April 8 – 14, 2026
Greensite… with more on the campaign trail… Steinbruner… BESS… new aquatic center?… RIP Al Hughes… Hayes… Getting to Know Your Place… Patton… The Politics Of Presence… Matlock… morale…crucified…theatrics…infiltration… Eagan… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover … Webmistress serves you… crowds and the point of no return… Quotes on… “Crowds”
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WHEN SHIT YOU DO ENDS UP IN THE NEWS… You can’t have missed that I do fireworks, pretty much any time I can. The company I work with is Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, and we do shows all over the Bay Area, in Hawaii, and in New York. You may have seen the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks on TV…? Yeah, that’s us 🙂 We’re doing 4th of July in San Francisco this year, and I can’t wait!
Why do I mention this, you ask? Well, this past weekend, Saturday to be specific, CSI (a software company) had a big party in the city and booked us for a fireworks show. It was a BIG show that took 2 days to set up, and then made the news when it went off Saturday night. I’m including a video for you right here. It’s taken from a boat, 800 feet or so from the barge that the fireworks were on. Enjoy the spectacle! It’s from a vantage point most people don’t get. See you in a few days!
~Webmistress
STRANGER THINGS (final season). Netflix. Series. (9.3 IMDb) 
Final season, and once again Will Byers gets absolutely brain-fracked. For the uninitiated: Stranger Things is steeped in the early ’80s, following a quartet of young teens (I was all of 20 when it’s set) doing the usual – playing D&D, blasting a killer soundtrack, biking everywhere unsupervised… and occasionally getting snatched by nightmare creatures from the Upside Down, a vine-choked mirror of their hometown.
They cross paths with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a runaway lab experiment with psychic powers and a deep love of Eggos. From there: more Upside Down lore, bigger and nastier villains, government conspiracies, a mall food court leveled, peak ’80s fashion, coming out, and a truly unfair amount of trauma for poor Will. Season 5 breaks up the cast in teams who each have their own stories – this season Linda “Sarah Conner” Hamilton pops up to give Vecna a run for his money as a “big bad”. Mike’s little sister gets dragged into things, and his mom finally gets to shine as a badass. It neatly cleans up all the loose threads. It’s both satisfying and a little sad to see it end – but no worries, the Duffer Brothers already have more Strangerverse on the way. Worth a watch.
~Sarge
PROJECT HAIL MARY. In theatres. Movie. (8.4 IMDb) 
This is hard-science sci-fi that blends in laughs without undercutting the tension. Ryan Gosling – somehow I’d never really noticed him before, sort of Arthur Davrill – plays Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher turned astronaut, who wakes up alone on a spaceship light-years from home with zero memory of why he’s there. Slowly, he pieces together that Earth’s survival literally hangs on him – and then he meets an alien whose planet is in just as much trouble. Cue the odd-couple science team: two species, zero common language, and enough physics to make your head spin. Gosling is charmingly competent, the alien is nicely alien (not just a guy in a weird forehead prosthetic), and while the story feels a lot like The Martian, it’s a solid high-stakes ride. I enjoyed it, even with the odd shortcomings. Running 2:36, it didn’t really lag. Definitely worth a watch.
~Sarge
THE PITT. Hulu, Max. Series. (8.97 IMDb)
Noah Wyle is back in the ER… can George Clooney be far behind?
Set in a brutally busy Pittsburgh ER, a grizzled Wyle leads a rotating pack of residents, interns, and students through near–real-time shifts (one episode = one hour, one season = one day). The writing is sharp, the characters click, and the show pulls no punches on nudity or bodily damage—approach with caution, but it’s worth it. Season two is still rolling out weekly. Now with more ICE!
~Sarge
SCARPETTA. Prime. Series. (5.9 IMDb) 
This series is about a noted Medical Examiner (Kidman) investigating a murder tied to a string of killings from 25 years ago.
Wait—no. It’s about sibling rivalry that apparently has no expiration date (Kidman/Curtis).
Then again, it’s about the adult niece of a Medical Examiner who can’t let go of her deceased wife and builds an AI replacement.
Any one of these might’ve made for an interesting series—just not all at once. Good cast, so-so mystery, and way too much going on. Pick a lane.
~Sarge
A MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS. Prime. Movie. (3.5 IMDb) 
Half a point for being in focus. Joan Collins fronting for a series – at least according to the end card. Six… “people,” I guess… reunite at an Airbnb “castle” owned by a legendary mystery writer, played by Joan Collins. One of them ends up floating in the hot tub. That’s about it.
Everyone treats Joan Collins as a full-blown Mary Sue: “You’re a great mystery writer – we should all listen to you.” What does she actually do? Watch security cameras that most of the cast already know about, while they continue misbehaving anyway.
It’s embarrassing to watch, especially since I’m reasonably sure she bankrolled it. Not worth a watch. Stand well back. Mind the gap. Go watch “Agatha Christie’s 7 Dials” on Netflix.
~Sarge
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH. Netflix. Series (1hr pilot). (7.2 IMDb) 
This largely bloodless animated series began with a pilot-style special and ran for two seasons. It’s based on the children’s book series by Max Brallier, with character designs inspired by the illustrations of Douglas Holgate.
The story follows orphan Jack Sullivan as he adjusts to life after an invasion of extra-dimensional monsters and a zombie apocalypse. He soon bands together with a scrappy group of kids who missed the evacuation – along with a loyal monster-dog – forming their own ragtag survival team.
Aimed primarily at the 8–12 crowd, the show still has enough sharp humor and creature-feature flair to entertain adults. The voice cast includes Nick Wolfhard (brother of Finn), Mark Hamill, Keith David, Catherine O’Hara, and Rosario Dawson. Worth a watch – with or without your kids.
~Sarge
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S SEVEN DIALS. Netflix. Series. (6.2 IMDb)
There have been a fair few non-Poirot/Marple adaptations recently, and this is certainly one of them.
The cast is solid – Martin Freeman is great, and Mia McKenna-Bruce really shines in the lead role (though Helena Bonham Carter kind of phones in a stock twitchy character). The film doesn’t quite hook you into the mystery, though. It’s not slow, just… not all that engaging. The highlight for me was definitely Mia jumping out of a window to dodge a wedding proposal. On the plus side, it’s only 3 episodes. Many clocks.
It’s probably worth a watch if you’re looking for something to pass the time before the next episode of your favorite show drops.
~Sarge
THE MUPPET SHOW. Disney+. Series. (8.4 IMDb)
Or, as I like to think of it, ANTI-MELANIA. They both star a woman who is completely self-obsessed, clinging to a less attractive mate’s position: I mean, of course, the return of … THE MUPPET SHOW!
That’s right, the same old gang at the same old theatre. Minus the legendary Jim Henson and Frank Oz (who is still alive, at time of writing), it actually defies the concern of losing the magic – it’s almost like it never ended. Which is a good thing. Only one episode so far, but it’s off to a good start. Worth a watch!
~Sarge
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Sarge, aka Jeffery Sargent, cut his teeth on the Golden Age of Hollywoood on TV and with regular trips to the Sash Mill. Film classes then, at Cabrillo with Morton Marcus, broadened his scope – he found he preferred Keaton over Chaplin, and Akira Kurosawa was his Yoda. Sarge spent 15 years working in Special Effects, on everything from Starship Troopers to Battlestar Galactica. He is a staunch geek who has a weak spot for Cozy Mysteries and loathes “Reality” shows. While he doesn’t care for the unrelenting banal horror of “True Crime”, he licks his lips over a twist like the end of Chinatown. Email Sarge at JeffLSargent@gmail.com |
April 7, 2026
The Democratic Women’s Club candidates’ forum was held last Saturday. Out of the five candidates running for mayor only one was absent, Ryan Coonerty. The only mayoral candidate endorsed by the Democratic Women’s Club was, Ryan Coonerty. You can interpret that decision any way you like. To me, it means that the fix was in.
I realize that the more than 50-year-old DWC is open to males and females and that only one of its long-buried aims is to further Democratic women in government. I also realize that the years when we thought it vital for women to share political power with men has faded; that women don’t inherently make better politicians than men but nonetheless, following four years of a male mayor (Fred Keeley) that yet another male was endorsed for mayor by the DWC, by all the political heavies, including all current city council members prior to any other candidates declaring their candidacy, suggests an indifference to the issue of sex.
Ironically, one of the DWC’s prepared questions asked of all candidates at the forum was: are you a good listener? How would you rate yourself on a scale on one to five? Give an example of your listening skills. I wonder just how carefully members of DWC are listening to the community? My reading of the community is that many, many people are fed up with all the overdevelopment. They feel, as I do, a deep sense of loss when long-time small businesses are bulldozed into oblivion and neighborhoods are overshadowed by big buildings out of all previous scale. Some enablers cite the guilt-tripping falsehood that “we’ve built no housing for the past 50 years” when the US Census shows the city built 11,000 housing units during that time. Others cite the misleading mantra that “we have no choice; this is mandated by the state” when the city approved double the state-required housing units for the last 8-year cycle and already has more than 4,000 housing units in line for the current 8-year cycle and we are only 3 years in.
So, the upcoming election is a watershed moment. Whether the city will be led deeper into an urban chic transformation with upscale entertainment districts, surfing reserves monetized, with open space” activated” depends at least partially on who politically leads the city. We have not seen much spine from the current city council in trying to preserve the familiar, the human scale, the funky, the low-key, the small businesses. When Economic Development refused to extend the lease for Andy’s Bait and Tackle Shop on the Wharf in 2012, I saw the writing on the wall.
If you want a fighter for the equivalent of Andy’s, then you need to support my campaign. Please check out my website at greensite4mayor.org. Volunteer to drop flyers in your neighborhood, ask for a yard sign, donate some $’s (yard signs are $11 each when made at a union shop and I’ll have no other). Don’t sit this one out. The future of our city is at stake.
| 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. |
Maybe you read local news reports last week about New Leaf Energy / Sequoia Enerty LLC filing a pre-application with the California Energy Commission (CEC) for the grid-scale Seahawk Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Watsonville’s working-class neighborhood. Is that such a horrible thing to have happen?
Do you think it really WILL happen….or is it a bluff to scare the County Board of Supervisors into buckling to the will of the developer?
New Leaf Energy may seek state approval for Minto Road BESS facility | The Pajaronian | Watsonville, CA
Note what Project developer says is the cause of this action:
The County Board of Supervisors in January approved a draft ordinance to regulate new large-scale battery energy storage systems in unincorporated areas, while maintaining local oversight.
Christian said amendments added Jan. 13 by Board of Supervisors make the Seahawk project “nonviable.”
“Particularly, the requirement of an additional approval by the Board of Supervisors for the transfer of ownership for the project would create a significant hurdle to project financing and is also unprecedented in the energy sector,” Christian said.
Is New Leaf just throwing a tantrum because this requirement would inhibit them from flipping the business?
Also, please note the submissive, plaintive attitudes of Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, and PIO Jason Hoppin, mouthpiece for County Executive Officer Nicole Coburn:
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, whose district includes much of Watsonville, called the move “disappointing.”
“We worked so hard on our ordinance to keep our community safe and maintain local control,” he said in a text message. “It’s the strongest BESS ordinance in the United States. We ensured it includes best practices and strong safeguards for our residents. Despite New Leaf considering to opt out, I’m hoping we can come to an agreement with several of the key safety items on the ordinance.”
County spokesman Jason Hoppin said officials have long recognized the possibility of a state review.
“We are hopeful that the CEC and New Leaf will incorporate elements of our proposed ordinance as the project moves forward,” he said in an email. “As originally conceived, the Board’s framework included some of the strongest fire, emergency response and environmental protections of any local ordinance, while helping facilitate a necessary transition to a carbon-free future.”
How can Supervisor Felipe Hernandez make the ludicrous statement that this County’s Draft BESS Ordinance is “the strongest in the United States”???? Is this his re-election narrative?
His claim is not supported by the 2025 US Dept. of Energy’s “Principles and Options for Designing Battery Energy Storage Zoning Ordinances”
The Santa Cruz County Draft BESS Ordinance fails to prohibit grid-scale BESS facilities in seismic or high fire-risk areas, unlike BESS ordinances of Solano County. Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Ordinances: Solano County CA Case StudyI
It also fails to prohibit risky flammable lithium battery technology, unlike the City of Vacaville’s BESS Ordinance. Amelia County, Virginia does not allow grid-scale BESS projects within ONE MILE of a residential (Village development) while Santa Cruz County would allow it with only a 100;setback. Beaumont, California’s Ordinance only allows BESS in areas zoned for manufacturing, and the same for the town of Islip, New York. Santa Cruz County;s BESS Ordinance has no such protective language.
Johnson County, Iowa is unique among jurisdictions surveyed in that it requires all power and communications lines that connect BESS to other structures or that connect BESS units to each other to be buried underground “to the extent feasible.” (page 22 of the Analysis) Santa Cruz County fails to address this at all.
King George County, Virginia only allows grid-scale BESS in areas zoned for industrial use and facilities cannot be visible from any “street, use or building”.
Santa Cruz County fails to restrict grid-scale BESS projects to industrially-zoned areas, and makes no mention of visibility from adjacent residential or commercial areas. In fact the Seahawk BESS Project at 90 Minto Road (whose developer is leading our County by the nose to exact what is needed to be permitted) is adjacent to the large working-class Diamond Estates subdivision and would be impose visual blight, high EMF and noise, not to mention risk of toxic plumes when thermal runaway occurs.
Most, but not all, county or city codes that address energy storage systems specify the zones in which BESS are permitted to be built. page 18
However, Santa Cruz County’s Draft BESS Ordinance identifies only two areas to include in the Combining Zone Ordinance: 90 Minto Road in Watsonville, and parcels adjacent to the Rob Roy Substation just across Freedom Boulevard from Aptos High School. What about industrial zones, such as Substation and natural gas power plant near the Santa Cruz City Landfill on Dimeo Lane? Santa Cruz Energy | Landfill Gas Power Plant in Santa CRUZ, CA
The vast majority of BESS installations in the United States are still lithium-ion (EIA 2023). However, by adopting zoning ordinances that differentiate by technology based on the risk profile and community impacts of different technologies, local jurisdictions can stay ahead of the rapidly changing battery technology landscape and can also send signals to developers to consider other technologies that may better align with the jurisdiction’s preferences (page 22)
In my opinion, the Seahawk BESS project developer is taking the action to file the pre-application with the California Energy Commission (CEC) to further bludgeon the County Board of Supervisors into submission and coerce them to remove the language they amended to require that the developer notify the County when the facility changes ownership. Supervisor Koeng asked for that at the January 13, 2026 Board consideration of the BESS Ordinance in order to keep noticed of “bad actors” that might purchase the project in the future.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE PLAN OF CAPITOLA MALL’S 1,700 NEW RESIDENTIAL UNITS?
Last month, the Capitola City Council approved rezoning the Capitola Mall for an expansive mixed use development that would include 1,700 new residential units, an 85-room hotel and reduced commercial space. There will will be housing units 75′ tall, and the hotel will be 85′ tall.
https://tpgonlinedaily.com/Here is a good article about the issue.
I actually remember attending the public meetings decades ago when the Capitola Mall was first proposed. I remember how the adjacent neighborhood residents opposed the project, voicing traffic and noise concerns and loss of their community character. The Mall happened anyway..and here we are now.
What do you think about this? Here is a survey about traffic circulation alternatives:
Capitola Corridor Plan Alternatives Survey
WHO CARES IF LOCALS DO NOT WANT THIS NEW TRAFFIC LIGHT IN SOQUEL VILLAGE?
Last Thursday, First District County Supervisor Manu Koenig held a public meeting in Soquel Village to let residents know about the impending new traffic light on Soquel Drive at Robertson Road, replacing the existing three-way stop sign. About 15 people attended, and there may have been some online participants as well. It was somewhat shocking to hear that the County had already identified adding a new traffic light to replace the current three-way stop signs at Robertson Street and Soquel Drive, and has bee awarded $1.6 Million in grant funding by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC).
We were told he project has been on the books for about three years, and will go out for bid in May, and construction will begin this August. It is anticipated to take three and a half months to complete.
Why was this the only meeting with the residents to discuss it now?
The staff presentation gave no data to justify the need for the $1.6 million traffic light system and re-striping plan, yet the only selling point by County staff was to improve pedestrian safety because admittedly, it will not ease traffic congestion of 21,000 vehicles/day.
Residents of Alimur Mobile Home Park voiced great concern that the entrance to their neighborhood of 500 people was not even included in the design. Right now, motorists will at least make eye contact with exiting drivers there and let them in on the road way. That likely will not happen if a traffic light dictates the scene. One Alimur resident asked that there be a “NO RIGHT TURN ON RED” sign on the eastbound lane of Soquel Drive at Robertson to help protect the safety of her neighbors exiting the Park. “Oh, that’s a great idea!” said Deputy Director of Public Works, Steve Wiesner.
I think there are many other great ideas the public could contribute if given the chance before the Project goes to bid next month. Will the County pause this project to correct the egregious lack of public involvement???
I suggested that rather than installing an expensive new traffic light system, try adding pedestrian-activated flashing lights. Mr. Wiesner informed me that is not possible because it would only confuse motorists. Hmmm….even if the flashing lights are red?
I also mentioned research I had done regarding the Aptos Village Project Plan and the ineffectiveness of traffic lights spaced too closely together.
How far apart should traffic signals be placed on an arterial?
Traffic signals are used to regulate traffic flow and preserve capacity along arterial routes. The ideal spacing for traffic signals is at least one half-mile apart (2,640 feet), which also corresponds to the preferred spacing of intersections between arterials and collectors. This represents about four to six blocks, depending on the block length. A minimum spacing of one-quarter mile (two to three blocks) should always be maintained.When the spacing between signals falls below one-quarter mile (1,320 feet), the traffic flow along the route may be disrupted. The ability of the route to carry through traffic will decrease, travel speeds may decrease, and traffic delays and queues may develop at intersections. There is also some evidence from research that placing more than three traffic signals per mile on an arterial increases the traffic accident rate.
Apologetically, the County staff said there likely would not be any sidewalks added because “there is not enough money for that.” for the same reason, there will also not be any bike lanes added to Robertson Street.
NONE of the people attending the meeting wanted the traffic light and demanded to know the data used to convey its need to the RTC in order to obtain the $1.6 Million to support it. One woman stated a survey on NextDoor indicated 100% disapproval of the idea.
I pointed out that a few years ago, then-Supervisor John Leopold had nearly been shouted out of the public meeting when he presented the traffic light idea. He promised the people then that the idea would not be pursued. “The County was aware the light was a controversial topic and had met with great public resistance, yet chose to pursue a grant from the RTC to do it without any public meeting in advance? That is not right.”
Supervisor Manu Koenig became visibly angry. “This grant is a once-in-a-lifetime funding opportunity. I can’t be responsible for some agreement made in a dark room!” he steamed. “It wasn’t in a dark room. It was at a meeting like this that was packed with people,” I said. “Thank you, Becky!” he barked, and sternly criticized other people who continued to demand data and to voice complaint about the current traffic light’s disastrous impacts on traffic. Many wanted to know why the meeting was noticed so poorly?
The meeting ended. It was clear that holding the meeting was likely a requirement, checking off a box in order to secure the RTC grant for a project Mr. Wiesner said was the County’s top priority project for funding.
I can think of other road projects that would be a better use of that money, can’t you? Maybe some paving and replacement of failing culverts?
Write your thoughts on this to Deputy Director of County Public Works Mr. Steve Wiesner <steve.wiesner@santacruzcountyca.gov> and County Senior Traffic Engineer Mr. Tim Nguyen <tim.nguyen@santacruzcountyca.gov> or call him at 831-454-2371
MORE BIKE LANE BOLLARDS COMING ON SOQUEL DRIVE FOR APTOS
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will consider hiring yet another consultant, this time to help manage the $3.8 Million Grant from the RTC to continue putting bollards along the bike lanes from State Park Drive to Freedom Boulevard in Aptos, while adding sidewalks as well. The last time I checked this Plan, it will require removing on-street parking in the Aptos Village area of Soquel Drive, not even attempting to coordinate with the RTC’s Segment 12 Corridor Plan to put in a 14′-wide pedestrian/cyclist trail also through the area.
Hello? What do local businesses and residents think of this? Who knows…there have been NO public meetings.
Write Supervisor Kim DeSerpa <kimberly.deserpa@santacruzcountca.gov> or call 831-454-2200 and ask for a town hall meeting about the Phase 2 Soquel Drive Multi-modal Project. Why wasn’t this work required to be funded by Barry Swenson Builder as a traffic mitigation for the Aptos Village Project?
See Consent Item #43
Discussion
The Request for Proposal (RFP) allows CDI to hire a consultant to manage the Soquel Drive Multimodal Project Phase 2. A project manager is necessary because of the current Public Works staff availability and a tight project timeline. The SCCP grant requires that the Soquel Drive Multimodal Project be ready to list for construction bids within two years. The chosen consultant will be tasked to manage to this deliverable, with the option to extend the management work into the construction phase.Financial Impact
The project management services being solicited through the RFP for up-to-construction activities, including design, environmental review, permitting, and overall project management, will be funded by the $3.8 million SCCRTC 2025 Consolidated Grant.
A NEW AQUATICS CENTER FOR WATSONVILLE AT PINTO LAKE CITY PARK?
The April 14 County Board of Supervisor Consent Agenda Item #44 would approve the County Parks Dept. to move ahead with a feasibility study examining issues to build a new aquatics center at Pinto Lake City Park. The study would cost $120,000 and would be equally funded by the City of Watsonville and Measure Q discretionary funding allocated by Second District County Supervisor Kim DeSerpa.
The City of Watsonville has committed $60,000 to support the study, reflecting the shared regional interest in expanding aquatic recreation opportunities in South County. In addition, Second District Supervisor De Serpa has committed $60,000 in discretionary funding from Measure Q allocation to support the feasibility effort.
I wonder if Supervisor DeSerpa knows about the Watsonville YMCA Aquatics facility? It is a nice place and is centrally located in Watsonville on Sudden Street.
HOW WILL THIS WORK IF NO ONE CAN AFFORD IT?
County CEO Nicole Coburn and staff continue to push forward with the Radio Interoperability Next Gen (RING) communication system that is wildly expensive and will not only place great financial burden upon local fire districts already struggling, but also potentially just not work in a disaster.
Chiefs of these fire districts wrote a letter to the County Board of Supervisors, asking for reconsideration and clearly laying out the facts supporting the problem with the RING system.
Chair of the Board, Supervisor Monica Martinez of the Fifth District responded in an almost condescending manner while failing to recognize the real issues presented by the Fire Chiefs: (see pages 49-51).
At the April 9 Central Fire District Board meeting, Mr. Jim Frawley, paid consultant for the County to push the RING forward, addressed the Board on the issue during Public Comment. He announced that the County is pursuing three grant funding avenues for the RING Project totaling $10.9 Million. The total cost is anticipated to be more than $28 Million.
He also stated that the Technical Advisory Committee met March 19 with fire agencies and RING contractor EF Johnson staff are now examining issues raised, mostly regarding the VHF system overlay of the RING digital encrypted radios.
Finally, he stated that the governance committee will soon be meeting regularly, and will operate under the Brown Act. That means all meetings are open to the public and will be noticed on the County meeting website. Anyone interested in attending can sign up with the Clerk of the Board to receive automatic notification of meetings.
You can sign up to receive automatic notification of this and other County government meetings here
Here is a link to the RING project description and initial financial obligations for each local fire agency: (see page 5)
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS LOCAL DATA CENTER & DESAL PLAN?
Do you remember the DeepWater Desalination Project in Moss Landing that was to combine with a data center?
Here is a YouTube of the KSBW report about it
I think the desalination project got shot down by the State’s new requirement to have all seawater intake be subsurface. DeepWater Desal had enlisted a study from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists to determine taking the water at 130′ deep would reduce impacts on marine life.
DeepWater Desal forges ahead with environmental planning.
The City of Salinas had partnered with the Project to supply power at lower rate and receive water from the desal project.
Interestingly, the Director of the DeepWater Desal Project was, for a time, Ms. Kim Adamson, who had been the General Manager for Soquel Creek Water District for awhile. Current General Manager of Soquel Creek Water Dsitrict, Ms. Melanie Mow-Schumacher, also worked briefly at DeepWater Desal, but returned to working at the District.
Deepwater Desal has long been out of the public eye, but expect that to change in 2018.
I wonder if any of the data center plans are still active?
COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISOR REMODEL STILL ONE MONTH AWAY FROM COMPLETION
The remodel of the 701 Ocean Street Fifth Floor Board Chambers is still a month from completion, according to the contractor I spoke with at the site. He was just finishing the installation of the floor-to-ceiling bullet-proof glass panels lining the hallway.
Can you imagine carrying these one-inch-thick glass panels up the stairs to the fifth floor? That is indeed what had to be done, since they would not fit in the elevator.
“Funding for the $2 million remodel came from the Digital Infrastructure Video Competitor Act/Public Education Government fees that local governments collect from cable franchise providers such as Xfinity. But the funding is reserved exclusively for capital improvements and equipment upgrades that support the broadcast of open government meetings and can’t be spent in any other way.”Does the complete remodeling of the 5th floor restrooms qualify for enhancing broadcasting of public meetings???
Hmmmm…..
Consent Item #19 on the 4/14/2026 Board of Supervisor meeting agenda shows that the cost has doubled for services rendered by William Fischer Architects.
Financial Impact
This amendment increases the total contract value by $34,314.75, from $371,118.83 to $405,433.58. Funding is provided entirely by DIVCA/PEG fees — restricted revenues that may only be used for capital improvements supporting public education, government broadcasting, and digital access. The additional cost is within the current approved project budget and requires no new appropriation.
REST IN PEACE, AL HUGHES
I met Al when a handful of Aptos folks were fighting back on the Aptos Village Project in 2015. He was very wise, a man of great principle, and kept a close eye on the construction as it progressed, sadly transforming Aptos Village into an overly-dense subdivision with expensive vacant buildings replacing the once world renowned Post Office Bike Jumps and pump track that our youth had so enjoyed. Al and I also worked together with others in 2020 to convince State Parks to implement much-needed safety improvements on the Aptos Creek Road access to many private residences and the entrance to Nisene Marks State Park. Nisene Marks: A Park Loved to Death
Al was an astute and very curious person. He often sent me news bits that I would then further research and post here on Bratton Online. He was also a Ham Radio operator, and had just renewed his license so that we could talk on the air waves for fun and in case of an emergency. Like many others, his land line phone service suffered in big storms.
One of his last messages to me was an Aptosia post about speeding on Aptos Village side streets:
PSA: Valencia St near Betty Burger is a residential street, STOP SPEEDING to avoid the Trout Gulch/Soquel Dr light. This is a family neighborhood with kids and pets. You don’t need to go 50 MPH.
He also wrote about Watsonville Police chasing down two youths on illegal e-bikes. Next week, I will write about that, in honor of my good friend, Al.
I will miss Al tremendously, and am very grateful to have known him. May he rest in peace, a job well done.
MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. TAKE A WALK IN A PLACE THAT YOU LOVE AND ENJOY THE DAY.
DO ONE THING THIS WEEK AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
Cheers, and Happy Easter,
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 |
Water
Where does your drinking water come from? This is a good thing to know. For some of us, it comes from the ground, from wells. For many, it is municipal water. Santa Cruz County is a rare county in California in not importing any water from elsewhere. Like other places, Santa Cruzans drink river water, filtered and chemically treated so as not to make people sick. Undue sediment, caused by human carelessness, is filtered out. Fecal bacteria seeping into the streams from pet poop, wildlife feces, and accidental human mishaps gets chlorinated to death. When clean, water is piped to households and comes out the tap. Perhaps we take this for granted. Water becomes a ‘bill.’
Fill a glass with water, gaze at it imagining its source. Take a sip and transport yourself to the place of the water’s origin. Your mind’s eye is taking a sip at the well or a drink from the river, but don’t really do that! Sad that you can’t…
Rain
Precipitation is ultimately the source of drinking water, but where does the rain come from? Mainly, our rain comes from the Pacific Ocean – atmospheric rivers carry the most…the ‘Pineapple Express’ with clouds stretching out towards Hawaii, jetting into California, waving up and down the state. Otherwise, rain mostly comes from the northern Pacific – cold rain showers a few days at a time moving from the north to south. The coastal mountains capture the atmospheric rivers and northern rain fronts, then the clouds race over the central valley and dump a lot of the remainder of their moisture onto the Sierra Nevada.
Since the late 20-teens, we have been seeing regular summer storms, from the South. These are tropical storm or hurricane remnants and the rain comes with lightning. Such is the newfound energy of the atmosphere with global warming. Expect more of this type of ‘unusual’ rain.
The rain isn’t just water, never was. Each raindrop carries things: dust from far away, legacy mercury from California gold mining, ocean salts – even silver!
Step outside. First face West and stretch your mind way out into the ocean, towards Hawaii, the long journey of our most important rains. Then face North-West and envision the spiral-churning storms spinning down towards California spewing chill drizzle. Turn South, feel your heart beats increase – the fear of lightning fire, summer storms, line force winds, future conflagrations…emanating from the gasoline pump, from Fossil Fuels and greenhouse gases – yes, we have caused this phenomenon. We are making the world burn.
Air
We sip the air with our lungs, fueled by plant-derived oxygen mixed and carried by the wind – from where? The Amazon Basin and the oceans are critical sources of our respiratory bliss. Winter air comes as with the rainstorms, from the West to Northwest. Summer air, along our coast, comes from the North, downcoast. Fierce summer winds fan wildfires, mostly blasting from the North to South.
We haven’t forgotten that the air can carry smoke. Some days, it has been difficult to breathe outside and, depending on how well sealed our abodes or workplaces, even inside. If you haven’t purchased one, now is a good time to get a really good air filter for your home this summer: it is too late when the fires come and smoke fills the air.
Notice your breath right now. Imagine the sweet oxygen rich air sweeping from the dense Amazonian rainforest canopy, into the atmosphere, mixed and spread into so many noses, making smiles, charging our electrically sparkling eyes.
Firmament
It supports you like nothing else, the ground beneath you- but what is it? Much of the Monterey Bay is on the Salinian block, riding between the San Andreas Fault to the East and the San Gregorio Fault to the West. We are reminded about plate tectonics when the world goes ‘bump!’ like it did recently: that epicenter was on the Ben Lomond Fault in which the San Lorenzo River mostly runs. The crisscrossing faults are cracks running through the bedrock somewhere down below our butts. I like the granitic bedrock of Ben Lomond Mountain, which also protrudes near Loma Prieta and down in Big Sur. On top of that portion of what used to be part of the Southern Sierra Nevada are sandstones, schists, limestones, and mudstones. There aren’t so many rock types around the Monterey Bay that you can’t figure them out, if you try.
Keep your eye out for rocky outcrops to examine. What does your mind see as you imagine going down, down, down from where you sit right now?
Soil
The geology begets soil, but what kind of soil is around you? Soil is born from the bedrock, weather, rain, water, and plants. The Monterey Bay area has a wealth of soil types. The deep fertile soils of the great river valleys – the Pajaro and the Salinas – are sandy or clay loams, wonderful for agriculture. There are wide marine terraces on either side of the Bay with mainly sandy loams. The center of the Bay at Fort Ord has deep ancient sand dunes. High on the ridges are nearly soil-less rock covered by chaparral: the soils there are thin veins stuck in cracks.
When was the last time you picked up a handful of moist earth…felt it…smelled it? There is rain on the horizon and it might be the last time this rainy season to experience moist soil. Give it a try.
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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 |
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
“What might heal if we trade social media debates for real life civic participation?”
That question has been posed by Brandon Taylor, in an article that you might be able to read online. Just click this link to read it (if possible paywall protections permit that, of course).
Online, Taylor’s article appears under the following headline: “Can We Trade Our Social Media Wars For Something Better?” The hardcopy version of Taylor’s article is titled, “The Politics of Presence.”
I am consistently urging those who might read one or more of my blog postings to “Find Some Friends,” and then get together with those friends, in “real life,” on a regular, in-person basis. Why get together? Well, “civic participation” describes what I think such small groups should be focusing on. Margaret Mead’s injunction – again, often mentioned in these blog postings of mine – point out their civic and political power.
In terms of my own experience, I am not infrequently stopped on the street by someone who tells me how much they have appreciated all that I have done for Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County, and often mention how I “Saved Lighthouse Field.”
Well, just to be clear, I did work on that effort, and played an important role, but it was the members of The Save Lighthouse Point Association and voters in the City of Santa Cruz who really “Saved Lighthouse Field.”
The Save Lighthouse Point Association, which numbered about twenty-five or so, met in person on a regular basis, and worked together to reverse the unanimous decisions of both the local City Council and the Board of Supervisors, who wanted to turn this jewel-like field on our coast into a massive development that was proposed to include a high-rise hotel, a huge covention center, a shopping center about the same size as the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center in Aptos, high-rise condo apartments for the wealthy, and seven acres of blacktopped parking.
That was the proposed project, and “everyone” (all the electeds, the Chamber of Commerce, the unions, and other civic groups, absolutely supported this). “Everyone” supported it except for “everyone else,” comprised of the vast majority of the citizens of the City of Santa Cruz. Citizen action saved Lighthouse Field.
Other, later efforts, after I was elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, similarly demonstrated that small groups of people can change the world (just what Margaret Mead always claimed).
Take it from Brandon Taylor. Or, take it from me. There is nothing more satisfying, more “fun,” than getting together, regularly, and in person, with friends and neighbors, and deciding to change the world, and then working to do just that.
And…. (and I know you know this) the world really does need changing. Now more than ever! At the local level, and at the state, and at the national level, and it’s not going to happen if we wait around for someone else – including our elected officials – to do it!
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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 |
ARMAGEDDON, STUPID PEOPLE, VICTORIOUS
The long-standing notion of separating church and state took another blow last week with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s revelation of monthly worship services for military personnel, led by evangelical faith leader Hegseth himself, as reported by The Washington Post. Pentagon staffers, current officers, former high-ranking military officials, the chaplain corps, and veterans groups expressed concerns the Hegseth is flouting the Constitution by pushing his evangelical beliefs onto service members. One source told the Post, “I don’t approve of cramming your religious faith down people’s throats, and when the top of the chain couches these operations in this hyper-Christian tone, it flies in the face of the freedom of religion that the Constitution enshrines and that our men and women in uniform sign up to defend.” Some critics say Hegseth’s approach may be bad for overall morale, but Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson disputes that contention, insisting, “The prayer undoubtedly improve morale for those who attend. No special treatment or punishment is given as a result of one’s choice to attend these services.”
Military officials have long looked askance at Hegseth’s Jerusalem cross tattooed across his chest, and are unsettled that he wears his evangelical faith on his sleeve, along with his proselytizing comments, especially in connection with the US/Israeli action in Iran. In a press briefing on March 19, the Secretary encouraged viewers to pray for US success in the Middle East, saying, “To the American people, please pray for them everyday on bended knee with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ.” In a recent worship service, Hegseth called for “overwhelming violence” against Iran, unconcerned about the 2,500+ killed in both Iran and Lebanon, including hundreds of children. Pentagon Pete recently announced that he was downsizing the number of faith codes used in the military, from 200 to 31 in an effort to address “political correctness and secular humanism,” which he believes has afflicted the Chaplain Corps, or the ordained, interfaith clergy supporting service members. The result of this move according to retired Army Major General Randy Manner is that “dozens and dozens” of active-duty chaplains who don’t identify with Hegseth “are being marginalized” and some are “not included in staff meetings.”
During the first month of the Iran “excursion,” many service members have reported unsettling rhetoric from their commanders citing the idea of a holy war. Advocate for service members’ constitutional right to religious freedom, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, reports that it received over 200 calls from active-duty personnel following strikes in Iran, as military leaders spoke of Armageddon to encourage troops to fight. One caller who identifies as a Christian, told the MRFF his commander told troops this was “all part of God’s divine plan,” specifically referencing citations from the Book of Revelation, referring to Armageddon and the “imminent return of Jesus Christ.” The commander is also quoted as saying, “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark His return to Earth.” Hegseth is a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, an archconservative network co-founded by Doug Wilson, who identifies as a Christian nationalist, and who infiltrated the Pentagon in February with a sermon.
A lawsuit has been filed by Americans for Separation of Church and State over the Pentagon services, and is seeking to compel the Pentagon to hand over internal documents about their cost, attendees, and any complaints raised by employees. A corresponding suit has been filed against the Labor Department, where Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer runs her own monthly gatherings inspired by Hegseth’s model. Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United, charges, “Secretaries Hegseth and Chavez-DeRemer are abusing the power of their government positions and taxpayer-funded resources to impose their preferred religion on federal workers. Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses.” At a gathering of Christian broadcasters in February, Hegseth dismissed critics of the Pentagon prayer services, saying, “We hear a lot from the ‘freedom from religion’ crowd. They hate it. The left-wing shrieks, which means we’re right over the target.”
The military’s historical approach to faith has been in a more nondenominational manner, but Hegseth’s faith leader, evangelical minister Brooks Potteiger is due to relocate to Washington, DC to lead a new congregation, encouraged by Hegseth. Potteiger found himself in hot water recently for calling for the death of a Democrat candidate, Texas candidate James Talarico. On the extreme Christian nationalist podcast, Reformation Red Pill, the show’s co-host declared, “I pray that God kills him,” to which Potteiger agreed, “Right. Right. We want him crucified with Christ.” Later, a spokesperson for the organization insisted that the pastor did not ‘call’ for Talarico’s death, but for his Biblical ‘conversion.’ At last week’s prayer service, Hegseth called for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy, that ‘wicked souls’ be ‘delivered to the eternal damnation‘” in the fight against Iran. An unidentified senior Army civilian describes the current situation as “terrifying — if US troops are trained to believe that ‘God is on our side,’ what precludes us from doing anything we want to win?” “It feels like decades worth of progress has been undone in 12 months. It’s heartbreaking and it’s heartbreaking to watch our chaplains try to navigate this,” says an unnamed Air Force general.
President Trump hosted a group of MAGA pastors and religious allies for a luncheon on the Wednesday before Easter, making several off-the-wall remarks during the event — never meant to be seen by the public, so they were quickly deleted from the White House pages, but too late! Bryan Metzger of Business Insider saved the footage, revealing that Trump expressed his true feelings about the Supreme Court hearing he had stormed from earlier in the day. “Republicans, judges, and justices,” Trump ranted. “They always want to show that they’re independent. ‘I don’t care if Trump appointed me, I don’t care, if it doesn’t make any difference to me. I’m voting against him.’ ‘Cause they want to show their independence, you know, stupid people.” The visibly annoyed president then went on to insult French President Macron for not supporting him with the Iran engagement, and implying that Brigitte Macron is a tough cookie. He then took credit for sales of the Bible, saying, “Bible sales are now at the highest number in many decades. And church attendance among young people nearly doubled compared to five years ago.”
Trump then went on to liken himself to a king, complaining about the delay on his ballroom vanity project because a federal judge ordered a halt on construction. “I can’t get a ballroom approved. It’s pretty amazing, right? If I was a king, we’d be doing a lot more. I’m doing a lot, but I could be doing a lot more if I was a king,” he whined. In a confession, he explained why he aligns himself with unsavory characters. “You know, we’re not supposed to be seduced that way, right? But I am. When someone’s nice to me. I love that person. Even if they’re bad people. I couldn’t care less. I’ll fight to the end for them.” Sure, buddy — let’s hear what Pam Bondi has to say about that! Trump’s spiritual adviser, televangelist Paula White-Cain caused a bit of an uproar during the Holy Week luncheon, when she compared the president’s legal battles and assassination attempts the trials endured by Christ. Standing near the president, she said, “Jesus taught so many lessons through his death, burial and resurrection. He showed us great leadership, great transformation requires great sacrifice. And Mr. President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price. Because he was victorious, you are victorious.”
White-Cain’s praise ended with applause by the attendees, but social media posts identified her remarks as “insanity;” “blasphemous — stunning to see a US Bishop on stage while Paula White compares Trump to Jesus;” “Turning this White House lunch toward the Divine is a campaign prop — it’s theatrical;” “Freaks, liars, charlatans, grifters, criminals — anything but Christians. All of them.” Televangelist Paula has been in contact with Donald Trump since 2002, when he called her after seeing her on TV, and she was in the White House circle in 2019 as an adviser. In 2020, she delivered a sermon calling upon Jesus to “command all satanic pregnancies to miscarry,” and has previously declared the White House as “Holy Ground,” saying that, “to say ‘no’ to President Trump would be saying ‘no’ to God.”
It wasn’t exactly an Easter message, but in March US Secretary of State Rubio said, “Imagine in Iran that instead of spending their wealth, billions of dollars, supporting terrorists or weapons, had spent that money helping the people of Iran, you’d have a much different country.” That quote was voiced on ‘Good Morning America‘ in a discussion on the US “excursion” into Iran, and now available on YouTube. A few days later, President Trump’s Easter luncheon message was that the US has “to take care of one thing: military protection” and isn’t able to provide people in this country with necessities like healthcare and childcare, demanding that states fully fund daycare programs. “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of daycare. You gotta let a state take care of daycare, and they should pay for it too. It’s not possible to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things.” Michigan Representative Rashid Tlaib commented about Trump’s statement, “The warmongers in the White House and Congress will always fund death and destruction. They will let people in our country starve and die before they will stop funding wars.”
Attorney Dina Doll’s guest post on MeidasTouch addresses Trump’s grifting, writing, “You didn’t buy the Bible. You didn’t mint the coin. You didn’t sign up for Trump University or bid on the NFTs or book a room at Mar-a-Lago. You’re opted out of every scheme, every hustle, every grift and it didn’t matter. Because while you were watching an illegal war burn through a billion dollars a day and TSA workers suffered because Congress couldn’t find the money to pay them, Trump was doing something quieter. He was taking yours. Trump has grifted his entire life. Now he’s just taking it.” She goes on to say that Trump transferred $1.25 billion in foreign aid to Trump’s Board of Peace, pulling $1 billion from international disaster assistance, $200 million from peacekeeping operations, and $50 million from international organizations. Moneys that Congress had authorized for hurricanes and refugees, moved in Trump’s direction without a congressional vote, into a fund that Trump created by executive order and controls PERSONALLY! Reporters approached the State Department regarding the transfers, but they had “nothing to announce at this time.” Maybe later?
The defining characteristic of the Board of Peace is that Trump controls it forever, naming himself chairman for life with no audits, no transparency requirements, no conflict of interest rules, with countries paying $1 billion into a fund he runs to get a seat at the table. No money has been transferred to Gaza, nothing has been disclosed about its spending, but it has received $1.25 billion of YOUR disaster relief money with no explanations offered. When Trump leaves the White House, he keeps the fund — not a loophole, it’s by design. Attorney Doll reminds us of another pending grift initiated by Trump — the $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax records by a contractor. Problem? Trump controls the government he is suing — he gets to work out the settlement with himself! With Todd Blanche heading the Department of Justice, and Treasury Secretary Bessent’s pen ready to sign the check, we don’t have to purchase cheap trinkets this time — the money wasn’t going to you, or you anyway, so we’ll just skip the transaction! And we don’t have to read a cheap brochure or visit a crappy web page.
President Trump’s dismissals of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has sent a clear message to this remaining Cabinet members, that job security is no longer guaranteed. He has become increasingly willing to consider firing top officials who he believes are underperforming, amid deepening frustration with his declining approval ratings and fears of a wipeout in the upcoming midterm elections. “This is a recalibration. There are high expectations that are not being met,” said one Trumper. “It’s just a function of whether he thinks you’re doing your job well. When it comes to this stuff, it’s an audience of one,” said another. CNN reports that beyond Trump’s personal feelings, there are also more conventional concerns in play when it comes to dismissing his top officials — chief among them who might serve as a viable replacement. “I don’t think anybody’s safe. Ever,” said one White House ally. Like Pam Bondi famously shrieked, “The stock market’s over 50,000! Why are you laughing?” Ha-ha!
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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. |
Each week, I will feature a selection of interesting and historically significant places in Santa Cruz County from the 1986 edition of Donald Thomas Clark‘s wonderful book, “Santa Cruz County Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary“, published by the Santa Cruz Historical Trust.
“Nuggets” If I find something topically relevant, but not necessarily directly related to the week’s selection, you’ll see it under the Nuggets heading. Note: for reasons of brevity, sources are usually dropped when I reproduce an entry. You can always email me if you’re curious, or, even better, buy a copy of the book!
Dateline: April 8, 2026
All the school things means that Thomas is sitting this one out,
and will be back for the next column!
Thomas Leavitt is the husbandy thing to our illustrious webmistress. A resident of Santa Cruz (now part time) since 1993, his interests include history, technology, and community organizing. He started the world’s first self-service web hosting company, WebCom, located at 903 Pacific in May of 1994. He’s been part of too many community organizations to mention, and ran for City Council in the early aughts.
Email Thomas at ThomLeavitt@gmail.com
“Crowds”
“Every crowd has a silver lining.”
~P. T. Barnum
“In a live performance, it’s a collaboration with the audience; you ride the ebb and flow of the crowd’s energy. On television, you don’t have that.”
~Jon Batiste
“The mass, whether it be a crowd or an army, is vile.”
~Benito Mussolini
“What I like about Japanese venues is that the front barrier is right up against the stage, so when you’re bending over, they’re right there in front of you. In some European festivals, they’re so paranoid, you need a taxi to go and touch the crowd!”
~Keith Flint
“In New Orleans, we like to interact with the crowd. We don’t like people sitting down.”
~Trombone Shorty
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This is a little long, but very, very interesting. At least I think so 🙂 I figured out too late that the video wouldn’t embed, so click the link to watch it on YouTube! |
Direct questions and comments to webmistress@BrattonOnline.com
(Gunilla Leavitt)
April 1 – 7, 2026
Greensite… with Notes from the Campaign Trail… Steinbruner… LAFCO…Supervisors new digs… Archeologist, please?… Hayes… I Want to Huechera All Over My Yard!… Patton… Why Democracy Needs The Rich. Wow! Matlock… wrong answer…losing money…horseys… Eagan… Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover … Webmistress serves you… tribute to Renee Good… Quotes on… “Earthquakes”
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If you want to pitch in to
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EARTHQUAKE! I am, of course, talking about the very recent one, at 1:41 in the morning, 1.8 miles from my house. It reminded me, again, that I really, REALLY, need to get some bug-out bags made up, as well as anchoring some of our furniture and using museum wax on our displayed tchotchkes. You know – those things that are ALWAYS on the “I really should…” list. I’m working on working on that list, if you know what I mean.
The most ususual effect of this quake for me personally was that I was interviewed in The New York Times(!!!), which is a first for me. I feel like I should make up t-shirts that say “Everything is crooked everywhere.” 😀
If you want to read the article, here’s a link that may or may not get you behind the paywall. If it doesn’t work, and you happen to have a Santa Cruz Public Library Card (You should have one. If you don’t, why on earth don’t you?! I mean, look over on the right at how cute my library card is!!), you have full access to NYT and many other publications if you go to this link and go through a couple of clicks. It is so worth the very minimal effort.
AI READS. I am getting scarily used to being read to by artificial voices. I’m pretty sure that I’ve watched many a YouTube video that I’ve only long afterwards realized was narrated by an AI. The most obvious giveaway, I feel, is the pronounciation of names and place names. In the above referenced New York Times article, for instance, the otherwise very capable artificial narrator mangles my name. I fully expected it to. In fact, I went looking for it for that reason. In English, my name is pronounced like Vanilla-with-a-gun; Gunilla. I’ve been called everything from Granola to Godzilla, but the most frequent mispronounciation I get is GooNEEya, which is understandable in California. One time, when I corrected someone, he responded, “ah, so Italian pronounciation then, not Spanish!” I chuckled, given that it’s a Swedish name (duh!). Back in the Viking days it meant Shieldmaiden, i.e. female warrior…
Anyway, I could yammer… I should get going, though, before this ends up taking another day. For those of you who wondered (thank you!), the memorial last week went off with perfection. My friend’s tree is planted in the Fairy Grove on our property, in a sweet spot where you can sit and visit with her. I have, many times already. Now, we have a huge easter egg hunt planned for tomorrow, so this grandma better hurry up and get ready! Enjoy, and Happy Easter!
~Webmistress
PROJECT HAIL MARY. In theatres. Moviee. (8.4 IMDb)
This is hard-science sci-fi that blends in laughs without undercutting the tension. Ryan Gosling – somehow I’d never really noticed him before, sort of Arthur Davrill – plays Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher turned astronaut, who wakes up alone on a spaceship light-years from home with zero memory of why he’s there. Slowly, he pieces together that Earth’s survival literally hangs on him – and then he meets an alien whose planet is in just as much trouble. Cue the odd-couple science team: two species, zero common language, and enough physics to make your head spin. Gosling is charmingly competent, the alien is nicely alien (not just a guy in a weird forehead prosthetic), and while the story feels a lot like The Martian, it’s a solid high-stakes ride. I enjoyed it, even with the odd shortcomings. Running 2:36, it didn’t really lag. Definitely worth a watch.
~Sarge
THE PITT. Hulu, Max. Series. (8.97 IMDb)
Noah Wyle is back in the ER… can George Clooney be far behind?
Set in a brutally busy Pittsburgh ER, a grizzled Wyle leads a rotating pack of residents, interns, and students through near–real-time shifts (one episode = one hour, one season = one day). The writing is sharp, the characters click, and the show pulls no punches on nudity or bodily damage—approach with caution, but it’s worth it. Season two is still rolling out weekly. Now with more ICE!
~Sarge
SCARPETTA. Prime. Series. (5.9 IMDb)
This series is about a noted Medical Examiner (Kidman) investigating a murder tied to a string of killings from 25 years ago.
Wait—no. It’s about sibling rivalry that apparently has no expiration date (Kidman/Curtis).
Then again, it’s about the adult niece of a Medical Examiner who can’t let go of her deceased wife and builds an AI replacement.
Any one of these might’ve made for an interesting series—just not all at once. Good cast, so-so mystery, and way too much going on. Pick a lane.
~Sarge
A MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS. Prime. Movie. (3.5 IMDb)
Half a point for being in focus. Joan Collins fronting for a series – at least according to the end card. Six… “people,” I guess… reunite at an Airbnb “castle” owned by a legendary mystery writer, played by Joan Collins. One of them ends up floating in the hot tub. That’s about it.
Everyone treats Joan Collins as a full-blown Mary Sue: “You’re a great mystery writer – we should all listen to you.” What does she actually do? Watch security cameras that most of the cast already know about, while they continue misbehaving anyway.
It’s embarrassing to watch, especially since I’m reasonably sure she bankrolled it. Not worth a watch. Stand well back. Mind the gap. Go watch “Agatha Christie’s 7 Dials” on Netflix.
~Sarge
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH. Netflix. Series (1hr pilot). (7.2 IMDb)
This largely bloodless animated series began with a pilot-style special and ran for two seasons. It’s based on the children’s book series by Max Brallier, with character designs inspired by the illustrations of Douglas Holgate.
The story follows orphan Jack Sullivan as he adjusts to life after an invasion of extra-dimensional monsters and a zombie apocalypse. He soon bands together with a scrappy group of kids who missed the evacuation – along with a loyal monster-dog – forming their own ragtag survival team.
Aimed primarily at the 8–12 crowd, the show still has enough sharp humor and creature-feature flair to entertain adults. The voice cast includes Nick Wolfhard (brother of Finn), Mark Hamill, Keith David, Catherine O’Hara, and Rosario Dawson. Worth a watch – with or without your kids.
~Sarge
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S SEVEN DIALS. Netflix. Series. (6.2 IMDb)
There have been a fair few non-Poirot/Marple adaptations recently, and this is certainly one of them.
The cast is solid – Martin Freeman is great, and Mia McKenna-Bruce really shines in the lead role (though Helena Bonham Carter kind of phones in a stock twitchy character). The film doesn’t quite hook you into the mystery, though. It’s not slow, just… not all that engaging. The highlight for me was definitely Mia jumping out of a window to dodge a wedding proposal. On the plus side, it’s only 3 episodes. Many clocks.
It’s probably worth a watch if you’re looking for something to pass the time before the next episode of your favorite show drops.
~Sarge
THE MUPPET SHOW. Disney+. Series. (8.4 IMDb)
Or, as I like to think of it, ANTI-MELANIA. They both star a woman who is completely self-obsessed, clinging to a less attractive mate’s position: I mean, of course, the return of … THE MUPPET SHOW!
That’s right, the same old gang at the same old theatre. Minus the legendary Jim Henson and Frank Oz (who is still alive, at time of writing), it actually defies the concern of losing the magic – it’s almost like it never ended. Which is a good thing. Only one episode so far, but it’s off to a good start. Worth a watch!
~Sarge
LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE (1946). Disney+, Max. Movie. (7.4 IMDb)
Just ran back across this amazing version of Beauty and the Beast (literally haven’t watched it since the early 90’s), with amazing magical settings, and honestly a beast you like so much more than the Prince underneath. There are a number of visuals that have found their way into other lesser films. Jean Marais literally smolders in his cat-like beast. In French with English subtitles. Ça vaut le détour.
~Sarge
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Sarge, aka Jeffery Sargent, cut his teeth on the Golden Age of Hollywoood on TV and with regular trips to the Sash Mill. Film classes then, at Cabrillo with Morton Marcus, broadened his scope – he found he preferred Keaton over Chaplin, and Akira Kurosawa was his Yoda. Sarge spent 15 years working in Special Effects, on everything from Starship Troopers to Battlestar Galactica. He is a staunch geek who has a weak spot for Cozy Mysteries and loathes “Reality” shows. While he doesn’t care for the unrelenting banal horror of “True Crime”, he licks his lips over a twist like the end of Chinatown. Email Sarge at JeffLSargent@gmail.com |
March 31, 2026
Running for political office is not for the faint of heart. At least not for the first time. Maybe it’s easier with professional staff and operatives but for a low-resourced beginner like me it is challenging.
First there are the forms. I’ve never liked forms and there are many. They need to be accurate and timely filed. Some are not self-explanatory and guessing is out. The city clerk is very helpful.
The one big disappointment is the forums. I expected the forums would be a chance to debate the issues. Perhaps if there were fewer than five running for mayor there would be time for some real debate but that doesn’t seem what the various entities want from the candidates. So far, at the Central Labor Council forum, the SEIU forum and the SantaCruz4Bernie forum we have each been given a two-minute opening statement, a minute to answer each question and a two-minute closing statement, although SC4Bernie allowed a three-minute closing statement, very generous in comparison. As I write, tonight is the Democratic Central Committee forum with a two-minute opening statement, and a “lightning round” of yes or no answers to their questions. That rules out deliberation or nuance, so I hope the questions are along the lines of “do you support ICE?” My observation is that the groups are looking for buzz words to see if you align with them. Each asks for detailed answers to a yard long questionnaire which I am told few ever read.
I accept all forum or interview invitations. Today was an interview with the Realtors, Saturday is the Democratic Women’s Club and next week is a mixer with Santa Cruz YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard). Finding common ground with YIMBY might be difficult although I feel confident in sharing my perspectives on housing.
The print media has more depth and openness. I thought the lengthy Sentinel interviews and in-depth articles that followed did allow for more substance to be shared with the community. Lookout and Santa Cruz Local interviews are coming up next week.
Meanwhile, the issues that compelled me to run for the office of Mayor continue: that the city is way overbuilding at too rapid a pace, surpassing even the state housing mandates; that some city departments, namely Economic Development and the City Manager’s office are expanding at the top at an unsustainable rate while all the park rangers who kept our parks and open space safe and clean were scrapped; that too many consultants are hired and too many lawsuits are lost due to the city’s inadequate environmental reports; that council seems more and more to rubber stamp whatever management staff presents before them.
None of this is irreversible. It takes new leadership and a new vision.
| 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. |
The April 1 Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) meeting was no joke when discussion turned to the annual report of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District facing an anticipated $23-$25 Million budget shortfall this year.
See item #6a for that report, which was quite vague, but further questioning by Commissioners opened many eyes.
LAFCO Director Joe Serrano introduced the item as “this will be quick”, but it wasn’t. He assured Commissioners at the end of the presentation that he would continue to work with the District and report back. Commissioner Fred Keeley wanted to know what was meant by “work with”, and what exactly is the purview of LAFCO in this situation?
Mr. Serrano stated LAFCO’s responsibility is to ensure good local governance of Special Districts, such as the Pajaro Valley Health Care District. Mr. Keeley persisted: “Is it our job to save the hospital?”
“It is up to the hospital to find funding but LAFCO can try to help.” said Mr. Serrano.
“Does the District have unfettered ability to do a special tax?” Commissioner Keeley wanted to know? Mr. Serrano did not know, and unfortunately, no representative of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District participated in the meeting to answer such questions.
Mr. Serrano explained that if the hospital were to turn over responsibility of the Watsonville Hospital to another agency (such as Kaiser?), LAFCO must dissolve the District.
Commissioner Jim Anderson commented that a recent KSBW interview with the Hospital CEO, reporting that people who had stayed away from the Hospital due to immigration fears are now returning for care, so revenues are improving.. He wondered what financial impact the recent cyber attack had on the Hospital?
Mr. Serrano concluded that the financial information provided to LAFCO is linked to actual audit data. He had no answer regarding the impacts of the cyber attack.
**********
I feel LAFCO needs to re-evaluate the District’s boundaries to include all of the southern portion of Santa Cruz County, as well as the Granite Rock A. R. Wilson Quarry, in the District boundaries. There are other areas, such as the Aptos Hills where I live, that were also excluded but should be evaluated for inclusion.
In researching Senator Laird’s SB 969, I see that LAFCO was to have developed a sphere of influence for the District within one year of formation.
SB 969
On January 4, 2023, the Commission did approve the District’s Boundary map as required by SB 418 and SB 969, within one year of PVHCD’s date of formation, unless PVHCD was dissolved before that date.
However, I feel LAFCO should re-evaluate the PVHCD boundaries to include all areas of southern Santa Cruz County that are currently included within the boundaries of the Aromas Tri-County Fire Department boundaries (approved by your Commission on October 13, 2021), the Granite Rock A. R. Wilson Quarry, and other areas in the Aptos Hills that were excluded from the District boundaries.
On February 4, 2022, the Governor approved the initial SB 418 emergency legislation by Senator Laird to establish the District’s boundaries. LAFCO was not involved. In my opinion, the boundaries seem somewhat arbitrary and hastily-drawn:
CHAPTER 9. Pajaro Valley Health Care District
32498.5.
(a) A local hospital district designated as the Pajaro Valley Health Care District is hereby formed within the Counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey. The Pajaro Valley Health Care District may be organized, incorporated, and managed as provided in this division, and may exercise the powers granted or necessarily implied by this division, only if the relevant county board of supervisors chooses to appoint an initial board of directors, as described in Section 32100. All other provisions of this division apply to the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, except as provided in this chapter.
(b) The territory of the district shall be the following area: Situated in the Counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey, State of California; being all the lands within the boundary of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, excepting the lands to the north and west of the following described line: beginning at a point on the edge of the Pacific Ocean at the intersection with the projected centerline of Aptos Beach Drive; thence along said projected centerline to the intersection of the centerline of Aptos Beach Drive and the centerline of Rio Del Mar Boulevard; thence along the centerline of Rio Del Mar Boulevard in a northeasterly direction to the intersection of the centerline of Rio Del Mar Boulevard and the centerline of Bonita Drive; thence along the centerline of Bonita Drive in a westerly direction to the intersection of the centerline of Bonita Drive and the centerline of Freedom Boulevard; thence along the centerline of Freedom Boulevard in a northerly and easterly direction to the intersection of the centerline of Freedom Boulevard and the centerline of Hames Road; thence along the centerline of Hames Road in an easterly direction to the end of the centerline of Hames Road and the beginning of the centerline of Browns Valley Road; thence along the centerline of Browns Valley Road in a northerly and easterly direction to the end of the centerline of Browns Valley Road and the beginning of the centerline of Hazel Dell Road; thence along the centerline of Hazel Dell Road in an easterly and southerly direction to the intersection of the centerline of Hazel Dell Road and the centerline of Mount Madonna Road; thence along the centerline of Mount Madonna Road in a southerly direction to the intersection of the centerline of Mount Madonna Road and the centerline of Gaffey Road; thence along the centerline of Gaffey Road 1300 feet, more or less, in an easterly direction to a point on the centerline of Gaffey Road; thence leaving the centerline of Gaffey Road 90 feet, more or less, in a northeasterly direction to a point on the Santa Cruz County line.
(c) Following the formation of the district, the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act of 2000 (Division 3 (commencing with Section 56000) of Title 5 of the Government Code) governs any change of organization.
I have requested that LAFCO examine this issue soon, not only regarding service provided but also revenue increases that could be potentially available that are not being collected now. I feel this should be addressed also in relation to the District’s requirement to hold district-based elections for governance. By-Zone Elections
Furthermore, I have requested that a representative of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District attend the next LAFCO meeting to answer not only the questions posed by Commissioners yesterday, but also the issue of outside partnerships, such as Kaiser Permanente, that exist within the current Watsonville Hospital operations and what other partnerships the District is exploring that could, as Director Serrano, cause LAFCO to dissolve the District.
Exploring Partnerships to Serve the Community Better
At yesterday’s LAFCO meeting, I presented information from the April 1, 2026 Aptos Times article, discussing the County’s errors in the Measure N Hospital assessment for the $116 Million bond approved by voters in 2025. As a result of that error, 19,000 parcels were overcharged, and 5,000 parcels that should have been charged were not.
If any of this is troubling to you, please write Second District Supervisor Kimberly DeSerpa and ask that she follow up on her December 16, 2025 request to Staff for a public report as to how this taxation error happened and how it is being fixed. Please also thank her for shedding light on it during the meeting, when the issue was tucked away vaguely in the Consent Agenda.
Kimberly DeSerpa <kimberly.deserpa@santacruzcountyca.gov> Call 831-454-2200
If you have thoughts about LAFCO’s role in the Pajaro Valley Health Care District and the Watsonville Hospital situation, please write
Santa Cruz County LAFCO <info@santacruzcountyca.gov>
COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISOR CHAMBER REMODEL…LESS SPACE FOR THE PUBLIC?
Last Monday, the truckload of new furniture for the Board of Supervisor chamber remodel arrived but got stored in the basement for a couple of weeks until the room is ready.
New furniture getting delivered for the Board Chamber remodel.
About one-third of the room is dedicated to the Board and staff area.
Take a look at the new larger IT room…it pops out and takes up significant space that was dedicated to public seating.
It seems to me that the overall amount of space for the public seating is less than before…it will be interesting to see when completed…
The next Board of Supervisor meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14 and will be held in the basement Community Room at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz (now called the “North County Government Center”).
Please write the Board of Supervisors and demand that one Board meeting each month be held in the new “South County Government Center” at 500 Westridge Drive, Watsonville. The large grant the County received to do all the remodel work at 701 Ocean Street (which included bathroom remodels on the 5th Floor) also included installing IT services at the South County Government Center…and should be used to provide equal access to the residents in that area. The last time the Board held a meeting there (February 10, 2026), the room was full of people from the Watsonville area, speaking their concerns about the Seahawk Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project planned for 90 Minto Road, Watsonville.
Maybe the Supervisors are afraid the people of Watsonville will show up again to speak…
Write your thoughts: Board of Supervisors <boardofsupervisors@santacruzcountyca.gov> or call 831-454-2200.
IS THERE AN ARCHAEOLOGIST IN THE HOUSE?
Work has begun at the intersection of Water Street and Branciforte Avenue in Santa Cruz to construct the controversial 831 Water Street Project. As I watch the large drill rigs burrowing into the soil that once was the Villa de Branciforte, I wonder if there have been any ground penetrating radar used to first scan for possible foundations of those adobes?
Please contact the City’s Historic Resources Commission and staff liaison and ask what level of archaeologic analysis was performed for the permit approval of the two five-story structures and underground garage project, and if there is any on-site monitoring by a certified archaeologist during ground disturbance work.
Ryan Bane
Senior Planner
831-420-5141
rbane@santacruzca.gov and/or cityplan@santacruzca.gov
Historic Preservation Commission
Take a look at the 831 Water Street Project here
PUBLIC MEETING PLACE NOW ALL FENCED IN
No one can meet in the town clock area of Santa Cruz, due to the fencing all around. This matches the “Welcome to Santa Cruz” parklet areas on Ocean Street as motorists enter the City from Highways 17 and 1. Is that really an inviting image?
A GLARING PROBLEM FOR MANY
Do you feel that headlights on new vehicles, especially large pickup trucks are blindingly-bright and hazardous for other motorists?
I do, and many others agree. Take a look at this survey.
Age is not a factor. Safety certainly is!
Please write your State and Federal Representatives with your thoughts and request that the safety issue be investigated and that the problem of glaringly-bright headlights is remediated in newer vehicles.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING AND ASK QUESTIONS THAT MATTER TO YOU.
MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY DOING JUST ONE THING.
Cheers, and Happy Easter,
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 |
There’s a popular myth of the prosperity of individuals who wander disconnected from Nature, who park themselves at intervals in places with which they have no connection, who view the natural world around them as ‘landscaping,’ and are unaffected by ‘it.’ There are two natural elements widely accepted within this make-believe community: “street trees” and “turf.”
The Middle Ground
Those mythological people must be outliers, you suggest, there’s a much more mainstream culture which appreciates nature. The common surroundings of this middle ground consist of what I call ‘mafia plants.’ A man in a black trenchcoat approaches the new tenant, homeowner, or property manager, “Hey,” he says, “I think you need some plants.” And, he offers them 12 types of plants: you know the palette…it’s everywhere you look! “You betta plant these,” he proffers, “or else…” How else can you explain the proliferation of a handful of landscape plants across California’s central coast…where one can easily grow so many hundreds of beautiful landscape plants? The middle proportion of the human population must have its priorities elsewhere!
You Are What You Plant
There are all sorts of arguments against judging people by their landscape. Primary among these are the landless class, who seem to have no control over their surroundings. The renting class and the iterant people…who have been priced out of property ownership, land tending, and civic engagement. To make ends meet, they work so much that they have little time for anything else but survival. In the case that the folks who can afford the time or money for land tending yet choose the mafia plants…well, they might be excused for their ‘other priorities.’ Perhaps they are saving the world in significant other ways. Then there are those who go ‘all in’ with land tending – growing food, stewarding plant diversity, restoring the world around them however they might. These three landscapes contrast highly with one another: weeds and dust, mafia plants, and a bounty of diversity. As you walk around town, notice these patterns and ask yourself – how do these landscapes reflect on the people in the houses?
Focusing on Ground Cover
Among the wealthier class, who so easily pay to cover their foibles, “groundcovers” might help you discern their deeper association with the Earth. I visited a couple in San Mateo who had a very small social space of a back yard: they had plenty of thyme! Everywhere you walked, no matter how late you arrived, you were on thyme. Their yard was a living pun! I have attended barbecues surrounded by garden beds of gravel and pumice with desert plants poking out forebodingly. Parties in backyards have frequently featured people pitched sideways from chairs collapsed into gopher holes in meadows of wildflowers and weeds. Concrete sideyards full of chattering jollies around flickering gas fire pits sitting on patio furniture, gazing into beds of roses erupting from bark chips from ponderosa pines harvested for timber in the Sierra Nevada. These are the major scenes I’ve experienced. No judgement.
Zen Landscape
What is it to be Zen in the landscape of our modern world? Do we revel in the seventeen plant species emerging all on their own from the cracks in the urban tennis court? Or, might we lose any attachment from the landscape – accepting what naturally grows without judgement or involvement? When the flames sunder the homes thus untended, do we say ‘it was always thus?’ When our untended landscape grows and paves over the last of Nature, do we ask ourselves “why does landscape matter?”
Redwood Understory
A fair number of people somehow have come to love living in the redwood forest: these people have a particular challenge with their landscaping, no matter how they feel about ‘fitting in’ or ‘chipping in’ or even ‘not getting in trouble with the mafia (e.g., real estate agents).’ It is very difficult to add to the understory diversity of the redwood forest. Huechera is one of the types of plants one might turn to for redwood forest gardening. This plant is easy to grow, covers the ground, has a variety of colors, is inexpensive, low maintenance, deer resistant, drought resistant, and hardly requires any attention. Perfect! If you feel inspired, you might shout “I want to Huechera All Over My Yard!” Doesn’t that feel good?
An Alternate Reality
Another way we might see the world around us is to see it as us. Supposing we are actually a part of nature, how might the natural world around us reflect that? This would have something to do with how we relate to the things growing along our route to our front door…in our backyard…and in the street trees near our homes. “Ooooh!” you might say, “street trees are public domain! I’m not political!” Well, maybe you aren’t…maybe you don’t vote…maybe it’s better that way. Might it just be, though, that taking the first, is it so radical, step of improving the land around you is also healing you? It might be a selfish act to increase the shade on the pavement around you. The diverse groundcovers you plant might just keep Valley Fever from reaching your lungs. Might you choose a politician who supports Heritage Trees as the best sign that they are actually on ‘our side?’ What do the people you might vote for think about groundcovers? Is that such a terrible question?
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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 |
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Last February, about a month ago, The Wall Street Journal provided a book review of the book that is pictured above. “Wow,” I thought, when I saw that “Bookshelf” column in the paper! I was really stumped. Why does democracy “need the rich?” I have to be honest, and I need to tell you the truth: no good answer sprang immediately to my mind.
At any rate, while I am not a “kill the rich” kind of guy, I have never thought that “democracy” would be in trouble if there weren’t a lot of those “rich” people hanging around, making themselves available for the betterment of our democratic institutions. In fact, if you think back to what some might title the “Months of the Magnificent Musk,” shortly after our current president took office, in January 2025, the willingness of billionaire Elon Musk to get deeply involved with our democratic government, in Musk’s “hands on” effort to make the government run better, turned out to be the very opposite of inspiring – and the very opposite of helpful. Musk is definitely one of the “rich,” so his involvement with government does not seem to support the thesis expressed in the title of the book.
And it’s not just Musk, either. There is a pretty good case to be made, I think, that the “rich” people whom our current president has brought into government with him – and not to forget our current president himself, who is certainly among “the rich” – have spent most of their time figuring out how our “democracy” can help them, and can make those rich folks even more rich. I don’t know whether you’d agree, but I haven’t seen much impact going the other way.
Well, John O. McGinnis, the author of the book I am profiling, who is the George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, has a very simple answer for any skeptics (like me, and maybe you). Democracy “needs the rich” because [quote] “public policy is heavily shaped by interest groups and bureaucracy. The rich have the freedom to provide alternative perspectives” (emphasis added).
Wow! (My second “wow” in this blog posting!) McGinnis thinks that “the rich” are helping out our “democracy” by generously giving us their “alternative perspectives.” Wow! (third time). I never thought of that!!
Let me give you a more ample outline of McGinnis’ argument by quoting from the book review published in The Journal (emphasis added):
A law professor at Northwestern University and former U.S. Justice Department official, Mr. McGinnis seeks to defend the ultrawealthy from the growing number of accusations leveled against them. Although incomplete, Mr. McGinnis’s argument deserves to be taken seriously.
Who are the rich? If they’re defined by wealth, Mr. McGinnis would include people in the top 0.1% of asset-holders—$61 million and above—as “truly rich.” What matters to the author isn’t how much they are worth, but how free they are to express their views, take risks and support innovative activities.
A highly paid corporate executive or celebrity isn’t necessarily immune to pressures from the marketplace, government regulators or adoring fans. However, someone who has amassed a vast fortune, especially through entrepreneurial skill, Mr. McGinnis argues, has greater freedom to act with impunity or champion unpopular causes. That makes the rich especially valuable in a representative democracy like the U.S., where policy is normally shaped by the play of public opinion, competition among interest groups and the weight of a permanent bureaucracy. The wealthy—and the organizations or politicians they assist—have the means to provide alternative perspectives, typically rooted in the practical realities of building a business rather than in intellectual theories, media stereotypes or government rules.
Arent’ you tempted to say, “Wow,” too?
“Democracy,” at least as commonly understood, is based on the idea that ALL CITIZENS are to be encouraged to “express their views,” and to “provide alternative perspectives” and actually to be engaged in “self-government,” which is what I call what many people, including McGinnis, denominate as “democracy.” In fact, given just how much “the rich” have assumed full, and effective, and defacto control over our government, and over everything our government does, it seems especially important that the “poor,” and just plain-old “average” Americans get personally involved in “politics,” and in political decisionmaking, and come up with “alternative perspectives.”
Talk about someone who truly doesn’t “get it” about “democracy.” Mr. John O. McGinnis really takes the cake.
Wow!
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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 |
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION, UNFORGIVABLE, COUNTDOWN
Who would have anticipated that the annual CPACKKK gathering in Texas on March 27 was to give the NO KINGS! rallies an extra boost on the Friday preceding their impressive worldwide Saturday gatherings. Conservative Trump loyalist, Matt Schlapp, attempted to rouse the CPAC crowd by asking if they wished to see impeachment hearings against the president and he was taken aback by the cheers from the assembled group. Schlapp immediately responded, “No! That was the wrong answer!” Presenting the question once more brought forth a mix of responses, providing for an awkward moment and revealing the growing divisions within the Republican Party — in particular over the decision to go to war against Iran. Trump’s ‘America First‘ platform has run aground, getting backlash for not adhering to his emphasis on reducing foreign entanglements.
The president decided against attending the Grapevine gathering, and that combined with the drop in his approval ratings, seems to have affected the attendance seen in previous years. MS NOW reporter, Rosa Flores, saw the usual proliferation of MAGA-hawkers’ booths, but with thin crowds in those areas. Show host, Chris Jansing of MS NOW, asked Flores what the overall mood was like and the camera showed empty booths and one seller staring at his cellphone. Flores said that in her on-site interviews, most respondents don’t believe the Trump disapproval ratings as seen on Fox News, and that higher oil prices are Biden’s fault, with the Iran “excursion” being “what’s best for America.” CPAC host, Mercedes Schlapp, in her on-stage interview with border czar Tom Homan, asked him to compare the current administration with the Biden years. She then stopped the conversation to face the audience, scolding them with, “I’m not hearing a ‘boo’ when I say ‘Joe Biden,’ people! Come on! We do audience participation here!” That brought jeering from the crowd, but Homan’s mention of the former president as he explained the illegal alien disparities between the two regimes failed to garner a response — probably watching Klan videos on their phones!
Turnout numbers have yet to be confirmed for the NO KINGS! protests but organizers expected as many as nine million would participate for the third event (but eight million ain’t so bad), a marked increase over the June and October events of last year. Minneapolis was the designated flagship city, which attracted over 200,000 demonstrators, who heard speakers Tim Walz, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar and Jane Fonda, and a special performance by Bruce Springsteen covering his musical tribute to slain protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The 3,300 organized protests across the US, and in several larger cities around the world, prompted White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson to dismiss the event with, “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
Jon Clemence writes on Quora that prior to protest marches, the naysayers claim that “nothing will be achieved, so why bother?” So, Clemence decided to study just how effective such events are, and what is achieved. He found that historically, a 53% success rate of achieving goals through nonviolence — though since 2010 in this digital age, the rate has dropped to about 34%, but nonviolence is the most viable path for systemic change. Researchers found that once mass protests grow to a size of 3.5% of the population (12 million protestors in the context of the US population), the success rate is 100%! Protests provide public pressure that can influence legal and local victories. In 2025, the ACLU took 239 legal actions against the Trump administration and won 64% of cases. Protests like NO KINGS! send a strong signal to business leaders and media executives that remaining loyal to the Trump regime could cost them in terms of business outcomes — losing money!
Protests are an easy entry point, helping people become involved in political activism in other needle-moving ways. Sixty-six percent of RSVPs for last weekends’s NO KINGS! event were from people who live outside of major urban centers. It’s no longer just a ‘liberal’ thing — if it ever was. People in conservative and battleground districts are now pushing back. So, Clemence asks if the NO KINGS! protest will have any effect on the Trump administration? Perhaps not directly, he assumes, but it does not matter as long as it angers the president. However, it does matter as a part of the litany of actions that, taken together, can affect change; it tells anyone in power that supporting Trump is a losing strategy; and, it shows anyone in MAGA who still has a functioning brain that they are also supporting a loser. He challenges anyone to go ahead and tell him that what he and millions of others are doing is pointless — just understand that the data doesn’t agree with that charge.
Among the doubters of the effectiveness of protests are The New York Times, which questioned whether the throngs were diverse enough, the message focused enough, and whether the participants have “mastered the harder work of organizing,” calling the rallies “collective therapy” fretting over the lack of a single demand. Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal’s op-ed by a New York psychotherapist compared the protests to “bad group therapy,” arguing that the protests offer validation without challenging participants’ thinking. The Raw America blog says Rupert’s message is to ‘go home,’ as the mainstream media tells you ‘don’t believe your own eyes,’ in light of the fact that the movement is growing — spreading into Red States, crossing oceans to more than a dozen countries. Raw America believes nobody went home feeling as if they’d just done therapy — they went home feeling like they were part of something real, because they are! The world isn’t confused about what is happening in America. They see it clearly. The only ones who can’t seem to see it are the billionaires who own our media.
Brad Reed of Common Dreams reports that Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, is calling for a nationwide general strike for May 1, modeled on the day of action residents of Minnesota organized in January against the brutality carried out by federal immigration enforcement officials. Levin appeared at the NO KINGS! rally in Minneapolis, praising protesters in the face of the ICE siege earlier this year, and announcing that Indivisible wishes to replicate it nationwide. “It is a tactical escalation…an economic show of force. We are saying, ‘No business as usual, no work, no school, no shopping.’ We’re going to show up and say we’re putting workers over billionaires and kings. We are going to build on that courage, that sacrifice, to demonstrate that regular people are the greatest threat to fascism in this country.” Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg says the goal of a nationwide strike is to send “a clear message: we demand a government that invests in our communities, not one that enriches billionaires, fuels endless war, or deploys masked agents to intimidate our neighbors.”
Many see Trump looking for scapegoats in his cabinet to bail him out of his troubles, with Kristi Noem being the first to fall with revelations of her wild, self-aggrandizing spending in her post as Homeland Security Secretary — her “grifts — er, gifts that keep on giving,” says Lisa Needham at Daily Kos. The $220 million contract for her “horsey ad,” blame for which she tried to shift to the president, sealed her fate. Noem had near-complete authority to waste your tax dollars, however she liked — those glamour shots in front of Mount Rushmore did not come cheap, but money is really no object when you’re playing with house money, says Needham. So, why not soak the taxpayers for as much as possible to get fancy “horseys and flattering makeup“? Renting, transporting, and boarding three ponies for two days cost us $20,000 — ponies from competitive barrel racer champion, Jill Moody, a South Dakotan, and longtime friend and backer of Noem. Four hair stylists based in Washington, DC were flown in, tallied up to $3,800 for the quartet, and South Dakota’s Bombshell Beauty Makeup Studio (a Noem backer) billed us for $2,070, so with this much money to waste, you have to spread it around among friends!
Kristi Noem’s new gig as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas won’t provide her with a bottomless trove of cash, so maybe she’ll have to do with the costumes and paraphernalia leftovers from the Homeland Piracy. And the $50,000 Rolex she was so keen about flashing during her media hit at CECOT prison in El Salvador? Don, Jr. and Eric may have to arm wrestle for that prize. The president is allowing her to retain ten staffers, but it’s a good bet they won’t be traveling in the cowgirl’s private jet. It was painfully obvious the Mount Rushmore video was designed to feature Noem, and that was the real problem in Trump’s view. She made herself the face of DHS, the face of deportations, the face of ICE — okay with Trump as long as her reputation didn’t eclipse his. But it was about Noem — “the most unforgivable sin of all,” says Needham.
Greg Sargent of The New Republic writes that, “On the surface, Trump wants less attention paid to mass deportations. Meanwhile, Stephen Miller is taking new and hidden steps to wreak havoc in the lives of undocumented children and their families.” Sargent asks whether or not Trump has figured out that Miller’s fascist cruelties have become a niggling political liability for him? The Wall Street Journal suggests that the president may be moving to marginalize Miller’s influence, believing that the difficulty can be cured by a few optical tweaks, when the real culprit is a deeper ideological one. The Journal reveals that Trump wants to “lower the profile of his mass deportation efforts,” which are hideously unpopular, wishing voters would view the targets as “bad guys,” and not noncriminal undocumented residents. That Trump is siding with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, is a sign of his political panic and a rebuke to Miller, with Wiles advising that deportations are a liability for the midterm elections. Yet Miller delights in flaunting the administration’s vicious sadism and overt white nationalism, certain that latent majorities are quietly cheering him on.
Sargent writes that the Journal report deserves some skepticism, and bears watching, since Trump mostly wants the ‘appearance’ of an ICE pivot, focusing on ‘criminals’ in GOP ‘messaging,’ as the project fully forges ahead. Stephen Miller recently met with Texas state legislators to discuss the idea of ending state public funding for the education of undocumented children, limiting funding only for kids who are citizens or are lawfully present in the country. The aim of denying public school is to destabilize the lives of undocumented families as another way to encourage them to self-deport, but this would run afoul of a 1982 Supreme Court decision which blocked states from denying public education to the young based on immigration status. The civil rights ruling, Plyler v. Doe, holds that restricting public education violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s enshrinement of equal protection before the law. Naturally, Miller and his anti-immigrant allies are gunning for Plyler in order to provoke another court battle in hopes that our right-wing Supremes would overturn the 1982 ruling.
Such a ruling would be seismic, the issue being whether these kids are to be regarded as equal persons despite being undocumented, relegating them to an unacceptable subclass status. Immigration law scholar Hiroshi Motomura, explains that “the emergence of a permanent subcaste is intolerable within a national constitutional culture based on equality,” which Miller is keen on ending. It’s too early to tell whether Texas lawmakers will do as Miller wishes, or how the high court might rule if that occurred; but if it worked in Miller’s favor, other red states with many immigrant families would be jumping on the bandwagon. Should Miller’s project advance, that opens up another can of worms — Trump’s desire to end birthright citizenship, which clashes with the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee that all persons born in the US are automatic citizens.
Pursuing these maliciously profound rulings would result in a constitutional order more ‘hereditary’ and ‘caste-like,’ says legal scholar, Akhil Reed Amar — which is exactly what Trump and Miller want. This is echoed in VP Vance’s suggestion that heritage, not adherence to creedal ideals, makes one an American. Jamelle Bouie calls Vance’s vision “tiered citizenship” based not on equality of birth but on one’s “connection to the soil and to the dead.” Ned Resnikoff hears hints of this in Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Western-civilizational-
Perhaps Miller should watch his actions, since Marin Scotten of The New Republic says he was caught on video letting out a big sigh of boredom during one of Trump’s speeches justifying his “excursion” into Iran. At a recent roundtable in Memphis, attended by Miller, Trump, FBI Director Patel, AG Pam Bondi, and SecDef Pete Hegseth, the sigh was seen as an unintentional show of disagreement with the president and his war. But, despite this slip-up, Miller later showed complete agreement with Trump’s crackdown on crime in Memphis and five other cities (which has cost taxpayers nearly $500 million, if you’re keeping score.) Miller added, “What President Trump has done on border security and public safety is a national miracle that will be studied not only for generations but for centuries to come.”
Some anonymous claims by former and current DHS officials accuse Miller of overriding direct orders from Trump, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to post on X his prediction that Miller is on his way out. His post shared an article by the Daily Mail which alleges that at times Miller holds more power than the president. “START THE COUNTDOWN!!! Stephen Miller is going to be fired!,” Newsom predicted in his post, which was accompanied by an image of Harry Potter villain Voldemort. The Daily Mail report asserts that DHS officials accused Miller of making decisions on the immigration program that caused complete chaos within the department, such as Trump’s directive not to target farm workers in one operation — which Miller then changed. One insider claims that Miller selected Markwayne Mullin to head DHS, to be used as his puppet — no comment by Miller.
Emily Singer, in her post on Daily Kos, believes that the Defense Secretary may be next in line for dismissal, writing, “Pete Hegseth, you in danger, girl!” She reports that last week President Trump laid the groundwork to blame Pistol Pete for the ongoing disaster in Iran, as he said the Secretary convinced him to begin the “excursion,” despite the lack of a coherent rationale. At the Memphis event, Trump bragged about the stock market and the “fantastic” economy, but he “unfortunately” called advisors to discuss possible action in Iran, and Hegseth was “the first one” to recommend the attack. Pointedly, he addressed Hegseth saying, “You said, ‘Let’s do it’ — because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump has been accused of stock market manipulation as he hints at, lies about, negotiations taking place with Iranian leaders to end the war, a ploy that seems to work for him and his billionaire backers. Iran says it wasn’t dealing with Trump, and the president continues to make threats and carry out limited forays, clearly terrified about the chaos he has unleashed in the world. Polling by CBS/YouGov finds that a majority of Americans think the war is going “very” or “somewhat” poorly, while another 60% disapprove of the conflict altogether. Singer writes that Hegseth should start polishing his resume and reaching out to friends at Fox News, his old stomping grounds prior to his Pentagon appointment.
The president has no qualms about firing officials to make them scapegoats if that is necessary to get the monkeys of his cruel and unpopular agendas off his back — Noem should be a good lesson for the survivors. The administration has seriously considered replacing Hegseth, particularly after the SignalGate fiasco of discussing classified military operations in which a journalist was allowed to be in on the secrets. Now that the war has been publicly laid across Pete’s new Florsheim’s as an advocate of the bombings, he makes a better fall guy than Jared Kushner or Steve Witkoff, even though they are seen to be instrumental in warning about an “imminent” attack by Iran. Singer concludes that, “If there’s any consolation for Hegseth, it’s that his firing would let him unlock the liquor cabinet he claimed to have shut when he became Secretary of Defense. A scotch on the rocks may be in your future, Pete! At least you have that.”
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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. |
Each week, I will feature a selection of interesting and historically significant places in Santa Cruz County from the 1986 edition of Donald Thomas Clark‘s wonderful book, “Santa Cruz County Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary“, published by the Santa Cruz Historical Trust.
“Nuggets” If I find something topically relevant, but not necessarily directly related to the week’s selection, you’ll see it under the Nuggets heading. Note: for reasons of brevity, sources are usually dropped when I reproduce an entry. You can always email me if you’re curious, or, even better, buy a copy of the book!
Dateline: April 2, 2026
As promised, here’s the follow up entry for “Trail Beautiful”, now a section of the “Skyline to the Sea” trail in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I’ve walked portions of this trail, and it well deserves the name, running along the top of the canyon above the Waddell Creek Valley. Well worth the mild hike to reach it once you’re there. You’ll have a great view of the valley and the ocean beyond it.
I love Clark’s habit of including contemporary commentary from local newspapers. There were clearly some interesting characters writing for the local papers back when. As a side note, much of Waddell Creek Valley (along with the rest of the county) was clear cut in the late 1800s, what you see now is second-growth forests in large part, with the occasional exception of small areas which were commercially impractical to log. The product of over a century’s worth of careful stewardship by subsequent owners, and somewhat less destructive logging practices by local logging industry leaders realizing that they need a sustainable source of lumber to stay in business.
This Big Basin Redwoods State Park trail seems to have lost its romantic name. It is now considered to be that section of Sequoia Trail which runs northward from Slippery Rock to the upper end of Opal Creek Trail (now a section of Skyline to the Sea Trail).
“We have received a letter from a literary lady asking us by whom and for what purpose the Trail Beautiful so called in the Big Basin was built. We can speak authoritatively on this subject because said trail was opened by and under the direct personal effort and supervision of the editor of this paper before he took up journalistic labors. It was in the early summer of 1895 that this now quite noted trail was cut and graded through the woods for about one and a half miles to what was formerly known as the Lyons tract of timber… [from which] over eight hundred cords of tanbark was cut that year and packed out by trains of pack mules over the Trail Beautiful to the wagon road at the upper end of what is now known as the Slippery Rock. Such was the original incentive and cause of the Trail Beautiful; it simply being the outgrowth of a prosaic commercial venture. Since that first year of its opening it has been used only by hunters and sightseers, and it has become quite famous and popular with the latter through the charm of its gently ascending and descending grades through the deep shadowy woodland. We are quite proud of this trail, laid out by the writer and built partly by his own hands, and our only regret is that a considerable portion of the farther end is not within the confines of the State Park. It all should be, and we hope, it eventually will be.
–Editorial by W. S. Rodgers in Boulder Creek Mountain Echo, July 23, 1904.”
Mr. Rodgers had his wish; the entire trail is now within the confines of the State Park. The trail was known as Rodgers Trail until around 1905.
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Thomas Leavitt is the husbandy thing to our illustrious webmistress. A resident of Santa Cruz (now part time) since 1993, his interests include history, technology, and community organizing. He started the world’s first self-service web hosting company, WebCom, located at 903 Pacific in May of 1994. He’s been part of too many community organizations to mention, and ran for City Council in the early aughts. Email Thomas at ThomLeavitt@gmail.com |
“Earthquakes”
“Everything is crooked everywhere.”
~Gunilla Leavitt
“You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.”
~Jeannette Rankin
“Whenever an earthquake or tsunami takes thousands of innocent lives, a shocked world talks of little else.”
~Anne M. Mulcahy
“The Oscar sits on some shelf above my desk. If there was an earthquake, I could actually be killed by my own Academy Award.”
~Helen Hunt
“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.”
~Frederick Douglass
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My friend Niki Leeman is a very talented singer-songwriter. He’s written a song about me, after all! I think I’ve posted that before, but I’ll post it again some time, as it’s a really good song. This time, however, I’m giving you the song he wrote in honor of Renee Good. |
Direct questions and comments to webmistress@BrattonOnline.com
(Gunilla Leavitt)
