BRATTON… gives us the scoop… GREENSITE… on Don’t Morph the Wharf!… KROHN… final recall and Corona STEINBRUNER… on Kaiser, water, and closed parks PATTON… on Hannah Arendt Virtual Reading group … EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Cover JENSEN… temporarily suspended… QUOTES…”SELF EDUCATION”
EARLIEST PHOTO OF DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ. This was taken around 1859. It’s of course what we now call Pacific, Front, and Mission streets with that Jamba Juice, US Post office and stuff there now. Back then it was Willow, Front and Main Streets.
If you haven’t been sent this by at least five different people by now, I’d be surprised. It bears repeating though, so watch it and pass it on. (warning, lyrics contain the f-word)
People get super creative when confined to their homes, it turns out…
STATE OF BRATTON Not yet at 100%, but slowly getting there. Thanks for all the notes, FB’s, emails and calls of support!
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE /KZSC and other NEWS. Ever since June of 2006 I’ve hosted Universal Grapevine. Now with the KZSC virus rules no more than one person can be in a room at the same time. That does make it difficult to interview two (or more guests 0 on air.. So I’m forced to retire the program until something else is possible.
MINIMUM OF MODICUMS. Doesn’t it seem to everyone else that the shutting of the Cabrillo Music Festival for this year is like folding up the town clock and hiding it?
March 30th 2020
DON’T MORPH THE WHARF!
It’s hard to believe it’s not deliberate.
A typical winter wave on the wharf’s westside where the plan is for a walkway 12 feet below wharf deck.
The city staff has just released the long-awaited Wharf Master Plan (WMP) Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) in the middle of a pandemic crisis with all of us under “stay in place” orders, unable to meet in person. The release triggers a CEQA required month of public comment, meaning April, when it is expected our social distancing will continue with no ability to meet with others, nor with council members, nor with council meetings allowing public in-person participation. Doing it online is not a reasonable, alternative if the last online council meeting is any indication.
I wrote to the head of the city Economic Development Department prior to the release of the DEIR requesting that the WMP/DEIR be postponed due to the crisis. The timing seemed ill thought out. Or maybe well thought out. This was my email:
Good morning Bonnie,
In your presentation to council on Tuesday March 24th, I believe you said that the DEIR for the Wharf Master Plan would be released at the end of March with a comment period running through April.
If this is correct (the audio was intermittent and often hard to hear) we urge you to change plans and wait until the coronavirus is well behind us before releasing the DEIR. To release it and have a comment period when the public is unable to meet to discuss and council meetings have no public in person access would be viewed as inappropriate given the circumstances.
It has been a number of years since our legal advice to the city to do an EIR was supported by the city attorney and the council at the time. We have been waiting for 3 years to review the DEIR.
Over two thousand people signed the petition urging the city to conduct an EIR for the Wharf Master Plan. We were pleased the city listened. To use this difficult time of social distancing and ban on public gatherings to release this long-awaited document would not be in good faith.
We would appreciate a response to this request to postpone release of the DEIR until post coronavirus.
I received no reply and the DEIR was released on Monday of this week.
Since I had copied council members on the email I was disappointed that none followed up with the head of Economic Development to support the request for postponement. I had used the official method to reach all council members citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com and assumed that it would reach them. It had reached them… as an un-named attachment at the bottom of an email alerting council in bold red lettering about the closure of city offices. Designed to be overlooked.
In case you have forgotten or weren’t involved with the Wharf Master Plan let me share a reminder. The WMP is a document created by the San Francisco Design Firm ROMA for a cool million dollars paid for mostly by the Federal Government Department of Commerce under the fraudulent claim by the city that the Municipal Wharf sustained significant damage from the tsunami of 2011. The wharf sustained no significant damage, although the Small Craft Harbor did.
You can tell it’s a SF Design team since there is no feel in their Plan for the local history and culture of the Wharf except as branding. It includes 3 new non-commercial buildings of 40-45 feet height, one at the end of the wharf; a covering of the seal lion viewing holes; infilling with two story commercial space on the west side of the wharf; a dock at the south end that could accommodate tenders from cruise ships; a lowered walkway on the west side which shows ignorance of the local waves as pictured. The original engineer for the wharf, built in 1914 spent a year studying the waves, currents and conditions before submitting plans. He must be turning in his grave.
The WMP would have breezed through council approval without proper environmental review had not many folks got involved and protested. We saw and see it as turning our Wharf into Pier 39. Over 2000 people who love the wharf signed a petition protesting the WMP and urged an EIR since among other things, significant nesting migratory birds were left out of the initial limited review (Pigeon Guillemots). Our protest backed up with legal opinion successfully sent it back for an EIR.
We have waited and wondered when the EIR would be released. Dates kept being pushed forward. Optimists amongst us hoped it had been put on the back burner and that the $30 million price tag plus unavoidable environmental impacts were non-starters. Realists should have known that it’s all a question of timing.
With the recall of two council members all but determined and the public excluded from public space, what better time than now to release the DEIR? As a bonus, two other major environmental documents have recently been released: the city Parks Master Plan and the UCSC scoping process for the EIR for future campus growth. All with public comments periods during the coronavirus crisis.
I wish I’d been a fly on the wall when this advantageous timing was discussed behind closed doors.
If you feel as outraged as I, then write to the city manager, the city Economic Development Director and the city council and demand postponement of the Wharf Master Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report. Just don’t use the official council email. It can’t be trusted.
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.
Final Recall Results
Close Call
The recall of Councilmember Drew Glover and myself was confirmed according to the Santa Cruz County Clerk’s final March 3rd Primary voting results posted this past Monday. The difference in my case was 507 out of 27,343 votes cast. Looking at these vote tallies it is clear that our community is divided. It will also become clear once all the required campaign spending paper work is submitted that a lot of money was spent to drive Councilmember Glover and me out of office over political differences around affordable housing, homelessness, and the growth of UCSC. But the ideas, policies, and people we represented are not retreating.
Not Me, Us
These issues are not only not going away and they are now forcibly being spotlighted and unevenly addressed because the Covid-19 health threat does not differentiate class, race, immigration, or housing status. This recall was never about Glover and Krohn. It was and is about us speaking up for the interests of people usually marginalized in our local politics. It is about who gets to live in Santa Cruz and whether or not this town is for sale.
People Power v. The Empire
To our hundreds of community members who walked neighborhoods; wrote op-eds and letters to the editor, fundraised, contributed to the Stop the Recalls campaign, and spoke out eloquently and forcefully about the sham recall that just occurred, I say thank you. I am so appreciative of the wisdom, passion, and compassion you brought to bear on these contested political and social issues in of our time. We were armed with reason and fact and we did not waver in standing up for the most vulnerable in this community. We rocked it against tremendous odds. The Santa Cruz not so “Together,” “United,” or “Forward” trio— all various incarnations of the same powerful real estate industry and developer-driven interests–were tough to overcome. Evidence points to the fact that a recall effort by these forces was in the works from Day 1, after the November 2018 election of Glover and now Mayor, Justin Cummings. Although the final campaign spending reports are not yet in, these groups, or members of these groups, will have far outspent us with their slick mailers, full-page advertisements, and endless Facebook ads. While it was tough to overcome their big bucks, we had People Power and that kept the vote close.
Divided We Stand
At the end day, the mathematical truth is that a majority of voters who cast ballots in the March election actually did not support the recall. In my case, 53.46% of all voters did NOT choose to recall. (See results below.) That figure speaks volumes in favor of our collective progressive efforts. Although on the surface, the “yes” votes outnumbered the “no” votes by 507, it was the undervote of 2,409 voters—those who voted on other items, but chose NOT to cast their vote in this misleading recall—that perhaps tells the real story. (Note: an “undervote” is when a voter decides to not vote on a certain candidate or ballot measure, but on the same ballot does register votes in other races.) I was heartened and encouraged by these figures and feel honored that my old friend and former city council colleague, Katherine Beiers a marathon runner, far outpaced her rival to win. She will now take my former seat on the city council. Additionally, there were notable progressive victories that came out of this election, but may not receive much press coverage. Cyndi Dawson, planning commissioner and Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) member, bested long-time pol, Cynthia Mathews as the top vote-getter in the race for seats on the Democratic Central Committee (DCC). Another DSA-er, local activist, and high school science teacher, Stacey Falls also won a seat on the DCC in the third district, which covers most of the city of Santa Cruz.
Coronavirus 1, Santa Cruz Politics 0
For now, we find ourselves in a very difficult place in Santa Cruz history, and US history. The Covid-19 virus threatens the health and welfare of our community as well as our local and national economy. It is heartening to see so many locals working together to overcome this pandemic. Maybe after it begins to abate we can all take a step back and work together to rebuild Santa Cruz in a way that serves our entire community. I wish the new councilmembers well. Besides rebuilding our local economy there’s several other major issues facing our community: the Wharf Master Plan was just released, the UCSC administration wants to add 10,000 more students, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan is now up for debate, and of course, the ongoing Library-in-a-Garage-atop-the-Farmer’s-Market ongoing saga will continue. With the severe ramifications of the pandemic playing out, and November elections right around the corner, I sincerely hope our community will get some rest and take some time to appreciate our friends and families and our precious natural environment. It’s time to rest and take stock of who we are as a community and where we might be going in this post-virus future.
Santa Cruz City Recall Drew Glover (Vote for 1) Precincts Reported: 34 of 34
RENEE GOLDER 13,369 (58.56%)
TIM FITZMAURICE 9,042 (39.61%)
Write-in 418 (1.83%)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
UCSC 2040 LONG RANGE DEVELOPMENT PLAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR) ADDITIONAL SCOPING SESSION WILL BE ONLINE
You have another opportunity on April 1, 6pm-8pm, to join a live webcast and comment on the UCSC Long Range Development Plan that would provide on-site housing for increased student enrollment and a percentage of staff. As I understand it , this does not address the separate plan to put family housing in the expansive meadow.
Make sure you submit comment on the upcoming environmental work to be done for the updated Long Range Development Plan that will guide the UCSC expansion and housing issues through 2040.
SANTA CRUZ CITY ORDERED TO INVESTIGATE AND REPAIR RUPTURED SEWER OUTFALL PIPE
On February 11, 2020, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board sent a letter to the City of Santa Cruz, informing them that they must submit a technical report by May 31, 2020 to address a ruptured sewer outfall pipe that is leaking treated sewage water to get dumped closer to shore than is allowed. We should all be cheering, but the surfing community in particular should be happy.
The City of Santa Cruz Sewage Treatment Plant on Bay Avenue has a ruptured pipe that delivers the treated effluent out into the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, causing the effluent to leak out closer to shore. The City officials have been aware of this problem for a few years.
NEWSFLASH
Due to the COVID-19 shelter in place order, the County of Santa Cruz is extending the public comment period for comments on the scope of this Environmental Impact Report for the Medical Office Building Project until Friday, May 1, 2020 at 5 p.m. Comments may be submitted by email to stephanie.hansen@santacruzcounty.us or to:
Stephanie Hansen, AICP, Principal Planner
Santa Cruz County Planning Department
701 Ocean Street, Fourth Floor
Santa Cruz, California 95060
Agencies and interested members of the public are invited to attend a Public EIR Scoping Meeting on Thursday, April 2, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This meeting will include a brief overview of the EIR process and allow time for oral comments on the scope of the EIR. Due to public health concerns, the scoping meeting will be a web-based video conference that can be accessed via this link
Participation without visuals is also possible via telephone using the following dial-in information:
The February letter demand that the City perform scuba or remote vehicular inspection of the rupture, submit a detailed description of the rupture, assess the rate of discharge, identify corrective actions with an explanation as to why the repairs will be done in the manner identified, and to provide a detailed schedule of the corrective action to be taken. This must be submitted to the State by May 31, 2020, or the City could be out of compliance with their permit issued under Order R3-2017-0030, and could face penalties of $10,000/day or if taken to Superior Court, $25,000/day and $25/gallon over 1000 gallon/day leakage.
This is good news and I commend those who wrote to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board about this problem.
FOUR-STORY KAISER MEDICAL FACILITY PROPOSED FOR SOQUEL AVENUE IN LIVE OAK WOULD REMOVE 102 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS…PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW OPEN
The 30-day comment period for this massive project in Live Oak ends April 22, 2020 at 5pm…don’t you think it should be extended by at least 30 days due to the current COVID-19 crisis? Contact Planner Stephanie Hansen and ask for such: <stephanie.hansen@santacruzcounty.us>
Participation without visuals is also possible via telephone using the following dial-in information:
Phone number 571-317-3122
Access Code: 284-683-261#
Shouldn’t we be insisting that the facility have it’s own micro-grid energy production, as was required for the large medical and dental complex just approved on Capitola Road in Live Oak?
Dear Ms. Hansen,
Thank you for this information. Due to the COVID-19 mandates, and the fact that all libraries, including the Porter Memorial, are closed, and the Capitola Library is still under construction, I feel that an additional 30 days for public comment is reasonable and should be granted.
I have read the document briefly and would like to submit the following comment:
Traffic impacts of the project must be evaluated via a two-week-long continuous traffic analysis conducted once the COVID-19 shelter-in-place mandates have been lifted and normal commerce restores. The traffic count must be done to accurately count the traffic flows on the Soquel Avenue frontage road throughout 24-hour periods on weekdays as well as weekends.
Traffic impacts on local businesses and residents in Live Oak must be evaluated to determine what, if any, mitigations are possible. Adding another freeway on-ramp for southbound Highway One in the Kaiser area could relieve the already congested Soquel Avenue frontage road. The valid and meaningful traffic analysis must be an integral part of teh EIR. The previous traffic analysis was done by cameras in operation for a brief two hours on a weekday and was unacceptable and meaningless.
There is currently NO Metro bus service to this area. The applicants must be required to pay for adding this service to the proposed facility, including the cost of the additional buses, drivers and passenger stations. The bus needs to enter the Kaiser premises for passenger service to the door of the main medical facility entrance to accommodate the elderly and infirm with mobility challenges. This must be addressed in the EIR and the funding of the new Metro service in perpetuity be made a condition of the project approval.
The shoulder on either side of Soquel Avenue frontage road is narrow and poorly-maintained, making bicycle traffic hazardous. Existing stormwater drainage grates are in the narrow shoulder and force bicyclists to veer into the lane of auto traffic. The proposed Kaiser medical facility applicants must be required to create wider shoulders along Soquel Avenue, preferably with a protected bike lane on both sides of the the busy roadway. Enhancing bicycle and pedestrian use to accommodate the increased trip visitations to the area
Storm water drainage is already problematic, causing the area of Far West Nursery growing grounds adjacent to the proposed Kaiser facility to flood frequently in the winter rainy season. The proposed Kaiser facility will add significantly to the impervious surface area and cause further potential flooding to the nearby nursery and possibly to the adjacent Beach Comber Mobile Home Park, an affordable housing community. This must be addressed in the EIR.
The applicant must hold a public meeting in the Beach Comber Mobile Home Park community room, with Spanish translation, in order to provide equitable noticing and meaningful input for those residents. These residents will be significantly impacted by construction and the imposing four-story structures looming over their homes and backyards. How will Kaiser screen their community to preserve their privacy from views of and by the Kaiser facility? This must be addressed NOW, as well as for later EIR comment and notifications thereof.
Beachcomber Mobile Home Park in Live Oak
Beachcomber Mobile Home Park is located at 2627 Mattison Lane in the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz, Ca, 95062. This affordable housing mobile home park is a medium sized park of 71 units, with a great commute location. This is an all age co-op park. There are income limitations in order to be able to qualify to live in this park. Contact the park at the number at the bottom of the page to see about qualifying if this park is of interest. Space fee was approximately $370 as of 2017.
The Sanitary Sewer conveyance system in the Rodeo Basin in the proposed Kaiser medical facility is currently at over-capacity, according to Mr. Kent Edler’s comment on the PureWater Soquel Project Advanced Treatment Facility EIR, which is planned for a parcel nearby. How will the proposed Kaiser medical facility sewage train affect the over-capacity system? Kaiser should be required to pay for any and all sewage conveyance upgrades. This must be addressed in the EIR.
Impact 4.17-1, Impact CU-UTL, 3.8.1 The Chanticleer site is located in the SCCSD “Rodeo Basin”, which has been declared by the SCCSD Board as overcapacity. New non-residential connections in this basin are limited to 1,000 gpd of discharge. The DEIR discusses a separate 8” brine conveyance from the AWPF at the Chanticleer site to the City of Santa Cruz WWTP, however the DEIR is silent on whether a new connection to the SCCSD sanitation system will be required, and if so, what the expected discharge will be. SCCSD is putting together a project to resolve the overcapacity declaration, however that may take 3+ years. SCCSD staff is available to discuss options (such as a connection point outside of the Rodeo Basin) with District staff if the expected discharge will exceed 1,000 gpd. Section 3.8.1 lists SCCSD as a local agency which may require a sewer connection and discharge permit. As discussed above, please provide more information on whether a connection to SCCSD’s system is needed and what the expected discharge amount is.
Aesthetics of the looming four-story structures on the neighborhoods and from the Highway One corridor must be addressed in the EIR with realistic and effective mitigations.
Winter shadowing impacts on the growing grounds of Far West Nursery directly adjacent will be significant. How will Kaiser mitigate the impacts on the nursery’s livelihood and operation? This must be addressed in the EIR.
Noise must be evaluated not only for construction phase but also the operational impacts. How many sirens will the neighborhood residents and business owners have to hear on a daily basis? What are the expected operating hours of the Kaiser medical facility? Are weekends included? The neighborhoods already hear alot of noise from the freeway and the flea market across the freeway, as well as sirens of emergency responders going to Dominican Hospital. This must be addressed in the EIR.
The existing Nigh storage yard is in fact home to many impoverished citizens living in unconventional structures or campers. While not permitted, it is a real and significant population that will be displaced by the proposed Kaiser medical facility. There must be adequate attention given to relocation of these people or they will be forced to scatter to local business parking lots and vacant areas. How will Kaiser provide housing for these displaced impoverished people? This must be addressed in the EIR.
There are also a few legitimate small business owners operating from within the proposed Kaiser medical site, such as Dogherra’s Towing. How will this proposed project impact the small businesses dependent upon the site location and costs? How will Kaiser mitigate this significant negative economic impact on business owners? This must be included in the EIR.
The parcel that is proposed for the Kaiser medical facility is one of the last R-Combining Overlay areas established by the County Planning Department in 2008 to be designated for dense affordable housing. Where will Kaiser relocate those 102 affordable housing units designated in the R-Combining Overlay by the County Planning Department?
One of those is the Nigh Property, 5940 Soquel Avenue, and would provide a spot for 102 affordable housing units on 5.1 acres. How is the Kaiser applicant going to mitigate the loss of 102 affordable housing units in Santa Cruz County? One possibility could be to require inclusion of on-site affordable housing for staff, as is currently being considered by the County for applications at other medical facilities and schools. The loss of the R-Combining affordable housing the County had planned must be addressed in the EIR.
Please require flagging and staking of the two proposed buildings to provide the public with meaningful and visible physical delineation of the proposed buildings. Please include easily-visible signage along Chanticleer Avenue and Soquel Avenue to alert passersby of current comment opportunities, picture of the proposed buildings, and comment deadline information.
Thank you for the notification of this critical environmental study. Please extend the comment period, make the documents available in areas accessible to the public when COVID-19 mandates for shelter in place are lifted, and hold Spanish translated meetings at the BeachComber Mobile Home Park and Live Oak Grange.
Please acknowledge that you have received this message. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Becky Steinbruner
ANOTHER PROJECT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT…
Live Oak is also set to see a 13,000+SF new drive-through CVS pharmacy that would be open 24/7, just across from Dominican Hospital, between Soquel Drive and Commercial Way, adjacent to the Union 76 gas station. Of course, the County has awarded Boos Development West LLC a Mitigated Negative Declaration for this project, saving them lots and lots of money, even though there are high levels of arsenic and lead contamination in the soil from the auto salvage business that used to be there.
The developer, represented by Leanna Swenson, is asking for exceptions that would allow a larger illuminated sign facing Highway One, a designated scenic corridor, and to reduce the required landscape areas to two feet, rather than five feet. No tree can thrive in a two-foot wide parking strip, so how will the visual impacts of this large building be “softened”?
The project would require 3,200 cubic yards of soil to be excavated and hauled away, and 3,300 cubic yards of soil to be trucked in and compacted. That’s about 180 large truck trips. However, the County staff that did the environmental evaluation of the diesel trucks and excavators felt there was no need to consider this less-than-significant impact, even though the exhaust levels would have great potential for being in violation of air quality standards. The County staff acknowledged that Santa Cruz County is within the North Central Coast Air Basin, and does NOT MEET CURRENT STATE STANDARDS FOR OZONE AND PARTICULATE MATTER, according to the Monterey Bay Air Quality Control Board. (see page 18 of the project MND). Keep in mind that this is upwind of Dominican Hospital and many medical offices just across the street, termed ‘sensitive receptors’.
The project would significantly degrade the level of service for the north-bound on-off ramp at Commercial Way and Highway One, but the County staff feels that when CalTrans has the money to fund area upgrades, the traffic problem will be improved (how about the developer paying for this?) If the County really wants to reduce greenhouse gases, is it in keeping with that policy to allow a drive-through open 24/7? The County staff environmental analysis reasons that, even though the Santa Cruz County Code 13.652 prohibits drive-throughs, that rule does not apply to this project because only 3-4% of the total store business would be from the drive-through feature. WOW.
Two structures housing existing businesses and a residential unit will be demolished. The amount of impervious surface will be increased by 13,068 SF (about a third of an acre) and will significantly add to the stormwater runoff in the area. Geotechnical studies show that the soils are clay and are not suitable for infiltration, but despite that, there will be three bio-retention features to supposedly handle the runoff, with excess being sent to the local storm drains leading to the Bay, but possibly to the drainage area that also leads to the proposed Kaiser medical building project that already experiences winter flooding during heavy storms.
The County Dept. of Public Works has determined that culverts in the area are not large enough to handle this increase in storm water runoff, and would require that the developer install subterranean detention basins under the parking lot that would then meter out the water at a rate consistent with the amount of stormwater runoff now. (see page 36)
The building is proposed to be 13,111SF and also a 1,712SF mezzanine for storage, and a 49-car parking lot facing Soquel Drive. The trash and recycling area would be next to the scenic corridor. Setbacks would be reduced to two feet on the western and eastern boundaries.
There is no discussion about electric vehicle charging stations or solar panels on the roof being required. The County staff states this is not a problem because the County has adopted policy supporting these measures in the “Strategies for the Reduction of Energy Use and GHG Emmissions“. So it seems that this project does not actually have to DO any of those recommended actions, but it is adequate to just have the County’s advice that these measures happen??? WOW.
Will the developer be required to install a upgrades to Metro bus stop already located a block away to serve this 24/7 drive-through business? Will the developer be required to provide improved bike lanes in the area? No, because of the recent bicycle green-lanes installed nearby with Measure D public money. Boos Development LLC will only be required to pay $268,410 to the Live Oak planning area fund to offset the anticipated additional 1,268 new vehicle trips each day this business would cause. This money could be used anywhere in the Live Oak area
WHAT LEVEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW WILL BE REQUIRED OF THE SWENSON HOTEL ABOVE THE SANTA CRUZ HARBOR?
With all this large development work going on in Live Oak, one must wonder if any planner is considering the cumulative impacts of everything? It is incumbent upon the people to remind them to do so.
Keep you eye on this large project, which includes a luxury hotel near the Harbor on 8.3 acres at 7th and Brommer. The County kindly sold the land it had purchased for $7,400,000 to Swenson Builder for only $2,900,000. Isn’t that amazing?
Here is the link to the Swenson website where you can sign up for future notifications: Santa Cruz Harbor Village
CLOSING STATE PARKS…WHERE CAN WE GO?
It is troubling to me that the government’s answer to keeping people safe is to deprive us of the places that will keep our health and spirits strong. I hope that you are all staying healthy and doing all that you can to boost your immune systems. Mercury News article
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. PARTICIPATE IN A WEBCAST MEETING. TAKE A WALK IN THE FRESH AIR AND SUNSHINE, AND STAY HEALTHY.
Cheers,
Becky
Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor and finished with almost 30% of the votes.
I am taking part in the Hannah Arendt Virtual Reading group that meets online each Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time). During our nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the Hannah Arendt Center is providing free access to anyone who would like to join. I do encourage my friends to join the group, and to participate (click right here).
This is not the first time I have made this suggestion, and I must report that I am not seeing any familar West Coast faces, or seeing any familiar West Coast names, among the group gathered on these weekly video conference calls. If you are trapped at home anyway, think about going outside your current mindset to explore the wonderful world of Hannah Arendt.
Last Friday, as the Virtual Reading Group studied the “Epilogue” to Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem, it was noted that Hannah Arendt exhibited, in authoring that book, which is probably her most controversial work, what amounts to a kind of “intellectual arrogance.” This sounds like a “bad thing,” right?
In the conversation in the group, it was pointed out that “intellectual arrogance” is perhaps not always such a bad thing. Einstein’s equation, above, should never be disregarded, but when mutual respect undergirds the conversation, it is important that there be at least a few persons in the world who are willing to be so “arrogant” as to advance their own ideas and understandings of what is right and true, despite the fact that they will know in advance, or quickly discover, that their ideas and thoughts have no acceptability whatsoever among the general public.
We make our world by acting together, and we can build on solid rock only if we are willing to “speak truth to power,” and to have the “intellectual arrogance” to insist that our ideas be taken seriously, as we all search for truth.
As I listened to the conversation – and agreed that we must preserve a place for the “intellectual arrogance” that can bring us to the recognition of new truths and new possibilities – I was reminded of my favorite quote from Ugo Betti. Betti was an Italian judge and a playwright. He tells us that WE are important – each one of us. If we truly knew our own importance, we would be strengthened in our resolve to say what we think, and to insist on it, even when everyone we know says we are in error.
Speaking one’s “own mind” can seem like arrogance, sometimes, but if we are willing truly to cross-examine ourselves before we speak, to see if we really do believe that our thoughts are correct, then we need to have the courage to speak up and speak out.
That’s what’s needed, don’t you see? That! … Everyone is … a very great, very important character! Yes, that’s what we have to tell them up there! Every man must be persuaded – even if he is in rags – that he’s immensely, immensely important!
What is the Virtual Reading Group going to be talking about this coming Friday? On Violence.
Hannah Arendt is worth listening to on that topic, and it’s a topic worth thinking about!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Lisa writes about being temporarily suspended, and watching movies on Amazon, Netflix – and everywhere else! Check it out this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
There are so many people out there, corona-ing the hell out of all kinds of songs. If you have some time, jump down the YouTube rabbit hole, you will be entertained. I picked one favorite to show you here 🙂 Oh, and Neil Diamond actually sang and posted “Sweet Caroline” singing “hands, washing hands, don’t touch me and I won’t touch you” 🙂 You’ll find that one if you look 🙂
Self Education
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”
~Isaac Asimov
“All I have learned, I learned from books.”
~Abraham Lincoln
“The most powerful people are the ones who never stop learning.”
~Rejoice Denhere
“To create something new, knowledge is essentially required, but not academic degree.”
~Rajib Lochan Dhibar
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON… gives us the scoop… GREENSITE… with a Quarantine Story… KROHN… has the week off STEINBRUNER… courts, Aptos, and Soquel Water PATTON… on Facebook and Trump … EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Cover JENSEN… watching movies on Amazon… UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”STAYING HOME”
“THREE WAY” TRAFFIC ON PACIFIC (1925-28). Note the cars PARKED on both sides of Pacific Avenue and a parade of cabins on trucks going down themiddle of the street. You can also see the then County Bank Building at Cooper and Pacific and all the men wearing hats!!! That’s of course our Town Clock sitting in its’ original location atop the IOOF Hall.
Another plus side of all this shelter in place – craft projects!
THESE ARE THE BEST OF TIMES. Folks always say that when they aren’t sure what and where it’s turning. The old World War 2 movies they’re showing that dangers from the skies are really bad. The virus stalking and blowing around the world is teaching us a lot about our selves and crises. A larger danger than Trump? It didn’t seem possible and now we have just about half as much to worry about ‘That’s not counting what the dinosaurs had to face just those few ages.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Your notes, FB’s, emails and calls of support have been wonderful. I’m still under the superhuman efforts of my daughters to regain stability and breathe near normally..see you soon..
March 23rd. 2020
A QUARANTINE STORY
Unless you are sick with the covid virus, are a first responder, or have lost your low-paying jobs and cannot collect unemployment due to immigrant status, this new life on stay-at-home orders is not that difficult. With grocery, liquor and cannabis stores open, walking encouraged and springtime blooming, can you really complain? Here’s a quarantine story for perspective.
In 1948 when I was three years old, my family left England for Australia on the SS Orontes, (pictured) a voyage of around 40 days. My father worked for Shell Oil as a driller, work that took him to Burma, Assam, Ecuador and finally, Australia. Three is a bit young to retain clear memories and mine of the voyage are scant. I recall the lip of a rogue wave visible from the dining room porthole with shouts and screams so it must have been unusual. There are fleeting images of men dressed as women, lathered up, throwing each other into the swimming pool and a man with crown and trident: the seafaring ritual for crossing the Equator. At the port of call in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a long walk up a steep hill to a tiny gift shop where my father allowed my sister and I to choose small, wood carved elephants. Mine is black, ebony, is missing its tusks and half a foreleg and is something I’d probably grab if quick evacuation were imminent.
I have no idea when I became sick on the voyage. It was pre-vaccine measles, a nasty virus affecting mostly children under five with significant complications including encephalitis and can be fatal. A vaccine was not available until the 1960’s. I can only imagine the scene as we docked in Australia after a long sea voyage, immigrants to a new country and I’m whisked away to a quarantine hospital for three weeks. No visitors allowed. I do remember that quarantine hospital or at least a few images are etched. I was held in a concrete basement in a bed not a cot. The only other inmate was a baby, old enough to stand and hold onto the bars of the cot, which it shook continuously. I was annoyed and wished it would stop while feeling sorry for it. I said, “it will be alright” and then felt silly since it couldn’t understand. I hadn’t yet learned about tone. I recall our being left alone for what seemed like days and then the baby was gone. One’s sense of time is subjective so after what seemed like an eternity, a nurse took me by the hand and led me up a long ramp with sunlight at the end. Ah the sunlight! And there a car with my parents, who I hadn’t expected to see again.
I’m grateful to scientists who produce vaccines that protect us from viruses that used to kill. Those who fear vaccines may never have dealt with a serious viral illness pre-vaccine as we are now facing with Covid-19. While medical science will find a vaccine that allows us to face down this virus, others are in the wings. In the interregnum, a good time to assess our global priorities, as class injustice is laid bare and consumption gluttony for a time put on hold.
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.
Chris Krohn is off this week. He will return next week.
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
CORRECTION OF ERROR LAST WEEK REGARDING MEASURE R CABRILLO COLLEGE BOND
Thank you to the readers who kindly pointed out my error in last week’s column wherein I stated that it looked like the Cabrillo College Measure R Bond proposal had not failed to gain the required 55% voter approval. That was my error, and I apologize.
To be clear, Measure R did not pass because to date has only received 52.55%, and needed 55%.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT SNEAKS THROUGH MAJOR DECISIONS ON ELECTION NIGHT WITHOUT BENEFIT OF VIDEO FOR PUBLIC
Soquel Creek Water District Board has shown a pattern of holding Board meetings on Election Night at unorthodox locations, and not always providing video for the public to witness the critical decisions approved. Recently, on March 3, the Board approved the $6.2 Million contract for the Phase 1 design/build work for their expensive and unnecessary (in the informed opinions of hundreds) project to inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water into the drinking water supply for the MidCounty. The meeting was held in the Cabrillo College Horticulture classroom. District staff announced that the meeting was being recorded, as had been requested by the public (me). There were nine Project consultants in the audience, one member of the District’s Water Supply Standing Committee, and one member of the general public…me.
During the public comment regarding the Project, during the two minutes I was allowed, I was reading from the legal Declaration of Ron Duncan, General Manager of the District, filed in Santa Cruz Superior Court on February 20, 2019, but ran out of time. I asked for one more minute, but Chairman Bruce Daniels refused. I continued reading the final sentence of the Declaration but District staff unplugged the electricity to my microphone.
It is possible that unplugging the electrical cord also affected the video process, because now, Board Clerk Emma Olin informs me that “due to technical problems, the March 3 Board meeting video is not available.”
How, then could the Board be approving the $6.2 Million Design/Build work for the Project on March 3, 2020 and not have to surrender the $50 million grant….if what Ron Duncan claimed, under penalty of perjury, were true?
Maybe that is why the Board also voted to take yet another trip to Washington, D.C. this June to lobby for more federal money. Ratepayers will foot this bill, along with the $45,000 annual contract for the Capital Edge lobbyist they are also paying to do this very work for the second year in a row.
Wow. Maybe the Board will take some nice pictures and at least give the ratepayers a slide show when they return.
Incidentally, it was on Election Night on November 6, 2018 that the Board held a meeting at Community Foundation and approved the rate increases necessary to pay for the expensive PureWater Soquel Project, as well as the Twin Lakes Church Pilot Injection Well for the Project….all before the Board certified the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and approved the PureWater Soquel Project on December 18, 2018. Isn’t that amazing?
(I am glad the District did video this meeting, although for a long time, they had posted a blurry screen of a May 6, 2018 meeting in it’s place. I am happy they corrected that error.)
METRO REDUCING SERVICE AND ELIMINATING FEES
These are strange times, and for those who depend on public transit to go grocery shopping and attend appointments, things will get more complicated, but at least riding the bus will be free.
COASTAL COMMISSION CHAIRMAN PADILLA HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID-19 INFECTION
Chairman of the Coastal Commission, Steve Padilla, who presided over the March 11-13 meetings in Scotts Valley, has been hospitalized and placed on a respirator due to coronavirus infection. Those from the area who attended these meetings to speak about the Soquel Creek Water District’s PureWater Soquel Project and also the City of Santa Cruz beach camping issues were exposed needlessly due to the Commission’s decision to hold the meeting “with precautions”.
Send good thoughts to Chairman Padilla and all those who now are in quarantine.
WILL COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS BE VIOLATING THE BAN ON PUBLIC GATHERINGS TUESDAY?
At the time of this writing, the County Board of Supervisors is planning to hold a regular meeting in the 5th floor Board Chambers, with seemingly no precautionary measures noted on any County websites for remote participation by members of the public ordered to shelter in place and respecting a ban on public gatherings. WHY?
CONSENT AGENDA ITEM WILL FUND APTOS VILLAGE TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS $3.5 MILLION?
Perhaps the consent agenda items such as #48 are the reason for pushing through an ill-advised public meeting. This nod of the Supervisors would approve a $2,850,387 contract with Anderson Pacific from Santa Clara to put in a new traffic light at the Aptos Creek Road and Soquel Drive intersection, while also eliminating the bike lane from there to the bridge, several parking places belonging to the pub next to the bridge as well as several parking places along Soquel Drive in front of the existing businesses in the Aptos Village. The taxpayers will also fund adding a dedicated turn lane on Soquel Drive to accommodate the Aptos Village Project subdivision’s gateway entrance from Parade Street. The traffic light at Aptos Creek Road just happens to be a condition of the Aptos Village Project subdivision Phase 2 that the Board approved in January on the consent agenda, without any discussion whatsoever.
One wonders how much of this bill the Aptos Village Project developers are paying? I have asked Public Works for information but as of this writing, have received no answers. I have also asked Supervisor Zach Friend to pull the Consent item and place it on Regular agenda for better public discussion…no response. Hmmmm……
CONSENT AGENDA ITEM WILL AWARD NEARLY $1 MILLION TO RE-START MAR VISTA BIKE/PED OVERPASS PROJECT BUT WILL DISREGARD THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE
Consent agenda Item #47 will happily re-start the Mar Visa Bike/Ped Overpass Project that has languished for 20 years, but would disregard the will of the public about where it should be built in order to provide the safest route for elementary school kids. The plan seems to keep to the original idea of crossing Highway One at the Mar Vista Drive area, and would take away parking from the local residents and perhaps the Aptos Grange, while causing students to have to cross Soquel Drive multiple times in order to get to Mar Vista Elementary School.
A citizens committee met with the consultant about three years ago and unanimously recommended the overpass be located closer to Cabrillo College athletic fields, bringing a pathway to Soquel Drive along the creek bank. The group felt that this would provide a safer, more direct route to the elementary school, as well as Cabrillo College. There could be protected or even a separate bike path along McGregor Drive to safely link the Seacliff neighborhood to the overpass along undeveloped land near New Brighton State Beach lands and provide a safe bike and pedestrian link that would be well-used.
The agreements in Consent Agenda Item #47 that the Board will approve with a single nod (let’s hope they are awake) would transfer the Project to the County Department of Public Works to manage the money that the RTC has budgeted for the work, and CalTrans will handle all the environmental analysis. The public can look forward to only two (meaningless) Open House comment sessions along the way as the Scope of Work agreement already states there will be a Mitigated Negative Declaration declared after some analysis that focuses mostly on how to handle the removal of parking spaces on Mar Vista Drive.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF LOCAL PAPERS. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK.
Happy Spring,
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 and finished with almost 30% of the votes.
#85 / Perils Of Prediction
I enjoyed a recent article in The New Republic, “The Political Media’s Blurred Reality.” The article made (legitimate) fun of the various media pundits who have been covering the current presidential race, specifically including Rachel Maddow, who seems to be a favorite of the liberals and the Democrats. I am, as you might deduce from this somewhat catty remark, not a big fan.
At any rate, The New Republic article points out the hazards of “pack journalism,” and I think it is right on target. My point in passing on the article is simply to remind my readers of a point I make quite consistently: it is not our assignment, in life, to “observe,” and to “predict.”
There is nothing wrong with informed observation, and with becoming “informed spectators.” But if we begin to believe that this is our main assignment, and that this is what we are mainly supposed to do as our democratic homework, we have profoundly mistaken our mission.
Ours is not the task of good “observation,” which is what all those pundits do, to whom (The New Republic says) we all tend to pander.
No. Our task is to think, talk, and act!
Forget about “prediction.” Self-government begins when we begin to get involved in both individual and collective action ourselves.
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Lisa writes about an Amazon original film just released, called Blow the Man Down. Check it out this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz-Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
Hey, you’re home, might as well redo your bathroom?
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
Staying Home
I’m a home girl. I like to stay home.
~Faith Hill
I’m a very lazy, stay-at-home kind of girl.
~Jerry Hall
To be an ideal guest, stay at home.
~E. W. Howe
Charity should begin at home, but should not stay there.
~Phillips Brooks
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON… gives us the scoop… GREENSITE…Greensite on a crisis of a different sort.. KROHN… on Covid-19. STEINBRUNER… exposure, and Cabrillo College. PATTON… on Facebook and Trump … EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Cover JENSEN… on Wendy… UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”ISOLATION”
ABUILDING THE DREAM INN. This architectural disaster happened before local environmental groups were organized. It was 1962. That’s the Lynch House standing alone on the right, built in 1877. This was also before the beach was polluted.
Watch this about how germs spread. This guy puts out terrific videos, you should keep an eye on him.
BRATTON STILL CHILLING.
Home, and still taking it easy, Bruce is wondering if anyone has a lead on a granny unit or a room (preferably Westside to be close to him) for his daughter(s) to stay in while they come out to help look after him while he regains his strength. If you know of anything please just email bratton@cruzio.com!
Keep Your Distance
With nothing insightful to offer about Covid-19 and political meetings cancelled, a few words on a different crisis: housing. Or more accurately: housing costs. With the virus, it’s tempting to say, when things get back to normal. Is it normal for farm workers in Salinas to be cramped with 13 people in a tiny 2-bedroom- rental, while high-tech buyers snap up pricey new apartments and houses as second homes in Santa Cruz?
The knee jerk response is “we need more housing!” to the delight of many speculators, developers, housing activists and politicians. Mandating the building of high-rise, dense housing has been championed through the CA legislature by Senator Scott Wiener via a number of Bills, including the recently defeated SB 50. Had it passed, local governments would have lost control over such land-use decisions. Senator Wiener has a new Bill pending, SB 902. It’s a softer sell (indicating how draconian was the other Bill) and similarly misses the mark. It eliminates single-family zoning across CA.
For a city our size, under his Bill, one small house on a single-family lot could be bulldozed and replaced with a four-plex plus accessory dwelling units. If our local government votes to rezone a neighborhood to allow 10 homes on a single-family lot, then Wiener’s Bill allows it to by-pass environmental review. Exemptions are allowed for high fire-risk areas, meaning folks who live in single family homes in such areas won’t face being surrounded by dense housing where there used to be single family homes. Which means other people will put pressure on local government to develop open space and forested lands just so they can live in single-family peace and privacy, another bonus for the wealthy. Meanwhile, middle-income and working class locals who have worked and lived here for decades in single-family neighborhoods will just have to get used to the crowding with its noise, cars jostling for parking, dogs barking, lights glaring and increased crime. That’s the research on density. Wiener’s Bill is silent on the issue of subsidized housing, a lack that lost him support last time: a lack that questions either his grasp of the issue or for whom the Bill favors.
The housing crisis is not a supply-issue. There are an estimated 1.2 million vacant houses in CA, which is more than 8%. The statewide rental vacancy rate in 2018 was 8.4%. Both numbers add up to a lot of empty houses: the same number as the unmet housing need. Since taking over such housing is not condoned (although there have been attempts by homeless mothers) a tax on an empty second home seems reasonable.
A Vacancy Tax is not a new idea. It has been implemented in Vancouver, Canada. State Senator Nancy Skinner of Berkeley has introduced SB 1079 on this issue. The challenges are mostly ideological, especially where eminent domain enters the picture. The devil is in the details. Too many exemptions and the cash flow is less than anticipated. People preferring to pay the tax rather than offload the property makes the supply less available. However, it is worth a try since it has the potential to add housing without the expense of building from scratch. It avoids the associated huge use of non-renewable resources and disposal of that which is bulldozed. We keep hearing about the current high cost of building and building materials, which we are told force developers to recoup through high rents. This problem can be avoided by using existing empty houses either through eminent domain if they are corporate-owned or using the proceeds from a Vacancy tax to fund Section 8 housing.
Building high-density, infilling, the “smart” growth model is promoted by Wiener as well as notables such as Newsom, Sanders and Warren This model does not lead to lower rents or lower housing costs. Research shows it forces them upwards as new buyers with big incomes and high end consumption patterns move in and low income workers are forced out.
In the new normal of Covid-19 and what lies beyond, we should not be promoting human crowding as a housing solution when alternatives are available.
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild.
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus Trumps Political Virus
Strange Days
I found myself in CVS on Front Street this past Sunday. I stopped at the front door realizing there were more than 50 people already in the store. I looked at the checkout line and noticed at least twenty lined up single-file waiting to make their purchases. No one seemed to be heeding the social distancing rule. All were only about 2-feet apart instead of the recommended six feet. I decided to venture into the store only a few feet more and impulsively read aloud from my cell phone the advisory Governor Gavin Newsome’s office had just released that morning. Besides the 50-person space limit and six-feet social distancing, constant washing of hands, not touching one’s face, and each of us just shutting down our own outside-of-home life and self-quarantining, there he was also calling for the closure of all bars, wine bars, breweries, and for restaurants to reduce their occupancy by half and to provide curbside food service and at-home deliveries. Everyone seemed to pay attention to my impromptu reading, but no one spoke. I nervously exited wondering if people would heed a town-crier more than their IPhone. For the city’s part, I am told by our Economic Development Director that city staff has divided the community into five parts and will be doing outreach to all local businesses letting them know what is acceptable, voluntary, or mandatory in terms of carrying out their operations. That was to begin this past Monday morning.
The March 3rd Primary, Still Counting
The votes continue to drip, drip, drip into the County Clerk’s office at 701 Ocean Street. The last count was issued around 4pm on Thursday, March 12th. “Today we added an additional 895 ballots. We are continuing to process and research the same day and provisional ballots. We are also tagging voter records if they voted in this election and auditing each polling place. We will NOT do another update until next week – most likely Friday, March 20.”
According to the website, votecounts.com, there are almost 6000 votes countywide yet to be tallied. We will hear another update this Friday.
When Censure Becomes a Political Tool By Sheila Carrillo, an activist and astute political observer reflects upon the Recall election that just took place. escuelita@baymoon.com
The question flashing neon bright in my mind when I attended Tuesday night’s City Council meeting was “What is REALLY going on here?” I was astonished that the first agenda item of the evening was as yet another censure of Drew Glover—despite his imminent recall from office— marking a full year and a third since the obsessive scrutiny and harassment of council member Glover had been instigated.
The crucifixion actually began on Next Door before he even took office, corresponding with the November 2018 election resulting in a progressive majority on the council for the first time in two decades. The Next Door recall rants began initially by attacking Drew’s (humane) concern for the homeless community and his strong advocacy for renter protections. But a couple of months later on February 12, 2019, the focus of the recall attacks shifted, when recently-elected Mayor Watkins inappropriately used her pulpit to publicly accuse both Drew and Councilman Chris Krohn of gender based bullying, while citing only hearsay. In reality, the issue at hand was their justified insistence and her unreasonable resistance to promptly agendizing and addressing our community’s homeless crisis. But unfortunately, the facts were never brought to light because Martine maintained tight control of the conversation, refusing to allot time for Chris and Drew to respond to her allegations.
Watkins Non-censure
Not only was Martine NOT censured for this misconduct in office and misuse of power, but what was a staff conflict that could have been readily addressed and mediated internally through Human Resources, became an $18,000 investigation of charges (plus $10,000 for the Davis investigation!) that essentially could not be substantiated. The Rose Report in fact found “no substantiated instances of sexual harassment or gender- based discrimination.” Again, no censure of the city manager or H.R. for this wonton waste of time and money. Martine’s pronouncement provided the recall tribe with a more righteous, and thus more appealing, accusation to pin on the two progressive leaders whose presence on our City council was apparently so threatening that they had to be removed from power at all costs. The recall proponents’ accusations deftly switched from the issues of rental protection and homeless advocacy to sexual harassment and bullying— attacks that continued the duration of a year-long, well-funded, smear campaign, with a San Francisco consulting firm employed in the process.
CPVAW Missteps
At that point, the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women stepped well-outside their defined mission which is to “prevent sexual assault, rape, and domestic violence.” Instead, they joined the bandwagon and spoke out to censure and condemn Drew Glover regarding issues they cited as gender-based harassment, and soon, recall proponents with fresh fuel had plastered signs all over the University with accusations of sexual harassment and signature gatherers were overheard characterizing Chris and Drew as sexual predators. Once again, at this week’s council meeting, instead of censuring the CPVAW (which at the time of Drew Glover’s alleged offense was under the helm of commission Chair Grossman) for being out of line, the council minority again took aim at Drew. At his next to last council meeting as an elected, Drew found himself again the target of public censure— for speaking truth to power in calling out the misconduct of the commission.
City Council Minority Fiasco
As I sat through two hours of comment, discussion, and ultimately a vote on whether or not to formally censure or merely “disapprove” of Drew’s conduct. I couldn’t help wondering why our City wasn’t attending to more pressing issues, as we face the Coronavirus crisis, lack of accommodations and services for our homeless, and the fact that Santa Cruz is one of the least affordable communities in the entire country. What REALLY fueled this unrelenting harassment and successful political coup? I encourage us as a community to explore who and what was behind the removal from office of a leader newly-elected to represent the disenfranchised in our community— before he’d even had a chance to serve.
“Lack of health care does not just threaten the wellbeing of the uninsured—it affects us all. This crisis is teaching us that we are only as safe as our least-insured and most vulnerable people. Now is the time for solidarity. Now is the time to make health care a right for all.” (March 16)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
COASTAL COMMISSION RUBBER-STAMPS SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S EXPENSIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY-DISRUPTIVE PROJECT
Last Wednesday, the Coastal Commission approved the District’s plan to inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water into the aquifer that provides drinking water for the MidCounty area. They did not seem to care about the massive energy increase this project would bring, or the significant environmental damage caused by construction and operation.
I was shocked that the Coastal Commission showed so little interest in or concern about the issues raised in correspondence submitted last week, or in oral testimonies at the hearing.
Only Commissioner Katie Rice asked if the District had considered the construction impacts and wondered how long the construction would take? (Had she not read anything at all?) Ryan Moroney, the Coastal Commission planner could not answer, so Melanie Mow-Schumacher from the District stated 17-24 months. The EIR states 24-36 months.
Commissioner Rice then asked about lifeline rates for low income rate payers? Melanie answered the District’s rates are set by Prop 218 process and no discounts are allowed.
Commissioner Luce wanted to know if the District has stormwater capture systems? The simple answer from Melanie was “yes”.
Commissioner Howell then gave an adoring statement about what a great project it is, and wondered what the cost/acre foot will be? Melanie said the District does not know yet!!!! However, it is estimated at $3,500/AFY, with better estimates to be presented later this spring.
With one unanimous vote, the Commission approved the Project permit. No questions asked about the ruptured sewage treatment plant outfall pipe that is part of the permit they approved.
None cared that the District violated the State Water Quality Control Board requirements by injecting six million gallons of treated water into the aquifer without a permit to do so.
None asked about recommendations for additional noticing for Live Oak residents, who received NO notice of the impending project before…Capitola City had asked for and received extra noticing for residents within the Capitola City boundaries during construction work.
I am both shocked by and disgusted with the Coastal Commission’s error in failing to even question issues that certainly apply to the environmental and coastal visitor aspects of the Project’s construction and long-term operational aspects.
The addendum that was attached to the District’s response to comments did not seem to have been seen by the Commissioners. One of them asked about where to find them at the conclusion of Ryan Moroney’s staff report, wherein he mentioned the existence of the Addendum. Frankly, I doubt that the Commissioners had read anything at all.
I am considering an appeal.
COASTAL COMMISSION CHAIRMAN PADILLA TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
The Chairman of the Commission, Steve Padilla, announced Saturday that he has tested positive for the corona virus after spending three days in Scotts Valley at the meeting. Commissioner Uranga announced Sunday that he and his family will voluntarily self-isolate for two weeks.
Does that mean that every one who attended the meeting should do so?
I would like to thank Ms. Melanie Mow-Schmacher at Soquel Creek Water District for alerting me to this news. I wonder why the Coastal Commission did not notify me, as a speaker who submitted a speaker card for the afternoon item, and had been present at the meeting all day Wednesday?
GOOD NEWS FOR BUSY APTOS ROAD FULL OF POTHOLES
The slalom course of potholes on Soquel Drive between Freedom Boulevard and Rio del Mar Boulevard is finally going to be repaired. On March 30 – April 10, the work will cause some delays, but is long-overdue and will be a great safety improvement. Look for other Dept. of Public Works projects here: www.sccroadclosure.org
CABRILLO COLLEGE COULD HAVE USED THAT $250,700 FOR BETTER PURPOSES
Cabrillo College’s 32-year bond proposal in Measure R appears to not have failed to get the required 55% approval of voters. Hopefully, the leadership will listen to the people and not waste over one-quarter million dollars again.
I just finished looking through the most recent campaign contribution filings for Friends of Cabrillo College….as of March 4 filing, the grand total of contributions is $250,700. That’s more than a quarter million dollars and could have paid for lots of “needed upgrades”.
The bank they use is in Sacramento, as is the consultant, and it looks like some of the mailers were donated by the California Federation of Teachers in Burbank ($8090.23). No local businesses benefited. Times Publishing in Aptos offers that service, as do several other local independently-owned small printing businesses, but Friends of Cabrillo College paid to have the work done elsewhere.
It looks like Elaine Johnson was yet another campaign consultant, and got paid $4,000. She also was hired to support the Measure H affordable housing bond measure in 2018 that voters rejected. Elaine Johnson | wlscc
The Friends of Cabrillo College committee assistant treasurer is Shawnda Deane, in Sacramento. She got paid (Deane and Co.) at least $4666 (I sort of lost count). www.deaneandcompany.com
I am not sure where the bill is for the two attorneys who showed up in Santa Cruz Superior Court to fight Kris Kirby’s legal action demanding the ballot language comply with AB 195 requirements to clearly state the duration of the proposed bond (Judge John Gallagher denied her request). One attorney was David Casnocha, who practices in San Francisco and said he had written the ballot language and is a bond attorney. That expense does not seem to be reported anywhere.
Big donors are the Cabrillo College Foundation ($49,999), Patty Quillin, wife of Reed Hastings of Netflix ($49,000), Bud Colligan ($25,000), Deborah Rennels Salkind ($10,000) and the various construction trade labor unions ($4,000 to $6,000 each).
The Associated Students of Cabrillo College (Student Government for Cabrillo College) donated $20,000? Wow. That donation was reported on March 3, election day.
Those wealthy donors could have given their money to Cabrillo College for improved lab space upgrades to support the students training to become medical professionals.
Oddly, no fire or law enforcement names or organizations are listed as financial contributors. How come they did not support Measure R’s claim to build the new $23 million fire and law enforcement training center in Watsonville?
Did the firefighter unions endorse Measure R? No. Only the County Fire Chiefs Association did
Even though Cabrillo replaced the artificial turf in the stadium last year, at a cost of $1.2 million, one of the nearly 100 projects listed in the ballot language that would have been eligible for the use of the money is “turf replacement”. You can read that here. (Note that this is from the San Benito County Election website. That’s because the Cabrillo College District boundaries extend into San Benito and Monterey Counties. I think it’s odd that this is not shown on the College website, other than the general areas of the trustees.)
I hope that Cabrillo College trustees will look more creatively for funding for capital improvement projects and wait until terminating the two other bond measures taxpayers are still paying off. That will be in 20 years. I hope that Cabrillo will finally understand that the tax payers are struggling to make ends meet and, in rejecting Measure R, have clearly said “Enough is enough.”
CABRILLO COLLEGE FACING POSSIBLE TWO-YEAR BAN FOR ILLEGAL HOUSING BENEFITS FOR ATHLETES
After Cabrillo College spent $1.2 million to replace the artificial turf at the football stadium, the team may be banned from playing there for two years because the College provided free housing for 20 out-of-state players in 2018 and 17 out-of-state players this season. It is illegal to provide benefits for some but not all.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that the Cabrillo College football team may be banned from competing for two years due to a violation of the California Community College Athletic Association Constitution for providing illegal housing benefits to football players. In 2018, the College provided housing benefits to 20 out of state football players at the Breakwater Apartments in Live Oak. Those apartments rent for $2550-$3,015/month each.
Ten other players who could not pay rent for living spaces joined the 20 who were receiving housing benefits, and slept on the floor and couches. By the end of the season, all 30 Cabrillo team players were evicted.
This season, Cabrillo provided housing benefits for 17 out of state players to share three places in Soquel Knolls Condos. It is unknown what the rent for these units is. There are 57 players on the College football team roster.
I am glad Cabrillo College staff did the right thing and reported the violation to the Association. Stay tuned to find out if Cabrillo College football team will be taking a time-out from their newly-renovated stadium’s artificial turf. Again, that replacement cost taxpayers $1.2 million. Add to that the cost of providing the free housing for those out-of-state players.
Tell me again why Cabrillo College tried to convince voters there is just no money available to upgrade the science labs needed for training medical professionals???
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING. JUST DO SOMETHING AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
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 and finished with almost 30% of the votes.
#77 / #Winning Isn’t Everything (IRL)
The March 9, 2020, edition of The New Yorker came with a great cover, featured above. That edition of the magazine also included an important article, for those who care about the state of our nation’s political life. In the hard copy version of the magazine, the article was called, “#Winning.”
The article on Parscale, which was written by Andrew Marantz, is worth reading in its entirety. In fact, the next time I teach my UCSC class on “Privacy, Technology And Freedom,” I think I will make this article part of the assigned reading. Parscale is no “genius,” at least according to one of the people quoted in the article, but he did convince the Trump campaign to use Facebook to its fullest. That decision by the campaign probably gave Trump the presidency. The techniques used by the campaign, outlined in the article, tell a cautionary tale about what is ahead for what Alexis de Tocqueville once called “Democracy in America.”
Facebook has amalgamated an incredible dossier of information on virtually everyone in the country – and this appears to include non-Facebook users, too. The platform has been incredibly successful in parlaying this proprietary information into success in the advertising world, and it turns out that political advertising isn’t all that different from the commercial variety. This is one of the insights for which Parscale claims credit. Selling Trump? That’s just another brand of soap!
Right after the Trump victory in 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, downplayed the idea that Facebook played any truly significant role in the Trump victory. According to Zuckerberg, “the idea that fake news on Facebook, of which it’s a very small amount of the content, influcenced the election in any way, I think, is a pretty crazy idea … Voters make decisions based on their lived experience.”
As one Facebook employee put it, quoted in The New Yorker article, that’s just “bullshit.”
“Facebook’s business model is premised on the assumption that there is no solid boundary between social media and ‘lived experience’ … For a decade, our pitch to everyone, especially advertisers, was ‘We can target the exact people you want and make them behave in the exact ways you want.'” That is a “non-bullshit” statement by the Facebook employee who called his boss out for providing a bullshit statement about Facebook’s influence in the last presidential election.
Facebook, and other Internet platforms, will continue to be successful in influencing political behavior, as long as we are all beguiled into the idea that what we encounter on social media is equivalent to our “lived experience.”
The “realities” we find online aren’t, quite often, any kind of “reality” at all, and our experiences on social media aren’t just another variety of our “lived experience.” If we want to preserve a democratic politics, we will have to find ways to shift our significant political conversations from “social media” to an “unmediated” reality in which we rely on conversations, and debates, and discussions with those flesh and blood characters with whom we have personal contact, in real life (IRL).
If we can’t figure that one out, the Brad Parscales of the world will continue to be effective in targeting their messages to “the exact people” that a politician wants to contact, and with every expectation that the messages that the politician sends will then make those people “behave in the exact ways” that the politician wants.
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Lisa writes: “Still daring to venture out to the movies? As of this writing, movie theaters are among the few entertainment venues still open. Find out if Wendy — the new film from the director of Beasts Of The Southern Wild —is worth the risk of going out, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Including bonus content not found in my Good Times review!” ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz-Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
These guys have some unreal stuff on their bucket list, and in this episode they get help from the US Navy. Watch this, it’s very entertaining.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
Isolation
A person is a person through other persons; you can’t be human in isolation; you are human only in relationships.
~Desmond Tutu
No one can live entirely on their own, nor can any country or society exist in isolation.
~Daisaku Ikeda
I think, if you have enough inner resources, then you can live in isolation for long periods of time and not feel diminished by it.
~Aung San Suu Kyi
We do not achieve happiness or salvation in isolation from each other but as members of society
~Margaret Thatcher
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON… back soon, really!… GREENSITE…on yet another oversized luxury development. KROHN… on election results. STEINBRUNER… thankful for the votes. PATTON… UCSC strike… EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Cover JENSEN… on Emma… UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”QUARANTINE”
A GENUINE KITCHEN BROTHERS PROJECT. Raymond Kitchen built most of this abalone shell, stone, and concrete “temple” in 1947. Dr. Stoller ,who did mushroom fertilizer research, finished the structure in 1954. According to John Chases book, Kitchen got the idea from a postcard he received from India. This temple is at 1211 Fair Avenue.
BRATTON STILL CHILLING.
Back home, but taking it easy for another week, Bruce is gearing up to be back to his usual Brattoning soon. We sure have missed him, so watch this space!
PROGRESS? When I picked this week’s historic photo, I wanted to check up on it.
This is what you see when you google 1211 Fair Avenue and pick “street view”. It makes me very sad that I missed going by there and seeing that house! I’ve been reading up on the Kitchen brothers – truly fascinating! They built their houses at night in the moonlight, in part because of a penchant for eastern mysticism, and only in part because they didn’t have the necessary permits… Imagine that today! [Gunilla]
March 9th 2020
On Removing A Watermark
Over 50 residents filled the room at the Oblates of Saint Joseph for a public meeting on yet another large-scale development coming our way. The proposed project of 100 units, if approved, will occupy a 3- acre site, the former home of Gateway School on Eucalyptus Avenue, a cul de sac off Pelton Avenue, opposite the Monarch Butterfly site in Lighthouse Field. The upbeat tone of the developer was not matched by most of the residents in attendance, including yours truly.
The developers, Oppidan Investment Corporation from San Jose have 6 such projects around the country. This would be the 4th on a Catholic campus. The Oblates would continue to own the property. Residents would not own but would lease the units and a different entity from the developer would be the operator.
This project is planned as a senior complex although the developer did not know the age cutoff. It already has a name: The Watermark at Santa Cruz. Of the 100 units, 15 are for independent living, 62 for assisted living and 19 for memory care. Out of the 100 units, 4 are slated to be “affordable.” Despite a projected staff of 20, there are only 64 parking spaces planned with delivery trucks directed to use Eucalyptus Avenue, a quiet street of single-family homes with little traffic. The site is not only zoned R1 or single family but also lies within the West Cliff Drive Overlay District and the Coastal Zone Overlay District, both of which have specific protections. It will need a Special Use Permit plus a Historical Alteration Permit. Despite all this, the city planner in attendance thought it might be CEQA exempt. I asked how many heritage trees are earmarked for removal but the project Landscape Architect didn’t know.
In fact the Investment Corporation didn’t seem to know much about Santa Cruz except that it is the perfect place for their project, which I interpreted as it will make a lot of money. They waxed on about the delights of seniors thriving in the warm California sun. More than one of us exchanged looks, which were unmistakable as: “don’t they know about the fog?” Apparently not, since they presented with pride the plan for a small vineyard onsite.
While Father Mathew of the Oblates, who has been in Santa Cruz for 1 year (17 years with the Oblates order) talked about this being about “care for the dignity of all human beings” I have a sneaking suspicion that it really is about care for the elderly wealthy. The developers encouraged us to check out a similar Oppidan project being built in Napa, which I did. The Watermark at Napa Valley is larger (173 units on 5.8 acres) with a higher percentage of independent living units, about 40% whereas the Santa Cruz version has 15%. In Napa, leased units for independent living start at $4,000 a month for 700 square feet, assisted living starts at $6,295 per month and memory care starts at $7,195 per month. New residents will pay a one-time membership fee ranging from $30,000 to $60,000. For all this you get three dining area options, courtyard gardens and gathering spaces, a fitness center, salon, theater, spa, wine bar, coffee bar and pizza oven.
I didn’t have to do mental arithmetic to know these are not meant for the likes of me. Nor for any of the hard working or retired local seniors I know. Similar to most of the developments in Santa Cruz city, they are meant for the well off who don’t yet live here. If you are tired of hearing the whine of “we need more housing” rather than the real need, which is Section 8 and affordable housing, check out the rents and sale price of the plethora of housing already approved, underway or planned for the city
While memory care and assisted living are unmet needs, especially for the working class, we should not be guilt-tripped into providing luxury resorts for wealthy seniors. Especially not one of this size, imposed on a neighborhood of single-family homes, opposite the overwintering site of a monarch butterfly grove. One gets the distinct feeling that we who live here don’t matter any more.
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild.
March 10, 2020
Election results
Former Mayors Krohn, Fitzmaurice, Weed, Beiers and Laird
In the aftermath of March 3rd primary election, Councilmember Drew Glover is currently down by about 2200 votes, and I am losing to the “yes” money-crowd by around 1400. There are 9,000-10,000 votes left to count in the city of Santa Cruz. After everything is tallied I am holding out hope that we will prevail. Other good news, it looks like Cyndi Dawson and Stacey Falls will gain seats on the Democratic Central Committee, 3rd District (city), and Nora Hochman looks like a good shot to get a seat too in the 1st District; Annrae Angel is headed to a run-off in the Superior Court judgeship race and our hope in that one is that there are currently over 11,000 “under votes” (voters who left it blank) and third place finisher Jack Gordon (14,000 votes) just might endorse Annrae; and finally, Adam Bolaños Scow is winning for second place in the 20th Congressional District primary over the Republican in the city of Santa Cruz, but he is down by over 14,000 votes district-wide. Lots more votes are still to be counted!
“Cops Off Campus, COLA in my Bank Account”
That was the chant heard up and down the state last week following the firing of 80 UCSC graduate student workers. On March 5th, there was a day of solidarity with actions on all 10 UC campuses demanding the fired graduate student TAs be reinstated. Grad Student leader, Stephen David Engel wrote to the Chancellor on March 9th observing how the strike is not winding down at UCSC, but spreading to other campuses. “Grads at Santa Barbara have gone on full strike. Grads at Davis and San Diego are on grading strike. Dozens of departments at Berkeley and Los Angeles are strike-ready, and more are following their lead. Four other campuses are organizing and starting to catch up.” Although things might slow down (campus closure?) because of the Corona Virus, grad students have no intention of letting up off the gas pedal in their demands for a cost of living adjustment (Cola).
Professor Drafts Open Letter Directed Toward UCSC Chancellor, Cindy Larive
I’ve known Ronnie Lipschutz almost since he arrived to the UCSC campus in 1990. He is a credible voice on how we–the campus and community–arrived at this crisis point wrapped tightly in the overlapping issues of affordable housing, educational quality, homelessness, and the notion of shared governance. I print Ronnie’s letter in its entirety because it is a bright light explaining the complex and difficult situation the Town-Gown currently finds itself.
February 20, 2020
To: Chancellor Cynthia Larive, Provost & EVC Lori Kletzer
From: Ronnie Lipschutz
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE UCSC ADMINISTRATION
I write this letter as an individual faculty member who has been at UCSC since 1990. I am not representing any faculty group, department or Academic Senate Committee. It is my own assessment after 30 years at this campus.
I attended the Academic Senate meeting on Wednesday, February 19, and felt a growing sense of dismay as I listened to your presentations and your responses to questions from the floor. I was especially dismayed by EVC Kletzer’s repeated statement that she did not know what would happen after the Friday midnight deadline issued to the striking TAs to turn in Fall grades. Nor was I reassured by her state position that, should a shortage of qualified TAs follow, departments and faculty are responsible for dealing with problems of enrollments, class capacity, teaching and workload. While I am aware that such decisions are generally made “locally,” this response a rather disingenuous one and ignores the fact that the present situation is a consequence of Administration decisions and actions taken over the past decade. Over that time, the Administration has paid little heed to either Senate or faculty warnings about the lack of funding to support new initiatives, such as graduate growth, Silicon Valley and others. Now the faculty is being asked to address the results of 20 years of poor administration, planning and judgement.
I will not belabor this last point except to point out that the increase in undergraduate enrollments since 2000—which have greatly exacerbated the local housing crisis—have also required growing graduate student enrollment to teach them, without having in hand the necessary resources to support the latter. Generally, the formula was something like the following: undergraduate growth would bring in the tuition required to fund teaching while graduate growth would facilitate research and recognition which, in turn, would provide the extramural research funds and private donations that would support such growth.
Moreover, so far as I can recall, during those two decades, a number of strategic academic plans were prepared explaining that such growth was necessary for the glory of UCSC, without any transparent, public explanation of how the necessary funding was to be procured. This hallucinatory vision became dogma ten years ago when UCOP offered “rebenching” funds in exchange for a new “graduate growth” initiative. These funds were accepted with in full recognition that they were insufficient to support the new FTEs and graduate students coming to campus.
I will not repeat here the many assurances that were offered by the Administration about how such growth would be achieved—those are available in the many documents and studies, none of which clearly explained how this would be financed. And, until the TA strike, the Administration continued to blithely assume continued undergraduate and graduate growth as necessary from both financial and branding perspectives. Needless to say, we are now reaping the whirlwind. The Administration appears poised to use the TA strike as a pretext for reducing graduate enrollments to levels that can be funded given available resources. If this is the plan, it is an extremely cynical one.
Furthermore, to put the onus on faculty for dealing with the resulting crisis is even more cynical. I do not blame you for this situation; it is the result of two decades of administrative ineptness and opacity as mentioned above. But to shift the burden of coping to faculty, who will have to scramble to adapt, and undergraduates, who will be shut out of necessary classes and receive a degraded education, is inexcusable. Finally, to announce that yet another committee will be established to consider the contradictions is simply kicking the can down the road. We all know that such committees tend to make reasonable recommendations that cannot be funded, and that their reports end up on a (metaphorical) shelf somewhere, to be ignored the next time a similar problem arises.
Which leads to the fiction of “shared governance.” Somehow, there is a wide (mis)perception that this means joint management between administration and faculty. Of course, it means no such thing: the Administration decides what it wants to do and then consults with the Faculty Senate for comments (with objections routinely ignored). Over the past decade, there were ample warnings from faculty that the graduate growth initiative was unsupportable, but these were simply dismissed with the proviso that “we will take care of it.” So, perhaps you should take care of this, rather than shifting the onus onto the faculty.
If this letter sounds bitter, it is—very bitter. For 30 years, I participated in what was a promising and exciting experiment and that has been transformed from gold to dross. I am retiring at the end of June and so none of this matters very much to me in practical terms. But it matters greatly to undergraduates, whose credentials may well be very tarnished by this fiasco, to the graduate students, who were made promises that have been broken repeatedly and many of whom have, at best, a future career of “freeway flying” in store, and to faculty and staff, who have to bear the burden of the Administration’s generally inept administration. We have ethical obligations to our students and, if we cannot fulfill them, we would do better not to make empty promises to them in the first place.
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Lipschutz
Professor of Politics, 1990-2020
Provost, Rachel Carson College, 2012-2018
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
THANK YOU TO THE 32% OF THE SECOND DISTRICT WHO ENTRUSTED ME WITH YOUR VOTE
While I did not gather enough votes to win the public service job of County Supervisor, I am very grateful for the trust that one in three voters placed in my abilities and conviction to be a responsive leader with fresh ideas for solutions to the County’s problems. I met wonderful people I would not otherwise know, and will continue to work to serve the Community to the best of my ability.
Thank you for that rich experience. I am honored and humbled.
IS SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN POLITICS GENUINE IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY?
The race for County Supervisor in District 2 is done. I got nearly one-third of the votes. Not enough to win, but I did win by making many new acquaintances, and gaining more knowledge and experience.
In pondering the outcome and process, I have to wonder how genuine are the claims that Santa Cruz County politics supports women in government? It certainly did not feel that way from the Democratic side of the show, or the local unions. None of the unions invited me to speak to their groups and in fact, most made their endorsements even before the nominations closed.
The Women’s Democratic Committee refused to let me speak, as did the Democratic Committees with the exception of the Pajaro Valley Cesar Chavez Committee (only because the Pajaronian published the meeting was open to the public).
Here is what Mike Rotkin, leader of the Democratic Women’s Committee, wrote me when I simply asked to be able to participate in speaking to the group, not asking for any endorsement at all:
Dear Becky Steinbruner,
The charter and by-laws of all of the chartered democratic clubs, including the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County do not allow us to endorse non Democratic candidates, so I am sorry, our forum is not open to your participation as you are not a registered Democrat.
Yours,
mike
Mike Rotkin
Program Chair
DWC
Conversely, the Republican Women’s Committee invited me to speak to their group. I did not ask for any endorsement, and was treated with the utmost of respect and consideration. The Republican Committee also invited me to speak, and again, I did not request any endorsements for my non-partisan candidacy. However, the Republican Committee did endorse me. That seemed to anger many people, without knowing any of the details, or recognizing that I am registered “Independent” and was running for a non-partisan office.
Let me ask you this: Are the Santa Cruz County politics hypocritical and reactionary? Do the actions of the Democrats really match what the group says they support? It seems to me that the Democrats have behaved like a reactionary and ill-informed junior high click, and this was born out in the Sentinel Letter to the Editor urging voters NOT to vote for me simply because of political associations of one of the legions of people helping me.
Anyone who knows Kris Kirby knows that she is a hard-working, honest and very generous person who cares about the community. She was one of many, many people who worked to help me, and I was honored to have her help. The letter-writer refused to meet with me for discussion, as did a member of the Cabrillo College governing board when I repeatedly asked…their answer was NO! (in one case, the response was very rude).
Sand box politics…what a disappointment.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT PERMIT HEARING BEFORE THE COASTAL COMMISSION THIS WEDNESDAY IN SCOTTS VALLEY
This Wednesday, March 11, the California Coastal Commission will consider Agenda item #W22b, granting a consolidated permit application 3-20-0014 to Soquel Creek Water District for the PureWater Soquel Project. This permit would streamline the permitting required for this energy-intensive project to inject 1.3 million gallons of treated sewage water daily into the groundwater drinking supply for the MidCounty area. Rather than individual jurisdictions of Santa Cruz County, and cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola reviewing permit applications, The Coastal Commission will consider a consolidated permit under the Coastal Act.
I am asking that you please send a letter to the Coastal Commission today to protest the Project based on energy requirements that are not sustainable and Project components that would hold water supplies hostage to overseas equipment and technology suppliers.
Instead, the area’s water supply needs can be better supported by continued conservation and regional water transfers for which infrastructure is already in place. This will support better environmental stewardship and sustainability, while ensuring dependable water supplies during emergencies and Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events.
This is in alignment with the City of Santa Cruz 2015 Water Supply Advisory Committee recommendations for secure and environmentally-sound regional water supply and storage solutions.
Please send your written comment on Item #W22b as soon as possible, and before March 10, to Ryan Moroney <ryan.moroney@coastal.ca.gov>
Attend the Coastal Commission public hearing on Wednesday, March 11 at the Hilton in Scotts Valley (6001 La Madrona Drive ) near Highway 17.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT BOARD AND STAFF WILL TRAVEL TO GLAD-HAND IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WHILE RATEPAYERS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE TO PAY RISING WATER BILLS
The Soquel Creek Water District Board often schedules important issues to be heard on Election Night. Such was the case on March 3 when the Board not only approved spending $6.2 million for the design of first phase of the treatment plants to inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water into the Midcounty drinking water supply, but also to make rate payers fund yet another trip to Washington, D.C. for Board and staff to glad-hand.
The Board insisted these are very necessary trips and must be made in order to secure additional funding for the expensive and environmentally damaging PureWater Soquel Project. It does not seem to matter that the ratepayers are already paying $45,000/year for Capital Edge lobbyists to do this very work.
There were nine consultants in the audience of the Election Night Board meeting. I was the only member of the public not affiliated with one of the District’s cheerleading Sub-Committees who attended and spoke. Board Chair Bruce Daniels refused to allow me more than 2 minutes to speak, even when I asked respectfully. When I continued reading from a legal sworn declaration by General Manager Ron Duncan about how the cut-off date for the Project expenses was February 29, 2020, a staff member unplugged my microphone. Wow. Some transparency.
Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BUDGET FORECAST REPORT WORRIES ME
Every year, the County Administrative Officer (CAO) presents a mid-year financial report to the Board of Supervisors. This Tuesday, March 10, Carlos Palacios will give that report sometime after 1:30pm. This is a very telling report, and often presents a more realistic picture of the County’s finances than what is given later in June at the Budget Hearings. The real report is in Item #17 that follows this somewhat rosy report but states the County needs to sell bonds because of a looming deficit.
Property tax delinquency rates are slightly higher
Transient Occupancy Tax is up by $81,676, now totaling over $5.5 million
The Cannabis industry has brought in over $3.7 million in tax revenue
Here is a quote regarding expenditures:
“For the first seven months of the fiscal year, the County has expended 50.00% of the total updated budgeted General Fund expenditures of $585,219,288. Salaries and Benefits are the county’s largest expense reflecting 56.5% of the budget that has been spent as of the end of the first seven months of the fiscal year which is reasonable compared to the budget. At the end of the first seven months in the prior 2018-19 fiscal year, 51.45% of the expenditure budget had been spent.”
Now, look at this report in Item #17….asking to set a public hearing on March 24 to sell bonds to finance the County budget’s anticipated deficit:
Continued Budget Shortfalls Anticipated.
Looking ahead, the General Fund is expected to meet its obligations for FY 2020-21 through further reductions to department projections. However, due to some declining revenues in the current year and continuing through FY 2024-25, or remaining flat, the General Fund is unlikely to meet its obligations without new or increased revenues and/or major cost reductions that could potentially impact programs and services. Based on updated projections for average expenditures and slowly declining revenue growth, the annual budget shortfall is $3-$7 million but it could be as high as $8-$12 million if prior year savings are not achieved and revenues stagnate or decline further. The five-year forecast is provided below.
Rising Retirement Rates Drive Costs.
The primary cost driver in the next five years is the continued increased cost of retirement due to rising rates which is facing all agencies invested in CALPERS. Retirement rates are anticipated to double by FY 2024- 25 and grow from $33 million to $81 million since 2013-14. The General Fund net cost increase is anticipated to grow from $24 million to $58 million since 2013-14. Rates have been impacted primarily by (1) the loss of investment earnings during the Great Recession, (2) decreases in projected future investment earnings from 7.75% to 7.0%, (3) changing demographics.
I’ll be back with the link to that March 24 Bond sale hearing.
Write the Supervisor with your thoughts.
I think it is important to attend the meeting because what is said, and what is printed for the public record, sometimes do not match.
WILL THE UCSC LONG RANGE DEVELOPMENT PLAN HOUSE THEIR STUDENTS AFFORDABLY?
This Thursday, March 12, you can find out what the University is planning to do to house the thousands of new students enrolled. We can follow the good example that the City of Davis and the County of Yolo set with UC Davis and negotiate a win-win agreement, or we can follow our old pathway of lawsuits that just make the attorneys richer and do not solve anything.
Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She just ran for Second District County Supervisor and got nearly 30% of the votes.
I had to laugh, recently, when a friend who teaches at the University of California, Santa Cruz (the locals call it UCSC) told me about a comment allegedly made by a city resident, someone who lives near the entrance to the UCSC campus.
A wildcat strike by graduate student Teaching Assistants has disrupted life on the campus quite significantly during the last month or so – and nearby neighbors have also been impacted. Among other things, traffic to and from UCSC has, periodically, been completely blocked, and those who live in the neighborhood have had traffic-related frustrations. Check these photos to get the flavor. If you are a local, of course, you may well have had experience with strike-related traffic disruptions yourself:
Well, here is the remark, supposedly made by a neighbor who was impacted by the strike, and with this remark apparently made in a rather accustatory tone of voice:
Why are they having so much fun?
What made me laugh was my recollection of what Hannah Arendt said about revolution, in her wonderful book, On Revolution. When fundamental changes are being fought for, said Arendt, one common experience is a spontaneous erruption of “public happiness,” an almost giddy realization that we are not alone, and isolated, but that we are, in fact, as I so frequently say, “together in this life.” It is not by chance that our Declaration of Independence says that we hold it to be self-evident that all persons are created equal, and that we all have the unalienable right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Why are they having so much fun? Because there is nothing more energizing and more empowering – more happiness producing – than working together to change the world.
That the strikers and demonstrators are “having fun” is a pretty good sign that significant and even “revolutionary” changes may be coming to UCSC – and perhaps to the UC System as a whole, since strike support activities are spreading to other campuses.
Yes, I really laughed when I heard that comment! It’s lots of fun to change the world. What a concept!!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Lisa writes: “You my never think of a Jane Austen novel as excoriating, but her fourth novel, Emma, bristles with savage social satire on the idleness of the upper classes. The savvy and stylish new movie adaptation of Emma captures the bite of Austen’s ironic asperity, as well as the beauty of her world, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com/). ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz-Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
This is great. Better than great, this woman kicks butt!
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
Quarantine
Democratic institutions form a system of quarantine for tyrannical desires.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
The vast distances that separate the stars are providential. Beings and worlds are quarantined from one another. The quarantine is lifted only for those with sufficient self-knowledge and judgment to have safely traveled from star to star.
~Carl Sagan
Unhappiness can be like a virus spreading from one person, to the next person, to the next one and so on. When someone is mean or rude to you, do not let their unhappiness infect your own life. If you are the unhappy one, please quarantine yourself so you do not infect others!
~Jennifer O’Neill
The way that worms and viruses spread on the Internet is not that different from the way they spread in the real world, and the way you quarantine them is not that different, either.
~David Ulevitch
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON… says hello… GREENSITE…on “Why I Quit the local Sierra Club Leadership.” KROHN… on voting and recalls. STEINBRUNER… will be back PATTON…also on election EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Cover JENSEN…on artist James Aschbacher. BRATTON…UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”ELECTION DAYS”
THE ORIGINAL SANTA CRUZ FISHERMAN’S WHARF circa 1910. You can see the Sea Beach Hotel in the upper right hand corner. The fish were for local consumption and according to Sheila O’Hare and Irene Berry most of the fish were packed and shipped to San Francisco. That’s Louis Perez on the left and the boy facing the camera is Stephen Ghio, who died two years after this photo was taken.
Duke Ellington in Sweden, 1963. The female singer in this TV broadcast is Alice Babs, well loved and very talented.
Bill Evans Trio in Sweden, 1966. Singing here is Monica Zetterlund, and amazing singer and fabulous comedienne.
DATELINE March 3, 2020
BRUCE SAYS HELLO. “What a day! Today is our chance at voting for some of the biggest changes in our history. From ‘no on recall’ to Bernie Sanders, the choice is incredibly wide.
I am still in Acute Care, where I’ve been for the past 3 weeks and somewhat out of the loop. Hope to see you soon!”
March 2nd. 2020
The Ends Do Not Justify The Means
In the shadow of the council recall election, another election has taken place with a similar aim of overturning the politics of the majority and similar tactics of misinformation and false accusations targeted to sway voters. I’m referring to the recent Sierra Club Santa Cruz Group election for 3 members of its 9 member Executive Committee (ExCom). Disagreeing with leadership and working to get a change in leadership is part of the democratic process. Spreading lies and misinformation to achieve that goal is not. A rotten foundation will not support a new house for long. With two more years to serve on the Executive Committee and its elected chair for the past two years, I resigned at the February meeting in protest at the use of smear tactics to get candidates elected.
The Santa Cruz Group of the Sierra Club is part of a large national organization with one million members and over two million supporters. The Club is the oldest grassroots environmental organization in the United States, founded in 1892 by John Muir. It is an effective advocate for the environment and is worth supporting. Nationally, it is being moved into the modern era by a leadership dedicated to inclusionary politics with social justice issues infusing environmental work. It has a clear Code of Conduct stressing respect, openness and fairness.
I was largely unaware of the local Sierra Club Group’s existence, despite being a member for 15 years, until about 6 years ago when I approached it for support in challenging the city’s plan to weaken its Heritage Tree Ordinance. My presentation caught the attention of the then chair who encouraged me to run for ExCom. I did, was elected by the membership and three years later was elected chair. My stated aim was to make the organization more visible, more inclusive and keep the membership better informed.
Around 200 members typically vote for ExCom candidates, out of a voting membership ten times that size, unless there’s a big issue at stake. A big issue in the past was whether to cut a bike path through Arana Gulch. The local ExCom at the time was against the bike path, supported by the CA Sierra Club. The well-organized bike lobby, with the support of local big wigs, funded a glossy mailer for members calling for a change in leadership and promoting a new slate of candidates, who won and ousted the old guard. Depending on whom you talk to, it was either a hostile take-over or a new era for democracy.
The big issue manipulated for the 2020 election was the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail (MBSST) and its use as a rail/ trail corridor. ExCom is on record in support of the rail/trail and all 9 members, including myself have expressed that support. As the various sections of the 32-mile rail/ trail came under environmental review, the majority of ExCom, myself included, having reviewed the documents and noting inadequacies, while still supporting the rail/trail, voted for more robust attention to the environmental impacts involved. For example, the city’s review of the less than a mile segment from Bay/California Streets to the wharf roundabout, (Segment 7/Phase 2) omitted inclusion of the monarch butterfly site until challenged, then dismissed its importance and declared a wetland a drainage ditch, with inadequate mitigations for both. Typical city environmental review shortcomings that found willing supporters in the rail/trail lobby both inside and outside ExCom. Despite the internal vote on ExCom calling for better environmental review, as chair, speaking at public meetings, I experienced ExCom members attacking and undermining that position. The by-laws specifically rule against taking a public stance in the name of the Sierra Club against a voted-on position. Or require a clear statement that it is a personal opinion and if any room for doubt, to clarify the official Sierra Club position. This requirement of One Club: One Voice was ignored at meeting after public meeting.
The two female ExCom incumbents seeking reelection have impeccable environmental qualifications. They were among the hardest working members of ExCom, forging new city and statewide Sierra Club policies to protect birds with Bird Safe Design Standards for buildings and making connections with outside environmental groups as well as furthering other important local environmental work. Their re-election was opposed by a slate of 3 males, supported and funded by a cadre of rail/trail advocates. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, false statements about the incumbents were widely circulated by an anonymous group self-described as Climate.Concerned.Action and promoted by a member of ExCom, citing her position to emphasize the claim that the two (named) incumbents, “have openly opposed the MBSST.” Not the rail/trail but the trail itself. That is not only false, it is as damaging as circulating a lie that the slate of 3 male candidates, “have openly supported fracking.” It had the intended result. The two female incumbents lost heavily to the slate: so much for openness, fairness and respect. I and another environmental activist resigned from ExCom in protest. The remaining ExCom is all male save the one female who circulated the false attacks on the incumbents. The chair, vice chair and all committee chairs are male. Whether you view that as a problem depends on how you view gender equity.
I continue to support the National and State Sierra Club as well as the Ventana Chapter from Monterey County, of which the Santa Cruz Group is a part. What I don’t support are the unethical methods rail/trail activists used to gain power in the local Sierra Club. To view an issue as so important that it justifies deceitful tactics is in the end, a losing strategy. The same people who are outraged at the tactics of Trump or outraged at the tactics of the pro-recall faction might do well to reflect on the tactics they used in the Sierra Club election. There’s no daylight visible.
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.
Election Day
VOTE
Vote NO on the Recalls
Vote for the Brand New County Dems, all 16, where ever you live, but if you live in the 3rd District in the city of Santa Cruz where I live, vote Dawson, Strawn, Orgel-Olson, and Falls for the Democratic Central Committee
Vote Adam Bolaños Scow for US Representative (congress)
Vote Annrae Angel for Judge
And of course, Vote for Bernie Sanders for President as I believe he has the best chance of beating Trump.
What is this Recall Really About?
Gary Patton posted the following on his blog on February 3rd. I am reprinting it here because it is the best history of how the recall came about and why voters should reject it.
Reject the Recalls Recall elections have been qualified against two members of the Santa Cruz City Council. The recall elections are scheduled for March 3rd, but absentee voting has already begun. In my opinion, voters should vote “NO,” and reject the recalls. Despite the claims of recall proponents, I do not actually see this recall as a response to the personal failings of the two members of the Council now facing a recall election. This recall is not about malfeasance in office. No claims of dishonesty or illegal behavior have ever been advanced as a reason for the recalls. The recalls are not about a city version of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The charges of misconduct made against the two Council Members now facing recall were found to be without significant substance, after an outside (and very costly) investigation.
The way I see it, this recall is about political power, and nothing else. After the last city election, in November 2018, there was an unexpected result. A so-called “progressive” cohort of Council Members could sometimes muster four votes on the seven-member Council. This was a big change. The City Council hasn’t been progressive for years. The two City Council Members now facing recall have voted, with two others, to reverse pro-development policies that the previous Council endorsed and advanced. That is the real reason for the recall, and that is why such enormous amounts of money have been contributed by development and business interests to fund the recall effort.
Here are three examples of how the last election changed the direction of the City, elevating community values over developer profits:
Affordable Housing The previous City Council had REDUCED requirements that developers provide dedicated affordable housing when new housing developments are built. That was, of course, good for the developers, but not good for our community. Thanks to the votes of the two Council Members now facing a recall, the current City Council has reversed this policy, and has restored and increased affordable housing requirements for all now developments.
Stopping Market-Rate Only High Density The previous City Council was trying to put high-density development along all of the City’s main transportation corridors – with particular impacts on the City’s East Side. This plan would have had very significant adverse impacts on local neighborhoods and on local small businesses. It was, for that reason, hugely unpopular. Thanks to the votes of the two Council Members now facing a recall, the Council has reversed the earlier policy and has directed its staff to develop a plan that will “preserve and protect residential neighborhood areas and existing City businesses, as the City’s highest-level policy priority.”
A Library Not a Parking Garage The previous City Council was planning to build a massive parking garage on the parking lot where the Farmers’ Market is held. Such a garage, if constructed, would essentially be a subsidy to downtown developers, who would then not have to provide their own parking as they build new developments. Thanks to the votes of the two Council Members facing a recall, the Council is now exploring different options. If the recall is successful, you can count on that garage/library project coming right back.
RECALL ELECTIONS ARE DIVISIVE Recalls invariably lead to the kind of bitter community divisions that can endure for years, and that make even routine governmental actions difficult. Regular elections produce results that we all accept – even if we don’t like them. Recall elections don’t. There is a lot at stake with respect to the proposed recall in the City of Santa Cruz: a consistent commitment to the production of affordable housing, for instance. Other examples include the future of the downtown library, and the continuing impacts of overdevelopment on traffic, water, local neighborhoods, and our local small businesses. Labor issues, tax and financial issues, and questions about how our city can provide compassionate and effective help to those in desperate need, are all challenges we need to work on together. There will be another regular election in the City of Santa Cruz in November 2020. If the voters want change, that’s the time to make changes. In the meantime, let’s reject the current recall proposals. That’s my view.
“I am proud to have stood with working people to stop efforts to cut and privatize Social Security over the years. Social Security is the most successful government program in our nation’s history. Our job is to protect it and expand it.” (Feb 29)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
WHO WILL LEAD DISTRICT TWO?
As I write this, the March 3 election is hours away. In my campaign for District Two County Supervisor, I have worked hard to meet with and listen to hundreds of constituents in the District and beyond. I have met amazing people who also care deeply about the community, and are hopeful that I am elected, in order to bring a breath of fresh air to local government with respectful consideration, transparency, and trust. I am humbled and honored.
Regardless of the results, I am determined to work hard to help find solutions to the many problems and concerns that people have expressed over the past few weeks as I have been on the campaign trail and before. Working shoulder to shoulder, I want to make the County of Santa Cruz a better place, and will do my very best to do so in whatever capacity I can.
I am hopeful, and very grateful to the legions of people who have worked hard with me and supported my campaign. Thank you so much.
WRITE TO THE COASTAL COMMISSION THIS WEEK ABOUT SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S PLAN TO INJECT TREATED SEWAGE WATER IN YOUR DRINKING WATER
Write by this Friday, March 6, if you want the Coastal Commission to know how you feel about Soquel Creek Water District’s expensive, risky and energy-hogging plan to inject treated sewage water into the drinking water supply for the entire MidCounty area.
Please plan to attend the March 11 public hearing before the Coastal Commission at the Scotts Valley Hilton (6001 La Madrona, very close to Highway 17 and Mr. Hermon Drive).
It is important to note that the permit application is for a streamlined process to have the Coastal Commission consider a consolidated permit process on behalf of the County of Santa Cruz, and the cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola, as well as the Coastal Commission’s development permit jurisdiction. This is a time-and-money-saving tactic for Soquel Creek Water District.
The Commission staff report states this about the treated wastewater injection project:
“This type of project thus helps to make water supply more sustainable, thereby helping to enhance community water supply security, while also putting scarce water resources to their highest and best use and avoiding ocean discharge.”
Note that Exhibit 12 is the District’s response to my opposition. In my opinion, that absurd document is most important to read, and begs your comment.
Why does Soquel Creek Water District feel that the water transfer alternative to the PureWater Soquel Project would cause equally serious environmental degradation? The pipes and inter-tie connection are already built, and operational.
The District completely sidesteps the real possibility of their own pursuit of water rights to the San Lorenzo River under recently-streamlined state law that would allow them to take water from the river under “temporary urgent use” needs for five years, and have the City of Santa Cruz treat the water to be used to sell to District customers. That would allow the District’s wells to rest, and the groundwater levels to rise naturally while requiring a fraction of the energy that the PureWater Soquel Project would demand.
Well, just read what you can, think about what you know, and write the Coastal Commission with what you care about and want to see happen (or NOT). Send comment by this Friday, March 6, to:
Ryan Moroney <ryan.moroney@coastal.ca.gov> This is Item W22b
Please plan to attend the March 11 public hearing before the Coastal Commission at the Scotts Valley Hilton (6001 La Madrona, very close to Highway 17 and Mr. Hermon Drive).
Does the Commission assure that the District has met the burden of proof that it is sustainable to increase the area’s energy demand dramatically and hold the community hostage by becoming technology-dependent for operational processes reliant on imported equipment and treatment supplies? How can the Commission ignore that the District’s project would degrade water quality by removing 3.8 million gallons of treated sewage effluent from going into the Bay and thereby concentrating the contaminants extracted andadding new carcinogenic disinfection contaminants inherent with the process? The Commission staff seems content to accept a vague DRAFT (not to be relied upon or quoted) Anti-Degradation Evaluation Analysis, not insisting on a FINAL analytic report. Why?
In the staff report and recommendation for permit approval, Special Condition #4 requires the District to submit a Recycled Water Management Plan (RWMP) that:
“…shall ensure that the sites designated for injection of treated wastewater are designed to maximize the long-term health and sustainability of groundwater and surface water and related resources (including wetlands, streams, creeks, lakes, riparian corridors, marshes, etc.) as much as possible, including with respect to potential sea level rise and increased aquifer seawater intrusion.”
How can the District meet this burden of proof when the expert hydrologist from Haley & Aldrich (independently hired by Cabrillo College to analyze impacts of the nearby Project injection wells) call the placement of the injection wells “curious”, call into question the efficacy of the locations to achieve prevention of seawater intrusion and also pointing out the danger to nearby private well owners?
Page 16 of the staff report states:
“To secure 1,500 AFY of purified water, the RO and UV-AOP systems will be designed for approximately 1.6 mgd production capacity and continuous operation at the design flow rate.”
Notice that the Plan submitted to the Coastal Commission has the names omitted of the busiest thoroughfares through which this trenching work would occur. Remember that this permit application is a consolidated process, to replace permitting procedures with all the jurisdictions affected. Why have names of street locations been omitted when that information will help the Commission and members of the public better examine possible construction and environmental impacts and influence possible Commission scrutiny?
Look at Exhibit 6 that shows Soquel Creek Water District would trench under the San Lorenzo River near the Laurel Street bridge. Well, well…what could possibly go wrong there? Why would the Coastal Commission allow that disaster-waiting-to-happen, instead of requiring the pipe be secured above-ground to the bridge? Doing so would permit visual inspection for leaks that could easily monitor potential contamination of the River habitat. Remember, the District’s Project would add significant amounts of carcinogenic disinfection by-products and hazardous cleaning chemicals (supposedly neutralized?).
In order to use the trenchless drilling technology to drill under the San Lorenzo River, the Soquel Creek Water District will virtually demolish the Mimi de Marta Dog Park in order to build the drilling pit:
“The pits will each extend to maximum depths of 50 feet below ground surface. Each pit will measure approximately 20 feet wide by 35 feet long. The trenchless construction sites under consideration are shown in Exhibit 6”
(as reported in the Coastal Commission staff report on page 19)
The size of the Tertiary Treatment Plant at the Santa Cruz City Waste Water Treatment Plant is inconsistent. (In the Project EIR, the footprint was reported as 15,000 SF on page 9) but reported as 6,000 SF on page 7 of the same document, but I could not find any dimensions of the proposed tertiary treatment plant provided in the Coastal Commission documents (Exhibit 3 is a vague conceptual diagram without any scale of reference). The artist’s conception of the facility in exhibit 5 of the Coastal Commission report gives no dimensions.
Equally confusing is the volume of treated sewage water proposed for processing. The Coastal Commission staff report states 1.6 million gallons/day or mgd (page 16) but then later on the page states 1.3mgd. Page 15 states that 2.8 mgd are needed to achieve 1500AcreFeet/Year Project replenishment goal, but states the Chanticleer Treatment facility will operate at 2.3mgd.
Well, just read what you can, think about what you know, and write the Coastal Commission with what you care about and want to see happen (or NOT). Send comment by this Friday, March 6, to:
Ryan Moroney <ryan.moroney@coastal.ca.gov> This is Item W22b
Please plan to attend the March 11 public hearing before the Coastal Commission at the Scotts Valley Hilton (6001 La Madrona, very close to Highway 17 and Mr. Hermon Drive).
TEAR DOWN A CHURCH IN SOQUEL AND BUILD A THREE-STORY APARTMENT
The County Planning Commission will consider a proposal to tear down the Inner Light Church in Soquel (5630 Soquel Drive, across from the Quik Stop):
“Proposal to demolish and existing church (Inner Light Ministries) and associated structures and construct a new 85,447 square foot three-story assisted living facility with 82 units (89 beds) and transfer approximately 20,000 square feet of land from APN 037-191-15 to 037-191-14. Project requires a Commercial Development Permit, Master Site Plan, Lot Line Adjustment, Riparian Exception, and adoption of a mitigated negative declaration per the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).”
I wondered what a Riparian Exception involves?
Here is what I found out on the County Planning Dept. website:
Development activities (such as grading, land clearing, building and tree or shrub removal) other than those allowed through exemptions and exceptions are not allowed in and adjacent to riparian corridors.
A riparian exception is required for development activities that fall within the protected areas. In order for a riparian exception to be approved, all of the following findings must be made:
That there are special circumstances or conditions affecting the property;
That the exception is necessary for the proper design and function of some permitted or existing activity on the property;
That the granting of the exception will not be detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to other property downstream or in the area in which the project is located;
That the granting of the exception, in the Coastal Zone, will not reduce or adversely impact the riparian corridor, and there is no feasible less environmentally damaging alternative; and
That the granting of the exception is in accordance with the purpose of this chapter, and with the objectives of the General Plan and elements thereof, and the Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan.
Certain activities are exempt from the ordinance, including:
Continuance of a pre-existing use (both agricultural and non-agricultural).
Work done in accordance with a valid State Timber Harvesting Permit.
Activities listed in the California Food and Agricultural Code for pest control.
Drainage, erosion control, or habitat restoration required as a condition of County approval of a project.
MEETING THE COUNTY’S ACLU PIONEERS
I attended the gathering last Saturday to honor the life of Mrs. Pat Miller. I have known Pat for a very long time, but had no idea that she and her late husband Dan Miller were instrumental in forming the Santa Cruz County American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). A few of those who were part of that effort that began in Aptos in the 1960’s were there and spoke about the courageous deeds of the Millers.
Pat was a social activist for decades, and influenced me greatly with her kindness, respect and appreciation of nature. She was the essence of pragmatism for bringing positive change and standing up for what she believed in. I will miss her, but appreciate the good work that she and the handful of others in Aptos did to plant the seed of justice and equal rights here.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND THE COASTAL COMMISSION HEARING MARCH 11. BUT JUST DO SOMETHING.
Cheers,
Becky Steinbruner
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’s running again right now!!!
Today is Election Day in California, and if you stick with me, you will find that this blog posting does have something to do with the choices we are facing today at the ballot box.
But first…. Let’s start with a seeminly unrelated subject.
Justice Department antitrust enforcers submitted a court filing that detailed instances in which they said Live Nation Entertainment Inc. strong-armed venues into using Ticketmaster, in what would amount to violations of an agreement that allowed the concert giant to merge with the ticketing service 10 years ago.
Originally set to expire this year, the agreement, known as a consent decree, barred Live Nation from forcing venues that wanted to book its tours to use Ticketmaster for those shows, and it also barred Live Nation from retaliating when venues used a ticketing competitor instead. Live Nation is the world’s largest concert promoter, and Ticketmaster is the dominant ticketing service. The potential for abuse of their combined market power led the Justice Department to impose restrictions on how the two divisions could coordinate.
“Live Nation settled this matter to make clear that it has no interest in threatening or retaliating against venues that consider or choose other ticketing companies,” the concert promoter said Thursday in a written statement. “We strongly disagree with the DOJ’s allegations in the filing and the conclusions they seek to draw from six isolated episodes among some 5,000 ticketing deals negotiated during the life of the consent decree.”
The new government filing, submitted late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, chronicles instances in which six unnamed venues said they were told that retaining the services of a Ticketmaster competitor would lead the concert-promotion giant to stop booking acts at those venues. Some of the venues said Live Nation retaliated against them for opting to use a competing ticketing service.
That article in The Wall Street Journal made me think about the mechanisms by which wealth and income inequality are created – and the mechanisms by which this destructive, continuing aggregation of wealth by those who are already supremely wealthy might be counteracted.
As indicated in The Wall Street Journal article quoted above, one mechanism by which the rich get richer is simply by being “bullies,” by “strong-arming” people to give them economic advantages. If you own the rights to determine where the most popular entertainers in America will perform, you can tell promoters that they will use the ticketing service you also happen to own, or they won’t be able to book the acts at all. The same kind of “bullying” tactics occur in all sorts of different contexts. The basic principle is described by a well-known formula that is expressed colloquially as follows:
Let’s not forget that the five hundred wealthiest people in the world increased their net worth by twenty-five percent in 2019. If you think about what that means in real life, it is actually a pretty staggering statistic. The wealthiest person in the world, by most accounts, is Jeff Bezos, of Amazon. His wealth, in 2019, was $113 billion. Apparently, his wealth increased by approximately $28 billion last year, and I am betting he is “on track” for similar gains in 2020. Maybe even more! Just to make the comparison clearer for those who are paid by the hour, that $28 billion yearly increase in Bezos’ wealth translates to an hourly wealth gain of about $3,196,000.
Income and wealth inequality is a big political issue this year, thanks, mainly, to presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, with backup and harmony being provided by . One way to deal with wealth and income inequality is simply to “tax the rich,” and to use the money for expenditures that have broad, positive impacts on people’s lives. But there is also another way, as illustrated by the Live Nation enforcement action.
Our government is supposed to represent us – ALL of us – though our government, too, has been largely captured by those with extreme wealth. That applies, let’s not forget, to what is happening in both political parties. Reasserting genuinely democratic control over the mechanisms of government will not be easy (that’s the political issue raised by the Sanders and Warren candidacies), but we know that it is more than theoretically possible. It may be difficult (REALLY difficult), but it is not impossible.
IF our government were truly operating on behalf of ordinary people (and it’s up to all of us to insist that it do so), then we could do a lot more than merely “tax the rich.” We could radically reduce or even eliminate entirely the kind of amalgamated economic power that allows Amazon, Live Nation, Boeing, and all the other giant corporations to ignore the public interest, and to “bully” others, large and small, so as to increase their own wealth and income.
I, personally, think that the wealth inequality issue is THE issue in our upcoming elections. If you agree, cast your votes accordingly, and get directly engaged in the campaigns that can change America!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. More inside views of our little movers and shakers….scroll downwards.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s take on the future, down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog with his thoughts on Whatever!!!
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes, “James Aschbacher is remembered for his fanciful art and creative imagination, but he’s almost equally famed for his pizzas! How did the Legend of Monday Night Pizza get started? (Hint: blame it on the Good Times!) Find out this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . Michel Singher conductor and artistic director of the Espressivo Orchestra talks about their concerts on Jan. 21 followed by Barry Scott from Coastal Rail Santa Cruz and the Rail Plus Trail benefits. Linda Berman Hall reveals secrets about The Santa Crux Baroque Festival’s new season on Jan.28. Peter Klotz- Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy w Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank talks about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11.
OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
Victor Borge is an old favorite…
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
“ELECTION DAY”
It is a paradox that far too few Americans participate in the wonderful ritual of democracy that we call Election Day. Brad Henry
It’s heartbreaking that so many hundreds of millions of people around the world are desperate for the right to vote, but here in America people stay home on election day. Moby
The polls tell us something, but they don’t tell us everything. They don’t tell us how people are going to show up on Election Day. Andrew Gillum
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON… gives us the scoop… GREENSITE…Greensite on a recent op-ed & the recall. KROHN… on the student strike. STEINBRUNER… videos from last week, in case you missed them. PATTON… Measure R… EAGAN… Deep Cover JENSEN… on a trilogy of Fools… UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”BATTERIES”
UCSC STUDENT VIGIL AGAINST TUITION May 18, 1967. Now it’s 53 years later, and campus activism seems alive and well, unfortunate as it is that it’s still needed.
BRATTON MYSTERIOUS VACATION REVEALED.
I’m sorry for not sharing. I was at Dominican, Palo Alto Med. and mostly at Santa Cruz Post Acute for at least 3 weeks (and still am ) Tests and treatment for lungs, lower back, and heart stuff. During all of that time I managed to add days of search, plus merriment, to all my medical staff’s humor by actually swallowing two hearing aid batteries!! I’m waiting for one more to appear. I’ll be back ASAP. In the meantime, thank the Omni present Gunilla Leavitt for the weekly assemblage of digits…and fidgets.
February 24, 2020
Grossed Out
If you read the February 21st. Sentinel op-ed by Kevin Grossman, who quit as chair of the city’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women over what he labeled as harassment during and after the meeting of October 9th 2019, you might have concluded as I did that it must have been a raucous meeting, out of control, needing 5 cops to help the commissioners “feel safe” as the “evening escalated.” I started by believing and then checked the facts: in this case an audiotape of the October 9th 2019 meeting, available online under Commission agendas. I spent a couple of hours listening to the tape. I kept waiting for speakers at the podium to start yelling and making threats, requiring police presence as described by chair Grossman. I’m still waiting. None of what he describes is an accurate summary of the meeting.
At the meeting, some of the city’s long time feminist leaders spoke, as well as others I did not know. In his op-ed Grossman describes them as, “one angry person after another approached the podium and berated us over and over again. They also threatened to ‘come after us’ if we continued to support the women and the public censure the city council voted against the night before.” I kept checking to make sure I had the correct tape since the speakers were calm, respectful, articulate and reasoned. Only one, a regular at city council meetings could have been described in the background as disruptive. She is easily calmed down and is often spot on. She is and was not threatening. Grossman’s description is hyperbole.
His contempt for the public comes through clearly on the tape. He rivals past Mayor Watkins with his bored, dismissive “time’s up” abrupt cut-off for speakers. For the last item on the agenda, public comment was limited to 1 minute despite the topic’s importance and a two-month wait for the next Commission meeting.
In his op-ed Grossman berates the public for being at the meeting. He complains that they weren’t there to “hear about the second annual Transforming Together conference or the county-wide needs assessment we just completed” when it was he and the commission that voted to remove those items from the meeting’s agenda despite Ann Simonton objecting.
This hijacking of the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women from within for political purposes is unprecedented in my experience and I’ve had a lot of experience with this commission including as co-founder. Sure, politicians have used the commission as a feather in their campaign hat but never has the commission been exploited to eradicate political rivals. That the commission’s staff, (who is now on tape extolling the excellent recent working relations with Drew Glover) could influence commissioners to demand the censure of two council members for charges that an independent investigation did not substantiate, suggests some commission members had an a priori interest in the recall campaign, despite their protestations to the contrary. If a laugh and a curt remark (the only substantiated charges against Krohn and Glover) can be elevated to the seriousness of rape and domestic violence, the commission’s mandate, then we have taken a giant leap backwards. Co-optation is ugly.
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.
Feb. 25, 2020
Grad Student Strike, Week 3
Some negotiation is happening. The strikers are back on the line. I wanted to share this beautifully crafted letter sent by military veterans to the brain-trust of UCSC sent on February 23rd. It points out the ridiculous force that was used last week against unarmed, peaceful graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff. Seventeen students were arrested.
Subject:A message from UCSC military veterans regarding police presence during the wildcat strike
Dear Chancellor Larive, EVC Kletzer, AVC Scott, and Chief Oweis,
As military veteran members of the UCSC community (students and faculty) we are morally and ethically compelled to voice our condemnation of the employment of militarized police in our academic setting. As veterans, the position we occupy is not easy, having been part of an organization that has been ordered to subjugate people of color for decades, with no end in sight; it is therefore our duty to speak up against perpetual war and metaphysical catastrophe, whether it be abroad or in the US.
Especially on Mon-Wed (2/10-2/12), the similarities of tactics, techniques, and procedures, regularly called TTPs by those “in the know,” were alarming and disappointing. The intimidation tactics utilized those days, such as batons, body armor, and paddy wagons in plain sight, were distressing. To us, who can receive or have received COLA via the GI Bill, we recognize these tactics as tools to ramp up fear and intimidate those already in precarious situations. The penultimate example of how inappropriate the response was exists in the rifles presented on Wednesday, 2/12. We, as veterans, are intimately familiar with them as tools to inflict death from near and far. The rifles from Wednesday were, of course, to our military trained observation, non-lethal. Yet, imagine being a 20ish-year-old civilian, where rifles are tools of domestic murder, oppression, mass shootings, and fear; this is especially the case for people of color in our community, whose neighborhoods are over-policed and who are more likely to experience police intimidation, violence, and murder.
Many of us have been present since day one of this struggle. We have witnessed the progression of events. Students have shown passion, frustration, joy, anger, and love as they have engaged in nonviolent political protest, yet they have been labeled as dangerous. This is a farce, especially when the structural violence perpetrated by a system that pays staff, lecturers, and graduate students too little to live on is not held accountable. In the military, there is a process in terms of who calls for escalation and subsequent accountability. We demand transparency and accountability in the UC, in terms of our leaders, and institutionally. Our criticism is therefore directed toward administrators who readily employed personnel, funding, and equipment disproportionately and, as a result, escalated this situation and implied brutality against those with little institutionally recognized power: those trying to make it on poverty wages, which is more likely to be first generation students and people of color, but especially students who are undocumented and Black. We call on administrators to show constraint and de-escalation as this wildcat strike advances and as tensions rise with this continuing strike, as was mostly shown from 2/13 to 2/21, which we recognize and appreciate. We also call for a drawing down of resources spent on police presence.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Day Langhout, PhD, USNR, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, HM2/E-5 Matthew Enders, Undergraduate Student, USMC, Operation New Dawn, Sergeant/E-5 Francisco Munoz, Undergraduate Student, USMCR, Operation Enduring Freedom, Corporal/E-4 Sara Al-Hawi, Undergraduate Student, USN, Operation Tomodachi, AE3/E-4 Tommi D. Hayes, PhD Candidate, US Army, Operation Iraqi Freedom II, Specialist/E-4
Wow! What a letter, what a rebuke, what a statement from former soldiers who were there and here and know the difference.
Don’t Forget to VOTE!
Voting in California began on February 3rd and will continue up until the March 3rd primary. Tell your family, friends, and anyone on the bus who will listen: You can register and vote up until March 3rd. Use your franchise and cast a ballot.
Bernie Tweet to UC Grad Students on the Picket Line:
“UCSC grad students are fighting to have their labor rights acknowledged. I strongly urge the president of the UC system to stop threatening them, especially immigrant students, for organizing. I stand with @payusmoreucsc” (Feb. 19)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
[Here is a holdover from last week, I had some technical difficulties and will update content as it comes in. -Gunilla]
IT’S TIME FOR A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN THE SECOND DISTRICT!
That’s the consensus as I travel around the Second District, meeting with constituents. People are fed up with being ignored and their concerns diminished, they are tired of traveling on congested roads that are falling apart, and just really want a new outlook on the solutions possible to get something done.
The League of Women Voters has reconsidered the unfortunate decision to cancel a forum that would have allowed voters to learn more about District 1 and District 2 County Supervisor candidates, as well as Measure R and the local school bonds. Oddly, when Supervisor Friend told the leader of the League that he may have a conflict, she cancelled the entire forum! Luckily, two women who are determined to uphold the goals of the League (to educate voters) convinced them to organize another forum opportunity in Capitola, hopefully some time next week. Stay tuned for the date. www.becky4countysupervisor.com
TWO GOOD INTERVIEWS TO WATCH!
I really want to thank Community Television for respectfully granting me interview time when I recently requested equal time commensurate with what the station had given Supervisor Zach Friend in late December, 2019.
Take a look at two recent interviews on Community Television:
Voices of the Village with Host Steve Pleich
and Community Cafe with host Datta Khalsa
When you are done, go back and watch the beginning interview with Rick Longinotti – No on Recall.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING OR CANDIDATE FORUM. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY JUST DOING SOMETHING.
Cheers,
Becky Steinbruner
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.
A friend who saw my blog posting about the recall elections currently underway in the City of Santa Cruz sent me a follow-up inquiry: What do you think about Measure R? Well, I do have “view” on Measure R, too. I am strongly in favor of Measure R. In fact, being one of those early voter types, I have already cast my ballot, and I voted YES on R.
As far as I am concerned, Cabrillo College is one of the local institutions that has helped make Santa Cruz County into a very special place, indeed. I speak from personal experience. My entire family has benefitted from the education that Cabrillo College provides. Lots of other families can say the exact same thing! Cabrillo is, as the name states, a true “community” college, and it makes education available to all of us, to every one of us – and at every stage of our lives.
Cabrillo is where I learned Spanish, when I was almost fifty years old, and Cabrillo is where my son took courses he needed to advance his career. My daughter got a very good start in life in Cabrillo’s outstanding Early Childhood Education preschool. Her son, my grandson, will soon be in high school, and he is already planning to take some courses at Cabrillo, to get him beyond high school, and ready for a four-year university. I am now teaching in the Legal Studies Program at UCSC, and I am very much impressed by the diverse and motivated students that Cabrillo College is sending up to that City on a Hill!
Here is the problem that some find with Measure R: it will cost us money! If you think you can get everything for free on the Internet (even a bogus education at PragerU), maybe the fact that it will cost us money will seem like a real strike against Measure R. The amount of money being requested will mean less than 2% of the average total of our property tax bills, but Measure R will cost us money. This is not a deal killer for me!
I come from parents who taught me that “you get what you pay for,” and that has, in fact, been my personal experience. If we want to continue and build upon the wonderful work that Cabrillo College has done, and is doing in this community, we need to continue to invest. In the case of Measure R, I think we get a lot for our investment. The fact sheets I have seen indicate that the funds produced by Measure R will not only rennovate and upgrade many aging campus facilities, specifically including the Library, but that these funds will also let Cabrillo build a new science building on the main campus and a new public service training center in Watsonville.
Deciding to borrow money (and that’s what a bond act is) always requires some thought. If you borrow money and don’t invest it wisely, you are worse off than before. You don’t have much of value to show for your money, and you’re deeper in debt. I think that investing in our premier institution of community education is an investment worth making, and that is why I voted “YES” on Measure R.
YES on “R.” That’s my view about that one!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. New (old) subconscious goodness next week.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Lisa reviews a trilogy of books by Robin Hobbs. She says “Reviewing one book at a time would be like writing a film review after only seeing one third of the movie”, so you can find reviews of all three — this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com). ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz-Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
Medieval finger loop braiding! This looks like a lot of fun 🙂
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
Batteries
“Marriage has no guarantees. If that’s what you’re looking for, go live with a car battery.”
~Erma Bombeck
“I feel that sin and evil are the negative part of you, and I think it’s like a battery: you’ve got to have the negative and the positive in order to be a complete person.”
~Dolly Parton
“Without vision, even the most focused passion is a battery without a device.”
~Ken Auletta
“I think of the sun as my battery, my charger.” ~Alexis Ren
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Bruce is unavailable this week, but we still have GREENSITE… with thoughts on the Recall… KROHN… Bernie and the recall… STEINBRUNER… continues campaigning – watch 2 videos! PATTON… on the the Corona virus… EAGAN… entertains and provokes as always… JENSEN… on Santa Cruz Shakespeare this season… UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… on being clever
BOARDWALK TRAIN AND BUS ACCIDENT. August 16, 1954. No explanations for this one. Either the bus driver parked wrong or took off at exactly the wrong moment. Do note how neat and clean the lawn at the Cocoanut Grove was “back in the day”.
Bruce is gone for a little while longer, but our other intrepid contributors are still contributing, so here is this week’s column.
February 17th 2020
The Recall
If slick mailers with manipulated information have any effect, then the campaign to recall city council members Drew Glover and Christopher Krohn has gained a lead. The latest expensive mailer from the pro-recall camp is expertly crafted. Its layout is a graphic designer’s dream. Its playing fast and loose with the truth is worthy of a Trump medal of honor.
To realize you are being manipulated you have to have read the source material and few have done that. Had they read the Rose Report they would know that only 2 complaints against the council members were substantiated and neither rose to the level of gender harassment. You’d never know that from the mailer. Seriously, a (inaudible on the tape of the meeting) laugh or smirk from Krohn directed at a senior staffer warrants a formal complaint and a recall? Harsh words from Glover directed at a councilmember who overstayed her time in a conference room warrant a formal complaint and a recall? To add context, the senior staffer is married to the lawyer who lost his contract with the city over his inappropriate (some might say racist) remarks about Glover during the court hearing over the Ross camp. That connection could be seen as a conflict of interest if the campaign against the two men were not already steeped in special interests. The harsh words by Glover were never weighed against the aggrieved council member leaping up and pounding the table at a subsequent council meeting, yelling that no-one should call her a racist since she has been an out lesbian for 30 years. Then there was the past Mayor’s speech in public at a council meeting accusing the two men of harassment, bullying and sexism…or that is what she was told by her friends…with no right of response from Glover or Krohn. Add to the mix the totally inappropriate entrance of the chair and some members of the city Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women calling for censure of the two men, which morphed into gossip that the two men were guilty of sexual assault (how could that not be an assumption coming from that commission) and you have all the markings of a kangaroo court.
That there is big money behind the recall from outside real estate and developer interests is well documented. There is also a groundswell of pro-recall support from residents with no ties to outside interests. The anti-recall activists focus understandably on the former. I think it also important to acknowledge the latter. The larger picture that gives energy to the recall is the challenge to vested interests that the new council majority poses. For the first time in decades, developers are facing push back at city hall. Some writers such as Stephen Kessler and others claim that all current, recent and past city council members are environmentalists and progressives and this is but a far-left issue. From my experience that shows a lack of observation. All developments, including the out of scale and just plain ugly, have received council majority support…until now. Not even a noble Redwood tree, nor a beautiful Sequoia, supported by the city arborist, could be saved under prior city councils. I’ve been to council with tree appeals and never had a majority vote to save a heritage tree…until now. The new majority has upped the number of below market rate units required in new developments and committed to protecting small businesses and neighborhoods from over development. If neighbors understood their self-interests, as distinct from landlord or developer interests, they would be less swayed by pro-recall passions.
What has captured the passion for the recall by non-developer interests and should not simply be rejected as lies and manipulation is the houseless issue. With the court ruling on Boise that a city cannot criminalize those sleeping outside if there are insufficient beds for inside sleeping and with our SCPD allowing such outdoor camping, it was a perfect storm for the two council members who campaigned on helping the houseless to become scapegoats for the growing number of outdoor camps. The attempt by the progressive majority to locate suitable sites was hamstrung by the city staff’s limited selection presented. Glover then became a focal point of hostility for choosing one of the sites that staff selected, the site near Depot Park. That the city has made no progress in 20 years on finding an adequate site for overnight sleeping for the houseless yet in a few months found a site for a Warriors Stadium says a lot about priorities.
Neighbors are outraged over the daily spectacle of tents, bike parts, garbage and discarded needles on sidewalks, parks and beaches. Whether they should be is a matter of opinion. It is this outrage that is fuelling the recall campaign and the developers are laughing all the way to the bank.
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.
February 18, 2020
Bernie and the Recall
Could we really be experiencing a series of “Bernie Moments” right here in Santa Cruz? The mainstream establishment Democratic party and members of the media who routinely support those that have get more and those that don’t have should shut up values are lashing out at Bernie Sanders after he won the popular vote in Iowa and New Hampshire. For progressive Santa Cruz, what’s not to like in Bernie: free tuition at state schools, Medicare for All, $15 bucks an hour minimum wage, an end to cash bail system, implementing the Green New Deal, and perhaps his number one issue will be to focus on working with the world community to mitigate climate change. Of course, taxing the wealthy to pay for it all is really what scares the bejesus out of the comfortable main stream and upper class, a distinct U.S. minority, when talk of a Sanders Presidency turns toward reality. The more conservative pundits on the editorial page of the New York Times are awash in fear and their current writing yields a series of scare tactics to try and tamp down the notion of Bernie getting into the white house. He and his volunteer army are fighting back on digital, print, neighborhood-by-neighborhood fronts as he heads into Nevada, South Carolina, and then “Super Tuesday” and California’s large delegate treasure trove. Paul Krugman’s take, “Bernie Sanders Isn’t a Socialist,” he’s a Danish-style “social democrat,” but if he continues calling himself a Socialist he will give Trump every piece of political cold war ammunition he needs to defeat the Democrats in November. Ross Douthat, an almost real conservative, puts forward “The Bloomberg Temptation,” although somewhat critical of Michael Bloomberg this piece is yet more free ad space for someone pretty adept at paying for advertisements. Thomas Friedman also chimed in supportively in, “Paging Michael Bloomberg.” Even liberal opinion writer, Timothy Egan was pretty blunt. “Bernie Can’t Win,” because he’s about “class loathing…” Egan writes “It feels good…but is ultimately self-defeating.” Most of these columnists say they will support Bernie if he wins the nomination, but we will see how vigorous that support is when he needs it. The other rightwing-ish Times’ contributor, Bret Stephens seems to loath Bernie’s values, but writes that Sanders can win because people just might believe he’s fighting a “rigged” system. Is Stephens goading Bernie supporters?
Enter the Santa Cruz Recall
I’ve been mentioning to everyone from the beginning, please follow the money in this recall process. And the money has been flowing in since the 2018 election to recall members of the Brand New Council majority. It’s flowed from real estate interests as far away as Chicago, from builders in Arizona, from the California Apartment Association, and many realtors and market rate housing developers right here on the Central Coast. Some folks say it is about personality clashes, but it is and always has been about $THE MONEY$. Of course, there are personality differences and that will happen on a 7-member city council, but it is the policy differences that really matter. With respect to the current make-up of the Santa Cruz City Council there are three African Americans, four women, and one out-lesbian. I believe it is an amazing and special city council and one that might make our community proud. BUT, there are many, many policy divergences and negotiating through those contrasting views and finally voting is what makes democracy unique. The attacks, misinformation, and non-media reporting that is happening to the policy issues Bernie Sanders is putting forward is not unlike what the current council is wading through. May I take the liberty of substituting a list of the local naysayers of the current council because it is not unlike Bernie’s detractors in the national media. I refer to local tabloid Msgrs. Primack, Coonerty, Rotkin, Kessler, and Pierce. The attacks have been unrelenting and the storylines follow a pattern that looks like nothing this council is doing could possibly be serving the needs of Santa Cruzans. Collectively, their narratives support the Recall storyline and come in the guise of the personal he said-she, but they are really attacks on our political views, which in this town always come back to developer schemes, rent burden, UCSC growth, and the plight of the houseless. Let’s talk about those issues.
What’s Been Done
This council majority passed 1) a 20% inclusionary ordinance, which means that 20% of all housing construction must be affordable; 2) a resolution making all downtown employees eligible for free bus passes won the day; and 3) space was found for Kaiser-Permanente to have a new home on two floors of the Cooper House at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street. These were all 4-3 votes on what became some pretty hot political issues, which together include pages out of the national political narrative of housing, transportation, and medical care. In addition, the council majority brought forward resolutions supporting the Amah Mutsun Band reacquiring land that was stolen; making cultivation and possession of psilocybin the lowest priority of law enforcement; support for a UCSC graduate student Teaching Assistant COLA; and getting the city to work with unions on a Community/Project Labor Agreements, PLAs. None of these last four issues would likely have seen the light of day on a Santa Cruz City Council agenda if we did not have a Brand New Council majority. I urge folks to consider this: voters may not necessarily want seven Drew Glovers or seven Chris Krohn’s on the city council, but one of each might just be the ingredient in achieving real people power and real local democracy. Just as Bernie is constantly fighting for political daylight, transparency, and truth, we will continue that struggle as well, on or off the council.
Final Note
It comes from an email Lee Brokaw sent out to both soothe the activist soul and fire up the NO RECALL troops.
Let’s count the ways we are different:
Erica’s poster contest [a great success at the Palomar]
several [music] concerts
[Community-Council and No Recall] plenary meetings
No Recall steering committee meetings
City Councilmember kitchen cabinet meetings
town hall meetings [held on the eastside and westside]
community TV programs with Steve Pleich
canvassing [neighborhoods all over Santa Cruz]
peacefully, respectfully standing at Whole Foods with the No Recall banner
Weekly farmer’s market tabling
tabling at MLK event
working on campus
lawn sign campaign!!!!!
mailing party get-togethers
letters to the editor
op/ed pieces [Patton, Simonton, Gratz, Urban, and Mayor Cummings all at NoRecall.org]
speaking [truth to power consistently] at City Council meetings.
What we’ve done are all positive actions; truthful promotions as opposed to lies.
I haven’t heard that the other side has done anything like what we do. They appear to prefer to dance with the devil (NextDoor)…rock on devil worshipers! We’ve run an honorable campaign and have every reason to hold our heads high, shoulders back, standing erect, knowing that ‘the truth will set you free’, AND we ARE! Our hands are clean and we have no reason to feel less than honorable, as time will prove, the other side will be contaminated by their vitriol.
If there is a God, I trust that She will balance the table.
Thanks Erica for the summary!
AOC Tweet of the Week
I carry the above discussion over to my Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweet from July but rings ever truer if you link the debate in Washington with the debate in Santa Cruz. My comments are in italics. (from July 14, 2019)
“You know what we’re going to do tomorrow? Same thing we do every week. Fight for:
Living wages & unions
The current council majority worked to raise the salaries of the city’s lowest paid workers and not with major pushback from some entrenched mainstream Dems. In addition, we put forward a community benefits labor agreement which promotes union membership in our community.
A humane border
We have a sanctuary city ordinance that actually has some teeth!
Healthcare + edu as rights
We supported Kaiser expansion downtown and graduate students receiving a cost of living adjustment (cola4all campaign).
Loosening the grip of corp lobbyists on our democracy
Support for campaign finance reform, fighting corporate real estate interests while promoting rent control and just-cause eviction, and support for tenant free-speech rights are all progressive issues this city council majority fights for.
They can stay busy defending racism. We’ve got things to do.”
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
IT’S TIME FOR A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IN THE SECOND DISTRICT!
That’s the consensus as I travel around the Second District, meeting with constituents. People are fed up with being ignored and their concerns diminished, they are tired of traveling on congested roads that are falling apart, and just really want a new outlook on the solutions possible to get something done.
The League of Women Voters has reconsidered the unfortunate decision to cancel a forum last week that would have allowed voters to learn more about District 1 and District 2 County Supervisor candidates, as well as Measure R and the local school bonds. Oddly, when Supervisor Friend told the leader of the League that he may have a conflict, she cancelled the entire forum! Luckily, two women who are determined to uphold the goals of the League (to educate voters) convinced them to organize another forum opportunity in Capitola, hopefully some time next week. Stay tuned for the date. www.becky4countysupervisor.com
TWO GOOD INTERVIEWS TO WATCH!
I really want to thank Community Television for respectfully granting me interview time when I recently requested equal time commensurate with what the station had given Supervisor Zach Friend in late December, 2019.
Take a look at two recent interviews on Community Television:
Voices of the Village with Host Steve Pleich
and Community Cafe with host Datta Khalsa – Broker/Owner Main Street Realtors
When you are done, go back and watch the beginning interview with Rick Longinotti – No on Recall.
MONTEREY BAY COMMUNITY POWER TO EXPAND SOUTH TO SANTA BARBARA AND POSSIBLY RAISE RATES
I had the opportunity to attend Monterey Bay Community Power Board meetings via teleconference last week, and learned that this Community-based power company will expand soon to incorporate areas all the way south to Santa Barbara, and will change it’s name as a result. Soon, the name will be changed to Central Coast Community Energy, and will include 32 jurisdictions.
The current multi-jurisdictional board met February 12 via teleconference for the first time, and included a contingent in Monterey at the main office, as well as a small group from Santa Barbara, along with those checking in from the Sequoia Conference room at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz. I observed and participated in the Governance Committee and Executive Committee meetings, both chaired by Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce McPherson, and then the Operations Board of Directors meeting, chaired by Mr. Rene Mendez, City Manager of Gonzales. Mr. Mendez cautioned the group about becoming so large as to considered a “utility”, and that legislators are beginning to watch more closely the actions of community-based power groups as a result.
I learned that Monterey Bay Community Power, while having a goal of 100% renewable energy supply, is currently only at 40%, because of heavy reliance on hydro-power, which is not considered renewable. I learned that the source of the solar power component is in Kern County and New Mexico. I learned that that company is purchasing a huge battery storage facility that will enable solar-generated power to be stored for night hour supply.
It seems that the future meetings will be again held via teleconference in the County Building. If you are interested in the power grid, and renewable energy supply organization, I encourage you to attend the next meeting. The CEO, Mr. Habashi, is paid over $27,000/month. Wow.
ANOTHER $1 MILLION STUDY FOR THE RAIL CORRIDOR
I attended both of the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) public open houses to gather input on the Rail Alternatives Study. The first was at the Live Oak Grange, and was so well-attended, I could not hear much of anything. Before it got too crowded, I did have the pleasure of meeting the fellow who is responsible for bringing the hydrogen fuel cell passenger train to the County in October. It will be free to ride for a little over a week, during business hours, and will go from about Jade Street Park in Capitola to the Boardwalk.
The second meeting was in the Watsonville Library meeting room, and was more sparsely attended. I had the ability to talk with one of the transportation engineers the RTC had brought from Berkeley about various options. He was not aware of the May, 2015 Rail Feasibility Study. Wow.
In many ways, it seemed like another perfunctory meeting, with multi-colored dots people could affix to their favorite or least-favorite idea (presenters said the color of the dot did not matter…huh?) and people could affix post-it notes on maps with ideas for station locations. Will any of those dots and post-its actually matter? Or will there need to be yet another study?
Honestly, it is just time to get a crushed roadbase trail in so SOMEONE can start using this gem in any fashion at all. Contact the RTC with your thoughts. The next meeting is March 5.
SIXTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEALS ACCEPTED CASE AGAINST SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT
Last week, the Sixth District Court of Appeal formally agreed to accept the transfer of my appeal against Soquel Creek Water District for many alleged violations and inadequate environmental analysis regarding their proposed project to inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water into the drinking water supply of the Midcounty. This is good news. The District’s counsel from Riverside asked for and was granted calendar preference. Now comes the arduous task of designating the record of materials for appeal review. Stay tuned. Appeals Case H047733 in Court of Appeal.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT CUSTOMERS WILL PAY OVER $3.2 MILLION FOR NEW PROPERTY NOT EVEN WITHIN DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
The Board will most likely approve the $3.2 million price tag for the land at 2505 Chanticleer at Soquel Avenue for a place to build the advanced sewage effluent treatment plant in Live Oak. (see page 107 for Item #7.3)
This would be the location of the treatment plant housing a number of hazardous chemicals needed for the disinfection and system maintenance processes. The District failed to notify in writing 30 days in advance the schools within one-quarter mile that the Project was going to be approved and the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was final and to be certified by the Board. That is why the Live Oak Community did not know about this project proposed for their neighborhood by a water company that does not serve them. This is part of my legal case before the Court of Appeal.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT CUSTOMERS WILL PAY NEARLY $5.1 MILLION FOR TREATMENT PLANT PIPE LINE CONVEYANCE DESIGN IN AREAS OUTSIDE OF DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
The Board will most likely approve $5,058,583 contract with Garney/Kennedy Jenks to design the pipeline conveyance system that would take treated sewage effluent from the Santa Cruz City Sewage Treatment Facility all the way to the 2505 Chanticleer Avenue treatment plant, and send the contaminant brine back via a separate pipeline to be dumped into the Monterey Bay. This is in Item 7.4 that begins on page 134 of the 2/18/20 Board agenda.
It would also include another nearly equal amount of pipe and pumping stations to the three proposed injection wells, one of which has already been built at Twin Lakes Baptist Church and was approved and put out to bid before the PureWater Soquel Project EIR was certified.
There is little discussion about the environmental mitigations required for all those 18 stream crossings, and potential damage to multiple historic structures adjacent to vibratory horizontal drilling areas (nothing at all until page 164). I see no mention of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, or the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The pipelines are estimated to be 23,650LF each for conveyance of tertiary treated water to the advance treatment facility, and the same for the brine return. The pipeline is estimated to be 23,800LF from the advanced treatment facility to the three injection wells. The EIR states that the cleaning effluent from the injection wells would go either into the creeks or the sanitary sewer. That is not discussed in this conveyance design description.
Garney Pacific (dba Garney) is at 324 E. 11th Street, Suite E2, Tracy, CA 95876; phone (925) 800-1848.
Perhaps we should contact them and ask about these critical issues. Rest assured, the Soquel Creek Water District Board, which just took action to reduce the public comment time on agenda items, will not be inclined to answer any questions from the public.
COASTAL COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER PERMIT APPLICATION FOR SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S PROJECT PROPOSAL
The Coastal Commission will consider a permit application by Soquel Creek Water District for a consolidated permit for the proposed Project to inject treated sewage water into the aquifer. The Coastal Commission will review the application during the March 11-13 meeting scheduled to occur in Scotts Valley. Here are the rules for sending comment and public testimony.
Ms. Mow Schumacher discussed outreach efforts for the Pure Water Soquel Project, specifically outreach needed for the Coastal Commission hearing, conveyance pipeline and treatment designbuild.
Also at the recent Infrastructure Committee meeting (page 61 of the 2/18/20 Board agenda):
Ms. Mow Schumacher and Mr. Dufour provided an update on the Pure Water Soquel (PWS) Project, discussing the Coastal Commission hearing, conveyance pipeline, treatment designbuild and grant funding.
CALIFORNIA SENATE FELLOWS PROGRAM
Here is a great opportunity for students of any age interested in government to intern and receive monthly stipend of $2,698 and health, dental and vision benefits, paid university enrollment and student fees for units in the Political Science Dept., Graduate Certificate in Applied Policy and Government, and student loan deferment. You can find more information here.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING OR CANDIDATE FORUM. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THIS WEEK BY JUST DOING SOMETHING.
Cheers,
Becky Steinbruner
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.
Pictured here is a new and novel coronavirus. This new virus first appeared in Wuhan, China, and is now being found in other locations around the world. The illness caused by the virus can be life threatening. A couple of the first United States cases of the illness caused by the virus were located in San Jose, California.
It is fair to say that there is great concern about the deadly nature of this new virus. The photo below, showing the streets of Wuhan, China on February 3, 2020, indicates just how much those at the epicenter of this new viral outbreak have been trying to avoid exposure. The picture is from The Atlantic, and if you click this link you can see even more photographs that demonstrate just how afraid of human contact people in Wuhan, China have become.
On February 8, 2020, The New York Times ran a story that discussed how this new coronavirus might spread, and outlined six different factors that will be important with respect to our ability to prevent a worldwide epidemic. The upshot is that human contact, one on one, can lead to the very rapid dissemination of new pathogens, like this new coronavirus. The process is commonly described by the phrase “going viral,” but that phrase is now also used in non-medical contexts, for instance, to talk about how fast a “meme,” like one showing our president having a bad hair day, will sweep through the Internet.
I teach a class at the University of California, Santa Cruz called “Privacy, Technology, And Freedom,” and we definitely discuss the “going viral” phenomenon in the non-medical context. Class discussion focuses often how social media can make various kinds of information (and misinformation) “go viral,” and what the social, economic, and political conseequences of that phenomenon can be. Any reader of this blog who is not familiar with the phenomenon, or with Zeynep Tufekci, might enjoy watching Tufekci’s TED Talk called, “How the internet has made social change easy to organize, hard to win.”
Tufekci is an associate professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina, and is a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University; she is a monthly contributor to The New York Times op-ed page on topics related to technology’s social impact. She was present at a number of the demonstrations that initiated the “Arab Spring,” in 2011, and she identifies these demonstrations as prime examples of how the Internet has made it possible for political protests to “go viral” very quickly.
While Tufekci celebrates how the Internet and social media have made it possible quickly to organize demonstrations and protests – by making it easy for news to “go viral” and create almost immediate responses – she also observes that this “going viral” process, when based on the Internet, may not lead to any enduring social, political, or economic change. Listening to her talk about this is very much recommended for anyone who hopes to be part of a movement for social and political change in the United States. In fact, says Tufekci, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, kicking off one of the great battles of the Civil Rights Movement, is a pre-internet model of how more durable and effective protests can lead to change. The Internet, as she puts it, makes it “easy to organize” social protest, but makes it hard actually to accomplish substantive change.
As I have been reading about the coronavirus, and how it is spreading, I have also been remembering Tufekci’s admonitions not to rely too heavily on the Internet and social media to make enduring social, political, or economic change. We do need to make it possible for protests and demonstrations to “go viral,” but as the person-to-person nature of the current health crisis demonstrates, it is not necessary to rely solely on the Internet and social media to achieve that objective.
Person-to-person contacts are what causes diseases, like the coronavirus, to “go viral.”
Same thing is true for making political change. Person-to-person contacts are what will do it!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
Lisa writes: “Heads up, Shakespeare fans! Our own Santa Cruz Shakespeare has announced its lineup for this year’s summer festival season — and since it revolves around two of my favorite Shakespeare plays, I could not be more excited! To find out which two, check out — this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com). ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
[From the webmistress: Bruce is not back yet, so I’m leaving you his opinions on the movies from last week. Mea culpa if anything is no longer playing! Take the list as guidance for what to rent ;)]
THE TWO POPES. Anthony Hopkins plays Pope Benedict XVI, and Jonathan Pryce is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Based on a terribly troubled time in the Catholic Church — namely 2005 — these two leaders argue and discuss personal and public issues that become completely absorbing. Yes, child abuse is in there too. Just to watch these two master actors is a reminder of what and where good acting can take audiences. Go see it, but do hurry.
UNCUT GEMS. 92 RT. Adam Sandler is amazingly perfect in this role of a New York City jeweler/gambler who risks his family and his own life to make a quick (two days) bundle of money on a gem sale. You will never forget Sandler in this film. Exciting, tense, and believable. Don’t miss it. Sandler’s acting talent is surprising, especially when we have become so used to his comedy roles.
1917Do not see this film if you expect to watch much of Benedict Cumberbatch. IF he’s in it more than 2 minutes I’ll eat my helmet!!! I also wouldn’t give this movie ANY ” best of” awards, and am surprised at what it’s won so far. It’s the story of two foot soldiers slogging through, under and around enemy lines to deliver an important life saving message. It’s an impressive hunk of movie making, and yet it won’t really draw you into the story. 89RT
JUST MERCY. A fine film starring Jamie Foxx, Michael Jordan, and an excellent role for Tim Blake Nelson. A true story about a guy (Foxx) being sentenced to the chair for a crime he didn’t do. This sounds like a dozen films we seen before BUT it’s better, go see it. 99RT.
MARRIAGE STORY. A fine and well acted film about a show biz couple, their children , divorce, and some odd choices by Scarlett Johansson the wife to Adam Driver’s husband. Laura Dern does her best role in decades. Alan Alda and Ray Liotta have some small scenes. You are guaranteed to relive some of your own poor choices in your marriage too! 84 audience score on RT.A Netflix production.
JOJO RABBIT. Centered on Nazi Germany, this is very rare political comedy with funny scenes. A little boy has Adolf Hitler as an invisible buddy. Scarlett Johansson plays the little boy’s mom, and does one of very finest acting jobs, ever. Hitler and the screwed up political/ military scene will make you think of Trump and our own screwed up political/ military scene. A wonderful and rare film, do not miss it!!
PARASITE. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho outdid his other international screen successes with Parasite. Wikipedia calls it a dark comedy thriller and so do I. It’s winning awards everywhere and deserves them all. There’s brain surgery, murder, basement dwellers, numerous surprises, even some shocks and well worth your seeing it ASAP.
AERONAUTS. Felicity Jones plays a very cute and Disney like character matching Eddie Redmayne’s equally sweet and nerdy partner in this supposedly true story of an early hot air balloon ascension in Britain’s Victorian age in 1862. It’s cute, some funny parts a bit scary due to heights of the balloon. Being such a cute movie… they actually changed the sex of the person accompanying Redmayne , it was really a male friend of his. It’s on Amazon.
STAR WARS. THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. 54 RT. George Lucas’ Star Wars empire started 42 years ago with wildly clever and intelligent twists and an absolutely brilliant story line. We watched politely while some sad sequels stained our screens, now thanks to Disney buying and producing this concluding finale we have an ending to the saga that isn’t worth your time or expectations. Trite, predictable, and sad to see our old heroes and heroines suffer with a plot as dull and unrewarding as this one. You have to go if you’ve seen more than one of the series…just don’t expect to be satisfied with the conclusion.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz- Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
I spent last weekend in Nevada, making fireworks. Yes, you read that right! I hope to have some video of my own for next week, but for now I give you an amazing tribute that went up at Winter Blast last year. This guy is the reason there’s a golden willow in the animated Disney logo.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
Being clever
“I’m different,” said the Kid. “My gran always said I was half clever, half stupid, and half crazy.”
~Charlie Higson, The Enemy
“Plenty of clever children have to pretend to be not clever or else they get bullied by the thick.”
~Tom Baker, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs
“When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.”
~Theodore Roosevelt
“When did you get so clever?”
“When I realized I wasn’t as clever as I thought.” ~John Connolly, The Infernals
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Bruce is unavailable this week, but we still have GREENSITE… on Costa Rica… KROHN… UCSC protest, and the March 3rd election STEINBRUNER… continues campaigning – dates where you can see her PATTON… on the Iowa caucus EAGAN… entertains and provokes as alwaus JENSEN… on Oscars UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… on fireworks
THE WORLD FAMED “JUPITER” LOCOMOTIVE. This engine was owned by the Santa Cruz Railroad Company and ran both board feet of lumber and bored tourists around our county circa 1878. It has been prominently displayed in the Smithsonian Institute since 1976.
Color Movie of 1955 Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Valley, Watsonville, a Ton of old businesses
LATTE BREAKING NEWS
ERRETT CIRCLE CHURCH. Joe Michalak, Chair, Historic Preservation Commission:
I read Sue Powell’s letter in Bratton Online (February 7th) and want to comment on it. The substance of her letter implies that the HPC was in cahoots with the developers. There was no conspiracy at work here.
As Chair of the Commission, I felt no pressure from either the developers, the Planning Department staff, or any commissioner to vote for or against finding the structure eligible for listing on the Historic Building Survey or as a landmark. I based my decision solely on a thorough analysis of the criteria for designating historic properties developed by the Secretary of the Interior, the State of California, Office of Historic Preservation, and the local criteria as stated in the municipal code. This criteria was applied to the Garfield Park Christian Church building.
The Commission did not consider the church building as a contributing structure within the context of a historic district. By ordinance, a historic district requires the approval of sixty percent of the property owners and an evaluation of each structure within the boundaries of the district. Socioeconomic values could be a consideration in this context. In addition to the HPC, the Planning Commission and City Council must approve historic district designation. Also, to correct Sue Powell’s statement, Jessica Kusz was not recused. She had an excused absence because of illness.
The future of historic preservation in the City of Santa Cruz will be even more difficult as housing demands and visitor accommodations compete. The battles to save McHugh–Bianchi and La Bahia are not forgotten. The HPC continues to seek more involvement at the earliest stage of the proposed demolition of historic structures.
Joe Michalak
February 10th 2020
Costa Rica: A Trip of a Lifetime
It was a luxury to be sure to escape local politics for ten days on a trip to Costa Rica. Coordinated by local expert birder and teacher, Nanci Adams and arranged through Roads Scholar, it was for me a trip of a lifetime. Apart from following the politics of Central America in the 1980’s I had little awareness and no first hand knowledge of this part of the world. Who knew that such a beautiful, peaceful country with the highest density bio-diversity in the world lay so close? Well apparently many people do know that but I didn’t. What I absorbed during my brief stay is only a tiny glimpse of the complex whole but it whetted my appetite for more.
A young, 20 year old sacred kapok tree
in the heart of San Jose, Costa Rica
There is no doubt that the natural beauty and wildlife of Costa Rica are its main attractions with its 850 species of birds, 1250 of butterflies, 8000 of moths plus iguanas, monkeys, insects, snakes and sloths. What is exemplary is the Costa Rican effort and determination to protect this natural world. Despite decades of deforestation, a hallmark of commercial agriculture and grazing, largely to fill the post war US demand for beef, reforestation is robust and making a difference. There are laws against changing the use of the land. If it is forest, it can’t be converted to grazing for example. Of course there are variances and some who ignore the law but reversing the environmental damage from the past is a top priority shared by most as a necessary good. Large tracts of land previously under coffee are being reclaimed with sustainable small- scale organic farming and much tree planting.
In addition to reveling in the beauty and interrelatedness of nature, I am curious about gender relations in different cultures. A lifetime of trying to figure out the causes and prevention of male violence towards women makes that enquiry second nature. In Malawi, where I went to give workshops on rape prevention education for teachers’ college students, upon learning that there are both matrilineal and patriarchal tribes in Malawi I was keen to find out if the former had less male violence than the latter and the answer is yes. Upon learning that Costa Rica abolished its armed forces in 1948 under the leadership of Jose Figueres Ferrer (who also nationalized its banking sector and granted women and Afro-Costa Ricans the right to vote) I was keen to observe if having no military was connected to a less aggressive male presence. The answer is yes. While connection is not causation, Bob Connell’s book, Masculinity, Violence and War makes a good case for their interrelationship.
Obviously I didn’t interview nor observe all men and sexual harassment is an issue on college campuses, as a large poster at the University of Costa Rica makes clear. However if you are observant, it is easy to spot cultural differences in expressions of masculinity. Driving behavior is one indication. With heavy traffic in the capitol, San Jose, the aggressive sound of horns and pushing in to get ahead was notable in its absence. The norm is to give way to let someone merge. A quick beep on the horn says gracias and an even shorter beep in reply says me gusta. This was the practice everywhere we drove. I havn’t dug into the details but it seems the rate of rape in Costa Rica is significantly lower than the US. I asked about male/female relations and the issue of equality. The tico good-humored response was that when it comes to men and women, the man always has the final word: yes.
When the armed forces were abolished, and they still are (although Costa Rica does allow the US to practice in its waters) the money spent on the military went into education. The largest class is the middle class with few extremes at either end. I saw no houseless people. San Jose is not predominantly a skyscraper, glass and steel city. There are mazes of narrow streets with bustling small businesses. I saw no garbage anywhere. There’s a conscious effort to avoid plastics. Water is safe to drink from any tap anywhere in Costa Rica, one of only two countries to be able to make that claim. The other is Chile.
While a local lefty activist may groan at this visitor’s idealized view of Costa Rica, I think it obvious that when national priorities are education and protection of the natural environment, rather than military aggression and extraction of resources, then the people will reflect and reinforce such values. Such is the case with Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
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.
February 11, 2020
Grads and Undergrad Students Shut Down UCSC
It took about a thousand students to shut down the West and East gates at UCSC this past Monday afternoon. Marching behind a “Faculty For COLA” banner around 70 staff and faculty marched down from the Quarry Plaza Bookstore area to the base of campus. They joined the graduate student group of about 500 who had been occupying the area around the “UC Santa Cruz” sign at the corner of High and Bay since early morning. The grad union has called for a Wildcat Strike, meaning it is unsanctioned by their union, the UAW, and graduate students have declared the housing situation a genuine crisis. For many, they are desperate and are striking to bring an immediate economic adjustment in an unforgiving rental market. Then, around 1pm a contingent of mostly undergraduates marched toward the same intersection from the Westside of campus. Total number of protesters swelled to around 1000. It was then collectively decided to launch into a spontaneous speaker’s corner. A bullhorn was passed around and an assortment of student, staff, faculty, and community speakers bore testimony about why they joined the Cola4All movement.
This March 3rd Election
Many reading the Majority Report this week have already received their March 3rd primary ballot. Over 60% of Santa Cruz voters are VBM-ers, Vote by Mail. The political fight is on full blast at the federal and local level and the stakes are high as we head towards the election. With Bernie Sanders at the top of the ticket fighting for Medicare for All, tuition-free state colleges, criminal justice reform, and a call for revolutionary change, Adam Bolaños Scow is running for a seat in the House of Representatives on essentially the same issues. No on Recalls is also turning into a movement and members are walking neighborhood by neighborhood with SC4Bernie, Bolaños Scow, Cola4All, and Democratic Socialist contingents. It is the formation of one big union working to get turnout in one big election, March 3rd. People are meeting at the Tabby Cat Cafe this Sat. and Sun. at 10a and 12noon to walk neighborhoods and get the word out about Bernie, Adam, No on the Recalls, and the Cola4All campaign. Please join us.
Comparing Ballot Statements, 2016 to 2020
I was reading my 2016 ballot statement recently. I was curious to see if I was adhering to it, or was I straying from what I said I would do once elected? Given the recall out there, I will let you the voter decide. This is what appeared in the Santa Cruz County 2016 voter guide: What really matters to Santa Cruz? Preserving the beauty of our town, while keeping it accessible.
I’m running for council to nurture the life and environment that Santa Cruz values most: protecting our green spaces, sustaining our water supply, supporting community gardens, strengthening public transit, and creating good-paying jobs and affordable housing to protect our most vulnerable residents. We can do this while maintaining the integrity of all neighborhoods, west and east of the river. To achieve these goals, we must bring openness back into the city council chambers. The public’s business must be done in public, not behind closed doors.
As an internship coordinator, I’ve helped thousands of students connect with environmental service. They reflect the energy and expertise available in our community. As a Santa Cruz councilmember and mayor over a decade ago, I witnessed commissions and committees meeting regularly and engaging in open decision-making. Together, we restored our urban river, with local business we rebuilt the Del Mar Theater, and we included truly affordable housing at the Tannery Arts Center. We can do more. Working together, great things are possible. Si se puede.
And, this year, 2020, after a lot of outside real estate and developer money bought a recall here is what I stand for: The City of Santa Cruz is swept up in a well-funded, multi-city, developer-backed campaign to remove elected leaders with records of standing up for tenants and neighborhoods. These interests are targeting me because I ask for expansive neighborhood input on development proposals, I fight for low-income housing, and I defend preservation of neighborhoods – including our urban tree canopy.
Resisting entrenched interests, the council majority elected in 2018 passed an ordinance that requires developers to provide 20% affordable units in new construction. We increased access to medical services for downtown residents. We passed a climate emergency declaration and secured support for tenant legal services. Our council majority created emergency shelter funding to support people seeking housing and employment, and I led the effort to increase the wages of the lowest-paid city workers.
What will the recall do to Santa Cruz? If voters do not take a stand, the pay-off for real estate and developer interests will be green-lighting high-density luxury development with few affordable units for working families, and our main library will be moved into a new, unwanted six-story garage, displacing our popular Farmer’s Market. My bottom line: Santa Cruz is not for sale! Please vote NO on both recalls.
This is the richest country on Earth. Everyone should have health care. Everyone should live in dignity. No exceptions. (Feb. 10)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
CAMPAIGN FOR COUNTY SUPERVISOR IS GOING VERY WELL!
It is humbling to have such broad community support for my candidacy for Second District County Supervisor. It is clear that people are tired of the dismissive attitude toward the public that local elected official in general seem to display, especially in the Second District. It is definitely time for a fresh change, and I will work hard for the people.
This is a true grassroots campaign. Thanks to a friend, I have a working website: Join our movement now!
I will be at:
FRIDAY, FEB 14
Peet’s Coffee in the Rancho del Mar Center in Aptos this Friday, February 14, 6pm-8pm,
SATURDAY, FEB. 15:
Cabrillo Farmer’s Market, 8am-noon, on the driveway edge of the Market nearest Porter Gulch Road side.
Pacific Coffee Roasting in Aptos,(7554 Soquel Dr., Aptos Center) 1pm-3pm, outside on the patio.
El Patio Grocery in La Selva Beach (312 Playa Boulevard), 4pm-6pm
SUNDAY, FEB. 16:
Peet’s Coffee in Capitola, near Nob Hill Market, 11am-1pm
Blossom’s Farmstore and Coffee Shop (intersection of Corralitos Rd. and Freedom Blvd.), 2pm-4pm
COUNTY FIRE ELECTION PROCESS IS WORRISOME
On January 28, the County Board of Supervisors approved a new tax on all rural properties that may drive some on fixed income out of their homes. For some, this new fire protection tax means thousands of dollars on top of what they are already paying.
How irresponsible, when the County receives over $18 million every year from State Prop. 172 Public Safety sales tax monies, yet this Board refuses to give one penny of it to fund County Fire protection.
I spent much of last week reviewing the ballots. It is troubling. Did the Paradise Park ballots get counted twice? Why did the ballots received on January 14 that were postmarked January 9 not even get opened because they arrived too late, after the close of public hearing (first on the agenda)? The Election Dept. marked the mail “Received” that day at 12:40pm, when ballots received in the mail for the following four days were marked “Received” at 10am or earlier?
Here is what the Secretary of State website has to say about acceptance of mailed ballots:
State law requires that vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by county elections officials no later than 3 days after Election Day must be processed.
Why is the Director of General Services now tasked with the title of “Custodian of the Ballots”, keeping the ballots in his office, rather than the Election Department’s secure location?
It is all very troubling, and yet there appears to be no relief for the public who questions the veracity of this process other than to take legal action. The General Services and County Counsel refuse to answer my question about any appeal process, other than to advise I hire a lawyer. I asked the Clerk of the Board, who in the past has sent me information about the referendum process to reverse Board actions, but here is what she replied:
“Since the Board of Supervisors certified the vote and approved the assessment on January 28th, there will be no further hearings on this matter in front of the Board, as far as I am aware, and I believe that any appeal of the Board’s actions would have to be pursued through the courts.”
Well, here we go again. The lack of responsive and transparent government will cause further legal action because once again, the public is left with no other choice but to be reactive.
COUNTY’S HYDROGEN FUEL CELL PASSENGER TRAIN PILOT PROJECT POSTPONED
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) plans to bring a pilot hydrogen fuel cell passenger train to the County to see if people would accept it, and then most likely approve a special tax to support it. That train was to have arrived here this month, but has been postponed to October.
THE ROAD TO NISENE MARKS STATE PARK WILL IMPROVE
For those who travel to Nisene Marks State Park, and worry about damaging your bikes and autos, take heart! Relief is on the way! Recently, I received the following good news from Parks Director Mr. Chris Spohrer:
“We have an upcoming paving contract that specifies 3,000 square feet of critical asphalt overlay work on the entrance road. This work, along with pot hole repairs will occur as drying occurs and the contract is finalized. This is by no means a comprehensive asphalt overlay project but will help with the worst of the deferred maintenance.”
He also reported that staff is working on improving the problematic parking situation soon.
WATER TRANSFERS PAUSED DUE TO SEASONAL DRY SPELL
The Santa Cruz City Water Commission heard a report last week from Director Rosemary Menard that the Surface Water Transfer Pilot Project with Soquel Creek Water District, in it’s second year, will be postponed until the area receives rainfall. We have often had dry spells in the winter months, and then receive copious rain later in the spring. The Pilot Project agreement is in effect until May 1, so stay hopeful.
Take a look at the good information at the Water for Santa Cruz website, showing historic water abundance:
MEASURE R WILL BRING YOU 32 YEARS OF DEBT
While I support Cabrillo College and education in general, I cannot support the Cabrillo College Measure R bond request that would burden property owners in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties for 32 years when it cannot be proven that the money would actually be spent on what the vague descriptions state would be accomplished.
The College has declining enrollment, and administrators want to do something to boost the numbers. While a plan to remodel chemistry, biology and anatomy labs is laudable, since those sorts of classes can’t be taken on-line, why not just do that, and add in some on-campus student housing to help bring up student numbers? Spending $23 Million to build a new fire and law enforcement training center in Watsonville makes no sense, since there is already a certified program for this at Monterey Peninsula College, as well as San Jose, and a training center on Empire Grade Road in Ben Lomond that is currently being renovated with taxpayer dollars?
Other school districts in the Bay Area are facing similar bond measure beatings, but at least some are for a shorter duration, and therefore less debt burden. Take a look
What about Santa Cruz County’s Measure S that would impose the maximum amount of debt on properties to fund the San Lorenzo Valley School District? Ouch.
Too many people are already moving out of the area because they cannot afford to live here….continuing to hike up property tax debt burden will only make that worse.
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.
#36 / Real Life: Isn’t There An App For That?
The news stories following the Iowa caucuses have frequently used the words “disaster,” and “disastrous,” to describe the inability of the Iowa Democratic Party to provide prompt and accurate voting results to the public. The following headlines are examples:
As I canvassed the news about what happened in Iowa (with a total vote count still not available), I paid particular attention to a discussion found in a bulletin published by The Atlantic. While The Atlantic did not use the word “disaster,” or “disastrous,” one of the headlines in the article did highlight a pertinent question:
There was an app for that. Did there need to be?
Counting votes at a political caucus doesn’t actually require any kind of internet connectivity. At a time when everyone is aware that the Internet is now an arena for political “hacking,” deciding to base the vote count on an unnecessary “app,” instead of using an ordinary sheet of paper, would seem to be contraindicated. Conspiracy theories have abounded, and frankly, there seems to be some justification for thinking that the particular “app” utilized in Iowa did originate with those who had a particular political agenda to pursue.
That question aside, I would like to propose that we think about the Atlantic’s question in a more general way. I want to suggest, in fact, that the question highlighted above has some applicability far beyond the question of whether we need “apps” as we take part in politics. More and more, we are being invited to participate in life by way of one “app” or another, as though we need an “app” to be able to interface with real life. Banking, shopping, meeting the partner of your dreams. Don’t you worry, “there’s an app for that.”
Almost always, as The Atlantic is suggesting, there actually “doesn’t need to be!” All these “apps” don’t really empower us, so much; they empower those who design and run the “apps,” which track and catalogue our every move, our every thought.
I am thinking that it is probably time for a new organizing effort:
People For An App-Free Future
When I find out where to sign up, I’ll let you know!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s comic down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
THE OTHER PLACE. The Jewell Theatre’s production of “The Other Place” (now though Feb. 16 –Colligan Theatre- Tannery) is a haven for anyone involved or immersed in Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or the so called prescription “cures“. Julie James plays the nearly charismatic business woman who goes through dementia episodes she can’t identify or deal with. The Other Place name most likely could refer to her going to the crazed, unexplained place of her demented seizures. It’s a very serious, one act play (1 ½ hours) and you’ll play it over and over again during your own questions of reality. Go see it.
Lisa writes: “It’s all over but the shouting (and the shrieks of gobsmacked delight) at the Oscars. But it really couldn’t be the Oscars without The Return of the (Dreaded) Oscar Barbies — oh no! Oh yes! — this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com). ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
[From the webmistress: Bruce is unavailable this week, so I’m leaving you his opinions on the movies from last week. Mea culpa if anything is no longer playing!]
THE TWO POPES. Anthony Hopkins plays Pope Benedict XVI, and Jonathan Pryce is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Based on a terribly troubled time in the Catholic Church — namely 2005 — these two leaders argue and discuss personal and public issues that become completely absorbing. Yes, child abuse is in there too. Just to watch these two master actors is a reminder of what and where good acting can take audiences. Go see it, but do hurry.
UNCUT GEMS. 92 RT. Adam Sandler is amazingly perfect in this role of a New York City jeweler/gambler who risks his family and his own life to make a quick (two days) bundle of money on a gem sale. You will never forget Sandler in this film. Exciting, tense, and believable. Don’t miss it. Sandler’s acting talent is surprising, especially when we have become so used to his comedy roles.
1917Do not see this film if you expect to watch much of Benedict Cumberbatch. IF he’s in it more than 2 minutes I’ll eat my helmet!!! I also wouldn’t give this movie ANY ” best of” awards, and am surprised at what it’s won so far. It’s the story of two foot soldiers slogging through, under and around enemy lines to deliver an important life saving message. It’s an impressive hunk of movie making, and yet it won’t really draw you into the story. 89RT
JUST MERCY. A fine film starring Jamie Foxx, Michael Jordan, and an excellent role for Tim Blake Nelson. A true story about a guy (Foxx) being sentenced to the chair for a crime he didn’t do. This sounds like a dozen films we seen before BUT it’s better, go see it. 99RT.
MARRIAGE STORY. A fine and well acted film about a show biz couple, their children , divorce, and some odd choices by Scarlett Johansson the wife to Adam Driver’s husband. Laura Dern does her best role in decades. Alan Alda and Ray Liotta have some small scenes. You are guaranteed to relive some of your own poor choices in your marriage too! 84 audience score on RT.A Netflix production.
JOJO RABBIT. Centered on Nazi Germany, this is very rare political comedy with funny scenes. A little boy has Adolf Hitler as an invisible buddy. Scarlett Johansson plays the little boy’s mom, and does one of very finest acting jobs, ever. Hitler and the screwed up political/ military scene will make you think of Trump and our own screwed up political/ military scene. A wonderful and rare film, do not miss it!!
PARASITE. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho outdid his other international screen successes with Parasite. Wikipedia calls it a dark comedy thriller and so do I. It’s winning awards everywhere and deserves them all. There’s brain surgery, murder, basement dwellers, numerous surprises, even some shocks and well worth your seeing it ASAP.
AERONAUTS. Felicity Jones plays a very cute and Disney like character matching Eddie Redmayne’s equally sweet and nerdy partner in this supposedly true story of an early hot air balloon ascension in Britain’s Victorian age in 1862. It’s cute, some funny parts a bit scary due to heights of the balloon. Being such a cute movie… they actually changed the sex of the person accompanying Redmayne , it was really a male friend of his. It’s on Amazon.
STAR WARS. THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. 54 RT. George Lucas’ Star Wars empire started 42 years ago with wildly clever and intelligent twists and an absolutely brilliant story line. We watched politely while some sad sequels stained our screens, now thanks to Disney buying and producing this concluding finale we have an ending to the saga that isn’t worth your time or expectations. Trite, predictable, and sad to see our old heroes and heroines suffer with a plot as dull and unrewarding as this one. You have to go if you’ve seen more than one of the series…just don’t expect to be satisfied with the conclusion.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz- Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
If you missed it, here’s that amazing halftime show again.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
Fireworks
“When you meet someone so different from yourself, in a good way, you don’t even have to kiss to have fireworks go off.”
~Lisa Schroeder, I Heart You, You Haunt Me
“And she learned that you couldn’t stockpile anything that mattered, really. Feelings, people, songs, sex, fireworks: they existed only in time, and when it was over, so were they.”
~Garth Risk Hallberg, City on Fire
“Spring is not a season; it is a mysterious illusionist who sets off fireworks in the depths of our soul!”
~Mehmet Murat ildan
“I ignite the wick, and the firework takes flight. In that moment, I wish my existence were as simple as being set on fire and exploding in the sky.”
~Adam Silvera, More Happy Than Not
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON…Errett Circle Church denied Historic preservation, plus response. GREENSITE…still in Guatemala. KROHN…Recall Candidates meeting notes, student rent rates, 555 Pacific Avenue. STEINBRUNER…County Supervisors forum, County Fire tax passes? Soquel Creek Water Bill, Voice of Voting exhibit. PATTON…about our City Recall EAGAN…classic cartoons. Jewell Theatre’s “The Other Place” review JENSEN…on the Oscars. BRATTON…critiques holdovers. UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… “CORONAVIRUS”
AERIAL VIEW CABRILLO COMMUNITY COLLEGE 1967. Anyone know why, and how, Cabrillo opened so close to the same time as UCSC? Was there a state pattern?
SANTA CRUZ’S HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION VOTED AGAINST SAVING ERRETT CIRCLE CHURCH AND PROPERTY.
It’s hard to believe that, after all these years, Santa Cruz City’s Historic Preservation Commission voted against historic designation for the Circle Church and property on Thursday night, January 30th. Because I’ve devoted so many inches of “print” here, and minutes on Universal Grapevine, I’m concerned that the rest of us get a more complete view of what happened. The church issue will come before the City Council, probably on February 25. I wrote to both Sue Powell, director of the Friends of the Circle Church community, and to Joe Michalak of the Historic Preservation Commission. Here’s her answer…
Two Commissioners – Ross Gibson and Jessica Kusz – were required to recuse themselves. Their absence was a big loss in terms of their potential influence in the public discussion among Commissioners and the resulting vote. Ross is a local historian and strong supporter of protecting the Circle Church. He wrote “Garfield Park Circles – A Neighborhood Context Statement”. This document fills 60 pages with fascinating historical information about the Circles Neighborhood and the Circle Church. Jessica Kusz is a historic preservation professional.
The Commissioners that oversaw the meeting were Chair Joe Michalak, Vice Chair Don Lauritson, Traci Bliss, Albert Narath, and Dennis Diego. Of these, three had been very interested in the Circle Church issue over the past year.
Joe Michalak, with Jessica Kusz, wrote an 11-page critique of the first developer-paid historic report for the 111 Errett Circle property. Albert Narath said at a few meetings that one very important criteria in historic preservation is the meaning that a site holds for neighbors and the community. Traci Bliss had been asking staff for over a year for the Commission to be able to review historic reports for unlisted structures over 50 years old that were threatened for demolition.
We expected a 3-2 vote in favor of preservation.
During public comments, one speaker requested a show of hands for those supporting protection and those supporting the developers. At least two-thirds of the hands raised came from supporters of historic designation. Developers claimed that of the letters sent to the Commission, 75 were supportive of the developers and 15 supported protection. However, neighbors and friends of the Circle Church submitted 1252 petition signatures. The Commission ignored our petitions.
Supporters of the development presented speeches that were full of misrepresentations, attacks on our community efforts to save the Church, and threats of lawsuits.
At the break after public comments, Commissioners chatted with pro-development attendees and ignored pro-preservation folks. When the meeting reconvened, Commissionersquestioned the historic consultants but did not delve into the many problems with the second historic report and did not challenge the socioeconomic bias in the report.
My analysis of the second historic report is that it was superficial and based on affluent values. Our group wanted to hire an independent consultant to analyze the site, but we did not have the $5000 that it would have required. A recent New Yorker article “The Fight to Preserve African-American History” discusses preservation trends that apply to the Circle Church and states, “In less affluent areas, designations are rare, and the same forces that are caustic for residents also corrode their history.”
Before the vote was taken, Commissioners stated that although they did not want to see historic structures demolished, they were unwilling to stand in the way of the development proposal because it is so far along. They said that they did not want to establish a precedent for blocking development.
The vote against preservation was unanimous, 5-0″. from Sue Powell Friends of the Circles.
Bratton opinion…In closing (for now). Just as a follow-up measure, the city council should appoint a community member to check on the new developers moving into The Errett Circle Church property every two years or so. They claim they are just folks who want nice homes for themselves in a nice neighborhood.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OPINION. To be nearly fair, I asked Joe Michalak, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission for his words on the Church topic. Joe wrote…
Thank you for asking for my comments on the Circles Church. Sometimes history progresses in circles rather than straight lines. The historic preservation movement began in 1974 with the demolition of the McHugh & Bianchi Building, the venerable grocery at the head of Pacific Avenue. The grassroots movement to preserve the building ended in the courts. The loss of the building, however, led to the establishment later that year of the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance and Commission. The first Historic Building Survey issued in 1976 included structures built prior to 1930. The second survey in 1989 included buildings up to 1950. Some historic buildings were lost in the 1989 earthquake, including the iconic Cooper House. No other demolitions were approved for a listed building until La Bahia in 2014. Despite opposition from the public, the Historic Preservation Commission approved demolition on a 4 to 2 vote, followed by a unanimous City Council vote.
Circles neighborhood opposition began to grow by 2018 when plans were presented for a housing development requiring demolition of the Garfield Park Christian Church located in the Errett circle. The sanctuary portion of the church completed in 1959 became eligible for review (based on the fifty-year rule) for listing on the Historic Building Survey in 2009. The two wings, however, would not have been eligible for evaluation until 2013, the same year v.III of the survey was approved by the Council. The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) approved the staff recommendation that the church was not eligible for listing as a landmark, which requires listing on the Historic Building Survey. The HPC recommended to the City Council that the space retain a focal point, create storyboards, interpreting significant historical elements of the Garfield Park neighborhood, and that the existing circular street pattern remain unchanged. The full audio recording of the public hearing citing the reasons why the building does not meet the standards for listing is available on the City’s website.
The Circle neighbors deserve recognition for the time, energy, and passion they exhibited in seeking to preserve the church. The packed auditorium for the hearing was extraordinary for the Commission. The Commission would hope that more citizens would become engaged in the City’s historic preservation program”. Joe Michalak Chair, Historic Preservation Commission February 3, 2020
GREENSITE’S INSIGHT. Gillian is in Guatemala for another week.
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild.
February 3
IN DUBIOUS BATTLE. (no apologies to Steinbeck!) In Dubious Battle? It was a chilly Friday evening outside the Santa Cruz Vets Hall on Front Street. Inside it was not much warmer as candidates, and would-be candidates for the Santa Cruz City Council milled around folding tables. On one side of the room, stage right, was filled with Peet’s takeout coffee and sourdough sandwiches. The fluorescent light made the room seem dank and uninviting. I am used to being here earlier when daylight streams through large rectangular windows and lends charm to this historic structure. On the other side, stage left, were tables awaiting a candidate literature drop. They were embellished with candidate names plates, but little in the way of brochures or candidate statements appeared. Don Lane sat behind his table while other candidates–Tim Fitzmaurice, Renee Golder, and me–mingled. Soon it was time to take to the stage. Arriving at the top step I suddenly remembered my high school auditorium and the smell of wood that had captured bits of moisture over time. That smell. The quiet in the room became louder.The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) city council forum on housing was about to begin. I was invited as one being recalled to discuss my housing ideas. (I instead, wished to offer a picture of how we arrived not at a “housing crisis,” but at an “affordable housing crisis.” Councilmember Drew Glover and candidate Katherine Beiers were absent, but their spirit was there in the words of Tim Fitzmaurice. Each “candidate” turned in a slide earlier in the week to Matt Huerta of MBEP. Most presented a bulleted power point one-slide presentation with information concerning what each would do about the state of housing in Santa Cruz. I presented the one below, Park Pacific,1547 Pacific Avenue, 79 condos and not a single affordable rental unit in the bunch. What looked to be about 30 people sitting in rows of chairs set up for 70, I glanced first to my Left and saw Laurie Brooks, Sandy Brown, and Sylvia Caras. I was heartened. On my Right, well, Robert Singleton, Mark Mesiti-Miller, and Mark Primack were all present. Here are my remarks:
I’m Chris Krohn, Santa Cruz City Council. Thank you for the invitation to present tonight.
Given 3 minutes I will offer an ever so brief past, present, and future and hopefully a picture of our affordable housing crisis. My slide of 1547 Pacific Ave, Swenson’s 79-condo Park Pacific Project will perhaps make more sense as I speak.
How did we get here?
By being a beautiful place next to a beautiful Ocean near a beautiful university that has not stopped growing. All of Santa Cruz’s housing growth pains stem from the now 19,500 students on the hill, and all they have housing space for is half that many. But that’s not the only thing. Rent on campus is $1200 to $1400 per student and a triple dorm room ends up at $3600 to $4200 per month, likely the highest square footage rental rates in town, and dorm rooms are not really the greatest accommodations either. We all are aware that on-campus rents are driving in-town rents. (Can I get an Amen?!)
The present rental housing situation off The Hill finds 2-bedroom apartments renting for $3200 to $3500, slightly below the university’s price. BUT, when five students cram into a typical 2-bedroom at Cypress Point at the end of Felix Street, 200 Button Street, or Schaffer Road. or the Hilltop Apartments on Western Drive, guess what? Each student saves beaucoup dollars by ONLY paying between $750 to $800 each, about 10-30% less than campus. The “poor” person living on the couch generally pays around $500 I am told.
Then, along comes 555 Pacific with NO permanently affordable rental units, some Housing Authority rentals yes, but none “in-perpetuity” that I am aware….After 555 is built along comes Park Pacific (see picture) on the sight of the old Bookshop Santa Cruz.A “typical 2-bedroom” will rent for $3900 according to the web site, Apartment.com, AND it contains NO affordable rental units! This building could be looked at as the housing poster child by the “Give me rent control or give me death” movement. This building was followed by the yet to be built, but fully-permitted 100 Laurel Street, a 205-unit complex expected soon along Laurel Street between Pacific and Front. And if you were betting on the inclusion of affordable units in this one, you would have lost big. NO affordable rental units at 100 Laurel either. In total, that’s at least 370 units with no permanently affordable rental units included, (despite the fact that SC has had a 15% inclusionary ordinance since 1979!)We also find ourselves with three renters on the Santa Cruz City Council.(That is news!)
The future…given the 3-minute time limit I will just say that we know affordable housing is not just an issue in Santa Cruz where people are demanding more from their elected leaders. Yesterday, on the other side of the country in Washington, D.C. the People’s Housing Platform was being unveiled by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar. The People’s Housing Platform says government’s role is to protect people from those who profit from displacement, and also to end the criminalization of those experiencing homelessness. I urge you to Google the “The People’s Housing Platform.” It is based on the simple truth that housing is a human right. It is a human right in Detroit, in Minneapolis, in Queens, and it is a human right here in Santa Cruz.
Conclusions,
But I ran out of Time
I also urge you to get on the housing justice train. With Bernie Sanders at 30% in California and “The Squad” supporting the Green New Deal, which is rooted in affordable housing, ending homelessness, and creating good green jobs, and with the developer-friendly SB 50 now on its way back to the drawing board, the people supporting deep affordable housing in Santa Cruz are on a progressive wave sweeping the country. It ain’t going away. If Glover and Krohn are recalled there’s a lot of folks in this town who are ready to step up and take our places and continue the political revolution Bernie Sanders began in 2016!
The folks writing checks for a new Space Force are the same ones asking “how are you going to pay for” public college or healthcare. This is the richest country in the world. Our problem isn’t a lack of money. It’s a lack of good priorities. And that is something we can change. (Feb 2)
(Are 6-story parking structure people listening?!)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
COUNTY SUPERVISOR FORUM AT CABRILLO COLLEGE WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY
Sentinel moderator, Mr. Steve Bennett, seemed surprised to have a full-house audience at the “Supervising Santa Cruz County” candidate forum last Wednesday, January 29. The Fire Marshall would not have been pleased, but I was, because so many people of all ages took time to attend.
The race is really going well with many supporters pledging to vote for me as Second District County Supervisor. I will be at the Cabrillo Farmer’s Market next Saturday morning, February 9. until noon. You can find me outside the white limit line as you enter the Market from the Porter Gulch Road side and near the parking garage.
If you would like to host a neighborhood coffee, please let me know. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your neighbors and have good discussion of what you feel matters most in the County and Second District.
Attached is a photo of the Candidate Forum 2nd District Candidate contingent, as other participants were speaking; note the body language!
COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION TAX PASSES?
Last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved the County Clerk’s report on how rural property owners voted on a new County Service Area (CSA) 48 tax in addition to what they are already paying. The Board scheduled this matter to be heard after a report on another matter that took 90 minutes. Then, after a break, and holding the District 7 Flood Control District meeting, finally heard the CSA 48 new tax issue. By then, all the people who had been there earlier to speak had given up and left.
Shame on the Board of Supervisors for such disrespect of peoples’ efforts to attend the Fire Tax matter. I raised several questions. The Board answered none. In fact, they held no discussion at all. It was disgusting.
In the hallway afterward, General Services Dept. Director Michael Beaton refused to tell me what appeal process is available to the public regarding the action. He told me to talk with County Counsel.
I tried to do so, but was told he was not available. I sent an e-mail to Counsel Justin Graham, asking that he outline the appeal process and statutory limits. Mr. Graham refused to answer, only advising me to hire a lawyer.
The County is second-largest weighted voter in this CSA 48 Assessment vote. The Board of Supervisors voted December 10, 2019 as a consent agenda item buried in 2000 pages of agenda documentation. Read Item #39, whereby the Board approved voting in the affirmative for the new tax IN ADDITION TO WHAT ALL PROPERTY OWNERS ARE ALREADY PAYING in CSA 48 taxes (that little detail was not made clear)
The cost of the Special Benefit Assessment to the County will be $37,537.59 for FY 2020/21 and will be financed with various County funds.
Tax raising funds for Santa Cruz County Fire adopted after rural propert…
SANTA CRUZ — A new fire-protection tax is set to be levied on property owners in much of rural Santa Cruz County…This is a nasty move by reporter Nick Ibarra to feature this file photo of the Bonny Doon unit in the online version of the article (the hard copy newspaper did not feature any photo at all.) Bonny Doon residents spoke out loud and clear against the proposed new tax from the very beginning. Why didn’t the Sentinel find a nice photo of the Loma Prieta unit where support was awash with one-sided information handed out to voters?
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT WANTS ME TO PAY THEM $2,845.86!
CORRECTION AND RETRACTION: I reported in error last week that Best, Best & Krieger had erroneously classified the Writ of Mandate case 19CV00181 as a “Limited” case, but they had in fact classified it as “Unlimited” in their Case Management Conference statement last June. I had entered the classification of “Limited” on my cover sheet because of the legal definition that I was seeking less than $25,000. I am not seeking any money at all from the District.
Judge John Gallagher was supposed to have determined the case classification in June at the Case Management Conference, but did not. Judge Timothy Schmal, who took over the case after Judge Gallgher recused himself, also did not notice the problem. The Santa Cruz County Superior Court Appellate Division tribunal of three judges likewise did not take note of the error of Judge Gallagher.
My apologies to BBK for stating otherwise. However, they did select a filing fee amount to come after me for that is the amount for filing “Limited” Civil Cases in their legal action to be considered in Court whereby they seek to make me pay over $2845.86 for various fees that they feel they are entitled to recover. By law, the District cannot recover their legal fees. They want to make me pay over $250 for two Trial Boards that were never even used, and their attorney admitted in Court that she does not understand the science behind the topic for which she had the Trial Boards made to support.
By the time their Best, Best & Krieger attorney is finished fighting this, having no doubt flown up from Riverside for the day at the cost of $325/hour, the amount the District might recover would be next to nothing.
Soquel Creek Water District is taking this action merely to punish me, and hopes to impose a chilling impact on any further questioning of their omnipotent behavior.
THE VOICE OF VOTING
Go visit the wonderful exhibit on the third floor of the County Government Building (701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz). Entitled “Vote! Your Vote is Your Voice/ Vote! Su Voto es Su Voz”, it is a well-done and informative collection of ballot paraphernalia and voting rights timeline that is really worth a special trip to see.
The exhibit is dedicated to the late Bob Fitch of Watsonville, and features his amazing photographs. It is sponsored by the Pajaro Valley Arts, the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission, and the Santa Cruz County Elections Department and will be up through April 3. A reception, free to the public, will be held along with the First Friday Art Tour this Friday, February 7, 5pm-8pm.
MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. GO TO A PUBLIC MEETING AND SPEAK UP!
JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK, AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
Cheers, Becky Steinbruner
831-685-2915
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.
Recall elections have been qualified against two members of the Santa Cruz City Council. The recall elections are scheduled for March 3rd, but absentee voting will begin soon.
In my opinion, voters should vote “NO,” and reject the recalls. Despite the claims of recall proponents, I do not actually see this recall as a response to the personal failings of the two members of the Council now facing a recall election. Personal failings there may be, of course, but this recall is not about malfeasance in office. No claims of dishonesty or illegal behavior have ever been advanced as a reason for the recalls. The recalls are not about a city version of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The charges of misconduct made against the two Council Members now facing recall were found to be without significant substance, after an outside (and very costly) investigation.
The way I see it, this recall is about political power, and nothing else. After the last city election, in November 2018, there was an unexpected result. A so-called “progressive” cohort of Council Members could sometimes muster four votes on the seven-member Council. This was a big change. The City Council hasn’t been progressive for years. The two City Council Members now facing recall have voted, with two others, to reverse pro-development policies that the previous Council endorsed and advanced. That, in my opinion, is the real reason for the recall, and that is why such enormous amounts of money have been contributed by development and business interests to fund the recall effort.
Here are three examples of how the last election changed the direction of the City, elevating community values over developer profits:
PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The previous City Council had REDUCED requirements that developers provide dedicated affordable housing when new housing developments are built. That was, of course, good for the developers, but not good for our community. Thanks to the votes of the two Council Members now facing a recall, the current City Council has reversed this policy, and has RESTORED and INCREASED AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL NEW DEVELOPMENTS. The people funding the recall effort (and they have funded it with a LOT of money) appear to care more about developers making a profit than they do about providing more affordable housing for working families in our city. If the recall is successful, these positive changes can be reversed.
STOPPING HIGH DENSITY EVERYWHERE
The previous City Council was trying to put high-density development along all of the City’s main transportation corridors – with particular impacts on the City’s East Side. This plan would have had very significant adverse impacts on local neighborhoods and on local small businesses. It was, for that reason, hugely unpopular. Prior to the last election, the Council then in power put that proposal on “the back burner,” planning to put it right back on the front burner when another pro-development Council was elected. The actual election results were a big surprise. Thanks to the votes of the two Council Members now facing a recall, the Council has reversed the earlier policy and has directed its staff to develop a plan that will “preserve and protect residential neighborhood areas and existing City businesses, as the City’s highest-level policy priority.” The Council has also demanded that the new plan “encourage appropriate new residential mixed-use development, specifically including enhanced affordable housing opportunities, at appropriate locations along the City’s main transportation corridors.” Once again, the two Council Members facing recall have voted for the community, not for the developers. If the recall is successful, that priority will be reversed.
A LIBRARY, NOT A PARKING GARAGE
The previous City Council was planning to build a massive parking garage on the parking lot where the Farmers’ Market is held. Such a garage, if constructed, would essentially be a subsidy to downtown developers, who would then not have to provide their own parking as they build new developments. The previous Council wanted to use bond funding approved to restore and rebuild our downtown library to help make that massive garage project economically possible. Thanks to the votes of the two Council Members facing a recall, the Council is now exploring different options. If the recall is successful, you can count on that garage/library project coming right back.
I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT RECALL ELECTIONS
What is happening in the City of Santa Cruz today is exactly the same thing that happened in 1978, as pro-development interests with lots of money sought to reverse a 1976 election that was very surprising to those who had been in power, and that put County Government on a new and more “progressive” course.
Santa Cruz County was then the fastest growing county in the state, and the fifth-fastest growing county in the United States. Development interests had undue influence. What the community wanted was to manage and control growth, and to protect and preserve our agricultural and natural lands, and to require developers to build affordable housing. Two other Board Members and I started making progress in that direction. That is when big money from development interests qualified a recall against the two Members of the Board who were voting with me to make those changes in land use policy. Various alleged personal failings on the part of the two supervisors were presented in the recall petitions, but the actual “political” reason that the recall effort was launched was hidden.
In 1978, the big money campaign that qualified and drove the recall elections was successful, and the two supervisors who faced recall were, in fact, recalled. One of the most pro-development Board of Supervisors in Santa Cruz County history was the result – not actually what the public wanted! I hope voters in the City of Santa Cruz won’t make a similar mistake!
RECALL ELECTIONS ARE DIVISIVE
Recalls invariably lead to the kind of bitter community divisions that can endure for years, and that make even routine governmental actions difficult. Regular elections produce results that we all accept – even if we don’t like them. Recall elections don’t.
There is a lot at stake with respect to the proposed recall in the City of Santa Cruz: a consistent commitment to the production of affordable housing, for instance. Other examples include the future of the downtown library, and the continuing impacts of overdevelopment on traffic, water, local neighborhoods, and our local small businesses. Labor issues, tax and financial issues, and questions about how our city can provide compassionate and effective help to those in desperate need, are all challenges we need to work on together.
There will be another regular election in the City of Santa Cruz in November 2020. If the voters want change, that’s the time to make changes. In the meantime, let’s reject the current recall proposals. If they are successful, that will mean years of bad blood and an impaired and less effective government – plus the reversal of policies that benefit the community and our desire to protect and preserve local neighborhoods, and to provide affordable housing.
Voters in the City of Santa Cruz should vote “NO” on the two recalls that will be on the March 2020 ballot.
That’s my view.
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Classic peeks inside our secret places…maybe?
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Media Violence” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
THE OTHER PLACE. The Jewell Theatre’s production of “The Other Place” (now though Feb. 16 –Colligan Theatre- Tannery) is a haven for anyone involved or immersed in Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or the so called prescription “cures“. Julie James plays the nearly charismatic business woman who goes through dementia episodes she can’t identify or deal with. The Other Place name most likely could refer to her going to the crazed, unexplained place of her demented seizures. It’s a very serious, one act play (1 ½ hours) and you’ll play it over and over again during your own questions of reality. Go see it.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Start popping the corn! The Oscars are coming, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Read my fearless (possibly clueless) predictions, peruse the posters for the Best Picture nominees, and consider what they say about the current state of the art. (Hint: Will #OscarsSoWhiteMale be the next trending thing?)” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THE TWO POPES. Anthony Hopkins plays Pope Benedict XVI, and Jonathan Pryce is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Based on a terribly troubled time in the Catholic Church — namely 2005 — these two leaders argue and discuss personal and public issues that become completely absorbing. Yes, child abuse is in there too. Just to watch these two master actors is a reminder of what and where good acting can take audiences. Go see it, but do hurry.
UNCUT GEMS. 92 RT. Adam Sandler is amazingly perfect in this role of a New York City jeweler/gambler who risks his family and his own life to make a quick (two days) bundle of money on a gem sale. You will never forget Sandler in this film. Exciting, tense, and believable. Don’t miss it. Sandler’s acting talent is surprising, especially when we have become so used to his comedy roles.
1917Do not see this film if you expect to watch much of Benedict Cumberbatch. IF he’s in it more than 2 minutes I’ll eat my helmet!!! I also wouldn’t give this movie ANY ” best of” awards, and am surprised at what it’s won so far. It’s the story of two foot soldiers slogging through, under and around enemy lines to deliver an important life saving message. It’s an impressive hunk of movie making, and yet it won’t really draw you into the story. 89RT
JUST MERCY. A fine film starring Jamie Foxx, Michael Jordan, and an excellent role for Tim Blake Nelson. A true story about a guy (Foxx) being sentenced to the chair for a crime he didn’t do. This sounds like a dozen films we seen before BUT it’s better, go see it. 99RT.
MARRIAGE STORY. A fine and well acted film about a show biz couple, their children , divorce, and some odd choices by Scarlett Johansson the wife to Adam Driver’s husband. Laura Dern does her best role in decades. Alan Alda and Ray Liotta have some small scenes. You are guaranteed to relive some of your own poor choices in your marriage too! 84 audience score on RT.A Netflix production.
JOJO RABBIT. Centered on Nazi Germany, this is very rare political comedy with funny scenes. A little boy has Adolf Hitler as an invisible buddy. Scarlett Johansson plays the little boy’s mom, and does one of very finest acting jobs, ever. Hitler and the screwed up political/ military scene will make you think of Trump and our own screwed up political/ military scene. A wonderful and rare film, do not miss it!!
PARASITE. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho outdid his other international screen successes with Parasite. Wikipedia calls it a dark comedy thriller and so do I. It’s winning awards everywhere and deserves them all. There’s brain surgery, murder, basement dwellers, numerous surprises, even some shocks and well worth your seeing it ASAP.
AERONAUTS. Felicity Jones plays a very cute and Disney like character matching Eddie Redmayne’s equally sweet and nerdy partner in this supposedly true story of an early hot air balloon ascension in Britain’s Victorian age in 1862. It’s cute, some funny parts a bit scary due to heights of the balloon. Being such a cute movie… they actually changed the sex of the person accompanying Redmayne , it was really a male friend of his. It’s on Amazon.
STAR WARS. THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. 54 RT. George Lucas’ Star Wars empire started 42 years ago with wildly clever and intelligent twists and an absolutely brilliant story line. We watched politely while some sad sequels stained our screens, now thanks to Disney buying and producing this concluding finale we have an ending to the saga that isn’t worth your time or expectations. Trite, predictable, and sad to see our old heroes and heroines suffer with a plot as dull and unrewarding as this one. You have to go if you’ve seen more than one of the series…just don’t expect to be satisfied with the conclusion.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only and archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Peter Klotz- Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank and Michael Lewis will talk about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11. Distinguished Artists Series founder John Orlando and pianist Lembit Beecher guest on March 3. OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
Let’s do some standup, we totally need it after this crazy week…
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
QUOTES. “Coronavirus”
“When the president of the United States says we’re ready for these coronaviruses, that answer is absolutely not true. We have such crowded emergency rooms today. We have hospitals where people have to wait hours in hallways to get seen. That’s exactly how outbreaks of coronaviruses get amplified. Mpls St. Paul magazine, Jan 24, 2020
“Wuhan is the transportation capital of China, which connects basically Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Every company that has any manufacturing capacity in China right now better be looking very carefully at its supply chains.” CNBC, Jan 24, 2020, regarding 2019-nCoV
“There’s been no real information about what the likely source of the virus in the [Wuhan] market is….Until we understand which animal the coronavirus came from, we won’t understand if this outbreak is likely to continue. We need to shut off the source of the outbreak.” The Telegraph (London), Jan 14, 2020
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
BRATTON…Santa Cruz United and Santa Cruz Together financed the recall campaign, Brand New County Democrats, 908 Ocean development getting bigger, Roberta Bristol dances away. GREENSITE…is in Costa Rica. KROHN…Mayor Cummings uniting letter, No on Recall News, No on M campaign, Development in Santa Cruz and VOTE ON MARCH 3.STEINBRUNER…2nd District Campaign news, Becky on Pleich’s Community TV Voices show Feb.2 @ 7 p.m. Traffic relief? RTC progress (where ?) Rural Fire Tax. PATTON…Wealthy people and income inequality. EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Covers. JENSEN…reviews The Song Of Names. BRATTON…I critique ClemencyUNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”Owls”
FRONT STREET AND SOQUEL. January 9, 1957. This is now the CVS store facing us, the Soquel Bridge going off to the upper center. I can’t see any gasoline prices on the Shell Station, It’s just as well, we’d just feel bad!.
SANTA CRUZ UNITED AND SANTA CRUZ TOGETHER FINANCED THE RECALL ELECTION.
We’ll be reading all the necessary details in a few days but read these notes and realize just how important the money and influence behind these two groups have become in our community. Here is a preview of some of the facts showing the connection between the two money laden groups and how it was spent.
Santa Cruz Together was initially formed to oppose Measure M (a rent control initiative) in the 2018 election. In 2019, the City Council became more progressive with the election of Justin Cummings and Drew Glover. Then SCT –dominated by contributions from real estate, large property owners, and developer interests –largely underwrote payments per signature to individuals to circulate petitions calling for a recall election. The finances amount to a real shell game, but it is now possible to understand how the scheme worked
Santa Cruz Together directly or indirectly paid recall signature gatherers $104,561,which would be more than $4 for every petition signature turned in, whether by a professional or a volunteer signature gatherer. A portion of these Santa Cruz Together expenditures on behalf of Santa Cruz United, $29,000 went for “Campaign consultant and petition circulation” to the consulting company Dynami Athens Corporation, incorporated on July 18, 2019 and run by Robert Singleton as the CEO, Secretary, and CFO. The rest of the SCT expenditures funneled to the benefit of SCU went directly to petition gatherers”. More to follow.
BRAND NEW COUNTY DEMOCRATS. Check out their website. Look at their candidates for the Democratic Central Committee. Better yet, join these folks in getting our county and country back on track. Check out who’s running from your County district and support them. brandnewcountydems.org
COMMOTION ON OCEAN, Number 908 OCEAN. This is from BrattonOnline March 12 2019. There was much anti-action to this development, now the developers have added even more apartments, plus changes to this mess. “This is one of those many developments being shoved through our system. 333 small Silicon Valley or student apartments being promoted as having three 3 three levels of “affordability”. This “housing” is proposed for the block across Ocean Street from Santa Cruz Diner. It includes Togo’s and Doc Auto…which are not necessarily great architectural monuments that need preserving…but it’s the community that will suffer. One reader wrote.. “It’s the same message from developers and the city; it will all just magically work out wonderfully. What is the summer daily car count for Ocean Street that we’re not supposed to worry about adding to with all these projects? The thousands of cars idling on Ocean and all the way to the beach creates ever MORE Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, not less GHG, so this is working against what the General Plan specifies should occur, a reduction in GHG emissions.” Now (1/27/20) the developers have increased the number of units to 405 units.
The Single Occupancy Units Ordinance (SOU) is flawed for multiple reasons as we are discovering with the proposed 908 Ocean Street project:
The Density of 90 units per acre is more than allowed in the General Plan for the zoning in that area now or even if it was zoned (40 units if 1-bedroom) with the Corridor Plan (55 units per acre)….and yet how is that possible?
It only allows 1 bedroom units of 400-650 feet. It does not allow for any other option such as 2 or 3-bedroom units for families. Of course with 908 Ocean Project they could split the project parcels on May and provide that type of housing but they would rather not as they can have more units this way.
When you have 333 units vs. 166 2-bedroom you can have more people by State law — 1-bedroom allows 2+1 and 2-bedroom allows 2×2+1 so if you roll the numbers you get 999 for 333 SOUs and 830 for 166 2-bedroom units…
The parking allowed is only 1 space per unit and no guest parking. However, the Architect for 908 Ocean realizing that flaw did allow for some guest parking (and sharing of the commercial parking for guests too). But again, the code does not allow for guest parking while only allowing one parking space per unit.
We don’t yet know if there is on-site property management for this massive proposed project at 908 Ocean — consolidation of 19 parcels at Ocean, Hubbard May and onto Water..
Breaking parking models is the gateway to higher density. The City Council just did it on a one-year pilot basis for detached ADUs. And now they are doing it with 908 Ocean Street with multi-car parking racks by a company called Klaus – German company with US office in LaFayette, CA, http://www.klausparking.com/. Can parking racks be considering parking spaces–seems like a grey area?
This is meant to be the City classic “affordable by design” ideal because they are small units. However, if you have 2-bedroom units instead, you would have 166 less kitchens and 166 less bathrooms and that would make the units overall more affordable. The logic doesn’t hold but they persist in making this argument because the price per unit is less. However, 555 Pacific is 94 SOUs and touted as “luxury urban living”….So that idea of “affordable by design” has not played out that way in practice by the developer/owner Swenson. Bush shouldn’t get quoted, but this comes to mind, “fool me once, shame on–shame on you. Fool me–you can’t get fooled again”.
The 908 Ocean project units may also possibly be half rental and half for sale. If that is the case, then the loan options for those that may need to get a loan is constrained to possibly a 7-year loan at 6.5% rather than 4%. When 555 Pacific was researched this was the case in 2016 and this 908 issue needs checking. We were alerted to this by an article by Jim Chubb of Pacific Inland in 2015.
The Architect, Salvatore Caruso, of the Salvatore Caruso Design Corporation in Santa Clara is very smooth, and we can be sure he was brought in as much because of his ability to “sell” the project. Check out Caruso multi family structures here https://www.caruso-designs.com . They’ve changed the 908 designs once but what will this add to our sense of Santa Cruz Community…or just plain “Looks” and appeal? If you know any member of the Santa Cruz City Council get to them quickly. Even if you don’t know them , you should tell them what you believe anyways’ end of March item.
The developers have increased their numbers to 405 units they have also added another parcel on Ocean. They also added Ground floor retail plans. This of course will be decided by the City Council. It’ll be decided BY us too when we vote on March 3rd to keep common sense on the Council.
ROBERTA BRISTOL DANCES ONWARD. Word spread fast among the music-dance community. Roberta had such a huge influence on everyone who cared about dancing. She was generous, patient to a fault and loved by everybody.
January 27.
Gillian Greensite is in Costa Rica for two weeks with little/no internet.
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.
CHRIS KROHN. MAJORITY REPORT.
January 27
“To succeed, we need to work together. Unfortunately, the recall seriously undermines this effort and our democracy. For the good of our community, the recall should be defeated.” —Santa Cruz Mayor Justin Cummings
Never a Dull Moment
The barnstorming campaign to Vote No on the Recalls continues in a big way this weekend. Meet at the Tabby Cat Cafe at the corner of Cedar and Union streets on Saturday. and Sunday at 10 am. We will be walking neighborhoods. There are two kinds of walkers needed, 1) knock and talk to people about No Recall campaign, and 2) just dropping literature off that has been prepared and waiting to be delivered. If walking is not your thing, we can set you up with a phone list to remind people when the election is–March 3rd–and when the vote-by-mail ballots go out–Feb. 3rd. If you would like to table at the Farmer’s Market Westside or Downtown we can set you up. Go to sign up https://stopsantacruzrecalls.org/events
Mayor Justin Cummings Says No on the Recalls
Here is a thoughtful and detailed letter that Mayor Justin Cummings put out this past week to let people know where he stands on the recall. It is on-point and informative. Have a read:
“In a democracy, candidates are elected to represent the broad range of beliefs and opinions of those who live in the community. As Mayor, I work with all members of the City Council to try to find common ground on many of the complex issues our community faces. Disagreements and different perspectives are not only to be expected, but provide an opportunity for us to work towards consensus on policies that reflect the broad interests of the entire community. While our elected officials may have very different perspectives and policy beliefs, these differences are not grounds for a recall.
On March 3rd, voters in the City of Santa Cruz will be asked whether or not to recall and remove from office two members of the City Council. Recalls are intended to remove elected officials who commit crimes or who abuse their powers in office. Regular elections, not recall elections, are the way that members of the public are supposed to make clear their various policy priorities. What is happening in this recall is an attempt to preempt and undermine the normal electoral process, and the voters should reject it. The following highlights what is really happening.
Who’s Behind the Recall
On December 4, 2018, after the results of the last City Council election were certified, although the rent control ballot measure (Measure M) did not pass, two candidates who supported rent control were elected. This created a majority on the City Council in favor of protecting tenants, providing affordable housing, and preserving neighborhoods. While there were provisions in Measure M that made it less appealing to many voters, the success of the “No on M” campaign can also be attributed to the enormous amount of funding that came largely from outside real estate investors.
Here are just some of the contributions to the No on M campaign:
National Association of Realtors (Chicago, IL) – $287,500
California Apartment Association (Sacramento, CA) – $68,000
Many of these outside investors viewed the new majority on the city council as a threat to their investments, especially with Santa Cruz as a site for speculative housing investment, which has resulted in exorbitant housing costs. Given the discussion of recalling two progressives on sites like Next Door immediately after the new council was seated, it was only a matter of time before two members of the pro-tenant and affordable housing City Council majority were singled out for recall. We now see the same group and outside funds being used towards this recall effort.
Factors to consider
It is important that we take into consideration the voices of working-class people in our community, not the big money interests that are trying to buy our community and our government. The City Council majority, made up of predominantly renters, recently put a stop to the so-called Corridors Plan, which supported very high-density housing development on the east side of the city, putting local neighborhoods in jeopardy. The Council majority has also increased the amount of affordable housing that developers must provide, in order to assure that new housing doesn’t serve only those with high incomes. Additionally, the new council has been working on policies that protect tenants, the environment and novel approaches to addressing homelessness in our community. The Council majority has made the protection of our neighborhoods, local businesses, and tenants one of the highest priorities as additional market rate, luxury housing development is proposed.
Conclusion
The recall election scheduled for March 3rd is extremely divisive and makes it very difficult for City Council Members to cooperate and collaborate successfully. After the adversarial Measure M election, the community needs to heal, not fracture further. While Council Members sometimes disagree on issues, we all share a love of Santa Cruz and the desire to make it the best that it can be for everyone. To succeed, we need to work together. Unfortunately, the recall seriously undermines this effort and our democracy. For the good of our community, the recall should be defeated.
“Our campaign is about doing something different. It’s about lifting up the voices, struggles and power of working people. When we are in the White House, we will double union membership. We’ll do it for workers like Alex, fighting for unions like @SEIU.” (Jan. 27)
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, and was on the Santa Cruz City Councilmember from 1998-2002. Krohn was Mayor in 2001-2002. He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 14 years. He was elected the the city council again in November of 2016, after his kids went off to college. His current term ends in 2020.
CAMPAIGN FOR SECOND DISTRICT COUNTY SUPERVISOR IS GOING WELL!
I am running against the incumbent for County Supervisor in the Second District, and am meeting many people far and wide who support a change of elected leadership in local government. I have the support of hundreds, but no organizations are willing to endorse me because of the real possibility of retribution. Isn’t that sad? It does not deter me, but rather only compels me to work harder to be a voice for all people.
INTERVIEW ON COMMUNITY TV ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 ON ‘VOICES OF THE VILLAGE’
Because Community TV interviewed the incumbent in late December, 2019 to discuss his candidacy, I am entitled to the same time upon my request. Community TV has been really wonderful in providing quick response and a great live interview opportunity this Sunday, February 2, at 7pm. The host, Steve Pleich, let me know that he ran against County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty in 2018 because he also feels that an important elected position should not run unopposed.
It also appears that Steve Pleich intends to run again in 2022.
All elections need people to step up and run, not to be discouraged by what ‘experts’ claim the financial cost has to be, or whether or not you think you can win. If you run for an office, we all win.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR AND ANOTHER $1 MILLION STUDY WITH NO TRAFFIC RELIEF ACTION?
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) voted to spend another $1 Million in public money to do another year-long study of the Transit Corridor Alternatives. The Commission wants your input on this and is offering two Open House gatherings for the public to tell them what they think about this.
February 11, 6-7:30pm, at the Live Oak Grange ( 1900 17th Avenue)
February 12, 6-7:30pm, at the Watsonville Library Community Room (275 Main Street, on the 2nd Floor)
Deadline for public comment is February 13, 2020. I think the RTC has no intention of ever actually doing anything….expensive studies keep many people employed, and the money pot to fund this seems bottomless. The California Rail Plan for 2040 makes it clear that the State intends there to be rail connection between Santa Cruz and Monterey, with a link to high-speed rail servicing the Bay Area. Look at the map on page 9.
This will take time, and a lot of money. But we could build a serviceable trail alongside the rail NOW and at least offer people an option to use bicycles, electric carts/pod cars to use that neglected rail/trail corridor just sitting there being vandalized. Can’t we just DO SOMETHING to provide another choice for traffic relief?!
In terms of a fast rail service in the future, it seems to me a tall order. What about all the crossings and curves along the way? Maybe we should be again looking at the monorail along Highway One to provide a faster connection for those people who live in the Watsonville area and beyond and currently sit in traffic for hours both ways. And what about the hundreds of people who commute over Highway 17 everyday? They need safer, faster transportation as well.
Do try to attend those RTC Open Houses, and learn more. Speak up! It’s your only chance….until the next study begins.
WILL THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REALLY CERTIFY THE NEW RURAL FIRE TAX CAUSING ADVERSE ECONOMIC HARDSHIP FOR SENIORS AND OTHER FIXED INCOME PROPERTY OWNERS?
The Santa Cruz County Election Dept. has sent a letter of certification for the County Service Area (CSA) 48 Fire Department Benefit Assessment ballot measure, and the Board will consider Tuesday, January 28, whether to certify the results and impose the new large tax. This tax would be in addition to what CSA 48 property owners are already paying, about $159/house/year.
Featured as Item #8 on the Agenda, the report by County Clerk about the number of ballots is disturbing. The report does not include the total number of ballots mailed out to CSA 48 property owners that would be assessed, and does not include the number of ballots that were returned by the postal system as invalid or in error. It concerns me that 101 ballots were received after the close of the January 14, 2020 public hearing, and therefore were not even tabulated in the results.
Because I observed the ballot counting process on January 14, 2020, I know that the actual ratio of ballots returned of the total mailed is only about 25%. I know that most of the ballots that were returned were sent within the first three weeks after the ballots were mailed from Sacramento by the SCI consultants. I know that the County changed the information available to the public on the County Fire Dept. website about one month after the ballots were mailed, so the early voters did not have the advantage of the added information before they cast their votes. I know that, although the Election Dept. has done a stellar job in verifying the accuracy of whether a parcel owner voted yes or no, there has been no verification of the software supplied by SCI consultants that was used to determine the weight of the votes by scanning in the bar code of the ballots.
Does this seem transparent or legally-defensible to you? I don’t think so, and have sent written comment to the Board of Supervisors to ask that they defer certifying the results and imposing the draconian new tax on rural property owners. It took County staff nearly one week to post my comment for the Board to see when the matter was before them on January 14, 2020. I hope my concerns will get before the Board in time now….
POTHOLE RELIEF COMING FOR NISENE MARKS STATE PARK ENTRANCE
While the lack of parking for Nisene Marks State Park is still a safety issue for visitors and local residents alike, State Parks Director Mr. Chris Spohrer has assured me the potholes will be filled soon. He also let me know that there will be 3000SF of new paving soon that will address major road issues between the Park entrance and the kiosk. Stay tuned.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING. RUN FOR AN ELECTED OFFICE OR HELP SOMEONE WHO IS. BUT JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!
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 is running again for Second District County Supervisor right now!!
I subscribe to a web-based news service called Axios. That means I get daily bulletins on a wide range of topics that reflect the current preoccupations of the public – or, the preoccupations of the public as the Axios editorial staff believes such preoccupations to exist. Usually, Axios is pretty good about identifying my own preoccupations!
On December 28, 2019, my “Axios AM” bulletin highlighted six items of interest. Item #1 was about the NBA. Item #2 was headlined, “Richest gained 25% this year.” Here is a quote from the lead paragraph in Item #2: The world’s 500 wealthiest people tracked by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index added $1.2 trillion [in 2019], boosting their collective net worth 25% to $5.9 trillion…
The next paragraph in this Axios report started out with this phrase: “Why it matters.” Well, why does it matter, as Axios sees it? Here’s what Axios said:
Why it matters: Such gains are sure to add fuel to the already heated debate about widening wealth and income inequality.
The fact that the net worth of the ultra-rich and “the billionaire class” increased by twenty-five percent last year will, I am certain, “add fuel to the … debate about … income inequality.” Axios is certainly right about that. But is the fact that there will be increased debate about income inequality really what matters most about the fact that income inequality is escalating in such unprecedented ways?
There is, I would argue, a substantive reason to be concerned about what is happening here. The photo at the top of this blog post, coming from the Axios AM bulletin, depicts a scene from the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, held last October. The picture below, from my hometown, Santa Cruz, California, depicts a scene from the so-called “Ross Camp,” as more than a hundred homeless persons were dislodged from a camp they had set up behind the Ross Dress For Less store in Santa Cruz.
On a number of occasions, I have written in this blog about the concept of the “Commonwealth,” urging that we start understanding our politics and economics from a perspective that admits that the wealth that our society produces is a “common” achievement. In other words, we are all contributors to the creation of wealth.
If that idea permeates, then the fact that the wealth being produced by our common efforts is being allocated, increasingly, to a very few individuals, should tell us that something is wrong. Moreover, the substantive impact of our current practices is to create a world that is less “clean,” less “safe,” and less “satisfying” for all of us than the world we could create if we used our commonly created wealth to benefit more of us, instead of fewer of us.
Whether we focus on infrastructure, on health care, on child care, on environmental protection and global warming, on housing, on education, on the drug crisis, or on whatever we might care about, ALL of us benefit when we invest in ALL of us! That’s why the spiraling income inequality that Axios has reported actually “matters.” Our world is falling apart presbecause our current economic and political arrangements have failed to direct our commonly created wealth to our common problems and to maximizing our common opportunities.
In a country in which it is “possible,” though not inevitable, that we can, collectively, determine what happens to us, the bulletin from Axios should “matter” because that bulletin tells us that changes need to be made. There is an election in California on March 3rd, and a couple of the presidential candidates on the ballot have made a commitment to try to reduce income inequality – and to use our commonly created wealth to benefit ALL of us, focusing on the issues identified above. If you vote absentee, you’ll get your ballot in a very few days. Do you need the names of the presidential candidates who are committed to doing something about income inequality? Let me know if you haven’t already figured it out!
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
EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. More sidelong glances at our mostly hidden sub-cons…which can mean so very much…or not!!!
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Carl and the foreign policy” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog with the new poem “Nice To Meet You”.
THE OTHER PLACE. The Jewell Theatre’s production of “The Other Place” (now though Feb. 16 –Colligan Theatre- Tannery) is a haven for anyone involved or immersed in Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or the so called prescription “cures“. Julie James plays the nearly charismatic business woman who goes through dementia episodes she can’t identify or deal with. The Other Place name most likely could refer to her going to the crazed, unexplained place of her demented seizures. It’s a very serious, one act play (1 ½ hours) and you’ll play it over and over again during your own questions of reality. Go see it.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “We’re all waiting for the Oscars, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). But meanwhile, consider The Song Of Names, an often moving meditation on the purpose and privilege of artistic expression about a Polish violin prodigy in postwar London. Read all about in this week’s Good Times.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
CLEMENCY. Alfie Wodward has rarely been better in any role and she’s deep and magnificent in this one. She plays the warden of a prison and presides over executions by lethal injection. We watch her as she watches and is deeply affected, by these legal and approved deaths. She should have been entered into the Oscars last year and won one this year on Feb. 9th. CLOSES THURSDAY JANUARY 30
THE TWO POPES. Anthony Hopkins plays Pope Benedict XVI and Jonathan Pryce is Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Based on a terribly troubled time in the Catholic Church namely 2005 these two leaders argue and discuss their personal and public issues that become completely absorbing. Yes, child abuse is in there too. Just to watch these tow master actors is a reminder of what and where good acting can take audiences. Go see it, but do hurry.
UNCUT GEMS. 92 RT. Adam Sandler is amazingly perfect in this role of a New York City Jeweler/ gambler who risks his family and his own life to make a quick (two days) bundle of money on a gem sale. You will never forget Sandler in this film. Exciting, tense, and believable. Don’t miss it. Sandler’s acting talent is surprising, especially when we have become so used to his comedy roles.
Do not see this film if you expect to watch much of Benedict Cumberbatch. IF he’s in it more than 2 minutes I’ll eat my helmet!!! I also wouldn’t give this movie ANY ” best of” awards, and am surprised at what it’s won so far. It’s the story of two foot soldiers slogging through, under and around enemy lines to deliver an important life saving message. It’s an impressive hunk of movie making and yet it won’t really draw you into the story. 89RT
JUST MERCY. A fine film starring Jamie Foxx, Michael Jordan, and an excellent role for
Tim Blake Nelson. A true story about a guy (Foxx) being sentenced to the chair for a crime he didn’t do. This sounds like a dozen films we seen before BUT it’s better, go see it. 99RT.
MARRIAGE STORY. A fine and well acted film about a show biz couple, their children , divorce, and some odd choices by Scarlett Johansson the wife to Adam Driver’s husband. Laura Dern does her best role in decades. Alan Alda and Ray Liotta have some small scenes. You are guaranteed to relive some of your own poor choices in your marriage too! 84 audience score on RT.A Netflix production.
HIDDEN LIFE. If and that’s a big IF you are a Terrence Malick fan you’ll love this masterpiece that he directed. Malick directed Paradise, Amazing Grace, The Tree of life, The Knight of Cups, The New World and other lengthy cinematic statements. Hidden Life is almost exact;ly 3 hours long. It’s totally beautiful and is about a family man who refuses to enter the German army during WWII. I tried to like it, but Malick takes so much screen time to get his complex internal messages out I lose contact. I predict that future generations will “discover” Malick’s films and give them the attention he’s not getting from us. CLOSES THURSDAY JANUARY 30
HONEY BOY. This is Shia LaBeouf’s movie. Not only does he star, but he wrote the screenplay and plays his own father’s role. It’s about LaBeouf’s life in show biz and the bad and good influence his dad had, and has, on him. Very few, if any, laughs — but a well done search into what fame and no fortune can do to you. Go for it!
DARK WATERS. You’ll never look at your Teflon or DuPont products the same way after seeing this fine film. Mark Ruffalo plays the real-life attorney who finally wins his case against DuPont, with the political and financial odds stacked 100% in favor of DuPont, the world’s largest chemical company. Just in case you want to stop supporting DuPont, stop using Kevlar, Styrofoam, Corian, Dow Corning, Great Stuff, Prima Green and many more names you can find on their website.
JOJO RABBIT. Centered on Nazi Germany, this is very rare political comedy with funny scenes. A little boy has Adolf Hitler as an invisible buddy. Scarlett Johansson plays the little boy’s mom, and does one of very finest acting jobs, ever. Hitler and the screwed up political/ military scene will make you think of Trump and our own screwed up political/ military scene. A wonderful and rare film, do not miss it!!
PARASITE. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho outdid his other international screen successes with Parasite. Wikipedia calls it a dark comedy thriller and so do I. It’s winning awards everywhere and deserves them all. There’s brain surgery, murder, basement dwellers, numerous surprises, even some shocks and well worth your seeing it ASAP.
AERONAUTS. Felicity Jones plays a very cute and Disney like character matching Eddie Redmayne’s equally sweet and nerdy partner in this supposedly true story of an early hot air balloon ascension in Britain’s Victorian age in 1862. It’s cute, some funny parts a bit scary due to heights of the balloon. Being such a cute movie… they actually changed the sex of the person accompanying Redmayne , it was really a male friend of his. It’s on Amazon.
STAR WARS. THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. 54 RT. George Lucas’ Star Wars empire started 42 years ago with wildly clever and intelligent twists and an absolutely brilliant story line. We watched politely while some sad sequels stained our screens, now thanks to Disney buying and producing this concluding finale we have an ending to the saga that isn’t worth your time or expectations. Trite, predictable, and sad to see our old heroes and heroines suffer with a plot as dull and unrewarding as this one. You have to go if you’ve seen more than one of the series…just don’t expect to be satisfied with the conclusion.
CATS. Hard to believe this insanity of a movie is from a book by T.S. Eliot. It’s even more difficult to acknowledge the amazing stage history of the musical. Judy Dench, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden and dozens more stars wore whiskers; and danced and made fools of themselves only for millions of dollars in salaries. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself refuses to talk about this flop. It got an 18 RT. As a play it has also been playing on stages around the world for 40 years!!! They spent $95 million dollars to make this movie. I wouldn’t see it if I were you. When D.B. and I saw it we were the only two people in the theatre.!!!
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Linda Berman Hall reveals secrets about The Santa Crux Baroque Festival’s new season on Jan.28. She’ll be followed by Chris Connery talking about the UCSC East Meadow Action Committee. Peter Klotz- Chamberlin from the Resource Center for Non Violence guests on February 4. After which Nancy Macy who is Environmental Committee Chair of the Valley Womens Club talks about PG&E and other problems. Jean Brocklebank talks about our Santa Cruz Public library issues on Feb 11.
OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/schedule/kzsc You have to listen to about 4 minutes of that week’s KPFA news first, then Grapevine happens. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
Don’t try this at home. Or, if you have the appropriate space and safety gear, do try this at home. Watch an intrepid Youtuber make a coffee table out of 20,000 matches…
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur,The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.
“OWLS”
“Like some winter animal the moon licks the salt of your hand, Yet still your hair foams violet as a lilac tree From which a small wood-owl calls.” Johannes Bobrowski
“Owl,” said Rabbit shortly, “you and I have brains. The others have fluff. If there is any thinking to be done in this Forest–and when I say thinking I mean thinking–you and I must do it.” A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner
“Sometimes an owl is just an owl.” Mark Frost, The Secret History of Twin Peaks
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions:Subscribe to the Bulletin! You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!), and the occasional scoop. Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Self Education
PROGRESS? When I picked this week’s historic photo, I wanted to check up on it. 
Pictured here is 
