November 12 – 18, 2019

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…Final word on “McPherson”, Ross camp revisited, No more MAH mummers, Annrae Angel for Judge. GREENSITE…on Australia, beaches, trees and Capitola Mall KROHN…the recall, California Apartment Association, Santa Cruz Together. STEINBRUNER…Court case and Soquel Creek Water District and Judge Schmal. Fleas and bio-hazards. Cal Fire tax ballots Aptos Village and second traffic light? PATTON…Gates And Rates: The “Perturbed Plutocrats” EAGAN…Sub Cons and Deep Cover. BRATTON…I critique “Jojo Rabbit” UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… “Holidays”

SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL CARRIER FLEET. June 9, 1956. If you look closely you won’t see a lot of smiles, but they have jobs. Where are they now? What a difference 63 years can make!

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

PETE SEEGER’S WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE.

SMOTHERS BROTHERS: DUELING BANJOS…PLUS!
Smothers Brothers : Poor Wandering One/Dueling Banjos

DATELINE November 11, 2019

RETURNING TO ROSS CAMP. As many have noticed, people are moving back into Camp Ross. The FB page quote from the camp says there’s nothing the police can do about it. Keith McHenry states, “This is a Santa Cruz Homeless Union authorized camp. That’s what we explained to the police”. So we’ll see toilets being set up, a solar charging station is on order, and there’ll be regular trash pickups. There’ll also be a first aid tent, and even weekly council meetings. Homelessness is an international problem. We send money and survival goods to other countries, and yet turn our backs and hatred to our local homeless community. We watch as our affordable way of life is taken over by the ongoing developer-promoted invasion of “Silly Cons”, and their millionaire weekend condos replace our once democratic and fair way of life. Open minds and hearts should be created.

NO ACTION TO/FROM MAH!! There’s been absolutely zero communication from either MAH supporters, MAH concerned Artists, Historians, or the county. We can only hope that their financial problems are being worked out. I’ll keep you informed when I hear anything.

JUDGE ARIADNE SYMONS QUIT THE RACE. We can be very glad that Ariadne quit before the rest of her story was revealed. We can also be very happy that Annrae Angel has now entered the Judge’s race. Email her at her website www.angel4judge2020.com where you can also make a donation.

NO FEAR IN BRUCE MCPHERSON!!! As a brief Santa Cruz County hobby I began trying to get folks to say and pronounce Supervisor Bruce McPherson’s name the way he does. Usually folks say “MC Fearson”, as if there’s an A in it. Not only was he my boss when I worked at the Sentinel, but I knew his Mom too, though our work on the Santa Cruz Historical Commission. So anyway, Supervisor McPherson was interviewed on our KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast club last Friday. He was asked the correct way to say his name. He replied ON AIR “There’s no FEAR in McPherson”. So there you go. We stand (or possibly are seated) with this solution.

November 11

AUSSIE RULES
I’m looking forward to a trip to Australia for a number of reasons. I get to spend time with my friend and also visit my sister. My friend Edna and I met when we were 12 years old and beginning high school. There is no middle school in Australia, or at least there wasn’t back then. You went straight from primary school to high school. Our school was the last of the single gender schools in the public school system, which in many ways was a distinct advantage. As all girls, up to 40 in a class with no teacher’s aide, it was expected, even in 1961, that the top person in math and science was a girl. (Edna was top in math, or maths as it is called in Australia). We escaped the unconscious bias towards boys that teachers exhibit in a mixed gender classroom. (At University I did research in this field and found distinct gender bias on the part of teachers in secondary schools.) We were serious students and had good teachers. I credit my ability to write a decent essay to my high school teachers. On the social side of life we were probably naïve. Boys were foreign territory.

I am also looking forward to a meat pie. Don’t laugh (or grimace) Australian meat pies are one of life’s pleasures for non-vegetarians. Also on the gastronomic front are fish such as flathead that my Dad and I used to catch off West Head in a tiny boat that he built.

Then there are the beaches. The northern beaches of Sydney are stunning. Since I grew up there, I saw nothing remarkable about them at the time. Golden sand, sparkling waves, shore birds, and not an off-leash dog in sight. That’s right. Australians love their dogs as much as do folks in Santa Cruz but commonsense says that dogs running loose on beaches is anathema to bird life, children’s health and safety, marine mammal protection and the peace of a non-crowded beach. A simple sign, swift enforcement if needed, the provision of good dog parks away from beaches and the beaches are beautiful for all to enjoy.

In Santa Cruz as elsewhere in California, there seems to be a paralysis of action on the part of rangers and law enforcement. Couple that with a dog owner’s attitude of entitlement plus a general disregard for birds and marine mammals and the result is less than stellar. I wince when I see off-leash dogs chasing snowy egrets and other shore birds on our beaches. Researchers scratch their heads and cannot fathom why sea lions are beaching and dying with symptoms of leptospirosis, a bacterium carried in, among other things, dog urine, at beaches where scores of dogs run off-leash in violation of posted signs.

Then there are the trees. Even in the inner city suburbs of Sydney the trees dominate. It is rare to see a tree butchered by bad pruning. There is not the fear of big trees that seems to have gripped so many here. And woe-betide anyone who poisons a tree or cuts one down for a view. The council will erect a scaffold as large as the former tree in front of your view for as long as it takes for its replacement to grow as big as the original tree. Quite a deterrent!

So you may ask, why don’t I go back to where I came from? Because my life, my friends and my community are here. And the trees need me…and you, especially you.

If you love trees, write to the Capitola City Council at citycouncil@ci.capitola.ca.us and urge them to save all of the white gum trees currently growing in the parking lots at the Capitola Mall. They were planted when the Mall was built in the 1970’s. Their life span is in the hundreds of years. There used to be a beauty on Pacific Garden Mall before they cut it down to straighten the road. The Capitola Town Square Conceptual Review, a complete re-design of the Mall is on the council’s agenda for 11/14/19. While the Horticultural Report speaks to saving viable trees, building on the parking lots will put most of the trees into the “not viable” category. However, the trees can be re-located, by experts in the field. Rather than belabor the obvious regarding carbon sequestration and climate change I’ll leave you with a message from a young tree lover who joined our vigil to try to save the red horse chestnut on Broadway. Heed her words and act.

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.

November 11

CONCERNING THE RECALL
A recall campaign is going on in Santa Cruz to oust Drew Glover, one of only two African-American men ever elected to the Santa Cruz City Council, and me. You might’ve heard about it. We’ve been outspoken on the need for rent control and just cause eviction, demanding developers build the legally required affordable housing units that were often negotiated away by previous councils, standing up to the UC Regents’ extreme growth plans for UCSC, and building a much-needed emergency shelter. This is what we campaigned on, me in 2016 and Glover in 2018, and it’s essentially why we are being recalled. These represent political differences. There have been no “high crimes and misdemeanors” that I am aware. Political differences ought to be dealt with in regularly scheduled elections. The recall petition signatures from registered voters are being counted now on the third floor of the county building at 701 Ocean Street. The County Clerk gets 30 days to validate them, but she says she may have them done by Nov. 18.

Deep Throat to Santa Cruz: Follow the $$$
Who’s funding this recall effort? The next 460 filings that detail campaign spending are not due until Jan. 31, but you may have guessed that real estate and developer money is helping back the recall. If you remember, the California Apartment Association contributed mightily to stopping rent control here and it is in the thick of trying to overturn the last SC candidate election as well. Over $1 million was raised to defeat Measure M, rent control, last November and there’s more $$$ where that comes from. Remember too, there is a bigger picture to this recall and having a statewide and federal political lens might help. Republicans are flailing electorally in California. Voter registration has hit all-time lows, so in order to hang onto power they’ve devised a three-pronged national strategy: 1) gerrymandered districts, which several states are currently fighting back on, 2) keep using the voter fraud allegation to make it as difficult for new voters and non-regular voters to actually vote, and 3) stop anyone who has served jail time from voting. In California, since these three no longer yield positive outcomes for the GOP in this overwhelming Democratic and “No Party Preference” state, they are resorting to recalls. If they don’t like the outcome of a local election, because rent control, affordable housing, or homeless advocates have been elected, then they use our state’s fairly liberal recall method. There are also recall efforts going on in Westminster and Chico. The Washington Post and FiveThirtyEight among other news outlets have reported that Republicans are using recalls in states like Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon to overturn elections that did not go their way. The Los Angeles Times has a bit of recall history here

Insightful Look at this Recall
I include this well-written analysis on the Santa Cruz recall by Paul Gratz. He originally submitted it to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, but it has not yet been published.

Don’t be Bamboozled by the Recallers!
Getting right to the point: Santa Cruz Together/United’s recall is all about disagreements with policy decisions and style. Clearly, it represents a brazen and well-funded assault on a democratically elected City Council majority. If successful, it would be a destructive and a precedent-setting development for the City of Santa Cruz. Last year’s City’s election broke the two decade-long hold by a business-as-usual council – a dynamic that reflected a significant swing leftward. No longer would we have an entrenched City Council cozy with the short-term interests of deep-pocketed developers, real estate speculators, investment firms, and landlord groups. Unquestionably, 2018 marked an enormous set back to those elites accustomed to maintaining their political hegemony.

In California, recalls were designed to unseat officials charged with maleficence, corruption, illicit activities, or misuse of power. Today, however, we live in a toxic society where facts often don’t matter. Most recalls have become an extreme means of political warfare — fueled by anger and waged through smear campaigns. Yet, the high cost of recall elections cannot be justified in an age of city budget deficits. One thing is certain: if conservatives want to derail the progressive agendas of local governments, then a recall machine spreading baseless allegations, disinformation, and discord is truly a powerful weapon. Statewide, housing industry groups have huge amounts of money available for mounting recall campaigns, including the funding of marketing, legal, and paid signature-gathering activities. Most notably, are the California Apartment Association (CAA) and the California Association of Realtors (CAR), the groups representing big landlords and property owners. Both are staunch opponents of rent control intended to keep living costs affordable for lower-income residents.

CAA and CAR regularly meddle in the affairs of area cities where renters, affordable housing advocates, and progressive councilmembers are pushing for modest renter protections, including Alameda, Concord, Healdsburg, Lafayette, Marin, Milpitas, Mountain View, Pacifica, San Jose, San Mateo, and Santa Rosa. They have a history of misleading and intimidating voters and often are allied with so-called grassroots organizations claiming to be speaking for mom-and-pop landlords, neighbors, and community leaders. Their aggressive tactics should not come as a big surprise — as the financial stakes are extraordinarily high. Central to their recall strategy is producing a fake narrative mantra containing denigrating allegations, falsehoods, and fear instilling propaganda.

Drew Glover and Chris Krohn, as well as any other targeted progressive officials, should expect to be out funded by the real estate industry and its conservative allies. It’s merely standard practice in such a lucrative housing market, especially when UCSC enrollment is exploding and where there are high home prices, egregious rent hikes, increasing levels of evictions, and swelling homelessness. Lacking any substantial evidence for removing two dedicated councilmembers, the recall effort amounts to an absolute attack on democratic election results and only fosters divisiveness within our community. Don’t be bamboozled by the recallers!

Paul Gratz is a 37-year Santa Cruz resident and a retired public health educator. He has extensive experience in organizing ballot initiatives and petition signature gathering, including the successful Measure P “Right to Vote on Desal” campaign.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Tweet of the Week (July 18)

Another reminder of what people are calling the “radical, extreme-left agenda”:

Medicare for All
A Living Wage & Labor Rights
K-16 schooling, aka Public Colleges
100% Renewable Energy
Fixing the pipes in Flint
Not Hurting Immigrants
Holding Wall Street Accountable

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

November 11

MY DAY IN COURT AGAINST THREE ATTORNEYS WHO RAKED IN NEARLY $1000 per HOUR
Soquel Creek Water District brought not one but three attorneys to the hearing last Friday before Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Timothy Schmal, and two had flown in from Riverside, CA to be there…ker-ching! We had to wait nearly an hour to have our matter heard, due to the Judge’s busy misdemeanor court calendar. The judge considered three matters relevant to my legal complaint regarding the disastrous environmental damage of the $95 Million plan to inject 1.3 million gallons of treated sewage water daily into the drinking water supply for the MidCounty residents, aka, “Pure” Water Soquel Project.

He had already denied my request last Wednesday to move the case to another County in order to have the very complex case heard by a judge seasoned in environmental law and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements. He ordered me to remove bio-hazard from the County Court evidence room…more on that below.

Friday, Judge Schmal denied my request to amend my complaint to correct mistakes, add exhibits that I had not been able to include before, and to add a party to the case. He said I had delayed too long in asking to do so, even though I had asked to do this two months ago and he had set Friday’s date to consider it.

Judge Schmal then denied my request to continue the hearing of the main case, in order to obtain critical information from the State Dept. of Water Resources to verify that the Soquel Valley Basin (aka Mid County Basin) is in critical overdraft. That is the argument that Soquel Creek Water District is making to justify their urgent fast-track construction of the Project, and to get state and federal grant awards to build it. However, a professional hydrologist recently stated publicly that the reason the State determined the Basin to be in critical overdraft was because “Soquel Creek Water District had already determined that, so the State just went with it.” There is no data or analysis to justify the claims. Soquel Creek Water District declared a Groundwater Emergency on June 17, 2014….just a month after submitting an application to the State for their treated sewage water injection Project. Hmmm…..

A Dept. of Water Resources staff member who happened to be present at the recent meeting when the hydrologist explained the “critical overdraft” determination agreed that there was no basis for doing so. He advised me not to bother filing a Public Records Act request for any documentation. “It would be a quick turnaround on your request, because there is nothing to give you.” he said.

I filed a Public Records Act request on June 27, 2019. The Dept. of Water Resources has delayed the response date three times…the latest coming the week before the Hearing on the Merits of my case and a possible change of venue to Sacramento County, with an amended complaint explaining all of this. Hmmmm……..

However, the data from local groundwater monitoring reports shows the Basin to be recovering well, with groundwater levels rising, and no evidence of seawater intrusion.

On Friday, Judge Schmal heard oral argument of the Case 19CV00181. You can view all documents in this case from public computers at 701 Ocean Street, in the Viewing Room on the first floor near the traffic court payment area (8am-5pm) using the Court Portal for Case Inquiry. Judge Schmal’s ruling is due any time now…..stay tuned.

I was very glad he did NOT impose monetary sanctions upon me, as Soquel Creek Water District had asked him to do….nearly $40,000. By law, they are not allowed to seek their attorney fees if they prevail because they are a public agency.

FLEAS ARE NOT A BIO HAZARD
Fleas are not bio-hazard, but what the County authorized created a bio-hazard. On Wednesday, November 6, Judge Schmal ordered me to remove bio-hazard from the County Court evidence room by noon Friday. I am not licensed to do that, and later let the Court know I thought it would be a big liability problem for the County if I followed the Judge’s order. I worried, however, that I might be held in contempt of court, or be billed for the disposal costs if I did not follow his orders.

Luckily, Judge Schmal agreed to my request to not remove the bio-hazard.

You must be asking how I could be held responsible for bio-hazard in the Court’s evidence room? Here’s the scoop: Santa Cruz County policy is so backward in that local rules demand all administrative records of the proceedings of a case (i.e., all the documented history of the issues related to the case) be submitted (“lodged”) in hard copy in two-inch binders with no more that 400 sheets/ binder. Paper, paper, paper. Oh, but because this County is SO ENVIRONMENTALLY-CONSCIOUS, cases that are environmental are required to be printed double-sided. Isn’t that just ridiculous???

Because I knew that the administrative record for my case would be voluminous, having spanned five years of studies, meetings, reports, and correspondence, I wrote a letter to Judge John Gallagher, who was assigned to the case, and asked for an exception, to be able to lodge the voluminous administrative record in electronic form. HE REFUSED on the grounds that the Court could not risk computer viruses entering the system. That made no sense since this County requires all attorneys to file their documents electronically…surely the County has protective firewalls for such virus concerns. (Judge Gallagher later disqualified himself from my case.)

So, with the incredibly valiant and generous efforts of Mr. Jon Cole, who has helped me with IT work on my case, and is an experienced Pro Per litigant who successfully sued Soquel Creek Water District for their illegal rates, I was able to abide by Judge Gallagher’s demand to lodge 13 boxes filled with 87 two-inch binders full of paper with the Court on October 18, 2019. Box #1 contained the first eight binders of the materials I really used a lot as I wrote my court briefs, so I kept that one in the house next to my desk, but all the others were in the garage.

My sweet cat, Rosita, decided she loved sleeping on the Box #1 binders. On the day I met friends to haul the 13 boxes to the County, I cleaned out Box #1, and wrote a note on it to courteously alert any Court staff with cat allergies to be aware that there could be cat hair still in the binders.

Last Wednesday, Judge Schmal informed me in court that fleas from my case administrative record boxes had infested the entire evidence room. The County had a pest control company apply pesticide, but now there was a film over everything, and the County had determined the boxes were now bio-hazard that must be removed from the premises! That is when he ordered me to remove the bio-hazard from the evidence room by Friday, noon.

I would have willingly removed the 13 boxes that supposedly had fleas, but after researching the pesticide that had been applied without my permission or knowledge, did not want to risk my health or that of my family to be responsible for removing bio-hazard from the evidence room. Fleas are not bio-hazard, but what the County authorized created bio-hazard.

Luckily, on Friday, Judge Schmal agreed that I did not have to remove the bio-hazard from the premises, and would not be charged for the disposal.

What a disgusting waste of resources. Several Santa Cruz Superior Court judges are up for election in March 2020. We all need to insist that Santa Cruz County not require administrative records to be lodged in hard copy. We can do better than that, and must.

COUNTY FIRE CSA 48 TAX INCREASE BALLOTS ARE OUT
Come to the Town Hall meeting in Corralitos on Monday, November 18 at 6:30pm to learn more about the proposed Benefit Assessment tax for rural properties in the CalFire areas of the County. The meeting is free and will be at the Corralitos Padres Center (35 Browns Valley Rd.) near the Market.

This complex and rather mysterious tax is being handled as a Prop 218 matter, so there was no opportunity for opposing information to be included in the Voter Information Guide. There is no explanation of the calculation, or how the money will be used. The Board of Supervisors can increase the amount by up to 4% every year, provided there is a public hearing…which usually happens on a Tuesday morning without much notice other than “on the website”.

The real question that begs the Board of Supervisors to answer is WHY TAX PEOPLE MORE WHEN THE COUNTY HAS $18 MILLION AVAILABLE EVERY YEAR FOR PUBLIC SAFETY USES BUT CHOOSES TO GIVE IT ALL TO LAW ENFORCEMENT? The County Sheriff is also supported by a County Service Area (CSA) #38, and also gets money from the General Fund. County Fire volunteers get no money from the General Fund.

The second big question is WHY DID THE NEW COUNTYWIDE SALES TAX MEASURE G, PASSED LAST NOVEMBER WITH THE STATEMENT THAT IT WOULD SUPPORT “FIRE”, YET ZERO DOLLARS FROM THAT FUND WILL ACTUALLY BE GIVEN TO COUNTY FIRE DEPT. ???

This is, in my opinion, local government corruption and the Board of Supervisors must be held accountable. Other Town Hall meetings in the Davenport, Summit and Bonny Doon areas will soon be announced. Stay tuned, and please pass this information along to others affected.

ANOTHER HALF MILLION $ FOR A SECOND TRAFFIC LIGHT IN APTOS VILLAGE?
That is what the Board of Supervisors approved to ask of the Regional Transportation Commission in grant applications. Happily, there are other more-worthy projects on the table, such as the Pioneer/Varni Road areas in Watsonville that are in shambles. Notably, Lompico Road is NOT one of the projects submitted, which should cause concern, given that a national survey recently deemed that area as the #1 most hazardous fire evacuation route for residents in the entire Bay Area.
Mercury News article

Where are our leaders?
You may be interested in knowing why the Aptos Creek Road and Soquel Drive intersection has required a seemingly endless pile of money vacuumed into the project of that second traffic light in Aptos Village. It is known as Aptos Village Traffic Improvement Phase 2B (Phase 2A is a plan to connect a new Parade Street to Soquel Drive and close the legal entry to the Bayview Hotel from Soquel Drive that is supposed to be paid for by the Aptos Village Project developers.). It is the traffic mitigation measure for the Aptos Village Project Phase 2 subdivision, and must be operational before the subdivision’s Phase 2 can be occupied.

The Aptos Creek Road traffic light has been awarded nearly $2 million in RTC grant money over the past few years. That grant source also helped pay for the Trout Gulch Road intersection traffic light and moved the bus stop out of the way for the new Parade Street intersection.

Part of why the traffic light projects are so expensive is because the railroad bed soils are highly contaminated and require special testing and handling to protect human and environmental health. I came upon the link to the letter below while researching the Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Data Files

I selected the “Hazardous Materials Documents” and typed in “Aptos Village”. Try it…you will be amazed at what you find.

Letter from Environmental Health to Public Works re: contaminated railroad bed soils work

WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND ONE PUBLIC MEETING. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE…BUT JUST TO SOMETHING THIS WEEK! Cheers,

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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

November 11, 2019 #315 / Gates And Rates: The “Perturbed Plutocrats”

Let me follow up my blog post yesterday, which I titled, “The Billionaire Boys Club.” On Sunday morning, when I picked up the papers, I was happy to find the following editorial in The New York Times. I have copied The Times’ editorial, in its entirety, below.

It seems that The Times has noticed that the billionaire class is getting just a little bit restless. I endorse the newspaper’s response to these “perturbed plutocrats!”

When Bill Gates founded Microsoft in 1975, the top marginal tax rate on personal income was 70 percent, tax rates on capital gains and corporate income were significantly higher than at present, and the estate tax was a much more formidable levy. None of that dissuaded Mr. Gates from pouring himself into his business, nor discouraged his investors from pouring in their money.

Yet he is now the latest affluent American to warn that Senator Elizabeth Warren’s plan for much higher taxes on the rich would be bad not just for the wealthy but for the rest of America, too.

Mr. Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, suggested on Wednesday that a big tax increase would result in less economic growth. “I do think if you tax too much you do risk the capital formation, innovation, U.S. as the desirable place to do innovative companies — I do think you risk that,” he said.

Other perturbed plutocrats have made the same point with less finesse. The billionaire investor Leon Cooperman was downright crude when he declared that Ms. Warren was wrecking the American dream. Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, complained on CNBC that Ms. Warren “uses some pretty harsh words” about the rich. He added, “Some would say vilifiessuccessful people.”

Let’s get a few things straight.

The wealthiest Americans are paying a much smaller share of income in taxes than they did a half-century ago. In 1961, Americans with the highest incomes paid an average of 51.5 percent of that income in federal, state and local taxes. In 2011, Americans with the highest incomes paid just 33.2 percent of their income in taxes, according to a study by Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman published last year. Data for the last few years is not yet available but would most likely show a relatively similar tax burden.

The federal government needs a lot more money. Decades of episodic tax cuts have left the government deeply in debt: The Treasury is on pace to borrow more than $1 trillion during the current fiscal year to meet its obligations. The government will need still more money for critical investments in infrastructure, education and the social safety net.

This is not an endorsement of the particulars of Ms. Warren’s tax plan. There is plenty of room to debate how much money the government needs, and how best to raise that money. The specific proposals by Ms. Warren and one of her rivals, Senator Bernie Sanders, to impose a new federal tax on wealth are innovations that require careful consideration.

But a necessary part of the solution is to collect more from those Americans who have the most.

And there is little evidence to justify Mr. Gates’s concern that tax increases of the magnitude proposed by Ms. Warren and other candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination would meaningfully discourage innovation, investment or economic growth.

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Just a thought below our deepest thinking…scroll down to check out Tim’s Subconscious Comics.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s Deep Cover classics 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 containing “Wrong and Wronger”

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. Their second concert this season is titled “Virtuosity Defined” or Musical Creativity and Artistic Expression Beyond the Flying Fingers. Thery’ll be music by Bach, Paganini, Javier Contreras, Piazzolla, and Justin Hurwitz. Featuring Kris Palmer, Concert Director and flute; Steve Lin, guitar; Isaac Pastor-Chermak, cello. They are the Black Cedar Trio. The Black Cedar Trio brings their award-winning blend of flute, cello, and guitar with “Virtuosity Defined.” The program includes music of Bach, Paganini, and Piazzolla, plus new music by San Jose composer Andre Gueziec and Chilean composer Javier Contreras. After the trio’s recent San Francisco concert, The Rehearsal Studio blog wrote, “Contreras’ music was an examination of not only the unique sonorities of each of the three instruments but also a rich study of how those sonorities could be blended in different combinations…clearly a major undertaking; but those willing to listen to it attentively were richly rewarded.” The concerts happen in the Christ Lutheran Church in Aptos, near the freedom Boulevard turnoff. the concerts are Saturday, November 23, 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 24, 3:00 pm.

JOJO RABBIT. A very rare political comedy with numerous scenes that are actually funny, centered on Nazi Germany. A little boy has Adolf Hitler as an invisible buddy. Scarlett Johansson plays the little boy’s mom, and does one of her 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!!

PAIN AND GLORY. This is probably my favorite film of 2019. I do not state that lightly, I mean it. It was directed and written by Pedro Almodóvar and stars Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz and Julieta Serrano. It’s about a film director who has lost his energy and drive to make films. He gets into heroin, same sex love, booze and ultimately back into film making. The acting is perfect, directing is shockingly tight, and a masterpiece. See it as soon as possible.

JOKER. Joaquin Phoenix should just be given the Oscar now, instead of all that fuss in January. Yes this is the origin of why the Joker haunts Bruce Wayne (Batman) and it’s so much more than that. The film is deep, dark, brilliant, violent, clever, absorbing, haunting, and will move you into a different perspective. Forget the criticism about protesters; the Joker is insane and magnetic. See this film if you like films beyond what’s acceptable! It just became the biggest – money making attendance record R-rated film ever!!!

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.

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN. Actor Edward Norton not only plays the Tourette syndrome plagued detective posing as a reporter but he directed the movie too. It takes place in NYC in the 1950’s . Alec Baldwin plays a character based on Robert Moses the evil developer of NYC. Willem Dafoe and Bruce Willis have small parts. The movie is not only confusing, but it drags on and on with little if any conclusion. And no, you won’t believe Norton’s actors version of faked Tourette’s either.

HARRIET. A real Hollywood tear jerker of Harriet Tubman’s amazing life and what she accomplished fighting slavery. Cynthia Erivo is excellent as Harriet and even looks like her. However the crashing crescendos of sobbing music, the homey corniness of so much of the plot and much of the acting makes this look and feel like a 1940’s Hollywood soap opera.

THE LIGHTHOUSE. Robert Pattinson plays the young, innocent, naïve and new lighthouse keeper wannabe. Willem Defoe works very hard to be the ancient, hard to understand keeper from the old days. Neither of them are likable, and they don’t like each other. And I didn’t like this movie because they were so unlikable. It doesn’t matter much but it’s set in the 1890’s in New England. It’s screened in black and white and in a small square frame.

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. Keith McHenry from Food Not Bombs and Ross Camp activist opens then Paloma Curutenango from UCSC’s Common Ground Center discusses their goals, successes, and history on Nov.12. On November 19 Kelly Damewood from California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) talks about local and national food issues. Then John Aird, local activist discusses UCSC growth and our water problems. Winners from Bookshop Santa Cruz’s Young Writers program read their entries on December 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

As much as I hate Christmas advertising too early, this is a damn good ad! 🙂

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.

“HOLIDAYS”

“I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up – they have no holidays”. Henny Youngman

“Holidays are about experiences and people, and tuning into what you feel like doing at that moment. Enjoy not having to look at a watch”. Evelyn Glennie

“I need a six months holiday twice a year”. Anonymous

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

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
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November 4 – 10, 2019

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…Justin Cummings and developers and “conscientious”, Bookshop Santa Cruz Birthday party. Hot Damn String Band plays, Bach is rated greatest composer. GREENSITE…Climate and Santa Cruz developments. KROHN… on Chile, uprisings, and PG&E STEINBRUNER…Removing local control over development, Soquel Water district and lawsuit and soaring rates. PATTON…end of human civilization. EAGAN…his art show and subconscious comics plus Deep Cover. JENSEN…reviews Harriet. BRATTON…I critique Pain and Glory, Parasite, Motherless Brooklyn and Harriet. UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”VOTING”

ESTHER AND CHUCK ABBOTT AND THEIR LIGHTHOUSE. October 27, 1967. The Abbotts arrived here in 1960, and created a lot of positive changes for our city. The lighthouse is of course only decorative, a dedicated gift to the city in honor of their son Mark who died surfing at Pleasure Point. The Abbotts were photographers, and also owned and operated a dance hall in Florida before coming here.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

OBAMA ROASTS TRUMP RE HAWAIIAN BIRTH.

HOW TO PLAY THE WASHBOARD (in French)

DATELINE November 4

CUMMINGS AND CONSCIENTIOUS. Many thanks to the folks who emailed in asking why I called Justin Cummings “conscientious” in last week’s BrattonOnline. The most honest answer is… “I goofed”. Maybe it’s part of my curmudgeon stage… but no way is — or was — Justin Cummings “conscientious”. What’s even more telling about Cummings is that on my Universal Grapevine program last Tuesday night, Julie and Stu Phillips (two of the most active opponents against the Dream Inn expansion) told me and our listeners that immediately after Justin Cummings voted with the city council to allow that Dream Inn job ,they walked outside the city hall to see a happy group with Justin Cummings laughing and handshaking with not just the developers, but also with a bunch of the Santa Cruz City Planning Staff. Every Santa Cruzan knew about the City Planning crew and their support of Ensemble’s Dream development from the very beginning, but the surprise of Cumming’s vote will remain with us for a very long time.

BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ’S 53RD BIRTHDAY PARTY & HOT DAMN STRING BAND. Just so you know, the Almost Legendary Hot Damn String Band will be playing starting at 7:30 p.m. this Friday night Nov. 8th. There’s a Readers Club Member sale with 20% off storewide. There’s also cake and ice cream and just a grand get together. Our Hot Damn String Band has been playing for these parties since before the 1989 earthquake!!! The Hot Damn String Band contains; Jim Reynolds – Guitar, Annie Steinhart – Fiddle, Dave Magram – Banjo, Stewart Evans – Mandolin, Gary Cunningham – String Bass, and I’ll be playing the washboard and the Zayantephone..

J.S. BACH NAMED GREATEST COMPOSER OF ALL TIME. The October issue of the BBC Music magazine stated…Johann Sebastian Bach has been named the greatest composer of all time. The German Baroque figure has been voted top from a list of 50 musical masters for BBC Music Magazine. Bach was renowned for his organ playing, use of fugue, and works including The Well-Tempered Clavier and the Brandenburg Concertos. No British composers made the top 10 list in the poll, which ranked Igor Stravinsky and Ludwig van Beethoven in second and third place – ahead of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Composer Unsuk Chin said of the result: “Bach’s music displays great emotions and fiery temperament, while being the highest conceivable summit of composition as an intellectual art. “It is a synthesis of past music and the creations of his own time as well as a bold vision of the future. “Up to Bach, musical works disappeared after a premiere or, at least, after a composer’s death. Bach was too grand to be ignored.” Bach triumphed in a poll of 174 leading contemporary composers, who ranked their individual top five favourites based on originality, impact, craftsmanship, and enjoyability.

The result of the proposals from composers led to Bach coming out on top, and a list that spans musical history from the 12th century to the present day. Oliver Condy, BBC Music Magazine editor, said: “The sheer breadth and depth of our top 50 list proves that today’s composers look to all countries, styles and centuries for inspiration. “In gathering together 174 living composers for our poll, our Top 50 composer list turned out to be our most ambitious feature to date – and makes for fascinating reading.” British composer Benjamin Britten narrowly missed out on the top 10, voted in at 11th place in the rankings.

The top 10 composers are:

Johann Sebastian Bach
Igor Stravinsky
Ludwig van Beethoven
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Claude Debussy
Gyorgy Ligeti
Gustav Mahler
Richard Wagner
Maurice Ravel
Claudio Monteverdi

GREENSITE’S INSIGHT.

November 4.

CLIMATE AND SANTA CRUZ DEVELOPMENTS.
I’m a believer. I’m convinced. The science is in. The climate is rapidly changing towards extremes. The seas are rising. Species are collapsing. Disease and food scarcity are spreading. We have only a decade to act. So why is it that others, including city staff, four council members and public figures say they accept this climate reality and also cheer at the recent approval of a massive new structure of 79 luxury apartments and retail at 190 West Cliff Drive?

A tally of the carbon footprint for just this one project would be an eye-opener: the excavation and trucking away of thousands of cubic yards of soil and bedrock for a two story underground parking lot; the production of thousands of cubic yards of cement for concrete, (cement production is one of the most carbon intensive and polluting of products); the carpeting; the wood floors; the plastics; the steel; the removal of 51 trees: all this resource depletion and carbon production for the wealthy to secure a second home at the beach. Anyone serious about climate impacts would eschew such conspicuous consumption.

The contradiction between the climate-induced need to scale back our consumption and the market imperative to increase it can be seen across Santa Cruz. It is multiplied by millions of projects and products across the country. If you attend public meetings where new projects are approved and at the same time read any worthwhile Climate Action Plan you can see the disconnect. If your thinking stops at “it’s a Green Building” then you aren’t seeing the gap.

We are a throw away society. What we truck to the landfill every day, other countries would preserve or re-use, if not by custom then by regulation. The Family Student Apartments at UCSC, built in 1971 and soon to be bulldozed are described as “beyond their lifespan.” The historic La Bahia on Beach St. is deemed, by neglect, beyond preservation. The small local businesses along Front, Water, Ocean and Mission Streets, the so-called Corridors, are to be bulldozed to make way for glass and steel high-rises with the attendant rent increases that will drive the local businesses out of business. These will be replaced by high-end retailers catering to the new high-end residents whose carbon footprint via their consumption patterns exceeds any savings from the hoped-for reduction in automobile use as per the “smart-growth” paradigm.

Since we are immersed in a capitalist culture of consumption we rarely see it from the outside. And some consume a lot more than others. As a nation we emit twice the carbon as do folks living in Europe and for a variety of reasons, including the casual disposal of finite resources.

The photograph is of a house being built in the Rift Valley in Tanzania by a teacher who works at the nearby Maasai School for Girls. Such rare schools are important as an alternative for Maasai girls who otherwise would be married at a young age and lose any chance for an education. Being a product of western society I at first did not believe what he was building was a house. Where will you cook I asked? Outside, the teacher replied. It was a humbling experience.

The gulf between the Tanzanian hut and the West Cliff Drive luxury apartments is a measure of our disproportionate impact on the global climate scene. Such disparity will continue so long as we let the market and investors drive our choices. To those who supported the West Cliff Drive project as well as other projects in the works, I suggest you leave your climate hat at the door.

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.

November 4

WHY A SANTA CRUZ FOREIGN POLICY?

Policy Perspectives
I have always encountered a strong sentiment in Santa Cruz for debate, discussion, and action around issues of both domestic and foreign policy. It’s an interest bordering on the severe in Santa Cruz. That is, residents here have always been involved in the larger issues of this state, the nation, and the world. Often, locals expect and demand that their elected public officials take stands against unjust national policies–not sending immigrants back to dangerous places as the council did in passing numerous resolutions to protect immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. The council often addresses and sometimes takes action on state issues such as housing, homelessness, and firearms. Why? Because the state’s policies often impact our spending and ultimate quality of life here in Surf City.

Santa Cruz Foreign Policy
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the hopes of its children”.
–From (Dwight Eisenhower’s “Chance for Peace” speech soon after the death of Joseph Stalin)

In the area of “International Affairs” and “Foreign Policy,” the Santa Cruz city council has often put its collective toe, and sometimes foot, into the steamy and muddy waters of global concerns. We’ve demanded that Great Britain for example, hand over Augusto Pinochet to the Chilean people, proclaim our support for the Salvadoran people over the Reagan war machine in the 1980’s, as well as pronouncements in support of the rain forest, banning sex slavery, and upholding the MacBride principles of Northern Ireland. The city council has made statements, demands, and passed resolutions usually because our residents demanded discussion and action on these issues. So here is an update on international concerns I’ve been hearing from Santa Cruz residents recently.

Updates on Concerns Expressed by Residents

Russia and Trump and the Impending Impeachment
To sum it up, Donald Trump had a conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he asked, according to a transcript of the phone call, if the Ukraine would assist in investigating Trump’s rival, Joe Biden and his son Hunter. For most looking at this, it is likely not the worst thing Trump ever did and, the question really is, was it illegal? Can the President of the US make such requests and have it be legal because he is the President? I am not so sure there is a smoking gun here, but the Democrats are moving forward to impeach the SOB-in-chief anyway. Of course, many of us are relieved, some jubilant, but this move is sure to help energize The Donald’s base as we move toward the 2020 election and it may offer additional hope to this self-described Billionaire Underdog. Stay tuned, or perhaps not, since no Republican Senator (maybe Mitt) has changed his or her mind on the impeachment questions yet, which has left Santa Cruz and much of the country wondering what it will take for “his people” to admit this President’s time is over. He’s had his shot and clearly blown it, especially in the area of foreign policy.

Chile Again. An Uprising.
It is thirty years since General Augusto Pinochet was driven from power and Chile entered into a new democratic era. Many in Santa Cruz followed closely the life and times of former President Salvador Allende who was a long-time politician before ascending to the presidency in 1970. Allende was put out of power by a military coup backed by the US and ITT (International Telephone and Telegraph) in 1973. It was a short-lived socialist revolution and a bloody counter revolution, which yielded thousands of deaths and Chilean refugees and for that reason followed by many Santa Cruzans. Saul Landau the film-maker lived for a time in Santa Cruz and taught a summer film class for a few years. He wrote a book called, Assassination on Embassy Row, and former US Rep. George Miller told the Washington Post upon the death of Landau, “In a show of his persistence and tenacity…he helped bring Augusto Pinochet to justice more than 30 years later.” Now, in Chile many are chanting, No son 30 pesos, son 30 años. (“It’s not about 30 pesos, it’s about 30 years.”) It refers to the raising of subway fares, only about 4 cents US, but now they are among the highest fares in Latin America. Increasing subway fares set off a powder keg of popular dissent going back many years. There is a vast and increasing inequality among those who have in Chile, and those who have not. (Sound familiar?!) According to the New York Times, at least 19 have died and “hundreds more injured, though not all by security forces, while 20 people have been reported missing.” Below I offer the contents of an email from an old friend who teaches at the Universidad Catolica in Santiago and who received her Ph.D. from Berkeley in Entomology. She perhaps represents that gulf between the classes in Chile.

Letter from Santiago
Things are a real mess at the moment, kind of reminds Pinochet…. But upside down? I am not sure what to think, a lot of conspiracy theories surfacing, from the right and also from the left!!! Piñera (and all his team) is an inept no doubt about it, but lots of very out of control youth and, for sure in between a few nasty people too. I would guess that much of what you see is out of context, although some intense encounters between police and people had happened. In theory police do not fire real bullets, but the military did shoot 2 people at 4am on Sunday (not dead, but had to have emergency surgery). Most dead people, I think 11 until this morning, were caught up in fires inside stores while taking away stuff in the middle of the night. This morning I was listening to a guy from the human rights movement, and he was very objective saying what is not acceptable in this situation, and that they had people in the streets and hospitals checking stuff out and helping people with legal actions. But he said that all together, until this morning, only 9 cases were put forward, mainly for excessive force. They are a lot of people detained though, but I think most are set free after they check their documents in the stations. Not sure how these numbers will change after today. We have curfew at night since Saturday, and I have not gone out of the house in the weekend or today (my campus is closed, although tomorrow we have to go to feed the insects). Is not that I feel insecure, but mostly because I don’t need to, and prefer not to add to the bad spirit. Maybe, I should have gone out and protest a little bit (I know you would have!!!!), but I am kind of in a state of shock, trying to process what the hell is going on. I agree with the demands, but setting fire to the subway, supermarkets and pharmacies is really upsetting. Not sure what is the way forward either, politicians in the last 30 years have not helped much, and the economic “model” is unfair for so many. I hate the fact that many of our basic services (water, buses, energy, roads, etc.) are owned by for-profit big transnational companies. On the other hand, I am doing really well. I guess I am upper middle class, I have had all the opportunities, but all what I have is from my work. I pay all my taxes, and try to be fair to those that work for me. More can be done, but I think the Chilean society is really not very together, and people feel “smart” when they legally cut corners with taxes for example. So then in practice you can’t really do more. I don’t know, maybe after this we could… as you see, I am processing all…(Oct. 21)

Uprising in Lebanon
Over what seemed to begin as protest against a government measure to tax WhatsApp, the people of Lebanon took to the streets for 13 consecutive days and forced Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign. It was “unprecedented” according to Al Jazeera. It is likely Hariri will return to power because he “is still the single most popular politician among Lebanon’s Sunnis, important in a country where the prime minister must be Sunni, the speaker of the parliament Shia, and the president a Maronite Christian.” It also looks like a financial crisis was really at the heart of the Lebanese uprising and that basic services such as electricity and water were increasingly unstable.

Trump and the World Rightwing-mania
It is perhaps no coincidence that the world is besieged by rightwing heads of state and Trump is seems to be a friend to most of them. Trigger warning: this scorecard of right-wingers is gruesome. In Hungary, Victor Orban has successfully kicked out Central European University from Budapest. It was founded by billionaire liberal, George Soros. Kim Jong Un of South Korea has an up and down bromance with President Trump as does Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump has said he admires Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for the way he goes after (and kills) drug dealers. Trump also seemed to be the choice for Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the 2016 elections. But perhaps most disturbing is Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia and his embrace of Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and this is despite all evidence that leads to Salman’s ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. These foreign “entanglements” kind of relationships should be disturbing to most voters, but I would bet there is a larger percentage in Santa Cruzans who want to debate and discuss the current administration’s spiraling downward in the area of foreign policy.

Addendum: What to do About P.G.$ E?
Now, here we have a corporate investor-owned, for-profit utility that has shown more concern for its shareholders than the rate-payers of Northern California and Santa Cruz. What can our residents and ratepayers do to confront this out of control company and maybe help the push toward democratizing P.G.$ E’s future actions? What might residents want their city council to do? Something like making a demand that P.G.$ E not be allowed to get away with the past blackout or future ones as well? No other utility has thus far shut down the grid because of high winds; it is not an industry standard. Residents could demand that P.G.$ E’s people be present at the next city council meeting meeting and respond to the to the community’s questions. Or they could ask for a resolution to sever ties with P.G.$ E, or to buy out P.G.$ E assets as San Francisco and San Jose are asking to do. The least we can do is have the mayor write a letter expressing our community’s strong feelings about this issue. What do you think we should do?

“Won’t you look at that: turns out all the chicken littles on raising min wage were wrong! GOP said the sky would fall if we (New York) raised tipped wages to $15/hr w #TipsOnTop. Turns out both revenue & employment are UP since the #Fightfor15, & way more people are getting a fair shake.” (Nov. 3)

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

November 4

COUNTY PLANNING DEPT. HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION TO REVIEW IMPENDING (AND FOREBODING) LEGISLATION
This Wednesday, the County Housing Advisory Commission will consider the many pieces of impending legislation regarding the heavy-fisted State mandates that would remove significant local control over dense development in the future. If you are able, attend this meeting: November 6, 1pm, 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, 4th Floor large conference room. Here is a link to the agenda, which includes direct links to all legislative actions

These meetings are NOT audio or video recorded, but I will do my best to record it and post it as a YouTube in the near future. Of great concern is the SB 330 (Senator Nancy Skinner) is a re-hash of Senator Scott Wiener’s attempts to remove the ability of local planning agencies and the public to refuse large dense developments, but adds in language that any opposition must prove there is non-conformity with zoning and general plan language in place at the time this bill is approved. YIKES! Councilmember Chris Krohn wrote about this last week in BrattonOnline.

Read his thoughts, and read the legislative proposal yourself, then contact your local representatives about the status of zoning and general plan amendments. The County is in the middle of updating all of that language NOW. 831-454-2200

Write your County Supervisor:

Greg Caput: greg.caput@santacruzcounty.us
Ryan Coonerty: ryan.coonerty@santacruzcounty.us
Zach Friend: zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us
John Leopold: john.leopold@santacruzcounty.us
Bruce McPherson: bruce.mcpherson@santacruzcounty.us

SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT RATE INCREASES ARE UNFAIR AND HURT FAMILIES
Join the 535+ ratepayers and sign the online protest and let Soquel Creek Water District Board know that their outrageous rate restructuring and 9% annual rate increase is really hurting families and those on fixed incomes.

Attend the District Board meeting Tuesday, November 5, 2019 in the Capitola City Council Chambers, 6pm and let them know your thoughts. In response to the many customers who testified at the last Board meeting in protest of the $100-$200 monthly increase in their water bills, Director Bruce Jaffe requested staff to return with information showing the true impacts of the new rate structuring, fee increases and 9% rate increase. He wanted to know how well the reality of what the District customers are experiencing matches with the model generated by the Raftelis rate consultant study used to calculate the new rates.

According to the Finance Dept. staff report in this week’s Board agenda packet, the Board will not see that information until “early 2020”. OUCH!! By then, customers will be facing YET ANOTHER 9% INCREASE, because the Board approved increases every year for FIVE YEARS in order to pay for their desired $95 Million plan to inject 1.3 million gallons/day treated sewage water into the drinking water supply of MidCounty residents (aka PureWater Soquel Project).

If that is not disgusting enough, consider that the Board approved all this on November 6, 2018, BEFORE even certifying that the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Project was complete, and before they accordingly approved the Project on December 18, 2018.

STATUS OF LEGAL ACTION AGAINST SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT FOR PUREWATER SOQUEL PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL VIOLATIONS
When the well-informed citizen and experts of Water for Santa Cruz County could not amass $100.000 last January to file legal action challenging Soquel Creek Water District regarding multiple violations of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) regarding the PureWater Soquel Project, I chose to take action myself, as Pro Per, and have filed legal challenges. A group, such as Water for Santa Cruz County, by law is not allowed to do their own legal work, but I can, taking citizen duty for the Public Benefit. It has been a difficult journey, but I am resolved to vigorously pursue the Petition for Writ of Mandate action that I have filed in Santa Cruz Superior Court.

All I am asking is that Soquel Creek Water District comply with the CEQA laws which I allege they violated.

That action will be heard this week. Wednesday, November 6 at 10am, in Dept. 2, Judge Timothy Schmal (who presides over misdemeanor issues) will consider my motion to move my case out of Santa Cruz County. If he grants that request, the hearing of the matter will be postponed until all documents get transferred and a new hearing date set. If he denies my request, Judge Schmal will consider three motions on Friday, November 8, 9am, in Dept. 2.

The first motion is whether he will allow me to amend my complaint. If he does, the other two motions could be postponed, in order to allow me the legal time to file and serve the amended complaint. If he does not, the case will most likely be heard for its merits.
The second motion I have filed is for a continuance of the hearing on the merits of my complaint, which all really hinges on whether Judge Schmal allows me to amend my complaint, but I had to file the request in order to get a continued hearing date in the event he does allow me to amend my complaint.
The Hearing on the Merits is the main hearing to decide whether any of the complaints I have brought forth against the District have any merit. That is the big one. I have let the District know (not a threat, as their attorney has stated) that I will appeal if necessary.

What is most disturbing is that the District is asking the Court to punish me with sanctions for nearly $40.000, claiming that I am just trying to delay things because I just do not like the Project. It is called being vexatious, and in my case, nothing could be further from the truth. The District just is not used to having anyone challenge them, and they simply do not like it and want to punish me for doing my citizen duty on behalf of the public benefit, defending the Public Trust Doctrine.

I do not understand why the District has chosen to hire an attorney from Best, Best & Krieger in Riverside, CA, in addition to paying their regular attorney, Mr. Bob Bosso, $8000+/month for legal counsel. The Riverside attorney travels to Santa Cruz each and every time there is a legal action regarding the Case 19CV00181, at the rate of $325/hour, including travel time. Courts have the ability to allow out-of-town attorneys to participate remotely, but the District’s counsel from Riverside refuses to do so. KER-CHING! for the rate payers.

Because I have had to work so hard to just get a fair and impartial judge to hear my case, I have had to file a number of court documents and actions. I have learned a lot, but each time, the District customers get billed an outrageous amount of money. That is not my goal, but it is what the District chooses to do.

At the last Board meeting on October 15, Best, Best & Krieger submitted a request for an additional $193,500 for further legal action to fight my request that the District just follow CEQA law. Amazingly, the item was in the Consent Agenda, which would not have required any special discussion publicly. Luckily, Director Bruce Jaffe pulled the item for discussion. It was only then that General Ron Duncan showed the Board and the public the itemized Exhibit A that Best, Best & Krieger had sent and referred to in their request for more money. The Board amazingly approved the outrageous expense, after assurance from Mr. Bosso that it would not be violating the Brown Act to be voting on the material that was only made available to the Board and the public at that very moment!

You will now find that complete document on the November 5, 2019 agenda, pages 18-23. I think it is shocking that the Board was so willing to squander so much ratepayer money and to accept the questionable actions of General Manager Ron Duncan to attempt to hide critical financial information from them and the public that was very relevant to decision-making regarding the expense.

What amazed me at the October 15, 2019 Board meeting was Director Bruce Daniels’ angry retort to the ratepayers, stating (as you can read on page 6 in the Minutes):

“Vice-President Daniels responded to public comment, explaining that staff and the Board identified and evaluated a variety of water supply options, and there is no alternative to Pure Water Soquel”

WOW!

Please visit the Water for Santa Cruz County website and learn the truth. Santa Cruz County does not have a water supply problem, but rather a water STORAGE problem that can be regionally managed if only there is a political will from the Soquel Creek Water District Board and staff.

MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. BUT JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK! 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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

November 3 #307 2050 IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

2050 is “just around the corner.” At least, that is the perspective of someone like me, who has already lived for seventy-five years. 2050 is roughly thirty years away, so I have lived more than twice as long as the thirty years that now separate us from 2050. For someone who has lived thirty or fewer years, of course, thirty years is likely to appear to be a rather long time. It is a “lifetime,” in fact.

From whatever vantage point you consider the year 2050, and whether you think that thirty years is a “long” time or a “short” time, the following headline should make that 2050 date significant:

‘High likelihood of human civilisation coming to end’ by 2050, report finds. Here is a link to an article in The Independent, published in Great Britain, to which the headline above applies. Harry Cockburn, who wrote the article, is reporting on a paper produced by the Melbourne-based think tank the Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration.

The Breakthrough Centre defines its mission as “the development and promotion of strategies, innovation and analysis which are required to restore the climate to a safe condition.” The Breakthrough report was written by David Spratt and Ian Dunlop, with a forward by Chris Barrie, the former chief of the Australian Defence Forces and a retired Admiral in the Royal Australian Navy.

Clicking this link will take you to the full report. The article already linked provides a good synopsis. The key point, and the reason for this blog post, is not just that we need to take very seriously the impacts that accelerating global warming is having on the natural environment. We do need to do that, of course, but we also need to think about what the impacts of the coming changes in the natural environment will mean for our human civilization. We need to think about those dangers and threats, in other words, the way Admirals and Generals have always thought about the threats and dangers posed by other nations, as nations skirmish for geopolitical advance and/or domination.

Human-caused global warming is initiating a Sixth Mass Extinction. That is horrible, but what the Breakthrough Report is trying to make clear is a point that I, too, try to make clear in the series of daily blog postings that I have been making on this website for almost ten years.

We live ultimately in the World of Nature, but we live most immediately in a Human World, a “Political World,” a world that we can properly call our human “civilization.” While we have the ability to undermine the integrity of the Natural World, and are doing so (witness that Sixth Mass Extinction) our own, human world is less resilient and more vulnerable than the World of Nature.

In other words, our human civilization will break down BEFORE the worst has happened in the Natural World. In fact, according to the Breakthrough report, we don’t have long to get ready and to do something about that.
This is obviously very bad news, but is there an upside? Is there any good news?

Maybe there is! If we can truly understand that we live, most immediately, in a human world, and that all our lives depend on being able to maintain the viability of our human civilization, then the unity of human beings across all perceived boundaries and differences will melt away. We are in this together. All of us. Every single one of us. In our current situation, in our current crisis, it is only human empathy, love, and commitment to each other that can avert the end to the human civilization we have created and that makes it possible for our lives to continue.
Sooner or later, we are going to realize this. Young girls are sailing across the ocean to bring us this news. I think we’re going to figure this out, but we don’t have much time.

2050 is just around the corner!

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. More of the early years of Eagan’s subterranean sneaky looks into our other selves. Check them out below a few scrolls.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s sharp, poignant political plots 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.

TIM EAGAN SAYS…”Hi everybody. If you find yourself in Santa Cruz in the near future, please come take a look at my plein air oils at the Gabriella Cafe on Cedar St. It will be there until the end of December. Hope to see you there”. If you want to subscribe to Tim’s blog, go here

12×12 ARTWORK The Webmistress, Gunilla Leavitt, wants to let everyone know about an awesome local art tradition, the 12×12 exhibit at the Cabrillo Gallery. It’s open to anyone residing in California, pieces must be 12×12, and the show opened Monday and goes until December 6. There’s a reception on Saturday, November 9, 4:00–6:00, come see all the different ways you can make art in a 12×12 square! Most of the artwork is for sale, and the whole event is a fundraiser for the Gallery. Gunilla has three pieces in the show, woodworking and knitting! Come check them out and say hi at the reception!

LISA JENSEN LINKS. “Maybe now that we’re all so woke, the times have finally caught up to the amazing life of Harriet Tubman, a real-life superhero who fought for justice and won major victories against impossible odds in her lifelong battle to end slavery in the American South. In Harriet, filmmaker Kasi Lemmons explores the woman behind the historical footnote in a tribute that feels long overdue, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Also, some memories of Halloweens Past for this witching season. And if you were going to dress up as your favorite literary character, how would you choose? Your actual favorite character or the one with the coolest outfit? You’ll get your chance next week when Bookshop Santa Cruz hosts a Literary Masquerade in honor of author Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus), and her new novel, The Starless Sea! ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

SPECIAL BRATTONOTE. WHEN YOU CAN’T QUITE FIGURE OUT THE PLOTS TO ANY FILMS OR TV SERIES, GO TO WIKIPEDIA. For example the “Watchmen” series is/was completely beyond me to decipher. Go here if you too need explaining…

PAIN AND GLORY. This is probably my favorite film of 2019. I do not state that lightly It was directed and written by Pedro Almodóvar, and stars Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz and Julieta Serrano. It’s about a film director who has lost the energy and drive to make films. He gets into heroin, some sex love, booze — and ultimately back into film making. The acting is perfect, directing is shockingly tight, and a masterpiece. See it as soon as possible.

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.

MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN. Actor Edward Norton not only plays the Tourette syndrome-plagued detective posing as a reporter, but he directed the movie too. It takes place in NYC in the 1950’s. Alec Baldwin plays a character based on Robert Moses, the evil developer of NYC. Willem Dafoe and Bruce Willis have small parts. The movie is not only confusing, but drags on and on with little if any conclusion. And no, you won’t believe Norton’s actor’s version of faked Tourette’s either.

HARRIET. A real Hollywood tear-jerker of Harriet Tubman’s amazing life, and what she accomplished fighting slavery. Cynthia Erivo is excellent as Harriet, and even looks like her. However the crashing crescendos of sobbing music, the homey corniness of so much of the plot, and much of the acting makes this look and feel like a 1940’s Hollywood soap opera.

CURRENT WAR. I thought at first this might be about today’s White House and foreign relations. Then I wondered maybe it’s about swimming against the currents. Could it possibly be about black versus yellow Currants? None of above, it’s really about George Westinghouse versus Thomas Alva Edison versus Nikolai Tesla. The war is about Direct Current or Alternating Current. Too bad we can’t raise hands and count how many folks care about the difference between the two currents. Worse than the boredom is watching and hearing Benedict Cummerbatch doing an American accent. For the first time on screen he is boring. This is the “director’s cut”, too bad he didn’t cut it much more!!!. CLOSES THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7

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. . On November 5 Dean Kaufman Veterans Service Officer talks about the meaning and events happening on Veterans Day. Gail Pellerin Santa Cruz County Clerk talks about voting and elections after Dean on Nov. 5. Paloma Curutenango from UCSC’s Common Ground Center discusses their goals, successes, and history on Nov.12 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 was careening down a YouTube rabbithole of videos about drummers. There are several on what a fantastically talented and genius drummer Ringo Starr was, and how underappreciated his contributions have been. I meant to post one of those, but then I stumbled on this one about John Bonham, and so this is what you get this week. The death of John Bonham was a tragedy to music, and you wonder what he would have come up with had he been around.

“VOTING”

“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Thomas Jefferson

“Too many people fought too hard to make sure all citizens of all colors, races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities can vote to think that not voting somehow sends a message.” – Luis Gutierrez

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Plato

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” – Pericles

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

October 30 – November 5, 2019

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…Justin Cummings, Dream Inn Expansion, Tim Eagan Show. GREENSITE…on the 190 West Cliff Drive decision. KROHN…General Plan & zoning, corridors plan, 190 West Cliff Development, Vacate and just cause issues. STEINBRUNER…Soquel treated Water rate increase, water storage problem, Nissan decision and John Leopold, rural Fire tax. PATTON…Trump the Underdog Billionaire EAGAN…Sub Comics and classics. JENSEN…reviews The Current War. BRATTON…I critique Where’s My Roy Cohn?, The Current War, and Lighthouse. UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… “FIRE”

DREAM INN CONSTRUCTION April 26, 1963. You can see the old Sisters Hospital halfway up on the left margin. After some moves, it became our Dominican Hospital. The hospital site became a parking lot for the Dream Inn

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

LISA MINELLI DANCES (she ain’t no Judy!)

CHINESE SWAN LAKE…or Swans into frogs!!

DATELINE October 28

JUSTIN CUMMINGS, WHAT A GUY!!! It seems like only yesterday we thought we had a 4 to 3 progressive majority on our City Council. Then we watched and trembled as Justin Cummings flipped 4 or 5 votes to the Pro Development–Cynthia Mathew’s side. Last week was a pre-Halloween nightmare, as Cummings voted to support The Dream Inn-Ensemble 190 West Cliff expansion. From now on, Santa Cruz will be subject to a 3.5 vs. 3.5 City Council. Of course that places Cummings at the center of all the development pressure. He’s not only new to politics, but conscientious too. It is, as we say…anybody’s guess, as our Silicon Beach city continues to grow.

DREAM INN EXPANSION, MORE ABOUT. Despite the fact that 22,438 Santa Cruzans voted for Trump in 2016, it’s tough to believe that so many of our “City Institutions’ like the Chamber of Commerce and our Santa Cruz Business Council are so pro-development. Robert Singleton — the sexually-charged executive director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council — sent a report/reaction on their website. Read it all here…

Cutting to the core of his reaction to the Dream Inn victory, Singleton wrote…

“The Business Council has been working on this project with a myriad of other community partners, from MBEP (Monterey Bay Economic Partnership) to YIMBY (YES in My Backyard) and beyond, because of the precedent this project will set in a truly post-redevelopment world, where there exists very little local funding for affordable housing.

You really need two types of “political cover” in order to get our electeds to support what they all know deep down inside is a great project. The first one is obvious, in that you need a broad coalition of folks from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds to speak in favor of new housing. No ifs and or buts about it, no broad based coalition of more than just old white folks in the room? No housing for you. Said another way: the whole community needs to show up, and even then Chris Krohn is going to vote against it on some bogus environmental reason.

When people get emotionally invested in a project outcome, no amount of facts or studies are going to persuade them. Only those very few and disciplined decision makers seem to be able to rise above the constant back and forth and be able to genuinely synthesize information well into the evening. Obviously members of the public have no interest in overcoming their emotional stances, they came to the hearing to let their elected leaders have it, which doesn’t help frankly. But to constantly question the expert input of staff, lawyers, geologists, hydrologists, traffic engineers, etc.–all of who went to school for many years in order to qualify to give such testimony–is really hard to watch, and slightly demeaning. To take all of their information in and then dismiss it entirely, or nit pick it until you find a minor inconsistency that is usually one poignant question away, that’s just completely regressive”.

BrattonNote…Maybe we should name the new Dream Inn’s Sauna and Spa room The Cummings Cute Calorie Count Court. Plus we should all relax, since UCSC’s Gary Griggs also gave his approval.

TIM EAGAN SAYS… “Hi everybody. If you find yourself in Santa Cruz in the near future, please come take a look at my plein air oils at the Gabriella Cafe on Cedar St. I’ll be hanging the show on October 31st, and it will run until the end of December. There is also an opening from 3 to 5 on November 3rd. Hope to see you there” .If you want to subscribe to Tim’s blog go to..
http://www.timeagan.com/?subscribe&email=bratton@cruzio.com&code=0d8422df1273fe4dd17422347d63a7a8&action=unsubscribe

October 28

LET THEM EAT CAKE
We have only 3 city council members who genuinely represent the people and not the “stakeholders.” And two of them are facing a recall. This is not a good time for the common folk. It’s a great time for developers and those whom they suckle. This reality was in full display at the council meeting where the decision to approve the mammoth high-end development at 190 West Cliff Drive was made on a 4 to 3 vote.

Ensemble, the out of town big-scale developer and owner of the Dream Inn had assembled an impressive cast of actors in this high stakes drama. Union members were there in support, hitching their star to the rich. Various housing groups spoke, including the powerful MBEP (Monterey Bay Economic Partnership) and the Santa Cruz County Business Council. These interest groups remind me of the right to lifers who are so protective of the unborn but couldn’t give a damn about children. Who cares if Clearview Court, the adjacent community of 67 manufactured homes owned by long-time low-income seniors, many disabled, lose their sun, their privacy and in the long run even their homes as this area gentrifies, when what is gained is 79 luxury apartments for over the hill investors, plus a token smattering of minimally required low income units?

Those of us who spoke against the project were not asking for much. Just an EIR , (Environmental Impact Report) to better assess the traffic, pedestrian and geologic impacts which were understudied in the documents used to approve the project. Robert Singleton, Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Business Council laments that those of us who oppose such projects just don’t trust the experts and that for us “to constantly question the expert input of staff, lawyers, geologists, hydrologists, traffic engineers, etc.–all of who went to school for many years in order to qualify to give such testimony–is really hard to watch, and slightly demeaning.” Gird your loins and read more here

If I’ve learned anything from the past 40 years it’s that “experts” make findings consistent with whom is paying their costs. It’s hard to find an expert who gives bad news to their boss. And sometimes they lie. That is not an opinion. It’s an observation from reading tons of “expert” opinion for myriad projects that I have opposed or appealed, usually involving trees and the environment.

Another clever gimmicky success noted by Singleton is to stack the meetings with people of color to support a development in order to contrast with the aging white folk who turn out to defend their long-time neighborhoods. Works every time. I wasn’t sure why the NAACP came out in support but there they were. This reminded me of the battle over Longs (now CVS) on Mission St. It was controversial so the meeting was held in the Civic. Neighbors came out in force. The argument in favor of the development was that the new Longs aimed to employ many African Americans in its new store so how could white folks stand in their way? CVS today is a shining example of what not to approve and I doubt there are many if any African American employees.

UCSC is adept at co-opting people of color to support their various plans. When we opposed the establishment of fraternities on campus the administration enlisted the support of a black Fraternity to effectively silence the largely white opposition. The same tactic was used with the first building on the Great Meadow, which was originally a Student Center. It failed as such since its location was absurd. The administration offered space for the African American Resource Center and dissent for the project dissolved.

Expect more of this well-organized seduction of people of color and trade unions to support the myriad city projects that are in the planning stage. What is being lost is any notion of class impacts. Research documents that the losers in this in-filling, high-rise, smart growth era are the low-income renters who include significant numbers of people of color. Council member Drew Glover captured this class affront in his pointed response to the Mayor’s suggestion that if shade from the 55 feet tall development means that the Clearview Court residents can no longer grow vegetables to augment their tiny incomes, then maybe they can be given left-over food from the retail businesses in the new luxury development. Let them eat cake!

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.

October 28

PROGRESSIVES MUST FIND THEIR WAY

Progressive Tip-toe at the Edge of the Development Abyss

The Santa Cruz City Council continues on its unsettling “majority” tip-toe journey into charted and uncharted political territory. Two huge issues were decided by 4-3 votes last Tuesday, Oct. 22nd, and they did not have pretty progressive endings, unfortunately. The afternoon agenda had only one item of real significance. What was innocuously billed as, “Monthly Report on General Plan and Zoning Ordinance Reconciliation Effort” became a city staff recommendation to spend $300,000 to $450,000 to pay for “staff time” and an outside consultant. What’s at issue? From the city staff report:

The Housing Accountability Act and SB 330

The Housing Accountability Act (HAA)

The HAA expressly prohibits jurisdictions from requiring a rezoning when there is an inconsistency between the objective density standards allowed on the site under the GP land use designation and those allowed under the Zoning Ordinance. In short, for sites which permit housing development, if a proposed project is consistent with the objective density standards in the GP, but the zoning has not yet been updated to match, the jurisdiction must allow the applicant to utilize the GP’s objective density standards. Once the GP density standards are permitted, the jurisdiction can then require the applicant to meet the remaining objective standards found in the Zoning Ordinance. The HAA requires that, if a housing development conforms to specific objective general plan and zoning standards and a city seeks to deny the project or condition it in a manner that reduces the number of proposed dwelling units, that a decision-making body must make specific findings, supported by a preponderance of evidence in the record, that the project would have a specific, adverse effect on public health or safety.

Corridors Mistaking, Part II

My problem is that there weren’t any neighbors, or neighborhood groups involved in this rather dramatic action to invest a lot of money into a plan that staff is contending that the state is basically holding a planning gun to our head. If we do not have “objective density standards” in place then the state will impose them? This action flies in the face of what the city council had previously passed, that is, get neighbors and neighborhood groups involved in planning. At least in this case, put off a decision until the next community meeting on Oct. 28th with Save Santa Cruz and other interested parties is completed. But that did not happen. If the council does not allow neighbors and other parties who are not financially invested in how building takes place in our town to participate, then city staff will only replicate the past failed corridors plan. Yes, new state laws have somewhat constrained the power of the city council to decide many land-use decisions, but not totally, and this decision like most would’ve fared better with more input from the public. The message of the community leading the city council and city staff has not yet fully rooted in our local governance structure, but progressives must continue tending the garden. Let it alone for the upcoming election cycle and we will be back to square one with 1) more developer-friendly council-directed plans, 2) more BearCat Tanks, and 3) it is unlikely we will find that permanent home for the downtown Farmer’s Market on Cedar Street.

Then Came the Developers
Is 190 West Cliff, the next phase of Neo-Liberal Development cutting up our town?

It was a pretty dramatic turn for a progressive council. Gone was the 1998 cautionary signal the electorate sent a past council concerning commercial development during the Beach and South of Laurel daze. In came three new councilmembers that year and out went the Seaside Dream Team plan for putting retail on steroids along Beach Street. Then, it happened again in 2005 when thousands of Santa Cruzans, and five former mayors, signed a petition. It never made it to the ballot, but the former Dream Inn (Coast Hotel) owner pulled out and went back to Idaho or wherever he had come from and the convention center plan died. Don’t mourn, organize is how the progressives usually roll in this town. The Ensemble developers hail from SoCal, and they know their retail. They call it the “Marketplace” and around it will huddle 89 condominium apartments with at least 27 having access to rooftop patios. This huddle of stucco will also dwarf the 68 single-story manufactured homes at the once Clearview Court. The Ensemble fellows came with lawyers and real estate people, developers and a dozen folks who argued for a spot in one of the 10 affordable units being touted by Dream Inn manager, Tyson Sales. (No, you can’t make this stuff up!) Ensemble’s Sales huffed and puffed and finally blew over, wolf-style, four councilmembers with threats of litigation, tales of affordable units, and a full-court public relations team worthy of a Ted Turner or Michael Bloomberg. Bill Brooks or Norman Schwartz local efforts it was not. These guys are corporate, but participating in their machine is local fixer Owen Lawlor, and they know their stuff. I just thought Santa Cruz was savvy enough to get a better deal while protecting Clearview Court and many of our fellow westsiders. Even minimal issues were sidelined like moving five heritage trees; guaranteeing that no stoplight would ever be at Bay and West Cliff; no noise or shadow study for Clearview Court will be done; there is no guarantee that these new market rate condos would not end up as short-term rentals; and finally, no stepping back upper stories either…rich folk need their view shed. To add insult to injury, the hours of literally hauling away our west cliff dirt to make way for a 2-story garage were increased from four hours a day to eight. Let them truckers roll, 10/4! The construction once it begins could last two years. I guess it costs a lot to rebuild paradise. You’re welcome neighbors! The big lost opportunity though was that the city council could have demanded 18 affordable units, but no, 10 was all there was at the bottom of Ensemble’s meager community benefit bag. Well, we learned something folks. It is hard ball and the city council can’t keep coming to each game with cajones de tenis. It’s game on Surf City, and the gloves are coming off! Don’t mourn, organize.

Did You Know There was an October 28th Special City Council Meeting?

There will be a special city council meeting on Monday, October 28th and I am writing this without the benefit of the usual 72-hour agenda packet. Special meetings do NOT require the three-day notice, only 24 hours. Who knew?

The ad hoc agenda may include, but yet to be posted as of this writing:

Should the city council enact the AB 1482 earlier than the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline? The state legislature passed legislation on just cause eviction and rent control, which LA just passed last week.
https://la.curbed.com/2019/9/10/20857225/california-rent-control-bill-1482-approved

“The city of Los Angeles has had a rent control law in place for 40 years; it typically caps rent around 3 or 4 percent. AB 1482 would not override local rent control policies, but it would extend to apartments and other homes not already covered by them, including newer buildings.“

Here is the text of AB 1482:

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1482
15% inclusionary—this is the culmination of the Hatch-Pomerantz law suit with the city over Devcon’s 205 units at 208 Laurel St’s failure to include the 32 units of inclusionary housing. Lots of questions on this one…is 15% enough? Should negotiations with developers be up to Planning and Economic development, or the city council? What should the in-lieu fee be…20%? 30%? SF’s is 33%. The in-lieu fee should be high enough that would encourage more building of the affordable inclusionary units into the project.
Should Housing Authority units be covered by this ordinance as many Santa Cruzans are being put out of their homes before the state law kicks in?

What’s at Stake?

Local housing activist Clayton Strawn explains the changes this way in an email:

“What this item is: will the City enact the just cause portion of AB 1482 early. That is, instead of waiting until January 1, have the “just cause” law take effect immediately, (and in LA, this extended to cancelling notices to vacate without cause that have already been issued, so long as an unlawful detainer has not yet been filed). This is absolutely necessary to prevent a large number of low-income people from being kicked out of their homes by landlords angry or fearful about AB 1482. The rent control portion of AB 1482 is already retroactive as of Jan 1, rolling rents back to rent of March 2019, so it is not as urgent as the just cause portion, though applying the rent caps early would also be a good thing. But in neither case is this as much of a heavy lift as “the council enacts rent control” (‘over the will of voters, measure M, blah blah’) because rent control will already become law no matter what the council does. This is why the LA city council enacted it as an emergency measure and unanimously.”

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you can’t fix a corrupt system if you’re taking its money.” (Oct. 28)

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

STEINBRUNER STATES.

October 27

JOIN OVER 500 SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT CUSTOMERS IN PROTESTING PUNITIVE RATE INCREASES TO FUND DRINKING TREATED SEWAGE WATER

The water bills for Soquel Creek Water District customers have jumped excessively since the Board approved a new punitive rate structure that charges anyone using more than their low 5.99 units/month FIVE TIMES the amount/unit that Tier 1 charges. Sign the online protest petition here and please share it with neighbors and friends who are affected by this Draconian rate and fee increase: Sign the Petition

The Board needs to rescind their rate and fee increase scheme that will raise rates AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN…four annual increases of 9%/year have already been approved.

All this is to rake in the $90 Million the District wants in order to build the expensive and unnecessary treated sewage water treatment plant in Live Oak and three injection wells in Aptos. The pipes bringing the effluent from Santa Cruz City Wastewater Treatment Plant will cross the San Lorenzo River and other streams a total of 18 times, and will have to cross under Highway One at least once. What could go wrong?!!

Write the Board of Directors bod@soquelcreekwater.org

SENDING WATER FROM THE SKY INSTEAD
It is widely recognized (except by Soquel Creek Water District) that this County does not have a water supply problem, but rather a water storage problem. This can be addressed with a regional management approach, but the District lacks the will to pursue it. I am encouraged by the news that the water transfer pilot project will again happen this year, which is a start toward using existing infrastructure to send water from the sky to Soquel Creek Water District:

Second year of Santa Cruz to Soquel Creek water transfers to continue

Learn more about this common-sense project and how it could be expanded…if only Soquel Creek Water District will agree to accept the water from Santa Cruz City sources: waterforsantacruz.com

WHY IS SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT FAST-TRACKING THE TREATED SEWAGE WATER PROJECT?
That is a question many have asked. District staff is quick to wave their arms and insist the aquifer is in such overdraft, the sky will fall tomorrow if the sewage water doesn’t get injected in the aquifer immediately. However, several reports show the groundwater levels have risen to historically high levels because of the conservation measures people took, thereby reducing pumping needs. Those conservative efforts have held, both in Santa Cruz City and in the District, and production demand continues to decrease.

Here is a good article in which District General Manager Ron Duncan discusses the high groundwater levels:

What rising aquifer levels in Soquel Creek Water District means for customers

Interestingly, at a June, 2019 MidCounty Groundwater Agency Advisory Committee meeting, the expert hydrologist said that “the reason the Basin got determined to be in critical overdraft is that Soquel Creek had already determined that it was, so the State just went with that.” Wow. I confirmed that information with the State staff member who had attended the meeting. He advised me not to file a Public Records Act request for information to verify the State’s critical overdraft determination because “it would be a really quick turnaround, because there is nothing to give you.”

Well, I did file a Public Records Act request on June 27, 2019. The State has now three times postponed providing me with any information, each time sending the notice of postponement coinciding with significant action in the Petition for Writ of Mandate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) law suit I have currently against the District for many alleged violations of the law relative to their expensive and unnecessary PureWater Soquel Project EIR sham as Civil Case 19CV00181 in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

Here is what I think is driving the District’s frenzy (excerpt taken from Case 19CV00181 DECLARATION OF RONALD C. DUNCAN IN SUPPORT OF SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S OPPOSITION TO EX PARTE APPLICATION FOR ORDER REQUESTING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTIVE REVIEW, TEMPORARY RE[S]TRAINING ORDER AND STAY, filed in the court February 20, 2019, page 6):

“The District has applied for a Proposition 1 Groundwater (“Prop 1” Grant through the State Water Resources Control Board for up to $50 million to assist in funding the Project,which is estimated to cost $90 million, and has been invited to submit a full application for Round 2 of this Grant program. The bond requirement for liquidation of funds under Prop 1 is that qualified projects must be constructed and on-line by spring 2023. The last date for disbursement of Prop 1 grant monies is February 29, 2020, thus all Project work must be completed by February 29, 202 or the District would be required to surrender the $50 million.”

There is your answer….money. Also, as I reported last week here about the Santa Cruz County 2020 Growth Goal stating that the single-most limiting factor in County growth is water infrastructure is telling and, in my opinion, is definitely linked to the fast-track status of the District and possible back-room deals with developers. After all…if the District were to get this Project, the need for their expensive $55,000/Acre Foot new water service for new development would go away, wouldn’t it. Or would it? Soquel Creek Water District is greedy and would require an additional $2.5 Million in annual operating revenue just for their sewage water treatment plant in Live Oak, three injection wells in Aptos and the miles of double-direction pipelines crossing over the waterways and under the roads.

According to this hot-off-the-press article, the District is eligible low-cost LOAN from the EPA :

https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2019/10/25/soquel-creek-water-supply-project-eligible-for-competitive-50m-loan/

Write the Board and ask them what they are really thinking: Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors

PROMISES, PROMISES, PROMISES
I was really disappointed at last Tuesday’s County Board of Supervisor meeting when Supervisor John Leopold voted to support the Nissan Dealership Project at 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive and require County taxpayers to fund a new $1 Million traffic light at Robertson and Soquel Drive in Soquel Village. He promised his constituents a few years ago at a public meeting that there would not be a traffic light installed at Robertson when he and then-County Public Works Director John Presleigh asked residents if they would like to replace the three-way stop sign with a light. The residents rejected the idea of a light with a loud, clear and united voice. “All right, all right! We hear you! No light at Robertson!” is what Supervisor Leopold said back then.

Now, he supports it. Now he also supports removing the on-street parking at the Ugly Mug area at Porter and Soquel that is yet another traffic mitigation for the Nissan Dealership that County taxpayers would gift the developer. Supervisor Leopold said the Soquel Village Plan, developed with great community input, supported addition of such traffic improvements.

I have since read through the Soquel Village Plan, and wonder how Supervisor John Leopold could interpret it as he did upon his vote to support the extensive and expensive traffic mitigations for the Nissan dealer. Here is the link to the Plan

Page 5 recommends widening sidewalks in what is now the Ugly Mug area, not adding another lane for vehicle traffic. The Plan states future street designs should “limit traffic improvements to accommodate existing, not future regional traffic.”

Page 26 discusses Circulation and states “a) the importance of making the Village more pedestrian-oriented, b) to not accommodate regional automobile traffic at the expense of creating a pedestrian environment and a cohesive Village Character, and c) to provide adequate parking for existing and future needs.”

Page 26 continues with Goal #5 stated “Improving vehicular traffic circulation within the existing Village structure with minimal street widening or new construction.” and Goal #6 stated “Directing new development to accommodate and enhance these pedestrian circulation routes.”

Page 29 discusses placing pavers at Robertson and Soquel to enhance pedestrian crossings, but makes no mention at all of adding a traffic light.

Page 30-32 discusses design within the Village and illustrates widening the sidewalk at Porter and Soquel, and ensuring a continuous bike lane. It does not recommend adding a turn lane to mitigate vehicle traffic volumes for future development.

This is Ad Hoc Planning at it worst.

How can Supervisor Leopold defend destroying the Village, ignoring promises he made to constituents, and justifying a car dealership development because “nobody else has come forward to do anything with this dumpy lot.”?? It was quite a shock that Supervisor Zach Friend voted against the Project, saying that “it would be hard to tear it down in 15 years if we want to do something differently there.” I wonder if he can apply that same logic to the Aptos Village Project?

Contact Supervisor John Leopold and ask him what he was thinking: 831-454-2200 or John.Leopold@santacruzcounty.us

Contact Supervisor Zach Friend and ask him if he would consider applying his logic to the Phase 2 Aptos Village Project that has no Final Map approval…..yet.

831-454-2200, zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us

You can read the many letters from members of the public submitted here , Item #9

You may find the plans for other Villages in the County of interest here

SUPERVISORS APPROVE A COMPLEX AND VAGUE NEW RURAL FIRE TAX BALLOT MEASURE

I was glad that several members of the public attended the County Board of Supervisor hearing last Tuesday at 1pm to consider approval of the proposed County Service Area (CSA) 48 Benefit Assessment Tax. Sadly, the Board did not answer their questions raised during testimony, other than to assure that there would be no cost to appeal assessments.

The Board approved the special mail ballot measure for this complex and very vaguely-explained new tax that ON TOP OF THE CURRENT CSA 48 TAX would increase taxes for rural property owners by a complex method that will not allow clear understanding of the computation and will double-tax them for the public benefit portion of the proposed new tax.

Afterward, I asked Ms. Elissa Benson, Assistant to CAO Carlos Palacios who contrived this tax, if there will be further public town hall meeting s to educate the public about he complex ballot initiative before the question is called on January 15, 2020? She thought not, due to lack of resources.

Carlos Palacios and the Board of Supervisors continue to withhold any of the $18 Million this County receives annually from the State in a permanent 1/2 cent public safety sales tax. ZERO DOLLARS go to County Fire Department volunteers, their training, or the equipment they need to provide emergency response that is especially vital when CalFire crews are sent out of the area on large emergency events.

Contact Elissa Benson about holding educational town hall meetings for this complicated and vague CSA 48 Benefit Assessment ballot measure: 454-2100 or Elissa.Benson@santacruzcounty.us

Contact Mr. John Bliss, President of SCI Consulting Group who wrote the 44-page Engineer’s Report justifying the benefit assessment method that will be passed with a mere 51% of weighted votes, rather than the customary 2/3 requirement. 707-430-4300 John.Bliss@sci-cg.com

Here is a link to the Board Agenda; look at information in Item #12

Here is the text of my letter to him (feel free to use it as your write yours):

Dear Mr. Bliss,

Thank you for staying after the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisor meeting last Tuesday to answer my questions. I still have other questions and hope you can provide answers.

Please explain the rational for the public benefit portion of the proposed CSA 48 benefit assessment fee. The Engineer’s Report discusses determining General Benefit that would be funded by some other means (Page 20). Page 23 states that 48% of the costs of the Services can be attributed to General Benefit, and therefore must be funded by a source other than the proposed Assessment. Where will that money come from? Page 24 states:
“The Assessment District’s total budget for 2020-21 is $5,303,336. Of this total assessment budget amount, the County will contribute at least $3,767,729 which is more than 71% of the total budget from sources other than this proposed assessment including dedicated property taxes and the existing benefit assessment. This contribution constitutes significantly more than the 48% general benefits estimated by the Assessment Engineer, which must be paid for by non-assessment sources. ”

Mr. Bliss, please explain this County funding source. The County General Fund does not provide any money to County Fire Department. This was itemized and explained to the Fire Dept. Advisory Commission last year. Is the $3,767,729 County contribution actually the current CSA 48 assessment amount that property owners are already paying? Please explain.
What would be the appeal process available to property owners? Would the fee collection be suspended during the appeal process?
Who has and will individually review “Special Properties” such as wineries located in the CSA 48 area that have commercial permits to hold several large and small special events and participate in regular “Passport Tour” tasting events throughout the year that bring substantial impacts to the rural areas?
How will publicly-owned lands be assessed? Some parks are heavily visited while others are not; will those be individually reviewed? What about utility companies such as PG&E, water companies, and the railroad owned by the Regional Transportation Commission?
How will voters be able to compare what they are assessed with neighboring property assessments? I looked at the APN lists available at Tuesday’s meeting showing proposed assessments in my area and found it impossible to determine what my neighborhood rates would be. Is it possible to make use of the County’s excellent GIS mapping overlays to better explain the assessment rates?
Would neighborhoods who become certified FireWise Communities be given any lower assessment rate if they maintain their certification?
I did not see any language on the proposed ballot the Board approved that makes it clear to voters that the proposed benefit assessment tax will be IN ADDITION to the current CSA 48 tax they are already paying. Will this be remedied before the ballots are mailed to increase transparency and meet legal requirements regarding truth in taxation?

Thank you for helping me understand this very complex issue.

Sincerely,

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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

October 24 #297 / Underdog Billionaire

On October 22, 2019, The New York Times printed an article with the headline (hard copy edition): “Trump’s Base Is Steadfast Even as Troubles Mount.” Why is that, do you think?

My opinion is that our president inspires such fierce loyalty because he vividly portrays, in person and in everything he does, the resentment and sense of betrayal that many Americans feel about their lives in general, and about their government in particular. Whatever happens, Trump claims that some powerful person or agency has “framed him,” or has “betrayed” him, or has “misrepresented” him, or has “downrated” him, or has “ignored” him, or has, in some other way, treated him unfairly. Government employees are always in the wrong. Donald Trump’s sense of grievance is unending. He is truly an “underdog billionaire.”

Those who have no ability live out the “billionaire” part definitely identify with the “underdog” part. I think that this is key to Donald Trump’s political success (of course, the fact that he communicates, naturally, at a third-grade reading level also helps).

As I searched for an image to accompany this blog posting, I typed “underdog billionaire” into a search box, looking for images. What came up was the picture above, which accompanied an article from the Trump Times, titled, “Donald Trump, Billionaire Underdog.” It looks like the Trump campaign well understands the phenomenon I have identified as critical to his success. Here, for instance, is a comment from a Trump Times reader:

Jennifer Sasser says:

May 29, 2019 at 11:42 am

Yes.. I think that they the Elite are orchestrating and rigging everything and the average Joe Blow democrat has nothing to do with the corruption, they are guilty of being naive and believing the news without question.. Thank you so much …

Those who are not captured by the narcissistic, “I am abused” message of our current president, should understand that it nonetheless constitutes a powerful appeal to millions of ordinary Americans. Trump’s “underdog” appeal is so powerful because so many Americans are and have been mistreated by the realities of our economic, political, and social situation. In other words, many Americans have a very reasonable case to make, as Jennifer Sasser says, that our “elites” are “rigging every thing,” and rigging it against ordinary Americans.

Donald Trump seems authentically to be on the side of those who feel themselves abused – since the sincerity of Trump’s sense of being abused is beyond question. To beat Donald Trump, an opposing candidate needs to convince the Trump “base” that the opposing candidate is on the side of the millions of Americans who have been abused and ignored by our political system and our elected officials.

Who are the candidates most clearly trying to make that case, and showing some empathy for those who comprise the Trump “base?”

I would identify Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. I think that is why they are high in the polls.

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Diving into our psyche and bringing up details just for us…check out his Sub Cons just a scroll below.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Classic Deep Covers ” 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 and his “No One But You” poem.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. “Powerhouse stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon fuel his tale of the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to electrify America in The Current War, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). Not a lot of flash and dazzle, but plenty of imaginative onscreen storytelling to honor the most enduring by-product of Edison’s genius — the motion picture! ” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

WHERE’S MY ROY COHN? This documentary about Roy Cohn is a history lesson about how Donald Trump learned to become what he is today. Roy Cohn taught him everything crooked in politics and money. It’s important to see and learn from this film. You’ll learn just how loaded, money driven, and illegal our USA politics are now, and have been for generations. Go quickly; it is another Landmark 6 day showing. CLOSES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31.

CURRENT WAR. I thought at first this might be about today’s White House and foreign relations. Then I wondered — maybe it’s about swimming against the currents. Could it possibly be about black versus yellow currants? None of above, it’s really about George Westinghouse versus Thomas Alva Edison versus Nikolai Tesla. The war is about direct current or alternating current. Too bad we can’t raise hands to find out how many folks care about the difference between the two. Worse than the boredom is watching and hearing Benedict Cummerbatch doing an American accent. For the first time on screen he is boring. This is the “director’s cut” — too bad he didn’t cut it much more!!!

THE LIGHTHOUSE. Robert Pattinson plays the young, innocent, naïve new lighthouse keeper wannabe. Willem Defoe works very hard to be the ancient, hard to understand keeper from the old days. Neither are likable, and they don’t like each other either. And I didn’t like this movie, because… they were so unlikable. It doesn’t matter much, but it’s set in the 1890s in New England. It’s screened in black and white and in a small square frame.

JUDY. Renee Zellweger does the best possible imitation of Judy Garland in this dramatic and still musical tribute. Garland transcended the usual fame and popularity and has become a legend. This film starts off in 1968 and ends with Judy’s last days and five husbands later plus drugs. It’s corny and hammy but so was Judy. For some reason Liza Minnelli isn’t in much of it.

You’ll almost cry at some scenes…so don’t miss it. CLOSES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31

DOWNTOWN ABBEY. With an audience score of 96 you can’t go wrong. It topped Rambo and Ad Astra and earned $31 million in its’ opening weekend. I have no way of knowing if those few people who didn’t watch all or most of the Downton Abbey tv years will love as much as we devotees do the movie. Same cast and the plot is centered about the King and Queen of England coming to visit the Abbey. There’s a clash between the Abbey staff and the service crew that the Queen brings with her. It’s grand fun to see all our long time screen friends again. We know so much about each character. Don’t miss the big screen version it just ain’t the same. CLOSES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31

LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE. With an audience rating of 99 on Rotten Tomatoes it’s gotta be good…or great! Her politics, talent, integrity plus an amazing voice makes her truly unique in the field of music. She mastered many styles, never gave up and is dying of Parkinson’s right now! Her Mexican heritage, time with Gov. Jerry Brown and sheer guts will keep you surprised as you learn so much about her. CLOSES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31

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. . Lisa Robinson president of the San Lorenzo Valley Museum details the events and news from the museum on October 29 then Julie Phillips and a friend from Clearview Court sum up what happened with that tragic decision on the Dream Inn expansion. On November 5 Dean Kaufman Veterans Service Officer talks about the meaning and events happening on Veterans Day. Gail Pellerin Santa Cruz County Clerk talks about voting and elections after Dean on Nov. 5. Paloma Curutenango from UCSC’s Common Ground Center discusses their goals, successes, and history on Nov.12. 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

Mmmm, art!

QUOTES. “FIRE”

“What fire does not destroy, it hardens” Oscar Wilde

“The difference between a good life and a bad life is how well you walk through the fire“. Carl Jung

“Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life”.Terry Pratchett

“Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell”. Joan Crawford

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

October 23 – 29, 2019

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…more facts and opinions on MAH, County reaction to MAH questions, earlier Earthquake preparedness. GREENSITE…defends low income ClearView court against luxury high- rise development at 190 West Cliff. KROHN…Q & A re Dream Inn 190 West Cliff Development. STEINBRUNER…Soquel Creek rate hike, double taxes for fire protection, Pure Water Soquel, Nissan Auto vs. Sustainable Soquel, Gov Newsom and voting transparency. PATTON…News from China. EAGAN… JENSEN…Earthquake memories and movies. BRATTON…I critique First Love UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”TREES”

COUNTY BUILDING SITE AND SAN LORENZO RIVER. 1961. This photo bears a lot of studying. You can pick out the Hindquarter, Holy Cross Church, Outdoor World, County Jail and a lot more.

photo credit: CE Meyer, USGS

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

ART TATUM PLAYS DVORAK.

BONNY DOON. Symphony by John Wineglass

ONE YEAR OLD PLAYS PIANO CONCERT!!

DATELINE October 21

MORE NEWS AND VIEWS ON MAH. I sent County media rep Jason Hoppin’s reply to a very active MAH member . Here’s that member’s reaction . “Jason’s response is classic stonewalling. It is sham transparency and total bullshit! He’s describing the process without giving us any substantive details. One cannot make sense of this without the lease and financials. Percentages without whole numbers is useless information. Also, Wayne Palmer wrote a letter to Nina (and assume the Board) excoriating her lack of ethics and calling her a “public liar.” It is circulating but not everyone has seen it. One of the current board members (a big Nina supporter) is also in the running for the Executive Directorship. Doesn’t the institution need a clean slate—a start over with no partisans? It will be more of the same if the Board chooses an internal candidate and rejects an outsider”. Now read the letter to Jason…

COUNTY RESPONSE TO MAH QUESTIONS RE FINANCES.

I Sent this on Monday, October 7, 2019 12:18 PM to Jason Hoppin, County Communications manager stating “Here are some of the many MAH questions”. My questions from so many MAH board and regular members are in bold type.+

Jason, Here’s a compilation of what MAH board members and many readers want to know…

What are the specific provisions of the current lease agreement between the County and the MAH? The director renegotiated the agreement sometime after her arrival in 2011. The agreement involves some sort of financial payback to the County.

The original lease involved a number of financial provisions, including the MAH being responsible for paying off the debt used to refurbish the County-owned building, annual payments by the County to MAH and escalating percentages of gross rents to be paid to the County, among other provisions (we would gladly provide access to the lease itself). Under the original lease, the final percentage of the gross rents was to have been 40 percent.

In 2016, the lease was rewritten to reduce the MAH’s obligations to the County for gross rents to 10 percent, which will include percentages of the subleases (Abbott Square and offices) backed up by financial statements. This provision begins in September 2021. Under the agreement, the County forgave prior MAH indebtedness and the MAH chose to pay off the remainder of the bonds used to refurbish the County’s building (approximately $800,000). The MAH is responsible for all building, maintenance and improvement costs, though it must seek County approval for structural changes to the building. The County did not contribute toward the Abbott Square project.

Were any monies owed to the County forgiven based on the past or current agreement?

Yes, as part of the new lease agreement the County forgave outstanding indebtedness under the original lease. We do not know what the total amount is. As a matter of policy, the County sees the MAH primarily as a community benefit and not a profit center.

How is the revenue from leasing office space split? Is there an annual accounting of the expenditure of public funds and how does this translate into a public benefit? Does the full museum board have any idea?

The County will receive 10 percent of the gross rents beginning September 2021, which will be deposited into the general fund. We expect these amounts to be verified by audited financial statements; however, detail about how the MAH spends the balance of leasing revenues is between the MAH and its Board. We expect the rents will offset the costs of operations and help subsidize a community benefit.

Why is it so difficult to obtain this information and the perceived shroud of secrecy? Also, currently the MAH receives annually a grant of about $154K from the County Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services Department. What is the reporting mechanism for this expenditure and how is it evaluated?

The contribution to the MAH is accounted for the in the Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services budget to fund museum operations. Historically, this has been part of the County’s community program spending, but I don’t believe this amount has been increased in recent years. We would be happy to provide you the lease, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors. Going forward, the County is required to receive an annual report of activities and a copy of the financial statements.

thanks Jason, I hope we can get to the resolution of this ASAP. Concern keeps growing. Bruce Bratton

DUMBING DOWN MAH AND NEW YORK’S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. Still another very active MAH member sent the following email this week to BrattonOnline…

“Lisa Hochstein, a respected painter who has in past been featured in MAH exhibits, has sent a well-written and thought-provoking piece about the MoMA reopening by Philip Kennicott from Washington Post to the large number of individuals concerned about the MAH on Wayne Palmer’s list.

The last 8 paragraphs of the article say things that most likely apply to any museum experiencing tremendous growth by popularizing, — what some might call ‘dumbing the cultural significance or the art down’ by prioritizing crowd-pleasing over explaining the art in cultural context’. The critical text of the article has been edited into 5 paragraphs. The last sentence could certainly be applied to the GLOW Festival of MAH last weekend — a lot of fun to see and participate in, but not so different from almost any fire-themed carnival — varied sights, loud sounds and dramatic sensations, but no lasting lessons and absolutely no history” .

“The [MoMA] museum . . . is no longer teaching, but simply opening itself up to exploration and discovery . . . to abandon the idea that the museum serves an educational function would be a disaster. But, though such language may sound good to other museum professionals, the public generally does want a lesson. And despite efforts to abandon “grand narratives,” people generally revert to them, at least to provide a general intellectual skeleton on which to hang their observations and discoveries.”

“But there’s a difference between complicating narratives and abandoning them. MoMA seems to want to do the latter but can’t quite bring itself to do so. The rough narrative in the galleries remains broadly chronological, with the stars of its collections still pretty much where you expect to find them. . . . Even more worrisome is the stated goal of abandoning the didactic function. No one wants a cultural organization that hectors, but they do want to learn. It’s a question of tone.”

“And it’s not entirely clear at whom the new installation is aimed: the ordinary visitor who is supposedly demanding to see art without any supporting intellectual apparatus or the more sophisticated audience who will understand why it is interesting to, say, hang a 1967 Faith Ringgold painting near Picasso’s 1907 “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.” Some of these juxtapositions are telling and smart; others seem merely clever.

Now MoMA faces the same challenge it faced before: how to manage its own success. Like widening highways, which tends to simply induce more traffic, expanding MoMA will only make it more attractive to more people. The new building may handle the crowds well for a while. But MoMA has become one of the great “winner takes all” cultural institutions, and the more it grows, the more it will feel the need to keep growing. And, with that, the pressure to do the big, dumb, crowd-pleasing shows like the terrible 2015 Bjork exhibition will only increase.

At some point, if the institution is to remain genuinely relevant to the discourse of art, it will have to grapple with this cycle and interrupt it. That will mean recommitting to first principles, or at least some principles that reference not just access to art, but the actual experience of thinking about it. MoMA knows how to get people through the door, but no one seems terribly concerned with what happens when they leave. Did their eyeballs simply lounge over lots of intriguing things, or did they learn something?”.

The MAH Board member who sent this concludes by stating…

My opinion: the abandonment of learning, “the disaster” mentioned early in the quoted excerpt, seems to have already taken place, both at MoMA as described, and at MAH. Philip Kennicott, the author of the MoMA thought-piece, says it all in the final paragraph. Like MoMA, it’s time for the MAH Board, the donors, the volunteers and the staff, but most of all, to find a visionary new Director who actually loves art and history to begin to grapple with the unfortunate cycle, interrupt it, and to recommit to principles that emphasize not only access to art, but also to thinking deeply about art as a product of its time”.

12 YEARS BEFORE THE ’89 EARTHQUAKE WARNING!!! Jim Ellmore, Architect Retired (Ellmore /Titus Architects) sent the following email to BrattonOnline…”Interesting to read your input about the downtown merchants lack of action on earthquake preparedness two/three years before the big earthquake. In 1977, twelve years before the quake, we did a Feasibility Study of Upper Floor Renovations on the Pacific Garden Mall. Eleven building owners were contacted and of that number, seven agreed to be surveyed.

The first one analyzed was 1111 Pacific Avenue, the former Hotel Metropole, which was currently occupied on the ground floor by Plaza Books and Paper vision. “The biggest cost item is to bring the structure up to present seismic requirements. Because the building is totally open on the first floor, all seismic loads that occur during an earthquake would have to be taken by the outside walls which probably could not withstand the stress . . . .” This was typical. In doing the study, it was interesting to note how many of the upper floors were formerly hotels (Virginia, Alexander, & etc.) and lodge meeting places such as Elks, Moose, Odd Fellows and others”.

October 21

DAVID AND GOLIATH: 190 WEST CLIFF DRIVE.
The decision whom to favor in this battle is determined by a city council vote at its October 22nd. meeting. On one side is Ensemble, owner of the Dream Inn, which self-describes as ” a versatile real estate company that envisions, manages, brokers and owns transformative projects in the health care, hospitality, commercial and urban multifamily/mixed use sectors.” On the other side is ClearView Court, a neighborhood of 68 single-story manufactured homes, whose residents are mostly seniors, many disabled and all low income. If the mammoth project of 55 feet tall, 79 luxury apartments and retail, across from the Dream Inn is approved, it surely will be “transformative.” The residents of ClearView Court, feet away from the project, lose their view, their sun, their privacy, their peace, their quality of life and in the long run, probably their homes since this is the thin end of the wedge of upscale development, sprouting all over Santa Cruz. In this battle, city Planning staff is on the side of Goliath. They deserve far more than an inaudible sarcastic laugh in my opinion.

Below is what I communicated to city council. Staff has clearly abandoned the neighborhoods. It will be instructive to see which council members follow suit.

Dear Mayor and City Council members,

Much appreciation for your careful review of the following concerns regarding this development. To cut to the chase, this project is massively out of scale for protection of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The introductory paragraph in the Agenda Report for this project states: “The purpose of the Motel Residential Performance Overlay District is to establish and control uses to ensure development which protects neighborhood integrity while supporting appropriate uses.” The following examples demonstrate the neglect for the protection of neighborhood integrity, which, in itself is grounds to send the project back for environmental review and downscaling.

The traffic and pedestrian studies are scant and inadequate. Conducting traffic studies in April is outside the busiest traffic season of June and July and lacks environmental review credibility. Vastly increased foot traffic crossing dangerous Beach St. (one death) to reach the retail aspect of the project is not adequately studied and thus not mitigated.

The 5 tall heritage trees (cedar, redwood and pine) on the west side of the site are among the most spectacular trees in the city of Santa Cruz. They deserve the labels “iconic, majestic, and unique”. They are a signature gateway to the Monterey Bay from the north. Only 3 out of these 5 beauties are to be retained. This is a violation of the Heritage Tree Ordinance, which states that (outside of disease or danger or impacting a current structure) a heritage tree can be removed only if a development cannot be altered to accommodate the tree. Clearly the project design, which is still only on paper, could (and should) be altered to protect all of the amazing trees along the western property boundary. The conclusion on p. 25 of the Environmental Check list that there is no conflict with the criteria, provisions and requirements of the local (Heritage Tree) ordinance is simply wrong.

The Environmental Checklist Review on p.12 is incorrect in concluding that the project would have no impact on: “substantially damage scenic resources, including but not limited to trees…” Removing two of these majestic, tall trees and squashing the rest against a 55 feet tall, massive structure will have a significant impact.

Although the Planning Commission’s approval included investigating the relocation of the two heritage redwoods growing in the interior of the site, the Agenda Report leaves that up to the developer if and after you approve the project. This guarantees that no relocation will be properly evaluated since the project arborist has already stated that relocation is rarely successful and he advises against it, despite experts in big tree relocation (Environmental Design Inc.) giving an over 90 percent success rate.

There is nothing specific in the General Plan EIR, nor the B/SOL plan that addresses this particular site. Tiering off those documents is inadequate to assess the impacts. The commercial beach area mapping may overlap this site but in reality this site is, apart from the Dream Inn, far more neighborhood than commercial in character. Bringing retail up the hill to West Cliff and Bay St area is a radical departure from what currently exists. Its impacts should be studied more closely or abandoned.

The Environmental Checklist states on p. 13 that this project is not visible from the wharf. Yes it is. The visuals provided by the applicant show it to be highly visible.

A project of this scale should require story poles so that the community can get a more accurate sense of the visual impact. Many other communities make this a practice with all new development. I provided the Planning Commission with examples from Half Moon Bay to show how important such tools are, especially as a counterpoint to developers’ routine use of visual distortion (people in foreground, project in background) to minimize the scale.

As a selling point, comments that the few low-income units included can be bought by workers at the Dream Inn show ignorance about those who work at the Dream Inn. I can attest that most of the Dream Inn lower income workers have families and are not single. The low- income units are not suitable for families.

The impact of this project on the adjacent ClearView Court of low income, many disabled, many senior, long-time homeowners and renters should be your highest concern. This proposed project, with its provision of 79 luxury apartments for wealthy, high-consuming new owners is not a plus for the city of Santa Cruz. Nibbling around the edges of this mammoth 55 feet tall structure as a response to the hugely negative impacts on the residents of ClearView Court is not even a token. It is injustice.

As one of your constituents and a neighbor to this project, I urge you to significantly downscale, remove the retail, protect all 5 heritage trees on the Bay St. side, relocate the two heritage redwoods in the interior and ensure that the impacts on ClearView Court residents are minimal, before approving this project .

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.

October 21

190 WEST CLIFF DRIVE QUESTIONS.

The Santa Cruz City Council is set to discuss, dialogue, and likely decide upon a mixed development project that includes an 89-unit condominium project at the corner of Bay Street and West Cliff Drive. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 22nd at 730pm at city hall, 809 Center Street, downtown. It is a pretty big project and has some pretty big implications concerning growth, development, and housing in our community. I am devoting the column this week to a series of questions I posed to the SC Planning Director, Lee Butler. I sent him a list of questions and he emailed me back the following responses. I have edited some responses for brevity and bolded others because of their significance. And yes, while there are only 2500 words here, a lot, the documents for this project total over 1200 pages. Wow!

1) Traffic. The “peak” parking demand (TIR traffic impact report) was done in April and August, when it seems that actual peak demand would be in June and July. Is it because during those June and July months the traffic cannot be “mitigated?” Or are there other reasons? How can these measurements be deemed “Existing Peak Parking Demands” when they do not seem to be done during actual peak times?

Lee Butler (LB): Your questions here touch on both parking and traffic, which can be related but are typically treated separately for a variety of reasons. The CEQA Checklist removed references to parking impacts 10+ years ago, so we do not mitigate parking impacts from an official CEQA mitigation perspective. Instead, we have on-site parking standards in the Zoning Code that we apply. (See responses to your Question #2 below for more on that.) We do currently have CEQA mitigations for Level of Service (LOS) traffic impacts. (FYI, those too will be going away soon, as SB 743’s implementation deadline is 7/1/20, and vehicle miles travelled (VMT) will be the new CEQA transportation standard rather than LOS.

With regards to traffic and the timing of the counts, here’s info from the traffic study that’s posted on the project website and on the Planning Commission website under the August 15, 2019 agenda.

Traffic Volumes (April 2017)

Though additional data was collected in August, it was deemed appropriate to analyze the project impacts using the April base-line data since local schools and UCSC were in session.

I believe that we do not mitigate for peak summer traffic for the same reason that we do not require on-site parking spaces for the demand that stores have the week before Christmas. Such measures would lead to excess capacity and would be counter to a number of our City’s goals – promotion of alternative modes of transportation, efficient use of land, reduction of impervious surface, etc.

2) Parking. Actual number of parking spaces (stalls). Is it true that 317 are required for the Dream Inn and their restaurant, but 299 are included in materials provided? Should I assume that there is some kind of “cooperative” parking facility or non-vehicle use program justifying this reduction? Is there off-site parking somewhere for employees? Then there seems to be another 8 spaces absent for residential parking. I assume that covers the 8 “low income” units? Looks like project is providing 152 spaces (not 167 required?) for residential use…which the total of “lost” parking spaces comes out to 32. There appears to be a possible double-dipping of sorts going on here to my untrained eye. Or, what would more specifically account for a reduction of 32 spaces? Also, how does Dream Inn/Ensemble mitigate for these seemingly lost required spaces? Will there be bus passes made available to all employees? Jump bikes? More shared shuttles? In addition, will construction workers also need parking spaces? Will they be made aware of any bus pass or jump or shuttle program put in place by Ensemble too?

LB: Below is an excerpt from the Planning Commission staff report. The paragraph under the table answers most of your questions, including some basic info about transportation demand management (TDM) strategies. If you’d like to dive deeper into the TDM measures for the project, a 212-page-long report is posted on the project website and on the Planning Commission website under the August 15, 2019 agenda. I’d recommend reading pages 13 to 20. A condition of approval requires that the applicants adhere to the TDM plan.

Off-Street Parking. A parking garage with three levels (one at grade and two below ground) will be located on site, providing parking for a total of 421 vehicles. The two below grade parking levels will have two access points, one from the northern perimeter driveway, and the other from the interior of the grade level lot. A total of 52 commercial/retail (i.e., short-term) parking stalls will be provided on the ground level, of which nine will be electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, well exceeding the four that would be required pursuant to the Parking Ordinance. Level P1 will contain 152 residential parking stalls, all of which will have the infrastructure to be EV-adaptable. On level P2, 217 total hotel and commercial overflow parking stalls will be provided, which will replace the existing 216 hotel parking spaces on the site and would be valet parking only. Pinnacle Traffic Engineering prepared a Project Parking Analysis Supplement that has been reviewed by staff. The following is a table that demonstrates that the project is meeting the parking requirements set by the Zoning Code: Under City parking requirements, without any credits for shared parking or implementation of auto reduction programs, the project would be required to provide 481 onsite parking spaces. The City’s Municipal Code allows a 10 percent reduction for Non-Automotive Use Programs (per section 24.12.290.7) and a 10 percent reduction for Cooperative Parking Facilities (per City Code 24.12.290.4). The parking demand accounts for all uses at the hotel as well as the residential units, which qualifies it for a reduction for cooperative parking. The shared use/cooperative parking facilities reduction accounts for the parking facilities at a single site being used for multipurpose trips being made to the site (i.e. visitors that stay at the hotel and attend a conference, visit the spa and/or eat at the restaurant), as well as trips being made to individual uses at different times of the day or week. The Applicant has submitted a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan (attached) that outlines measures to be implemented, including provision of onsite bicycle parking and free employee bus passes, among other strategies to be developed with the City. With implementation of this program and the shared parking provisions, a 20 percent reduction in required parking would result in a total of 385 spaces required for the project. With 421 spaces provided on the site, and 18 spaces existing on the Dream Inn Hotel site, the overall project has a surplus of 54 parking spaces. While not counted as part of the analysis, it should be noted that additional commercial valet spaces could be incorporated into the drive aisles on level P2.

A total of 347 bicycle parking spaces will be provided, including bike racks on grade with a capacity for 66 bicycles; the remaining bicycle parking (i.e., long-term bicycle spaces for residents and staff bicycle parking) will be located in a secure storage space on Parking Level P1. This exceeds the required amount of bicycle parking spaces (137 spaces) per Section 24.12.250 of the City’s Municipal Code.

3) Accurate noise analysis. Commissioner Schiffrin stated in his comments at the Planning Commission that “the only noise study done was at W. Cliff and Bay St. “and to be able to provide substantial evidence that there is not a need for an EIR, noise impacts must be looked at.” Was a noise impact study done to simulate traffic activity on the 20′ 2 lane road that will border the northern and western boundaries of the Clearview Court complex?

LB:Here’s an excerpt from the conclusion in the noise and vibration analysis that’s included in the Council packet. You can reference the full report for more information. Noise generated in association with the propose Project’s parking is anticipated to include noise both directly from

the parking activities and from mechanical ventilation equipment. Parking activities will be audible under certain conditions, however they are typically short term and sporadic in nature and, therefore, would not substantially contribute to the overall average acoustical environment.

4) Vibration impacts. There will be an 18-24-month construction phase…I have been heavily impacted (Green St.) by the noise emanating as early as 5:30 am at the 1547 Pacific condo project and I am 3 blocks away. a) what will hours of construction be? b) what is the exact plan to minimize decibel levels? c) will the 8-foot sound wall be constructed first in order to mitigate future construction sounds? It is acknowledged in vibration report that construction vibration, “at sufficiently high levels,” can also present building damage risk. Was Clearview Court’s adjacent location analyzed in this report? Would it be required if a full EIR were done?

LB: Noise and vibration were both studied. Here’s an excerpt from the conclusion in the noise and vibration analysis that’s included in the Council packet. You can reference the full report for more information.

Vibration:Construction vibration levels anticipated to be associated with the proposed Project were calculated to yield levels of 0.19 in./sec. PPV. Project-related construction vibration levels are predicted to be less than the Caltrans guidancelimit of 0.2 to 0.3 in./sec. PPV at the nearest sensitive receptors, located approximately 15 feet west and north ofthe proposed Project boundaries.

And another excerpt from the conclusion related to noise:

Construction activities associated with the proposed Project are expected to occur to varying levels for approximately two years. Construction activities are assumed to be limited to daytime hours and not occur during the more restrictive hours of 10:00 PM to 8:00 AM.

The project will undertake standard measures as part of their construction plan to address construction noise, such as including mufflers on equipment and locating noise-generating equipment away from sensitive receptors, whenever feasible. Section 9.36.010 of the SCMC states the following, though some limited exceptions are allowed such as for large concrete pours:

9.36.010 CURFEW – OFFENSIVE NOISE.

(a) No person shall between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. make, cause, suffer or permit to be made any offensive noise (1) which is made within one hundred feet of any building or place regularly used for sleeping purposes, or (2) which disturbs, or would tend to disturb, any person within hearing distance of such noise.

5) The staff report says there will be bicycle impacts with the installation of the round-about. Can you explain what those impacts will be? Right now, bicycles flow freely on the coast side of W. Cliff. Will that flow be affected by the roundabout or traffic signal? How?

LB:I’m not sure where you found that the report states there will be bicycle impacts. Here’s an excerpt from the report where a mini-roundabout is recommended:

“The mini-roundabout alternative provides improved corridor performance during nonpeak periods and less delay during peak periods as compared with traffic signal control. The mini-roundabout also provides less delay for bikes and pedestrians and slower vehicular speeds through the intersection, which is desirable in this corridor context.”

6) From your perspective, what would you say the “public benefits” are that the developer will be providing to the community and neighborhood if this project goes ahead as it is?

LB: While this project does not have any requisite public benefits, from my perspective, it does offer a number of them. Those that jump to mind are as follows:

-Very low income units. (We were only able to get 12 of those in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 combined. This would produce 8 by itself.)

-Wide range of pedestrian, bike, and vehicular improvements. (in addition to the roundabout – or signal, but roundabout is recommended, the project also proposes other improvements in the West Cliff Drive public right-of-way, including undergrounding of utilities, widening/improvement of bike lanes, and widening the sidewalks on both sides of West Cliff Drive. West Cliff Drive would be realigned to improve circulation and sightlines. Many of these, such as the undergrounding and sidewalk widening in front of the Dream Inn, are not along the project frontage and could not be required. The developer is offering to do them, and they are a public benefit. Personally, I run that stretch and bike it with my kids, and the narrow width of the sidewalk coupled with the utility poles regularly causes pedestrians to have to step into the bike lanes. The proposed improvements would be a nice improvement for the public who are travelling by foot or bike.)

-While the commercial is relatively small and ancillary to the hotel use, it will be open to the public and will offer nearby residents more commercial options within walking distance to their homes, such that they may be more likely to choose not to drive to meet their daily needs, e.g., to get a cup of coffee. That convenience can generally benefit our residents, and certainly a reduction in vehicle trips and associated greenhouse gas emissions is a benefit. On that note, many of the hotel guests would be less likely to drive elsewhere for commercial uses if they can access their needs at the new development.

8) Are saving the trees by moving them “feasible?” Or does project not pencil out and therefore it is infeasible to move trees? How many trees could be moved if they it is within the budget to move them?

LB:The following was added to the conditions and is included with the Council packet: “Prior to removal of any heritage tree, the applicant shall provide evidence to the Zoning Administrator and City Arborist that they have consulted with a tree moving expert to determine the feasibility of moving the trees, as long as the moving of the tree(s) does not affect the feasibility of the project. If it is determined that any heritage trees are feasible to relocate, relocation shall occur under the supervision of the project arborist and City Arborist.”

9) What discretion does the city council possess concerning this project, 190 W. Cliff?

LB:The request is for the following: Coastal Permit, Design Permit, Special Use Permit, Density Bonus Request to Exceed Height, Encroachment Permit for Street and Intersection Improvements, and Tentative Map. The application requests are discretionary in nature and require Council approval. However, according to our analysis, we believe the project meets all objective standards, so this puts some limits on the Council’s actions. (The height increase and additional story must be allowed under the density bonus. The agenda report speaks to why we believe the height for the stairwells and railings is consistent with the Zoning Ordinance regulations.) Many recent state bills have strengthened the Housing Accountability Act, such as AB 3194 that took effect on January 1, 2019. In particular, if a project meets all objective standards and we want to deny or reduce the number of units, the amendments through AB 3194 require that we make a finding of a specific, adverse public health and safety impact that’s supported by substantial evidence in the record. While the approval requests are discretionary, the State has limited our discretion in instances where a project meets all objective standards of the zoning and GP.

“We will not stand idly by and allow three people in this country to own more wealth than the bottom half of America, while at the same time, nearly 20% of our children live in poverty, veterans sleep out on the streets and seniors cannot afford their prescription drugs”. (Oct. 21)

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

October 21

SIGN THIS PETITION AGAINST SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S UNFAIR AND ADVERSE RATE INCREASES
If you are one of the hundreds of Soquel Creek Water District customers whose water bills have increased by over $200/month, even though you are working hard to conserve water, you need to sign this online protest petition! Nearly 520 people have signed it since it was recently launched by customer Kris Kirby…and the numbers increase daily.

Sign the Petition

Soquel Creek Water District Rate Increases Are Unfair and Hurt Families!

Is the District Board listening? Who knows, but when the customers upset with their outrageous bills filled the District Board meeting audience and spoke out, Director Bruce Jaffe asked staff to return at a future meeting with some real data on what the effects of the recent rate and fee increases have brought about. “It’s one thing to have a model, but what is really happening?” he asked.

…. Stay tuned.

COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WANT TO DOUBLE TAXES FOR RURAL FIRE PROTECTION
This Tuesday, October 22, the County Supervisors will consider (and most likely approve) a very confusing and complex fire protection tax increase that will be handled in a special mail-out ballot that will give more weight to votes from very high-value properties than it would to votes of common folks. Item #12 will be heard at 1pm…and a public hearing scheduled in January when the voting period closes.

The County General Service Dept. finally finished their 44-page Engineer’s Report that no one from the citizen-based Fire Dept. Advisory Commission (FDAC) has seen or discussed publicly. The Staff Report claims there were 10 in attendance at the last FDAC meeting and that the Commission made the recommendation to move forward on a ballot measure. That is not true. There were only three of the five Commissioners there, and they only voted to support some sort of supplemental funding “in concept”. There were other people at the meeting, but they could not vote.

Here is the link to the Board Agenda; Item #12 is this matter to be considered at 1pm at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, in the Board’s 5th Floor Chambers

Take a look in the Engineer’s Report at the part about determining General Benefit that would be funded by some other means (Page 20) and let me know what you think. Page 23 states that 48% of the costs of the Services can be attributed to General Benefit, and therefore must be funded by a source other than the proposed Assessment….where do you think that money will come from? Prop 172? Measure G sales tax passed last year that stated it would fund “Fire” response? The County General Fund? No…page 24 states that:

“The Assessment District’s total budget for 2020-21 is $5,303,336. Of this total assessment budget amount, the County will contribute at least $3,767,729 which is more than 71% of the total budget from sources other than this proposed assessment including dedicated property taxes and the existing benefit assessment. This contribution constitutes significantly more than the 48% general benefits estimated by the Assessment Engineer, which must be paid for by non-assessment sources. ”

WHAT COUNTY FUND ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?
I think this is the existing CSA 48 fees that, according to the County Fire FAQ sheet, WILL NOT GO AWAY, but rather this new Assessment would be added on to it.

“How much do I pay for current services in CSA 48?

$79.78 per fire flow unit, per year. The average single-family resident pays for two fire flow units per year. ”

“Will the current CSA 48 fee go away if the new one passes?

If the measure is passed, the new special benefit will be in addition to the current CSA 48 fee. The new fee would be for additional services not currently covered under the current fee. As an example, for an average single family home (see Case #2 above) this would be two fire flow units at $79.78 each, plus the average new fee of $151.78 for a total of $311.34. As noted previously, the actual amount for the new assessment will differ for each property and will be shown clearly on each ballot.”

*****The Staff Report on Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor agenda does not discuss this at all.

The benefit assessment calculation is really complicated. Will we be able to see what our neighbors are paying, in order to make sure our assessment is comparable, fair and correct? Page 30 describes agricultural lands…will cannabis be treated differently if they have greenhouses that are more flammable than open grows?

Would accessory dwelling units be charged another assessment or would that change the assessment over to the multi-family rate? Who will check all this?

What about the “Special Benefits” of Other Properties that have supposedly been individually reviewed and calculated…who did the reviewing, what criteria did they use to calculate the “special benefit”, and does this include the wineries that have multiple large and small special events? (page 30) What about Costanoa Resort up on the North Coast…?

It says public lands are not exempt…so will those areas be included in the calculation of “general benefit”, based on acreage and amount of public use?

Page 31 describes the fire risk factor that would increase the cost to those in higher fire risk areas…what about it you do good fire defensible space work with you neighbors, or even become a certified FireWise Community?

Page 33 discusses appeals. Will there be a fee to appeal? The County charges hefty appeal fees for everything else ($1200 to appeal to the Planning Commission and $1800 to appeal to the Board of Supervisors) Currently, the Board of Supervisors acts as the Fire Code Appeals Board. What would be the process?

I wonder about the Cost of Administration, claimed to be 1% annually for this assessment increase..is that total administration of CSA 48, or just this proposed slice of it? (he administration fee for CSA collections is typically quite high for road maintenance groups…usually near 30% or more.) The Supervisors can raise this new assessment fee annually by up to 4% for CPI….what is the annual expected increase for that to the budget?

Going back to that FAQ that County Fire Dept. distributed earlier this year:

“Don’t we receive Measure G and Prop 172 funds?

No. Unfortunately, Santa Cruz County Fire – CSA 48 does not receive any funds from Measure G or Prop 172. All funding generated by the Prop 218 benefit assessment under consideration would go directly to Santa Cruz County Fire – CSA 48. No funds from this assessment can go to the County’s General Fund. The State cannot take this funding away.”

But the question that begs an answer is: Why doesn’t County Fire receive any Measure G and Prop 172 funds?????

*******I think the General Services Director, not Chief Larkin, needs to go back to the communities and hold more town hall meetings, don’t you?

Please feel free to share this information with others. People need to know about this, and ask questions. Why is the County using such a complicated way of calculating a new tax? Because doing so will allow a weighted voter approval and will be easier to pass than a 2/3 voter approval of a flat rate assessment increase.

Don’t you wonder how much this study and Engineer Report has cost the taxpayers? The County Fire Budget contracted the consultant for $50,000…and that had to come out of County Fire money, not the General Fund, and NOT Measure G sales tax money that supposedly was to help fund fire protection.

COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER HOUSING ON SCHOOL PROPERTY AND GROWTH GOAL FOR 2020
The County Planning Commissioners are thoughtful people, and I am glad for their careful scrutiny on development issues. This Wednesday, they will consider changes to the County Code that would allow public institutions, such as schools and hospitals, to build housing on-site for employees. They will also consider allowing farmers to build on-site housing for agricultural workers, but possibly require that non-profits administer and manage them. How does that comport with Measure J requirements to preserve prime agricultural lands? Hmmmm…. Of course, like everything the County is doing these days, it is exempt from any California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis.

Here is the report

The 2020 Growth Goal is an interesting report, and the Commissioners will make recommendations about housing densities and the number of building permits allowed to be issued in the County next year. I think it is interesting that the report states population is decreasing in the County by -0.62%, according to the State Dept. of Finance, at a higher rate than the state average of -0.47%. The report attributes this to people moving away, but also a decline in birth rates. The report recommends keeping the County Growth Goal at 0.5%, in keeping with Measure J that was passed by the voters in 1978 to preserve the beautiful place and quality of life in the County.

Here is that report

Maybe you are wondering how this growth would affect infrastructure, and will developers be required to pay for those impacts? This is once again, exempt from CEQA analysis. Well, take a look at this snippet from page 2:

“Potential Impacts from Population Growth

The growth management system was instituted to address resource and public services impacts of growth in the County. The most significant concern regarding resources and infrastructure has been the potential and actual water supply shortfall. However, as discussed in Section IV of the attached report, water agencies countywide are addressing this concern, including the water districts and groundwater agencies for the Santa Margarita, Mid-County and Pajaro Valley groundwater basins.

Urban service impacts of existing and new development are also being addressed by a number of County initiatives to plan, finance, and construct capital improvements, particularly transportation improvements. Traffic congestion is a very significant concern facing residents throughout the County and a number of efforts are underway to address this issue, including regional highway plans and improvements and a County traffic study that will support an update of the General Plan Circulation Element.”

When I read that, I understood what the driver for the Soquel Creek Water District’s insanely expensive and energy-hog PureWater Soquel Project is all about….supporting dense infill growth in the County that will no longer be limited by water availability. That Project EIR, sham that it is, barely touches on growth-inducing impacts of the Project. However, the Project description states that after the anticipated 20-year period of injecting 1.3 million gallons/day of treated sewage water into the drinking water supply of the MidCounty residents, the treatment facility could be operated to supply water for future planned County growth. And because the District has linked arms with the City of Santa Cruz to build part of the treatment system at the City’s wastewater treatment facility on Bay Avenue, the City will also have access to the treated sewage water.

So, there you go…those 500-700 new residential units that City Economic Development Director Bonnie Lipscomb stated publicly two years ago that the City has already promised to the Big Tech companies over the hill will have all the water they need. This also fits in with the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) that has forecast area populations will increase…based on planned economic development.

AD HOC PLANNING AT IT’S WORST…COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CONSIDER APPROVAL OF NISSAN AUTO DEALERSHIP IN SOQUEL
This Tuesday, October 22, the County Board of Supervisors will decide (Item #9) whether to approve the Nissan auto dealership to be built in a spot that the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan had determined should be reserved for affordable housing and shops to support the neighborhood. The Plan was to place the housing on the major transportation lines of Soquel Drive and 41st Avenue, and thereby encourage the use of public transportation.

So, how come the Planning Dept. has insisted a car dealership and repair service for it should be built there instead? Lots of back-room deals…and a developer willing to wave money under the nose of the County Administrative Officer, Carlos Palacios, and the County Economic Development Director, Barbara Mason. Even though this disaster has been slowed by the brave and principled Sustainable Soquel neighbors scraping together enough money to hire an excellent attorney from San Luis Obispo to successfully demand the County follow their own rules, the money-driven County machine is moving forward to approve this stupid project.

Suddenly, the County Public Works Dept. has money to pay for most of the traffic congestion mitigations that supposedly will address some but not all of the anticipated traffic problems this dealership would bring. What happened to the promise Supervisor John Leopold made to his constituents when they protested his suggestion to put a traffic light in at Soquel Drive and Robertson? “Okay!” he said, “I’ve heard you, and I promise no light will go there.” That was about three years ago, maybe as the Planning Dept. was promising the auto dealership developer that everything would get shoved through to support his project.

Contact Supervisor John Leopold and let him know what you think about Ad Hoc planning like this. Ask that the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan, currently under environmental review, be followed. Ask that the Board direct this auto dealership debacle to the thoughtful Planning Commission.

More Ad Hoc planning is on the way with the massive five-story Kaiser Medical facility and detached 730-car parking garage making its way to the Soquel Avenue frontage road…where there currently is no Metro bus service. What happened to the 100+ affordable residential units that were supposed to be put there? What about the claim of an “affordable housing crisis”?

If you ask me, the crisis is that local government has lost transparency and accountability to the people. Here is the link to the Board Agenda

Supervisor John Leopold, john.leopold@santacruzcounty.us 831-454-2200

THANK GOVERNOR NEWSOM FOR SUPPORTING TRANSPARENCY FOR VOTERS
Many thanks to Governor Newsom for his veto of AB 168 that would have effectively hidden critical information about proposed tax and bond measure on the ballot. It would have forced voters to dig through the tiny volumes of print in the Voter Pamphlets to find out the truth about bond and tax measures. Written by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and our own Assemblyman Mark Stone (D-Scotts Valley), this was a real sneaky attempt to trick voters by just not telling the entire truth about proposed tax and bond matters on the actual ballots.

It was also one of those “gut-and-amend” bills that allow the bill’s authors to strip out the original language of the bill that has been approved by various committees, and put in whatever they want before the final frenzy of floor voting takes place, and on to the Governor’s desk. I think gut-and-amend should be made illegal…Mark Stone should have more principle than to resort to such trickery.

However, here is the link to what Governor Newsom wrote about Assemblyman Stone’s and Senator Wiener’s AB 268

You can read other comments from veto and approvals of other legislative actions here

While I am not sure I support everything that Governor Newsom is doing, I wrote him and thanked him for standing up to support voter transparency. You can, too! https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/

THANK YOU TO THE KIND ANONYMOUS BENEFACTOR
Last week, I discussed why I am worried about the future of this beautiful County, and mentioned the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) conference coming up. Some very kind and generous reader paid for my ticket to attend that nefarious group’s State of the Region conference this Friday! Many thanks, whoever you are! I will report next week about what I learned.

In the meantime, take a look at MBEP’s free events during “Santa Cruz Affordable Housing Month”. October 30 features a tour of the Mid-County affordable housing subdivisions in Aptos. I cannot help but notice that the tour DOES NOT INCLUDE the Aptos Village Project’s supposedly five affordable Measure J units in Phase 1 of the subdivision. I wonder why none of those units has been occupied yet when the building was completed last May??? Hmmmm…..

WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND ONE PUBLIC MEETING. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. BUT JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK!

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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

October 20
#293 / China In The News

On Saturday, October 12, 2019, I found that China was in the news. The picture above, from a New York Times article titled, “One Country, No Arguments,” made clear how successful China has been in propagandizing its own population. It’s an article worth reading.

You might also like to read an article in the edition of The Wall Street Journal that showed up on my front lawn on that Saturday, along with my New York Times. The Journal’s article is titled, “America Is Losing the Chinese Shopper.” The picture below illustrates the article. The point of the article is that Chinese consumers have now become patriotic when it comes to purchasing. One can’t help but believe that propaganda has played its part in that! Popular American brands are losing out, and Chinese shoppers (like Chinese army cadets) are getting into line and getting with the program.

If you are in business, what is happening in the Chinese consumer market might worry you. It has clearly worried Apple, which has eliminated a mapping application, formerly available on iPhones, that was being used by Hong Kong protesters to alert themselves to where they might encounter the police. The Chinese government said to Apple, “don’t do that,” and Apple kissed the ring. There was a lot of economic leverage going on!

And how about the NBA – the National Basketball Association? Also in my newspaper on that Saturday was an article about Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors. Kerr has refused to be drawn into a dispute in which the Chinese government has threatened to cut the NBA out of the Chinese market (which is a big market, of course) if any NBA player, coach, or franchise owner dares to criticize the Chinese government over its treatment of Hong Kong protesters. As already noted in an earlier blog post, the NBA has yet not kissed China’s ring (nor has it kissed anything else, at least so far). Some sportswriters, though, are predicting that this might not last, and that the League will hew to the requirements of the Chinese government. There is so much money involved; that counts for a lot (and maybe for everything)!

Nationalism (sometimes called patriotism) is like a virus. It can spread, and we are not immune. In fact, the United States is infected, too. It’s not just China.

But the right freely to express oneself, in both public and private settings, is still cherished here, and the right of free expression is one of the main things that the Hong Kong protesters are trying to protect.

Free expression is like a political immune system; it helps protect us against a deadly political disease.

Let’s not forget it. Speak 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
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS.Be here now with “Buddha and enlightenment”. Check out the classic Sub Con just below.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Vows and Pledges” at Eaganblog 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 JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “It’s been 30 years this month since the notorious Loma Prieta earthquake. The shouting and the shaking are all over, but find out how my personal quake story had an unexpected upside 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.

FIRST LOVE. Takashi Miike has made more than 100 films. (104) This one has violence, laughs, tension, and blood and guts, plus more laughs, tenderness and it all happens in one night in Tokyo. A young would be boxer gets a life ending message and with help from a beautiful prostitute they face a drug loaded bunch of gangsters. The black and white film is outrageous, inventive, and you’ll never take your eyes off the screen. It’s a very foreign film and not just the subtitles!! CLOSES THURSDAY OCTOBER 24.

LUCY IN THE SKY. Natalie Portman is almost always near great in her movies. She seems to be trying extra hard to make this movie work, but fails. Based on a sad but true story she’s an astronaut who has extra earth visions as she floats through space. Jon Hamm is in it too but he too can’t make a meaningful story from this dull plot. 23 Critics, 28 Audiences on RT. CLOSES THURSDAY OCTOBER 24

MONOS. An award winning film about a bunch of young Columbian boys in an organization who are assigned to guard a young woman Doctor. Like “Lord of the Flies” they have shocking fights among themselves as they roam and roam some more through some beautiful jungle scenes. I didn’t enjoy any two minutes of the film and was sorry I saw it. 92 Critics , 81 Audiences on RT. CLOSES THURSDAY OCTOBER 24

JOKER. Joaquin Phoenix should just be given the Oscar now, instead of all that fuss in January. Yes this is the origin of why the Joker haunts Bruce Wayne (Batman) and it’s so much more than that. The film is deep, dark, brilliant, violent, clever, absorbing, haunting, and will move you into a different perspective. Forget the criticism about protesters; the Joker is insane and magnetic. See this film if you like films beyond what’s acceptable!

You’ll almost cry at some scenes…so don’t miss it.

AD ASTRA. Brad Pitt is much more than his usual cute self in this 2001 type space adventure. Shocking but it’s true that film critics liked it more than “audience” on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics gave it 83, audience gave it 45!! Tommy Lee Jones plays Brad’s mysterious and missing father, and Donald Sutherland has a bit part. It’s a serious film about humans, genetics, space, dying, and it’s worth every bit of admission. See it soon. CLOSES THURSDAY OCTOBER 24

BRITTANY RUNS THE MARATHON. Actress Jillian Bell plays Brittany and I could not like Jillian Bell no matter how hard I tried. In real life Jillian even lost a lot of weight so she could give a better performance, I didn’t care. As promised she doe run the NY marathon …no she doesn’t win it. The movie is supposed to be a comedy I didn’t laugh once. CLOSES THURSDAY OCTOBER 24

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. October 22 has Jim Coffis co-founder and deputy director of Green Trade talking about marijuana business. Then Phillippe Habib manager of Common Roots Farm discusses their aims and growth issues. Lisa Robinson president of the San Lorenzo Valley Museum details the events and news from the museum on October 29. On November 5 Dean Kaufman Veterans Service Officer talks about the meaning and events happening on Veterans Day. 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 love me some Golden Girls! The snark level is out of this world! 😀

“TREES”

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” Martin Luther

“Trees exhale for us so that we can inhale them to stay alive. Can we ever forget that? Let us love trees with every breath we take until we perish.” Munia Khan

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” ? Chinese proverb

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

October 16 – 22, 2019

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…My earthquake story, Downtown Merchants’ stupid mistake, MAH report waiting, Tushar Atre, CVS response. GREENSITE…“Due to technical problems on her end, there will be no Greensite Insight this week. Apologies.” KROHN…Thanks supporters. STEINBRUNER …Big Change in Santa Cruz, developers’ plans, Newsom’s rent control. PATTON…on Trump’s mental health. EAGAN…Classic Sub Cons and Deep Cover. JENSEN…reviews Lucy In The Sky. BRATTON…I critique Monos and Lucy In The Sky UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”Earthquakes“

COOPER STREET OCTOBER 17, 1989. The real reason I’m using this photo is that I was exactly upstairs above Snandrydan when that BIG ONE hit those 30 years ago. Read more about it just below. Logos books started out in the Shandrydan Store, as a matter of fact.

photo credit: CE Meyer, USGS

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

DON’T BLAME PG&E PAL. I wrote and recorded this song along with Dick Fagerstrom and Wayne Pope, aka The Goodtime Washboard 3. The video shows Diablo Canyon as our point of protest, but we wrote and were very active in stopping their Bodega Bay nuclear power plant.

SANTA CRUZ 1955. Vintage film sent to us by Chris Krohn
Santa Cruz from 1955…and “the progressive spirit of its citizens,”

SANTA CRUZ POST-EARTHQUAKE FOOTAGE 1989.

DATELINE October 14

MY EARTHQUAKE STORY. I was genuinely surprised to see the Good Times cover photo last week. It was the exact spot I was in before, during and about two minute after the 1989 quake — right upstairs over the Shandrydan Shop in the Hihn Building at 110 Cooper Street. I was the promotions director for the Downtown Association, and along with the effervescent and incredibly talented Mimi Paulsen, we were working on some Halloween plans for Downtown. The quake hit, and we rumbled and almost got under tables but it stopped, and through a very thick cloud of dust we started for the stairway to get downstairs. We met Cynthia Mathews who was up there too, probably working on Planned Parenthood stuff, and Karla Krebs Hutton, songstress and former Good Times sales person. Blindly we walked downstairs and miraculously Karla was only hit on her heel by a large piece of brick façade that fell milliseconds after we excited the building. Cooper Street and Pacific Avenue were nearly lost in clouds of red and orange dust from the brick and stucco and cement collapsing buildings. My first instinct was to find my good buddy Charles Hilger, who was directing and managing our Art museum in a little store behind Weber’s Photo Shop on Pacific. Together Charles and I made our way back onto Pacific and demanded popsicles from the poor guy who was selling them at a stand at Pacific and Cooper. We needed them because of nearly choking from that dust.

There was so much confusion and erratic happenings I headed over to City Hall to see what our Downtown Association could do to help. Our Mayor and mu friend Mardi Wormhoudt was just exiting the hall and grabbed me, saying let’s go check out the Bookshop Santa Cruz’s collapse and the search for bodies. We watched a while and tried to figure our next best move. The earthquake story goes on… Mardi told President George Bush he couldn’t just walk down Pacific Avenue on an inspection when he was here; she had to be with him. He and his team agreed, and she was 100% instrumental in getting us the governmental help we needed. Later on I was more than happy to emcee the special earthquake dedication at the Town Clock with Mardi, Gary Patton and Sam Farr.

As the promotions person with the DTA I staged a “Secret Parade” through the Pavilions (tents) led by the Flying Karamazov Brother,s ending up at the Civic where we had a huge stage show as a benefit for the downtown. The Earthquake story goes on and on. That’s enough for now.

WAITING FOR MAH REPORT. Here’s how Jason Hoppin, communications manager for the County, replied to our questions on determining MAH’s financial status. “Thank you, Bruce. I haven’t read the lease so I’ll work with folks here in the office to get answers back to you shortly. We’re about to head into a PG&E power shutoff event, so it may be a few days.”

DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS STUPID EARTHQUAKE DECISION. Three years BEFORE the ’89 quake, the downtown merchants hired an expert to advise them on earthquake preparedness. He did and told them to retro-fit ASAP. They said it would cost too much…and ignored it. Max Walden, who owned the Cooperhouse, had Michael Bates Construction retrofit it completely. But Jay Paul who owned the Cooperhouse then — and still owns O’Neill’s now — had it torn down to collect the FEMA money. Watch more about all this below:

TONY RUSSOMANNO AND THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR EARTHQUAKE DEVASTATION.

TUSHAR ATRE MURDER. I knew and saw Tushar Atre many times back around 1987. He was one of my more than 200 clients when I was a marketing consultant for Cabrillo’s Small Business Development Center. We worked on promoting his Atrenet business. I met his folks, and we met at his Yacht Harbor office quite a few times. Nice guy. His money must have come from his folks. He was intelligent, friendly, sharp and obviously naïve…as we read in the press.

WHAT CVS STANDS FOR? Big thanks to all those folks who sent me the translation of CVS. What I was trying to get at was to ask their employees the next time you are there…few if any I’ve met know what it stands for. But in looking up CVS I found… Consumer Value Stores CVS Pharmacy is currently the largest pharmacy chain in the United States by number of locations (over 9,600 as of 2016) In early 1972, CVS introduced America’s first refillable plastic bottle. But yet CVS CEO Tom Ryan has said he considers “CVS” to stand for “Convenience, Value, and Service”.

October 14.

Gillian says, “Due to technical problems on her end there will be no Greensite Insight this week. Apologies.”

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.

October 14

AND NOW, LET US PRAISE GREAT SUPPORTERS
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who showed up at last Tuesday night’s city council meeting. It cannot be said enough times that it is the people of Santa Cruz, when they participate; they drive the narrative and ultimately write the history of our town. This history is made only because it is the residents marching–two large support for women’s marches, the Martin Luther King march last January, and the Global Climate Strike march last month are examples of taking it to the streets; knocking on doors and talking with neighbors, especially during the past two election cycles, and advocating for the environment over rampant development–Lighthouse Field, Wilder Ranch, Moore Creek Uplands and the Pogonip–has made a great impact on our quality of life here. Of course, attending neighborhood meetings, serving on city commissions, and showing up to city council meetings are all vital constituent parts of the democratic process. Last Tuesday evening’s city council crowd not only felt comforting to this councilmember, but it sent a clear signal that votes count and we will not allow our democracy to be compromised by taunts, misperceptions, or misinformation. Keep on keeping on my friends, the people will win and the community will determine what kind of community we will have!

The People’s Bully Pulpit
Appearing at the podium to address the city council was an array of straight-shooters, poets, community activists, and many others concerned about the future of the city and wanting to lend their voice as we proceed into the future, hopefully on a calmer, more measured, but truly principled path. I offer an amalgam of eloquent and energizing voices here. It is a tribute to why so many of us have found a true home here in Santa Cruz among what some used to call, Fellow Travelers.

Out of their Mouths & Straight from the hip
Please, don’t kick off reconciliation with punishment. (Brett Garrett)
This censure is a misuse of feminism. (Katherine Herndon)
This is a #MeToo town, the city manager should’ve fixed this before it turned into a civil war. (Ed Porter)
The CPVAW by-laws were not adhered to. (Ann Simonton)
This is all about the recall. (Drew Lewis)
The city should not have spent $29,000. (Shelley Hatch)
The person punking all of you is the City Manager. (Nora Hochman)

The Philosophers
From the Merchant of Venice, “The quality of mercy is not strained.” (Darrell Darling)
Yom Kippur is a day of atonement, but you must first go to the person and ask for forgiveness. (Rabbi Posner)
Donna and Martine, perhaps your deepest need is to be completely heard and understood. (Satya Orion)
I’m sorry to everyone. The censure, nor mediation will work. (Pat Mahlo)
Conflict is not abuse. (Alicia Kuhl)

The Realists
Censure is just more shaming. (Rick Longinotti)
Censure is a political tactic to reinforce the recall. It’s a Republican tactic in many states to overturn elections. (Eric Ericsson)
You can still be a lesbian and still be a racist. (Anon.)
What happened to mediation and conflict resolution? (Alex King)
We have NVC (Nonviolent Communication) in this town you know. (Jackie Griffith)
Reject this censure as antithetical to the path of reconciliation. (John Hall)
The City Manager should’ve intervened. (Jane Doyle)

Card-Carrying Supporters
These same councilmembers are the ones who most represent the people, yes, I support Drew Glover and Chris Krohn. (Marilyn Garrett)
You unfairly shut down Sandy Brown! (Shalom Compost)
I campaigned for them, I never saw anything. (Sally Gwin-Satterly)
Rodney King and Aretha, ‘can’t we all just get along,’ and ‘Respect’ (Scott Graham)

Passed, 4-3 MOTION:
Councilmember Sandy Brown moved, seconded by Vice Mayor Justin Cummings, that the Council finds that the censuring of two of its members is inadequate based on the findings of the Rose report as it relates to Administrative Procedure Order II-1B regarding respectful workplace conduct, which states, “A single act shall not constitute disrespectful conduct unless especially severe and egregious.” (‘Nuf said.)

“For working people.
For the poor.
For jobs.
For justice.
For peace.
For prosperity.
For economic mobility.
For society.
For our planet.
We fight for a #GreenNewDeal.”

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

October 14

THIS IS WHAT I THINK, AND WHY I AM WORRIED
For quite some time, I have had a “gut-sense” that the quality of life in beautiful Santa Cruz County is on the cusp of big change and it is approaching with the largess of a steam roller. I am worried. Over the past four years, I have been delving into how and why local government works the way it does. Speaking as an ordinary citizen, it has been truly eye-opening. I remember County Traffic Engineer Jack Sohriakoff telling me in 2015, as I was asking multiple questions about the approvals of the Aptos Village Project, that “for a long time, we haven’t been able to build big projects like this one, but things are about to change.”

I have lived in rural Aptos for 35 years, and was semi-active in local politics in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s, attending critical community meetings and occasional Board of Supervisor meetings. However, let me tell you right now, the general attitudes of the local political landscape have changed for the worse, both in how the public is treated, and certainly in the City of Santa Cruz, respect given to colleagues. By and large, elected officials, especially at the County level, now regard members of the public with a dismissive and sometimes arrogant attitude. People who take time off work to attend public hearings and ask thoughtful, well-informed questions get absolutely no answer. Many give up out of disgust, and do not return.

The Brown Act encourages public participation and requires elected officials to take one of three actions when the public brings forth concerns and questions: briefly clarify issues brought up, direct staff to look into the matter and contact the person, or direct that the matter be placed on a future agenda for thorough public discussion. Instead, the standard response of County Supervisors is silence, but if pressed, answers “we can have no dialogue”. Such is the case when scores of neighborhood residents fill the Board chamber, yet leave feeling the Board paid them no attention, and what got decided was a “done deal”. As I have learned, that is usually true.

The County Administrative Officer (CAO) is the real wizard behind the curtain that runs the County government show, dictating in tandem with the County Economic Development Director, what will happen to bring in more money to fund the tsunami of debt this and all government agencies now face due to CalPERS employee pension funding debt in the next couple of years. And of course, the CAO has favorite projects and responsive developers.

What happens then is Ad Hoc Planning, such as what is happening with the Nissan auto dealership at 41st Avenue and Soquel, the Mid-Pen Housing project that includes a large medical clinic and a large dental clinic at 1520 Capitola Road, the five-story Kaiser medical clinic and detached five-story 730-car parking garage at 5490 Soquel Avenue, the two large and very dense developments on Portola Drive (which somehow got reduced to half the number of traffic lanes, despite strong public resistance to do so), and even more larger, dense developments in the City of Santa Cruz. How could City Director of Economic Development, Bonnie Lipscomb, make the statement in September, 2017 on KION that “the City of Santa Cruz has already promised 500-700 new residential units to high-tech employers” for their workers here?

What worries me is the rising tide of developer clamor to streamline the project approval process so that their projects will “pencil-out.” Santa Cruz County Housing Planner Julie Conway seems all too happy to accommodate the plaintive cries of these developers and has actually dissuaded the County Housing Advisory Commission from recommending the County require 15% of rental housing developments be set aside for affordable housing because developers have told her it just wouldn’t “pencil-out” for them. We are seeing the same actions in the City of Santa Cruz, where new large rental housing developments are not required to include 15% of the units for affordable housing.

State Senator Scott Wiener is working hard to pass SB 50 that would be a real boon for developers and remove any opportunity for local residents to refuse massive developments. It would make all such projects exempt from any environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) which has been the only opportunity for environmental scrutiny and public interest participation. Therefore, all analysis and methods of redress of adverse ENVIRONMENTAL concerns and protections would vanish. Senator Wiener’s bill would give local government only 60 days to review any developer’s large project application, and unless it can be proven that the project would cause a specific adverse impact to public HEALTH AND SAFETY, there would be nothing to stop the ministerial approval of the project.

*****If the County did nothing within the 60-day window, the project application would automatically be approved.

Do you think members of the public who may live near these proposed developments even KNOW about them within the 60-day window? Doubtful, because unlike neighboring Monterey County, this County does not require developers to “stake and flag” the height and boundaries of proposed developments. Would it matter anyway, since Senator Wiener’s bill would recognize specific adverse health and safety impacts only. What about preserving your ocean view or winter sunlight? GONE. What about adverse traffic increases that developers might have to pay to mitigate? GONE. What about saving significant trees and preserving important historic and cultural resources? GONE.

Senator Wiener’s SB 50 would remove local control of development, but would not address any infrastructure necessary to support new large subdivisions that his bill would force local officials to rubber-stamp if the project were within a 1/2 or 1/4 mile radius of a transit stop. It would virtually remove parking requirements for projects. It would pay no attention to water supply availability. When asked about this issue at a Monterey Bay Economic Partnership conference in November, 2018 when he was a guest speaker, Senator Wiener’s reply was essentially that when conditions get so bad, people will be more likely to agree to tax increases to fix things. It was shocking. If you take a moment to read what Senator Wiener is relentlessly pushing through, I think you will be worried too.

What also worries me is the State Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA 1) to allow a lower voter approval threshold (55%) to pass new or increased special purpose taxes, instead of the now-required 2/3 approval. It narrowly missed getting enough votes to get to the Governor’s desk. You can be sure the proponents will re-work the language and keep trying. Advocates already had the publicity engines humming for what was to be called the “Community Say for Community Needs” ballot measure.

As the good article describes, ACA 1 would have finished ripping the hole in your wallet that people such as the Santa Cruz County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios would love to have passed, making it much easier to impose new taxes to pay for basic public services that the General Fund should cover and that developer impact fees should supplement. You may be interested in knowing that local State Assemblyman Mark Stone SUPPORTED ACA 1.

Here is the text of the bill that luckily failed (note that it was co-authored by State Senator Scott Wiener)

GOVERNOR NEWSOM IS HAPPY TO IMPOSE STATE-MANDATED LOCAL PROGRAMS
He just signed two bills that mandate the City of Oakland build the new sports coliseum and large mixed-use development at Jack London Square. AB 1191, authored by Rob Banta (D-Alameda) took away local control of the Oakland City Planning Dept. and handed it to the State Land Authority to decide whether building a large development adjacent to wetlands is a proper thing to do.

Governor Newsom also signed SB 293, authored by Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) that streamlines the process to finance the infrastructure necessary for this new large development. Usually, the public debt incurred by sales of bonds would have to be put to ballot and get a 2/3 voter approval. However, Governor Newsom has just mandated that NOT HAPPEN, but instead, mandate the City of Oakland for a special taxation board, hold three meetings, and unless 50% of the affected agencies and people who would be taxed to pay for the development protest, the massive development will be funded by widespread taxation burden. Wow.

GOVERNOR NEWSOM JUST MANDATED STATEWIDE RENT CONTROL
Yet another significant state level action that takes away local control of critical issues just happened with the Governor signing AB 1482 to impose rent control statewide. Although the October 9, 2019 Santa Cruz Sentinel had barely a couple of paragraphs buried on page 6, it was front page Local News in the Mercury News on October 9, with a prominent photo of the Governor signing the bill. Effective January 1, 2020, the bill caps rent increases to 5% retroactive to March 1, 2019 and would require landlords to pay for tenant relocation in certain instances. Here is an interesting analysis of why landlord lobbyists did not fight this state action

When WILL a local leader sit down at the table with UCSC leaders and negotiate the University to become a responsible partner in the County and provide housing for its students in an ecological way, and help will the infrastructure to support it? The City of Davis and County of Yolo did just that with UC Davis, and successfully negotiated that the University would house 100% of increased student enrollment as well as contributing $2.3 million to local infrastructure. Wow, why can’t we do that here???

What can you and I do? We have a lot of work to do, but I still believe in the power of people who join together, get scrappy, and fight to protect what they believe in and value.

Start talking with your neighbors. Maybe we all need to unite and move to put some issues on the local ballot to protect our beautiful Santa Cruz County, just like then County Supervisor Gary Patton and other did in the 1970’s when Measure J put the brakes on frenzied development that at the time had this County as the fastest-growing in the state. Measure J required developers include 15% affordable housing in their subdivisions because there was an “affordable housing crisis”. Measure J protected prime agricultural land from development, but that is now being chipped away by new state laws mandating on-site farm worker housing, maybe run by non-profits but paid for by farmers.

Write Governor Newsom and let him know your thoughts

Consider running for a public office. Three County supervisorial jobs are open in 2020, and you need to declare candidacy by December 3, 2019.

Take a look at what we could do with Home Rule activism: https://celdf.org/law-library/local-law-center/home-rule/

Please let me know what you think.

MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. BUT GET SCRAPPY, AND JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK!

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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

October 12 #285 / He Really Believes It

“As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!)…”

I read the paper each day with interest, but I almost always read it with a good deal of trepidation, too. What bad news will the paper bring today? I am almost always assuming the worst. I don’t think I am alone in this.
Whatever the merits may be of the president’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria – and there is a good argument to be made that this is a completely justifiable decision – the statement quoted at the beginning of this blog post sure makes me nervous.
In fact, the president’s statement above, quoted in a recent news story in The New York Times, chilled me. I had a hard time accepting that this could be a real quote. The picture I have put on top of today’s blog posting is from a July 2016 story in The Star. That story was headlined, “Is Donald Trump OK? Erratic behaviour raises mental health questions.” Writing in today’s New York Times, Jennifer Senior puts a name to the disease: pathological narcissism.

People have been concerned about our president’s mental health from the beginning, from before he was president. And the statement above, in which our president asserts his “great and unmatched wisdom,” appears to qualify as a reason for all of us to have great concern about the president’s mental state. At least, that is what this statement would indicate if the person who says it means it.

He means it!

Trepidation doesn’t even begin to describe what to feel about a nuclear-capable president who claims “great and unmatched wisdom,” and suggests that he intends to use that wisdom totally to destroy and obliterate the economy of another nation.

Jennifer Senior’s article argues that is is hard to figure out what to do (“We are all at the mercy of the Narcissist in Chief …You can no sooner quit your President than you can quit your family”). There are, however, remedies found in the Constitution.

It’s time for the Vice-President and others to start reading up on the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Look back just a few years and check out our darkest and funniest thoughts. Scroll below.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “classic” view 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 power outage advice.

MUNCHING WITH MOZART. Every third Thursday of almost every month there is a free concert held in the upstairs meeting room of the threatened Santa Cruz Public Library. This month the musicians are Tatyana Rekow, saxophone and Marina Thomas, piano. They’ll be playing works by Tchaikovsky, Bozza, Planel, Debussy,Albeniz, and Piazzolla plus Ellington and Joe Garland. It happens Thursday October 17 from 12:10-12:50 p.m.

Remember…it’s free and at the Santa Cruz Library, Thursday October 17, 2019 12:10-1:00 Central Branch Meeting Room upstairs.

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. The first concert in their 2019-2020 season is titled… “BLOWING IN THE WIND”. It’ll be at Christ Lutheran Church in Aptos. That’s Saturday October 19th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday October 20 at 3 p.m. Music by Carl Maria Von Weber, Glinka, Villa-Lobos and D’Rivera and others. Aude Castagna is the director and cello player. Lars Johannesson, flute. Jeff Gallagher clarinet and VladaVolkova-Moran on piano. For cost, tickets and other information, go to http://www.scchamberplayers.org There’s two performances Saturday, April 27, 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 28, 3:00 pm. The Chamber Players concerts are all at … Christ Lutheran Church 10707 Soquel Drive, Aptos (Off Highway 1 at Freedom Blvd.)

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Turn off the damn TV and tag along on my ongoing trek into the deeply human fantasy realm of Robin Hobb, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). And find out why walking in space is like having sex with Jon Hamm in my review of Lucy In the Sky, in this week’s Good Times!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

LUCY IN THE SKY. Natalie Portman is almost always near-great in her movies. She seems to be trying extra hard to make this movie work, but fails. Based on a sad but true story, she’s an astronaut who has extra earth visions as she floats through space. Jon Hamm is in it too, but he too can’t make a meaningful story from this dull plot. 23 Critics, 28 Audiences on RT.

MONOS. An award-winning film about a bunch of young Columbian boys in an organization assigned to guard a young woman Doctor. Like “Lord of the Flies”, they have shocking fights among themselves as they roam, and roam some more, through beautiful jungle scenes. I didn’t enjoy any two minutes of the film and was sorry I saw it. 92 Critics , 81 Audiences on RT.

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. . Mariam Gafforio from Extinction Rebellion will talk about XRSC and their goals and accomplishments on October 15., followed by former County Supervisor and Land Use Attorney Gary Patton talking about many of our local issues.

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 love Emma Thompson!

“EARTHQUAKES”

“I noticed that volcanoes, earthquakes and floods, though are not good events, they are better than the silence of good people when bad people take the podium. The latter are to an extent uncontrollable, but the former can be stopped.” Israelmore Ayivor,

“Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match”. Karl Kraus

“I live a half mile from the San Andreas fault – a fact that bubbles up into my consciousness every time some other part of the world experiences an earthquake. I sometimes wonder whether this subterranean sense of impending disaster is at least partly responsible for Silicon Valley’s feverish, get-it-done-yesterday work norms”. Gary Hamel

“The safest place to be during an earthquake would be in a stationary store.” George Carlin

“The earthquake, however, must be to everyone a most impressive event: the earth, considered from our earliest childhood as the type of solidity, has oscillated like a thin crust beneath our feet; and in seeing the laboured works of man in a moment overthrown, we feel the insignificance of his boasted power.” Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060

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October 7- 13, 2019

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON… whistleblowers, MAH, and the Nissan project… GREENSITE…on Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women forgets its charge. KROHN… yoga, the political journey, and self-care. STEINBRUNER… on water PATTON… on books EAGAN… old favorite from the Deep Cover vaults JENSEN… on Molly Ivins BRATTON… also on Molly Ivins – don’t miss this film, closes Thursday! UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… “WHISTLEBLOWERS”

TWO WAY TRAFFIC ON PACIFIC IN 1953. It really should be made a closed Mall, but here’s what it used to look like. Remember too, it had out of town corporations like Bank Of America, Woolworth’s, Montgomery Ward, J.C. Penneys, B.F. Goodrich, and plenty more.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

INVISIBLE DRUMS…

PEOPLE FALLING OFF LADDERS

DATELINE October 7

“Curmudgeons speak up because they have to, because it’s become critically important for them to tell the truth as they see it. Telling the truth is as natural to them once more as it was when they were children. The fact that no one cares to listen is inconsequential. Curmudgeons speak up, raise their voices, stand for something too right to be silent about anymore, whatever the cost, despite a world that deals with what it doesn’t want to hear by crucifying the messenger. Increasingly these days, they’re being called by another name: whistleblower.”

Lionel Fisher

Whistleblowers at MAH…

STILL MORE ABOUT MAH. I received an email asking why I’ve spent so much time dealing with MAH’s problems — saying MAH has provided a good influence on a young person she knows. I’m completely convinced that MAH still provides grand services to much of our community. Let’s hope it can stay in existence, with the financial flaws so many MAH insiders have been whistleblowing. I’ll confess right here that probably 96 % of the topics I write and raise on air come about because I hear of their troubles from the inside, and making them public has changed their operations…for the better. As I once wrote, it’s like throwing out the books and making all our county libraries into Community Event Centers. It’s the same old plea “don’t shoot the messenger”. When I get so many pleas and reactions, from groups such as the decades of MAH Board members and attendees, that tell us something is very wrong I think the public should know about it.

ANOTHER LETTER ABOUT MAH & NINA SIMON. I received this letter on OCT 3:
“Of the many local Boards on which I’ve served, never have I seen such rapid turnover as I did among MAH Trustees during the Simon era. Because constant changes on the Board paralleled very high turnover among staff, I’ve tried in vain to get a list of all those who’ve served as a Trustee since Nina took charge. If MAH was doing so exceptionally well why did so many leave the ship? Is one of the reasons Nina stopped producing annual reports about 2012 because it would have made Trustee turnover too obvious?”

THE NEXT STEP FOR THE COUNTY. As per Ryan Coonerty’s suggestion, I sent the following questions and pleas — assembled from MAH Board members — to Jason Hoppin Communications Manager for Santa Cruz County…

MAH QUESTIONS TO RYAN COONERTY:
What are the specific provisions of the current lease agreement between the County and the MAH? The director renegotiated the agreement sometime after her arrival in 2011. The agreement involves some sort of financial payback to the County. Were any monies owed to the County forgiven based on the past or current agreement? How is the revenue from leasing office space split? Is there an annual accounting of the expenditure of public funds and how does this translate into a public benefit? Does the full museum board have any idea? Why is it so difficult to obtain this information, and what is the reason for the perceived shroud of secrecy? Also, currently the MAH receives annually a grant of about $154K from the County Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services Department. What is the reporting mechanism for this expenditure, and how is it evaluated? Years ago Nina Simon turned MAH into a community center. Aside from what that did to ruin our Art and History community, we need to straighten and make the operation transparent and functional so that it has a healthier existence.

CVS – WHAT’S IN A NAME? I use CVS a lot and as a chain operation it’s ok, but just for fun —next time you’re in one, ask any employee “what does CVS stand for?” I haven’t found any one who knows!!!

SOQUEL NISSAN PROJECT COMING TO VOTE OCT. 22. As if Soquel traffic isn’t bad enough, the proposed Nissan Car dealership at 41st and Soquel would make it worse. Here’s what the Sustainable Soquel folks sent out.

Santa Cruz County Supervisors are to Vote 9 am October 22nd on Soquel Nissan Project Please write ALL Supervisors and ask them to: VOTE “NO” to the Nissan Dealership. On May 2018 the Supervisors approved a flawed EIR for the Nissan dealership.* March 2019 Sustainable Soquel’s EIR lawsuit prevailed in court.* July 2019 the Revised Nissan EIR released.This project is in Supervisor John Leopold’s district. Sadly, he still chooses not to embrace the forward-thinking Sustainable Plan that he approved in 2014 which:* Recommended maintaining the community commercial zoning for this location. * Encouraged local development which would promote walk able neighborhoods and workplaces. *Create a community commercial environment that shortens car trips.*Encouraged designs that improve and lower greenhouse gas emissions. * Encouraged designs and concepts to enhance the unique characteristics of the community.

Supervisors to Vote 9 am October 22nd on Soquel Nissan Project Please write ALL Supervisors and ask them to: VOTE”NO” to the Nissan Dealership and “NO” to a Zoning Change

For further information please contact SustainableSoquel@gmail.com

SHOPPERS CORNER & MEAT & PLASTIC? A very concerned reader (and talented artist) asked me to include a very all too common question… “Why does the main meat handler at Shoppers Corner continue to use PLASTIC bags on every piece of meat. Here we are trying to cut back on plastic and help save the planet and this guy insists even after requesting, to use plastic, plastic, and plastic.”

October 7

START BY BELIEVING

The city Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women has decided to weigh in on the highly charged issue of censoring council members Glover and Krohn for one instance each of violating the city’s Respectful Workplace Conduct Policy. In a recent opinion piece to the Sentinel, the chair of the Commission, Kevin Grossman attacks Krohn for not attempting to stop “victim shaming” comments from some members of the audience towards staff members (the victims) who spoke at the last council meeting. Apart from the fact that Krohn said he didn’t realize it was going on and apart from the fact that it’s the Mayor’s job to keep order, the Commission is fomenting this issue which is not its mandate. There is nothing in Ordinance 81-29, which created the Commission that gives it authority to involve itself in workplace conduct issues outside of sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence and stalking. None of these issues is involved in the charges against the two council members.

The Commission was established as a result of a citizen’s Initiative in 1981 and as such is unique. Its powers and duties include recommending a comprehensive plan for the prevention of rape and domestic violence in the city of Santa Cruz, hearing citizens’ complaints about city police department service to women who have been raped or battered and making recommendations about police training and service. One entry in the Ordinance states that the prevention of rape and domestic violence shall be one of the city’s highest priorities. Not that that has ever happened. As one of the co-founders of the Commission, its first chair in 1982 and chair again in 2004 and 2005, I was unceremoniously dumped from reappointment after uncovering serious neglect and malpractice on behalf of the SCPD towards those who reported rape. This research was met with hostile pushback from the police and indifference from the council of the time. As I pushed back harder, staff to the commission accused me of bullying but couldn’t remember any examples when I met with her and her supervisor. Nonetheless, this was sufficient for council member Mathews to block any further appointment of me to the Commission to this day.

Last year there were 34 rapes reported to SCPD. There have already been 52 domestic violence calls in Santa Cruz County received by emergency dispatchers from October 1st. to October 7th. ( October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month). Yet the Commission’s sole Sentinel opinion piece in years has nothing to do with these issues. Its topic is outrage about the tabling of a censure motion against Krohn and Glover. That all five who lodged complaints against the two male council members are women is suggestive but not in itself grounds for Commission involvement. No complainant approached the Commission for support and no complaint involved issues of sexual harassment, rape or domestic violence.

On its agenda for Wednesday October 9th the Commission is poised to discuss and vote on a policy labeled “Start by Believing.” I know the originator of this slogan and national program of the same name, retired Sergeant Joanne Archambault whom I brought to Santa Cruz to conduct training for SCPD in 2004. The slogan is a good one, confronting centuries of suspicion and disbelief towards women who report rape but in the hands of the current Commission majority I fear it will be a club to further bash the two male council members. The agenda report even situates it in “the political agenda on city council.” The report also states, “As a commission, we believe women.” It continues with the proposal that if a commissioner does not behave or make public statements in the framework of this principal, they need to step down from the Commission.

This is dangerous stuff if you believe in justice. By all means start by believing. But if the facts don’t support the accusation, then perhaps there was no crime committed. Innocent until proven guilty is not a tiresome technicality. To “believe women” as proof of guilt ignores the scores of black men lynched or incarcerated on false claims of rape by white women. Such tragedies are not the norm across the spectrum of rape but they exist and they counsel caution on assigning guilt based on emotion and slogans.

I’d advise the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women to get back to its mandated focus on rape, sexual harassment and domestic violence for all genders. Leave workplace conduct to those who are paid to attend to such issues. The investigator found no basis for a charge of gender discrimination. Start by believing.

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.

October 7

ON RECONCILIATION, RENEWAL, AND RE-GROUPING.
A recent acquaintance, Taj, asked me during the Global Climate Strike march, which was followed by a rally on the Downtown Commons space, what I do for self-care. “No, I mean really, how are you taking care of yourself during these troubled times,” he asked. His two young children tugged at his pant-leg and he was headed to 99-Bottles for an early dinner. I was quick to say I’ve been practicing yoga, I ride my bicycle up the hill to UCSC, and I run along the San Lorenzo River path. I did not have time to say more as he was being pulled away for dinner. So Taj, this is what I would’ve said if we have more time…

Political Journey
The 2016 campaign for city council was intense, lots of candidates and lots of issues. I was inspired by Bernie Sanders’ democratic socialist campaign of real issues–healthcare for all, tuition-free public colleges, $27 dollar political contributions and eschewing corporate PAC money, inclusion, the anti-racism and gender equity platforms as embodied by Killer Mike the rap artist Nina Turner the former Ohio state legislator, and finally, the sheer mad enthusiasm of young people for this 70-something Brooklynite-turned-Vermonter was intoxicating. It was nothing short of a new lease on life for me. Four of us ran together that year and we called our group, The Brand New Council to honor Bernie’s urgent mission to the Whitehouse bringing with him a Brand New Congress. I became sure after attending the July Democratic National Convention. Running for city council was not something I necessarily wanted to do again (I was on the council from ’98-’02 and was Mayor in 2002), but hearing Bernie’s call to elect judges, senators, congress, schoolboard, and city council members was inspiring and life-changing. We can do this was his bottom line.

Free Sunday morning (8:30am) Yoga continues at Patagonia on River Street…a little self-care for you and your community.

Self-Care
I know, at first blush the term, self-care, might sound like self-absorbed or even bordering on narcissism, but I have not been deterred. What it is essentially is taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others and in my case; help carry forward the work and hopes of those who have not always had a voice at city hall. It was during the 2016 council campaign that I turned to yoga and meditation on the recommendation of my fellow Brand New City Council candidate, Steve Schnaar. I had already been an avid bicyclist and runner, but I soon found that those pursuits were quite different than yoga–breathing first, then stretching, then breathing into the stretch some more, and meditation, which is succinctly encapsulated by a bumper sticker I oncesaw decades ago while driving south toward San Diego on the I-5: Meditation, it’s not what you think. So, for the past 3 years I have been using yoga and meditation to maintain calm and quiet the never-ending appeals to be anxious, and to remain in reasonably good health. People often ask me, especially during this recall time, how are you doing? And I really appreciate their concern. They are sincere and they look into my eyes with are real sense of caring and outreach and I usually say, pretty good, thanks for asking, which sounds run of the mill, like a sound bite. But what I really want to say is that I am in this for the community to win and while the seas are stormy now, if I can take care of myself and with your help we can move on to more pacific waters as we do the people’s work, together. Breath. We can do this. Breath. I am not alone. Breath. We shall overcome. Thank you everyone for caring.

By the Way, there’s also a City Council Meeting This Week…

The big issues I have my eyes on for the upcoming city council agenda are:

Item #8, a 10% pay raise over three years for the city’s executive class. These are the top-earners in the city and adding 10% to their $200k salaries (much more than the simple math of $20,000, also add CalPERS and other perks) makes little sense to me in terms of closing our budget gap and directing our scarce city resources to those lowest paid workers so that they may just find a way to live here. It might be an opportunity to set an example. The 400-plus SEIU city workforce would certainly sit up and take notice if the execs said no to a pay increase, or were denied it by a majority of the city council.

Item #10 Adoption of Biarritz, France as a Friendship City. I am all for offering “Friendship City” status to any city, except maybe Riyadh or Pyongyang, unless we could somehow get them to change their human rights policies. But, I would think Ferguson, Mo. or Staten Island for human rights connections; Ashville, N.C or Berkeley for bohemian purposes; or on the international rights front surely Sana’a, Yemen, or Hong Kong might qualify for Friendship City status, possibly all ahead of Biarritz, “a luxurious seaside tourist destination…” They do surf there and the weather is good, but one of its most important economic interests is “spa tourism,” according to Wikipedia. The median income for Biarritz-ans between the ages of 25 and 64 in 2010 was well over $80,000 a year. By the way, Sister City status is only achieved by going through a “Friendship City” relationship first, for two years, and then each city determines whether it will enter into the coveted Sisterhood realm. Onward.

Item #15 Declaring October Co-op Month. This is an important opportunity to offer a boost to the dozens of Santa Cruz businesses that already operate, and struggle, as cooperatives. Of course, there is “no fiscal impact” for this item, which usually means it will be relegated to the ceremonial dust heap of history, unless present and future councilmembers keep bringing it back during May budget hearings as an Assistance for Local Businesses line item to help the Co-op movement grow and thrive. Let’s all remember to do that come May budget meetings.

Item #17 Rental Inspection Ordinance updates. Wow, this is really one the council needs to zero in on. I for one am in favor of abolishing this mean, nasty and brutish–for both renters and landlords–program. We heard it during the campaign, I hear it from students on campus, and I definitely hear it from people evicted, not for purely “health and safety” reasons, but for other city code violations. Here’s an idea: what if the city simply uses the current Housing Authority rules and regulations? In addition, focus on health and safety first and make this ordinance “complaint-driven,” instead of having inspectors traipse through neighborhoods hoping to find violators of their city codes? After all, my understanding is that this was brought up in 2008-9 by UCSC officials who feared a vacancy problem within their already super-expensive ($1100-$1300 per month to share a double or triple room on campus) dormitory system. Through negotiations, the city put the rental inspection program into place in 2010 and it has now become a millions of dollars per year bureaucracy, taking in inspection fees and fines, which are passed on to tenants without much to show for it. More scrutiny from both council and the general public is warranted if this program is to continue. Raise your hand if you are in favor of a study session on the Rental Inspection Ordinance?

Item 21 Appeal (by Councilmember Meyers on request of 2nd floor tenant Bob Cagle) of Kaiser-Permanente’s approved application to set up a clinic on the 2nd and 5th floors of the Cooper House. Folks, I’m scratching my head here. Why is there opposition to this move against an organization that will likely stay in Santa Cruz for many years, is helping underwrite the local basketball team, and is willing to bring hundreds of patients to downtown Santa Cruz? The opportunities for additional spending on the part of these patients in frequenting downtown businesses before and after their appointments are numerous. I was told by the Kaiser CEO for San Jose and Santa Cruz counties that 13 doctors would be moving into this space along with dozens of staff to support the clinic. So, what’s going on? I suspect there are chess moves being made to further the interests of real estate and condo developers. Seems like the city’s own Economic Development department is also heavily involved. I also suspect, given the interests surrounding the library-in-a-garage, the 205 unaffordable units at 208 Laurel, and hundreds more condos planned for Front Street right along the river that there exists some Master Plan ,at least in a few people’s minds. Further chess moves by these forces have perhaps been narrowed by a council majority that is staunchly driven by the community needs of affordable housing. But, I am still not sure on the totality of this picture. Help me out.

Item 22–Censure. I do not believe it has any place on this or any past or future agenda. Having written that, I urge supporters of Councilmember Glover and myself to attend Tuesday’s meeting with dignity and grace. I urge you to speak up and speak out about the need for reconciliation in this community. The city body politic is resilient and will get through this, but only if we choose to take a step back from our local council dais abyss and project an air of forgiveness, hope, and carry on with our active work ethic that embraces equality, social justice, equity, and fairness. We cannot now be deterred my friends. We have much work to do. Please join us on Tuesday, October 8th at 4pm (time is approximate) and stand with the council majority that you elected.

(BTW, it is Yom Kippur, the day of “atonement” and the meeting will definitely end before sundown, which is by 630pm.)

Down, but definitely not out…

“Money is not speech. Corporations are not people. And you shouldn’t have to beg the rich and powerful for money to run for office. Today we are releasing our plan to get corporate money out of politics.” (Oct. 7) Nice!

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

October 7

SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT RATE INCREASES ARE UNFAIR AND HURT FAMILIES
Join over 450 people who have signed this online Protest Petition against Soquel Creek Water District’s outrageously high rate increases….due to happen every year for the next four years, and possibly beyond!

Many ratepayers feel this Board is out of control, spending money on expensive outside contractors, such as the $42,000/year (for five years!) contract with CapitalEdge to lobby for a federal grant for the District’s expensive and unnecessary plan to inject 1.3 million gallons/day of treated sewage water into the drinking water supply for the MidCounty area. Ratepayers have also paid the bill for the Board and the staff who have made many trips to Washington, D.C. to glad-hand with officials, and ratepayers have also paid for the CapitalEdge lobbyist to fly to San Jose for meetings with staff in exclusive hotels for the “PureWater Soquel Project Team“.

The next Board meeting is Tuesday, October 15, 6 pm, at Capitola City Council Chambers. Public Comment is at the very beginning. Let them know your thoughts on these outrageous rate increases that are hurting families that have already done all they can to conserve water. In 2017/2018, the Board heard information from their Finance Director, Ms. Leslie Strohm, that District rates were second-highest in the state for a water municipality of their size. The Board promptly voted to increase rates 17% to pay for capital improvements because customers continued to conserve water and revenues were down. On November 6, 2018, the Board approved further annual rate increases over the next five, possibly eight years, to pay for the PureWater Soquel Project, with estimated construction cost of $90 Million but with debt service, could be closer to $200 Million. That is the rate increase that is now stinging customer budgets, and is unfairly penalizing families due to the low Tier rate thresholds.

The District mailed out information to rate payers about the impending rate increases….stating that over 70% of the customers would only see an increase of $5 or less/month. Not so! Many are shocked by their bills jumping over $100 or more….and continue to conserve, and have no leaks detected.

Write the Board of Directors bod@soquelcreekwater.org

PUREWATER SOQUEL PROJECT IS NOT NECESSARY!
Join Water for Santa Cruz County this Wednesday, October 9, at the Aptos Library (7695 Soquel Drive) at 7 pm to learn the truth about this issue. Why hasn’t Soquel Creek Water District asked the City of Santa Cruz Water Dept. to buy excess water when it is available…Loch Lomond is still nearly full! Although District Manager Ron Duncan has publicly stated the District has “sent three letters to the City” to ask for water, a Public Records Act request to the District revealed that those letters are all old….October 20, 2011, April 4, 2012, and June 25, 2015. There’s nothing recent, even though Director Bruce Jaffe has stated multiple times during Board meetings that he will personally ask.

Why hasn’t the District pursued applying for water rights to the San Lorenzo River, as they were told they could in 2015 by County Water Resources Director, Mr. John Ricker, based on a legal analysis by Best, Best & Krieger, LLP, outlining several legal and potentially very feasibly supplemental supply options for regional surface water conjunctive use to allow groundwater levels to continue to improve.

A group of thoughtful and well-educated local residents, under the leadership of Mr. Scott McGilvray, continue to bring well-researched and public documents to the Soquel Creek Water District and City of Santa Cruz Water Commission to point to the publicly-available facts that indicate there is plenty of water regionally to send to the District without the need for customers to spend outrageous amounts of money to fund an energy-hog and technology-dependent PureWater Soquel Project that would not even come online for three years.

Find more information here

REGIONAL WATER TRANSFERS WILL BEGIN THIS NOVEMBER
That’s right…the water can be flowing now and will be flowing this winter between these two utilities thanks to an intertie connection to allow water to go both directions in emergencies or to assist with supply needs. That was built shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake to address water emergencies regionally.

The Santa Cruz City Water Commission will hear a report regarding the continued Regional Surface Water Transfer Pilot Project on Monday, October 7. Look for the audio/video recording of that meeting on the City website. The same report will be presented to the Soquel Creek Water District Board on October 15, 2019, 6 pm in the Capitola City Council Chambers. Last year was the first year of the Pilot Surface Water Transfer, and the service area will be expanded this year.

So, the infrastructure is already in place for Soquel Creek Water District to accept water from the City….they just have to be willing to ask. WHY DON’T THEY JUST ASK???

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WILL CONSIDER MEASURE J RE-WRITE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING GUIDELINES
This Tuesday’s Board Consent Agenda includes Item #37, a proposed re-write of the landmark Measure J affordable housing ordinance passed by County voters in 1978 when developers were in a building craze that landed this Santa Cruz as the fastest-developing county in the state. Voters then stood up and demanded the environment and prime ag lands be saved, and mandated a 15% affordable housing component to be included in any subdivisions because there was an affordable housing crisis. Sound familiar?

Well, the Planning Dept. has been busy whittling away at these mandates via Ad Hoc discretionary planning processes, and even Supervisor Zach Friend publicly stated that “Measure J is old” and should no longer apply. That explains why the County Planning Dept. is trying to sneak the edited version of the existing Measure J document (29 pages) through APPROVAL BURIED IN THE CONSENT AGENDA as Item #37, allowing no public scrutiny of the new 59-page version. The staff report claims the County Housing Advisory Commission had comments when the group reviewed the document in early last month, but those comments are not publicly available. The Commission’s meetings are not audio or video recorded. Minutes are not available until the following month, and are only Action Minutes and make no note of any content of discussion, participation by members of the public (unless it is a developer who submits their version of what they want to have happen, as did Sibley Simon awhile back..which became the basis for the Commission’s actions).

Also, the Commissioners do not have to declare Ex Parte communication with any parties involved in the discussion items, as do the Planning Commissioners and even the Historic Resources Commissioners. Hmmm…

Below is text of a letter I wrote to the Board of Supervisors re: Consent Agenda Item #37:

Becky Steinbruner ki6tkb@yahoo.com

To: Ryan Coonerty, Greg Caput, Zach Friend, John Leopold, Bruce McPherson
Cc: Becky Steinbruner
Oct 7 at 5:12 PM

Dear County Supervisors,

Please pull Item #37 from the Consent Agenda and refer it to the Planning Commission for further public review. I am not certain that the Proposed 59-page document will help streamline the process for Measure J applicants and developers as it is written.

In giving this matter further thought, I want to relay to you that the Measure J process seems to already be a challenge to navigate for those who are lucky enough to qualify. I heard this from people who attended the Campaign for Sustainable Transportation Conference at Cabrillo College last Saturday, and it comports with what Ms. Julie Conway, Santa Cruz County Housing Planner, has explained relative to the Aptos Village Project Measure J units.

On August 19, 2019, in reply to my question about this matter, Ms. Conway responded:

“The buyers of the five Measure J homes in Phase 1 have all been determined to be eligible, have secured financing and will close escrow on their homes in the next couple of weeks. There will not be additional publicity on the Phase 1 ones.”

It has been nearly eight weeks, and there still has been no publicity about any of the five Measure J occupants moving into their new affordable homes. Therefore, I have to wonder if the delays are related to a cumbersome process, but regardless, wonder why no Measure J units are yet occupied in the Aptos Village Project Phase I when the process began well over a year ago, in February, 2018?

I feel this relates to the proposed Measure J document before you October 8, and bears witness to the need for this document to receive greater public scrutiny. PLEASE PULL ITEM #37 FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Becky Steinbruner

On Monday, October 7, 2019, 8:04:24 AM UTC, Becky Steinbruner wrote:

Dear Supervisors,

I am submitting comment re: Consent Agenda Item #37 on the October 8, 2019 Board Agenda.

I do not think this item should be on the Consent Agenda to be accepted and approved. Although the Housing Advisory Commission is said to have reviewed the proposed document, the minutes of that meeting are not included in the Staff Report, so the public has no information regarding what comments the HAC made or if changes were incorporated. I think the Planning Commission should also review this document before your Board considers further action.

I note the following:

The Proposed document is 59 pages whereas the existing form of the document is 28 pages. This is a significant change to a critical affordable housing document that should not be merely swept through on the Consent Agenda with approval that would not include thorough public discussion.
There are discrepancies in information for Maximum Monthly Rents for Affordable Rental Units. On page 14 of the Existing document, the rates are about $200-$300/month less than the rates shown in the Proposed document on page 59 for the same matter. Why are the rates listed differently when the criteria and date of information are the same?
I see not clear discussion in the Proposed document regarding standards that Measure J units must meet, but in th existing document, on page 22, it states that Measure J units must meet HUD Section 8 requirement. Is this requirement being eliminated or buried in the Proposed document?
In the Proposed document (page 57) there are significant fees charged to buyers and sellers, but I saw no such table of fees in the current document. Are these new fees? If so, that does not serve the purpose of the affordable housing goal to help people get into housing that they can afford.
Finally, why limit the percentage of inclusionary affordable housing to 15% for deed-restricted home buyers? The City of Watsonville requires 20% affordable units in developments. Why has the Planning Dept. allowed developers who are building rental housing to not abide by the 15% inclusionary affordable unit requirement? This favors the developer’s profit margins, but hurts the affordable rental market available to those in our community who really are struggling. Overall, I think the existing document is much simpler to read and yet provides the necessary information in a more clear and concise manner.

Please send this Item to the Planning Commission for their thoughtful review, post comments of both that Commission and the HAC with the Item when it returns to your Board as a Regular Agenda item for better public discussion.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Becky Steinbruner

Well….we shall see what happens…tune in next week.

COUNTY SUPERVISORS WILL VOTE WHETHER OR NOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO PUBLIC INPUT FOR A SUSTAINABLE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
In two weeks, on October 22, the Supervisors will vote on whether to approve the re-worked Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Nissan auto dealership at 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive in Soquel. This is Ad Hoc planning at its worst, with a developer waving money under the nose of the County and the Planning Dept. making interesting deals behind closed doors, many of which were brought to light by the Sustainable Soquel group who sued and WON because the EIR was such a sham. Now, the County Public Works Dept. has magically come up with the Half a Million Dollars needed to pay for a new traffic light in the area that will supposedly address traffic problems inherent with the auto dealership.

This just stinks. Doesn’t the County care about the massive amount of money and countless hours spent in community outreach meetings to develop the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan that would put housing and public amenities at this very busy intersection? That Plan has been stalled by the Planning Dept. (I suppose they have been busy with several other closed-door sessions) but finally has gone to Dudek Consultants to begin the EIR process, over five years after it was approved in concept by the Board.

WRITE THE BOARD about this

WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND ONE PUBLIC MEETING. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

BUT JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK! 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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

October 6 #279 / Indian Country

I have already written about my enthusiasm for the essays of George Scialabba. Wikipedia describes Scialabba as a “free lance book critic,” and most of his essays are, indeed, formulated as relatively brief reviews of recently-published books. My earlier recommendation that people read Scialabba was based on my own reading of Slouching Toward Utopia.

Let me now extend my recommendation to Scialabba’s book, Low Dishonest Decades: Essays & Reviews 1980-2015. His essay, “Indian Country,” included in that book, was written in 1983. In this essay, Scialabba turns his attention to television, and specifically to “Vietnam: A Television History,” produced by the Public Broadcasting Service in October 1983.” Apparently, it would cost you over $200 to buy the DVDs. Reading Scialabba’s essay will cost you a lot less, and may be more thought-provoking. Scialabba’s main point about the television series is that it is impactful as a “presentation,” truly showing the horrors of the Vietnam War, but is much less satisfactory as an “analysis” or “criticism.”

Here is a brief excerpt from the “Indian Country” essay:

One episode opens with the narrator observing that “American combat troops went into Vietnam to prevent the Communists from taking over.” That’s one way of putting it. Here’s a different way: “American troops went into Vietnam to consolidate its takeover by a corrupt repressive ruling elite, in opposition to what even American policy makers recognized was the only popular, honest, competent, genuinely nationalist political movement in the country.” The latter formulation is no less accurate, as the documentary makes clear. But imagine hearing it, flat-out like that, in a narrator’s authoritative baritone voice, on national television. Though true, it would sound stilted, strident, propagandistic. In the ideological universe of American mass media, radical truth risks sounding like propaganda.

The point is worth insisting on – it may well be the most important of all the lessons of Vietnam. Only recently, Stanley Hoffmann, at the far left of the political mainstream, could write in the New York Review of Books that America’s purpose in Vietnam was to “protect a small country from aggression.” This perfectly commonplace statement is almost Orwellian in its neat reversal of the facts … If it is still not possible on national television to apply the words “aggression” and “invasion” to American behavior in Indochina, then the government has won and the peace movement has lost its unequal battle for American hearts and minds.

Later on in the essay, Scilabba lets us know the reason for his title:

American barbarism and American innocence come together for an instant during Vietnam: A Television History. The narrator says: “The Vietcong and the North Vietnamese army controlled large parts of South Vietnam. GIs called these areas ‘Indian country.'” … This remark appears out of nowhere and leads nowhere. Yet it leaves one breathless. After all, most of what GIs and the rest of us know about Indians comes from cowboy movies and TV shows. “Nation building” was what Americans frequently told themselves they were doing in Vietnam; the building of an American nation, in opposition to indigenous non-whites, was what those movies and TV shows mythicized …

Television’s mythic power is precious. But myth needs to be controlled by criticism – the world cannot afrord much more American innocence. Central America is literally “Indian country.” And if the Rapid Deployment Force invades the Middle East, Arabs will soon be the new redskins …
Written in 1983! Very prescient, Mr. Scilabba!
Read what Scilabba has to say, in “Indian Country” and in his other essays. Those who care about the future of American democracy, and who yearn for a world at peace, actually cannot afford to lose the battle for the hearts and minds of America. We can’t assume, either, that we have truly “lost” it. We need to keep trying.

If we continue to consider the entire world to be “Indian Country,” and believe that it is our American duty to tame and subdue it, the bodies of the dead will be piled ever higher. Unless we can first admit, and then change, our historic commitment to “aggression,” we will also experience a lesson that is absolutely contrary to what we have been told in the cowboy movies.

Those we have allowed ourselves to think about as the “Indians” will come to say (and a lot of them already think it) that the “only good American is a dead American.” You can probably recall a different formulation of that statement, popularized by former President Theodore Roosevelt.

Think about it! Turnabout is always fair play, and history is just about ready to turnabout on the United States of America. The more we keep asserting that everywhere else is “Indian Country,” open for our aggression and domination, the more quickly that turnabout day will come.

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Just a peek at what makes everythings so obvious and confusing. scroll downwards.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Classic Covers ” 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 NEW COMMENTS RE IMPEACHMENT!!

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “She was an Amazon among us puny mortals. Now the late, great, sharp-witted, joyfully irreverent political journalist Molly Ivins gets her own irresistible movie, Raise Hell, 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.

RAISE HELL: THE LIFE & TIMES OF MOLLY IVINS. I laughed more during this great documentary of the great Molly Ivins than I have at any film in years. Not only was she supremely funny, she was brilliant, with a grasp on USA politics unlike any we’ve ever seen. You’ll even feel the link to today’s Trump sinkhole, and see her unique role in G.W. Bush’s White House. Don’t miss it by any means!!! CLOSES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10!!

You’ll almost cry at some scenes…so don’t miss it.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. The more movies you’ve seen in your lifetime the more you’ll like Quentin Tarantino’s latest. With Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in the leads and it all happening in L.A. in 1969 it almost can’t miss. Slightly under the cuteness of the relationship between Pitt and DiCaprio is knowing that the film ends with the Manson Family killings of Sharon Tate and four other characters at the house that she shared with her husband, Roman Polanski. Add Al Pacino for about two minutes to all of that and you’ll be forced to like it.

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. Tuesday, October 8th has Becky Steinbruner talking about the many issues both environmental and developmental that face our county. Then Phyllis Rosenblum director of the Santa Cruz Chamber Players discusses their 2019-2020 season. Mariam Gafforio and a friend from Extinction Rebellion will talk about XRSC and their goals and accomplishments on October 15. 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 family looks so much fun!

“WHISTLEBLOWERS”

“Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance.”
Barack Obama

“Every country needs its whistleblowers. They are crucial to a healthy society. The employee who, in the public interest, has the independence of judgement and the personal courage to challenge malpractice or illegality is a kind of public hero.”
Fuad Alakbarov

“Specific protection must be granted to human rights defenders and whistleblowers who have in some contexts been accused of being unpatriotic, whereas they perform, in reality, a democratic service to their countries and to the enjoyment of human rights of their compatriots”. Alfred-Maurice de Zayas

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

October 1 – 7, 2019

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…much more on MAH financials, letters from board members and County responsibility questions, donors name removal, MAH’s intended purpose. A view of the Real Donna Meyers. GREENSITE…explores the attacks on Glover and Krohn. KROHN…Who killed the Corridors plan, what was the corridors plan? Affordable housing, public policy. STEINBRUNER…Soquel Creek rate protest and petition, county drug house, Live Oak Medical facility development, Capitola Road development, Portola Drive development, Nissan and Soquel news, Sandy Lydon’s newsletter. PATTON…Greta Thunberg EAGAN…Subconscious Comics & Deep Cover. JENSEN…reviews Judy and Sondheim’s Company. BRATTON…I critique Judy and Miles Davis: Birth of The Cool. UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…Greta Thunberg.

HISTORIC OCTAGON AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTY COURTHOUSE. The courthouse was built in 1867 and burned down in 1894. The Octagon was built in 1882 — and along with Abbott Square, has been “San Joseized ” by Nina Simon ever since 2011.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

TED MACK’S AMATEUR HOUR. 1953

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS A BRILLIANT GROUP.

HOW TO PLAY THE BONES. The teacher is just a bit hammy but excellent.

DATELINE September 30

PLAYING THE BONES. My grandfather played the bones in minstrel shows. Naturally I inherited them and play them too. Take a look/listen to these artists performing on an ancient instrument that dates back centuries!! Videos on the right —>

MAH’S MYSTERIES. More and more MAH board members and concerned citizens are writing to Bonline.com and are allowing us/me to use their names. They have tremendous concerns and maintain a sense of emergency, due to the failing financial situation and near-total lack of contact with MAH’s present board. Remember that Museum of Art & History is under County government, rules and regulations. If the kind of shaky and financial and governing principles happening at MAH right now were happening at County operation such as The Animal Shelter, Parks, Health Services — or especially our county elections — you can bet we would see action…and correction. Read on, think about our community. And a special thanks to our local whistle blowers. I wrote to County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty for help and direction to clarify the relationship between MAH, the County and OF/BY/AND FOR. because MAH is in his jurisdiction. He responded immediately and is having “Carlos” followup on this.

MAH’S REMOVAL OF DONOR’S NAMES. Nina Simon and her group removed many very serious donors’ names from around the Building. Here’s one reaction from Wayne Palmer, former President of the MAH board of Directors..

Hello All,

I received an email from Jack Baskin’s stepdaughter, Cameron (“Cammy”). I have passed this on the the MAH board but thought all of you should also receive a copy. Jack was one of the original three capital campaign co-chairs charged with raising substantial gifts towards the building of the museum. Jack was also one of the original significant donors to the museum and continued to be a financial supporter of MAH for some time. Without Jack and people like him we would not have the building we have today. FYI. As of today I have received 15 more signatures to our statement to the MAH board. (Total 116)

—Wayne Palmer

Here’s the letter from Cameron Torgenrud, who also repeated the question of selecting the next Executive director….

September 22, 2019

To the Board of Trustees of Santa Cruz MAH:

Ultimately, reading about MAH, I wonder whom you are targeting as your audience. By focusing on igniting “vibrant youth” are you irretrievably distancing yourself from the more staid cohort, the ones who treasure moments of quiet reflection? Can the center be a refuge for contemplative introverts as well as a place for extraverts to connect and share? I have hope that you’ll find a better balance in MAH’s next chapter. The museum has clearly shifted orientation in the past 10 years. I understand many of the reasons for some of the leadership’s reorienting the mission, and I am curious to see where you land. The selection of your next Executive Director will shed much light on the direction you intend to take. The question of the plaques, though, is very clear to me and those with whom I have talked. The museum made a misstep, one which must be redressed. I speak for those, like Jack, who can no longer speak for themselves. Removing these plaques without notification was disrespectful and demonstrated a lack of sensitivity as well as awareness of the pivotal role people like Jack have played in the community. Be the phoenix. Rise again, this time deliberately serving the whole ?community, including those who were there from the beginning. Honor those who put MAH on the path… wherever it chooses to lead future generations of culturally minded denizens of and visitors to our area.

Respectfully,

Cameron Torgenrud

MAH’S LEGAL AND FINANCIAL STANDING. Linda Burman Hall, longtime UCSC Professor, and MAH member wrote..

Dear Wayne , MAH and History Forum Members —

Thank you for courageously standing up for the future of the MAH. I am writing as an individual MAH and History Forum member, with an intense lifetime involvement in arts and humanities education.

A great many energetic and diverse individuals, — including artists, historians, volunteers and donors — have worked long and hard to bring the MAH into existence and to sustain it for our community.

The concerns about curatorial issues, social justice, aesthetic judgments, local vs global topics, and the representation of diversity are all vitality important (and sometimes emotional) discussions that need to be ongoing.

But 501(c)(3)s must operate with financial and other records available for viewing, and financial decisions made openly by the Board. But recent Annual Financial Reports seem to be unavailable

I’m concerned the current path may risk suspension of federal and/or state non-profit status due to non-compliance with normal and standard non-profit operating requirements.

The most basic next step is for the MAH to return to fully standard operation as a legal 501(c)(3) immediately.

By-Laws may need to be strengthened to mandate clear communication between all stake-holders and to prevent future lapses in this and other areas.

To restore the confidence of those who have given previously (and encourage future gifts), all donors must be given [or restored to] the public acknowledgement that was promised at the time of their gift.

Thank you to Wayne for coordinating this massive effort to get things back on track. — LBH

MAH’S FINANCIAL MYSTERIES. Another concerned citizen wrote..
“You’ll need a forensic accountant to fully understand the MAH’s IRS filing for the FY ending June 30, 2018, which was submitted April 30, 2019. The devil is in the details and this document doesn’t give us enough info. The information is buried in the line items which we can’t see. Money going to of/by/for/all can be disguised, I think.
Google: “IRS form 990 search” enter the identity number: 94-2718861.

The latest form filed pops right up.
So is there a line item on MAH financials that shows how much “fiscal” support they give to Nina’s pet project, of/by/for/all? I’m sure the MAH Exec. Comm knows, but no one else?

THE REAL DONNA MEYERS. As one of our new council persons, Donna Meyers has succeeded in working with Cynthia Mathews to do whatever’s necessary to stop any genuine progressive action. Here’s a video from 9/24/2019 that shows the other side she so carefully protects. A Racist? A Lesbian?

As a guide to watch her in action…

All times approximate…

Mathews introduces the censure resolution 5:02
Motion to table 5:07
Chris’ apology starts around 7 hrs
Drew’s part around 7:06 (ideological battle right here in River City)
Meyer melt down re being Lesbian and 34 years and not a racist…7:23

Santa Cruz City Council 9/24/19

RACIST HATE CRIME PHOTO. I should have made it more clear in BrattonOnline a few weeks ago that I have no idea why anyone in our city of Santa Cruz would want to pay more attention to that terrible photo and incident of the two men hanging from our bridge.

The photo I ran in the column has been printed dozens of times as part of our history, and I’ll never know why. We’ve had worse crimes, worse murders, and yet that incident still draws more attention. I tried to get some kind of explanation for this proposed publicity from Historical organizations, and I still couldn’t see why. We’ll have to see what our City Council does or doesn’t do.

September 30th

AFTER CAREFUL SCRUTINY…

Reconciliation was not on last week’s city council agenda. Although the complaints of gender harassment and misconduct against council members Glover and Krohn were largely not substantiated by the independent investigator, and conflict resolution recommended, the main item on the council’s evening agenda was to formally censure Krohn and Glover, initiated by council members Meyers and Mathews. It had the predictable effect: further polarization, emotional outbursts and general mayhem.

I’m not easily persuaded that complaints of sexism against two males by five females are without merit or that they are solely politically motivated. I started by believing. Then I read the transcript of the charges and witnesses carefully, many times. I read the investigator’s conclusions. I attended or watched past council meetings where some of the offending behavior was said to occur. I paid close attention to the tearful testimony of the city staff member, whose three young daughters were made to stand by her side as she read her victim impact statement against Glover with passion and conviction. Despite her feelings of being harassed, the investigator did not find that Glover’s behavior violated the city’s workplace misconduct policy. It’s true that Glover and Krohn ask hard, probing questions of staff, who are more used to attaboys from previous councils. Hard questions of staff by elected officials seem appropriate to me. If behind the scenes staff has any problems then surely a heart to heart talk about mutual respect etc. would temper the zeal and grandstanding when or if it occurs? From the investigator’s notes, whenever someone spoke to Glover with concerns he was usually conciliatory. Krohn twice wrote and asked to discuss the Mayor’s concerns, with no response.

Given the nature of the two substantiated charges, namely that Krohn gave a snort or a laugh when a staff member cited her “professional opinion” (although no laugh can be heard on the tape) and that Glover confronted Meyers in a disrespectful manner when she failed to exit on time a conference room he had reserved, a reasonable person might wonder at such high stakes drama and emotion over what could and should have been addressed offstage. That is, unless one factors in that it is Krohn and Glover who are facing a well-funded, well-organized, determined recall effort supported by the two council members seeking the public censure.

At the meeting, a motion to table the censure item was made by council member Brown and seconded by council member Cummings. However the Mayor refused to recognize Brown. While motions to table are infrequent (made on eight occasions over the past five years and not usually on minor issues) a refusal to recognize a council member wishing to make a motion is unprecedented in my experience. That refusal to recognize was appealed by Brown and with four votes the appeal and the motion to table were passed. Then things really heated up. While the next item was to fine tune recommendations for a revised workplace policy and conflict resolution procedures, the Mayor allowed the public to vent, making later claims moot that the motion to table silenced the public.

Evaluating this whole controversy, I find a finger can be pointed at the Mayor’s speech at the February 12th council meeting where she launched into an accusation of sexism on the part of Glover and Krohn. Labeled as a “perception” by others rather than her own experience and after her lengthy accusation with no right of reply, the Mayor concluded that she brought the issue up “to name it and move on.” I don’t know about you but if I were accused of such egregious behavior at a public meeting I would like a few minutes to respond. The Mayor allowed no response. I thought Glover and Krohn, who displayed no outward emotion, were restrained given the circumstances. This was in stark contrast to council member Meyers who at the last council meeting, pounded the table and yelled, “I’ve been out as a lesbian for 34 years so don’t call me a racist!” This was apparently in response to someone’s Facebook posting. That a white woman whether lesbian, straight or bi cannot also be racist suggests a need for further education as called for in earlier conversations by Glover. He has a point.

Staff is, in my view, overstepping their bounds. At the following night’s meeting of the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women, after the commission coordinator re-read her tearful testimony against Glover that she had delivered the night before in front of council, the commission voted to send a letter asking for the censure of Glover and Krohn to be put back on the next council agenda. They are entitled to do that. However, the coordinator told the commission to do a press conference, something they had not decided on their own. She is not entitled to do that. It was not framed by “maybes” or “perhaps.” She also advised one of the commissioners who happens to be an intern for Glover, to think about her professional future before she voted. The intern voted for the motion. The commission voted also that a draft be shared with the whole commission prior to being adopted. However by the next day, without full commission input, there it was, posted on NextDoor.

It’s past time for the city manager to have a heart to heart talk with his staff about civil service. And past time for those who are frenzied about the recall to stop throwing about terms such as “victim blaming.” We worked too hard to have victim blaming taken seriously for its misuse in the service of political posturing.

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.

September 30

THE DEATH OF AN UNFAIR, UNPOPULAR, AND DEVELOPER FRIENDLY PLAN

The “Town Commons” filled after a day of marching. Over a thousand-strong filled the current site of the Farmer’s Market, many advocating for a permanent home and for a Town Commons.

Corridors Plan
Is the Corridors Plan dead and should it be revived? A very distinct yes to both those questions was featured prominently in a recent Santa Cruz Sentinel Op-Ed by four former Santa Cruz Planning Commissioners.(http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/guest-commentary-killing-corridors-plan-is-killing-the-planet ).I would like to address a few of the salient points as to why the Corridors Plan died an ignominious death. In other words, not many local renters or corridor business owners will attend its memorial, but a whole lot of for-profit housing developers and real estate “providers” will be there, bemoaning the lack of economic opportunity in Surf City.

Affordable Housing
All housing development is NOT equal. We have crisis, yes, but it is an affordable housing crisis, not a market-rate one. There would be little affordable housing in the Corridors Plan housing scheme. In fact, the previous city council voted 5-2 to reduce the amount of affordable housing (“inclusionary”) required outside of the downtown from 15% to 10%. Stated simply, 90% of these prospective five-story (65 feet) buildings would be unaffordable to most Santa Cruzans. It’s true, ten out of one hundred units would be affordable, but the majority would be condos marketed to Tech workers from over the hill, or second-home buyers looking to invest in a place close to the beach. Even university professors making $80-$100k per year would be priced out. I honestly believe if 1) the community was able to have more input, 2) building heights remained at 40 feet, and 3) at least 50% of the units were “affordable” and evenly distributed over the “moderate, low, and very low income” categories that HUD uses then there would’ve been a lot more support from residents and new councilmembers for the plan. But that didn’t happen. In fact, the whole notion of “affordable” is used as a bait-and-switch game by those seeking great economic remuneration from a community like ours struggling to find good housing options. Moreover, another constituency, local business owners, were rather perturbed when they found out that a whole lot of on-street parking would be eliminated per the plan.

Democracy
The Plan was a campaign issue during the past two city council elections. Besides no eastsider being appointed to the 14-person “Corridor Advisory Group,” over 80% of the development would take place east of the San Lorenzo River. Eastsiders spoke up after meetings were held that contemplated demolishing the Rio Theatre, Charlie Hong Kong’s, and the building where Lillian’s is currently located. One commissioner who took umbrage to the El Rio Theatre wall was heard to remark to the horror of some eastsiders, Tear them all down. The city council in 2015 was a 6-1, pro-market-rate council. Over the past two election cycles–2016 and 2018–four new members have been elected and all four said they opposed the Corridors Plan during their respective races. In fact, most all candidates in 2018 said at various candidate forums that they opposed the Corridors Plan as written. Many went to work and campaigned and voted to support a new council majority because they felt their voices were not being heard previously. Many voters saw the Plan as not environmentally sustainable and actually growing our traffic, housing, and water problems, as well as diminishing our community’s quality of life. What I heard loud and clear from eastside residents was that they were hearing that many historical and cultural attributes of the Villa Branciforte community were either at risk or not currently protected. As a result, many were organized by the Branciforte Action Committee (BAC) and later, Save Santa Cruz group confront what they saw as predatory city power steamrollering their neighborhoods. This would not stand. They went out and voted and that vote has yielded up a much different makeup on the city’s Planning Commission as well.

Environmental Sustainability
Building thousands of new market-rate housing units is only environmentally sustainable if all these new residents decide not to drive, unlimited water can be obtained, and global warming can be mitigated. If not, this term was misused in the Sentinel Op-Ed. It is of no surprise that Santa Cruz has a finite carrying capacity. As defined in Sustainable Measures, a publication focused on sustainability, “in the context of sustainability, carrying capacity is the size of the population that can be supported indefinitely upon the available resources and services of supporting natural, social, human, and built capital.” Water and the potential for rising sea levels seem to be two limits to Santa Cruz growth. The whole concept and practice of “sustainable development” are hotly contested and manipulated in both academia and business. By no means is the concept, sustainable, fully fleshed out in city, state, federal, or scientific arenas. The Corridors Plan was essentially doubling-down on market rate housing development when we actually need to double-down on providing housing for people who live here now, and on protecting our unique natural environment and planning mitigations for what many scientists are predicting as a global climate catastrophe in the making.

Sound Public Policy

If the Corridors Plan was “the nuts and bolts of the zoning code updates” necessary to implement the 2030 General Plan, then we need to also go back and amend these updates. Santa Cruz County has one of the highest poverty rates among the 58 California counties. Not building more affordable housing in much greater percentages than is currently mandated, but unenforced on rental housing until recently, is not an option. Continuing to allow 85% unaffordable units to be built is likely not what Santa Cruz residents neither demand nor want. Despite what the Op-Ed writers would have us believe, the Corridors Plan was not “meaningful action to stop global warming,” but would’ve resulted in a further sell-off of community resources to the highest bidder and would ultimately yield a much higher collective carbon footprint. We must put General Plan policies in place that will avoid yielding to house flipping and market-rate only benefits.

Finally…

Justin Cummings, Drew Glover, Sandy Brown, and Chris Krohn did not single-handedly “kill” the Corridors Plan, the voters did. Yes, the Corridors Plan would “transform Santa Cruz” but into Silicon Beach and not into the community most residents envision. What also rankled both neighbors and affordable housing advocates were the recent city council decisions not to enforce the 15% affordable rule for rentals on two Swenson projects, 94 units at 555 Pacific Avenue and 79 condos for rent at 1547 Pacific Avenue. I have to believe many residents were paying attention and that the lack of affordability in these two projects were bad omens for the future. The Corridors Plan, as it was, is a destructive plan for our town, lacking in affordability and sure to exacerbate the current unacceptable traffic mess we are also experiencing. Now for the finally. In the motion passed to “kill” the current Corridors Plan the council voted to “Direct the Planning Director, as a first step in carrying out the Council’s direction on this matter, to meet promptly with representatives of Save Santa Cruz and other community groups that have previously commented on the now terminated Corridors Plan to seek agreement on possible changes to the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance that can achieve broad community support and that will allow the Council to achieve its objectives.” Hence, a new plan may likely rise out of the old plan’s ashes, but with real community input and hopefully achieve much greater affordable housing percentages.

“One of the major reasons we don’t talk about debt & poverty is shame. Yet way more Americans are living in poverty than our country wants to admit. It’s time we stop looking the other way on economic abuse, like predatory lending, abusive workplaces, & extortionary landlords.”(Sept. 30)

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

September 30

JOIN THE NEARLY 400 SIGNERS OF THE SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT RATE PROTEST!!
This Water District has just gone too far, expecting families and people on fixed incomes to be able to pay the outrageous rate and monthly service fees now in place, and that are scheduled to go up again every year by 9% for the next four years. Anyone in Tier 2 now pays nearly $30/unit, five times the amount of Tier 1, and it’s all to pay for the expensive plan to inject treated sewage water into the drinking water supply of the MidCounty.

Sign the Protest Petition now, and pass it along to others who are now struggling even harder to pay their water bill, while working hard to conserve as much as possible.

Sign the Petition Soquel Creek Water District Rate Increases Are Unfair and Hurt Families!

WATER FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY EVENT A GREAT SUCCESS…WRITE THOSE LETTERS TO THE WATER BOARD
The Aptos Library Meeting room was full last Monday evening, with some standing to hear the excellent presentation by Mr. Scott McGilvray of Water for Santa Cruz County explain the water production information taken directly from the Santa Cruz City Water Dept. and Soquel Creek Water District websites showing ample water to transfer for regional management and aquifer recharge.

Learn more here: Water For Santa Cruz County

So why does Soquel Creek Water District insist that the only solution is to inject 1.3 million gallons of treated sewage water daily into the drinking water supply for the MidCounty? Why has the Board structure outrageous rate and monthly fee increases to pay for something that is unnecessary and is now bringing real economic hardship to many, many customers?

That is a mystery. Rate payers need to write the Board now. Ask them to rescind the rate increases and hold a public study session to explain themselves and any further rate increases they feel necessary.

What matters most is that you write the Board right now. Attend the Tuesday, October 15 Board meeting and speak at the very beginning, at 6pm (Capitola City Council Chambers). Ask the Board to rescind their Resolution 19-01 that approved these onerous rate and fee increases that will burden all users with a 9% rate increase every year for the next four years, and possibly 8% per year for three years after that. Ask the Board to reconsider supplemental water supplies other than the very expensive and energy-demanding PureWater Soquel Project.

Here is a “template” letter. Feel free to edit it to suit your situation, and pass it along to others:

e-mail the Board of Directors bod@soquelcreekwater.org

Board of Directors
Soquel Creek Water District
5180 Soquel Drive
Soquel, CA 95073

Dear Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors,

I am writing to make you aware of the economic problem that the new District water rate increases and structuring is causing me and my household, and to ask that your Board immediately rescind Resolution 19-01 regarding the rate increases. While I understand that it costs money to pump and treat water to sell, I feel the new 9% rate increase is unreasonable, when all in my household are doing all that we can to conserve water. The District had just raised rates by 17% the year previous.

[You can insert information here about how much your water bill has increased, and what your household does to conserve water.]

It is fiscally unacceptable that your Board has approved increasing customer rates 9% every year for the next four years and structured very expensive Tier 2 rates to pay for the PureWater Soquel Project because you selected a rate structure that did not incorporate the possibility of District getting grant money for the Project. I understand that you may even raise the rates an additional 8% annually for three years thereafter.

The District’s water demand numbers are decreasing, studies supporting the MidCounty Groundwater Sustainable Plan show the aquifer is already by and large at sustainable levels, and the infrastructure for a regional water management scenario is already in place and functional. Your decisions are really hurting families and those on fixed incomes, and we have all done our very best to conserve water.

As a customer, I demand that your Board hold a public hearing on this matter that is well-advertised and clearly presents accurate and well-documented information to your customers to justify the rate increases calculated and that you approved. NONE of that information was clearly included in the mailer sent out before the February 19, 2019 hearing.

This is what the District printed in the proposed rate and fee increase information mailed to ratepayers:

“If the proposed rate/service charge changes are approved, it’s estimated that over 70% of residential customers would experience a monthly increase of $5 or less. Households which consume more water than average will pay more per unit of water (1 unit = 748 gallons). It’s also estimated that the vast majority (98%) of business water accounts would experience an increase of about 40-cents per unit of water.”

It was disingenuous of the District to falsely assure rate payers that the proposed increase would most likely be less than $5/month, dissuading most from any reasonable protest. It was dishonest to not disclose that the expensive Tier 2 revenue would be used to pay for the $90 million estimated construction costs of PureWater Soquel Project when many in the community are opposed to such an energy-intensive project that lacks long-term health studies associated with low dose contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and hormone disruptors currently not regulated by State Department of Drinking Water standards.

I respectfully ask that your Board, which has been elected by ratepayers to represent us:

Rescind the Resolution 19-01 and repeal rate increases immediately;
Conduct a well-noticed public study session regarding rate increases and supplemental water supply possibilities;
Circulate a customer survey form, using certified mail, to ensure that all ratepayers receive the study session notice and are provided with clear information regarding the justification of any and all rate increases the Board maintains as necessary;
Re-evaluate the District’s needs and goals, taking into account projected future water needs and all customer input gathered from the study session.

In so doing, your elected Board and appointed staff will be better attuned to the realistic needs and economic restrictions of your constituents, the rate payers, and can make wise and economically-prudent decisions for the future. Currently, your decisions are causing great hardship for many, were not completely transparent, and appear to be misguided.

Please respond in writing. Thank you.

Sincerely,

………………………………

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEAR MANY COMPLAINTS FROM RESIDENTS AND WORKERS
The Board of Supervisors hear from many, many residents from the Estates /Borregas Drive area of Aptos about the illegal and fraudulent drug treatment house that the County paid to build and fund with grant money, via the Encompass non-profit. Kids can no longer play or ride their bikes in their once-tranquil neighborhood, and arrests of errant clients are frequent and regular.

I have listened to neighborhood leader, Mr. Tony Crane, testify repeatedly for the past two years, asking on behalf of his neighborhood that the Board investigate the matter. What has Second District Supervisor Zach Friend done? Nothing. Supervisor John Leopold, from the neighboring District, did contact the neighbors, but the serious safety threats to the neighborhood persist. Do listen to what this neighborhood had to say during Item 5 Public Testimony. You will be shocked to hear how the County Counsel has provided false information to the District Attorney investigation, and how the Encompass leaders have been less than truthful regarding the entire process:

Video Outline – Santa Cruz County, CA

You will also notice the preponderance of people who spoke out about the problems at Janus, another substance abuse and mental health non-profit funded by the County. These were workers who have experienced mistreatment and retribution by the management because of union organization efforts.

Note that Chairman Ryan Coonerty reduced public comment time by one-third. He kept the two-minute restriction in force for the remainder of the day, even though only one or two people wished to speak about critical issues.

SUSTAINABLE SANTA CRUZ PLAN STUDY SESSION
Many thanks to Supervisor John Leopold for bringing this informative and at the same time, alarming update by the County Planning Dept. to the public light. He was the only Supervisor who seemed to have really read the information, and asked good questions. Where was Supervisor McPherson? He never showed up all day. Supervisor Zach Friend had no comment??!! At least Supervisor Greg Caput thanked the staff for their report.

If you care about the quality of life in the future of Santa Cruz County, you need to listen to Items #10 (County Growth Goal) and #12 (Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan and Code Modernization updates.)

Currently, Dudek Consultants are in process of doing an Environmental Impact Report for what is left of the Plan that has not been piecemealed out with ad hoc planning when a developer waves a dollar under the County’s nose.

I looked through my notes to get a better sense of the timeline for Dudek’s work on the EIR. I have: January, 2020 for the Notice of Preparation

Fall, 2020 for the Draft EIR

Spring, 2021 for the Final EIR

End of 2021 for adoption of the Plan (or perhaps, more CEQA-correct: “A” Plan, because there should be equal consideration given to Project Alternatives as well as No Project analysis).

Will adding twice the housing when the County’s population is declining make sense and be acceptable to the neighborhoods where very dense and tall infill is planned? Hmmmm….

FIVE-STORY KAISER MEDICAL FACILITY AND DETACHED 730-CAR PARKING GARAGE IN LIVE OAK?
That’s right, and the large signs announcing the proposed development are now posted on Soquel Avenue frontage road near Chanticleer Avenue. Application #191075 at 5940 Soquel Avenue (APN 029-021-47) is in the works. Last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Consent Agenda Item #47 without any discussion to authorize the Planning Dept. to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultants to conduct the EIR, reporting back by January, 2020.

Here is the description of the Project for now:

Planning Status – Planning Application Status

Write Planner Jonathan DiSalvo jonathan.disalvo@santacruzcounty.us or phone 454-3175. A good question to ask is if Kaiser will fund a new Metro route to serve the facility? Right now, there is no bus service at all to that area. You may be interested to know that developer John Swift is the applicant on behalf of PMB Real Estate Services.

AND JUST DOWN THE ROAD, ANOTHER LARGE DEVELOPMENT LOOMS…
As suspected, the RM-2-R affordable housing overlay for the Kaiser site that would build 100+ affordable living units has been rather deceptively shifted partially to the MidPen project 57 units on Capitola Road. That’s where the County claims it is exempt from any environmental review to chop down over 100 trees known to provide habitat for hawks, bulldoze the historic and significant Merriman and bring so much traffic to the area that the County will have to foot the bill to widen Capitola Road.

Here is the staff report

That project is due to come before the Supervisors on November 5. I wonder what they will have to say about it? Write your letters now.

PLANNING COMMISSION OKAYS MONSTER DEVELOPMENT ON PORTOLA DRIVE NEAR 41st AVENUE
I was not able to attend the Planning Commission hearing last Wednesday when a major development got a green light but the neighborhood got a raw deal. What a large and ugly development, and of course, it was CEQA-exempt. The developer gets concessions in exchange for making 4 of the 33 units dedicated to affordable low-income housing, but the rest will all be market rate.

Here is the Project description:
“Proposal to demolish two existing commercial buildings and miscellaneous accessory structures and to construct a 31,560 square foot two and three-story mixed-use building with five retail units, a leasing office and four one-bedroom residential units at the ground floor; nine one-bedroom units and 33 storage rooms at the middle floor at the rear of the building, and 20 two-bedroom apartments at the upper floor. In addition, two 3,230 square-foot, one-story carports are proposed to be constructed for residential parking. The project includes a request for a 50% residential density bonus in exchange for provision of four very low income affordable rental units. The site is located in the C-2 zone district. Requires a Commercial Development Permit and Coastal Development Permit and a CEQA Notice of Exemption.”

The staff report states that “by 2040, the 41st Avenue and Portola Drive areas are projected to operate at a level of service lower than County Standards” (aka, gridlock) “This will be the case whether or not the project impacts are added.” What??? Does this planner understand cumulative impacts?

Could this be at all related to the Planning Dept. plan to reduce Portola Drive from its current two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction? That would allow for on-street parking for more of these massive projects that the Planning and Economic Development Departments have shoved through with the Pleasure Point Commercial & Mixed Use Corridor Vision and Guidelines? That is more of that ad hoc planning seen when developers waive those dollars under the County’s nose.

Who is driving this bus? You can be sure it is not the people who live in these neighborhoods, no matter how many “community input meetings” the County holds. How can the County Planning Dept. claim this massive development “will have no impact on traffic, air quality, greenhouse gases or water quality”? The traffic alone that will be generated by the mixed use, which is being allowed to be altered to 28% vs. the County-required 60% is odd, but the developer has signaled there may be a restaurant, which has the highest number of trips generated per square foot. All the developer has to do is pay $15,000 to subsidize a possible roundabout sometime in the future.

Take a look at these ugly buildings and take pity on the people who have to live next to it, with a reduced setback of 5 feet 6 inches instead of 30 feet. (pages 120-130)

AND HERE WE GO AGAIN.. COUNTY TAXPAYERS SUBSIDIZING THE NISSAN AUTO DEALERSHIP IN MORE AD HOC PLANNING
So the good people of Sustainable Soquel scraped together enough money to hire an attorney to sue the County because the EIR for this project was such a sham, and they won. Now the County has returned with a new tactic…a Statement of Overriding Consideration and a sudden stash of money available from Public Works to pay for a traffic light at Robertson that Supervisor John Leopold promised residents would never go in.

The definition of the “Statement of Overriding Consideration” is that in the Planning Department’s summation, the benefits of the project would outweigh the significant negative impacts it would cause the community. I wonder what findings will be made up to support that claim?

Mark your calendar for the public hearing that the Board of Supervisors will hold on October 22 to consider the Project.

Once again, we see ad hoc planning running amok.

WHAT IS A GREENHOUSE, ANYWAY?
The Board did agree to defer action on the Consent Agenda Item #28, adoption of the updated County Fire Code. That is because a County Cannabis Compliance Officer informed the Board during public comment that there was language in the Fire Code definition of a greenhouse that conflicted with language in the County’s Cannabis Code definition. I am glad that got noticed by someone in the six-member Cannabis Licensing Office. Contact Us

MEASURE G SALES TAX-FUNDED FIT PROGRAM REPORT…IS IT COST-BENEFICIAL?
Sheriff Jim Hart made a presentation about how the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) is working.

Read the staff report and public comment for this Item #8 here staff report and public comment for this Item #8 here, but it would be a good use of your time to watch Sheriff Hart’s presentation here.

The new program has served 45 clients, hired three new officers, three new clinicians and one new administrative aide. Sheriff Hart acknowledged that the clients have and will cycle in and out of the program over time. Of the 45 clients, 36 cases are closed, with 13% of them leaving the County; 11% were returned on new felony charges. The biggest problem is that once the clients leave the program, they return to the streets as homeless, and are soon back with new charges against them.

So, what’s the answer? Spend more money? That is what the Board decided to do.

Why not enroll these clients, who are mostly men with an average age of 41 years old and in good health, in a community work program? I suggested a special unit at the State Corrections and Rehabilitation Camp on Empire Grade Road where there are already prison inmates under close supervision of law enforcement staff and CalFire Captains that go out to do work projects and fire fighting, and are off the streets. I happen to know that the Camp is down to three crews, when there have been as many as six in the past, due to changes in laws and releases of inmates. These crews do public service projects, such as fire defensible space clearing in state, county and city parks and learn new skills for getting a job afterward. Does this make sense to you?

The Board had no comment, nor did Sheriff Hart. The next report is due March, 2020.

WHEN WILL THE BOARD EVER DECIDE TO FUND THE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT?
It seems like law enforcement gets all the money they want, and even got a Taj Mahal Sheriff Center on Chanticleer that was a sweet deal for Barry Swenson Builder. So why won’t the Board of Supervisors give just a sliver of the $18 million that rolls into the this County as a result of the permanent Public Safety Statewide sales tax known as Prop. 172, enacted by voters in 1992?

Ask them on October 8 during their Board meeting when they will consider a tax increase for all rural property owners to fund County Fire Dept.

How come the Board of Supervisors gives 99.5% of all that money to law enforcement and ZERO to County Fire Dept.? The 0.5% that doesn’t go to law enforcement goes to the Fire Chief’s Association, and the County Auditor has absolutely no idea how that gets spent, but it is not to support the County Fire Dept. volunteers. (I filed a Public Records Act request and was notified by County Public Information Officer Jason Hoppin that there is no verification regarding how the money is actually spent.)

How come the Board of Supervisors sold taxpayers on a new countywide sales tax last November with the promise it would help fund fire responders but instead it is going to fund the law enforcement FIT program, and ZERO DOLLARS will go to fund fire responders?

How come the Board of Supervisors will now consider at their October 8 meeting A TAX INCREASE FOR ALL RURAL PROPERTY OWNERS TO FUND COUNTY FIRE DEPT.? If you cannot attend, write your Supervisor and ask: HOW COME YOU WON’T FUND COUNTY FIRE BY USING PROP 172 PUBLIC SAFETY MONEY?

Supervisor Greg Capout greg.caput@santacruzcounty.us
Supervisor Ryan Coonertyryan.coonerty@santacruzcounty.us
Supervisor Zach Friend zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us
Supervisor John Leopoldjohn.leopold@santacruzcounty.us
Supervisor Bruce McPhersonbruce.mcpherson@santacruzcounty.us

HEY, THIS IS GOOD NEWS!
There is a new feature for members of the public who want to make a presentation to the County Board on the screens in the Board of Supervisor chambers. That has not been allowed or possible until just last week. Bring your presentation on a laptop or USB device and make your point with better clarity. Call 454-2323 the Friday before the Tuesday Board meeting to set things up with the IT and Clerk.

HIGHWAY ONE IS 70 YEARS OLD!

Here is a piece of local historian Sandy Lydon’s latest newsletter that you may enjoy.

Happy 70th Birthday Highway 1!

Sandy Lydon’s Central Coast Secrets

Highway 1 c. 1955 Highway 1 2019

Chopping the County in two:
Highway 1 was the Santa Cruz-Watsonville Road and slid dutifully through each town and hamlet. Actually the route followed pretty closely the same one taken by the Portolá Expedition exactly 250 years ago, October, 1769. During the postwar infrastructure boom, freeways and throughways all across California were being lifted out of small-towns and neighborhoods and laid alongside, with the existing merchants screaming bloody murder about the loss of business.

Note of Clarification – Highway1 was not a freeway in 1949, it was a “limited access throughway.” Many of the roads that intersected with the new highway did so without cloverleaf or on-ramps. The road simply attached right angle, and one drove across, right or left, using the wide median as a “safety island.” As a result, given the light traffic, there were a lot of accidents. In some places, overcrossings and on-ramps were added later (Clubhouse and Highway 1) while in others, they put up fences and made the road dead-ends on both sides – such as Chanticleer and Mar Vista.

A highway engineers nightmare but a bridge-builders heaven.Between East Santa Cruz and Rob RoJunction, the coastal is riven with gullies, arroyos and creeks. By cutting and filling, most of the fissures would be handled with culverts, but there are two daunting barriers—Soquel Creek and Aptos Creek.

Capitola and Soquel Separated after 150 years as co-joined siblings.
Highway 1 decapitated Capitola from Soquel. Whacked them apart. Capitola incorporated the same year (1949) that Highway 1 was opened, but the actual building of this section of highway caused some pain. A

There’s a LOT of history here on the Capitola-Soquel Borderlands, but you’ll never see it unless, as the police officer sternly commands:

PLEASE GET OUT OF AND STEP AWAY FROM THE CAR!
So many anniversaries! In honor of all the anniversaries – Portolá’s 250th, Highway 1’s 70th, Capitola’s 70th, and the 1979 publication of the landmark book From Soquel Landing to Capitola-by-the-Sea that book’s co-authors (Carolyn Swift and the History Dude) will be leading a stroll up and down, over and under of the Capitola-Soquel Borderlands.

We’ve co-led a lot of walks over the years, but have never focused on this specific area. We’ll change the way you see that stretch of Highway 1, and you’ll be able to entertain yourself or your passengers while creeping along every afternoon.

A lovely stretch of Soquel Creek gugles along directly beneath the bridge on the west side of the highway complex. But, you’ve never noticed because you’re too intent on merging, hoping that the cars beside you have local drivers who KNOW how it works.

Saturday, November 6
10:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Estimated Distance 2.5 miles
Adults only: Must be over 21
Administered by Cabrillo College Extension

For more info, cost and to register: www.cabrillo.edu Note: Only a few spaces remaining.

TRANSPORTATION EVENT WILL FEATURE EXCELLENT DISCUSSION

A reader sent me this information that I think will provide some excellent information about planning, transportation and possible solutions: http://sustainabletransportationsc.org/

Note that County Planning Commissioner Michael Guth will speak at 1:15pm and hopefully will discuss the ad hoc planning that is causing such woe to our communities.

OTHER GREAT INFORMATION. Gary Griggs talks about Loma Prieta earthquake …Scotts Valley Library on October 1st: Aptos Library…Loma Prieta Quake and tribute to Nisene Marks State Park Ranger Jerry Waggoner (Aptos History Museum loaned materials)

WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. BUT JUST DO SOMETHING THIS WEEK. 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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

September 28 271 / Greta The Ungrateful?

Presumably, anyone reading this particular blog knows about Greta Thunberg, pictured above. If by some chance you don’t know about Greta Thunberg and her “School Strike For Climate,” please click this link for a write-up. In late September, Thunberg appeared before the United Nations, and spoke forcefully about the need for world leaders to take immediate and concrete actions to combat human-caused global warming. The picture above, betraying her anger at the lack of serious action by world governments, was taken during one of her appearances. The picture immediately below, showing a much more “sunny” version of Greta (the “nice” Greta), comes from the Wikipedia profile linked above.

As it turns out, some people did not like the version of Greta Thunberg that showed up at the United Nations. What she said (among other things) was, in fact, pretty “angry.” Here is a link to a full transcript of her remarks, and here is how she began those remarks:

This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!

You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!

So who got offended by Thunberg’s speech to the United Nations, which can be characterized as the kind of “straight talk” that was the specialty of former United States Senator John McCain? Well, Jake Novak and CNBC got offended.

According to Novak, Greta’s most recent pronouncements on global warming seek to shift responsibility from individuals onto to governments and big corporations. This assignment of responsibility (although right on target, in the real world) is highly problematic politically, according to Novak. We all know who runs the world, right? Novak thinks that “Greta Thunberg’s rise could backfire on environmentalists.”

David Harsanyi, Senior Editor at The Federalist, was even more outraged than Novak by Thunberg’s remarks at the United Nations. His article, titled “The Tragedy Of Greta Thunberg,” basically calls her ungrateful, and denounces her for not appreciating how great she’s had it in a world that is the product of capitalist productivity:

Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg lives in the healthiest, wealthiest, safest, and most peaceful era humans have ever known. She is one of the luckiest people ever to have lived.

In a just world, Thunberg would be at the United Nations thanking capitalist countries for bequeathing her this remarkable inheritance. Instead, she, like millions of other indoctrinated kids her age, act as if they live in a uniquely broken world on the precipice of disaster.

What can I say about this? How even to begin to react to this diatribe? How about that “straight talk” stuff?

Harsanyi objects to Thunberg, “acting like millions of indoctrinated kids her age,” and acting like “they live in a … broken world on the precipice of disaster (emphasis added).”

David, where do you get the idea that millions of young people have been “indoctrinated,” and that they have somehow been tricked into believing that they live in a “broken world on the precipice of disaster?” No indoctrination has been needed. A world on the “precipice of disaster” is exactly the world in which we live. That’s the kind of world in which I live, and that’s the kind of world in which Greta Thunberg lives, and that is the kind of world in which YOU live, too.

Instead of calling Greta “ungrateful” for drawing our attention to our actual situation – and doing so in a strong and forceful way – let’s thank Greta, and be grateful to her, for trying to get us all to stop denying the facts and to start doing something about them.

Just as a kind of footnote, David, to speak to one of your concerns, the sooner we begin actually to make progress in ending our use of fossil fuels, and the sooner we start taking effective action to reduce human-caused global warming, the easier it will be to avoid the kind of “authoritarian” approaches you say you are worried about.

In other words (my final thought):

THANK YOU, GRETA THUNBERG!

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS More classic peeks at our sub and unsub – conscious. Scroll below.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” UKRAINE BUT ” 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 JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Renee Zellweger’s gutsy performance (and Judy Garland’s legacy) survive the showbiz clichés of Judy this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). But for genuine entertainment, check out a nifty new staging of Stephen Sondheim’s Company at the Actors’ Theatre!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

EXTRA CINEMA COMMENT. What’s provocative and coincidental is that both Judy and Miles Davis are such similar films about the pressures of fame. One’s a documentary, the other a dramatic saga…both worth seeing.

MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL. I’m happy to say that I saw and heard Miles at the Monterey Jazz Festival, but also and more importantly at the Blackhawk in San Francisco. This is a searing and important documentary that shows us the real Miles Davis. In addition to his trumpet, he was an artist, composer, band leader, and shifted into so many roles just to keep creating. A genuine genius. See this quickly, Landmark will probably pull it very soon. (I was right it Closes Thursday, Oct. 3)

JUDY. Renee Zellweger does the best possible imitation of Judy Garland in this dramatic and yet still musical tribute. Garland transcended the usual fame and popularity and has become a legend. This film starts off 1968, and ends with Judy’s last days after five husbands plus drugs. It’s corny and hammy but so was Judy. For some reason Liza Minnelli isn’t in much of it.

You’ll almost cry at some scenes…so don’t miss it.

OFFICIAL SECRETS Keira Knightley heads the cast along with Ralph Fiennes and this is a winner of a whistle blower true story. This young woman has to decide whether to expose a confidential letter that shows the USA and Britain involved in the illegal start of the Iraq war. The acting, plot, reality and quality of this movie make it one of my top favorites of the year. Closes Thursday, Oct. 3

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. October 1 Jessica Burns and Robert Morgan lay out the program and plans for the Transportation Justice Conference at Cabrillo College happening on Oct. 5. 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

Some of these look like fun!

GRETA THUNBERG

“We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis. And if solutions within the system are so impossible to find, then maybe we should change the system itself.” Greta Thunberg

“We need to get angry and understand what is at stake. And then we need to transform that anger into action and to stand together united and just never give up.” Greta Thunberg

“You are never too small to make a difference.” Greta Thunberg

“We have to understand what the older generation has dealt to us, what mess they have created that we have to clean up and live with. We have to make our voices heard.” Greta Thunberg

I had forgotten that Greta Thunberg aged 16 has Asperger’s Syndrome

“I’m not public about my diagnosis to ‘hide’ behind it, but because I know many ignorant people still see it as an ‘illness,’ or something negative,” she continued. “And believe me, my diagnosis has limited me before. Before I started school striking I had no energy, no friends, and I didn’t speak to anyone. I just sat alone at home, with an eating disorder. All of that is gone now, since I have found a meaning in a world that sometimes seems meaningless to so many people.” Greta Thunberg

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

September 24 – 30, 2019

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…MAH — much more stuff, Supervisor McFurson, GREENSITE…on Santa Cruz drops the ball for Rape Survivors. Krohn…will be back next week. STEINBRUNER…Soquel Creek Water rates, drinking water contamination, MidCounty Groundwater Agency news, Kaisers new 5 story plan, county losing population, Nissan dealership on Oct.22, County budget questions. PATTON…about Watchbirds and Facebook. EAGAN…Deep Cover & Subconscious Comics. JENSEN…reviews Downton Abbey. BRATTON…I critique Downton Abbey, Ad Astra and Aquarela . UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… “October”.

THE “MIGHTY” SAN LORENZO RIVER. March 18, 1966. There are so many folks involved in caring for our river, forever trying to bring it back to its previously healthy condition. This photo show the power not of the river, but of the Army Corps of Engineers — who as you see, work hard to control it and take the nature out if it.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

WATCHING ICEBERGS

SANTA CRUZ 2015. No awards for his one…but note the many changes in four years!

DATELINE September 23

OPENING MAH’S DOORS. It is very gratifying to receive so many helpful ideas, support and a willingness to do whatever can be done to help straighten out the directorship and money problems of our Museum of Art and History. Unfortunately, local pressures keep these revelations anonymous. Let’s hope that our Art and History County Museum will soon be set straight and aimed at the future. It was gratifying to read Jake Pierce’s Good Times take on the problem. It was glossy and probably well-intentioned. In answer to many questions, yes, Nina Simon does still live here, and has created another organization with some involved inner connections.

Here’s an important letter thanking Wayne Palmer for his courage in opening the areas that are plaguing so much of MAH’s existence.

Dear Wayne , MAH and History Forum Members —

Thank you for courageously standing up for the future of the MAH. I am writing as an individual MAH and active member with an intense lifetime involvement in arts and humanities education.

But 501(c)(3)s must operate with financial and other records available for viewing, and financial decisions made openly by the Board. But recent Annual Financial Reports seem to be unavailable.

I’m concerned the current path may risk suspension of federal and/or state non-profit status due to non-compliance with normal and standard non-profit operating requirements.

The most basic next step is for the MAH to return to fully standard operation as a legal 501(c)(3) immediately.

By-Laws may need to be strengthened to mandate clear communication between all stake-holders and to prevent future lapses in this and other areas.

Thank you to Wayne for coordinating this massive effort to get things back on track” That’s the attitude of so many MAH members and supporters..

ANOTHER MAH SUPPORTER. This letter is also from a serious, long-time involved MAH member… The letter was titled “Chutzpah”, and most of it was taken from the MAH website so I’m including the opening which stated … “Just unreal! So on the official MAH website under “our Story” we get 3 paragraphs about La Niña (Simon) and even a big plug for her new entity. Especially the last sentence!!!!! “Our story” of the museum, not really!! And no mention of founding directors, actually no mention of anyone except La Niña, even though her tenure was only 6 years out of all those decades”.

FINANCIAL QUESTIONS. We read on the MAH website and on Nina’s Of/By/For all website that… “OF/BY/FOR ALL is a nonprofit organization fiscally-sponsored by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History“. Another MAH member wrote in to ask… “So is there a line item on MAH financials that shows how much “fiscal” support they give to Nina’s pet project, of/by/for/all? I’m sure the MAH Exec. Comm knows, but no one else?”

GOOD MAH IDEA. Reader and activist Joe Blackman has a good idea. He wrote… “Just a thought about MAH — would it make any sense for the Board to invite the history and art depts. at Cabrillo and UCSC, plus Arts Council, plus Tannery folk, to discuss and recommend a future for MAH, and how it could fulfill the purposes for which it was intended?”

SUPERVISOR BRUCE “MC FURSON” NOT “MC FEAR-son”. Even the emcee of last week’s History Forum at the MAH on 9/18 pronounced Bruce McPherson’s name wrong. It’s Mc Furson!! There’s NO A in McPherson. I attended the history forum, and got to see many, many old time friends. One little note was that at the end of McPherson’s talk about the history of The Sentinel, he added that History people and Art people “come from different cultures”. But also a very positive announcement was made at the History Forum, and Marla Novo tells us that Sandy Lydon received the History Forum’s “historian of the year” award. It’s now called “The Sandy Lydon Award for Exemplary Contribution to Local History.”

ARMISTICE 100 SANTA CRUZ. This is a video by LB Johnson, our local filmmaker. I haven’t seen it and just wanted to pass on the details she sent me. It is an official selection at the 2019 Santa Cruz Film Festival. Its 56 minute screening takes place on Saturday, October 12 at 4:45 pm, at the Tannery. Armistice100 Santa Cruz honors the 100 years since the end of WW1, and documents the local Veterans for Peace and other peace groups’ efforts to educate about the November 11, 1918 Armistice, what it means and how we can revive the much-needed message of peace in our world.

Garza letter re hanging

Sept. 23

RAPE RESPONSE: A GIANT LEAP BACKWARDS FOR SANTA CRUZ
I was surprised to read in the Sentinel (9/18/19) that a woman who reported a possible drug-facilitated sexual assault after drinking at the Red Restaurant and Bar in downtown Santa Cruz had to travel to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for a forensic exam. Surprised, shocked and angry! How did Santa Cruz lose its status since the mid 1980’s as a leader in providing trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) as part of the nation’s first Sexual Assault Response Team? (SART). As one of the founders of the SART/SANE program, if I am just learning about this situation from the daily newspaper, what does that say about where this fits into the community’s priorities? Why has this increased trauma for rape survivors been allowed to continue a year after it was supposed to be remedied, according to a sergeant interviewed in a 2017 Sentinel article I found in the archives? Where’s the attention from city leaders, the call for action, the public outrage?

Many people worked hard to bring the SART model to fruition in Santa Cruz. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s it was well recognized that reporting a rape to the police was only the beginning of an often long, arduous, re-traumatizing experience. In those days, a forensic exam to collect evidence after rape was performed by emergency room physicians who had no training in rape response and little or no training on how to collect evidence for a criminal investigation. Survivors shared horror stories of male doctors lecturing them on why they shouldn’t have been drinking, or out late at night or any variety of victim-blaming comments as they roughly combed pubic hairs for evidence and performed internal examinations. Those who had been raped had to wait their turn in crowded emergency rooms.

By chance, attending a conference of the California Sexual Assault Investigators Association in the 1980’s, I learned of a program in San Luis Obispo where a nurse trained in gathering evidence after rape was the sole person responsible for conducting forensic exams. Excited at the possibilities for a far more sensitive response for rape survivors, I shared the SLO model at a follow-up conference in Santa Cruz. Then District Attorney Art Danner was in the audience and strongly supported the idea. With input from the local Rape Crisis Center and a conference bringing together nurses organized by the city Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women, the SART/SANE program was launched in 1985.

Santa Cruz became the model for the rest of the country. A special examining room was set up at Dominican Hospital. Instead of waiting hours in a crowded emergency room, survivors were seen immediately and in a private, supportive space. Advocates from the local Rape Crisis Center, now called Monarch Services, as well as the police or a sheriff’s deputy accompanied the survivor and followed up after the exam. State law required the exam to be free. For decades I shared this model as an encouragement for those willing to report rape. Apparently for the past two years, a person traumatized by rape has to endure a 7 to 8 hours process, a doubling of the previous time and a shuffling between institutions. The police interview takes place at Dominican and the forensic exam takes place in San Jose.

“We got to a place where it became really hard to provide the service,” Sergeant Clark said in an interview in 2017, adding “there are plans to bring the response team exams back to Santa Cruz County clinical space in September 2018.” That was a year ago.

There have been other rape stories and reports involving the Red Room. All were apparently drug facilitated beyond alcohol. I became aware of them when chair of the city Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women in 2005, before my re-appointment was blocked by council members Mike Rotkin and Cynthia Mathews. They would say the reason was my inability to work well with staff (sounds a bit like Krohn and Glover). I would say it was my bringing to light the inadequate response to rape by city police with the data showing Santa Cruz city to have one of the highest rates of rape in the state, especially rapes by strangers as well as one of the lowest arrest rates and investigations, with rare exceptions, either non-existent or poorly conducted.

Fourteen years later, with a new police chief, I hope the response has improved. That the SART/SANE program, once the shining light for Santa Cruz and a source of reassurance for rape survivors has been dysfunctional for two years does not inspire confidence.

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.

September 23.

Chris Krohn 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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

September 23

SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT RATEPAYERS ARE MAD ABOUT NEW RATES THAT HURT FAMILIES
Sign the Online Protest Petition to voice your upset over the outrageous new Soquel Creek Water District rates that are pounding the budgets of families and fixed-income customers that were already struggling to pay their water bills. Now, no matter how hard they work to conserve water, families with any more than one child are receiving whopping water bills because they used more than the allotted 50 gallons/day and appreciate a small amount of cooling garden greenery that supports a healthy wildlife habitat.

Join over 250 others who have signed the online petition to protest the unfair rate increases that hurt familes

Consider running for a place on the Board next November. Tom LaHue and Bruce Daniels are up for re-election and really need to be replaced by ratepayers who will bring common sense and a respectful attitude toward the public.

Do these Board members really need to have multiple paid trips to Washington, D.C. to shake hands with federal grantors when there is already a $45,000 lobbyist contracted to do that work? They also traveled to Denmark to talk with the company that did the 2017 helicopter study of the salt water interface. Board members are paid $350-$500/month (last reported in 2014) and receive health care benefits.

Hmmm…..

NO RESPONSE TO INQUIRY REGARDING CONTAMINATION IN DRINKING WATER
Soquel Creek Water District Board members did not respond to the public’s questions last Tuesday about the consumer confidence problem when Director Bruce Daniels stated economic reasons for why the District kept pumping from the Country Club Well even though they knew the water contained levels of a carcinogen nearly three times the limit that was soon to be set by the State.

The Board members and staff dismissed as “misinformation” the questions from the public about water transfers from Santa Cruz City rather than injecting treated sewage water into the aquifer, and wondered how chemotherapy drugs could be removed?

I read the following at the Board meeting and asked for a response…nothing.

From: Bruce Daniels Bruce.Daniels@alum.MIT.edu
To: Becky Steinbruner ki6tkb@yahoo.com
Cc: Ron Duncan RonD@soquelcreekwater.org

Sent: Thursday, June 8, 2017, 06:12:13 PM UTC

Subject: Re: Stop Country Club Well Production Now re: TCP Contamination Problem

If a well is unused for even 12 months, then the State DWR declares that the well is abandoned and mandates that it be destroyed. Given how many millions of dollars we have invested in that one well and therefore how many millions we would need to spend to replace that well, then we cannot risk its loss.

On 6/8/17 1:38 AM, Becky Steinbruner wrote:
> Dear Mr. Duncan,
> Thank you for responding to my concerns regarding 1,2, 3-TCP contamination of the District’s Country Club Well.
>
> My question remains: why put ANY of this polluted water in the potable drinking water supply for your customers to drink? If the well is supplying such a small amount, why not just eliminate it entirely and improve the safe quality of the water you sell?
>
> Please respond.
> Sincerely,
> Becky Steinbruner

MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY BOARD WILL CONSIDER COMMENTS
Last Thursday, the MidCounty Groundwater Agency Board voted to allow Chairman Tom LaHue (Soquel Creek Water District) to choose a Committee that will review all comment submitted on the Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan and decide whether to respond to them or and if any have merit.

Although the letter was not made public, the Board members lamented receiving a three-page comment letter from the Nature Conservancy that seemed to be rather critical of the Plan. The Board will reconvene in November and adopt the Final Plan to send to the State in December. I hope the Board will make all comment submitted verbatim available to the public. I also hope that the private well representatives will have a voice on the Comment Review Committee.

COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO AUTHORIZE EIR FOR 5-STORY KAISER MEDICAL COMPLEX WITH 730-CAR MULTI-LEVEL GARAGE
I was surprised to see that the County Supervisors will consider (well, approve) a consent agenda item #47 to authorize a Request for Proposal (RFP) to conduct an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the massive Kaiser Medical Complex at 5940 Soquel Avenue. I thought the County would declare that project categorically CEQA Exempt like all the other large projects on the table.

How will a 730-car parking garage fit with traffic patterns in the area? No public transportation to the area? That could be a problem. However, the consultants at the project open house awhile back pointed to the pedestrian/bicyclist freeway over-crossing that taxpayer money will take care of as a possible mitigation.

What upsets me is that now the truth comes out about the sneaky Planning Dept. getting the Planning Commission to approve the RM-2 combining zone for the massive MidPen Affordable Housing Project on Capitola Road (and bulldoze the historic Merriman House and chop down over 100 healthy trees). The Kaiser site is supposed to be the location of over 100 affordable housing units, but in order to push the Kaiser project along, the Planning Director is helping the developer find other sites, such as the MidPen project, to split up and allocate the affordable units to instead.

But was the Planning Director forthcoming about that plan? No. When asked by the Planning Commissioners if the RM-2 designation were necessary for the MidPen project to proceed, Ms. Molloy said, “Well, no, but we thought we’d just go for it.” Even though I questioned at the time if the two projects were connected, no one responded.

Well, it will be interesting to see which consultant gets the job to do this EIR. I hope it is thorough, factual and includes public participation. That is the essence, after all, of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process.

However, as Soquel Creek Water District was able to accomplish for its perfunctory PureWater Soquel Project EIR, you just have to find the right contractor and pay them to create a vague and meaningless EIR to shove through.

County staff report states the contract award will return to the Board for approval in January or February of 2020. Nothing can happen until the remaining 44 affordable housing units in the RM-2 overlay are relocated. I wonder where that will be? Keep your eyes on the next few Planning Commission hearings.

COUNTY GROWTH GOAL REPORT SHOWS DECLINING POPULATION COUNTYWIDE
The Board will send this report off to the Planning Commission for discussion (Item #10) and consider it more fully in December. So, how does this fit with massive building projects, and expensive water projects? The report says the declining County population trend is consistent with the overall statewide trend.

STORM-DAMAGED REPAIRS NO LONGER FUNDED
That’s in Item #9, and states there are 37 un-funded projects worth $18 Million but CalTrans has let the County know there is no more money.. That is why the Public Works Dept. is asking the Board to release $2 .7 million in Natural Disaster to help cover $6.7 million in projects that not even eligible for funding.

Hmmmm….I wonder what that could be? Goodness, I hope it does not go to the new Aptos Creek Road traffic light in the Aptos Village.

WHAT?! DISCUSSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF THE SUSTAINABLE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PLAN?
Scheduled for 1:30 pm, this interesting discussion of the piecemealing that has occurred since the Board approved in concept the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan in 2014.Conduct study session to discuss the Sustainability Policy and Regulatory Update, review the scope and contents of the General Plan/Local Coastal Program policies and County Code amendments, and review how recent changes in state laws and County code

The Planning Dept. has embarked upon taking certain elements of the “Code Modernization” and declaring them CEQA exempt to shove them through when it suited the County and economic benefit. Take a look at this and attend if you are able.

THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR MEETING THIS TUESDAY IS LIKE TRYING TO DRINK FROM A FIRE HOSE. Somehow, I think that it the intention…overwhelm the people and sneak all sorts of things through. Here is a portion what is on the Consent Agenda…non-controversial issues???

#48: SETTING OCTOBER 22 BOSupes HEARING DATE FOR NISSAN DEALERSHIP PROJECT
Schedule a public hearing on October 22, 2019 to consider Application 171179, a proposal to amend the General Plan land use designation and zoning from Community Commercial/C-2 to Service Commercial/C-4 and to construct an automobile dealership with

#17: APPROVING AN ORDINANCE TO CREATE AN AIRPORT OVERLAY DISTRICT REGARDING DEVELOPMENT NEAR THE WATSONVILLE AIRPORT

So, where are the letters from the Pilot’s Association that sued about this?

#18: APPROVING THE NEW COUNTYWIDE NOISE ORDINANCE…Does this allow amplified music at large events held at rural wineries? Some residents think so.

Link

#19: AMENDING THE COUNTY’S ADHERENCE TO CEQA GUIDELINES
Link

This is a bit troubling because look at the change in the “Purpose”:

Here is the existing purpose

16.01.010 Purpose.

The purpose of these regulations is to preserve and enhance the environment of the County of Santa Cruz by providing for the adoption of County environmental review guidelines setting forth regulations and procedures implementing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and State Environmental Impact Report Guidelines promulgated pursuant thereto. Authority is also granted for the adoption of further measures designed to preserve and enhance the environment of the County as the Board of Supervisors see fit. [Ord. 2117, 1975]

Here is the proposed:

16.01.010 Purpose. The purpose of these regulations is to adopt public agency implementing procedures pursuant to Section 15022 of the State CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations § 15022), in order to avoid and mitigate environmental impacts, as feasible, that could occur from approval and implementation of projects subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and in order to preserve and enhance the environment of the County of Santa Cruz, by ensuring that County actions on projects subject to CEQA are undertaken consistent with the requirements and procedures of CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines promulgated by the State of California.

Notice something missing?

Now the piece about “Authority is also granted for the adoption of further measures designed to preserve and enhance the environment of the County as the Board of Supervisors see fit” is gone. Not that the current Board would ever take such action, but the change now takes the possibility and authority away if there were ever to be an elected body that might be responsive to public concerns, and leaves it basically up to a court of law. I see that as a loss for the people and the environment, and democracy.

Here’s another issue that bothers me:

The existing language says this:

16.01.040 Applicants—Information to be furnished.

Applicants for permits or other authorizations under the Santa Cruz County Code shall provide the information required by current County rules and County environmental review guidelines. [Ord. 2117, 1975]

The proposed language says this:

16.01.040 Applicants – Information to be furnished. Applicants for permits or other discretionary authorizations under the Santa Cruz County Code shall provide the information required by the County as determined by the Environmental Coordinator to be needed for compliance with CEQA.

Hmmmmm…who is this new Environmental Coordinator that will be determining what the developers need to do to be compliant with CEQA? Will that be County Counsel? The Planning Director??? Yikes!

And finally, this change has me worried:

Here is the existing language describing who it is that makes the decisions:
16.01.050 Decisions to consider environmental factors.
Where environmental impact reports are required pursuant to this chapter, the decision-making body shall give such consideration to the facts developed therein as it deems necessary and in accordance with County rules and guidelines. [Ord. 2117, 1975].

And here is the new language:

16.01.050 Decisions to consider environmental factors. Prior to taking action to approve a discretionary development permit, legislative matter or other project subject to CEQA, the approving body shall either determine the project to be exempt from CEQA, or make required findings and adopt a Negative Declaration, or make required findings and certify an Environmental Impact Report. Findings and actions taken shall comply with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines

HMMMMMM….What is the difference between a “decision-making body” (which is more in keeping with CEQA language) and an “approving body”? It seems the decisions regarding what is needed for environmental review is getting murkier and murkier. That is not a good sign, in m opinion, and does not bode well for the quality of life in this County with developers pounding at the doors for more massive projects and “streamlined ” process to help them make their projects “pencil out”.

#21: THE COUNTY BUDGET LOOKS LIKE IT IS MORE SMOKE AND MIRRORS :Link

#23 and #26: GIVE THE ANIMAL SHELTER ANOTHER QUARTER MILLION TO EXPAND WHEN THE NEIGHBORS ARE OPPOSED TO HAVING MORE BARKING DOGS ILLEGALLY RIGHT AT THEIR PROPERTY LINE??? Link here

“OCTOBER”

“Let’s spark up October and make it better than September”. unknown

“October is the opal month of the year. It is the month of glory, of ripeness. It is the picture-month”. Henry Ward Beecher

“I wish that every day was Saturday and every month was October.” Charmaine J. Forde

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

September 18 – 24, 2019

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…Suicide and Murder, Free streaming movies at our library, our Downtown Streets team. GREENSITE…on DeLaveaga Golf Course. KROHN…Long strange trip, Chambers of Commerce, money, development, UCSC system issues. STEINBRUNER…Soquel water rates and purity, Mid County Groundwater agency problems, Firewise time, CEQA exemptions (fair?) tech jobs in Santa Cruz. PATTON…gambling in/on politics. EAGAN…Subconscious Comics and Deep Cover. BRATTON…I critique Official Secrets, Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, Brittany Runs The Marathon UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES…”Buttigieg”

THE ONE AND ONLY HARVEY WEST! That’s the real Harvey West on the right! He was receiving some sort of plaque from that other guy, on May 30, 1957. West was born in Soquel, grew up in Placerville, and died April 26, 2011.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

TSUNAMI IN SANTA CRUZ. 2011. Just in case we forget where we live.

VIMEO post of literally otherworldly footage of “an active alien body, far out in the depths of our solar system.” Take a minute or three to watch this amazing space film. From 2014 to 2016, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft followed the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67p) around space: collecting scientific data, sending a probe to its surface, and capturing some 400,000 photographs of the comet. This cinematic video was made from those photos.

DATELINE Sept. 16

SUICIDE AND MURDER. Our Doctors, therapists, and social workers go to great lengths to ask and probe if we have any suicidal thoughts? There’s so much concern legally and socially about possible suicides — but has it occurred to you that nowhere and no how are we ever asked about murderous thoughts! With so many murderers running around, you’d think those same professionals would care as much about stopping the deadly shooters before they break out. Besides that, suicide is becoming legal and easier around the world. The newest edition of Exit International’s newsletter headlines an article about the latest discovery of drugs and medicines like sodium azide and sodium nitrite as effective end-of-life drugs. Go here to read more… If you wonder more about this note that in 2017 there were 47,173 suicides in the USA and 39,773 murders by guns.

LATTE BREAKING NEWS…

FREE MOVIE STREAMING AT OUR SANTA CRUZ LIBRARY. I just found out that we/you can go to KANOPY on our Santa Cruz Library website, and can get eight films per month for free. These are excellent, arty, foreign, independent films. Definitely not the kind you’d think would be on a public library list.

DOWNTOWN STREETS TEAM NEWS. It was news to me when I interviewed Brooke Newman on last week’s Universal Grapevine. Among other items she told us such things as…it was Chip Flatulencia — formerly head of our Downtown Association (mostly known as just “Chip”) — who worked so hard in 2017 to establish our Streets Team here. There are 15 cities with Street Teams, with a staff of over 50. It was started in Palo Alto in 2015, and is a 501 C3 non-profit. There’s a waiting list for homeless to get on our team. She also told us the horrible statistic that sexual abuse is at 97% for women experiencing homelessness along with severe mental illness bipolar, major depressive disorder, etc. but as you’ll find in the article link below. The numbers are ridiculously high for all subgroups of women, a fact that is definitely underreported.

NEXTDOOR NOOSE. Reading danged nosy Nextdoor is a hard habit to break. I copied this topical summation from it. I also left off a name or two…just in case.

“You must not understand all the San Jose style building plans the city manager and Economic Development have in store for the city of Santa Cruz. The only problem will be that we don’t have the same multiple choices of freeways and expressways that they do have in San Jose. We already feel how crowded our roads are now, just wait, not for too long, and you won’t recognize much in Santa Cruz that will reflect our historical and formerly quaint and funky beach town. The city rolled out the red carpet for all of this to happen when they became deeply enmeshed with the Silicon Valley Leadership group and Monterey Bay Economic Partners. That influence is now the main thrust of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce , check out their website and read who their leadership is and make the connections for yourself. From Casey Byer to Cynthia Mathews, along with other city leaders, this is a takeover by moneyed interests to profit from what was once our community, but is now their commodity.” Very well stated.

September 16

THE POLITICS OF GOLF
I’ve never found golf interesting. Then again, I’ve never played the game. Where I grew up in Australia golf courses were alien territory, oases of green that seemed to serve no purpose aside from keeping development at bay. Those who played golf were jockeys, on their days off from riding the ponies, or so pictures in the newspapers led us to believe. Then again, I never knew anyone who played golf.

I am aware that the Municipal Golf Course at DeLaveaga Park is controversial, with many progressives viewing it as a rich person’s sport that sucks up too much of the city’s water and financial subsidies. I now know people who play golf and while I still have no interest in the sport, I do know that those who play at DeLaveaga are largely not rich folk but are long time locals, predominantly in the trades or service industries.

All of this is to say that when the issue of the DeLaveaga Operations Plan came before the Parks and Recreation Commission last week, I had an open mind. I am a recently appointed Parks and Rec commissioner thanks to the votes of Krohn, Cummings, Glover and Brown. The other 3 council members did not support my application to be on the commission.

The city’s General Fund has been subsidizing the golf course to the tune of up to $750,000 a year, with water being a recent top revenue drain. It requires 9 FTE personnel (described as a skeleton crew) to keep the course in good condition. While golf has declined in popularity around the state with many courses closing, the course at DeLaveaga has weathered political attempts to shut it down over the past 20 years. The current proposal from Parks and Recreation is for an aggressive marketing plan to attract new players, an increase in fees to play plus costly investments in modern irrigation and recycled water with the goal for the course to become more self-supporting.

The Parks and Recreation Commission voted (6-1) to support the staff recommendation with a request to review the business plan from the private operator (GSL, Inc. Tim Loustalot) added to the motion. The absence of the operator from both the commission meeting and the city council meeting the following night was noted. Also noted was the seemingly modest allocation to the city from the operator’s profits. According to the recently signed Lease Agreement with the operator, the city gets 6% of gross revenue from Food and Beverage, 8% from alcoholic beverages and 10% from Merchandise sales. I asked how this allocation compares with what the city gets from the operators of the Municipal Wharf’s restaurants and concessions, which also fall under Parks and Recreation. Neither the Parks Director nor the Parks Superintendent knew the answer. Unfortunately the Lease Agreement with the operator has already been signed by the city’s Economic Development Department so changes for the next five or ten years, the length of the lease, are not possible.

Left on the table were recommended fee increases to play the game of golf. Listed as percentages they appear reasonable. Broken down into dollars, the increases are low to the point of being negligible. A $3 increase spread over 3 years is proposed for a Monday to Friday 18 holes game (from the current $49 to a high of $52 by 2022). A weekend 18 holes increase is $6 spread over the same time period (from the current $64 to a high of $70 in 2022). Discount cards and member programs have higher percentages but all are modest given the base cost. I understand the balance between attracting more golfers and the deterrent of increased fees (if we accept the course should stay open) however anyone who can afford a game of golf should shoulder their share of increased water rates to keep the greens green. Or the cost of a pipe system for recycled water from Soquel Creek.

It was with this in mind that I watched with interest the city council deliberation and vote on the Golf Course issue the following evening. It started as interest and quickly became frustration. No longer does Community TV run the email contact to reach council members during the meeting. Nothing to do but watch as the Mayor ruled that Council member Mathews made the first motion even though Council member Krohn had offered one in writing earlier and had been told to wait. Nothing to do but watch as Mathews said she was “miffed” if she didn’t get to make her motion that undermined Krohn and Brown’s attempts to accelerate a plan for the Golf Course to come up with a balanced budget. Nothing to do but watch as Mathews opined without any evidence that staff had reviewed the Business Plan (from the operator) in great detail. If so, they did not share that with the Parks and Recreation Commission. They seemed to be caught as flat- footed as the rest of us. As a final shove to get her motion approved, Mathews said it would avoid “sticker shock” for players to know about the increases coming their way. Sticker shock? A $2 or $3 increase spread over 3 years?

As Council member Glover noted, the $750,000 subsidy of the Golf Course is essentially what it would cost to re-open Harvey West Pool year-round (the next item on that evening’s agenda) and offer free swim lessons and free swimming for our city’s youth. With Council member Myers absent and a 3-3 tie, the Golf Course item will be back to council for another vote. I wonder what Vicente DeLaveaga would say?

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.

SEPT. 16

WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT HAS BEEN

Road Trip!
Imagine if you will, me in a bus for two and a half days with the likes of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce executive, Casey Beyer, the SC Business Council something, Robert Singleton, the SC Economic Development Director, City Manager, and others representing public agencies, banks, the Warriors, UCSC, Kaiser, Poly (Plantronics), and a home builder (developer), all members of the Chamber of Commerce, tripping towards Southern California to see how “smart” development is done there. Okay, open your eyes, turns out you can now imagine it because it happened. I learned no secret handshake, drank no special water, nor was there even a bonding song that we all were required to sing extolling capitalist virtue and damning the communist menace. I never even heard the names Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, or Adam Smith mentioned even once. It was more a serious field trip to the heart of what I would call the real Central Coast: Goleta, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, and Ventura. The excursion was surprisingly mellow and informative, full of rich discussion around affordable housing, transportation, homelessness, and the principles of “Lean Manufacturing.” But, before you begin shifting uncomfortably in your seat…

What was I doing on this trip?
I wanted to meet, greet, and rap with some leading figures inour local development, commerce, and academia communities and get in touch with that familiar Marxist refrain about how the state greases the wheels for the owners of capital to come in and do what they do, make more capital. First stop was picking up Kristin Miller, the CEO of the Goleta Chamber of Commerce. I had always thought of Goleta, population 31,000, as a bedroom community for UC Santa Barbara, but it’s much more. Miller hopped on the big bus just after we pulled off the 101 into one of those famous SoCal “strip malls.” She said Goleta was about 15 years into a 20-year general plan. It was basically an “infill” plan because everyone loved the Bishop Ranch, and if the ranch was not going to be developed, then everywhere else around it basically had to be. “The community has had a lot of pushback on the plan,” she lamented. Miller outlined the top three barriers for development in the Goleta area as a lack of “workforce” housing” and “access to a qualified workforce,” as well as “over-regulation.” She offered up the example that Corning, one international company with a subsidiary here, located in an area that includes the likes of Raytheon (largest private employer in Goleta), Decker’s and Direct Relief International among others, called her up just the other day and asked where they could get some workers for $17 bucks an hour. She told them it would be difficult because of the cost of housing. We then passed some apartments that she said were going for $2400 a month for a one-bedroom and up to $4000 for two and three-bedrooms. Miller also pointed out that the median home price was “only $850,000,” whereas in the People’s Republic of Santa Cruz it’s $905k. She said Goleta had instituted a popular “interest only” program in which a home-buyer could borrow up to $100,000 and pay it back after 10 years by refinancing the home. I guess in Goleta there is built-in optimism that home prices will keep going up. Post-recession development in Goleta parallels that of Santa Cruz and began in earnest in 2012. “Part of the angst we lived through is that a lot of builders had permits acquired in the pre-recession days, then in 2012 the building boom hit,” she said. Miller also mentioned that the pro-chamber of commerce city council was voted out in 2017, but “elections happen, we try again,” she said. Sound familiar?

Lean Manufacturing
Perhaps the most inormative, surprising, and revealing stop was at FLIR Systems. They make thermal imaging (infrared) cameras of all sizes, from $200 to $100,000. They’ve grabbed “60-70% of the infrared camera market.” Our tour guides were Richie Antles, the VP of Operations at FLIR, and Sam Chapplewho began there as a mechanical engineer and is now the Production Manager. Both exude a deep passion that only comes from profound commitment and interest in what you are doing. Their faces often had that we have something special here look. They offered the group a guided tour of the factory floor. Smiling often they told interesting stories. Of course, some of their body language borders on an almost cult-like company loyalty, but I wouldn’t go there yet because their zeal really seemed to stem from a love of the work environment they’ve helped create. Antles and Chapple spoke highly of the concept of lean manufacturing . It’s a factory shibboleth practiced by way of the Japanese and incorporates the concept of kaizen, which refers to “activities that continuously improve all functions and involve all employees from the CEO to assembly (line) workers.” Antles said lean management is “the elimination of waste in all forms, from scraps to motion…” It is not only continuous improvement, but “the elimination of error” too. Both Antles and Chapple touted “visual management,” a visual inspection of every situation that includes these large color-coated boards everywhere signaling orders filled orders yet to fill, along with production line stoppages and successes. FLIR employs 600 employees over two daily shifts and churns out what seems like thousands of cameras daily. The assembly floor is set up with rows of work stations, assembly part bins, and courteous employees who are putting together these expensive infrared cameras. Both Chapple and Antles emphasized a philosophy that Santa Cruz needs to take a look at: risk + trust + willingness to make mistakes = buy-in, from management, from employees, and ultimately from the people you serve, the customers. I felt like I was looking into a crystal ball and something tangible was becoming palpable. Kaizen events happen daily and weekly and monthly apparently called for by both employees and management. They are “innovation centers,” and become forums to see and analyze mistakes made on the way to improvement.

UC Santa Barbara, Public Funds Supporting Private Tech Start-ups?
The group of 22 Chamber invitees sat before a panel of tech professors from the Technology Management Program at UCSB. The group discussed their recent organizational endeavor,Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We heard a pitch about the marriage of publicly funded efforts concerning students and faculty and their attempts toprivatize spin-off enterprises, which may or may not result from the academic capital expended. It was a worrying conversation in terms of minor league teams of college students not being funded by major league tech companies, but instead by the taxpayers of California. The prime issues confronted by faculty of the greater UC Santa Barbara community is similar to Santa Cruz: the cost of space, rental housing, a dearth of for-sale housing, and access to adequate transportation. I found it interesting that the profs are staying away from cannabis projects “because 80% of their grants are federal,” but have some students pursuing “hemp” projects because hemp is no longer on the schedule one federal drug list. A red flag for me went up when after a lengthy slide show there was no mention of internships. When I brought it up they pointed to a slide that called it, “Business Partnerships.” Is the business of the university becoming just business? I wondered.

Embassy Suites by Hilton, Mandalay Beach Resort
Happy hour at the Mandalay, a quasi-Hawaiian, quasi-Thai-themed but very SoCal venue that was, you guessed it, right on the beach. It may very well be one of the pre-eminent places to be while staying in Oxnard. Frankly, the hotel was a welcome respite after a day on the West Valley Trailways coach and listening to how cities might be developed and how high-tech may be transforming the economy in this part of the world. These kinds of power-get-togethers–S.C. Chamber’sTireless 22–on a trip of this sort are invaluable for rolling up sleeves and having the tough conversations about what is affordable housing and how it gets built, and the role developers play in that process without getting their pencils broken. Is it the responsibility of government to insure a profit for builders? Who are we building housing for, Santa Cruzans, techies, or second home buyers? Can Santa Cruz attract well-paying jobs and not just attract the San Jose tech sector to the Santa Cruz housing market? UCSC was represented too and that made for robust discussion about the interests of the new Chancellor, the future of campus housing, and me wondering if the 3P–public-private partnership–Student Housing West will ever be built? A law suit was filed by the East Meadow Action Committee (EMAC) on April 25th. “EMAC filed suit under California environmental law against the 5% of the Student Housing West project that the University proposed to sprawl across the East Meadow, just inside the Main Entrance to the campus.” (Go to Eastmeadowaction.orgfor more.)

Next week–What happens after capitalist schmoozing? The rest of the trip and a bit of analysis too.

–A Housing Plan We Can Live with
@BernieSanders

Housing must be a right. We will:

Build and rehabilitate 7.4 million affordable housing units
Build 2 million mixed-income units
Enact a national rent control standard
ENd homelessness
Fully fund Section 8 vouchers

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

Sept.16

SIGN THIS PETITION TO PROTEST OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH AND UNFAIR SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT NEW RATES!
Sign this online petition if you are among the thousands of Soquel Creek Water District customers who are shocked that your water bill jumped by hundreds of dollars when the District claimed the new rate increase would only average $5/month more but you are working hard to conserve water:

Sign the Petition Soquel Creek Water District Rate Increases Are Unfair and Hurt Families!

This petition, launched by ratepayer Kris Kirby, has over 200 signers after just a couple of days.

Read her good Letter to the Editor in the recent Aptos Times (pg. 14-15)

Ratepayers at Soquel Creek Water District are stunned by their outrageously high water bills when they have continually been held up by the District as the water conservation poster children for the State. The District Board approved new rate increases last February to amass revenue needed for the $90 million project to inject treated sewage water into the aquifer, but assured customers that the average monthly increase to bills would be “$5 or less”.

Attend the Board meetings. Write and demand the Directors to be accountable:

Soquel Creek Water District bod@soquelcreekwater.org and copy Emma Olin emmao@soquelcreekwater.org Make sure your letter is included…sometimes staff omits critical communications from public view.

MAKE SURE TO READ AND COMMENT ON THE MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY PLAN THIS WEEK
This Thursday, the MidCounty Groundwater Agency Board is meeting to consider approving the Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) and close public comment period on the document. The Board meets September 19 at 7pm at Simpkins Swim Center. This Plan will dictate how water is used and who will pay for projects that affect the groundwater levels and water quality.

You can find the Draft GSP in local libraries (you may have to ask for it) and it is available on the website: Recent News | Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency

I am very concerned that the Draft GSP relies on the Soquel Creek Water District’s outrageously expensive, risky and unnecessary project to inject 1.3 million gallons/day of treated sewage water into the aquifer in Aptos. The draft GSP also includes the City of Santa Cruz’s Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) project to inject water into the aquifer in the Live Oak area, and the City is currently considering using treated sewage water for this too, although the recent pilot tests have used potable water that has been (hopefully) de-chlorinated.

*******Soquel Creek Water District has NO FINAL ANTI-DEGRADATION EVALUATION FOR ANY COMPONENT OF THAT PROJECT. That means that there is no analysis of what injecting treated sewage water into the aquifer would do to the water quality in the aquifer and/or associated surface streams. The District likewise had no such evaluation in place when they recently injected millions of gallons of water 1000′ deep into the Twin Lakes Church well from a nearby hydrant and also brought in by trucks from an unknown source. The results of that pilot test have yet to be made public by District Engineer Taj Dufour, although it was promised for debut “sometime this summer”.

The draft GSP relies only on information modeled for the City’s ASR and the District’s Toilet-to-Tap projects for sustaining the basin. Water transfers and regional conjunctive use was not modelled and seemingly not considered. The only other scenario modeled was to investigate the effects of shutting down all private wells.

*****Also troubling to me is that the Draft GSP makes no citations to the technical information that supports much of the Plan and recommendations. Where are the technical references? I have written the Lead Planner, Ms Darcy Pruitt, to ask for the information, especially related to groundwater contamination and the proposed injection projects, but received no reply.

The audio recordings of past Board meetings have just been added to the website, and are worth listening to in order more thoroughly and accurately review the history of how the current recommendations being made in the GSP came to be.

I recommend the July 19, 2018 meeting, Item #8 Potential Projects and Concepts to Support Recovery and Sustainability of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin and the May 16, 2019 (Items 9 & 10)(and note public questioning of Soquel Creek Water District reporting discrepancies for chloride levels in the Pleasure Point area as well as the statement of Montgomery & Associates staff that there was no scientific basis for the State to declare the MidCounty Basin in “critical overdraft”), and the July 18, 2019 joint meeting with the GSP Advisory Committee, reviewing the Draft GSP goals.

Here is the agenda for this Thursday

Even though it appears that the Board will only see comment submitted before September 12, I urge you to submit your written comments all this week and to attend the meeting.

HOW TO BECOME A FIREWISE COMMUNITY
This Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7pm, the Aptos Library will partner with Aptos/La Selva and Central Fire Protection Districts to encourage communities in the wildland areas of Santa Cruz County to do some grassroots organizing and become a certified FireWise Community. This not only improves fire safety for neighborhoods and the environment surrounding them, but also may help stave off non-renewal notices from insurance companies and even earn a premium discount. Join Fire Marshall Mike DeMars or the brand new Deputy Fire Marshll, Marco Mack, from Sonoma County and learn what you and your neighbors can do to address wildland fire risk.

CALIFORNIA ON FIRE…THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE STATE’S FIRE ECOLOGY
This Thursday, September 19, 7pm, at the Rio Theater, you can learn about the State’s fire ecology from Native American tribal representatives, and noted fire ecologist Tom Parker, joined by Ken Pimlot, retired State CalFire Director, and our own County’s marvelous Director of Emergency Operations, Ms. Rosemary Anderson.

I hope it will be recorded and available on the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History website.

HOW CAN ALL THIS MAJOR DEVELOPMENT BE EXEMPT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW???
I was recently shocked to hear the County Planning Dept. declare the massive three-story Mid-Pen Housing Project and large two-story medical and dental clinics approved for the Capitola Road near 17th Avenue be “CEQA Exempt”, meaning there will be no public hearings or environmental review of the very significant and negative impacts of the development on the surrounding neighborhood and habitats.

Yet another shocker now is the massive two and three-story mixed-use dense development on Portola Drive near the 41st Avenue intersection that is likewise being declared as “CEQA exempt”. On September 25, the County Planning Commissioners will consider this project:

Application 181263 3911 Portola Drive APN 032-051-36

Proposal to demolish two existing commercial buildings and miscellaneous accessory structures and to construct a 31,560 square foot two and three-story mixed-use building with five retail units, a leasing office and four one-bedroom residential units at the ground floor; nine one-bedroom units and 33 storage rooms at the middle floor at the rear of the building, and 20 two-bedroom apartments at the upper floor. In addition, two 3,230 square-foot, one-story carports are proposed to be constructed for residential parking. The project includes a request for a 50% residential density bonus in exchange for provision of four very low income affordable rental units. The site is located in the C-2 zone district. Requires a Commercial Development Permit and Coastal Development Permit and a CEQA Notice of Exemption.

Property is located on the north side of Portola Drive at approximately 350 feet west of the intersection with 41st Avenue in Live Oak.

SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT: 1
PROJECT PLANNER: Lezanne Jeffs (831) 454-2480
EMAIL: Lezanne.Jeffs@santacruzcounty.us

Agenda, Meeting Date 9/25/2019

What is CEQA, anyway??? The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is a set of laws established by the legislature in 1970 to supplement the newly-enacted federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The purpose of the CEQA, signed by none other than Governor Ronald Reagan, was to require that any development project be scrutinized regarding any and all direct and indirect impacts to the environment surrounding the proposed project.

The primary intention is that the public be allowed to publicly review the analysis of these potential impacts, and to be able to submit written comment on the project that could help determine if the proposed project can be done differently so as to reduce or eliminate the negative impacts it would bring, or if the proposed project’s goals can be accomplished without the project being built at all or perhaps in an alternative manner or location.

So, my question is how can the County Planning Dept. continually declare these massive development projects to be “EXEMPT FOR CEQA DETERMINATION”???

I think they are making it all up as they go, and hope they will not get sued. It takes a lot of money to hire an attorney, but the Sustainable Soquel group did just that and WON.

In the case of the MidPen subdivision and medical/dental clinics on 17th Ave and Capitola Road, how can destroying 115 of the existing 152 trees on the site, including nearly all of the 25+ trees the arborist recommended for preservation, not affect the habitat of the Live Oak area on Capitola Road? Residents brought photos of hawks and herons that they have seen living in those trees that MidPen and the County want to chop down.

CEQA exempt?

The MidPen Housing Authority hired legal firm Holland & Knight in San Francisco to create what was needed: justification to be CEQA Exempt. The County Planning Dept. went along with certain critical aspects such as agreeing that there are adequate infrastructure services to handle the increased traffic (“the County will just widen Capitola Road to four lanes sometime in the future”) and professed to not know of any other projects in the area that could cause cumulative impacts. (see pages 380-385 as Exhibit R in the Planning Commissioner’s packet)

What about the large, ugly housing complex being built on 17th and Brommer? What about the proposed five-story Kaiser medical complex and 700-car multi-story parking garage near 17th Avenue and Soquel Avenue Frontage Road?? What about the proposed hotel and large new subdivision at 7th and Brommer?

CEQA exempt with no cumulative impact?

It is folly to claim that large projects like these will not have impacts on the communities and the environment.

How can the County Planning Dept. continue to approve these projects without having finished the CEQA analysis for the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan that was developed with extensive public input, thousands of dollars, approved in concept in 2015 by the Board of Supervisors, and which may or may not comport with these massive and dense developments now being approved in an AD HOC MANNER?

The County Board of Supervisors recently approved a large contract with Dudek Consultants to complete the CEQA evaluation of the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan. As the Sustainable Soquel legal action determined, the Plan needs to be analyzed, adopted and followed.

What are the causes to be able to claim CATEGORICAL CEQA EXEMPTION?

I hear the Planning Dept. staff continually make that declaration, but never do they explain why or how the determination is made. I suspect it is to save the developers the money and time that a thorough and impartial Environmental Impact Report (EIR) brings about.

But, as the Soquel Creek Water District has learned with their disgustingly expensive and unnecessary “Pure”Water Soquel Project, with enough money, you can find a consultant to make it appear that the impacts are being addressed, even though they are NOT.

Furthermore, as was pointed out by an astute member of the public at the August 28, 2019 County Planning Commission hearing about the massive MidPen project on Capitola Road, just because a project is exempt (in this case because the total land area is 3.6 acres and therefore exempt because it is less than the 5-acre-project-required level) the County still has the discretionary ability to require some level of environmental review to address known negative environmental impacts.

“BUTTIGIEG”

The Electoral College needs to go, because it’s made our society less and less democratic.” Pete Buttigieg
Like anyone who follows politics, I am sometimes mesmerized by the twisted and relentless drama playing out in Washington. But I also know about the price of distraction – the consequences of our attention being diverted from how politics affects daily life”. Pete Buttigieg
“Our neighborhoods are safer when there is trust between communities and the police who are in charge of protecting them”. Pete Buttigieg

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

Posted in Weekly Articles | Leave a comment

September 9 – 15, 2019

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Bruce

Highlights this week:

BRATTON…What a city, Swimming Pool, Library garage, election info, MAH matters. GREENSITE…on Placido Domingo and other sexual abuse stories. KROHN…DeLaveaga Park, good council meeting, city bail, corridor plan dropped, Water Street Bridge plaque…STEINBRUNER…More trees, fire tax postponed, being a leader class, Sustainable groundwater. PATTON…Earth alienation. EAGAN…Deep Cover and Sub Con classics. JENSEN…reviews Official Secrets. BRATTON…I critique Nightingale, Honeyland. UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE GUEST LINEUP. QUOTES… “Alabama”

A SPECIAL PLAQUE SITE. This is Francisco Arias (left) age 35, and Jose Chamales (right) age 21 — hanging from the Water Street Bridge. They were hung there May 3, 1877. Both were San Quentin veterans, hung by some unknown group convinced that the two had committed a murder. For debatable reasons our City Council is creating a special plaque to commemorate this.

photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

Additional information always welcome: email photo@brattononline.com

BURNING MAN 2019. Some year I’ll get there!!

MOZART AND PING PONG. Stick with it…it’s nutty!

DATELINE SEPT. 9

WHAT A CITY!
It’s impossible to place any of Santa Cruz’s issues in any order of importance. The re-call of two of our city council. Building a library garage. Watering and supporting our golf course. Opening and maintaining a city swimming pool. Creating lower and middle income housing. Dealing with the growing UCSC student problems and growing population. Losing the trust and culture in our County Museum of Art & History. The crush of Silicon Valley’s money changing the very nature of our city. The national and international problem of homeless and hunger. A BIGGER QUESTION— is Santa Cruz really changing or is it the gloom, doom and hatred coming from Washington, D.C. splitting us too?

HARVEY WEST SWIMMING POOL. Activist and involved citizen Fred Geiger tells us…
Just think about the Harvey West pool finances. It looks like the progressives want to keep it open at least 1/2 of the year. Apparently the previous arrangement had the Jim Booth swim school paying $75K a year for exclusive use of the pool, but the City costs were $175K? Now City Staff is claiming a much higher cost for its operation. Was this previous arrangement a sweetheart deal for some friend of a previous Council majority?

COMMUNITY COMMONS NOT A GARAGE. 10 Reasons why No Garage library. The Campaign For Sustainable Transportation’s email has some absolutely necessary points to make about why a new car garage won’t work… check it out…

ELECTION NEWS. A few pages below, Becky Steinbruner says “County Supervisors Zach Friend, John Leopold and Bruce McPherson are all up for re-election, and their primary election is in March, 2020.

MAH MATTERS CONTINUED. It seems that no County or city officials care or dare to take on the complex financial and management problems that exist at our Museum of Art & History. I continue to receive information from deep inside MAH, in hopes that what could and should be one of our most important and meaningful institutions might one day return to its important role in our community. Here’s one note from a MAH person last week… “Note that the MAH is “fiscally” supporting Nina Simon’s organization. Who knows about this? Note that the interim Exec. Director is on the Board Of Trustees of Nina’s OF/BY/FOR ALL organization.

Note that quite a few MAH board members are either on the board of Nina’s new venture, or listed as advisers—Peter Orr, for example, and all the MAH Exec. Committee are all advisers. It appears to me that all these people have been bought off, probably loath to criticize her—for their moment of so-called reflected glory. So it appears that the current MAH board will never do anything to effect change.

So is there a line item on MAH financials that shows how much “fiscal” support they give to Nina’s pet project, of/by/for/all? I’m sure the MAH Exec. Committee knows, but no one else?”

Sept. 9

THE BIGGER THEY ARE…
The latest titan to be charged with sexual assault is Placido Domingo, the current general director of the Los Angeles Opera. I found the story shared by one of his victims to be particularly galling. I’m no stranger to stories of sexual assault and sexual harassment. As founder and head of Rape Prevention Education at UCSC for 30 years, my role was to encourage students to come forward, to listen to their stories and offer support and resources. Frequently I was the first person to hear their stories. This was long before the #MeToo movement. All stories were poignant. One theme was universal: shame. All who suffered sexual assault or sexual harassment at the hands of another, felt shame and self-blame. This is understandable only in a culture, which uses a different standard for women than it does for men for enjoying the same freedoms. If a female drinks too much at a party and flirts she is “asking for it.” The “it” here is the unexamined “right” of any man to sexually exploit her lack of decorum, her failure to protect her virginity, that eons-old control of female sexuality to ensure private property is handed down to legitimate heirs. That most men don’t exercise that “right,” says a lot of positive things about most men but nonetheless, many do. Not all cultures have historically defined female sexuality in these terms but the ones we have inherited do just that.

The story that I found particularly galling was described by the then, 28 year-old opera singer, Angela Turner Wilson to The Associated Press. According to her story, Domingo roughly grabbed her bare breast under her robe as they were preparing to go on stage for a production of Le Cid, the highlight of the Washington Opera’s 1999-2000 season. The opera was also being filmed and the performance was a huge career boost for the young second female lead. So far nothing out of the ordinary. What female hasn’t had to endure, laugh off, groan or feel scared in the face of a grinning male grabbing her breast or other bodily parts. Our president boasts about it. What made this story particularly galling for me was that Angela Turner Wilson, after enduring a rough grab of her breast by Domingo, had to immediately go on stage and “act like I was in love with him.” And her career was at stake! In my imaginary re-telling, Le Cid does not have a happy ending.

Such big-name men whose past and present sexual assaults have been exposed via the #MeToo movement have finally been brought to justice or at least the loss of hero-worship. I wonder at the other end of the socio-economic scale if the manager of a fast food restaurant has stopped cornering the new young female hire and making sexist propositions? Or if today’s younger workers are more respectful, more egalitarian? The research so far does not look hopeful. Over 60 percent of Silicon Valley professional female employees at big name firms have experienced sexual harassment or discrimination such as being asked to do menial tasks not asked of their male counterparts. Men are sometimes the victims and women sometimes the perpetrators, but overwhelmingly, the sexual abuse is instigated by males in positions of power over females. Domingo claims the norms in the past were different. He has a point there. In the past, women shut up and kept sexual assault and sexual harassment a private, painful secret, protecting their attackers with self-blame and self-doubt. That corner has been turned. New norms encourage females, males and transgendered to speak out and name their abusers. The biggest challenge is how to address potential abusers, preferably when they are young enough to learn new norms of respect and equality. Parents need guidance and skills on how to prepare young boys to transition successfully to manhood. Schools need to embrace sex education that goes beyond pregnancy and disease prevention and talks about sexual relationships. Having strong sexual desires is human. What we do with those desires is a social issue that reflects the relative status of women and men in any society. Prior to colonialism, rape was rare in most American Indian tribes.

I recently gave a lecture on rape for a Human Sexuality class at UC Berkeley. The prof. had asked some written questions in the context of the #MeToo movement and a sizable percentage of young heterosexual males expressed confusion on how to act in a sexual context. Would anything they said or did be taken as an offense? Sometimes that is used to discredit the movement but often its honest confusion. Talk about the need for a conversation! First, all genders need to be sexual subjects. It’s a norm to expect the male to initiate sex and cultural practices vary in how strictly that is practiced. So we educate males that they need affirmative consent. All good, except that advice keeps females confined in the role of sexual object. And consent means different things to different people. A smile is sufficient consent for Barry whereas for Brian, only an enthusiastic yes to a specific sexual request is consent. Brian is less likely to offend than is Barry. Hopefully Brenda also feels fine about asking Brian or Betty if they would like to be more sexually intimate…and listens to and respects the answer. If the downfall of big names like Placido Domingo brings us closer to more egalitarian sexual relationships, and inhibits those in power from abusing it, then we know we are moving in the right direction.

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.

Sept. 9

GOT GOLF?

“DeLa!”
One too many meetings not long ago I heard our Parks Director let slip, “And then there’s DeLa…” I couldn’t hear anything else he said after that as those two syllables rattled me. The words rang in my ears for days after. I had not heard this reference before, that is the vagary substitution, a four-letter impersonation with a bit of onomatopoeic tonal pop, for our spacious, wild in places, and always a beatific local refuge, DeLaveaga Park. We’ll talk golf in a second, but what about naming rights first. DeLa, similar to Cali, Norcal, Frisco, and Sandy Eggo, all represent the linguistic cheapening of our local and state historical and cultural foundations. It’s perhaps a form of ‘pop-linguistic creep’ into our local and state lexicon. DeLaveaga Park, California, Northern California, San Francisco, and San Diego all spring from deep histories, part imperial and part descriptive, but all well-earned through blood and treasure. (Oh yeah, then there’s Midtown, but don’t even get me started there.) The park, named after its benefactor, Jose Vicente deLaveaga, contains six miles of hiking trails, numerous picnic areas, softball fields, a frisbee disc golf, and yes, the DeLaveaga Golf Course and Lodge.

Some History

Local historian, Ross Gibson, wrote:
His love of nature led him in 1887 to purchase a forested estate of hills and canyons, which had grown to 565 acres by 1892 and was valued at $81,500. He laid out a network of bridle trails and planted trees, vineyards, citrus and nut groves and rare plantings from around the world. The estate was watered by five springs and 14 streams plus a flume along Branciforte Creek powering a waterwheel. (First published in the San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 1, 1994)

Golf Course Deficits
Since at least the year 2000, the DeLaveaga golf course has been in the city budget conversation. It has run a deficit for much of that time. It is unclear how it went from the realm of “enterprise fund,” a city service that pays for itself and maybe even raises revenue, to now relying on the city’s General Fund to make ends meet. This year, more than $750,000 is set aside to fix the golf course hole in the city budget. This comes on the heels of our city shelling out more than $800,000 to remodel the restaurant that is also part of the golf course operations. Since fiscal year 2013 the golf course has sucked in close to $4 million of General Fund revenue. What?!? That is money that could have been used to underwrite other Parks and Rec. programs, or operate a 24/7 year-round shelter, or help fund childcare for working parents, or fix the showers at the Homeless Resource Center. Yes, there are a lot of needs in this city and as much as I might empathize with golfers–my Dad was a golfer, my brother was a golfer–I believe we could get a consensus from local residents that subsidizing golf should in fact be a low priority for this city. Can I get an “Amen?”

The military presence began in 1901. The armory took over the zoo site after 1933, blocking off the main entrance, and later the Naval Reserve blocked the Parkway entrance. (Gibson, 11-1-94)

Deep State Golf: Follow the Money
Who runs this business you might ask? It has been a family, The Loustelots, in control for almost 50-odd years, and they have been odd because the city for at least the past ten years has received no economic benefit from their business. The senior Loustelot, Gary, started at DeLaveaga in 1970 and was a revered figure in the local golfing community. But for now, my question is simple: why can’t the golf course balance its budget? While the community’s swimming pools’ open hours have been cut to the bone, as the weeds on parking medians continue unabated, and the bathrooms at Loudon Nelson Community Center go unattended and are locked to the general public, the golf course gets a pass and continues to go on in a sea of red ink. In 2010, a study commissioned by the city was done for the “purpose…to evaluate the performance of the golf course and develop strategies to make it self-supporting.” Deficit spending has continued. The bleeding of city coffers has gone on far too long and it is time for the golf course, aka The Loustelots, to allow the city to raise green fees, maybe even kick in a higher percentage of alcohol and merchandise revenue, and finally get the course off life support and into the black.

Over its lifetime, DeLaveaga has contained 14 park areas, including an 1894 covered bridge, three movie studios complete with false-front architecture, an amphitheater, rifle and archery ranges, and the “Flying Links” Frisbee golf course. (Gibson, 11-1-94)

The Buck Stops at the Council?
The city council will take up the golf course business operation at its Sept. 10th meeting. If 40,000 rounds of golf are played next year, like this year, then the average green fee must be raised by $18.75. We need a plan that raises fees at least that amount. There is no plan yet before the council that would see the golf course break even. The current plan is to only run lower deficits at least until 2023. I believe most would agree that the city does not have to subsidize golf, we can’t, and there are too many greater needs. Yes, of course, the high school teams should be given some leeway, non-profits allowed exceptions to run fundraising tournaments, residents given a discount over out-of-towners, but for the most part we need to the De-la golf course to balance its books.

[DeLaveaga] died in Santa Cruz at age 50. His will left $775,000 of his $900,000 estate to charity, with bequests to his servants, friends, Protestant and Jewish hospitals and orphanages, the needy of Spain, Mexico and Switzerland, local societies protecting animals and children, and Golden Gate Park. (Gibson)

Pretty Good Council meeting on Aug. 27th
In case you missed it, we had a pretty good meeting with some significant results:

We moved the city “bail” schedule–amount paid for fines–to the Public Safety committee for discussion.
Voted to terminate the corridors plan and council directed staff to meet with neighborhood groups to discuss development in their neighborhoods and what a more effective plan might look like.
Council approved the placement of an historic plaque on Water St. Bridge to remember the victims of lynchings that took place there in 1877.
A Planning Commission subcommittee was dissolved because it had previously been shown to be too cozy with applicants thus compromising judgment on major projects coming to the commission.
A resolution of support for Ocasio-Cortez and Markey’s Green New Deal passed unanimously.
The council passed Vision Zero Traffic Policy with the intent of reaching zero bike and pedestrian fatalities (with direction to staff to come back to council if certain “projects would be delayed”
The council ordered the public restroom at city hall to be opened throughout the day. It had been closed for at least the past couple of years.
Finally, the city council voted to limit the existing policy that allowed parks director to close parks for undetermined amounts of time without council input. Now the council must be notified 7 days ahead of planned closure, or 24 hours after emergency closure and Parks director must come to council to for approval of any closure longer than 21 days.

“We are part of a global community. To combat the climate crisis, we must come together as a nation AND a planet. The good news: We don’t have to wait. We can start now, from the bottom up. Cities are creating jobs& advancing justice w/ a #GreenNewDeal, as global mvmts mobilize.” (Sept. 5)

REMEMBER, CLIMATE WEEK IS COMING, SEPT. 20-28!

(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.
Email Chris at ckrohn@cruzio.com

Sept. 9

MORE TREES, PLEASE
I heard a very interesting report last week on National Public Radio (NPR) about the importance of large trees and the health of urban dwellers. The report talked about a study showing that when trees disappear from urban areas, the overall health of the people who live there degrades. Many urban areas are losing their grand trees to make room for dense, tall developments with reduced set backs from the streets and property lines. It is happening here in Santa Cruz County and in the City of Santa Cruz, too.

It makes sense that having large trees to shade and cool neighborhoods and commercial spaces is a logical solution to creating inviting places for people to live and work, while providing habitat for birds and insects. That is why Mr. Chris Berry, on behalf of the County Fish and Wildlife Commission, submitted a letter to the County Board of Supervisors at their August 6, 2019 meeting and asked them to strengthen and expand the County’s Significant Tree Ordinance. The current ordinance is only effective in the coastal areas. Many members of the public testified in support of that action then, but the Supervisors have taken no action.

Here is the current County Significant Tree Protection language

Please write the Supervisors and ask that our venerable trees be saved…and to tailor new development to preserve the trees, not destroy them. That the Planning Commission approved the MidPen Housing Project on Capitola Road and had no problem with chain sawing over 100 trees on the site is unbelievable…even when local long-time residents showed them photos of hawks and herons resting in the tress at the site. CEQA-exempt?? Unbelievable.

Ryan Coonerty ryan.coonerty@santacruzcounty.us
Greg Caput greg.caput@santacruzcounty.us
Zach Friend zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us
John Leopold john.leopold@santacruzcounty.us
Bruce McPherson bruce.mcpherson@santacruzcounty.us
Jillian Ritter jillian.ritter@santacruzcounty.us

the Clerk of the Board is at (831) 454-2200 during business hours.

PROPOSED NEW FIRE TAX ON RURAL PROPERTIES POSTPONED AGAIN
The County Board of Supervisors were to have publicly discussed a proposed new public benefit tax on all rural properties to fund County Fire Dept. protection on August 27, but when people protested the idea during a Bonny Doon Town Hall meeting, the discussion disappeared from the agenda. It was supposed to be discussed this week, on September 10, according to Supervisor Zach Friend, but it still is not on the agenda for public discussion. HMMMM…..

Maybe the County Administrative Officer (CAO) Carlos Palacios, who tricked the County voters into approving the Measure G new half-cent sales tax last November with the claim that it would fund fire and emergency response needs, BUT WILL ACTUALLY PROVIDE ZERO DOLLARS TO THOSE AGENCIES is trying to figure out a new way to trick rural voters into accepting the proposed new fire protection tax.

Maybe the Board needs to be honest and admit they have repeatedly REFUSED TO FUND COUNTY FIRE WITH SOME OF THE $18 MILLION THAT COMES TO THE COUNTY VIA STATE SALES TAX MONEY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY UNDER PROP 172. County Fire Dept. gets ZERO of that. Law enforcement gets 99.5% of the money, and only a crumb of 0.5% remainder of the money goes to the County Fire Chiefs Association…and no one can provide verification of how that money gets spent. Those meetings are not public, so you and I cannot even go ask. The website is private, so you and I cannot send a message to ask: where is the money going?

Why is the County Board of Supervisors neglecting to fund fire and emergency response to the residents in the rural areas of the County?????

The wildland fire last week on Bear Creek Road should be a wake-up call for everyone, especially the Board of Supervisors.

This really needs to be investigated by the State Attorney General. Please write and ask for an investigation

WHAT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CAN DO TO BECOME A CERTIFIED FIREWISE COMMUNITY
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has a program to help people organize at a grassroots level to improve fire defensible space and overall fire safety in their community, and some insurance companies recognize the benefit and reduce insurance premiums of those policyholders. Learn more about this at a FREE educational event at the Aptos Library on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 7pm-8pm. You can contact me if you have questions.

Here is information about the Program and certification process: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-USA

FREE TRAINING TO BE A LEADER FOR THE PEOPLE
The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) website has some great information for anyone interested in learning more about being a local government leader. The Institute only happens every two years, but there is a wealth of information on the website.

Candidates for local government office, such as County Supervisor, can begin this Thursday, Sept. 12, to collect signatures of people who support you in your candidacy and help reduce the amount of money you might have to file to run for office. Here is the website

County Supervisors Zach Friend, John Leopold and Bruce McPherson are all up for re-election, and their primary election is in March, 2020.

Soquel Creek Water District Directors Tom LaHue and Bruce Daniels are also up for re-election in 2020, but their election will not happen until November….you have more time to consider running for that critical office.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER IN THE MIDCOUNTY AREA?
Now is the time to take a look at the Santa Cruz MidCounty Groundwater Agency Draft Sustainability Plan and submit your written comments before September 19. Read the Draft Plan online here or in hard copy at the local libraries (you may have to ask the librarian to see it, as it is not on the reference shelves).

I am concerned that the Plan is biased in support of Soquel Creek Water District’s plan to inject treated sewage water into the drinking water for the area.

A VERY SAD LOSS OF A WONDERFULLY KIND SPIRIT
The tragic diving boat fire in Southern California claimed the life of a really kind woman, Vaidehi Campbell. She was passionate about helping people learn more about water, and was patient and kind. She once helped me access some important documents at the Soquel Creek Water District Office when I arrived a few minutes after their 5pm closing time and the doors were locked. She saw me looking in at the door, parked her car, and went inside the office to retrieve the critical document for me. Other staff there had passed by and looked the other way, but Vai went out of her way to help me. She was always so kind to me.

I will miss her, and am so sorry for her family, as well as for the families of all the others who perished in the fire. I am reminded of my good friends, Dave and DeeDee Houghton and their two young sons whose small airplane crashed into the medical offices near the Watsonville Hospital and burned. I still miss them.

Send good thoughts to these families and a gentle “thank you” to the kind souls of Vai Campbell, and the Houghton family.

WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. ATTEND A PUBLIC MEETING. BE KIND, AND MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.

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.
Email Becky at KI6TKB@yahoo.com

September 7
#250 / Earth Alienation

On June 29, 2019, Roger Berkowitz published an essay he called, “Human Being in an Inhuman Age.” Berkowitz is an Associate Professor of Political Studies and Human Rights, and is the Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. My advice is to subscribe to the Hannah Arendt Center newsletter, Amor Mundi, and to read what Berkowitz and other contributors have to say as the newsletter comes to your inbox each week.

In his recent essay, linked above, Berkowitz has this to say:

For Hannah Arendt, the launch of Sputnik … was … an event “second in importance to no other.” Sputnik meant that human beings had taken a real step toward actualizing a long-wished-for goal: to escape the earth. In Arendt’s telling of the story, earth alienation is part and parcel of the all-too-human dream of freeing ourselves from our humanity. Sputnik’s launch thus signified not simply the lowering of humanity’s stature, but humanity’s destruction of humanity itself.

By destroying humanity, Arendt does not mean the replacement of working people by robots or even the possibility of nuclear Armageddon. The danger Sputnik poses to humanity is something else. She names the danger “earth alienation.”

At the core of Arendt’s concept of earth alienation is her imagination of earthliness as an inextricable part of the human condition. As Arendt writes, “The Earth is the very quintessence of the human condition . . . ”

For Arendt, to be human is to be earthly. We are born. We die. We make our way in a world that is mysterious. While we humans can also make and remake our human condition, our earthliness remains as the simple fact that our lives on earth are ultimately subject to fate and fortune beyond our control. The earth is Arendt’s name for that one condition of man’s world—his being a free gift from nowhere—that has been part of the human condition since the beginning of human history.

I have advanced what I call the “Two Worlds Hypothesis,” which suggests that we cannot really understand our existence without understanding that we live in “two worlds,” simultaneously. We usually don’t make this distinction, and many of our most difficult problems come from the fact that we don’t. We conflate our two-fold existence to the idea that we live in one world only. This is the human world that we create, that “political world” that I reference in the title to this daily blog.

While we do, most immediately, live in a world that we create together, we ultimately live in and must depend upon the “World of Nature,” too. This is the “World that God Created,” to use a religious language that seems fine to me, but that many people might not like. That World of Nature is “mysterious,” as Arendt mentions in the quotation provided by Berkowitz. We didn’t create it, and yet here we are! We are totally dependent upon that World of Nature. In any ultimate sense, we are creatures, not creators.

To be honest – as Arendt always sought to be ruthlessly honest – we try to avoid recognizing that our human world is, in fact, wholly dependent upon a world that we did not create, and a world into which we have been most mysteriously born. Our world takes second place to the “World of Nature,” or the “World that God Created.” You can pick some other way to describe it, if you like, but by whatever name we call it, this is the world that ultimately sustains all life, and upon which we are totally dependent.

Since human beings have gone to space, we can now see that the World of Nature that sustains us is nothing other than Earth itself. Remember, if we are honest, we need to confess that human beings have always resented being dependent upon a Creator, or upon anything or anyone else. This is one of the points that Arendt is making. Call it arrogance, or call it pride, human beings arrogate to themselves their supposed right to determine what will and should exist. The picture at the top of today’s blog posting illustrates one of the things that Berkowitz is saying about Arendt’s view of how human beings regard the Earth. Human beings have always wanted to escape the Earth, and to escape our dependency upon it, and this is a dangerous very wish. The picture suggests that it is we who “take care of the Earth,” when the exact opposite is the case. The Earth takes care of us!

Alienation from the Earth is leading us to the end of our “human world,” the world that we usually call human “civilization.” Our efforts to escape from the constraints that Earth imposes, and to disregard its laws, are not a route (as we suppose) to liberation. They are the efforts that mark our doom.

Remember those two hundred dead reindeer. First the reindeer; then us!

Postscript:

If you would like to take your theology (and political theory) by way of the music of Bob Dylan, you can watch this video of Dylan singing “License to Kill” on the Dave Letterman show. Dylan’s lyrics start out with this observation:

Man thinks ’cause he rules the earth
He can do with it as he please
And if things don’t change soon, he will
Oh, man has invented his doom
First step was touching the moon …

Gary Patton is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his daily blog at www.gapatton.net
Email Gary at gapatton@mac.com

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. More looking into our sub con depths and finding stuff you’ve only dreamed about. Scroll down.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” classic covers ” 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 JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Remember when bald-faced lying and corruption in high office could still provoke public outrage and moral courage? Those bygone days are recreated in Gavin Hood’s taut Official Secrets, about a lowly young translator standing up to political skullduggery in the run-up to the Iraqi war. (Opens Friday 9/13 at the Nick.) Read all about it 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.

NIGHTINGALE. Set in Australia in 1825, this is a tale of revenge, blood, race relations, and some early “down under” history. Very bloody, cruel, women’s power no, it’s more like a WOMAN’S power. A good but not great film. CLOSES THURSDAY Sept. 12.

HONEYLAND. A documentary set in today’s Balkans. Though on the surface it’s concerned with how to raise and care for honeybees, it’s actually about humans, community, money, family, love, health — and just about every human characteristic you can think of. Brilliant, touching, well-filmed, important, sensitive. Please see this film.

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE. It’s listed as a comedy because it’s an adapted from a book regarded as funny. Cate Blanchett makes the story of a woman looking for her place on earth and a settling of her life into a deep depressed saga. Billy Crudup is her over the top understanding partner who has to live with her searching. Kristen Wiig acts as her troubled neighbor who becomes one of a few good friends. By luck I also watched Ingmar Bergman’s Persona the next day and found a very sensitive revealing similar story of a woman in search. Both are fine films and well worth seeing.

READY OR NOT. A very worn out plot of a murder chase through a wealthy house is a sad way to waste your time and admission fee. No noticeable actors or acting, a futile poke at people with money being extra cruel, and on and on for 96 minutes. The plot holes are large enough to drive garbage trucks through and they should have. CLOSES THURSDAY Sept. 12.

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. . Lisa Sheridan and Robert Morgan return on September 12 to update the Nissan-Soquel dealership issue. They are followed by Brooke Newman discussing the work and purpose of the Downtown Streets Team. Faisal Fazilat Appears on Sept. 17 to talk about the co-operative group CO-OPSC. After Faisal Vanilla Queen Patricia Rain talks about the Chocolate Vanilla Festival that happens Sept. 26. September 24 has John Hall updating us on The Downtown Commons Advocates and their plans. 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

Fascinating stuff about the Victorians!

“ALABAMA”

“You know what the lowest rated episode we ever had was? Where Captain Kirk kissed Uhura – a white man kissing an African-American woman. All the stations in the American South – in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana – refused to air it. And so our ratings plummeted”. George Takei
“When states like Alabama and Arizona passed some of the harshest immigration laws in history, my Attorney General took them on in court and we won”. Barack Obama
“I started using sunglasses in Alabama. I was going to do a show with Patsy Cline and Bobby Vee, and I left my clear glasses on the plane. I only had the sunshades, and I was quite embarrassed to go onstage with them, but I did it”. Roy Orbison

Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
Direct phone: 831 423-2468
All Technical & Web details: Gunilla Leavitt @ godmoma@gmail.com

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“HOLIDAYS”

“VOTING”

“TREES”

“EARTHQUAKES”

“WHISTLEBLOWERS”

Sandy Lydon’s Central Coast Secrets

GRETA THUNBERG

16.01.010 Purpose.

16.01.040 Applicants—Information to be furnished.

“OCTOBER”

“BUTTIGIEG”

“ALABAMA”

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