHAT the plan is, and HOW they will accomplish it. And, thanks to complacency, it’s gonna come to fruition!
Raising its ugly head for the first time in the week, the Supreme Court struck down with a 6-3 ruling, a 1911 New York law which restricted concealed carry of weapons, as a violation of the Second Amendment. The state’s requirement to obtain a license with ‘proper cause’ to do so, was a hill too far for acceptance by the frontier-justice-minded men in black (+ one black-robed handmaiden), while leaving eight other states and the District of Columbia with similar laws in a quandary. Writer of the majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas, said the New York law violated the Fourteenth Amendment – “equal protection under the law” – because it “prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary ‘self-defense needs’ from exercising their right to keep and bear arms” as authorized by the Second Amendment…‘self-defense needs’ necessitated by NRA and gun lobby money floated for years around Washington.
As a result of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, the Senate’s bi-partisan cooperation managed to finally come up with a modicum of gun control in a bill which sailed through the House, being quickly signed by President Biden. While disappointing to many who believed it lacked the teeth necessary to be totally effective, it was accepted as a beginning. And, likely a ‘red meat beginning’ for Justice Thomas and the O.K. Corral denizens for their next act.
But the topper was Friday’s overturning of women’s Constitutional rights over her own body…”Evangelical Christian Nationalism forced on women,” as termed by Texas Paul on YouTube, and making it “OUR fight, shoulder-to-shoulder, against a life sentence brought about by rape!” The high-court’s overturning of the decades-old Roe v. Wade ruling, a protection favored by over 69% of the populace, is a landmark decision that was met with immediate protests at the Supreme Court, and at court houses and government facilities across the country. The word on the street – “Set your clocks back 50 years tonight, or flip the calendar back 300 years in the case of Justice Alito…Justice Thomas is only willing to reverse to 1865!”
The manly attributes and partisan hackery of the court decision (including charismatic Christian movement’s People of Praise handmaid and Catholic, Amy Coney Barrett), will force women who have been sexually assaulted, perhaps carrying an abnormal fetus; perhaps endangered by a health situation, who might be in school, or too poor to support a child; with an abusive partner or otherwise lacking nurturing support, not being ready, or not wanting a child – to endure a terrifying pregnancy and a loss of freedom. Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson refused to comment further when asked if a thirteen year-old rape victim would be forced to deliver a child in his state, only saying, “If a mother’s life is endangered” would there be an intervention. Just cinch up your burkha and shut up! It’s whatever the powerful, the white, and the male wish it to be.
Glenn Kirschner, of Justice Matters, on YouTube calls the Justices Supreme outright liars, in particular psychopaths Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett when they implied that Roe v. Wade was settled in their confirmation hearings. Senators Collins and Manchin complained that they were misled in interviewing the court candidates, expecting Roe to remain untouched…c’mon, get real, you saw who you were dealing with – you had to know! Trump and McConnell are the champs in this field – they knew who they were nominating! Kirschner goes on to say that Articles of Impeachment should be drafted by the House against those justices, followed by a vote, which is likely to fail. But then he says, “Who knows where the House Select Committee J6 investigation is going, with the seriousness of DJT and his associates attempting to overthrow democracy?” It is his contention that an impeachment hearing could be as important as the J6 Hearings in getting voters to the polls – a Democratic super-majority being necessary to codify women’s rights into law. Last month, Senate Democrats attempted to codify Roe’s protections into law with a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, but Republicans blocked legislation, with the help of Democrat Joe Manchin.
Amy Coney Barrett said, in her confirmation hearing, “What I will commit to is that I will obey all the rules of ‘stare decisis’,…I’ll follow the law.” Brett Kavanaugh declined to directly answer whether the Roe decision was “correct law, but an important precedent of the Supreme Court that has been reaffirmed many times.” Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first court appointee, refused to say how he would rule on abortion,” but it was a precedent which has been reaffirmed, worthy of treatment of precedent like any other.” Samuel Alito, in 2006, said he would approach the issue of abortion with an open mind. “Roe v. Wade is an important precedent of the Supreme Court. It was decided in 1973, so it has been on the books for a long time,” he said. “If settled means it can’t be reexamined, then that’s one thing. If settled means that it is a precedent that is entitled to respect as ‘stare decisis’, and all of the factors that I’ve mentioned come into play, including the reaffirmation…then it is a precedent that is protected, entitled to respect under the doctrine of ‘stare decisis’ in that way.” Clarence Thomas appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991, sidestepped declaring his views on abortion, declining to state if Roe had been properly decided, and is only now attempting to define President Clinton’s meaning of the word ‘is.’
Justice Alito, in his majority opinion, wrote, “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences…it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” And why, Mr. Alito, do women need an elected representative to decide how to govern their bodies? Brett Kavanaugh wrote, “neither pro-life nor pro-choice” but neutral, and that the court’s decision “today properly returns the Court to a position of neutrality” and lets Americans decide the issue through the democratic process. He further notes “the decision “does not outlaw abortion” throughout the country, and that a state cannot bar a resident from “traveling to another State to obtain an abortion,” or “retroactively impose liability or punishment for an abortion that occurred before today’s decision.” Justice Roberts, former ‘Chief’, who has lost his position and status within the court, didn’t join his colleagues in overturning Roe, and felt there was no need to do so; however, he did rule in favor of Mississippi’s abortion law which was at issue in the case. Justice Thomas was the most militant of all regarding Roe, and laid the groundwork for taking up contraceptives, gay sex, same-sex marriage, declaring, “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents.” No mention of miscegenation or mixed-race unions, however.
Notable is Republican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s vow that if the GOP wins back power, DAY ONE will see action on a federal abortion ban. Former VP Pence echoes this call for a nationwide ban, a likely plank in his efforts to become a viable 2024 presidential candidate. Former Trump Gang member and J6 conspirator, Rudy Giuliani was accosted with a slap on the back and called a ‘scumbag’, by a Staten Island grocery store employee, as the former NYC mayor campaigned for his son who is running for the New York governorship. Giuliani claims the attacker referenced Roe v. Wade, and referred to him as a “killer of women.” In his political heyday, the mayor had a checkered-past regarding abortion depending on the political climate; however, he once signed a proclamation celebrating a Roe v. Wade anniversary and has made donations to Planned Parenthood. He now affirms a transformation after a “torturous intellectual and emotional and moral” approach to abortion. He should have used that same approach in his ill-advised association with, and loyalty to, the coup plotters of the Washington riot…oh, wait, maybe he did!
The joint dissenters in the Roe decision, Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, wrote, “From the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of. A State can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs…with sorrow – for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection – we dissent.”
Justice Alito has said that nothing is mentioned in the Constitution about abortion, a document written in 1787 by fifty-five white men, and on this Jill Lepore, in the New Yorker, writes that in the fundamental law document, there is no mention of pregnancy, uteruses, vaginas, fetuses, placentas, menstrual blood, breasts, or mother’s milk…no women, or people of color, were part of the political community or a part of “We the People.” Please note, Mr. Alito, that they also ignored such subjects as diesel engines, space travel, radar, internet, computers, television/radio, shopping malls, Pokémon, atomic energy, or Uzis, just to name a few.
The court’s decision is a culmination, the crowning achievement, of a white, Christian Talibangelist, nationalist movement of peeping-Toms that has come to dominate domestic politics, especially within the Trump world. Though a minority factor in the big picture, it holds a majority within the Supreme Court and legislatures in Red States, which seeks to impose punitive measures against reproductive rights, while deputizing neighbors, friends, and family as bounty hunters to report ‘criminal’ activity. Their tactics, as indicated by Justice Thomas, will eventually endeavor to punish the LGBTQ community, parents of trans-kids, same-sex marriages, or use of contraceptives in defense of what they see as Biblical values of a supposed Christian nation. Justice Alito mischaracterizes what he calls “an unbroken tradition of prohibiting abortion on pain of criminal punishment from the earliest days of common law until 1973,” when Roe unceremoniously upset the apple cart. History shows us that through the eighteenth-century, into the nineteenth-century, American common law permitted abortions before ‘quickening’, the point at which a fetus’s movements could be felt. Alito spends too much time on English common law, citing a legal treatise from the 13th century, when women could be burned at the stake for ‘witchcraft,’ a practice that seemed to find some favor for a time on our shores in Salem, Massachusetts. So, Mr. Alito, to you and your cohorts, the women say, “There are three branches in our federal government – not one of them is your church, mosque, synagogue, or temple. Get over it, and get your theology out of my biology!”
Many states stand ready to assist women in reproductive health crises, with 22 states banning or restricting access to abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C. have laws in place to protect women. Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, a state with extremely punitive laws, says they are putting resources in front of women in need, and will walk alongside them in getting healthcare, mental health counseling and other necessary services. Sounds good, but previous safety nets have been quick to develop gaping holes. One is again reminded of the old two-panel Jules Pfeiffer cartoon where in panel one, a woman is being encouraged to carry a fetus to term with soothing words of encouragement, and offerings of assistance, and how wonderful having a child will be, only to be shrieked at as a ‘whore’ and the child rudely pointed to as a ‘bastard’ in the second panel, post-child birth.
A Saturday rally in Illinois for Trump’s appearance has likely provided more clarity than was intended. Representative Mary Miller, in introducing the former president, credited him for appointing a Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade, calling it a “victory for white life.” Oops…she later claimed that she misread the scripted remarks, “right to life.” Maybe…but the words that came across flowed quite effortlessly from your lips, Mary! And, The Donald smilingly applauded, along with the enthusiastic crowd, so no harm done in that setting…frightening to see where we really are now as the lowered masks reveal the true character of the power elite in our Gilead!
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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.
“ABORTION”
“I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is not being pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is trusting the individual to make the right decision for herself and her family, and not entrusting that decision to anyone wearing the authority of government in any regard”.
~Hillary Rodham Clinton
“Abortion is health care. Abortion is freedom. Abortion is bodily autonomy. A country without this human right is not a free country.”
~H.R. Bellicosa
“No law, no piece of paper that is hundreds of years old, will ever have me believe what is right or wrong about what choices I make with my body. My body, my choice.”
~Thalia
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“The dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid.” We’ve all heard that, but have you ever actually imagined what a cataclysmic event that must have been? This animation shows what happened after the asteroid struck earth, and it’s fascinating!
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June 22 – 28, 2022
BRATTON…Taxing empty Homes tax, reading BrattonOnline on your phone, streamers, Live Here Now. GREENSITE…on Downtown Expansion hearing. KROHN…will be back July 4th. STEINBRUNER…County and Hospital buy out, water rights, water conservation, fire protection, no more gas cars? HAYES…Wind. PATTON…Cancel that Graduation? MATLOCK…Looney lies and conspiracy theories continued. EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS PICK OF THE WEEK: about manipulative language …QUOTES…”SUMMER”
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DATELINE June 20
TAXING SANTA CRUZ EMPTY HOMES. Santa Cruz Local “printed” an excellent summary of the empty home tax that we voters will probably be seeing on our November ballots. Go here to read all of it…
It states…” Santa Cruz city voters are likely to see a question on the November ballot on whether to add a tax on homeowners who leave homes vacant for most of the year. The potential tax has two aims: to incentivize owners to rent or live in vacant homes, and to raise money for affordable housing projects for lower-income residents who struggle with the region’s rising rents and lack of housing.
The city of Santa Cruz has about 24,000 housing units, according to the 2020 census. Cyndi Dawson estimated the city has “over 1,000, probably closer to 2,000 empty homes.”
- From 2015 to 2020, Census Bureau surveys suggest that 1,806 homes in the city of Santa Cruz were vacant. That roughly 7.5% vacancy rate includes second homes, some homes under construction and about 582 homes used “seasonally or for recreation.”
- In the 2020 census, about 9.5% of homes in the city of Santa Cruz were considered vacant. However, travel restrictions and online education at UC Santa Cruz may have skewed rental and vacancy rates in Santa Cruz in 2020, some empty-home tax opponents have said.
- In 2021, the California Dept. of Finance found a 9% vacancy rate for the city of Santa Cruz. It used state data to refine and update Census information.
Dawson said that taxing those homes could generate millions of dollars for affordable housing efforts. But opponents are skeptical that the tax will be an effective response to the city’s housing shortage.
EMPTY HOME TAX CONTINUED. The local organization of Democratic Socialists of America Santa Cruz Chapter (DSA) sent this notice to members….and it makes sense!
Empty Home Tax update and call for action: TELL THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT EMPTY HOME TAX NOW! The community-driven Empty Home Tax turned in over 6000 signatures from residents that want to create an annual funding source to create affordable housing. The Council must either adopt the ordinance at their June 28th meeting or call for an election. We need to turn up at the meeting and let the City Council know that they can and should adopt the Empty Home Tax NOW. We don’t need to wait for the November election. Every second we delay puts creating more affordable housing further out in the future. We need to flood the council member’s inboxes and need your help. Go to this link and send an email to the all the council members with one click. (PLEASE share link widely). The link includes an email template to send as is or modify with your personal story, suggested talking points also included. Many thanks!
READING “BRATTON ONLINE” ON YOUR iPhone. We’ve had some questions recently about reading BrattonOnline on iPhones. After looking into that problem and asking an Apple employee (daughter Hillary Bratton) how to reply, she had a very logical and somewhat surprising comment, “Seems that those folks don’t realize that by turning your phone sideways or horizontally, it enlarges the screen and you can adjust the font size to an easy-to-read level.”
I’ve been doing that since we started, and even with my aging eyes it’s easy to view. Try flipping your phone and let us know if that solves the problem….thanks! [Webmistress note: This works with Android phones as well, just make sure you have screen rotation enabled.]
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those very newest movie 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.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU LEO GRANDE. (HULU MOVIE) (7.1IMDB) Emma Thompson bares it all many times in this “comedy” about a 63 year old woman whose husband died two years before and then decides to hire a handsome 30 year old sex worker. It’s a deep, many sided take on women’s sexuality and aging. Definitely worth everyone’s time to see and feel our repressed beliefs not just on sex but on communicating.
BRIAN AND CHARLES. (Del Mar Theatre) (7.2IMDB). This is billed as a comedy from Wales near England’s west shore. It’s a looney, hard to understand that Welsh dialect, movie about a lonely guy who creates a 7 foot robot named Charles out of washing machine parts. They become friends and have dozens of scenes with area locals and work hard to get laughs. It was dull, dry and impossible to enjoy at any level.
KEEP SWEET: PRAY AND OBEY. (NETFLIX SERIES) (7.4 IMDB) A documentary focusing on the old and also present practices of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints branch of the Mormon church. They believe in the plural marriages of old men (like in their 80’s marrying several teen age and younger girls and raising their children. It exists in Arizona, Utah and Texas. It centers on Warren Jeffs the leader of the FLDS and how he rose to power. Sickening, shocking and another example of inequality against women. Definitely worth watching and learning from.
SPIDERHEAD. (NETFLIX MOVIE) Chris Hemsworth is the heavy lead in this flimsy sci- fi flop of a movie. He’s the secret owner of a pharmaceutical company who forces drugs on and into special prisoners in a remote and confined prison. Miles Teller is the victim who works hard to escape the drugs and Hemsworth’s control. Poor script, bad acting, and zero plausibility make this a very forgettable movie.
NO TIME TO DIE. (PRIME MOVIE) (7.3 IMDB). It’s been 60 years since Sean Connery played James Bond in Dr. No. And there have been 25 Bond films. Daniel Craig has played Bond in 5 films, and now that No Time To Die is streaming and has lost more than 100 million dollars at the box office he states that he won’t be doing any more Bond films. That’s a good thing ….for sure he’s no Sean Connery. This movie has almost no plot and its two hours and 45 minutes long. It really doesn’t spoil things by revealing that James Bond dies at the end.
BEN & JODY. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.4 IMDB). It takes place in Jakarta/Indonesia and deals with illegal loggers who kill and rob locals of their coffee producing land. According to the critics there have been two other earlier episodes to this story. It’s terribly corny, hammy acting and some of the worst faked fight scenes ever filmed. Do not watch.
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.
A CHIARA. (DEL MAR THEATRE). (7.1 IMDB) An absolutely brilliant Cannes Film Fest Award winner that is one of the finest films I’ve seen in six months. A 15 year old girl in Calabria which is “in the toe of the Italian Boot” has a special heartwarming relationship with her father. This story is so heartwarming and sensitive I don’t want to give away the plot. It’s filmed and directed in such a creative way you’ll be stunned and completely absorbed.
THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN. (HULU MOVIE). (7.0 IMDB) Based on a true story this man agrees to have a noted artist tattoo a VISA on his back so that he can travel to another country to see his girlfriend. The tattoo is a work of art and he gets paid heavily to go sit in museums and display his back. He’s a Syrian refugee and Visas are part of his life. It’s curious, weird, and was filmed in Tunisia. Go for it, it’s rare and unusual.
JURASSIC PARK DOMINION. (Del Mar Theatre) (6.0 IMDB) No they don’t go back to the old Jurassic Park but all the dinosaurs you’ve ever read about all are alive and devastating our earth. Laura Dern, Chris Pratt, Sam Neil, and good old and sneaky Jeff Goldblum are back. It’s an absolute mess of killing, eating, chases and its 2 ½ hours long. Because the dinos must face our terrible modern lifestyles and inventions we end up rooting more for them than the poorly characterized humans. Don’t go.
INTIMACY/ INTIMIDAD. (NETFLIX SERIES) (6.4 IMDB). A Spanish series centering on four women and their hopes, dreams and the prejudice they face coming from so many directions. There’s a video sex tape that gets leaked, a murder that goes unsolved, campaign for Mayor and a sneaky lawyer. Worth some of your time, and not a monument to cinema by any means.
DNA.(NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.9 IMDB) The old Algerian grandfather dies and the entire film focuses on how the family deals with his previous stay at the old folks home, then his funeral, his casket, and even deeper diggings into family differences. It’s not fun to watch and will have you plotting how you want your passing to be handled
AMSTERDAM. (HBO MAX SERIES) (7.2 IMDB) Billed as a comedy but hardly a laugh it’s about a couple who adopt a stray dog named Amsterdam in the historic part of Mexico City. I didn’t find any funny scenes, no jokes, and a bit more than pleasant to watch. I only could take two episodes. There’s another new Amsterdam movie streaming now with Anya Taylor-Joy which I can’t stream yet.
IRMA VEP.(HBO MAX SERIES) (7.4 IMDB). Alicia Vikander is totally absorbing and believable in her title role. It’s a remake of an earlier version all about and American young woman going to France to remake a silent film focusing on vampires. It has fine, delicate moments of comedy and some deeper connections that will play out in later episodes.
THE THAW. (HBO MAX SERIES). (6.7 IMDB). A Polish movie which usually means great details, fine filming, and good effects, and this one sure qualifies. A woman detective with many, many memories of her own works against most of her fellow police to solve. A woman drowned and was murdered and she also had just given birth so the task is to find the newborn baby before it too dies. Well worth watching.
WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.7 IMDB) Also known as Backpackers for some reason. It’s a Peruvian movie in Spanish about a rich developer who comes to a beautiful beach town just like Santa Cruz and wants to build a seven story hotel and demolish an historical few buildings just to make a buck…just like Santa Cruz. He falls in love with a beautiful local woman and it’s all about will she convince him and his rich powerful father to give up their plans. The ending is sappy but there’s a fine tour of Machu Pichu. Chalk it up as cute, traditional, and pleasant and don’t cancel anything important to watch it.
HEARTBEAT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) An Indonesian movie about a new doctor coming to a village and the many disappearances that happen. Turns out he’s a genuine sicko/psycho who collects hearts from live patients and keeps them alive in jars in his room. He seems cool friendly and handsome. It’s corny, predictable and has a lot of excellent traditional dancing. You’ll appreciate Alfred Hitchcock much more after being led through this predictable mess.
GODSPEED. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.6 IMDB). This Turkish movie focuses on war and the terrible and deep cost in human lives. It’s about a guy with a prosthetic leg AND PTSD! He and a buddy rob a house and do off balance actions over and over. Poor acting, lousy photography, miserable script make this a flop.
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. Present their rescheduled concert “Gabriel Fauré and His Circle of Influence, Part II”. Playing those dates will be the Nisene Ensemble. The Nisene Ensemble are: Cynthia Baehr-Williams, Concert Director and Violin, Chad Kaltinger, Viola, Kristin Garbeff, Cello and Kumi Uyeda on Piano. The dates are Sat, Jul 9, 7:30 PM, and Sun. Jul 10, 3PM.at the Christ Lutheran Church • Aptos, CA. Go here for tickets and details…
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts on July 24-August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
39th ANNUAL MUSICAL SAW FESTIVAL. The 39th Annual Musical Saw Festival will be on Sunday August 14 from 10:00 am to 5pm at Roaring Camp in Felton. The world’s greatest saw players come out of the woodwork to join other acoustic musicians in a variety of musical performances. You’ll hear bluegrass, country, folk, gospel, blues, classical, and even show tunes (believe it or not, no heavy metal) throughout the day. Festivities start at 10:00 AM, with spontaneous acoustic jams throughout the day. There’s a Saw-Off competition from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and a Chorus of the Saws at 3:45 PM, with up to 50 saw players trying to play in unison. And for those who want to learn how to play music that really has some teeth in it, there’s a free Musical Saw Workshop at 4:00 PM. The entire event is free, and fun for the whole family. For more information, check out www.sawplayers.org , or www.roaringcamp.com . Held by the International Musical Saw Association.
June 20
THE FUTURE OF SANTA CRUZ: WHO DECIDES?
What you are viewing above is a schematic of the new extended downtown as envisioned by staff and consultants and given the green light by the city council majority at its June 14th meeting to move forward for environmental review and design. For scale, the lower buildings on the far right include the 8-story new building under construction at Laurel, Pacific, and Front Streets in the Downtown. The tallest buildings depicted above, in the extended downtown are 20 stories, or 220 feet, tall enough to block the views of those who live on Beach Hill and double the height of the Dream Inn. The final vote was to lower the maximum heights to 175 feet or 17 stories with the rest at 150 feet or 15 stories. For a quick scale comparison, the Double Shot ride at the Boardwalk is 125 feet.
The main driver of this project with its unprecedented heights is the Santa Cruz Warriors. As explained by staff, to fund a new stadium, the Warriors will develop the high-rise apartments plus retail and use the profits to build a new stadium. The Santa Cruz Warriors are very popular as evidenced by the parade of past Mayors and past council members who called in to express their unwavering support for the G team and by extension, for the project.
A total of 1600 units of housing will be crammed into this 29-acre site. For anyone who has swallowed the line that “we need more housing” this jaw-dropping departure from the community’s preference for preserving the character and scale of Santa Cruz is probably acceptable. However, we haven’t yet seen what an 8- story complex will look and feel like until the project at Laurel, Pacific, and Front is completed. The tallest building downtown, apart from the historic El Palomar is 6 stories at 1010 Pacific. Incidentally, when that project was before council in 2004 for approval, the developers assured council it was workforce housing for teachers, police, and firefighters. That didn’t happen. It is largely student housing.
For those who end their thinking at the “we need more housing” mantra, or who like to say that we are in this “dire” situation because we haven’t built any housing, please study the table below. You will see that since 2015, there has been a total of 1,177 units of housing built in the city of Santa Cruz and we have doubled the number of Above Moderate- Income level units required under the Regional Housing Numbers Allocation (RHNA). The only income category not exceeded is Very Low Income and that category is expected to be reached before the end of the cycle. That the next RHNA cycle involves over 5 times the number of required housing units at 3800 as compared with 700 this last cycle could and should have generated vigorous opposition and appeal as is being done by other cities.
It appears our city staff and city council majority are gung- ho to build baby build. That the Santa Cruz Warriors will need profits from the new housing and retail to build their much larger stadium suggests that it will be a battle to enforce even the minimum of below market rate housing in the final project. Council member Justin Cummings with support from council member Sandy Brown tried to incorporate a 25% “affordable” level into the motion. This was unsupported by the other five council members.
It seems the only people being considered by senior Planning staff are those who do not yet live in Santa Cruz: those who would like a second home by the sea, those seeking speculation property or those in the market for a party venue for events at the Stadium. This unconcern for current residents was evidenced by the lack of notice for the project’s hearing given to Beach Hill residents and lack of notice in Spanish to the low-income Spanish-speaking residents in the nearby neighborhood who will be displaced by the new high rises. The fact that state law requires them to be relocated may check a certain box in Planning but how would you feel if you got a notice saying you will be relocated from a place you have called home for decades?
The team of consultants, senior planners, enthusiastic council members and business interests have a different feel for Santa Cruz than I have, and I suspect many of you have. A senior planner described excitedly that these 20 story buildings will finally give Santa Cruz a skyline, something it currently lacks. I was champing at the bit waiting on the phone line for a chance to speak and when it was my turn I retorted, “Santa Cruz has a skyline. It is the beautiful cliffs, trees and sunsets.”
The future of Santa Cruz depends on whether urban high-rise skylines, light shows, “activating” the river, commercial expansion, and displacement of Spanish speaking working families with wealthy newcomers will predominate. Right now, we are playing catch up. There is time but not if we sit this one out.
| 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. |
June 20
Chris will be back July 4th.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
COUNTY BOARD OF SUPES WANTS TO GO $20 MILLION IN DEBT TO FUND HOSPITAL BUY-OUT?
The Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal at a June 28 Special Board meeting to approve the County to go $20 million in debt to fund the gap needed to buy the Watsonville Hospital. At a time when the economy is beginning to turn downward, the County Administrative Officer is ramping up County debt??
Here is the argument CAO Carlos Palacios is making to the Board:
Setting a public hearing regarding the financing is requested for June 28, 2022 in accordance with Section 6586 of the California Government Code.
Background/Analysis
Time is of the essence for funding the purchase of the Hospital. The deadline for purchase has been set by the bankruptcy court as August 31, 2022. The County anticipates that the State Legislature may provide up to $20 million to fund a portion of the purchase price, as part of the 2022-2023 State Budget. However, if granted, this funding is not anticipated to be disbursed by the State in time to meet the court-mandated deadline for the purchase. The County is therefore proposing to provide interim funding to the Hospital by August 31, 2022, which will then be reimbursed when the grant is received from the State.
Can the County taxpayers afford this huge gambling debt?
Write the Board with your thoughts: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
LAW MAKERS MAY BUY OUT FARMERS SENIOR WATER RIGHTS FOR CONSERVATION
What if the fertile Central Valley farmers sold the state government all water rights that enable them to grow food for the nation and export, effectively relinquishing their ability to farm? That is a $1.5 billion- plan now under legislative discussion, brought about by the State budget’s $100 billion current budget surplus, and the strong desire to curtail expensive water law suits.
California Lawmakers Consider Buying Out Farmers To Save Water
Will California Buy Out Farmers to Save Water? Lawmakers Mull the Possibility
The legislature is discussing the option of either buying the farm land directly, thereby controlling the water rights, or simply purchasing the water rights from the farmers. Water rights in California is an interesting issue that merits taking time to read and understand:
California Water Rights – A Breakdown Of The State’s Water Rights System
Wouldn’t it be better to spend the $1.5 billion taxpayer money to provide water-saving procedures and recycled irrigation water for farmers, especially small farmers, and to support groundwater recharge projects, especially in areas that are seeing subsidence?
I found it shocking that the average cost/acre for irrigation water is $7,500. Why is it so expensive? That is comparable to the costs of highly-energy-dependent recycled and desalination water supplies quoted at the City of Santa Cruz Water Commission recently.
Do you think the State government would support farming if it owned the farmland or senior water rights to the farmland? Is this a good way to spend $1.5 billion in taxpayer money? I don’t.
What are your thoughts? Please let your State elected representatives know:
CITY OF SANTA CRUZ IS EXEMPT FROM STATE WATER CONSERVATION MANDATES
It was refreshing to learn that the State Water Resources Control Board agreed that the City of Santa Cruz is not mandated to follow strict State water conservation mandates because customers are already using less water per-capita than is mandated.
Finally, a State agency understood that “one size does not fit all”, and recognized the City of Santa Cruz water customers using 45 gallons/person is already lower than the newly-mandated 55 gallons/person, and that the Loch Lomond primary source is not in emergency status by being nearly 90% full.
California exempts Santa Cruz from emergency water use restrictions
I think, however, that it would have been wise for the announcement to continue to urge all Santa Cruz County residents to practice water conservation. Even though the State website claims Santa Cruz County per capita water use averages 54 gallons, the site also states:
Factors that affect Per Capita Water Use
It is not appropriate to use Residential Gallons Per Capita Day (R-GPCD) water use data for comparisons across water suppliers, unless all relevant factors are accounted for.
Here is a link to those factors: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/drought/docs/factors.pdf
Think about how much more water you and your family might use if you lived where the summer temperatures are over 100 degrees daily.
PAYING FOR WATER IN CALIFORNIA
As water becomes more expensive across the board in California, how will people on fixed incomes afford it? How might the State invest in water infrastructure to help lessen the cost of water service?
Here is an interesting analysis of that issue. Although a bit dated (2014), the information is worth reading.
“The overall funding gap …is on the order of $2 billion to $3 billion annually: $30 million to $160 million to provide safe drinking water in small, disadvantaged rural communities; $800 million to $1 billion for floods; $500 million to $800 million for stormwater management; $400 million to $700 million for http://www.ppic.org/main/home.asp Paying for Water in California 3 ecosystem support for endangered species; and $200 million to $300 million for integrated water management. Although filling this gap may seem daunting—particularly to cash-strapped program managers—it is not large relative to the sums California is already spending on water services. In other words, this is a fixable problem. “
“Proposition 218’s rigid requirement that fees must be specifically linked to the services for each property jeopardizes the implementation of conservation-oriented programs and the development of nontraditional sources of water supply. This requirement also limits water utilities’ ability to provide “lifeline” discounts to low-income households, an important equity-oriented feature of most energy billing systems.”
[Paying for Water in California (pdf)]
RATES GOING UP FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION BUT WITH VIRTUALLY NO PUBLIC NOTICE
It really pays to read the Legal Ads in the Classified section of the newspapers. That is how I learned about a public hearing on June 28 divulging that if you live in the rural areas of the County not served by municipal fire departments, you likely are paying into County Service Area (CSA) 48 for County Fire Department emergency response.
CSA 48 property owners will see an increase from $83.81/fire flow unit to $86.49/fire flow unit, and each structure is somehow assessed TWO fire flow units.
CSA 48 property owners will also see an increase in the additional Special Benefit Assessment tax (added on in 2020) to increase from $151.24 per single family residence to $156.08.
The County Board of Supervisors will review the increases at a public hearing on June 28.
There is NO notice of this public hearing on the County Fire Dept. website.
None of this even acknowledges the potentially illegal Special Benefit Assessment that County Fire Dept. added, despite Government Code Section 50078.2(b):
A benefit assessment shall not be levied for wildland or watershed fire suppression on land located in a state responsibility area as defined in Section 4102 of the Public Resources Code.
All of CSA 48 is in the State Responsibility Area (see yellow areas on this map):
It also ignores the fact that the Board of Supervisors lied to the voters in 2018 with Ballot Initiative Measure G, imposing a new half-cent sales tax to pay for “fire” response, among other “critical unmet needs”….yet the Board has allocated ZERO dollars from this money pot to fund “fire”.
AND, the Board of Supervisors continually starves fire funding of any State Prop. 172 monies, a statewide permanent half-cent sales tax earmarked for emergency response. California Proposition 172, Sales Tax Increase (1993)
Last year, none of the $20+ million the County received went to fund fire protection.
You can verify this in the proposed 2022-2023 County Fire Budget…$0 from General Fund contributions
Please let the Board of Supervisors know your thoughts about this:
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
WADE THROUGH THE PROPOSED COUNTY BUDGET DURING HEARINGS THIS WEEK
Follow the money. Where is the County spending your tax dollars?
How come the CAO budget is increasing 13% at a time when other departments are seeing only a 3% CIP increase? Carlos Palacios is the highest-paid County employee, with a salary + benefits of $427,308.64 in 2020 (when many lost their jobs due to COVID)
Expenditures
The Proposed Budget expenditure decrease of $19,870,980 results primarily from the one-time increase in 2021-22 of contributions and transfers of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding as well as financings to support the CZU Lightning Complex Fire response and debris removal. In addition, there is an increase in Intra-Fund Transfers In of $2,532,722 for increased County reimbursements and estimated budget to actual savings.
Revenues
The Proposed Budget revenue decrease of $11,467,729 is impacted by the reduction for 2022-23 from the one-time ARPA funding received in the 2021-22 budget ($26.5 million). The total tax growth in 2022-23 is projected to be $14,726,165 over the 2021-22 budget, led by the return to a pre-pandemic sales tax projection level.
For the 2021-22 sales tax projections, they were heavily influenced downward in the spring of 2021 by the ongoing negative economic impacts from the Pandemic. For 2022-23, sales tax is projected to return to its pre-pandemic base and exceed the 2021-22 budget by $5,527,878 or 27.8%, albeit with some modest reductions in growth due to concerns of an economic slowdown.
Property taxes are anticipated to increase by 5.6% or $3,822,370, as the 2021-22 projection was reduced from the risk of the CZU Lightning Complex Fires reducing assessed valuations.
Anticipated increases in Transient Occupancy Tax of $4,606,914 or 49.6% over the 2021-22 projection are due to the same pandemic influenced compressed prior year projections.
Although a smaller revenue stream, Cannabis Business Tax revenue is trending down due to market changes, resulting in a decrease of $1,526,380 or 28.4%. Deed Transfer Tax is expected to grow $1,030,157 or 36.2% over 2021-22 also due to compressed prior year projections.
Sales tax is one of the best early indicators of changes in economic spending, and the County Administrative Office will be closely monitored as there are considerable signs pointing to an economic slowdown, that could occur in the next 12 to 18 months.
Financial Impact
The General County Revenues Proposed Budget with supplemental requests includes ($3,945,761) in expenditures, $178,814,037 in revenues and provide $182,759,798 towards other departmental General Fund contributions, reflecting a total increase in available contributions of $8,403,251 from the 2021-22 Adopted Budget.
Take time to participate in the County Budget hearings this week, with the final budget hearing on Tuesday, June 28
NO MORE GAS-POWERED CAR SALES IN CALIFORNIA BY 2035?
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is expected to finalize a new rule by the end of this year that will require by 2035 that 100% of all new cars and light-duty trucks sold in the state to be electric. Imagine that impact. By 2026, it would require 35% of all new vehicle sales be electric. Right now, 16% of all new car sales are voluntarily electric.
The CARB held the first of two hearings on June 9 to receive public comment on the proposed Advanced Clean Cars II regulation.
Unlike Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-79-20 that also sets a goal of 100% electric vehicle sale by 2035, the CARB regulations would be binding and have regulatory legal weight that would impose enforcement actions on auto sales businesses in the state.
According to the CARB analysis, a total transition to electric cars would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California by 50% by 2040, because transportation is the largest contributor.
Here is a link to the CARB site, where you can find more information about the propose Rule.
Note that the second public hearing will be in August.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. SIT IN ON THE COUNTY HYBRID BUDGET HEARINGS AS MUCH AS YOU ARE ABLE.
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 |
Wind
This is an invitation to appreciate the role of wind more deeply, more often. Stepping outside, we feel the wind on our cheeks, sniff a scent from far away on the air and adjust to the temperature of the breeze. A gust ruffles our hair, makes trees noisily rustle, blows leaves scattering downwind. Along its trajectory, wind is doing so much for our world, and we hardly appreciate it. But we can appreciate that change is in the air.
Year-by-year California’s coastal wind is getting stronger. Climate change is increasing the heat on land and the ocean is slower to warm – the temperature differential makes for stronger wind. How will stronger wind change the world around us?
Critters of the Wind
Many animal friends around here depend on wind.
For instance, wind is crucial in creating certain types of bird habitat. Marbled murrelets are creatures of wind: tops of trees must get broken off (probably by wind, maybe by lightning) to make a redwood or Douglas fir create thicker side branches where this rare seabird can nest. Wind also makes sand dunes, and the foredunes are the favorite place for snowy plover nesting.
Condors and turkey vultures wouldn’t be around if there weren’t the right types of breezes to hold them aloft as they soar long distances in search of food. The wealth of marine mammals in the Monterey Bay is due to wind-driven oceanic upwelling of nutrients that drives a rich food chain. Migrating spiders, birds, and termites all take advantage of wind to get where they want to go. And, sometimes wind drives migrating birds off course, making it possible to study birds from far away without traveling.
Change is in the Air
Wind carries news. Some of us recall the dense rain of charbroiled leaves carried by the headwind of the 2020 fires: that news sure had an impact on those of us nearby. Sometimes you can smell or see smoke from far away fires. City folk are happy when a fresh breeze carries away air pollution and change their habits when there is a ‘spare the air’ day declared around the Bay Area. That air pollution goes ‘away’ – downwind. In each case – with fire or urban air pollution – particulates eventually fall out of the wind somewhere, spreading chemicals, toxins, and nutrients: bad news!
(Come to think of it, doesn’t it seem like too long since we were alerted to likely pathways of nuclear fallout from the more likely areas to be targeted by nuclear bombs? Too much of a drag to think about that…too bad of news!)
Wind-borne nutrients due to air pollution are depositing into ecosystems around our area, providing unwelcome fertilizer creating more weedy grasslands, greater plant productivity, and higher fire danger. No doubt that wildfire smoke and ash is also contributing to these problems.
Wind Transported Soil
Certain soils are classified as “eolian” in origin, meaning that they were carried by the wind. Large areas of the central USA are sandy soils blown around due to periodic drought – think largescale repeats of the early 1900 “Dustbowl” repeated over the last many hundreds of years. There are also eolian soils near Santa Cruz. For instance, much of Fort Ord is ancient eolian sand dunes, now home to a plethora of species that specialize on just that habitat. But, blowing soil is still happening in an expedited way due to our management.
Pick a windy day and you can watch tons of soil blowing “away” off bare soiled agricultural fields, even on publicly owned, State Park land of the North Coast. What soil doesn’t wash away from the bare soil in the winter gets a chance at airborne migration in the spring before planting. Soon, there will be no topsoil to support plant life! The unvegetated Sahara Desert routinely drops soil downwind onto North America…these dust clouds cause problems for airplanes, covid-like symptoms in humans, and pollution problems in Caribbean coral reefs.
Fire Wind
Wind blows fire and fire makes wind. One of the main ingredients for wildfire is wind. Many of us are more alert to wind, on edge even, due to our history with fire. In Southern California, the Santa Ana wind blows from the south and east pushing hot air, creating the most dangerous wildfire conditions. Here, strong wind from the north has traditionally carried the biggest fires.
Once a wildfire starts moving, it creates its own wind. During the 2020 fire, I was momentarily relieved to feel a cool wind at my back as I watched the fire slowly approach my home. The wind was blowing towards the fire! It felt moist and cool, coming in from the ocean. I felt so lucky, so relieved. Then, the spot fires behind me got going and the wind shifted…a wall of flames came roaring at me. Fire sucks. Fire sucks air massively, creating its own wind patterns depending on where the flames are spreading.
During the previous fire, in 2009, someone reported seeing flaming tornadoes spreading the fire from one chaparral-covered ridge to the next across the North Coast.
Wind Driven Fog
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the gentle fog-laden breezes of the summer do much to cool and moisten our landscape. Redwood trees and rooftops drip, drip, drip in the early morning. For firephobes, the fog is most welcome. For plants, even more so: many coastal plant species require those moist breezes to make it through the dry summer. The architecture of redwood needles is perfect for capturing the moisture out of foggy breezes.
Wind vs. Tree
The wind rocks trees. They sway back and forth magnificently in the highest winds. It is amazing more trees don’t fall. But, fall they do, and when they fall they open up a gap in the forest canopy. That gap portends much.
A forest gap allows sunlight into the understory and a place for smaller plants and new trees to establish. The trees around that gap grew depending on the tree there to help shelter neighbors from the wind….the wind has more purchase now, and the gap might grow. More trees slow the wind, slowing the drying forces of wind, and maintaining moisture longer into our dry season. A hole in the forest canopy causes more heat and dryness…
The Future
I hope you will more appreciate the present wind, and the future of wind, around the Central Coast. I’m sure we will be working together to steward a world sheltered from increasingly damaging wind, to protect soil from blowing away, and to better prepare for fire wind. Meanwhile, I invite you to notice the quality of the wind on your cheeks…and to wonder what is being carried by that breeze.
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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 |
June 20
A story from yesterday’s newspaper (6/19) pretty much floored me. Since I am teaching, nowadays, at the University of California campus located in Santa Cruz, I know just how much UCSC students (and their families) look forward to graduation day. The same thing is true, of course, at other UC campuses, including the UC campus located in Davis, California.
What I learned from that article in the Sunday, June 19, 2022, edition of The Mercury News was that this year’s graduation ceremonies at UC Davis were simply cancelled, right in the middle of the proceedings. Students were dressed in their robes. Parents and friends had come from all over the state. The ceremonies were being conducted outdoors, and “excessive heat…sickened dozens of people… There were 35 heat-related medical calls and seven people were hospitalized.”
As people started keeling over from the heat, the administration simply pulled the plug on the ceremonies. They just stopped them, right in the middle. This may well have been a reasonable and responsible course of action, considering what was happening. Heat shock can become heat death, after all. The students may not have been able to “walk the stage,” as the expression goes, but at least their parents and grandparents survived the non-ceremony.
What was so shocking to me was how vividly this truncated graduation ceremony makes clear the realities of global warming. We can no longer take anything for granted. What we have assumed is a world we can rely on is not a world we can rely on, anymore – not even for something so traditional as a college graduation ceremony.
Another story in the paper reported on massive damage at Yellowstone National Park, caused by flooding. About one billion dollars will be needed to repair the damage. This, too, like the story of birds falling out of the sky in Kuwait, killed by heat, is a consequence of global warming.
A student entering college during the coming Fall Quarter would normally expect to be graduating four years later.
If we want that student to graduate (if we want the world we have relied upon to continue to exist) we can’t wait another four years to start making changes in what we do.
BIG changes!
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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 |
June 20
LOONY LIES AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES CONTINUED
Even though the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 coup attempt in our Capitol has released a massive amount of recorded testimony, with personal interviews and videos, and has provided live-televised questioning of individuals connected to the Trump Crime Syndicate‘s thrust to overthrow an election outcome, that undercurrent still roils the waters to take down our democracy. Those implicated by the committee have their excuses, reasoning for their actions, with finger-pointing and lashing criticisms of the House panel, but most are silently ‘lawyering-up’ to prepare for possible court action. Even Peter Navarro’s indignant, hostile attack on the legitimacy of the investigation, has led him to hire a defense attorney, even though initially, he belligerently claimed he could defend himself. Trump attorney, John Eastman (credits for Juris Doctor Degree, Trump University, defunct, class of ’10) who in his videoed testimony took the Fifth Amendment about 100 times to avoid self-incrimination, only invited a deeper examination of his flawed plan to have VP Pence disrupt the Electoral College results. No word on whether or not Rudy Giuliani has accepted Eastman’s plea for aid in future court appearances.
Last week, Benedict Donald released a twelve-page ‘defense’ of sorts, still claiming election fraud prevented his 2020 election victory, and that he had a ‘right‘ to pursue any means necessary to prove his ‘landslide’ defeat of Biden. Looks like he’s getting a bit fearful, however, and well he should, with some former staff reporting that he initially admitted his defeat, and John Eastman‘s half-hearted admission to him that their tactics were unlawful, but ‘let’s do it anyway.‘ So, with the Trumpmeister‘s continued insistence about election flaws, his co-conspirators, fellow-travelers and other swamp denizens, slowly but surely, move the former Republican party toward the unreality of Strength in Ignorance is Power.
In recently held primaries, Trump-endorsed candidates have had notable successes, as well as some rejections, pointing to the divisions and confusion within the electorate, as the party elite refuse to confront their leader’s lies, allowing him to evade personal responsibility. Consequently, the insurrectionists are still on the prowl to continue their efforts. The planners are only emboldened; the J6 ‘failure’ was only a practice session; and the hesitation and timidity of the courts, law enforcement, and ordinary citizens to demand accountability only provide cover and a way forward for the undercurrent to overwhelm our democracy. Perhaps the word ‘cover’ is misleading, because we know by their words and actions that the coup is still the goal. The MAGAts in Congress have shrewdly been building their strength, recruiting radicals in their districts, followed by endorsements and campaign support, sometimes campaigning against their own associates.
A recent Time Magazine article by Molly Ball, has Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene crowing about how much power they have over House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy. They both feel that his kowtowing to them punctuates his desire and need for their support if he is to take Nancy Pelosi’s spot as Speaker in the event of a Republican victory after the mid-term elections. Greene states that his success will be through her and her allies, while Gaetz feels McCarthy has become more responsive to the far-right contingent of the party as it shows its muscle. Humorist Dave Barry calls the duo, “Trump’s inner circle of trusted wack jobs,” an apt description since the two regularly appear on each other’s podcasts; indeed, Greene calls it “torching the news cycle,” as they spew their outrageous theories, praise white nationalists, and in general show their looniness with lies and conspiracy concepts, unnerving many in their party.
The J6 Committee was planning to eventually turn results of their investigations over to the Department of Justice, but DOJ has asked for much to be submitted sooner rather than later, to aid them in their own efforts at examining the Capitol riot…an encouraging sign that their slow, meticulous trek toward justice may soon bear fruit. Constitutional expert and attorney, Lawrence Tribe, had previously expressed his skepticism about Trump being charged and prosecuted, but with the Committee’s revelations and DOJ raising its head, he now thinks AG Garland will pursue prosecution of the former president. Questions remain about the end result of any court action against Trump, an action which would be history-making, and possibly earth-shaking in light of the fanatical intensity of the far-right. The chances of bloodshed loom large, with some raising the specter of a civil war. Comparisons have been made between the Insurrection and Nixon‘s Watergate, but with the tenor of the times, says one pundit, “this makes Watergate look like the Brady Bunch.” Prosecuting a former president and his henchmen would be an extraordinary step, but an important one to restore our faith in the rule of law.
Despite the recent showing of testimonies of former AG Bill Barr and daughter Ivanka Trump, many supporters of former president Trump believe he has it right about the ‘Big Steal.’ Bill Barr is accused of accepting bribes from Dominion Voting Systems to uphold the integrity of their voting machines, even though that rumor has been dispelled…he received payment from power and heat provider, Dominion Energy, for services rendered. Ivanka supposedly is taking orders from Daddy, who advised her to testify before the Committee, just to “mess with their heads.” And, besides, it’s all just a Hollywood production, not real, using stand-ins for the actual people…Ivanka looks so different it must be CGI! Syracuse University professor, Jennifer Stromer-Galley calls this phenomenon, “cognitive dissonance” – if you are a Trump-believer and Bill and Ivanka are saying ‘alternate truths’, it leaves a crack in your belief system that must be filled. Bill Barr has a pretty good idea of how we can fill those cracks! Just bring plenty of shovels…we’ll have to double-team Ginni Thomas!
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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 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.
“SUMMER”
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
~John Steinbeck
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
~Henry James
“One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy.”
~Aristotle
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I am fascinated with language and what we do with it. Check this video out, these 5 phrases aren’t all ones I necessarily would have thought of as manipulative, per se.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com
June 15 – 21, 2022
BRATTON…Beautify Pacific Avenue, train to Davenport National Monument, Friends of the North Coast, UCSC #2 in impact, Streamers & movies, Live Here Now. GREENSITE…on Downtown Extension Project. KROHN…Vote turnout, 3rd district runoff, Greenway and money. STEINBRUNER…City Water Commission, cost of water, new Aptos Library, County Budget hearings, AMBAG and housing. HAYES…Drying Grasslands. PATTON…a story about Alex Padilla. MATLOCK… Presidential medals of freedom gathering dust-heroes unavailable. EAGAN… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. WEBMISTRESS… on Roman disappointment…QUOTES…”Birds”
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DATELINE June 13
BEAUTIFY PACIFIC AVENUE. Our Santa Cruz Pacific Avenue Downtown looks terrible. All those shuttered, closed businesses with sloppy, hasty, taped up, butcher papered windows is a disgrace. Starting with the former Andy’s Auto Supply, then there’s Logo’s, Palace Stationers, Peets, and the long time deserted Starbucks patio plus more. Why doesn’t the Downtown Association or MAH, The Chamber Of Commerce, or the schools do something to brighten up those windows and make our downtown attractive and encouraging? Get those great muralists to create windows that cheer us up, have schools put children’s art on display, Have a nursery create a growing display in that old Starbuck’s patio. People are coming back to Pacific Avenue, let’s think of even more ways to restore its charm and uniqueness.
TRAIN TO DAVENPORT & COTONI-COAST DAIRIES NATIONAL MONUMENT. It’s just a matter of time now before we can jump onboard the new Rail Trail train to Davenport! I never saw a mention of Davenport as a train destination during that Greenway hustle. It will be a prime mover of all the locals and tourists who want to visit the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument which will be opening soon. This 5,800 acre park that was created by President Obama in 2017 will for sure draw nearly everybody when it opens by the end of this year. When Fort Ord opened as a National site more than 400,000 folks jammed in and the same will happen in Davenport when the Bureau of Land Management goes beyond its faulty management plan they submitted in March of 2020.
I’ve been making and taking notes on this for years now because that Park opening will make Highway One jammed like we’ve never imagined and no one has taken any precautions.
FRIENDS OF THE NORTH COAST NEWS. The group Friends of The North Coast has existed since 1991. Go here to check out their remarkable and courageous works. We can all learn a lot about their views and concerns over the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument.
UC SANTA CRUZ NAMED NUMBER 2 FOR MAKING AN IMPACT. Here is what we received as a press release on June 6. UC Santa Cruz named No. 2 public university for ‘making an impact’ Princeton Review has named UC Santa Cruz the No. 2 public university in the nation for students focused on making an impact on the world. The honor underscores the university’s commitment to encouraging positive social impact and is an increase from last year’s No. 3 spot. Go here for the full story. Later in the message we see… UC Santa Cruz was also listed as No. 30 on the list of Best Value Colleges (Public Schools).
I search and critique a variety of movies only from those that are newly released. Choosing from the thousands of classics and older releases would take way too long. And be sure to tune in to those 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.
A CHIARA. (DEL MAR THEATRE). (7.1 IMDB) An absolutely brilliant Cannes Film Fest Award winner that is one of the finest films I’ve seen in six months. A 15 year old girl in Calabria which is “in the toe of the Italian Boot” has a special heartwarming relationship with her father. This story is so heartwarming and sensitive I don’t want to give away the plot. It’s filmed and directed in such a creative way you’ll be stunned and completely absorbed.
THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN. (HULU MOVIE). (7.0 IMDB) Based on a true story this man agrees to have a noted artist tattoo a VISA on his back so that he can travel to another country to see his girlfriend. The tattoo is a work of art and he gets paid heavily to go sit in museums and display his back. He’s a Syrian refugee and Visas are part of his life. It’s curious, weird, and was filmed in Tunisia. Go for it, it’s rare and unusual.
JURASIC PARK DOMINION. (Del Mar Theatre) (6.0 IMDB) No they don’t go back to the old Jurassic Park but all the dinosaurs you’ve ever read about all are alive and devastating our earth. Laura Dern, Chris Pratt, Sam Neil, and good old and sneaky Jeff Goldblum are back. It’s an absolute mess of killing, eating, chases and its 2 ½ hours long. Because the dinos must face our terrible modern lifestyles and inventions we end up rooting more for them than the poorly characterized humans. Don’t go.
INTIMACY/ INTIMIDAD. (NETFLIX SERIES) (6.4 IMDB). A Spanish series centering on four women and their hopes, dreams and the prejudice they face coming from so many directions. There’s a video sex tape that gets leaked, a murder that goes unsolved, campaign for Mayor and a sneaky lawyer. Worth some of your time, and not a monument to cinema by any means.
DNA.(NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.9 IMDB) The old Algerian grandfather dies and the entire film focuses on how the family deals with his previous stay at the old folks home, then his funeral, his casket, and even deeper diggings into family differences. It’s not fun to watch and will have you plotting how you want your passing to be handled
AMSTERDAM. (HBO MAX SERIES) (7.2 IMDB) Billed as a comedy but hardly a laugh it’s about a couple who adopt a stray dog named Amsterdam in the historic part of Mexico City. I didn’t find any funny scenes, no jokes, and a bit more than pleasant to watch. I only could take two episodes. There’s another new Amsterdam movie streaming now with Anya Taylor-Joy which I can’t stream yet.
IRMA VEP.(HBO MAX SERIES) (7.4 IMDB). Alicia Vikander is totally absorbing and believable in her title role. It’s a remake of an earlier version all about and American young woman going to France to remake a silent film focusing on vampires. It has fine, delicate moments of comedy and some deeper connections that will play out in later episodes.
THE THAW. (HBO MAX SERIES). (6.7 IMDB). A Polish movie which usually means great details, fine filming, and good effects, and this one sure qualifies. A woman detective with many, many memories of her own works against most of her fellow police to solve. A woman drowned and was murdered and she also had just given birth so the task is to find the newborn baby before it too dies. Well worth watching.
WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (5.7 IMDB) Also known as Backpackers for some reason. It’s a Peruvian movie in Spanish about a rich developer who comes to a beautiful beach town just like Santa Cruz and wants to build a seven story hotel and demolish an historical few buildings just to make a buck…just like Santa Cruz. He falls in love with a beautiful local woman and it’s all about will she convince him and his rich powerful father to give up their plans. The ending is sappy but there’s a fine tour of Machu Pichu. Chalk it up as cute, traditional, and pleasant and don’t cancel anything important to watch it.
HEARTBEAT. (NETFLIX MOVIE) An Indonesian movie about a new doctor coming to a village and the many disappearances that happen. Turns out he’s a genuine sicko/psycho who collects hearts from live patients and keeps them alive in jars in his room. He seems cool friendly and handsome. It’s corny, predictable and has a lot of excellent traditional dancing. You’ll appreciate Alfred Hitchcock much more after being led through this predictable mess.
GODSPEED. (NETFLIX MOVIE) (6.6 IMDB). This Turkish movie focuses on war and the terrible and deep cost in human lives. It’s about a guy with a prosthetic leg AND PTSD! He and a buddy rob a house and do off balance actions over and over. Poor acting, lousy photography, miserable script make this a flop.
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.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK. (CINELUX CAPITOLA MOVIE). Almost anyone and everyone could have predicted that this Tom Cruise remake/update of the 1986 Top Gun would be the number one hit in the USA box offices…and they are right. It’s a genuine Hollywood action movie, and Cruise fits the bill. It was filmed in 2018 and covid delayed. Plenty of in cockpit action when the Navy tries to stop uranium being shipped to some unnamed place which is probably Iran or Russia. Old Val Kilmer is dragged into it and good actors Ed Harris and Jon Hamm are rarely and poorly seen. Not my favorite movie, then again I don’t like war.
NIGHT SKY. (AMAZON SERIES) (7.5 IMDB). It’s good fun to see J.K Simmons (now 67) in a role other than as an insurance agent in those infinite TV commercials. He’s paired with Sissy Spacek (now 73). They are an aging couple who have a secret underground door to a room with a view of being on another planet…or are they? It’s touching, surprising and audiences are begging for another season.
LA OCTAVA CLAUSULA. “The Deal” (AMAZON MOVIE) (4.5 IMDB) An unbelievable hammy, contrived Spanish movie. A very rich couple brings in a lover and the three of them get involved in murder. Much sex, poor acting and monotonous posing by stereotyped poor actors. Do not watch.
DISAPPEARANCE AT CLIFTON HILL. (PRIME VIDEO MOVIE) (5.5 IMDB). It takes place in the tourist section of Niagara Falls in Canada. A little girl age 7 thinks she sees a kidnapping and is haunted for life as she tries to relive and even confront the guy she suspects. But she isn’t completely believable in her older years and has problems convincing both herself and the people she confronts.
JUNE AGAIN. (AMAZON PRIME MOVIE). (7.2 IMDB). A deep, sensitive, well-acted and emotional story of a 65 year old Australian woman with dementia. Her senior care center scenes will ring tears from those of you who have dealt with dementia. She is then struck with a long bout of complete sanity and awareness and her family has to figure how to deal with her new reality. She wreaks havoc on their lives and is heart breaking. Watch it.
OUSSEKINE . (HULU SERIES) (7.2 IMDB). It’s a sad and true story of an Arab boy who is chased and killed by police in Paris. It could have easily have been about so many police fighting protesters here in the USA. The boy was innocent and the police go to subhuman lengths to frame him and save their reputation. Excellent film do not miss it.
FLAG DAY. (PRIME VIDEO)(5.1 IMDB). This is a full on Sean Penn production. He directed it, he stars in it, his daughter (with Robin Wright) Dylan Penn is his co star. Sean plays a counterfeiter, a bank robber and a wasted human. Josh Brolin is in it too. It drags on and on, strange flashbacks, hammy acting, run of the mill photography and not worth your time.
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. Present their rescheduled concert “Gabriel Fauré and His Circle of Influence, Part II”. Playing those dates will be the Nisene Ensemble. The Nisene Ensemble are: Cynthia Baehr-Williams, Concert Director and Violin, Chad Kaltinger, Viola, Kristin Garbeff, Cello and Kumi Uyeda on Piano. The dates are Sat, Jul 9, 7:30 PM, and Sun. Jul 10, 3PM.at the Christ Lutheran Church • Aptos, CA. Go here for tickets and details…
CABRILHO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Celebrates its 60th Anniversary Season and Returns to In-Person Concerts on July 24-August 7. Yes, Cristian Macelaru the music director is returning and will be conducting. The concerts will include three world premiere commissions; the live orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie‘s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and violinist Benjamin Beilman; and works commemorating women’s suffrage in America and exploring the recent impact of drought and wildfires in the Western United States. Tickets are on sale now!!
June 13
TWENTY AND COUNTING.
As you read this the council vote will have been made (6/14/22) to move the Downtown Extension project along for its required environmental review. The picture above is a pretty accurate scale of the buildings promoted by Planning staff and council majority to be the future for the 29-acre site between Laurel St. (the current boundary of Downtown) and the first roundabout just south of the Warriors’ Stadium.
The project includes a new Warriors’ Stadium that has garnered support from groups as diverse as Dientes Community Dental Care and the Santa Cruz Symphony. All accept the high-rises without question. I guess they don’t live on the lower westside or care much about losing the character, feel and sense of place that is Santa Cruz.
Planning staff reports gush over how the tall mixed-use buildings, one at 225 feet or 20 stories (the tallest above is 200 feet), three at 185 feet and one at 145 feet will “reshape the Santa Cruz skyline, identifying the entire downtown as a vibrant urban center serving as an attractor and wayfinding tool for both locals and visitors alike.” That such out of -scale buildings will “create a new downtown skyline that helps define the city’s core as a distinct place with a strong urban identity” and “taller buildings serve as a beacon for visitors drawing them to downtown where they can support local businesses.” You want such people on your side as you tell the cop that the red light you just ran was really the rosy glow of the sun dipping into an azure sea.
How many of the 1800 units of new housing will be below market rate is unknown. That will be decided later. To be sure the Regional Housing Numbers Allocation (RHNA) sets an unrealistic target for new housing for Santa Cruz city at 3800 units over the next 8 years compared to 700 for the previous 8 years but that allocation could have been appealed. One gets the impression that Planning and Economic Development are more into promoting growth rather than balancing growth with the needs of current residents and the carrying capacity of this small city. It also seems poor planning to squeeze half of the required units into such a small area with very real traffic issues.
Talking of traffic, the absence of any mention of it is glaring. It is probably the Achilles heel for this project and as such will be buried by staff and consultants unless the community digs it up and insists that it be addressed in the environmental review process which will begin after the council vote.
State law has removed the requirement that traffic congestion be studied under CEQA (CA Environmental Quality Act) and requires only that VMT (Vehicle Miles Travelled) be studied. In other words, if the 1800 units of new housing translates into six thousand more daily vehicle trips on the existing streets of Center and Front, that impact will not be judged as significant since no extra VMT are involved. You can bet that staff will argue for that position. However, despite the state law, CEQA allows for traffic congestion to be studied if a local situation is unique and the project is unusual. IMO both apply here. If you live anywhere on the lower westside or are a business trying to make deliveries to the Wharf or are among the thousands of tourists in roundabout gridlock on a summer weekend, or an emergency vehicle trying to respond, you know that traffic congestion from 1800 extra housing units and many new businesses is not a non-issue. Even if you support the project, studying traffic congestion per se allows for mitigations to be included in the EIR and there are mitigations that will make a difference. We tried to get that message across with the appeal of 130 Center St. but nobody on council was listening.
If the community is not heavily invested in demanding a rigorous, transparent environmental review including traffic congestion, it won’t happen. The alternative is pictured above although traffic is conveniently gone for the day.
| 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. |
June 13
TURNOUT
Official Turnout
Santa Cruz county voter turnout was kind of low during the 30-day mail-in ballot primary period that ended on June 7th. How low was the turnout? It will probably not be as low as in 2014 county primary, which saw a modern-day low voter turnout of 35%. This primary season’s vote totals will more than likely exceed that, but total turnout will probably be under 40%. I had originally thought the turnout would be much greater given the fact that every registered voter in the county received a ballot in the mail, and Measure D, the “Greenway Initiative,” was controversial enough to bring out lots of voters too. But alas, it appears to be a poor showing by voters.
June 7 Primary Turnout
It seems tricky to figure out just how many people cast ballots in the June primary. In speaking with County Clerk Tricia Webber this morning (6/13), she said there are over 35,000 ballots that have yet to be tabulated. She is hoping to add another 10,000 more countywide votes to the total today, Monday June 13, at noon. So far now, 40,716 votes have been logged, with another 25k-30k waiting to be looked at. Webber said she could not add the not tabulated number to the overall turnout number because she can’t be sure all those ballots are good ones, yet. The mail-in ballot process has certainly brought additional challenges to the clerk’s office. Many of us want to rely on the initial numbers of 18.1% turnout, as the California Secretary of State’s web site still lists. That is, as of election night, there were 18% of ballots received and counted. The county web site now states “24.29%” as the turnout. According to Webber, that will rise as ballots are opened and counted. So, back of the envelope turnout math will likely see the total vote count rise to around 40% of registered voters.
Hanging in the balance
We all must sit tight as the ballots are counted. The city’s 1/2cent sales tax, Measure F, which by all measures is an up or down vote of confidence on the city council majority, as of today, the NO’s have about 51% of the vote, but that is only 153 votes separating it from YES. The 3rd and 4th supervisor races are both too close to call and as of today’s ballot dump it looks like Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson will run-off in November against Justin Cummings in the third district, and Jimmy Dutra will face Felipe Hernandez in the fourth district race. No on Measure D, the “Greenway Initiative,” is like a runaway freight train, or commuter train…the NO’s lead it by more than 17,000 votes, 72% to 28%. Now that outcome is a real head-scratcher!
Greenway and the $$$ Trail
The number of Yes Greenway votes as of today, Monday, June 13th totals 11,045. That amount will increase as the remaining 25,000-plus county votes are counted. The reported amount of money raised for the Yes on Greenway measure since October of 2021 is around $470,000. That amount comes to just over $42.55 per vote. More money reports and updated voting tallies are on the way, but that is a lot of money spent on a losing initiative.
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Art Tragedy at Tannery Arts Center
How did this art piece outside of the Colligan Theater…
Become this now-charred ruin?
Unbelievable. It appears to have been arson and it is being investigated by the SCPD.
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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
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com |
June 13
SANTA CRUZ CITY WATER COMMISSION…WHAT WILL YOUR WATER COST IN THE FUTURE?
New water supply projects will be expensive, but sharing water regionally using existing intertie connections is not going to be considered because “Conjunctive use won’t solve the problem,” according to Commissioner Doug Engfer. Well, maybe not, but it would help when the water is available in wet years and not be an energy hog.
Instead, the Commission discussed four possible supply augmentation capital projects, all of which will be expensive and significantly increase energy demands.
- Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)
- Indirect Potable Re-use (IPR)
This would partner with Soquel Creek Water District’s expensive treated wastewater injection project currently under construction, cost $7,800/Acre-foot, require 5.5 MWh/Acre-foot to produce, and would take 8-10 years to come online, producing 1500 Acre-feet annually but only extracting 790 Acre-feet of that annually. It would require constructing 9 wells for pressure injection of the treated sewage water into the aquifer, likely in the Pueblo Well field in Scotts Valley High area. This project would supply 21% of the 1.2billion gallons annual supply gap. The Commissioners were informed that if this supply were chosen, City customers would likely be expected to help pay for the PureWater Soquel Project. That should give us all pause.
- Direct Potable Re-Use (DPR)
This would depend on State law changing to allow direct sale of treated wastewater to customers in the potable supply service lines (aka, right to your tap), which could happen as early as December of next year. It would include the City building an Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant at the sewage treatment facility, cost $3,500/AcreFoot with energy demands of 1.8MWh/AcreFoot, yielding 4800AcreFeet annually, supplying 100% of the 1.2 billion gallon annual supply gap and take more than 10 years to implement.
- Desalination
Dudek consultants provided the analysis for this possibility that could supply 100% of the City’s water supply needs at a cost of $4,500-$5,800/AcreFoot, requiring 4.7MWh/AcreFoot to produce. Commissioners were reminded that a desalination plant cannot be built without the vote of the people, as required by the DeSal Alternatives Initiative language accepted by the City Council back in 2012.
See Item 6.0 (page 120 of packet) You’ll find a useful table on page 135 comparing the four options
This would inject potable water, treated at the City’s Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant, into the aquifer in the City’s Beltz Well field in Capitola/Live Oak, cost $4,100 – $8,500/Acre Foot, require 0.6-0.9 MWh/Acre Foot, and take ten years to implement (several new wells would have to be constructed) this would yield 130-1100 Acre-feet annually. This supply source would provide 44% of the needed 1.2billion gallons annual supply gap the City claims exists now.
What projects, if any, would you want to pay for and drink the resulting water? Now is the time to start letting the Santa Cruz City Council know your thoughts.
SANTA CRUZ CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER LARGE ANNUAL WATER RATE INCREASES AND POSSIBLE IRRIGATION RESTRICTIONS
Information in the June 14 Council packet does not make it evident that water rates will increase a total of 53.5% over the next five years. The Five-Year Pro Forma Budget included on page 27.60 agenda materials (page 250 of packet) as “Water Attachment 5”, shows water revenues nearly doubling by 2027.
Referenced in the recommendation Letter from the City Water Commission, the Council will likely approve the following rate increases:
2022 6.9%
2023 16.4%
2024 16.4%
2025 6.9%
2026 6.9%
The Council will also likely approve Item 28, imposing an emergency ordinance for two-day watering schedules. It seems the State is requiring the City take this action, despite Loch Lomond being 88.3% full, and customers are already using less water per capita than the State average.
CPUC RESCINDS EARLIER DECISION TO CHARGE RURAL AREAS FOR UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS IN HIGH FIRE RISK AREAS
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) just issued a new ruling that their announcement two weeks ago calling for public comment on a new wildland risk fixed charge for utility district customers to help utility companies pay for improvements was premature. Now the CPUC wants to know how you think they can best engage utility customers in “Listening Sessions” this fall and winter to discuss energy affordability. If you have thoughts about this, please send them via “Public Comment” tab here.
Kind of sounds like a check-off-the-box formality, doesn’t it?
Here is a link to the new ruling
Many thanks to the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) Policy Advocate, Mr. John Kennedy, for keeping us all current and advocating on behalf of rural dwellers throughout the State.
I still wonder why Santa Cruz County leadership continues to refuse to join this amazing organization? Please write the County Board of Supervisors (again!) and ask that Santa Cruz County step up to join this rural advocacy group. rcrcnet.org
Board of Supervisors boardofsupervisors@santacruzcounty.us
GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY FOR NEW APTOS LIBRARY
If you want to take part in political speeches and maybe get a glimpse of the timeline and plans for the new Aptos Library, join the 30-minute groundbreaking ceremony this Wednesday, June 15 (12:30 pm-1pm). Attendees are advised to park across Soquel Drive and will be escorted by Bogard Construction Co. staff beginning at 12:15pm. Those needing ADA assistance are asked to call the Library Administration at 831-427-7706.
“The new Aptos Branch Library is a $14 million project funded by voter-approved Measure S and generous donations from the community. The new 12,400-square-foot space will include greatly expanded and improved amenities, providing a “net zero” structure to the community that produces as much energy as it uses over the course of a year.
The library is being built by Santa Cruz-based Bogard Construction, which has strong local ties and a breadth of experience building publicly funded projects. Anderson Brulé Architects has provided the project’s design services. The new building and site include an outdoor reading room, garden, patio, rideshare/bike parking, group study rooms, a gallery, community room and terrace, public art and historic features in partnership with the Aptos History Museum.
The new Aptos Public Library is expected to be completed by Summer 2023.”
COUNTY BUDGET HEARINGS COMING NEXT WEEK
It is not too early to start plowing through the proposed 2022-2023 Santa Cruz County Budget, anticipated to have a $9million deficit, before official hearings begin next Tuesday. The hearings are all hybrid, occurring on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with Final hearing on Tuesday, June 28
PUBLIC COMMENT ON APPEALS TO AMBAG ABOUT HIGH HOUSING NUMBERS MANDATED
AMBAG received two appeals regarding the Draft 6th Cycle (2023-2031) housing number mandates: one from Sand City and one from the City of Greenfield. A 45-day public comment regarding those two appeals is now open until July 22, 2022.
Comments should be sent to Ms. Heather Adamson hadamson@ambag.org. Copies of the appeals received can downloaded here.
This new mandate will more than triple the number of required housing units required by the State under Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA). Governor Newsom ordered legal action in 2019 against some jurisdictions who were not building fast enough to keep up with their RHNA mandate.
Curious about the numbers for Santa Cruz County and cities therein? See page 130
Interested in participating in an AMBAG meeting? They are quite fascinating, and one is happening this Wednesday, June 15
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. SIT IN ON AN AMBAG MEETING AND LEARN WHAT IS GETTING APPROVED WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
JUST DO ONE THING THIS WEEK, AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
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 |
Drying Grasslands
As Spring approaches Summer, the grasslands are drying, there is increasing chance of fire, and an emergence of the biology of summer.
Already, there are grass fires easily spreading in the tall drying prairies. In most places, the tallest grass – the temporarily very light blonde European oatgrass – shines as it sways high above a mess of other grasses. There are so many grass seeds: if you are not careful, they will ruin your shoes and socks. Sometimes hidden in the grasses, native late season wildflowers are starting to blossom in the finest of grasslands.
Fire
Many fires start along grassy roadsides. Auto accidents are a common ignition source for wildfire. Ironically, pollution-saving catalytic converters produce nitrogenous fertilizer that rains down in the vicinity of highways, spurring a bumper crop of roadside weeds that become beds of highly flammable tinder when dry.
Grass fires can spread rapidly. Most fire fighter injuries occur in grassy areas. When they respond to a grassland wildfire, fire fighters use big hoes (or bulldozers) to create a bare soil strip so that the relatively short flames can’t spread. Because grasses have such fine biomass, they don’t normally send embers downwind to create spot fires. Roads and trails can be enough to stop a grass fire from spreading. Mowed or grazed grasslands aren’t as tall and shorter grasses mean shorter flame length, so that a narrower bare strip fire break can be effective.
If you recall the Trabing Fire of 2008, that was caused by a poorly maintained vehicle backfiring flames along Highway 1 north of Watsonville, igniting roadside grasses that quickly spread into surrounding shrubs and trees. Twenty six homes were destroyed and people lost much loved pets and livestock.
Vegetation Management
The threat of grass fires keeps modern people busy. Road departments use mowers and herbicides to reduce roadside weeds. Ranchers and other natural lands managers use livestock to graze especially heavily along road corridors. People increasingly pay businesses to manage goats to reduce grassy fuels.
Look around grasslands in Santa Cruz and chances are you’ll see management that is at least in part a response to fire danger. For example, UC Santa Cruz’ sole goal in grazing livestock is to reduce grassland fire danger. In addition, campus staff spend innumerable hours each year mowing the perimeter of the grasslands, along roads and trails. Santa Cruz City Parks and other managers act similarly.
Native People and Grassland Fires
The indigenous people of our area burned the grasslands on purpose, to manage the ecosystem for food, fiber, wildlife, and many reasons…some of which we will never know until we relearn that wisdom. The Portola Expedition meandered through the grasslands in our area and couldn’t find sufficient forage for their livestock because all of the grasses had been burned by the native peoples. During the era of native peoples’ grassland fire management, tule elk and pronghorn would have been driven into unburned areas, grazing more heavily in the forest understory or shrublands and so altering those ecosystems.
We know a few of the effects of grassland burning. Without burning, the grasslands close in with invading trees and shrubs. With summer or fall burning, before the rains, the bare soil and lack of thatch create good conditions for wildflowers, such as the many native clovers that indigenous people loved for salads. The fires also helped favor plant species with oil rich seeds. Some native grasses make larger seeds after fires, and those bigger seeds made better meals.
Seeds
One of the most obvious things about grasslands in the late spring are the millions of grass seeds. If you don’t notice them, try wandering off trail into the grassland in the late spring: your socks and shoes will soon be full of infuriatingly pokey seeds. Some of those seeds are dangerous. A large razor-sharp grass seed is from a nonnative species named ‘ripgut’ for what it does to the animal that swallows it. Those seeds as well as seeds from the also nonnative foxtail grass (a type of barley) or the native needlegrass can all embed in animal’s eyes, ears, nose, throat, or in any fold of skin and cause discomfort, infection, and death. Someone told me that those seeds can burrow right through the body because of their pointiness and barbs.
Many of the nastier pokey grass seeds are nonnative, so there is potential for native grassland restoration to be useful for displacing those species. Native oatgrass, meadow barley, as well as native bromes and rye grass could be restored in areas to compete with nonnative pokey grasses; doing so might reduce veterinarian bills and would also be useful for wildlife. You can leash your dog but the poor foxes, coyotes, and bobcats have to contend with the weedy pokey grass seeds. I’ve seen photos of a bobcat with an infected eye, which seems like it could have been caused by an embedded foxtail seed.
Late Season Grassland Wildflowers
As the grasses dry, some wildflowers see a chance to blossom without grassy competition. Vinegarweed, doveweed, farewell to spring and native tarplants all blossom in the late spring to early summer. Mostly, those species establish in areas where grass competition is low…in areas where there was little thatch due to poor soil, grazing, mowing, or fire.
Vinegarweed is a mint family plant laden with stickiness that smells like minty/turpentine/vinegar. Tarplants likewise have amazing scents ranging from roofing tar to floral candy-pine. Doveweed is a silver-gray tufty groundcover with no scent, tiny flowers, and laden with irritating hairs. Farewell to spring flowers are mostly pink but sometimes deeper shades of red or even white. These late season wildflowers provide pollinators with nectar and pollen when most other flowers have faded.
Wildlife
The antics of early summer grassland wildlife reflect the plant community status. Coyote, bobcat, fox, and raptors are preying on a bounty of seed-fat rodents. Gophers are making caches of hay in their underground storage barns, pursued by gopher snakes. Voles are grazing the bounteous grasses, also making storage caches in the gopher runs that they pirate. Mourning doves and quail are pecking away at the many fallen seeds, always wary for the Cooper’s hawk or white-tailed kite. Harvest mice are weaving thistledown nests as high as they dare in the grasses or shrubs, hunted by their mortal enemy- alligator lizards.
A Good Time to Visit
It is a great time to visit the grasslands, but don’t step off the trails, lest you mess up your socks. I’m particularly fond of the artistry of early summer European oats: they won’t stay this shiny-blonde-beautiful for long…they fade quickly to a deeper dirty brown. Look at grassland through the lens of fire, explore for those late season wildflowers, and envision a future of well-stewarded prairies.
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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 |
June 11
#162 / A Story About Alex Padilla
Alex Padilla has just been reelected to complete the term he is presently serving in the United States Senate. He has also won the Democratic Party nomination for a subsequent six-year term of office, with the runoff election to be held in November. He is apparently way ahead in that race, and I am delighted!
Padilla was appointed to serve in the Senate by Governor Gavin Newsom, to fill the spot left vacant when Senator Kamala Harris resigned her Senate seat to become Vice President in January 2021. I think Senator Padilla has done an excellent job representing California since his appointment. As a very nice article in the San Francisco Chronicle makes clear, Padilla has been both hard-working and conscientious.
I have a personal story about Senator Padilla, and thought this might be a good time to document my encounter with State Senator Padilla, in late 2006, after his election to the State Senate in November of that year. At the time, I was the Executive Director of both the Planning and Conservation League, and of the Planning and Conservation League Foundation, which have offices located in downtown Sacramento. While I still lived in Santa Cruz, I worked during the week in Sacramento and then came home for the weekends.
One day, several weeks after the November 2006 election, while I was in the PCL offices, all alone, Alex Padilla suddenly appeared. I didn’t know Padilla, who was from Los Angeles, and he definitely hadn’t made an appointment to come to our offices. He just showed up. He is an imposing man, but supremely courteous and cordial. “Hi,” he said, “I am Alex Padilla. I have just been elected to the State Senate, and I would like you to tell me about the environmental issues pending in the State Legislature that you think are most important, and that you think I should know about.
One of the most important things that PCL does is to lobby the State Legislature on environmental issues, with specific reference to pending and prospective state legislation. As the Executive Director of PCL, I was certainly able to respond to Senator Padilla’s inquiry, which I did. However, the fact that Senator Padilla would walk over from the Capitol to ask for our views, on his own initiative, not in response to any overture from us – and with no demand that we come see him in his office in the Capitol – was unprecedented. It was, in fact, astounding. I think it’s fair to guess that no other State Senator, ever, did what Senator Padilla did when he came over to the PCL offices, as a new member of the Legislature, to ask for our best thoughts on key environmental issues.
Alex Padilla is a quality person. I was very happy that he was appointed to take the vacant Senate seat, and I am, as I said right in the first paragraph, absolutely delighted that he has now won that office on his own account.
Here is a salute to Senator Alex Padilla, from whom we can expect, and I am confident will receive, nothing but the best, as one of our two representatives in the United States Senate!
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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 |
PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS OF FREEDOM GATHERING DUST –
HEROES UNAVAILABLE
Thursday evening’s (6/9) Prime Time, two-hour broadcast of the House committee’s investigation into the January 6, 2021 insurrection and riot at the U.S. capitol exposed Americans to some ugly, dramatic footage of the event, much of which had not been seen before. But, thanks to the eagerness of those flag- and club-wielding participants with their bear spray, videoing their actions for self-gratification replays, and for the world to see their ‘patriotism’, they also gave law enforcement and the courts a perfect source on which to base criminal charges. Smile for the camera…no need to stand back and stand by anymore!
Monday morning’s (6/13) public broadcast #2 laid out a more detailed, thorough, incisive view, with day-to-day accounts by former Trump aides, attorneys, and advisors, who failed in their efforts to convince Humpty Drumpty that he lost the election, and to prepare for an orderly transition to a Biden Administration. As individuals bailed out, Rudy Giuliani stepped up, with the assistance of attorney Sidney Powell, who were unable to prove anything, and only ended up being embedded more deeply in the mire, notably by suits filed by Dominion Voting Systems who the two tried to blame for election irregularities.
TrumpCo filed a total of 62 lawsuits trying to overturn the election based on vote counts and fraud allegations, with the bulk being thrown out for lack of evidence, being based on gossip, innuendo, and misinterpretation and misreading of the U.S. Constitution. Attorney General Bill Barr was bedeviled by Trump to help him overturn the election, finally resigning on December 14, 2020. The former president, grasping at straws, was beguiled by every rumor or false report that popped up, getting Barr involved with a ‘whack-a-mole’ game. The AG felt that his boss knew from the start that he was the loser, but eventually became “detached from reality”, believing his own lies and forging ahead with the scheme to stay in office. Indeed, a drunken Rudy Giuliani on election night advised The Donald to just say, “we won!” and to continue in that aggressive vein.
Committee Chair, Bennie Thompson has laid out what the basics of their work entailed, as they conducted and videoed over one thousand interviews of Trump administration/campaign personnel in the probe to collect information that led up to the attack to overturn the legitimate certification of the 2020 Presidential election. Vice Chair, Liz Cheney presented what amounted to a thorough, point-by-point legal case for the prosecution of the former President and his minions. Several who were asked to cooperatively appear before the committee refused to do so, subsequently being subpoenaed. Several complied, a few now face criminal contempt, and arrests have begun…notably, Peter Navarro‘s. Not to be ignored are the fifty-eight defendants charged with conspiracy, 213 defendants charged with violence, and 303 pleading guilty to charges stemming from the siege. Five defendants have had jury trials, each being convicted on all counts. Two bench trials resulted in one mixed verdict and one full acquittal; two federal court cases were dismissed, with seven D.C. Superior Court cases being dismissed.
NPR found that at least 14% of those charged appear to have ties to the military or law enforcement, as well as military service members and veterans, a distressing discovery. At least 136 defendants have alleged ties to known extremist or fringe organizations, to include QAnon, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and the Three Percenters. A disturbing finding points to the fact that the majority of those charged have no known connections to extremist groups, indicating how far extremist ideologies are being accepted by the mainstream. In public comments and court documents, the DOJ has roughly put cases into three categories: those who conspired to attack the Capitol; those who allegedly, violently attacked police, often with weapons; and the remainder who entered the building in the throng, with no additional criminality…likely Russian expatriates looking for a McDonald’s.
Trump’s Attorney General, Bill Barr was videoed with his assessment that the election wasn’t stolen, and how he had attempted to convince his boss that it was all B.S., and not worth the effort to continue with his deception of ‘stolen votes,’ faulty voting machines or China’s meddling. Barr’s tenure was then dead in the water, with his opinion receiving a surprising endorsement by daughter and Senior Advisor, Ivanka Trump, who told the committee that she ‘respected and believed’ Barr’s summation of the election results. The next day, Orange Daddy, on his social media platform, weighed in on his daughter’s testimony with, “Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying Election results. She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!).” Daddy’s on a tear…be on the lookout for speeding Greyhound or Trailways buses when you cross the street, Ivanka!
Former first-daughter’s husband, Jared Kushner, who was also an administration Senior Advisor, was asked what he thought of Cabinet members and other staff who were raising red flags and threatening resignation over his father-in-law’s drive to stay in power, blamed his nose-to-the-grindstone efforts in processing presidential pardons, and attributed the hubbub to “whining.“ So, Jared, did your stuffed-shirt, self-importance get far enough down the list to complete your own pardon? Afraid you’re gonna need it, bud…your ‘prints are on everything! Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be your only avenue of escape, but watch out…his knives are sharper than those of your disgraced father-in-law’s.
Subsequent installments of the committee hearings may be history by the time these words are read, with devastating reporting on the hate groups, the white supremacists, and the coterie that make up the Trumpian Criminal Enterprise. Liz Cheney began her first-round presentation by saying,“Donald Trump oversaw and coordinated a sophisticated seven-part plan to overturn the presidential election and prevent the transfer of presidential power.” Memorably, she later said,“Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”
Cheney applauded VP Mike Pence, who refused to go along with the Clodwork Orange’s planned coup, and perhaps prevented DJT Junior’s visage from appearing on the ten-dollar bill by 2026. Jack Holmes, in Esquire magazine writes, “Here is another idea the committee might consider: Take a moment to praise Mike Pence. Congress can name a building in his honor. The House and Senate could propose nonpartisan resolutions recognizing Pence for his service to democracy. And then Joe Biden could give Pence the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Because while Pence may not be the hero you or I might have wanted, he was the hero America needed.” Far better, and more appropriate, why not name the new prison facility that will be needed to house all the Trump administration officials, the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other insurrectionists, in honor of our white-topped ‘hero?’ What a jolt to see the image of DJT in an orange suit imprinted with ‘Just HANGin’ Out at the Mike Pence Federal Penitentiary.’ Save a size for Pence, however…there was much he could have done between November 2020 and January 6 with the awareness he had of Trump’s intentions. The committee can still use your help Mikey…you still have a chance to choose country over party, instead of aiming your hat for the ring in 2024. Remember, it’s only a cult of personality now, going the way of the Whigs if some responsible adults don’t step up, but you ain’t the personality-in-waiting!
The glaring question in this entire, ugly ‘coup in search of a leader’ chapter inserted into our history, is why didn’t more…nay, anyone, of consequence step up and lay bare what was really going on, instead of just tiptoeing around it, resigning and moving along to let it fester and continue to embroil our politics? Is it because the Proud Boys still have that stash of weapons hidden in Virginia, or because the letters, emails, tweets and UPS packages dispatched by the radical fringe to those who dare open their mouths in an attempt to right the ship of state? Pence and Barr are not the only ones guilty of dereliction of duty!
Chair Thompson warns, “Our democracy remains in danger. The conspiracy to thwart the will of the people is not over.” And, we can see it as right-wingers continue their efforts to make it more difficult for ‘unacceptable’ persons to vote, or as they attempt to fill governmental positions with officials who are willing to alter election results, as they criticize the J6 Committee as illegitimate, rehashing ‘old news’ that no longer interests people. GOP Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia, stands by the words he uttered last year, that the attack on D.C. was nothing more than a protest or a “normal tourist visit.” And, just last week, football team defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio of the Washington Commanders, dismissed the assault on the Capitol, as a “dust-up.” Then there’s Honest Representative Louie (Gomer) Gohmert, who lambasted the arrest of Peter Navarro, telling Newsmax, “If you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent, or they’re coming after you.” Preach, Louie, preach!
The New York Times, in a perturbing story, “How the Proud Boys Gripped the Miami-Dade Republican Party,” has uncovered how the white-supremacist hate group has wormed its way into the supposed mainstream GOP, being accepted and rationalized by the ‘party’ leaders as they rise to power within the local leadership hierarchy. The chairman admits that there are “fringe elements, different points of view, but that’s how they are, and however wrong they may be, it’s our duty to protect everyone’s First Amendment rights.” Chairman Garcia goes on to say, “outright racism is merely a point of view in need of protection – and the radicals who spew hate speech and practice political violence are to be embraced and accepted into the fold of the mainstream.” This from a party who excludes people with a different political point of view, who perform in public venues, have their books accessible and read, and tell their side of the story in educational institutions. Okay, accepted by the party leaders, but…put there by…the voters? Welcome to the new normal!
Two prominent Republicans, U.S. House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise told the press that they had no plans to watch any of the J6 Committee hearings…Kevin with an outright, “No”, and Steve replying, “I’ll be busy.” In actuality, for the premiere they were probably watching Tucker Carlson on Fox, who ran his show for an hour with no commercial breaks (a repeat of the Benghazi hearings with his running commentary?), so that watchers wouldn’t be tempted to break away to watch the J6 hearing, which was broadcasting concurrently. Even with Carlson’s competition, the House production managed to have a viewership of twenty-million for Episode #1 according to Nielsen Media Research…not comparable to an NFL game’s draw, but not too shabby!
As Ivanka Trump attempted to get her Assaulter-In-Chief father to call off his dogs from the attack of the Capitol, he was heard to say, “Sure, in a jiffy!” which most would take to mean in a very short period of time – the blink of an eye. Surprisingly, a jiffy is an actual measurement of time, depending on who’s doing the talking. Chemist Gilbert Lewis defined a jiffy as the length of time it takes for light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum. Some physicists have defined a jiffy as the time it takes light to travel one femtometer, or one-millionth of a millionth of a millimeter; hence, each second contains about three hundred thousand billion billion jiffys. An electrical engineer could describe a jiffy as the time it takes a single cycle of alternating current (1/50 or 1/60 of a second depending on the electrical system. So, whatever may be true, all would agree that no one has ever accomplished much in a jiffy. Worked for Trump, didn’t it? Maybe not…to be continued!
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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.
“BIRDS”
“I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered”.
~George Best
“No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky”.
~Bob Dylan
“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up”.
~Muhammad Ali
“Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble”.
~Roger Tory Peterson
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When I went to Rome way back in 1983 with my high school Latin class, I was very disappointed in the Colosseum. At the same time, I was annoyed with myself for being disappointed, and now, almost 40 years later (HOW?!?!?!?!?) I somehow feel better about it. I guess it’s because I now have an explanation.
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