SANTA CRUZ CITY HALL AND TAXI FLEET. May 17, 1951. The caption says the head of the Yellow Cab Fleet (and some Acme cabs) is receiving an award, from maybe the mayor? The mayor at that time was George M Penniman. Can any local Pennimans (Pennimen?) vouch for this guy? photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE March 11, 2019

LATE BREAKING NEWS RE VICTORY OVER SOQUEL NISSAN DEALERSHIP. It’ll be old by the time this gets online, but Sustainable Soquel and Lisa Sheridan succeeded in stopping Don Gropetti  from opening another car (Nissan) dealership at Soquel and 41st. Lisa’s press release stated… Nissan Dealership Project Halted

A Superior Court judge decided Friday (3/8) to suspend the county’s approval of a proposed Nissan auto dealership at 41stAvenue and Soquel Drive because the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was flawed.

Judge Paul Burdick ruled that the EIR failed to satisfy the informational purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), adding that the County committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion by certifying that the EIR complied with CEQA mandates.

The ruling favors Sustainable Soquel, the group that sued the County. Burdick said that the Santa Cruz County Planning Department’s EIR failed to discuss and analyze a range of reasonable alternatives that could avoid or reduce the development’s potential negative impacts, including intensified traffic congestion”. The press release goes on to tell of Gropetti’s six other dealerships and ,” Judge Paul Burdick ruled that the EIR failed to satisfy the informational purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), adding that the County committed a prejudicial abuse of discretion by certifying that the EIR complied with CEQA mandates”.

This good news should give much encouragement to all the people/citizens/Santa Cruz residents who are fighting so many developments and developers at this time.

COMMOTION ON OCEAN, Number 908. This is one of those many developments being shoved through our system. 333 small Silicon Valley or student apartments being promoted as having three 3 three levels of “affordability”. This “housing” is proposed for the block across Ocean Street from Santa Cruz Diner. It includes Togo’s and Doc Auto…which are not necessarily great architectural monuments that need preserving…but it’s the community that will suffer. One reader wrote.. “It’s the same message from developers and the city; it will all just magically work out wonderfully. What is the summer daily car count for Ocean Street that we’re not supposed to worry about adding to with all these projects? The thousands of cars idling on Ocean and all the way to the beach creates ever MORE Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, not less GHG, so this is working against what the General Plan specifies should occur, a reduction in GHG emissions.. 
 

The Single Occupancy Units Ordinance (SOU) is flawed for multiple reasons as we are discovering with the proposed 908 Ocean Street project:

1. The Density of 90 units per acre is more than allowed in the General Plan for the zoning in that area now or even if it was zoned (40 units if 1-bedroom) with the Corridor Plan (55 units per acre)….and yet how is that possible?
2. It only allows 1 bedroom units of 400-650 feet.  It does not allow for any other option such as 2 or 3-bedroom units for families.  Of course with 908 Ocean Project they could split the project parcels on May and provide that type of housing but they would rather not as they can have more units this way. 
3. When you have 333 units vs. 166 2-bedroom you can have more people by State law — 1-bedroom allows 2+1 and 2-bedroom allows 2×2+1 so if you roll the numbers you get 999 for 333 SOUs and 830 for 166 2-bedroom units…
4. The parking allowed is only 1 space per unit and no guest parking.  However, the Architect for 908 Ocean realizing that flaw did allow for some guest parking (and sharing of the commercial parking for guests too).   But again, the code does not allow for guest parking while only allowing one parking space per unit.  
5. We don’t yet know if there is on-site property management for this massive proposed project at 908 Ocean — consolidation of 19 parcels at Ocean, Hubbard May and onto Water..  
6. Breaking parking models is the gateway to higher density.  The City Council just did it on a one-year pilot basis for detached ADUs.  And now they are doing it with 908 Ocean Street with multi-car parking racks by a company called Klaus – German company with US office in LaFayette, CA, http://www.klausparking.com/. Can parking racks be considering parking spaces–seems like a grey area? 
7. This is meant to be the City classic “affordable by design” ideal because they are small units.  However, if you have 2-bedroom units instead, you would have 166 less kitchens and 166 less bathrooms and that would make the units overall more affordable.  The logic doesn’t hold but they persist in making this argument because the price per unit is less.  However, 555 Pacific is 94 SOUs and touted as “luxury urban living”….So that idea of “affordable by design” has not played out that way in practice by the developer/owner Swenson.  Bush shouldn’t get quoted, but this comes to mind, “fool me once, shame on–shame on you.  Fool me–you can’t get fooled again”.  
8. The 908 Ocean project units may also possibly be half rental and half for sale.  If that is the case, then the loan options for those that may need to get a loan is constrained to possibly a 7-year loan at 6.5% rather than 4%.  When  555 Pacific was researched this was the case in 2016 and this 908 issue needs checking.  We were alerted to this by an article by Jim Chubb of Pacific Inland in 2015.

The Architect, Salvatore Caruso, of the Salvatore Caruso Design Corporation in Santa Clara  is very smooth, and we can be sure he was brought in as much because of his ability to “sell” the project.  Check out Caruso multi family structures here  https://www.caruso-designs.com  . They’ve changed the 908 designs once but what will this add to our sense of Santa Cruz Community…or just plain “Looks” and appeal? If you know any member of the Santa Cruz City Council get to them quickly. Even if you don’t know them , you should tell them what you believe anyways. Look what Sustainable Soquel did stopping Nissan and Gropetti!!!

SAVE THE CIRCLE CHURCH. The group of stalwart community-minded citizens who want to save the neighborhood and the Church will be at the City Council meeting on March 12, to speak at oral communications. We’ll have to wait to see how that worked. Many of the Circle Community were really hurt that the developers were given so much preference and time to pitch at the so-called “Community Meeting”. At another recent “community meeting” — this one for the aforementioned 908 Ocean Street — the City allowed just the architect to appear, not the developer! So of course the architect kept avoiding the important community issues. This phony meeting was then touted as significant. Why is this allowed?

KZSC Reporter, Jasmine Alvergue is interviewing Ross Camp resident, Greg Bengtson at the camp on Monday.

Sherry Conable R.I.P. Our dear comrade, Sherry Conable was celebrated in poetry, song, and proclamation last Friday night at Peace United Church on High Street. Over 200 celebrants cried, sang, joked and hugged as the irrepressible and much loved Sherry was remembered. It was quite a scene, especially the last song, “Imagine”, that was led by local music legend, Keith Greeninger. Watch the video on facebook here – see how many faces you can pick out in the crowd!

March 11, 2019

THIS WEEK ON THE CITY COUNCIL.
I’m on the run and this is going to be rather brief this week…Good news to report, things are going well on the city council. More residents are showing up for oral communication to discuss neighborhood issues; over 40 people made contributions two weeks ago to the homeless discussion and that helped inform the city staff’s agenda reports this week that deal with relieving the plight of the homeless and houseless in Santa Cruz. And then there’s the issues many of us ran on: making climate mitigation a pillar of city policy decision-making, separating the library from a 5-story garage, and increasing the affordable housing inclusionary percentage, these are being worked on and should be before the council quite soon. Specifically, what was on the agenda this past Tuesday was to expand the areas of where the council can declare a shelter crisis as well as “Transitional Encampment and Safe Sleeping Programs.” Also on the same agenda was the third of three “Mid-Year Review” budget study sessions; the 2018 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports;” and the council was to discuss how it could help Seabright neighbors cope with the recent Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raid in that part of Santa Cruz.

Tent Camp? Camp Ross? Gateway Encampment?
I ran into Greg, a 2-month-long denizen of the camp near the intersection of Highway 1 and River Street, at the “Tent Camp” recently. He was quick to offer me a definition of homeless vs. houseless. “I do not have a house, I have a tent. I am houseless and this camp is home for now” he said. Andy, a pastry chef (“been wanting to get over to the Buttery and apply…”) has lived in San Luis Obispo, Monterey and was born in San Diego. He’s been in Santa Cruz on and off for a few years he said. “It’s funny, people waste so much of their energy hating us,” he said shaking his head sideways. “They drive by constantly honking and yelling, ‘junkie,’ and some woman yesterday yelled ‘thanks for stealing my computer.'”

How Much Longer?
The wood chips have mostly been pushed into a wet layer of mud. I counted 164 tent structures, up from the 151 several days ago, and many people living here call it home for now. I accompanied a KZSC radio programmer into the camp this past Monday as she interviewed five campers for her Thursday afternoon radio show. What we found were determined and smiling people who don’t expect the camp to be here very much longer, but they appear to be quite resilient and proud to be a part of the encampment community. The city council was scheduled to discuss permitting several smaller tent encampments at this past Tuesday’s city council meeting. (BrattonOnline deadline is always the day before the city council meeting.) The hope on the part of city staff and council is to dissolve and relocate this now sprawling village of tarps and acrylic tents surrounded by mounds of clothes, bicycle parts, and people everywhere needing alcohol and drug treatment, healthcare, and job placement counseling. I will come back to this 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

March 4, 2019

#63 / Citizens And Consumers

Jason Zengerle has reviewed a recent book by Michael Tomasky. Tomasky’s book is called, If We Can Keep It. The title references a statement allegedly made by Ben Franklin, when Franklin was asked what the Constitutional Convention had produced. “A Republic, if you can keep it,” is what Franklin is supposed to have replied. 

The focus of Zengerle’s review (and maybe the book) is our current experience with “political polarization.” Political polarizatiion is not so unusual, according to Zengerle (and maybe according to the book). 

I liked Zengerle’s review, and I think it is worth reading. Just click the link if you would like to do that. What struck me most about Zengerle’s review, however, was not the discussion about political polarization. I was an elected official in my local community for twenty years. I know how that “polarization” process works. While it can be uncomfortable, sometimes, I am not, actually, too worried about political polarization. A healthy politics is precisely a politics in which there is an “argument” going on, with the idea being that after the discussion and debate, the public makes a decision, and charts its public policy course. You need the debate to be “polarizing” if politics is going to do its proper job. 

What attracted me to the review was a couple of sentences at the end of a paragraph, not central to the argument about political polarization, but central, I think, to our real political dilemma: 

Where Americans had once cherished “thrift, discipline, doing without,” Tomasky writes, “in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Americans started to become a different people than they had been.” He adds: “Our consumer selves have overwhelmed our citizen selves.”

If we care about democratic self-government, we need to remember that we are “citizens” first, and “consumers” very much later on. I am always thinking about how best to explain democratic self-government, at least partly because I do teach Legal Studies classes at the University of California, Santa Cruz, touching on that topic. As is, of course, not surprising, I have decided that Abraham Lincoln has actually given the most succinct and eloquent presentation of what democratic self-government is all about. 

In his famous address at Gettysburg, Lincoln said that it was the mission of our nation to be sure that a “government of the people, by the people [and] for the people shall not perish from the earth.” 

It is my belief that the most important part of this admonition is its statement that the government must be both “of” and “by” the people, and that these requirements come before the suggestion that the government should be “for” the people. 

It is desirable, of course, that our government be “for” the people, but to the degree that we are looking to someone besides ourselves (to the “government,” in other words) to respond to our needs, and to achieve our deepest hopes, we are positioning ourselves as “consumers” of what “the government” gives us. We must, instead, realize that it is we, ourselves, who have the power to create and destroy. We are not “consumers” of governmental good works. Rather, as “citizens,” we are the government. We must never forget that if we truly want our government to be “for” the people, it must first be “of” and “by” them.

Forget about “polarization” as our primary problem. Start focusing in on political participation.

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. Scroll below to check out Eagan’s classic 1980’s vintage views of our inner-most innards.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” When Life Gives you lemons” 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. Read Tim’s take on Coyotes and Fox News.

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. The fifth concert in their season is titled “MUSA—Chinese Baroque” presents music by Rameau, Pedrini, Pu’an, and more. Derek Tam is the concert director and plays harpsichord; Rita Lilly, soprano; Mindy Ell Chu, mezzo-soprano; Addi Liu, violin and viola; Laura Gaynon, cello; David Wong, guqin and guzheng!!  “Chinese Baroque” explores the dynamic and complex cultural exchanges between Western Europe and China in the 17th and 18th centuries, through the lens of music.  Enjoy rare delights ranging from the only Western-style sonatas written in China before the 20th century to a tune played by the Emperor Kangxi! There’s two performances  Saturday, March 16, 7:30 pm and
Sunday, March 17, 3:00 pm. The Chamber Players concerts are all at … Christ Lutheran Church 10707 Soquel Drive, Aptos (Off Highway 1 at Freedom Blvd.)

JEWEL THEATRE’s production of…”Breaking The Code” runs March 20-April 14 at the Colligan Theatre in the Tannery. It’s the story of Alan Turing who broke the German Code during WWII. Part of his life was his homosexuality that brought him to court and was convicted. Last month (Feb 2019) he was named ‘The Greatest Person of the 20th Century’ by the BBC. Go here for tickets and schedules. https://www.jeweltheatre.net

JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL.
The Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival is now in its 19th year. It presents films free to the public from Saturday, March 30 through Thursday, April 4. The festival opens at the Jewish Community Center in Aptos and continues at the Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz, Aegis (EE-gis) of Aptos, and Samper Recital Hall at Cabrillo College. This year’s program focuses on love, reconciliation, and the pursuit of justice for the powerless. For the full schedule, please visit the Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival online at  https://santacruzjewishfilmfestival.com

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t find anything to watch at the movies last week. Maybe next week! In the meantime, read more about my upcoming book talk at Porter Memorial Library in Soquel, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). And, while the Academy Awards were two weeks ago, my Oscar Barbie, 2019 Edition, is finally ready for her close-up!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. March 12 has Jim Coffis Co-Founder and director of Green Trade talking about cannabis factors. Workmen’s comp. attorney Bob Taren returns to talk area politics and changes in issues following Coffis. On March 19 Maestro Michel Singher talks about the Espressivo Orchestra concert happening March 31st. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Sue Powell and John Sears tell us all about Saving the Circle Church (Errett Circle) on March 26. They’re followed by Don Stump president and CEO of CCH talking  about senior housing and related issues. May 21st has concertmaster Roy Malan discussing the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert occurring on June 2nd. 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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “DAYLIGHT SAVINGS” (a week late but these are the first quotes I’ve ever seen on the topic).
“I forgot its daylight savings and was really confused how I spent an hour making this waffle”. Chris Demarais.
“An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later.”  Winston Churchill  
“Daylight time, a monstrosity in timekeeping.”  Harry S. Truman
“Daylight saving time: Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.” – Anonymous

McHugh Bianchi Store January 27, 1967. This interesting, attractive marvel of a store was at the corner of Mission, Water, Pacific and Front streets. It is now the Bank of The West. It was built in 1886. We started a long battle to save it in 1972, but it was torn down in 1974.                                               photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE March 4, 2019

SAVE THE CIRCLE CHURCH. (Errett Circle). A bunch of Errett Circle residents are working hard to save the historic Church from being torn down and replaced with unwanted development. They sent a letter to the City Council, the planning Commission and the Mayor,  and want any and all of us who care about history, housing and community to help them out. Here’s the entire letter…

“We are writing to let you know our concerns regarding the development proposal for 111 Errett Circle. We are advocating for the preservation of the “Circle Church” as crucial to the integrity of our neighborhood and as a significant element in numerous ways within the larger context of the City of Santa Cruz.

You are aware that recently the church was sold and plans are being made to demolish the existing Church building and develop the property as residential. While we are in solidarity with the city and our fellow community members about the need for more housing in our City, we don’t believe that the proposed development provides the type of housing that is greatly needed – on-site low-income housing and housing for students.

We feel that the proposed residential use of this unique property for a small number of people is outweighed by its historical significance as a center for gatherings and activities that we believe should continue into the future to benefit a wide diversity of residents and visitors.

The Planner for this project informs us that soon documents will be available for public consideration. We are looking forward to engaging with that process, but to be clear, our intention is to advocate for the greater good so that The Circle of Friends LLC investors come to understand the negative impacts of their proposal and agree that the neighborhood and community are best served by preserving and breathing new life into this property, not demolishing and developing it into private housing. There are many pieces to be envisioned and negotiated between where this process is today and a fully supported project that serves the larger community, but we are determined and convinced that as our group widens, a sustainable, creative, and compassionate outcome can be attained.

We look forward to collaborating with you further about why it is so important to preserve the Circle Church.

Here is a partial list of our additional hopes and concerns:

1. The property at 111 Errett Circle has been used as a spiritual center and community gathering place since the late 1800s – for over 125 years. A building called the Tabernacle was dedicated in August 1890. A series of circular streets, which are still an integral part of the urban infrastructure of the Santa Cruz westside, were laid out around the Tabernacle. Streets were named for ministers affiliated with the church, and these are still the street names today. When the Tabernacle burned down in 1935, the congregation met across the street on Errett Circle. The center of the circle was used for a recreational area and community gathering location until Garfield Park Christian Church was built there in 1958.
2. From our review of both the California Register of Historical Resources and the National Register of Historic Places, we believe that the Errett Circle Church meets the criteria for historical designation. We would like to start the nomination process, but this would require support from the property owners.
3. We are concerned that the proposed project does not reflect the historic cultural and ethnic diversity of the Circles and lower westside community.
4. We are concerned about the impact that the proposed project will have on our neighborhood. The Circles area is already very dense, with smaller than standard lots. The proposed project would intensify this density, with high use of infrastructure: water, sewer, traffic, parking.

   Errett Circle has a unique urban layout within the City of Santa Cruz. It is a complete circle, with four streets leading to the center, and as such it creates a dramatic landmark, especially when viewed from West Cliff Drive. In urban design terms, Errett Circle creates a “terminating vista” – which is an important method for adding aesthetic appeal to a city and to emphasize historic structures or monuments. Errett Circle is a visual and metaphoric focal point for neighbors, community, and visitors. We believe that focal point should be maintained into the future, encompassing a larger meaning – as a center that draws people together and reflects the diversity of interests of the Santa Cruz community.

5. Community members that have gathered for over 125 years at the Errett Circle church and meeting rooms – for religious services, classes, and activities – have enjoyed the very special opportunity to connect visually with land, water, and sky, with a view south along Woodrow Avenue to the Pacific Ocean. Community members are already reporting a sense of “eco-anxiety” when contemplating the destruction of the church and the use of the property only for a small number of residents.

On November 28 an Outreach Meeting, as required by the Planning Department Community Outreach Policy, was held at the Church by the prospective developers, “The Circle of Friends Community LLC.” The meeting was well attended as reported in an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. However many of us came away frustrated that the presentation avoided the intent of the Outreach Policy, i.e., that “The applicant will present the project to the community and solicit input that is intended to improve the project so that the final outcome is more satisfying to both the applicant and the community.”

We think that it is essential that community members be given a voice in visions for the future of the property at 111 Errett Circle. Our concerns are for the preservation of the historic structure so that the larger community can enjoy this cultural treasure for many generations into the future.

Sincerely,

John Sears
Sue Powell
Freya Sands

UCSC AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Chloe Reynolds and Laretta Johnson, the editors of City On a Hill Press, and staff, issued a special edition “The Climate Issue” last week. (vol.53 Issue #18). Its not just a helpful guide to recycling, but also reveals the problems and issues that UCSC has dealt with for decades. We (you) can and should read the entire issue here… . But actually the hard print newspaper is easier to read.

So I’ve picked out a few salient issues and skipped around so you can digest the high points. Such as… 1,800 tons of UCSCs excess waste food went to the dump during the 2017-2018 year. In 2016, 44 percent of UCSC students “experienced food insecurity”.  “Afrikan/Black/Caribbean students experienced it at 62 percent and 51 percent respectively”. UC has a zero waste deadline approaching in 2020 “but last year only 69 percent of total waste was diverted into landfills”. UCSC generates 56 pounds of pizza boxes per year. 100,000 to 150,000 pizza boxes are delivered in Santa Cruz each year. About 80 percent of what Americans throw away is recyclable… yet we recycle only 28 percent of it..

Monarch Butterflies have declined by 86 percent since 2017 in Coastal California. There were fewer than 30,000 in the most recent season. They are more than a tourist attraction. They are vitally important to the ecosystems they inhabit. UC refuses to sever ties with the fossil fuel industry which is largely responsible for the Climate Change. On Climate Changes…July 2018 was Californias hottest month in history, at 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit, 5 degrees warmer than the norm. Santa Cruz versus Ice Plant. Ice plant overpowers native flora on the bluffs near Natural Bridges, and disrupts the breeding of the cormorants in the area. There’s lots more in that City on A Hill issue. Check it out.

UCSCS EAST MEADOW. The East Meadow Action Committee (EMAC) released their latest update last week. It says that the University released the final EIR report for the Student Housing West. It’s been submitted to the Regents for approval at the March 13 and 14th meeting in L.A. and looks like it’ll be approved. If so, then EMAC and the rest of the world can either watch the bulldozers tear into the East Meadow, or file suit under the California Environmental Quality Act. They’ll file suit. EMAC needs our help… go to the funding appeal page on their website (eastmeadowaction.org), or use this direct link to the gofundme here

March 4, 2019

CITY COUNCIL AND FOREIGN POLICY (REALLY) MATTERS

City Council This Week

The city council continues to work well together in the policy realm and is not shying away from tough issues. Of course, homelessness for now has been at the top of our list. These are some of the issues that were addressed at the Feb. 26th council meeting:

• The council affirmed that the Ross Camp will not close until adequate space has been opened for the 150-plus campers;
• city staff will return to council with a list of possible places on city-owned property where transitional encampments and RV parking might go;
• staff will bring updates of those who responded to the county’s RFP process to access the $10 million in state funding that came to Santa Cruz County;
• no homeless emergency was declared, and NO parking of RVs will be permitted on Delaware Street;
• the Verizon proposed cellular project at 117 Morrissey Blvd. was denied an encroachment permit for a second time;
• the city council approved a study session, set for March 19th, to look at
• a) transportation demand management (TDM),
• b) parking, and
• c) housing in the downtown;
• Altaira Hatton was selected for the Parks and Rec. Commission and she now joins Gillian Greensite, Jane Mio, and Dawn Schott-Norris on that commission;
• The Santa Cruz City Public Works Department is recommending raising sewage fees by 32% over the next 5 years (7% in each of the first three years followed by 6% for two years), sounds pretty hefty. Council needs to hear from you as all utility payers will be notified by post card soon;
• there was a budget adjustment of $83,000 related to costs at the Ross Camp since December and these costs include the placement of port-a-potties and hand washing stations, distribution of wood chips, regular garbage pick-up, and the placement of a large Sharps Container;
• city council voted to send the 15% inclusionary ordinance (mandated affordable units in every project) to its closed session meeting on March 12, given a pending law suit filed against the city over the Devcon-Lawlor 205-unit Pacific and Laurel project;
• the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance was finally approved and passed on its second reading. The controversial part here is that it will relieve all detached ADU home builders of building an on-site parking space. The council will revisit this ordinance in one year and evaluate how it is proceeding with the idea of overturning it if it is found that neighborhoods have been adversely impacted.
• City council voted unanimously to place an item on the March 12th council agenda to have the community discuss the Homeland Security Investigations-ICE raid that took place in the Seabright neighborhood at 4am this past Feb. 15th.

Not bad for one a council meeting that began at 12:30pm and ended at 1:05am. Long day!

BRAVE U.S. REPRESENTATIVES OR JUST PURSUING A COMMON SENSE FOREIGN POLICY?
Certain elements within the Trump White House are perhaps seeking to orchestrate US troop deployments either along the Venezuelan-Colombian or Brazilian border, or inside of Venezuela itself, or to act as a support network–“advisors”–to a rebel force. The US government, not the United Nations, has recognized Juan Guaidóas the legitimate president of Venezuela (Oil, Inc.? Largest known reserves in the world). With National Security Advisor John Bolton and “Special Venezuelan Envoy” and war criminal, Elliot Abrams stirring the interventionist pot, it is not much of a long-shot bet to say money, advisors, troops or all three are being decided upon, maybe over Chablis and brie, at the Trump International Hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. Now, enter a group of cooler-headed congress members who are saying ,’not so fast.’ Without mentioning Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua earlier in the century, just since 1954 the US has overthrown, intervened or just screwed with governments in Iran and Guatemala in the ’50’s, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, and the Congo in the 60’s; Chile in the 70’s, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Grenada in the 80’s…and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan. All of these ventures saw the US exhibiting an historic imperialist swagger by employing a screenplay ofpolitical rhetoric, often created within the bowels of Langley, Va. and then followed-up by a populist sell-job on the American people. Having been trained in Latin American Studies and having lived through several of these interventions they usually use the following recipe ingredients: 1) identify and make into a hero a local politician or soldier (Guaidó, for example in Venezuela, or former Somoza attaché, Enrique Bermudez in Nicaragua or Jose Napoleon Duarte back in the day in El Salvador), 2) send an aid convoy and have it be rejected (International aid orgs would not even touch US aid destined for Venezuela recently), 3) hope that violence on the part of the government takes hold (and it is very sad that at least two reported deaths happened during the recent aborted food delivery), 4) create a standoff, which usually leads to more violence, or military defections, in hopes of bringing down the government, or create a Gulf of Tonkin scenario or just have the CIA send in an “asset” to kill or be killed, and then later 5) send in advisors and air cover for local rebels, and finally, as Colin Powell famously said before the Iraq invasion, you break it you fix it, and thus 6) the US is “forced” to send in the troops to put the broken pieces back together into a US-style democracy. Seems like any president’s poll numbers almost always go up at the start of any war, no matter how popular or unpopular, just sayin’.

Nope, Just Common Sense Foreign Policy

But wait. There’s a group of at least 47 law-makers, 45 Democrats and two from GOP who signed on to H.R. 1004, which is “to prohibit the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities with respect to Venezuela, and for other purposes.”Here’s the list, hope to see our congress member Jimmy Panetta on there soon. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1004/text?r=11&s=1  It is really not about whether Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is bad or good, incompetent or crafty. It is about sovereignty and letting the Venezuelan people decide their future. Intervention will only bring that country more together around patriotism, and perhaps behind an unpopular president. The Vatican, Mexico, and Ecuador have offered to mediate. Take them up on it.

BERNIE SANDER’S TOWN HALL.
It was a town hall meeting in Washington, D.C and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was interviewing presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders. About 40 local “Berners” gathered inside the Dem Party headquarters at the Galleria Building in downtown Santa Cruz to celebrate Bernie’s candidacy and listen to him joust with the legendary newscaster. Actually, it seemed at times like Bernie was playing Abbott to Blitzer’s Costello, as he would sometimes end Wolf’s sentences, or begin to tell a story and then say, that’s for some other time. Often Bernie would be interviewing the interviewer too. It was the perfect setting, with mostly graduate students from D.C. colleges seemed to be present to emphasize his single-payer healthcare program (now called Medicare for All), tuition-free state college and university waivers, support for universal childcare, his version of the Green New Deal, acknowledging the gargantuan task that the changing climate presents and begin addressing it, and he also strongly supports ano-interventionist policy in Venezuela “because I’m old enough to remember” all those interventions mentioned above. Right now, among the announced candidates and possible contenders, only Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Bernie support all of these issues that seem to matter most to Americans. There are officially 12 Democratic Party candidates and a few others who have not announced who may not yet be there.

By the way, it is interesting to note that as of March 4, according to Ballotpedia, there are now 581 candidates registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for President of the United States in 2019. Yes 581. There’s 195 Democrats and 78 Republicans included in that number.

BERNIE’S, um, AOC’S TWEET OF THE WEEK. Since Bernie is running for President I am going to jump on the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bandwagon (been there since last July) and begin tweeting AOC’s best stuff.

AOC tweets: “According to the GOP, when poor + working people advocate for themselves, we shouldn’t listen bc they’re ‘irresponsible.’ Yet when higher incomes fight for working people, we shouldn’t listen bc they’re ‘hypocrites.’ How about we fight for the right thing bc it’s the right thing?” (March 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

March 2, 2019
#61 / Lennie

Pictured is Lennie Roberts. She is “Lennie” to all who have worked with her (and maybe even to some of those who have worked against her). Click that link to her name, and you’ll be able to read a Sierra Club accolade to Lennie Roberts as an “environmental hero.” The write-up might even be a bit understated!

A tribute to Lennie, and a celebration of her conservation work, will be held on June 21, 2019, under the auspices of Committee for Green Foothills. Lennie played a leadership role in preventing Caltrans from constructing a new, growth-inducing freeway to connect the San Mateo County coastside with San Francisco. We have the Devil’s Slide tunnel instead, plus a coastal trail of breathtaking beauty. Take a ride and try it out, if you haven’t already. Thanks to Lennie’s work on that project, the San Mateo County coastside is now better protected from growth pressures originating on the other side of the hill than anyone could have hoped for. You can click right here for some information on the June celebration. 

Lennie has been on the Board of Directors of Committee for Green Foothills for fifty years. She has served as a policy and legislative advocate for the Committee for forty years. Here is a link to an edition of the Committee for Green Foothills’ Winter 2018 Newsletter, documenting Lennie’s contributions. It is well worth reading, and I particularly commend Lennie’s “Ten Tips For Advocates.”  Lennie is trying to “pass on the spirit,” and I am reproducing them, below, to save you a “click.”

My summation? Thank you, Lennie! My suggestion? Let’s hunt down the “environmental hero” possibilities we all have within us. It’s time to start working on the next fifty years!

My Ten Tips for Advocates

    by Lennie Roberts, Legislative Advocate

Here are ten common sense tips that I point to when people have asked me, “how do you do it?”

1. Learn everything you can about your issue. Knowledge is power!
2. Research the decision-making process and timelines for decisions. Find out what is important to people you are trying to influence.
3. Enlist allies to increase your clout. Empowering others is often a critical element in success.
4. Develop relationships with key people. Building trust with others gives you a huge advantage.
5. Never lie or mislead anyone. If you inadvertently use wrong information, admit your errors!
6. Do not attack others personally. Even with the most vexatious provocateurs, you can—and should—strongly argue against ideas, but not the person.
7. Keep your eye on the goal. Your issue may require many years of effort.
8. Maintain a sense of humor. It will keep you going through the most challenging times.
9. Remember that results are what counts, not your personal glory. Work with anyone and everyone you can, and let others bask in the spotlight wherever possible.
10. Celebrate others genuinely and frequently. Gratitude for large and small victories helps sustain and inspire our efforts.

Good luck, and remember that victories are often temporary, but defeats are permanent. A great deal of the environment that we enjoy and depend upon today has already been compromised. It is vitally important to defend what is left in order to provide for future generations.

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. See another view of what and why we tick with our “inner” associates”. Scroll below

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “classic deep cover” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent  Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. The fifth concert in their season is titled “MUSA—Chinese Baroque” it presents music by Rameau, Pedrini, Pu’an, and more. Derek Tam is the concert director and plays harpsichord; Rita Lilly, soprano; Mindy Ell Chu, mezzo-soprano; Addi Liu, violin and viola; Laura Gaynon, cello; David Wong, guqin and guzheng!!  “Chinese Baroque” explores the dynamic and complex cultural exchanges between Western Europe and China in the 17th and 18th centuries, through the lens of music.  Enjoy rare delights ranging from the only Western-style sonatas written in China before the 20th century to a tune played by the Emperor Kangxi! There’s two performances  Saturday, March 16, 7:30 pm and
Sunday, March 17, 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 orders…”Save the date! I’ll be speaking at Porter Memorial Library, the tiny treasure of Soquel Village, on Wednesday, March 13. Rain or shine! I’m bringing all my books, along with the harrowing tales of how I got them into print. Read all about it this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Also, there’s still time to catch up with Never Look Away, the recent Foreign Language Oscar contender about art and life in postwar Germany. Read my review in this week’s Good Times, then hie thee to The Nick, while it’s still in town!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Rick Longinotti will be talking about a park, a commons, and downtown on March 5th. Then author and art critic Carolyn Burke discusses her newest book, “Foursome”. It focuses on the relationship between two famous couples. March 12 has Jim Coffis Co-Founder and director of Green Trade talking about cannabis factors. Workmen’s comp. attorney Bob Taren returns to talk area politics and changes in issues following Coffis. On March 19 Maestro Michel Singher talks about the Espressivo Orchestra concert happening March 31st. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Don Stump president and CEO of CCH talks about senior housing and related issues on March 26. May 21st has concertmaster Roy Malan discussing the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert occurring on June 2nd.  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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “STORMS”
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”Vivian Greene
“I
think that the
world should be full of cats and full of rain, that’s all, just
cats and
rain, rain and cats, very nice, good
night.”
Charles Bukowski, Betting on the Muse: Poems and Stories

“The rain set early in tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its best to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up and all the cottage warm;”
Robert Browning

668

BUILDING OUR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY COURTHOUSE. June 30, 1965. You can see Pacific Avenue downtown as it then was, from McHugh Bianchi’s on the right to The Catalyst, The Octagon, The Civic… startling changes.                                                  photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE February 25, 2019

DAMNED OSCARS! I’ve probably watched at least 75 years of Oscars. I cannot remember a worse year than last night. Not just the racist choice of Green Book as best picture, but the pacing, the quality of speeches, the miserable jokes and just plain dullness of the entire evening. Then too — aside from Roma — the quality of the year’s worth of movie was way below even the usual. As we read in film trade business journals and columns, the movie business is going through an enormous upheaval. Amazon, Netflix, and conglomerates are threatening the very existence of our near-hallowed theatre palaces. Admission prices nearing $18 in New York City are not exactly making movie theatres more accessible. Movies were once events that brought not just families but whole neighborhoods together. Now, with more and more of us having our own private screens, that sense of sharing has all but vanished.

February 25th, 2019

THROUGH A KANGAROO’S EYE.

Mountain bikers shred down the Emma McCrary multi-use trail in Pogonip: City on a Hill 2016 by staff writer Celia Fong.

With ever increasing population pressures on Santa Cruz, protecting our open space lands from human overuse becomes even more critical. This is true not only for self-interest in having access to areas where one can find quiet sanctuaries “far from the madding crowd” but also where other species of rapidly diminishing flora and fauna can survive.

It was with that in mind, as well as concern for the homeless amongst us, that I suggested setting aside 20 of the 640 acres of Pogonip for a self-contained homeless village, separate from the rest of the open space and of sufficient size to accommodate all who are currently camping with no toilet facilities in makeshift tents throughout the city’s parks, open spaces and beaches. Until we provide such a haven, there is no solution.

Another threat to our open space lands is arguably more impactful. I am referring to the push to include more of what is politely called “active uses” such as technical downhill mountain bike trails, drone zones and off-leash dog parks, all of which have been recommended for the open space lands in the city’s Parks Master Plan (PMP), currently under environmental review with a deadline for comments by March 12th.  While the document hastens to add that no specific sites have been determined and all will need further environmental review, the bias is clear. Prior to developing the draft PMP and to assess residents’ priorities for use of open space lands, the city hired a consulting firm to conduct a random sampling with hiking and walking a clear favorite at 38% and mountain biking at 11%. Apparently not satisfied with the findings, the city conducted another survey with similar results. Despite this clear message to guide decision making, the PMP and environmental review barely mention hiking but instead highlight and prioritize potential new mountain bike trails for Pogonip and DeLaveaga. The stated goal in the PMP is to “accommodate new and emerging trends and satisfy unmet needs” which is equivalent to saying, “hikers, get out of the way.”

The city’s open space lands are a modest 1,315 acres for a population of 64,000. Add a few million visitors; apply a little marketing and online promotion; invite the participation of mountain bike organizations and businesses and in no time at all hikers and bird watchers will have all but disappeared. Soon the birds and other fauna will dwindle as the “madding crowd” takes over. This is not hyperbole. It has happened in other places and is why some communities are limiting “active use” aka mountain biking in open space while our city promotes it.

The State Parks system also fails to protect open space. They court the mountain bike industry while making their own contribution to degrading the land. On a walk through Natural Bridges State Park yesterday I winced at the trail damage from their vehicle tires visible in the photo. The area is closed to other vehicles so this is in-house negligence.

I get it that “active” uses are popular, fun and marketed to young males for thrills. I understand that ignorance is bliss. I confess to going kangaroo hunting as a teenager, raised as I was as a boy and enjoying the camaraderie and excitement. Now I see the world through the kangaroo’s eyes as well as my own. If the city won’t protect the open space lands, it’s up to us. This is not one to sit on the sidelines with a tsk tsk.

Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association  http://darksky.org    Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild.

February 25, 2019

SANCTUARY CITY? NOT SO FAST
There’s real trouble in Surf City and it doesn’t stem from recent city council therapy sessions. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a Santa Cruz home in the Seabright neighborhood on Friday February 15th at 4am. Various neighbors and law enforcement officials say that at least 20 agents arrived in 12 vehicles, including an MRAP military vehicle. Under the cover of darkness they broke down the front door of a middle-aged couple and ransacked their home. At least five flash-bang grenades were exploded; electricity was cut as the federal intruders used lasers mounted to their gun sights to search the house. The couple’s 10-year-old daughter and 23-year old son were also present and had guns pointed directly at them. The vehicles were unmarked and most of what the masked federal enforcers were wearing was equally non-identifiable. A few wore bullet proof vests emblazoned with the letters: POLICE. A smaller HSI logo was harder to see. The use of force in this case was aggressive and perhaps more appropriate for taking a hostile village in a war zone, than occupying the wide streets of the Windsor-Cayuga neighborhood. A door knock would likely have sufficed. Neighbors were jarred from their slumber, the families cell phones confiscated, and a table was set out on the lawn as a staging area to go through the family’s papers that were hauled out from the house. After standing outside in the buff for an hour the couple reentered the house, dressed, had their faces wrapped with sweatshirts so they could not see where they were going. They were then taken to what was later told to them was “a Sherriff’s substation on Portola Drive.”(I found no reference on the internet to a Portola substation.) It was there at our Sanctuary Santa Cruz County Sherriff “substation” that the couple was interrogated by HSI. Most of the questions, according to the couple, pertained to their immigration status. They were released at 1pm with no charges as yet filed by any law enforcement agency. This entire situation left many of us wondering if this is Santa Cruz or Tegucigalpa? San Salvador or Guatemala City? What’s driving raids like this, Trump’s border wall? Our declared Sanctuary City status? Or the federal government’s war on cannabis? All of these rumors are out there and the facts are beginning to speak loudly in favor of a federal backlash.

MRAP—Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected military vehicle came to Santa Cruz on Feb. 15th and woke up the Seabright neighborhood. Twenty men, 12 vehicles, and an MRAP…a lot of fire power for a “mission” that yielded no arrests. Could a knock on the door likely worked just as well?

Neighbors Coming Together
As a result of the raid, doors were knocked in, cars ransacked, five flash-bang grenades were exploded, and two people detained but no charges filed. Go figure. Nineteen neighbors jammed into the living room of a Seabright beach cottage this week to discuss “the raid.”People in the neighborhood to say the least, are on edge, others outright scared, but most who attended the meeting were outraged by the events that unfolded that February morning. These neighbors collectively recounted for three city councilmembers their memories of that fateful morning, and this is what they said: “I’m speechless…where were the police?  Why the extreme approach, why such a dangerous approach.” “This was a threat to safety of our community.” “ICE was here and lying to the police about their activities.” “I live down the block. I couldn’t believe what was happening and how heavy-handed it was.” “The flash bangs were so loud. I grew up in Holland and it reminded me of WWII.” “I live next door…sounded like shots fired when the grenades exploded. I ran to my son’s room, he was pretty freaked out.” “So loud. What I saw were the boys using their toys.” “We went outside and asked them to identify themselves and thy said, no.” “I swear, I was standing there at the curb in my jammies and one of the agents asked, ‘Are you with us?'” “We need real clarification of who is culpable and who is accountable.””It was disturbing to see our neighbors taken away; they had been our neighbors for 20 years.” “Every time they come they are going to terrorize us because we are a sanctuary city.”

Bottom Line
The neighbors want answers. The city council members who were present want answers. We resolved to push for another neighborhood meeting with the police chief and city manager; the city council would host a town hall meeting; and the Mayor and City Council would send letters to our Washington representative, Jimmy Panetta, another one to Governor Gavin Newsom, and also send a sharp rebuke to the Homeland Security office in San Francisco, which evidently directed the raid. Friends, stay tuned, as long as Trump is President this issue is not going away.

THERE’S MONEY ON THE TABLE, AND HEADED TOWARDS SOMEBODY’S POCKET TOO!
Swenson’s Five 55 Pacific ($22.9 million) and 1547 Pacific Avenue ($35 million) opened a new era, a floodgate of high end housing coming to a realtor near you. But even bigger ones are on the way. Recently approved are the 205 units at Laurel and Pacific ($90 million), and on the way is a proposed 333-unit mega-complex called 908 Ocean Street. And then there’s the 89-unit ($$$?) condo project at 190 West Cliff Drive across from the Dream Inn. Make no mistake, Santa Cruz is some valuable real estate and there’s some deep-pocketed developers knocking at the door. For some–real estate, banking, and construction sectors, this is welcome news. For others–baristas, mechanics, teachers, and bar tenders–this housing is not for you, unless you can get two or three others to cram into a one or two-bedroom apartment with you and are able to pay half your salary in rent. But guess what? Most of these will be studios or one-bedrooms, not many 2BR’s because that’s not where the market is at. All of this construction is not what you would call “family friendly” either. It contemplates a future that is young, up and coming wealthy, or fast-tracking their way to wealth at Google or Apple or Amazon. These are the $120,000-plus a year twenty-somethings. Because that’s where the market is. This is all fine if you’re bankrolling these projects and pulling in profits, but if you’ve lived here for years, or were born here and just lost your apartment because of a rent increase, these new housing projects are not good news. Why? Because all housing is not created equal. Santa Cruz severely lacks enough moderate and low income housing for the people who live here now and want to stay. This is where local government comes in.

FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Local government can help level the playing field by securing funds for affordable housing, boosting the minimum wage to a living wage, demanding developers build the mandatory 15% inclusionary affordable units in each project, and allow for maximum public input into all development decisions. There is big money flowing to, and through, our Surf City and it likely mirrors what’s going on nationally, less and less people own more and more of our town, state, country, and planet. I am in local government precisely to help level the playing field and include the vulnerable and those historically left out of the decision-making process. Government can be empowering and local government can be especially critical in that process and serving the needs of residents.

“No surprise. Insurance and drug companies oppose Medicare for All. They make billions in profits from our dysfunctional system and pay their CEOs outrageous amounts.” (Feb. 23)

(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

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Check a few turns below for this week’s visit to that special inner world and our special faithful friends.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Global Warming ” 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.

SANTA CRUZ BAROQUE FESTIVAL…Concert #II is titled “Roots of Bach & Telemann” .It features…The Virtu Ensemble: Claudia Gantivar, Recorder. Angelique Zuluaga, Soprano. Cynthia Black, Violin. Frederic Rosselet, Cello and Bernard Gordillo, Harpsichord Revel in the sensuous early and mid-Baroque Italian melodies of Frescobaldi and Corelli that Bach spent his youth emulating, along with glorious chamber works and a joyous cantata by his best friend Georg Phillip Telemann. A pre-concert talk begins 45 minutes before each concert. It’s happening on Sunday, March 3 at 3 p.m. in the UCSC Music Recital Hall.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa is probably up to her ears editing viewing and may share the world’s bafflement over the last Oscar night. Read her newest at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. February 26 has George Fogelson and Barry Braverman discussing  the book, “Between The Redwoods and The Bay- a History of Jews In Santa Cruz”. Jean Brocklebank and Judi Grunstra discuss Santa Cruz library plans following Fogelson. Rick Longinotti will be talking about a park, a commons, and downtown on March 5th. Then author and art critic Carolyn Burke discusses her newest book, “Foursome”. It focuses on the relationship between two famous couples. March 12 has Jim Coffis Co-Founder and director of Green Trade talking about cannabis factors. Workmen’s comp. attorney Bob Taren returns to talk area politics and changes in issues following Coffis. On March 19 Maestro Michel Singher talks about the Espressivo Orchestra concert happening March 31st. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. May 21st has concertmaster Roy Malan discussing the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert occurring on June 2nd.  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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “March”
In March the soft rains continued, and each storm waited courteously until its predecessor sunk beneath the ground. John Steinbeck
March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like. Garrison Keillor
“Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true.” Alfred Lord Tennyson

A POLITICALLY DIFFERENT SANTA CRUZ. Back on May 22, 1965, these three Republicans stood very tall around here. On the left is Carl Conelly, trustee and co-founder of Cabrillo College. In the middle — in more ways than one — is Gerald Ford, who became our President in 1974 after being VP, and a member of the Warren Commission before that. On the right (but not too far right) is Donald Grunsky, lawyer and Republican State Assemblyman and our State Senator from 1947 to 1976. This photo was taken in The Deer Park Tavern in Aptos.                                            The Aptos History Museum online page says… “1933 – Deer Park Tavern built by N.J. (Shorty) Butriza, a Yugoslavian. The Tyrolean-style building was originally decorated with hunting trophies, and music was supplied by a Hammond organ built for the place. The widening of Highway One in 1947 forced Shorty to move it up the hill to its current location. It’s now known as the Bittersweet Bistro”. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

February 18

RUMORS AND RUMINATIONS. Even the most casual followers of our political scene weren’t surprised by Cynthia Mathews, Mayor Martine Watkins and Donna Meyers voting against downtown employees getting free Metro Bus Passes. We’ve seen some of this same 4-3 vote split before, and we’ll see much more.

Speaking of Downtown, I can’t find the source when I need it but let’s get behind the concept of turning the Cathcart, Cedar, Lincoln, Farmer’s Market lot into something beautiful and useful…like a PLAZA or just a park. It could and would be 100% better utilized and attractive — and even money-making for our City coffers. The Library Garage plot for that space seems to be dying, so let’s get a positive, productive movement on this ASAP.

PAUL HOSTETTER HAS LEFT. Many, many of our Santa Cruz communities will feel the loss of Paul Hostetter, who died last Wednesday (2/13) As a musician, activist and critic, Paul gave more of himself to the world than just about anyone I have ever known.

He moved here from Detroit decades ago, played many stringed instruments, and we sessioned together with Hank Bradley way back starting around 1970. His musically-talented daughters Marandi, and Kaethe and of course his wife Robin Petrie will carry on Paul’s love of music, but we’ve lost much more than that.

Karla Hutton filmed a fine interview with Paul about five years ago. You can see it here…

FEBRUARY 18

CHANGE AGENTS @ CITY HALL

“Camp Ross” continues. This week I counted 159 tent structures, up from 134 two weeks ago. The Council and community continue to work on solutions. All I can say is, soon but we need viable options for all residents before simply closing it.

There’s only been three Santa Cruz city council meetings this year, but political winds at city hall are blowing in a decidedly let’s-get-something-done direction. Recent additions, Justin Cummings and Drew Glover have already created political climate change, Santa Cruz-style, in local decision-making. The February 12 council meeting saw a new majority’s agenda on display. After many community meetings, council discussions, and staff presentations the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance was amended and the city will not require a parking space to be built for a new detached ADU. The vote was 6-1. It was approved as a “pilot project,” and the council will revisit this ordinance again in one year in order to evaluate the impacts of parking on neighborhoods and whether many units were actually developed as a result of the new law. Next, a spirited debate took place about whether to provide Eco Passes, monthly Metro bus passes, to ALL 4000-plus downtown employees. It was a motion endorsed by the Downtown Commission, but not by city staff. The 4-3 outcome was a step in the direction of addressing climate change and downtown traffic congestions by offering residents real encouragement and incentives to leave their cars home by using the bus, or one of the many Jump Bikes around town. Bus passes will be free and the Jump Bike fee will be drastically reduced. It is a big step the council took, but with support coming from the Sierra Club, the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, and Santa Cruz Climate Action Network (SCCAN). It’s a decision, similar to the lifting of parking for ADUs that can be revisited after a trial period, tweaked, even scaled down, or if proving successful, scaled up.

Study Session Anyone?
Towards the end of Eco-Pass discussion, Councilmember Cummings introduced another motion proposing a council-community study session on March 19 that would focus on parking, traffic, and housing in the downtown. It was the new majority (4-3 vote) wanting to get ahead of the building-development curve and becoming proactive hoping to understand all the issues going on downtown and work with the community, especially on parking and housing. From what I’ve been told, downtown goes from Water Street to Laurel Street and from the San Lorenzo River to Center Street. Several speakers are invited to this event including UCSC Prof. Adam Millard-Ball whose essay on driverless cars creating worse parking jams went viral recently.

Rental Housing Task Force
The council agreed in a 7-0 vote to hire a Sacramento consulting firm, Consensus and Collaboration Program (CCP) to assist our city in moving forward to address our housing needs. The charge of this newly formed task force will be:

1. Ensure analysis is data driven
   • Look at what other cities have done
   • Gather info on rent increases and evictions over the past 5 years
   • Develop/utilize landlord database
2. Utilize a variety of communication/outreach tools: Discussion circles, surveys, smaller groups where opposing interests meet together and talk

1. Spell out areas of consensus
2. Develop protections addressing needs of each opposing interest
   • Protect tenants from inflationary rent increases
   • Protect annual return on investment for landlords
   • Develop causes for eviction and terms of no-fault eviction
   • Provide just cause eviction exemptions
   • Consider exemptions for those landlords who are already renting at below market
   • Investigate costs related to making publically available all leases, rent increases and complaints

Response to Homelessness
Tepid. The city council gave staff direction to come back to the council, more blah, blah, but as far as putting real on the ground “solutions” out there, little came out of this agenda item. But if Drew Glover, Sandy Brown, and me have anything to say or contribute, a homeless emergency declaration will be voted upon at our next meeting (Feb. 26) along with opening additional restrooms and washing stations, buying property for an emergency shelter, and identifying an RV parking area (not Delaware Street) will all be in the mix. Stay tuned, February 26! We did award Brent Adams $5k to help support his storage program for homeless people’s belongings and that was positive.

Brand New Majority Commission Appointments
On January 8, the Santa Cruz city council made several commission appointments. If you remember, Councilmember Brown and I have not had any of our nominees appointed to city commissions outside of the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Woman (CPVAW). But the dam broke during the first month of the year. Here is an impressive list of new commission members. Expectations are high and politics may begin to get more interesting.

Arts Commission—Sean Swain McGowen, Janina Larenas, Owen Thomas, and MK Veniegas
CPVAW—Ann Simonton
Downtown Commission—Brett Garrett
Historic Preservation Commission—Ross Gibson
Parks and Recreation Commission—Gillian Greensite and Dawn Schott-Norris
Planning Commission–Miriam Greenberg and Andy Schiffrin
Transportation and Public Works—Shawn Orgel-Olson

“Before Social Security was created in 1932, about half of seniors lived in poverty. Today, the senior poverty rate is just 8.8% and in 2016 Social Security lifted 22 million Americans out of poverty. Our job is not to cut Social Security. Our job is to expand it.” (Feb. 17)

(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

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Get your weekly inner chuckle from Tim Eagan’s classic Subconscious  playground. Scroll southward.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Trickle Down Economics“” 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.

Don’t miss the programming of Robots in his blog.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa says, “Return of the Dueling Divas! My slugfest . . . oops, I mean my reasonable discussion with Christina Waters over this year’s Oscar nominees, wraps up this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ).  Watch the broadcast Sunday night, February 24, 5 pm, and see how we did!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Co-Authors and Publishers Doug and Rachel Abrams discuss their new book on finding, maintaining relationships “Eight Dates” on Feb.19. Vets Service Officer Dean Kaufman follows them and talks about many new veterans’ benefits and area events. February 26 has George Fogelson and Barry Braverman discuss the book, “Between The Redwoods and The Bay- a History of Jews In Santa Cruz”. Jean Brocklebank and Judi Grunstra discuss Santa Cruz library plans following Fogelson. Workers comp attorney Bob Taren returns March 5 to share his thoughts on the political scene.  Then author and art critic Carolyn Burke discusses her newest book, “Foursome”. It focuses on the relationship between two famous couples. On March 19 Maestro Michel Singher talks about the Espressivo Orchestra concert happening March 31st. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. May 21st has concertmaster Roy Malan discussing the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert occurring on June 2nd. 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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “The Oscars”
“The Oscars are a lot different when you are a nominee. You walk around with this big smile on your face, and everyone, even people who work for rival film companies, tells you they voted for you“. Samuel Goldwyn
“Our minds are big enough to contemplate the cosmos but small enough to care about who wins an Oscar”. Dean Cavanagh
“Nothing can take the sting off the world’s economic problems like watching millionaires present each other golden statues.” Billy Crystal
“I haven’t had an orthodox career and I wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn’t feel it, but this time I feel it and I can’t deny the fact that you like me—right now, you like me!”
Sally Field, Best Actress, Places in the Heart, 1984

SOQUEL STORM 1955.  Looking east toward Veterle Plumbing & Tile.  On the bridge over Soquel Creek.                                                                                           photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE February 11, 2019

THAT DAMNED De LAVEAGA GOLF COURSE. We should change the name to De La VACANT or De La VACUATE !!!

With Pebble Beach Pro Am winding down and away, we need to look at what should be regarded as one of our largest money wasting facts. A good friend wrote to us… “Our taxes still subsidize every round of golf played at DeLaveaga golf course. Two activists were able to get the residential portion of supporting the harbor to end, but no one has ever succeeded in getting the DeLaVeaga golf course to  be 100% self supporting. Why not, and why is their budget so hard to find or see in print?  It’s always a brick wall topic, shouldn’t  the Grand Jury look at the non transparency of the golf   course operations ?. Most cities are closing their municipal golf courses due to funding problems, we pay for it. And how about  the environmental problems, like poisons for the grass flowing down the many creeks that emanate from there and end up in the Monterey May Sanctuary ?  And that it’s watered with potable water, not recycled water.   Why is the parking free at the golf course, when every other facility in town is not given free parking for customers, or even workers ? Charging for parking to make up the budget shortfall would be a place to start. The Frisbee golfers have to pay to park, why not the undercharged per round golfers? Another unanswered question ….Why and how is   $900,000 of city money going into the DeLaveaga Restaurant? Hopefully the city council will have looked at this on Feb. 12 and have made some definite changes…we’ll see.                                                                                                

SHERRY CONABLE. Sherry Conable certainly deserves all the love, honors, tributes and credit our community has been given to her. She was a truly wonderful and dedicated woman. When she decided to conclude her life it’s just possible that Sherry determined that she had finished the work she set out to do. I think she deserves even extra merit. One friend who read her good bye note said it was surprising how short, simple and lacking elegance the note was.  There was an apology, a good bye, and a love.

February 11, 2019

NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT.
I joined city councilmembers Drew Glover and Sandy Brown this past week in crafting several city council agenda items, which we thought were going to be on the February 12th city council agenda. Much to our collective consternation, the pushing of paper goal posts were moved and we missed a mayoral-imposed deadline to get on the official agenda. The resolutions we intend to put forward include re-opening city restrooms to the public at De Laveaga Park, inside the Louden Nelson center, and at city hall; creating an RV overnight parking area; declaring a “homeless state of emergency” in Santa Cruz; and outlining rules and regulations around “transitional camps” in order to transition away from the chaotic “Camp Ross” behind the Gateway Shopping Plaza on River Street. We are hoping to create a robust council discussion around organized and managed campgrounds. Councilmember Glover posted an insightful piece on Santa Cruz IndyMedia about what can only be characterized as the agenda snafu-doo doo controversy. (It’s titled, “The Fierce Urgency of Now.” )

Glover writes: “We need action NOW in Santa Cruz, not more reports or updates. Conversations and brainstorming is always important, but now is the time we need action. That is why I have been working for the last three weeks, alongside fellow Councilmembers, interns, advocates and people experiencing homelessness, on creating actionable policies that can be implemented now. We have solutions for the camps, solutions for RVs and car camping, solutions for zoning and the bureaucratic obstacles that have slowed action in the past. We have solutions for access to bathrooms and hygiene facilities, survival materials and more. There are those within the City Council that support the items for action at this next Council meeting on February 12th, and I applaud them. However, there are those who are slowing us down. Specifically, it is the Mayor that is making it difficult for us to take any action at the next City Council meeting.” 

Brand New Council Community Meeting No. 2
Another well-attended community-council planning meeting took place on Sunday February 3rd. It was a follow-up agenda-setting meeting from Dec. 2nd. The three-hour marathon session covered issues ranging from affordable housing to homelessness to oversight of the police department to transportation. It was a much-needed brain-storming session. One of the meeting facilitators wrote a follow-up email and characterized it this way:

1)” Networking function–These meetings can be a place where groups can update each other on issues they are working on and ask for support at Council at key times. In order for this to function well, representatives of active groups need to be present at each meeting. The representative can be prepared to make a brief presentation at the meeting. We can think of some groups that were not represented at the meeting on Sunday and invite them. Maybe each meeting can feature a longer presentation by one group with a focus on “How we are working with City Council.  2) “Place to plug in–I got the sense from a number of the working group reports on Sunday that people want to contribute, but they may not be ready to start their own working group. They may be unaware of the work already being done on an issue and unfamiliar with valuable information about that issue. So, with leaders from active groups present, the people who want to plug in will be able to do so.” The next large group community-city council meeting is scheduled for Sunday, March 17th at 10am. Mark your calendar.

Green New Deal
I attended the Green New Deal kick-off at the Walnut Street Commons last week. Great turnout! Over fifty people crammed into to their lounge to watch the Sunrise Movement’s nationwide group-chat about what the Green New Deal is and also to help strategize for getting it through congress. At first blush, 40 congress members signed on, but now it is up to 64 co-sponsors and the group is pushing for more. This week Green New Dealers will be visiting their members of congress who haven’t yet signed on (Jimmy Panetta get ready, we need you!). The Sunrise Movement’s web site reads: “Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey have introduced a Joint Resolution for a Green New Deal. If resolutions get enough cosponsors, they can become a major driver of the policy debate! If not, they can get lost in the political shuffle and fade into oblivion. That’s why from Feb. 11-13, we are going to show up in person at our Senators’ and Representatives’ offices and ask them to cosponsor the Green New Deal Resolution.” Best document I’ve encountered, through the Washington Post’s “Energy 202” column, is a Google doc outlining the Green New Deal. It can be located here

What about a city council resolution outlining what a Green New Deal might look like for Santa Cruz?

Sherry Conable
So much has been written this past week about Sherry. We lost her on February 4th. Her body was found at Cowell’s Beach, an apparent suicide. Sherry was a pillar of positive, activist energy in this community whether it was her dogged pursuit of adequate police review, or how better to serve the homeless and houseless community. Perhaps she was most integral and active in the peace movement: Veterans for Peace, Resource Center for Non-Violence and Code Pink. Sherry showed up early and often, and was a shining star. Her words were measured, but forceful, and her resolve and commitment to peace never wavered.  Sherry Conable was a community hero. We’ve lost a friend, a mother, an activist, a kibitzer, a local historian. Sherry was part of every peace effort going back to the NO NUKES Jackson Brown concert in the ’70’s. And as Paula Leroy noted in a recent email, Sherry “organized dozens of rallies and events that helped us voice our views about war, militarization of the police (SCRAM), treatment of veterans, immigration, homelessness, and many more. She brought us together and made our voices and community stronger in beautiful ways. In her glorious pink outfit with flowered wreath, she marched in Gay Pride, Women’s March, Anti-Iraq and Afghanistan invasion rallies and every important cause for decades.”Sherry was the real Santa Cruz deal. We love you Sherry, rest in peace, we miss you already. Sherry Conable presente!

The Go-Figure Department
The city of Santa Cruz through the Public Works Department’s maintenance fund (general fund revenue) has shelled out $300,000 to fix up the restaurant at the DeLaveaga golf course. This comes after a 47-year-long tenant vacated. Well, I wasn’t wholly in favor of that past disbursement of city money, but I learned to live with it. But now, there’s an agenda item, #10, on this week’s council agenda asking for $600,000 more to get the job done. Ouch! With all the needs in Santa Cruz–affordable housing, need for more bus service to the university and other parts of the county, housing for the people at Camp Ross, affordable childcare–someone in the city wants throw $600k more for a 19th watering hole restaurant at the golf course? Doesn’t make immediate sense to this councilmember. You can read the staff report herehttp://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=1162&doctype=AGENDA

The Tweet of the Week space is reserved for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her relentless questioning of ethics “experts” in a congressional hearing this past week. She eviscerates the notion that $$$ equals free speech in an incredibly entertaining “Let’s Play a Game” way. You gotta see this, it’s just five minutes.

(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

February 5, 2019
#36 / Updating Socrates?

Charles Krauthammer, pictured next to Socrates, was a “leaning right” political pundit who apparently compared President George W. Bush to Abraham Lincoln. Krauthammer died in June, 2018. Abraham Lincoln died in April, 1865. George W. Bush is still alive. 

Krauthammer left behind a set of essays, now published in book form under the title, The Point of it All. I have not read Krauthammer’s book, but I have read a review, published in my local newspaper on Sunday, January 20th. The review, by Daniel Oppenheimer, contained a line that Oppenheimer said was “core” to Krauthammer’s worldview: 

Beware the too-examined life.
According to Oppenheimer, Krauthammer believed that “introspection, self-counsciousness [and] deconstruction…were more likely to be vices than virtues, corrosive to the good life, sound political judgment and global leadership.”

Socrates was one of the founders of Western philosophy. He had a different idea. Here is one of Socrates’ most famous sayings:

The unexamined life is not worth living. 
Krauthammer did have an advantage that Socrates did not. Krauthammer lived post-Shakespeare, and can be expected to have pondered Hamlet’s agonized ruminations about how we often fail to take action, as we ought, when our resolution becomes “sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.”

Another pundit, Thomas Friedman (still alive), has “debriefed” the Iraq War, one of the main initiatives of President George W. Bush, whom Krauthammer thought was a Lincoln-like hero. Considering the Iraq War, which has been disastrous in virtually every way, Friedman poses this question to past-president Bush:

What were you thinking?
Now, I guess, with the Krauthammer book, we know the answer. Influenced by the kind of “worldview” espoused by Krauthammer, our president wasn’t thinking at all!

As far as I am concerned, Krauthammer’s comparison of Bush to Lincoln is not convincing. With all due respect to Krauthammer (and to Shakespeare), when I think about what sort of leader I would like to have guiding our national policy, it strikes me that it would be an advantage, not a fault, to have a leader who “thinks” before that leader acts.

Just to be clear, in other words, as between Krauthammer and Socrates, I am sticking with Socrates!

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. Do check out our weekly visit to our nether regions…and enjoy!!!

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Parading the Truth” 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. “My dialogue with Christina (Waters) over this year’s Oscar nominees continues this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/).  And there’s still time to catch up with two outstanding Oscar contenders in the Foreign Language category, the dark, delirious romantic complexity of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Polish drama, Cold War, and Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki’s harrowing but mesmerizing portrait of refugee children surviving the indifferent grown-up world in Capernaum.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Authors and Publishers Doug and Rachel Abrams discuss their new book on finding, maintaining relationships “Eight Dates” on Feb.19. Vets Service Officer Dean Kaufman follows them and talks about many new veterans’ benefits and area events. February 26 has George Fogelson and Barry Braverman discuss the book, “Between The Redwoods and The Bay- a History of Jews In Santa Cruz”. Jean Brocklebank and Judi Grunstra discuss Santa Cruz library plans following Fogelson. Workers comp attorney Bob Taren returns March 5 to share his thoughts on the political scene. On March 19 Maestro Michel Singher talks about the Espressivo Orchestra concert happening March 31st. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. May 21st has concertmaster Roy Malan discussing the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert occurring on June 2nd. 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

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. Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “PRESIDENTS & PRESIDENTS DAY””
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – Abraham Lincoln

“We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions — bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality. Whoever seeks to set one nationality against another, seeks to degrade all nationalities.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt  

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”  Barack Obama 

SANTA CRUZ’S CHINATOWN ca. 1905-1955. Known as Birkenseer’s China Lane. That’s the Garibaldi Hotel on the far left.                                                                                    photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE February 4. 2019

JOHN LAIRD CANDIDATE AND HISTORIAN. John was on Universal Grapevine last Tuesday (1/29). We had a fine talk about his campaigning for State Senate. Last week I ran a historical photo here of Thrash Motors that stood at the corner of Front and Cathcart Streets. John sent this neat note re that photo.

“Bruce – I enjoyed the photo of Thrash Motors. I do extensive family history research, and my Danish immigrant great-grandmother had a brother who died in 1903 in Oklahoma and left a widow and four young children. I looked in records, and was surprised to find the widow and one child in Santa Cruz, California in the 1920 census. Further research showed that the daughter, Maree Christensen – married Sylvan “Pop” Thrash. He was the owner of Thrash Motors that you pictured and they lived in Santa Cruz together for fifty years until their deaths in the 1970’s. I don’t think my grandmother ever knew she had a first cousin in Santa Cruz. Great to be on your show last Tuesday”. It’s probably too early for endorsements!!

BORGEN. Borgen translates as “the castle” in Danish, and I must tell you that I’ve been totally immersed in this three season iTunes saga since my daughter Hillary found and recommended it. It’s the story of a woman who becomes the first female Prime Minister of Denmark. If you like politics and wonder what a politician’s life is like, forget any American versions and watch this instead. The show started in 2010, and from what I hear it won’t go past the third series. Forget “Veep”, “House of Cards”, “The West Wing” and the rest… Borgen is far superior. I’d give you your money back IF and etc….but it would be too much trouble, and you’ll love it too.

DICK DOUBRAVA DIED. Dick’s good friend Fred Geiger wrote to tell us that Dick Doubrava had congestive heart failure for a while, it steadily worsened, and he finally went on Tuesday afternoon at home. His wife Diane was with him. Dick was active in the Terrace Point Action Network with Gordon Pusser, and he was also on the City Planning Commission for 5 years, including a term as Chair. Additionally he was part of SCRP for quite a while — including being involved in stopping the massive Dream Inn expansion — and ran for City Council in 2000. He was also active in the Seniors Center for many years, and bus Captain at the Senior Follies at the Civic for quite a few years. A great guy and liked by all who knew him!

February 4th, 2019

WHAT MONARCHS?
Few issues arouse such intense feelings as that of the proposed 32-mile rail trail for Santa Cruz County. Trail only advocates and rail trail advocates square off from opposite sides of the ring, hurling verbal challenges and opposing facts. Into the ring steps the city of Santa Cruz whose job it is to assess the environmental impacts of the rail trail for the segments that lie within its boundary. Theoretically, such assessment should be objective and accurate, allowing for an emotion- free evaluation of how the project will impact the environment, whether the impacts are significant and if they are , how or whether they can be mitigated.  So it was not encouraging that the city’s environmental review of Segment 7 Phase 2, the stretch of rail line that is less than a mile long, running from California and Bay Streets down past the Water Treatment Plant and ending at the wharf roundabout omitted any mention of the monarch butterfly habitat next to the trestle bridge in the eucalyptus grove pictured. There’s even a plaque at the site recognizing it as a monarch site. Somehow the city, in this case Public Works, didn’t notice it, like a referee who fails to notice a strike to the groin.

As is often the case, it took community members, in this case the Sierra Club, which supports the rail trail, to point out the monarch omission and other environmental inadequacies. As a result, Public Works re-circulated the environmental document, this time with the inclusion of the monarch site. If you were expecting a valid environmental review of the butterfly habitat you will be disappointed. Despite this being a recognized monarch overwintering habitat, the city claims, with no evidence, that “the current habitat suitability (for monarchs) is low due to the lack of low branches and nearby nectar sources.” The trees in the grove never had low branches and the nearby nectar sources have not disappeared. The city’s 2030 General Plan on page 127 states that to evaluate the current habitat value for monarch butterflies,  “multi-year surveys are required during the winter roosting season.” Since the city has had this segment of the rail trail on its radar for a number of years, the lack of proper environmental review for this monarch habitat is negligence or indifference or both. When placed in the context of other environmental review shortcomings on the part of the city, (Heritage Tree Ordinance changes for example) it is hard to not conclude that the city is failing in its task of an objective reviewer of the environmental impacts of its various projects. One might even conclude it is deliberate bias to favor pet projects, this being one of them, leaving the community little options other than lawsuits.

The project itself is fraught with environmental and cost problems. Less than a mile long, this Segment 7, Phase 2 is projected to cost $10 million to construct a trail next to the existing rail line. It requires 3,500 cubic yards of earth removal to create the width of the trail into the western bank, a retaining wall between 3.5 and 19.5 feet high to shore up the remaining bank, the removal of 42 trees, many of them heritage size, the channelizing of year-round springs, the removal of riparian vegetation and the displacement of birds, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The suggestion in the city’s review that the aforementioned fauna can relocate suggests a lack of environmental awareness or a lack of caring or both.

Meanwhile up on Bay Street, bike lanes run all the way to West Cliff Drive and another bike/walking path winds through La Barranca Park. Perhaps not ideal but perhaps sufficient if the environmental losses and costs for this project are more carefully evaluated with a cool head and unbiased mind. The Planning Commission is expected to review and vote on the Mitigated Negative Declaration for this project at its March 7th meeting.

Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association  http://darksky.org    Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild.

Feb.4. 2019

THIS WEEK ON THE CITY COUNCIL
Not much in-public council biz is taking place these past couple of weeks, and behind the scenes political chess pieces continue to move lethargically if at all. Our last council meeting took place on January 22nd and at that time I suggested two study sessions, one on homelessness and another on the library-in-a-garage project. The city manager said staff would likely not be prepared for a study session, so I was forced to make a motion that the council place an agenda item concerning homelessness on its next regularly scheduled meeting, February 12. It passed unanimously, but it was unusual to have to make such a motion. I simply wanted to ensure that the council begins to address the critical situation behind the Gateway shopping center, now dubbed, Camp Ross. It has become a metaphor for the houseless in this community. Call me paranoid, but the more the new council wants to move forward on addressing homelessness, tenant protections, inclusionary housing, and the library-in-the-garage project, the more we seem to be met with murmurs of slow down! Not so fast now…got to get the new councilmembers up to speed. But yet we are seeing two separate Tuesdays (Jan. 29 and Feb. 5), days all councilmembers presumably have marked in their calendars for city business, pass by with nary a public meeting. Go figure.

Lawsuits, Lawsuits, Lawsuits
Five major projects are either being threatened with a law suit, or already find themselves in the midst of litigation. Bruce Bratton reported on two of those last week, Sustainable Soquel vs. Nissan Dealership and East Meadow Action Committee vs. UCSC and Regents. What I’ve learned while working in government is that often filing a law suit is the only way to get the attention of either a municipality’s decision-makers or a corporate board room. The stopping of bad, and sometimes a good, projects take time and money, but money is key, you usually need a lawyer. As the former Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission, Peter Douglas, was fond of saying, the coast is never saved, the coast is always being saved. The law suits before us generally offer the picture of a community that cares about quality of life, increasing affordable housing, and providing transportation options. I will offer brief updates on the other three current or potential cases of litigation.

Hatch and Pomerantz v. City of Santa Cruz
Local environmental attorney Bill Parkin states early in his Dec. 11, 2019 letter to the Santa Cruz City Council, “It has become obvious that the City pays lip service to the need for affordable housing and uses the need as a tool to endlessly promote development within the City.” What’s at issue for Parkin and his clients is that they do not believe the city of Santa Cruz is enforcing the will of the voters as enshrined in the language of 1979’s ballot initiative, Measure O. “Measure O’s mandate is clear: It shall be the policy of the City of Santa Cruz that at least 15% of those housing units newly constructed for sale or rental each year shall be capable of purchase or rental by persons with average or below average incomes.” What’s at issue is that Parkin’s clients want the 203-unit Devcon project at Laurel and Pacific Avenue to build the inclusionary units.  The 6-story project was approved last year by the city council majority at zero units of affordability, Measure O seems to indicate that approximately 31 apartments in that project ought to be built as “affordable.” The “Notice of Intent to Commence Litigation” arrived on the council doorstep on January 4th, and this law suit takes issue with ignoring the intent of Measure O and CEQA requirements as well.

Ocean Street Extension
This law suit is over the property at 1935 Ocean St. Extension across from Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery. It concerns the neighbor’s law suit at odds with a city council-majority approval of a 32-condominium project for that site. The property was originally zoned for nine single-family homes. The case is moving toward the courts, but mediation is always an option. Word has it that the owners of the property have offered it as a temporary camp site to the city for one year as the law suit plays itself out.

Potential Litigation to Stop Highway widening
This is currently only a threatened law suit by unnamed individuals (some who have been successful in the past), if the Regional Transportation Commission moves forward with using Measure D funds to widen Highway 1 all the way south to Freedom Blvd. This battle has been playing itself out over the past 30 years and it is unlikely there will be a resolution soon, but anyone who drives this corridor knows how excruciatingly slow traffic can be during the 7-9 am and 3-6 pm commutes. On one side, there is considerable support to widen the highway to at least three lanes–some would prefer four–each way on this key north-south county artery. On the other side is a vocal and active opposition that sincerely believes widening highways does not work. The opposition wishes to block any more space for cars until a variety of transportation options are put into place including the rail-trail project, on-ramp metering lights, and a bus-on-highway-shoulder configuration. Also, on a side note I wonder if car-pooling is essentially dead, except for UCSC van pools, as I am hearing about it less and less as an option.

“Three people own more wealth than the bottom half of our country. 25 hedge fund managers earn twice as much as all 140,000 kindergarten teachers. One family (Kochs) spent $400 million to buy elections. That’s why we need a political revolution.” (Feb. 4) (Note: Is Bernie in favor of a palace coup in Venezuela? One political scientist I spoke with this past week was convinced he is. Stay tuned.)

(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

Feb. 4, 2019

LEGAL ACTION FILED AGAINST SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT FOR ALLEGED MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS OF CEQA 
I have filed legal action in appeal of the Soquel Creek Water District Board approval of the expensive Project that would inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water daily into the aquifer that provides drinking water for most of the MidCounty area.  I allege that the Board certified a deficient Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Project (Resolution 18-30) and approved the Project’s Findings, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, (MMRP), and Statement of Overriding Consideration, thereby approving the Project (Resolution 18-31).  A Petition for Writ of Mandate is simply a demand that the District follow CEQA law, to correct and cure the violations I feel they have committed.  I am not suing the District for money, other than the costs of my filing and creating an administrative record of documents for the judge to review.

A local grassroots group of well-educated, informed and engaged citizens called ‘Water for Santa Cruz County’ had planned to file this legal action, but as an unincorporated association, was restricted to hiring an attorney to represent them.  Two legal counsels advised the group that the effort would cost $80,000-$100,000, and that was prohibitive.    Compelled by the Board’s actions and the potential negative impacts that are broad and irreversible, I chose to file the action myself, in Pro Per, under Citizen Standing for the public benefit.  The case is No. 19CV00181.  It is not a perfect document, but it was action that was required to stop the District’s arrogant hyper-focus action to shove through the Pure Water Soquel: Groundwater Recharge and Seawater Intrusion Prevention Project on a FAST TRACK CONSTRUCTION model for a Design-Build-Operate scenario.   Mr. Steve Wait, representative for IDE Technologies, a large multi-national company specializing in these projects, has already been circling the Board, attending the November 6, 2018 meeting when the Board approved the proposed rate increases that are modeled solely on whether or not the District gets grant funding for the Pure Water Project, and again, at the December 18, 2018 Board meeting when the EIR was certified and the Project was approved.

The Soquel Creek Water District Board will meet this Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7pm in Closed Session to discuss the legal action (right after their two-hour Ethics Training).  Under Brown Act Rules, the Board MUST allow public comment on the Closed Session topic in advance of adjourning into Closed Session.  I urge members of the public to attend and testify.  Write the Board with your thoughts about their plan to inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water into the Purisima Aquifer, the drinking water supply for the MidCounty area, not just the District.  Shouldn’t all those people have a voice in this, too?  I think so, and so do the 300 or so people who signed petitions submitted to the District and the MidCounty Groundwater Agency to allow a public vote on this disgusting and arrogant action the District is taking.

Perhaps, in desert areas, this technology makes sense because there is no other potential water supply.  That is not the case in Santa Cruz County, where there is abundant water supply, but inadequate storage mechanisms.  Please look at the Water for Santa Cruz County website to learn more: www.waterforsantacruz.com/

You can write the Board of Directors of Soquel Creek Water District bod@soquelcreekwater.org      and copy the Secretary of the Board,  Emma Olin emmao@soquelcreekwater.org

Here is the link to the Feb. 5 Board Agenda and materials

SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT CUSTOMERS NEED TO FILE SPECIFIC WRITTEN RATE AND FEE PROTESTS
Attend the FREE educational workshop Tuesday, February 12 at the Aptos Library to learn how to file correct written rate increase protests letters to the Soquel Creek Water District.  These rate increases have been calculated by an expensive consultant, Raftelis, to craft the revenue levels necessary for the District’s plan to build a project that will inject treated sewage water into the area’s drinking water supply.  The District hopes to get $70 Million in state and federal grants for the disgusting project, but Raftelis also calculated what rates would have to be in the event that no grant money were awarded for the Pure Water Soquel Project.  The Board selected this most-expensive option, with the idea that if the grant money comes through, they could reduce rates more easily than raise them if the grants did not get awarded.  Mind you, THIS ACTION WAS ALL TAKEN BEFORE THE BOARD CERTIFIED THE PROJECT EIR AND APPROVED THE PROJECT.  

The District Staff also recommended that if the rate increases go through, the District would no longer charge at their Stage 3 Conservation Rate levels, which are HIGHER THAN THE BASE RATE, to make sure that in drought times when customers are conserving and using less water, the District still gets plenty of money for expensive consultants, lobbyists in Washington, D.C. (that’s currently $45,000/year to support Pure Water Soquel),  and monthly Pure Water Soquel Team Meetings in San Jose at expensive hotels.  It is amazing what a Public Records Act request will make known to the people, isn’t it?

Here is the link to the materials from the November 6, 2018 Board meeting, Item 6.2, where Raftelis presents the rate increase scenarios.  

Attend the Workshop at the Public Library so that you can learn more about this, as well as the alternative water supply possibilities if the District would only be willing to work more cooperatively with the City of Santa Cruz.  

Attend the District’s Board meeting and Prop. 218 RATE AND FEE INCREASE PUBLIC HEARING  Feb. 19 at 6pm.  All rate and fee protests must have Service Address, Assessor Parcel Number, and whether you protest the rate AND the service fee increases, with your signature and printed name.  Mail to Protest Officer, P,O,Box 1550, Capitola, CA   95010, or take it in person to the District Office at 5180 Soquel Drive, Soquel, CA, or take to the February 19 Public Rate Increase Hearing.  Submissions by e-mail are NOT acceptable and will not be counted.

If you are able, also attend the District’s Standing Committee meetings on February 12: (both at the District Office, 5180 Soquel Drive, Soquel)

Public Outreach  10:30am-11:30am

Water Resources Management and Infrastructure  4pm-5pm

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THE COMPUTER MODEL SHOWS FOR THE MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER LEVELS IN THE FUTURE
Attend the February 11 MidCounty Groundwater Advisory Committee Enrichment Workshop at the Community Foundation, at 5pm to learn what computer models show for water levels in the area, and that are being used to support certain project needs that are not always transparent to the public.

The Mid-County Groundwater Agency is a consortium of water agencies in the MidCounty area that are working to create the plan required by the State to show the agencies will work together to bring groundwater supplies to a sustainable level by 2040.  Because the State has declared the MidCounty Basin in critical overdraft (2016), the group must have this plan submitted for State approval by January, 2020.  Soquel Creek Water District is the largest pumper in the group.  The hypothetical computer model the group is using was initially commissioned by Soquel Creek Water District over two years ago, is still being developed at great expense by a consulting company named Montgomery & Associates, formerly HydroMetrics, and that was co-founded by former Soquel Creek Water District General Manager, Ms. Laura Brown (now deceased).

The model is complex, a “work in progress” and the largely-citizen-based Advisory Committee that is supposed to be formulating the Plan to submit for approval to the MidCounty Groundwater Agency Board and ultimately, the State, is to approve to meet the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Read more here, but do attend if you are able

SHOULD SANTA CRUZ CITY WATER DEPARTMENT AND SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT CONSOLIDATE? 
The short answer is YES!!!  Sadly, the District’s political mistrust of the City is hampering efficient and effective regional water supply management, to the detriment of the ratepayers and and the community at-large, if the treated sewage water gets injected into the groundwater supplies of the region.   The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) is responsible for overseeing efficient local government special district operations and can initiate annexation but can only initiate consolidation when there is a request to do so by the affected agencies OR THEIR CITIZENS.  

Please attend the LAFCO MEETING this Wednesday, Feb. 6,  10 am in the County Building (701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz), 5th Floor and ask (during public comment) for the Commission to place discussion of consolidation of Soquel Creek Water District and Santa Cruz City Water Department on the next agenda.  There are two such letters requesting that action that are included in the Commission packet.  Please send yours in, too!    Pat McCormick pat.mccormick@santacruzounty.us      and copy Debra Means debra.means@santacruzcounty.us   

HOW WILL LOCAL WATER AGENCIES BUDGET HOW MUCH WATER YOU WILL GET?
Attend the Water Budget Educational Workshop this Saturday, February 9, at the Felton Community Center, 9am-1pm, to learn more about how Santa Cruz City and the San Lorenzo Valley water agencies will decide how much water citizens, agriculture and landscapes will be allowed under new state laws coming down the pike.   State Assembly member Mark Stone will be the key speaker.

www.smgwa.org/

The State plans to impose water budget limits on individuals and their water use with two new laws signed by (ret) Governor Brown: SB 606 and AB 1668.  These laws will take effect as early as October, 2021 but in full force by November 1, 2023.  This would ultimately limit individual use to 50 gallons/person/day, and set allowed water use levels for agriculture and landscaped areas.  Read more about this here

PLEASE WRITE TO SUPPORT THE AMAZING SANTA CRUZ COUNTY LAW LIBRARY
Do you know there is a free legal resource for all citizens to use at the County Government Building for times when you need legal knowledge, but perhaps have no money for expensive legal advice, or just want to learn for yourself what the law really is?

I could not have possibly written a Petition for CEQA Writ of Mandate against Soquel Creek Water District without the kind help of the staff at the County Law Library, located in the basement of the 701 Ocean Street Government Building.  Renee and Jose helped me find the laws I needed to read, the guides that showed proper form, and were incredibly patient and helpful with my poor computer abilities.   I witnessed them patiently working with many, many people who were afraid, angry and/or frustrated because the legal system had kicked them around without providing any real help, so they landed at the Law Library to get information.  I witnessed how, when given information and the power to take action themselves, the people calmed down, and became much stronger and focused.  About 85% of the people who visit the County Law Library do not have legal representation and cannot afford to hire expensive legal representation.   

How is this amazing public resource funded?  How can you help keep this wealth of free assistance available to those who need it most?

The County Budget DOES NOT FUND the Law Library.  The main source of funding is from a small portion of the first paper filing fee in civil cases, which has dropped in Santa Cruz County by 38% since 2010, and by as much as 50% in other counties.   This funding mechanism has not changed statewide since 1891 when law established them.  In Santa Cruz County, the Law Library was established in 1896, and the funding mechanism has not changed since.  

Please ask Governor Newsom to allocate a one-time line item in the State Budget to assist all county law libraries who are struggling to keep their doors open to the public.  Also, please contact the Legislature and ask that there be new legislation created to help the law libraries throughout the State by changing the archaic funding mechanism for County Law Libraries.   By and large, it is not attorneys who are using the County Law Libraries, it is the common people.  

Please contact: 

Governor Newsom
Assembly Member Mark Stone
State Senator Bill Monning  

ARE THE PARKING SPACES IN THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT REALLY GOING TO PROVIDE SAFE PARKING AND THOROUGHFARE?
The Aptos Village Project Phase 1 is complete, including the new 3220 Square foot office space for Second District Supervisor Zach Friend and various law enforcement staff (with two dedicated parking spaces).  However, the widths of the parking spaces that line the new Aptos Village Way thoroughfare have recently been REDUCED.  Hmmm…..  

Take a look….do you think this will be safe for fire engines responding if there are vehicles sticking out into the road way on both sides of the road, like this County-owned pickup in the photo?   I wonder how many bicyclists will get injured by motorists opening their doors into the lane of traffic?  

Shouldn’t the developers be made to fix this before Phase 2 construction in the area behind the pickup begins?  The Phase 2 Final Map approval has not yet gone before the Board of Supervisors, and may still be on the desk of County Public Works.  CONTACT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR MATT MACHADO and insist the Aptos Village LLC developers tear out and fix this narrow, dangerous Aptos Village Way thoroughfare as a condition of approval for the Phase 2 Final Map.  

It is my understanding that Aptos Village Way will become County-owned once the Project is complete.

This dense mixed-use development has parking spaces calculated only for 61% occupancy to begin with, and the public has been consistently promised throughout the planning process that there will be free and unlimited parking for Nisene Marks State Park users and other public use.  

These parking spaces are just too narrow, and for public safety, must be fixed.  Allowing parking on one side only will only compound the lack of parking that everyone in the area understands will be a problem already.

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

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Visit our wildest dreams and super projections…just a scroll down.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Flights To…?” 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. “Christina Waters, and I continue our face-off over this year’s Oscar nominees, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). And speaking of Oscar, what do this year’s crop of nominated live-action and animated short films say about the (evidently dire) state of the world? Read my review in this week’s Good Times!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. .  Ellen Grace O’Brian talks about her book, ” Jewel Of Abundance” on February 12. Then Willow Katz discusses Solitary Confinement and prison care. Authors and Publishers Doug and Rachel Abrams discuss their new book on finding, maintaining relationships “Eight Dates” on Feb.19. Vets Service Officer Dean Kaufman follows them and talks about many new veterans’ benefits and area events. February 26 has George Fogelson discussing his book, “Between The Redwoods and The Bay- a History of Jews In Santa Cruz”. Jean Brocklebank and Judi Grunstra discuss Santa Cruz library plans following Fogelson. Workers comp attorney Bob Taren returns March 5 to share his thoughts on the political scene. Then Ellen Primack exec. dir of the Cabrillo Fest of Contemporary Music talks all about plans to upgrade the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. 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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “LOVE”
“Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” – Franklin P. Jones
“There are never enough I Love You’s.” – Lenny Bruce
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” – Oscar Wilde
“Love is what you’ve been through with somebody.” – James Thurber

FRONT & CATHCART STREETS. June 24,1952. Once upon a time we saw Thrash Motors here. Now it’s Surfrider Café, Ocean City Buffet, and The Korean Grill. It still keeps us running on gas!                                                                                           photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE January 28, 2019

UCSC’S EAST MEADOW UPDATE. “East Meadow Action Committee” (EMAC)
— a hardworking UCSC Campus group consisting of professors, students, staff members and other folks — has been working hard to preserve certain campus sites from developer-speed-cheap-rushed student bed sites. Their latest Update stated (minus editing)… “We’re sorry to report that the Regents appear unlikely to deflect the University from its plan to begin construction in June”. That refers to just the East Meadow development.

The first Regents meeting was held last Wednesday (1/16).. 

Our alliance opposing the current plan argued its case, though within serious constraints. A hopeful sign was a special session, focused only on the East Meadow part of the University’s plan, that was called for 1/15, prior to the regular meeting. Present at this gathering were: the President of the Board of Regents, the Chair of its Finance and Capital Strategies Committee, several other concerned Regents, members of the UCSC Administration with student and community allies, and four critics of the East Meadow siting. These latter included a former Regent, a former Campus architect, plus the Chair of the Alumni Council, and the Chair of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation, all very well-informed and committed. After a closed-door meeting of the Regents with the campus Administration, a discussion was organized, with speakers for and against the Meadow development. There was enough time for complex issues of cost and alternative siting to be raised, if not explored in depth. The Regents at the meeting were engaged and interested.

This special session, dedicated solely to the East Meadow, showed that our protests had gotten the Regents’ attention. It raised the possibility that they might require UC Santa Cruz to come back with an alternative plan, sparing the Meadow. However, on the following day, the regularly scheduled meeting of the full Board was a disappointment. 

In the Public Comment period, more than sixty people signed up to speak on a variety of important issues. Comments were thus restricted to one minute per speaker. Eight of us spoke about the Meadow. But this, our only chance to address the full Board, was limited to sound-bites which tended to be drowned in a cacophony of other interventions.

That afternoon, at the crucial Finance and Capital Strategies Committee meeting, a more substantial discussion took place. It can be accessed on line: https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/meetings/videos/jan2019/jan2019.html#fin

First, a full presentation of the Student Housing West Project by the Chancellor and three senior UCSC administrators made the case for an urgent housing crisis (which no-one contests) and argued for speed and cost containment. A short debate was then organized, in which Paul Hall, a UCSC Alumnus, prominent attorney and former Regent, presented a brilliantly concise statement of the opposition to the meadow siting and the promise of several alternatives. 

The committee discussion that followed was an opportunity to gauge the reaction of influential Regents to the issues that had been raised. Nothing we heard suggested an inclination to question the plan presented by the UCSC Administration. The Chair of the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee asked the Chancellor to provide, by the next meeting in March, cost estimates for the various siting alternatives. These numbers, he said, would help the Regents be more confident in approving a project that was the least costly option. In the past, the University’s estimates have included drastically inflated costs for various alternatives, along with best-case, no-surprises estimates for the East Meadow development. Without access to “privileged” data, it has been impossible to challenge the University’s figures. We will see whether the numbers the University presents to the Regents are more realistic, and, if not, whether the Regents raise doubts or questions.

Beyond their focus on cost, the Finance Committee members seemed unwilling to get involved in the details of the proposal, preferring to defer to the campus Administration. Their proper role, they said, is not to function as a kind of local zoning board, but to oversee broad administrative and financial matters. It was apparent from their comments, moreover, that many of the newly appointed Regents have never set foot on the UCSC campus and have no knowledge of its history or reputation for environmental design. Few had read the materials we sent them. 

Thus, it seems highly unlikely that any obstacle to the Student Housing West project in its present form will emerge at the meeting scheduled for March 13-14. With a deadline to begin construction in the summer season, approval of the project is almost certain. 

This leaves only litigation as a way to stop the destruction of the East Meadow. After March 14th, those contemplating legal action under California Environmental Law must file suit within thirty days. That decision will depend on technical and legal analysis of the Environmental Impact Report once that complex document is finally made public. It will also depend on gathering critical financial and political support.  We’ll be addressing these issues in future “East Meadow Updates.” East Meadow Action Committee (EMAC)

NISSAN DEALERSHIP & SUSTAINABLE SOQUEL PROGRESS! “Sustainable Soquel” sent this email. I edited it just a little.

“We know many of you are anxious to hear how things are going with the legal action against the county. The good news is that we are in the homestretch, with a final court date likely in March. It’s been about two years since our community was first alerted about a Nissan Dealership project at 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive. At that time, many of us were stunned when we discovered there was no public notification, no Environmental Impact Report and no public hearings planned. We later learned the project was quietly being pushed through for approval by our County’s own CAO’s Economic Development Department and the Planning Department. The county ignored our community’s Sustainable Plan and the General Plan and voila – came up with its own plan for an auto dealership for that corner instead.

Our recent legal action has revealed a shocking discovery, including this….
The Planning Department has a subjective policy of purging emails that it believes has no relevance. In our case, the planners conveniently purged thousands of emails that should have been part of the legal record. Fortunately, our attorney was able to recover over 2,000 purged emails from the county’s computer mainframes. This information sent a bit of a shock-wave into our Sustainable consciousness about our local governmental lack of oversight and the lengths they will consider in covering their tracks.

However, we are only halfway to our goal of $20,000 for attorney fees.

It’s been a long haul, and your passionate input at the Planning Commission and Supervisor meetings inspired us to take that step in June when we filed a “Writ of Mandate against the County,” a court order to government agencies to correct their previous illegal behavior in order to comply with the law. It’s very difficult for citizens to challenge actions taken by governments. Many of you have given generously and we thank you. We still need financial support to see this through. We hope we can count on you to consider a second donation to this noble cause that will no doubt impact all of our lives and the Soquel community we leave to future generations.

Please help spread the word – share this with your friends and neighbors. 

Donate now – GofundMe campaign

Send Checks payable to:

Sustainable Soquel 3777 Cherryvale Avenue. Soquel, Ca. 95073  

Best Regards,

Lisa Sheridan – For Sustainable Soquel

Sustainablesoquel@gmail.com

EXTRA SPECIAL MOVIE REVIEW…
STAN & OLLIE. Full disclosure…as you can figure out from the photo nearby, I had a wonderful afternoon with Stan Laurel and his wife in their upstairs beach front apartment in Malibu in the fall of 1962. Stan told me about their European tour in 1953, which is the focus of this new film. He said it gave both of them some much-needed boosting. He also talked about their appearance on Ralph Edward’s “This Is Your Life” in 1954, and how it appearance was. Stan and I sent Christmas cards back and forth for a few years. Stan & Ollie has a 92 on Rotten Tomatoes, and Stan died in 1965. When I find those notes from him, I’ll share.

The movie is “bittersweet”, well-acted and does lay out the semi business-friendly relationship the two comics had all their lives together. Go see it.

P.S. I had an equally enlightened visit with Aldous Huxley and his wife in their Berkeley apartment while he was teaching at UCB someplace around 1962. We talked about my then-recent LSD and psilocybin experiences. He was one of the most friendly, accessible people I’ve ever met and yes, I still have his personally autographed copy of “Doors Of Perception“.

FAREWELL PETER McGETTIGAN. Peter was a videographer, veteran, volunteer, and much more. There’s going to be a special tribute to him: February 9, 2019, 11am – 1pm in the Santa Cruz MAH Garden Room. It’s free, and donations are welcome.
First, Peter’s sister Martha will speak about their Vallejo family. Then others will offer tributes to and remembrances of Peter:

• Stan Stevens on the nomination of Peter for the Distinguished Historian Award.
• Alverda Orlando on Peter’s work filming Davenport oral histories.
• George Ow, Jr. on his friendship with Peter.
• Joe Hall on Peter’s work for Community Television.

Attendees are also invited to say a few words about Peter and his work related to local history.
There will also be a display of some of Peter’s art collection that he donated to the MAH.

Martha’s talk evolves from an artifact in the Vallejo-McGettigan family collection for over 142 years. It demonstrates the diplomatic and respectful connection of the Russians in early California to the Spanish Mexicans of the time, and the Vallejo family. This is a military campaign chest, engraved with the General M.G. Vallejo’s initials and his granddaughter’s, Francisca Carrillo Vallejo. E. Peter Vallejo McGettigan was one of Francisca’s grandchildren and so connected to the Russian silver chest. He passed away June 14, 2018 in Santa Cruz, California, where he had been a resident since 1975. Peter became well-known and recognized for his extensive documentaries, producing, directing, editing and chronicling that community’s history. He made several trips to Russia – first for a Sister City (Alushta) event in 2003, and then again in 2011 in conjunction with a documentary project in Croatia. His obituary can be found here

January 28

ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IN SANTA CRUZ.
Who’s not writing about “Camp Ross” these days? It’s the 135-tent (and growing) encampment stuffed between Ross Dress for Less and Highway 1 at River Street. Have we reached our Hundredth Monkey moment in which most all Santa Cruzanos now realize there is a homeless-houseless crisis and are ready to do something? The state of California is sending us $10 million this year and another $10 million next year to help cope with this crisis. There is no better time than now for city and county government to work together and direct these funds in helping address the severe misfortunes of so many of our fellow residents. Not only housing–emergency, interim, and long-term–but funding mental health and substance abuse programs, hiring social workers, establishing a 24/7 homeless shelter with day services, job referral and networking office, installing homeless liaisons to assist those seeking services to actually obtain them. For example, help is needed in filling out paperwork in order to receive food stamps and other needed services. We can do this. It will not be accomplished in a couple months, but if we start now, maybe over the next couple of years, but we must begin. In order to help facilitate that beginning, the Santa Cruz City Council formally passed a motion at its January 22nd meeting that a public forum and councilmember action around homeless issues would take place at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 12th. The public is invited. Time and place will be posted here on February 8.

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance Changes
These changes are from an email from Sarah Neuse, city planner in a Santa Cruz ADU Ordinance Update memo. They are also on the Planning Department’s web site.

1. Proposals APPROVED:

State Required Changes

1. Removing parking requirement for Attached ADUs (attached to the primary home, to a garage, or to another legal structure on the property);
2. Removing the Minimum Parcel Size (ADUs can now be added to any size lot);
3. Allowing ADUs by right in all Residential Zones, when built with a single-family home; 
4. Removing requirements for Use Permits/Design Permits for ADUs on substandard lots;
5. Allowing ADUs above garages to provide minimum setbacks of 5 feet to side and rear lot lines (previously required minimum of 10 from the rear).

Site and Building Standards

1. Allowing full reconstruction of Conversion ADUs (previously limited to 50% of the structure);
2. Allowing modest expansions of Conversion ADUs of up to 120 square feet of floor area and 2 feet of height; and
3. Allowing interior connections between an attached ADUs and the Primary Home on the parcel (Building Code will likely require a self-closing, fire-rated door for this connection).

Land Use Policy Items

1. Modifying the definition of Owner-Occupant to include immediate family members (limited to Spouses, Siblings, Parents, and Adult Children).

Additionally, Council passed a resolution reducing the General Plan Maintenance Fee by half for ADU applications.  This could be a savings of $450-$750/ application, depending on size and estimated value of the project.

1. Proposals placedON HOLD:

 Site and Building Standards

1. Increasing Rear Yard Lot Coverage from 30% to 50%;
2. Changing ADU Green Building Standards to match those required for new Single-Family Homes (currently significantly higher); and
3. Allowing attached ADUs to be 10% of lot size (Currently limited to 50%);

Category 3: Land Use Policies

1. Allowing two ADUs on parcels over 10,000 sf; and
2. Eliminating parking requirements for Detached New Construction ADUs.

For these ON HOLD items, Council directed staff to return at a future date with an analysis of the feasibility of requiring perpetual affordability deed restrictions in exchange for each proposed change. 

III. Proposals DENIED:
One item from Category 3: Land Use Policies

1. Proposal to allow a temporary, three-year period of Short-Term Rental activity for newly-created ADUs.  This item will not return to Council. 

And Don’t Forget…ADU Affordability Reality Check
For a reality check, this is where the “market” is today (Jan. 27): $1500/mo. for an ADU with no bedrooms, no laundry, and not even an oven.. And these are some of the jobs being offered: “senior maintenance” job in Santa Cruz is currently offered at $13.70 an hour,  a Beckmann’s Bakery driver, full-time, is being offered at $15/hr.,  Many Santa Cruz jobs pay minimum wage, still.

FlixBus
Wow, a new transportation option is coming to Santa Cruz, and none too soon! The FlixBus will be stopping twice a day at our Pacific Avenue Metro Center beginning, soon. Surf City will be part of a FlixBus itinerary within the San Francisco to San Diego route. Here is what the last Metro Bus Board agenda said about the FlixBus agreement:

“FlixBus is a German owned company, which originated in Munich, Germany offering intercity bus service. FlixBus was launched in 2013 following the deregulation of the German bus market and by 2015 expanded across Europe. On May 15, 2018, FlixBus announced its expansion into the US market. As of May 31, 2018, FlixBus offers 180 connections within the southwest parts of the country, operating from a main hub in Los Angeles. Main cities planned to be served include Las Vegas, San Diego, Tucson and Phoenix, and San Francisco. It plans to have expanded the network to over 1,000 connections by the end of 2018. The service provided to Santa Cruz consists of a route between San Francisco and San Diego.”

This has the chance of helping bridge a very shaky public transportation link for students and other travelers to and from the Bay Area. My hunch is that hundreds of our UCSC students bring cars to town, park them and only use them to go back to the Bay Area or down to Southern California on a couple of weekends each month. If the FlixBus works it could relieve student and parent anxiety about having a real transportation option it also might see less cars parked on the streets of Santa Cruz. I had great experiences with the FlixBus this past summer traveling between Berlin and Paris and Prague. Could it be a transportation game-changer? Only if the current routes were successful and then more buses were added, perhaps for shorter trips to Bay Area. We’ll see.

“Our infrastructure is crumbling. Instead of building a wall on the Mexican border, we should create millions of good-paying jobs rebuilding our roads, bridges, water systems, wastewater plants, schools, airports and affordable housing”. (Jan. 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

January 28

HOW SHALL THE COUNTY SPEND $10 MILLION TO HOUSE THE HOMELESS?
That is the question being asked, along with Request For Proposals (RFP), issued January 18 by the County.  The County Board of Supervisors had to declare a “Shelter State of Emergency” last fall in order to qualify for the State money.  That action also allows the jurisdictions to WAIVE ALL HEALTH AND SAFETY CODES in order to fast-track construction and use the money quickly.  Hmmmm….

What I want to know is how could the County get a $10 Million Grant without any idea of how it would be used?  Usually, those grant applications are carefully-crafted and specify projects and timelines, with measurable outcomes, and explicit reporting measures.  How can the State just toss $10 Million to the County and say : “Here you go!  Have fun, and don’t forget to write!”  Meanwhile, a “non-conflicted group” has taken half a year to issue the RFP for ideas on what to do, the sad tent city along Highway One’s north portal to the City is growing, and not much is actually getting done to solve the problem or help the people sleeping in the mud.

Here is a good report and photo from the Register-Pajaronian. Write a letter to the editor….or maybe submit an RFP for some Tough Sheds behind Ross and the large plot of land in Watsonville behind the Health Services Agency (where all the FEMA trailers were installed after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and plumbing still exists).  That’s what the City of Oakland has done, and Mayor Libby Shaaf recently reported that 70% of those housed in the Tough Shed camps last year found permanent housing within the year.

Oakland’s  Northgate Avenue Tuff Shed Camp. (before it opened)

WHY DRINK EXPENSIVE TREATED SEWAGE WATER?
Indeed, why would Soquel Creek Water District gouge customers repeatedly for the next five years just to pay for an expensive and environmentally-damaging project to inject millions of gallons of treated sewage water daily into the drinking water supply for everybody in the MidCounty area when there is an alternative?  The Surface Water Transfer Pilot Project has not even been given a chance to work, yet the District wants to FAST-TRACK the construction of the PureWater Soquel Project that will cost ratepayers $200 Million, including debt burden, when the water is available from Santa Cruz  The District just has to ASK but won’t!

We all need to write LAFCO today and insist that the Commission initiate consolidation of Soquel Creek Water District and the City of Santa Cruz Water Dept. for better regional management of water supplies and storage, and to eliminate expensive and redundant administrative costs.  Make no mistake, the District will be asking Santa Cruz City water customers, Central Water District customers, small independent water company customers, and private well owners and the County government officials to help them pay for this expensive treated sewage water with the claim that “it will improve the groundwater levels in the MidCounty Basin and therefore, everyone who benefits should pay.”  The District has already convinced the MidCounty Groundwater Agency to swallow that pill and to approve helping to pay for such large projects, even though the By-Laws of the Agency state that they will not do any projects, but exist only to develop the long-term Groundwater Sustainability Plan that the State requires they submit by January 1, 2020.

Write LAFCO Director Pat McCormick  today:

Pat McCormick pat.mccormick@santacruzcounty.us and copy Debra Means debra.means@santacruzcounty.us 

LAFCO
Room 318 “D”
701 Ocean Street
Santa Cruz, CA  95060

STOP SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S $200 MILLION PLAN TO INJECT TREATED SEWAGE WATER INTO YOUR DRINKING WATER BY PROTESTING EXPENSIVE RATE INCREASES BY FEB. 19
If you or someone you know is a Soquel Creek Water District customer, you need to file written protest of the impending ANNUAL WATER RATES AND SERVICE FEE RATE that will happen for the next FIVE YEARS in order to provide money for the expensive treated sewage water the District staff wants you to drink.  All protest must be in writing, addressed to “Protest Officer”, and include your service address (not a P.O. Box address), assessor parcel number (the number above the name on the bill) and a statement that you protest both the water rate increase and the service fee increase.  Sign and print your name.  DO THIS BEFORE FEBRUARY 19.

Make a copy for your record (just in case we ask for a verified re-count) and mail to:

Protest Officer
Soquel Creek Water District
P.O. Box 1550
Capitola, CA  95010

or

Take it in person to the District office at 5180 Soquel Drive, Soquel

or

Bring it with you to the Rate Increase Hearing on February 19, 6pm, at the Capitola City Council Chambers in Capitola Village. Attend this Hearing if you can.  The Board and staff need to hear from you because they have completely lost touch with the people they are supposed to serve.  Please consider writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, too!  In my opinion, this is political insanity.

ATTEND “WATER FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY” EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS
Learn more about how to correctly file those Soquel Creek Water District proposed rate and service fee increases and how plenty of water and the pipe lines to move it already exist.   Water for Santa Cruz County is hosting two free educational workshops at the Aptos Library: Tuesday, January 29 and Tuesday, February 12, both at 7pm-8pm.  You can find more information about all this here.  

COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SUPPORT ANNA ESHOO’S RESISTANCE TO 5G UNTESTED TECHNOLOGY IN PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAYS
Many thanks to County Supervisor John Leopold for recommending the County support Rep. Anna Eshoo’s HR 530 claim of Home Rule Doctrine that would resist the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate to force all jurisdictions to allow unlimited installation of telecommunication industry untested 5th Generation (5G) technology within public rights-of-ways. (Consent Agenda Item #21 on 1/29/2019 Board Agenda)  The new technology would require placement of equipment every 400′-500′ on utility poles, street lights and traffic lights throughout the jurisdictions, without any recourse to resist or regulate the placement for any reason. 

This new technology has not been tested in the U.S.A.  where the regulatory FCC has been captured and held hostage by the telecommunications industry.  However, researchers in other areas of the world have found alarming evidence that the level of electro-magnetic radiation emitted by 5G could cause widespread health problems due to interference with voltage-regulated calcium gate mechanisms within the body that are responsible for proper neurological functions.  That means that people could just drop of a heart attack, and no one is talking about effects on wildlife or other natural elements.

Here is the link to Anna Eshoo’s HR 530

Here is the link to her explanation about why she thinks this matters

Here is a link to a short YouTube video by Dr. Martin Pall, describing to the National Institute of Health the medical insanity of 5G technology proliferation

Contact Anna Eshoo and give her your support!

COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ADOPT NEW CLIMATE CHANGE STATE OF EMERGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS
Read what the County Supervisors John Leopold and Ryan Coonerty are recommending on the Consent Agenda Item # 23 on the 1/29/2019 Board Agenda.  I always pay close attention whenever a “State of Emergency” gets declared for anything, because it usually waives existing regulations and allows for different funding mechanisms to kick in.  Depending on who is driving that bus, and what their intentions really are, it can be either a positive thing or a disaster.  In this case, I am not sure….. Take a look and see what you think

I would appreciate your comments and discussion, especially in light of the action the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) took last week, and the issue of ever-changing housing density codes and agricultural land preservation.   (Becky Steinbruner )

COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WILL CONSIDER CLIMATE CHANGE PUBLIC SAFETY & HAZARD MANAGEMENT CHANGES TO COUNTY CODE AND COASTAL GENERAL PLAN
The County Planning Commissioners, a very thorough and thoughtful group of citizens who oversee the changes proposed to Planning Department issues, will continue considering the proposed updated changes to the Public Safety and Hazard Management General Plan, Local Coastal Program and County Code Amendments on Wednesday, February 13, 9am in the 5th Floor Supervisor Chambers.  This has been continued a few times because it is so massive, and includes changing how and where people can build in the coastal and riparian areas due to predicted climate change impacts.  You can review the documentation and listen to the audio recording here (take a look at Item #7 on the December 12, 2018 meeting post)

When I attended the December 12, 2018 meeting, the room was filled with people who own or manage property on the coastal bluffs.  Having listened to their concerns, and given thought to the recent action in the Rio del Mar Beach Drive area, I wonder….now that the County and Coastal Commission have reclaimed the thoroughfare access in front of those beachfront homes, will the County be responsible for building an engineered seawall to protect the houses?  I wonder if the rip-rap that now exists, and was probably placed these by the property owners, will all have to be removed and replaced with engineered materials that meet the soon-to-be approved new County regulations responding to climate change hazards.  Hmmmm………    What are your thoughts?

COUNTY WILL HIRE TWO TRAFFIC ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS FOR $600,000
Another interesting Consent Item on the January 29, 2019 Board of Supervisor Agenda is #45, approving contracts for the next two years with Kimley-Horn Associates and Reggeri-Jensen Associates for traffic analysis and design work throughout the County’s unincorporated areas.  The total contract is up to $600,000.  Wow.

What will they do?  Where will that work be focused?   How will the results be used?  Is this tax-payer funded traffic analysis to support large developers?  I asked those questions in a few e-mails to Public Works Director Matt Machado matt.machado@santacruzcounty.us and learned that the areas of highest concern for County officials is Soquel Drive.  The exact project areas have yet to be determined, but the County Public Works Department is really short-staffed right now, and the traffic analysis is needed, he said.  The Phase 2 Traffic Improvements at Aptos Creek Road in Aptos Village are already a done-deal and will begin this year.

How did the County choose those two consultants?  I forgot to ask that, but members of the Sustainable Soquel group, who are taking the County to task with a Writ of Mandate for faulty process and a host of other eyebrow-raising misdeeds regarding the proposed Nissan auto dealership at 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive, have pointed out that Kimley-Horn & Associates were notably sloppy in their analysis for that project.  Kimley-Horn also has done the “traffic study” for the proposed Kaiser Medical Facility and 700 car parking garage on the Soquel Avenue Frontage Road (working with the County, by the way) and used cameras to count cars for two hours for one afternoon on one day.  Hmmmm…..how meaningful can that information be?  

I guess it depends on who is paying them for the study.  So, in this case, you and I will be paying the bill….$600,000.  What should we expect?  Write Matt Machado and ask: matt.machado@santacruzcounty.us

Take a look at Consent Item #45 here

WILL SANTA CRUZ BE NEXT TO GET SUED BY THE STATE?
It is shocking to me that Governor Newsom is suing Huntington Beach for not building enough housing to meet the State’s mandated boom.  Do you think local people can be trusted to do what is best for their own jurisdictions?  That’s the basis of “Home Rule”, and I think it makes sense.  But according to news reports, Governor Newsom wants 3.5 million new residential units to be built and may continue going down the hit list of the other 51 cities and counties like Huntington Beach that are not goose-stepping to his mandate.

The State has for years imposed requirements called Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) on all counties and cities in California, mandating that the jurisdiction build a certain number, based on state population growth and projected housing needs.  Last year, Senator Scott Wiener got a law passed (AB 72) that allows the State to enforce that mandated growth with lawsuits and penalties.  The law went into effect January 1, 2018, but only now, with a new Governor, are we seeing the heavy-handed approach begin. Given that the Santa Cruz County General Plan Housing Element acknowledges that the numbers and tactics EXCEED RHNA REQUIREMENTS,  one would think it not likely that Governor Newsom has our area in the immediate cross-hairs of litigation. However, Santa Cruz County IS on the SB 35 “Hit List” for non-compliance, as is Capitola, Scotts Valley and Watsonville.    However, Santa Cruz City is NOT on the list…it must be those 750 new building permit applications just in that are the counter-weight, but how many of those will be affordable units?  That is the question, isn’t it?

Mercury News article

hcd.ca.gov  

But what about the infrastructure to support this mandated growth?  That was the question posed to Senator Wiener by a Salinas City Councilman last November at the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership “State of the Region” presentation in Seaside.  Senator Wiener’s reply was “talk with me later, and we can work something out.”

Have you been to San Jose recently?  It is shocking.  Do you want to live in a place that looks like that, and has the broken transportation infrastructure that Santa Cruz seems to be plagued with?  Who is driving the local bus to decide how our County will grow?

Based on recent massive changes to County housing codes for “Enhanced Density Bonus” rewards to developers, I think it is the wealthy bankers and developers in Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP).  That private group wrote the housing code changes that were recently rubber-stamped by Santa Cruz County and City, and also other area jurisdictions.  Senator Wiener thanked them all at the MBEP gathering last November. 

I saw the initial presentation of Sibley Symon’s White Paper get shoved through the County Housing Advisory Commission (HAC) and jettisoned off to the Board of Supervisors for rubber stamping, noting “unanimous approval’ by the HAC.  Planning Department staff advisor for the HAC is Julie Conway, who serves on the Santa Cruz City Planning Commission (which seems like a conflict of interest to me) and handily helped push it through there, too.

Here is a good synopsis of the dizzying new legislation to force local government to ignore local people

Can we build enough?

Call the Governor’s Office at 916-445-2841 and let him know what you think,  or write.  

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

Sunday, January 27, 2019 #27 / The Underbelly Of Mendacity

Instead of the title I chose, I thought about using the following title for this blog post: “Tuck in your shirt!” Pictured above is Roger J. Stone, Jr., whom The New York Times identifies as a “Trickster Who Is Right Where He Wants to Be.” That’s the hard copy version, of course. The online version of the article has a slightly different title.  I was surprised to see that Stone permitted himself to be photographed in such an unflattering way. Look below for the photo that The Times ran with the story that I have linked above. This is how Roger Stone likes to be portrayed. He always seems to be very well put together:

You can see more evidence of Stone’s sartorial sensibilities by watching the video of Stone’s appearance at The New Yorker Festival in 2016. If you click the link, you can see a video of Stone, and others, discussing “What Would a Trump Presidency Look Like?” 

The discussion documented in this video took place on October 8, 2016, exactly one month before the presidential election. Stone is impeccably dressed – far better than the other panelists. I was in the audience, and noted, very particularly, what a sharp dresser Stone was. I also heard him brag, during this appearance, about the upcoming WikiLeaks releases that would damage the Clinton campaign, very late in the campaign season. Later on, Stone claimed to have no insider knowledge. That was definitely not the impression Stone gave to the audience at The New Yorker Festival, and as it turns out, Stone subsequently lied under oath about his supposed lack of inside knowledge – at least that is what the Special Counsel says. 

Like many, I am waiting to see whether any “collusion” between the president and Russia is ever documented so clearly that an impeachment of the president would be appropriate. Whether or not that kind of proof is ever forthcoming, the article that ran in The Times yesterday definitely shows that  lots of those associated with Trump have lied about what happened in the 2018 presidential campaign. There is a little “chart” in the article, showing the connections. Stone is there, as are Paul Manafort, Michael D. Cohen, and others. Everyone shown in the chart has been convicted of a crime, except Stone and Konstantin V. Kilimnik, who is now in Russia and thus not susceptible to immediate prosecution. 

Pundits (on the left, admittedly) are saying that a “coverup” of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia will soon be proven. Things are coming “undone,” they say. 

I will wait for actual proof, myself, but in the meantime, the fact that Stone is coming “undone,” and isn’t “covering up” anymore, letting his underbelly hang out as he makes his pronouncements of innocence, seems like some kind of metaphor to me, some kind of indication that lies and mendacity are coming to light!

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. Laugh’s and inner thoughts…flick downwards & check it out.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Is It Over Yet ” 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: “Hey, movie fans! Now that it’s awards season, my pal and esteemed colleague, Christina Waters, and I are talking Oscars. We try to make sense of this year’s nominees so you don’t have to, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Also, find out why the 18th Century French authoress who wrote the first version of Beauty and the Beast in print is considered the godmother of the modern fantasy genre — and how she gets a shout-out in my Beast book!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.  

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . John Laird discusses his plans to run for Bill Monning’s State Senate Seat on January 29, then Bill Raney talks about his new book, “Beatniks, North Beach in the 60’s”. Linda Burman-Hall discusses the full season of The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival on Feb. 5 followed by UCSC Math prof. Ralph Abraham with news of his two new books on the Hip History of Santa Cruz.  Ellen Grace O’Brian talks about her book, ” Jewel Of Abundance” on February 12.  Authors and Publishers Doug and Rachel Abrams discuss their new book on finding, maintaining relationships “Eight Dates” OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… http://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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES.   “FEBRUARY”

“February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer”.  Shirley Jackson

“February, fill the dyke With what thou dost like”. Thomas Tusser

“Groundhog found fog. New snows and blue toes. Fine and dandy for Valentine candy. Snow spittin’; if you’re not mitten-smitten, you’ll be frostbitten! By jing-y feels spring-y.” The Old Farmer’s Almanac

“Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what’s the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?”
~William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY COURTHOUSE. 1866-1894. 110 COOPER STREET. This magnificent building (on the right) was our courthouse until it burned down in 1894. They built the new Courthouse that same year. The Cooperhouse, as it was known, lasted until after the 1989 earthquake and was torn down by the new owner to get FEMA money.                                     photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE January 21, 2019

BAD NEWS OR WHAT? Have you been noticing and reading that a few of our usually Progressive national press pundits are hinting Trump supporters may get him re-elected in 2020? It’s hell and a nightmare to think about. Is that big blue wave still allowing Democrats and liberals a future of good surfing? But in the meantime we’ve now got RAIL PLUS TRAIL.

MISSING A BEAT. I came up short this week on meetings, news events, even movies and concerts. Drs. Ryan Brandt and Dr. Neil Sawhney installed a combination Pacemaker/defibrillator early Wednesday morning and adjusted it again on Thursday morning over in Dominican Hospital. So I missed a few happenings this week. I may be calling a friend or two for some rides…don’t be surprised.

Jan. 23, 2019

MLK Day in Santa Cruz. Drew Glover, Chris Krohn, Justin Cummings

Being an Activist vs. Being an Elected Official
Can an elected official continue to be an activist after being elected? I’ve been told no a couple of times by some of our Village Elders. I’ve always carried with me the notion that yes, if you can get elected you can still fight city hall, but from within. It takes time adjusting to being on the inside, but activism does not have to stop.

Watching AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she has recently become a lightning rod example of trying to put activist experience into her elected office affairs. She sometimes livestreams parts of her day. AOC voted for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker, but also protested with a group outside her office demanding the speaker create the “Select Committee for a Green New Deal.” A couple of weeks ago AOC voted to fund a Dept. of Homeland Security budget (H.J. Res. 1), which included paying ICE employees during the government shutdown, and she keeps advocating for abolishing ICE too. She also continues to talk about socialism, rare for a US elected official, saying it guarantees “a basic level of dignity.”

Every member of this Brand-New City Council–Glover, Brown, Cummings, Krohn–was elected as an activist. Parsing the nuance between activism and governing is now on the table. Many will say, now you represent everyone in Santa Cruz. While that’s true, it may be nearly next to impossible to achieve. You may want to represent all residents, and you should never cower from meeting people who may not agree with you, or did not vote for you, but you were elected on issues. All Santa Cruz voters will not agree with you on all issues. The issues this council majority stood most firm on during the past two elections were affordable housing, protecting renters, and addressing the homeless crisis. Part of the job of the city council is also to be bridge builders and identify those issues that many can agree upon and move them in the legislative arena.

Herding Cats
Being in the majority can often create more difficulties than being on the minority side of the city council. I sometimes saw last council’s supposed Mathews majority—Terrazas, Mathews, Watkins, Chase, Noroyan–struggle to produce a majority vote. Often there was tension between Mathews and Watkins when spending real money on children’s programs came up (the 1% Cannabis tax, implementing a sugar tax, and forcing developers to provide more common space for children in their developments were three such issues), or between Mathews and Terrazas’ opposing views on the city manager’s effectiveness. (My opinion from watching city council public meetings.) When the Mathews’ majority would get really rankled was when she herself would seem to lecture them on being the only adult (her!) in the room. Oh, and when her majority members tried to pry away a few budget crumbs from the Mathews-architected city budget it was usually pretty entertaining to see. We’re already running a deficit according to our Finance Director, so why would we even consider adding more, she would aver while one of her majority was advocating for as yet unfunded worthy program. These were often big struggles over a few thousand dollars, while millions went to pay down pension costs, buy new F-150 city ranger pickup trucks, and fund First Alarm security contracts. So, working within a “new majority” or any majority takes time and real work.

New Majority
Understanding how well the majority communicates and can effectively carry out its agenda may be rooted in an old concept: party discipline. But then how can a progressive majority have party discipline when there isn’t even a party? At least if the current four councilmember majority were selected by a party, as in the British Parliament, for example, Labour selects its members to represent the party and not the individual interests of that Member of Parliament (MP), then they would be able to rely on a party platform. Right now, each councilmember cannot coordinate a four-person majority vote outside of a council meeting. The public’s business must, and should, be done in public. The Ralph M. Brown Act, passed by the state legislature in 1949, makes it so that no more than three out of seven councilmembers can agree in private on business that is before the council. The solution: City Councilmembers must be willing to engage in public discussion if the public is to be adequately represented.

Developing a Progressive Agenda and Communication Skills to Go Along with it
Brown, Glover, Cummings, and Krohn were elected to help create some sort of administrative governing agenda in order to address this community’s housing inequality, and then marshal our resource base (hotel tax revenue, sales tax revenue, parking fund revenue, rental property revenue, “one-time” state monies, and “charges for services” all equal to $102,277,346 in money the city expected to take in during 2019) to address the affordable housing and homeless services crisis. There have been wide-ranging discussions during the past two political campaigns on how to address this bifurcated crisis and they include: 1) demanding developers build the legally-mandated 15% inclusionary (all of us argued for a higher figure); 2) finding a place for a 24/7 homeless shelter with services and pathways toward transitional and permanent housing; 3) not constructing a back-in-time-looking five-story parking garage on the site of the beloved downtown Farmer’s Market; 4) placing climate change (disruption) at the forefront of our fashioning of public policy (what does that look like?);  and 5) opening up government to those who find it difficult having a voice (already started this by putting “oral communication” back to its former 7pm council agenda time slot and televising planning commission meetings. Next, is moving council meetings to the Civic when we expect over 150 participants.) But perhaps most importantly, 6) protecting tenants from overbearing rents, and if Measure M did not pass, creating a community conversation through bringing together a multitude of voices to design a rent stabilization program that would work for the most people in Santa Cruz. Of course, University growth, overwhelming traffic on many days of the year, enhancing the care and access to our greenbelt lands, an increasing awareness of social justice and equity in everything the city does, as well as increasing ways to support local businesses were indeed parts of the past two electoral campaign conversations as well.

“We must do more than just “honor and remember” Dr. Martin Luther  King. We must be faithful to his revolutionary spirit, his call for a “radical revolution of values” and his incredible courage in taking on virtually the entire political and economic establishment of his time”. #MLKDay (Jan. 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

EAGAN’S  SUBCONSCIOUS  COMICS. Scroll below for secret scenes and driving forces, with our deeply committed friends.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Deep State Plot” 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.

“RED VELVET, THE PLAY”. The Jewel Theatre Company, Santa Cruz’s only full time professional theatre company presents Lolita Chakrabarti’s play Red Velvet from January 23-February 17 at the Colligan Theatre in the Tannery. It’s about the backstage world of London in the early 1800’s. The play is Othello and the lead gets sick and a black actor from America is about to take his place as the black Othello!! Go to https://www.jeweltheatre.net/red-velvet  for more data and tickets.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Fate does not like to be tempted. She’s always ready to smack you with some new, unforeseen obstacle. Find out what she had in store for me last week — including  a 5 1/2 -day escapade at Dominican, and a guest appearance from my Spirit Guide — this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . Julie James talks about Jewel Theatre’s new play Red Velvet on January 15. Then Celia and Peter Scott talk about Campaign For Sustainable Transportation. Phil Collins from New Music Works discusses their Feb. 2 concert featuring Terry Riley, piano and Sarah Cahill on January 22. Following Phil will be Attorney Bill Parkin and Ron Pomerantz talking about the lawsuit against the City and developer Owen Lawlor. John Laird discusses his plans to run for Bill Monning’s State Senate Seat on January 29, then Bill Raney talks about his new book, “Beatniks, North Beach in the 60’s”. Linda Burman-Hall discusses the full season of The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival on Feb. 5 followed by UCSC Math prof. Ralph Abraham with news of his two new books on the Hip History of Santa Cruz.  Ellen Grace O’Brian talks about her book, ” Jewel Of Abundance” on February 12.  Authors and Publishers Doug and Rachel Abrams discuss their new book on finding, maintaining relationships “Eight Dates” OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… http://www.radiofreeamerica.com/dj/bruce-bratton 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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “GROUND HOGS DAY.”

“The groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its prediction and then disappears”.  Bill Vaughn

“Old Groundhog stretched in his leafy bed.
He turned over slowly and then he said,
“I wonder if spring is on the way,
I’ll go and check the weather today…”  Author Unknown, “Groundhog Day”

“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring”. George Santayana

PACIFIC AVENUE. August 29, 1957. This is about at the corner of Walnut and Pacific. Reeve’s is now the Gap, then we have Synergy, and Berdels at the corner.                                                                                         photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE January 14, 2019

WOMENS MARCH (ON JANUARY 19). This march and rally has become a very strong statement, especially for Santa Cruz Women. Their website says… “The March begins at 10am at Pacific and Cathcart Street. We are asking people to start gathering at 9am. The route will follow Pacific and turn right onto Water, then turning ‘right’ into the County Parking Lot at the County Offices. 701 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060. The Rally will begin at 11am. For more details see below…  We need your help to fund the 2019 Santa Cruz Women’s March, and beyond. Please use the link below and make a donation, any amount is helpful. Thank you! See you on Saturday, Jan 19, 2019 at 9 am.”

Women’s March: Sign up here!

MLK MARCH (ON JANUARY 21) NEWS. Carson Kelly from Santa Cruz Indivisible sent this plea!!! “For those of you that have signed up to help at this weekend’s Marches (Women’s March on 1/19 and MLK March on 1/21)… thank you! For those that haven’t, there is still time! And both Marches need the volunteer support.

MLK March: Sign up here!

Photographers needed: 

The Citizenship 2.0 project will also take place at the Rally, and we need assistance. One of Santa Cruz Indivisible’s calls-to-action will be to ask participants: “What civic duties do you have as a resident of the United States?” We will be asking people to answer the question on a small whiteboard, and then pose for a picture holding up their answer. We hope to gather hundreds of answers and put them into social media, as part of our Citizenship 2.0 project introduction. 

To help us with this, please register here . Thank you for your support

Carson Kelly.

SANTA CRUZ ONLINE. Erstwhile and honest and former KUSP staffer Michael Lewis has created a new and important source of political and environmental daily information. It’s Santa Cruz Online.  Michael writes to tell us: “Democracy is practiced by those who show up. Since we all have limited time and energy, we need to know where and when to show up, to support those causes we support and defend. With a newly seated Santa Cruz City Council, this year will be our opportunity to work with our representatives and community activists who support our causes. I’ve created a website, Santa Cruz Online, as an annotated calendar of events, meetings, actions and opportunities in Santa Cruz City and County government. I’ll be posting weekly reviews of upcoming meeting agendas and minutes for City Council and County Board of Supervisors, as well as advisory bodies, committees, and affiliated organizations. Click HERE to go to Santa Cruz Online, and enter your email address in the “Follow” box (in the right hand column on a computer or at the end of the post on a mobile device) to receive timely updates.

    Michael Lewis
Santa Cruz Online: https://sconline464234593.wordpress.com/

OBAMA AVENUE, NYC.  Mark Bernhard and Ann Steyeart sent this…

Petition Asks NYC to Rename a Stretch of Fifth Avenue 

A petition started by MoveOn.org calls for the block of Fifth Avenue in New York between 56th Street and 57th Street to be renamed “President Barack H. Obama Avenue.” Such renaming is not unusual. The New York City Council recently approved naming streets for the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Woody Guthrie, and Audre Lorde. A section of freeway in Los Angeles has been renamed for Obama.

What is special about Fifth Avenue from 56th Street to 57th Street is that it just so happens to be home to Trump Tower. Donald Trump’s reelection campaign will be headquartered there. If the city council approves the name change, the reelection committee’s mailing address will become:

Committee to Re-elect President Donald Trump
725 President Barack H. Obama Avenue
New York, NY 10022

TAMARA PARKER DIED. Tamara Parker and partner Patrick Casey once owned and operated Casey’s Ice Cream Parlor in Scotts Valley. Tamara later owned and operated “Legal Document Services” on Walnut Street, which was a new name for Para Legal functions. She was one of my favorite clients and friends from the more than 250 clients I had while a marketing consultant for Cabrillo’s Small Business Development Center for nearly 15 years. She was as ardent a world traveler as she was in making sure her clients received 100% of her attention and care. She married and retired about 5 years ago, and moved to a great senior community “The Villages”, in east San Jose. She’ll be missed.

Jan. 14, 2019

PRIORITIES
What Should the City Council Take On?

The camp behind Gateway Plaza shopping center, “Camp Ross,” has grown to 135 tent structures.

What is the most important issue facing Santa Cruz right now? I met with over a dozen people this week all of whom would seem to have priority differences. There were the dozens of activists who came out to the council meeting seeking protections for tenants now; I met in the backroom (no smoke) of Lupulos Beer House  with folks wanting to decouple the library from the garage and take a look at that wonderful space bounded by Cedar, Lincoln and Cathcart streets as a public space, a town commons perhaps, and a permanent place for the Downtown Farmer’s Market; then there was the guy on the Westside who says UCSC is being let off the housing hook because they seem to be absent from the city council debate on renter protection and affordable housing (I hope not); the highest priority for the dance-arts community is preserving space for art downtown in the face of the Devcon-Swenson-Ross developer frenzy to re-do Pacific Avenue and Front Street; Save Our Shores is looking at eliminating plastics from the ocean; the “Berniecrats” organized a slate of state convention delegates that includes Justin Cummings and Jeffrey Smedberg, and were urging supporters to go to SEIU to vote this past Sunday; city commission appointments, set for a city council decision on January 21st, was on the minds of many I met with this past week, as was the ongoing saga over whether the Corridor Plan is really dead; and how do we get the Lawlor Project to build those 31 affordable units inside their 205-unit sprawling market-rate development on Pacific near Laurel Street? But when I ran into Daniel and Dougie at the now penned in homeless camp, dubbed Camp Ross, I realized anew what our community priorities might be.

Camp Ross, 25% more Tents this Week than Last
After counting 105 tent structures last week all packed between the cinder block back wall of Ross Dress for Less, and the unforgiving asphalt and noise of the Highway 1 and River Street intersection, I just figured there wasn’t much space left to grow. But when I visited this past Saturday the number of tent-structures ballooned to 135 with still more people looking for a spot. I also learned that, while this location is not really perfect for anyone–campers, community, businesses, drivers–it is in fact a place for the homeless and the houseless to be and collect their thoughts, use a rest room perhaps, wash up and maybe take a respite to plan for tomorrow. Is it safe for everyone? No, not like the city-sponsored River Street camp was. Is it a place to rest? For now, yes, but the city council and board of supervisors need to act, and act quickly on addressing this critical situation.

Late, Great California?
The scene out at Camp Ross is as startling as it is familiar. It’s a script playing out in many California cities including Hayward, Chico, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. Camp Ross is nonetheless eye-opening, perhaps because it sits only a few feet from the busiest intersection in Santa Cruz. I spoke with six residents at the camp and this is what they had to say: “Someone threw an explosive device (M-80?) at the camp the other night and woke many of us up.” “Someone in a passing car on Highway 1 shot pellets into tents recently.” “Many of us are willing to work… (he points)…over there is an electrician, there’s a plumber, I’m a professional laborer. I’ve worked on many construction sites. I just need a job.” What do they currently need most after a home and a job? “Toilette paper and work boots.” Also, “be nice to have a sound barrier…the traffic is so loud, really bad.” For the city’s part, we’re assisting Brent Adams’ Warming Center and storage program, bed space has been opened at the Page Smith House, and we are funding the Salvation Army shelter on Laurel Street. What’s clear is that these band-aid programs exist AND, there’s still close to 200 people camping behind Ross. So, what’s on the agenda for this city council? Fund an interim shelter with outdoor space for tents and incorporate wrap-around services like counseling and medical care (the recently opened navigation center is a move in this direction), identify a permanent 24/7 shelter site, and help create an expanded storage program.

Run Bernie Run?
Our Revolution, the Bernie Sanders organizing group, held a giant get-together this past weekend via act.tv Over 400 house meetings were held around the country to solicit input for a potential Bernie for President campaign run. There were 15 Berners present at the meeting I attended, it was one of four in Santa Cruz county. What I noticed was that while the passion for a Sanders presidency still, excuse the pun, burns bright, there is a slight wariness in the battle-hardened Bernie-istas. Is it the age of Bernie (77)? Is it the huge field of Democratic candidates? Is it the recent entry of hardcore Sanders’ supporter and strategist, Hawaii’s Tulsi Gabbard, into the presidential field? Or is it a spreading feeling (among white people) that only a white guy can take on an even older white guy and maybe Bernie’s too old? (Like Biden (76) and Trump (72) aren’t?) The age thing is a smoke screen because any campaign ought to be run on issues. If Elizabeth Warren (69) or Kamala Harris (54) or Gabbard (37) run for President on the issues Bernie has laid out–Medicare for all, tuition-free college, criminal justice reform, taking on the billionaires, and governing as if black lives do indeed matter–then I would say many Bernie supporters might sign on to such a candidate. But believe me, if it is the resurrection of St. Joe Biden, the tepid populism of a Sherrod Brown(66), or the Dem-insider politics of a Kirsten Gillibrand (52), then a lot of Berners will likely be disappointed. Warren might fit a Sanders supporter’s alternative eventually, but the group I sat with on Saturday watching the act.tv feed move from group to group around the country did not indicate much support at this time, they were excited about Bernie. Run Bernie run? Yes, but it won’t be like last time. It never is.

(PS Left out Booker, Garcetti, and Beto…okay, whatever…)

Measure M vs. Current Council Recommendation
No matter what you’ve been hearing about the reconstitution of Measure M, rent control, either on Next Door or the in letters to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the Santa Cruz city council did NOT pass Measure M. What it did pass on January 7th was 1) limited rent increase of 7% over two years with a 2-month relocation assistance if it went beyond this amount (unanimous 7-0 vote) and 2) a temporary measure to offer some relief to renters while a housing task force goes to work in fashioning recommendations for city council consideration. There was no rent board approved, no six-month relocation fee passed, and no having to keep renting in-perpetuity to those 62 and over, or disabled. These were the parts of Measure M that seemed to be referred to most often as onerous in last November’s Measure M ballot initiative(The I’m in favor of rent control, just not this rent control measure, remember that sentiment? Okay, the council responded.) The council took an approach last Tuesday to try and provide protection for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, tenants, while we work on finding some permanent renter protections, shoring up homeless services, and taking another look at the rental inspection ordinance (remember that one?!). Stay tuned!

“In America, a woman—not the government or her employer—must control her own body. We must vigorously defend women’s access to all reproductive health services and allow them to make their own medical decisions.” (Jan. 14)

(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

EAGAN’S SUBCONSCIOUS COMICS. Scroll below for secret scenes and driving forces.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Cages and Walls ” 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: I opened the window and “in –flew- enza” !! No she didn’t really, but check out Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . Julie James talks about Jewel Theatre’s new play Red Velvet on January 15. Then Celia and Peter Scott talk about Campaign For Sustainable Transportation. Phil Collins from New Music Works discusses their Feb. 2 concert featuring Terry Riley, piano and Sarah Cahill on January 22. Following Phil will be Attorney Bill Parkin and Ron Pomerantz talking about the lawsuit against the City and developer Owen Lawlor. John Laird discusses his plans to run for Bill Monning’s State Senate Seat on January 29. Linda Burman-Hall discusses the full season of The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival on Feb. 5. Ellen Grace O’Brian talks about her book, ” Jewel Of Abundance” on February 12.  OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… http://www.radiofreeamerica.com/dj/bruce-bratton 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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts. Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES.   “MARCHES”

“If your child marches to a different beat, a different drummer, you might just have to go along with that music. Help them achieve what’s important to them” Sonia Sotomayor

“I don’t even really see sit-ins and marches as passive. I see them as quite assertive. I see those as emotionally aggressive tactics. I see people putting their lives on the line and being bold and brave”. Ava DuVernay

“I actually believe that this Trump phenomenon, which has affected many of us, is going to accelerate the use of art for philanthropy, because people are realizing that art is a vehicle for showing opposition – just look at the signs in the women’s marches”. Agnes Gund

CVS/Long’s Drug Store, July 27, 1965. Note the back of the Del Mar Theatre at the very far left. That’s about the only way to get your bearings at this job site. It’s Front Street and Soquel, with the four story parking structure including Oswald’s Restaurant today.                                                                              photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection.

DATELINE January 7, 2019

JOHN LAIRD INTO BILL MONNING’S SENATE SEAT? Last Tuesday night (1/1/19) on my Universal Grapevine radio program, Gary Patton surprised me — and probably most listeners — by saying that John Laird is seriously considering running for California State Senator Bill Monning’s seat. Bill terms out in 2020. He was elected in 2012 to the senate, and re-elected in 2016. John says he’ll send me more details ASAP! Santa Cruzan John Laird is currently our California Secretary of Natural Resources. John has been in public Service for 40 years, 23 of which were in elected office. Go here for his longer bio…  

MEASURE O LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY OF SANTA CRUZ, THE CITY COUNCIL AND DEVELOPER OWEN LAWLOR. Activists Shelley Hatch and Ron Pomerantz have “filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus against Respondents City of  Santa Cruz and City Council of the City of Santa Cruz . I’ve taken as much of the legal words in the action and included them in the next few paragraphs.” The Petition alleges that Respondents violated the California Constitution and a local voter-adopted initiative, Measure 0, that requires new developments to include a share of price restricted affordable housing in new housing developments, and that Respondents violated the California Environmental Quality Act”. Owen Lawlor of Lawlor Land Use Development Company is the developer of the proposed Pacific, Laurel and Front Street mixed 205 residential units and commercial 6 story building.

This lawsuit challenges the failure by Respondents City of Santa Cruz and City Council of the City of Santa Cruz (collectively referred to herein as “Respondents”) to enforce  the requirement of a voter-adopted initiative measure that requires new developments to include a share of price-restricted affordable housing in new housing developments (Measure O). While Respondents pay lip service to the need for affordable housing, what Respondents actually do is to use the need for such affordable housing as an argument to endlessly promote market-rate development within the City of Santa Cruz.

Such market-rate development fails to quell or dampen the need for affordable housing. Contrary to the impression that Respondents have given by their promotion of market-rate housing, providing more market-rate housing does not actually provide a solution to the housing woes besetting the community, and does not alleviate the need for affordable housing.

In fact, as long as market-rate housing in the City of Santa Cruz, or even the County of  Santa Cruz, is less expensive than housing in Santa Clara County (the address of the economic juggernaut infamously known worldwide as Silicon Valley), and as long as there is a world-class university, Airbnb and second homeowners, Santa Cruz will remain steadfastly unaffordable. No amount of market-rate development in an attractive California coastal area will dampen prices such that homes are affordable. Indeed, respondents ignore the economic realities of homebuilding. Density in San Francisco did not reduce the price of homes any more than it did in the New York City Borough of Manhattan.

The high cost of land and labor in California, and Santa Cruz, and the fact that developers only build when demand is strong, means that housing affordability will remain a perennial problem. Measure O, the growth management initiative adopted by the voters in 1979 that also created the City’s Greenbelt, recognized the folly of mindless growth and mandated an affordable housing requirement for new development. Measure O recognized that there was “an already existing housing crisis in the City of Santa Cruz… .”. The commitment, courage, and willingness shown by Shelley Hatch and Ron Pomerantz is amazing and inspiring. Now we get to watch how the new City Council will work under pressure.

SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL January 2018.  Exactly one year ago this week I wrote in this space….

JANUARY 1 ST, 2018 SADLY SHRINKING SENTINEL First it was Wallace Baine, then Don Miller, then Karen Kefauver, Stacey Vreeken, and Haven Livingston…all gone. Now we have to wonder about such favorites as Donna Maurillo, Offra Gerstein, Jondi Gumz, Julie Jag — and how about the new column by Steve Kessler? As we’ve been reading, the cutbacks are all generated by Digital First Media. Go here… to see the extent of their print empire, consisting of 97 newspapers. Here’s an example (quote) of what they promise to do for advertisers… “Taking an omni channel approach, we look at a comprehensive view of the purchase journey for your ideal customer group and model the optimal combination of digital touch points to increase your marketing efficiency”. (1/07/19… Jondi Gumz just left after 26 years and Wallace Baine had a piece in Sunday’s  (1/06/19) S.F. Chronicle).

ABOUT STEPHEN KESSLER, MARK PRIMACK, AND THE SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL 2019.
James Weller from Sanctuary Santa Cruz and the Peace United Church of Christ wrote a much-deserved critique on Facebook last week. Jim also adds that he has no authority to speak for those organizations, or for any of their members other than myself. Open the link, or links, to his entire piece — but his calling out of Kessler and Primack is spot on. Read how they slam Justin Cummings and Drew Glovers votes. Read about their accusation of exploiting the very legal UCSC student votes…and the ridiculous welcome to the “reality of governance”. See what Weller says about rent control and the “purchase of Propaganda”. And special thanks to James Weller, for allowing me to re-print all of it here…

“Enough already, from the stalking horses harnessed to the Sentinel’s bandwagon of shameless commerce. I’m talking about the politically purposed pundits Mark Primack and Stephen Kessler, whose blatherings seem to be the Sentinel’s favorite blunt instruments, pounding away at least once a week on the Opinion page.

What disgusts me is not so much that these smarty-pants oracles are beating their drums for the bourgeoisie, but that their utterances are full of errors. Worse, these are intentional errors.

Kessler, for instance, in his January 5 blurt, claims that Justin Cummings and Drew Glover, two of the three City Council candidates elected in November, nevertheless did “lose the popular vote,” laughably likening the function of our local popular election to that of the Electoral College.

Kessler’s rubric is “City Council Reality Check: Do the Math.” But he showed his work, and it is obviously bogus. No passing grade for you, Stephen. You compare the total number of votes for Drew and Justin with the total number of votes for all the other eight candidates, saying moronically that “a two-to-one margin” did not vote for the winners. Do I really need to point out that the total number of votes for all the candidates does not equal the number of voters?

He says that Justin’s and Drew’s campaigners asked supporters not to vote for a third candidate, though they could have. Yet, incredibly, Kessler ignores the common-sense certainty that most voters did nevertheless vote for three candidates, although we cannot determine which voters voted for whom. If every voter made three choices, then the total number of votes divided by three would equal the number of voters, which would come to 25,000. Now, look: Cummings won 12,516 votes, Meyers won 11,862, and Glover won 10,972. That means each in turn was favored by a whopping plurality among the rest of the candidates, though Cummings did poll an absolute majority among all of them.

No matter how you slice it, the winners won by solid pluralities of the popular vote. Period. Kessler got it badly wrong, and with a purpose.

Like Primack, Kessler whines about Glover’s “exploitation of the [UCSC] student vote” calling it a “clever political stratagem,” as if there were something nefarious about that. In his very next sentence, Kessler calls that outcome “fair and square by the rules of residency and same-day registration.” Well, duh. Those are the rules, aren’t they, Stephen? And the vast majority of us approve of them.

There are other equally telling lacunae in Kessler’s commentary, and nowhere does he tell the plain truth about why the likes of him, and Primack, are in print in the first place. When Kessler pompously says to Cummings and Glover, “welcome to the reality of governance,” as if he has any authority in the matter, the agenda is thinly veiled.

This isn’t about political philosophy. It’s about rent control, stupid. It’s about sore winners in the successful campaign to kill Measure M, the recently defeated rent-control and tenant eviction protection ballot measure. Glover, Cummings, Brown, and Krohn publicly supported M. Now, they are a majority of the City Council, which is what Kessler, Primack, and the Sentinel are freaking out about.

Some 57% of Santa Cruz residents are tenants, and they overwhelmingly support rent control, the failure of M notwithstanding. M was killed by nearly a million dollars’ worth of deceptive and diversionary propaganda bought and blasted at us by landlord interests, which bamboozled the electorate. The age-old ruling class strategy is to divide the populace, in this instance by pitting tenants against homeowners, and students against everyone else.

Yet in fact, very many voters who were scared off by the manufactured hue and cry against M allowed that they actually do support some form of rent control, but not this one. It was a ubiquitous refrain. In its particulars, M was a necessarily complex proposition, made weirder by the wild card of Proposition 10, conjuring a political Schrodinger’s cat if there ever was one.

But the 2018 election circus that seemed to be all about Measure M is over with. Before us lies the very different realm of municipal legislative process. And, guess what? In 2019, according to the will of the People, by due process, there definitely will be a rent control ordinance enacted by the Santa Cruz City Council. You can bet on it.

One thing on which Kessler agrees with the majority of us is that the process should “be a matter of reason, listening, persuasion, negotiation, [and] compromise.” I believe all that will indeed happen.

But this time, the landlord interests will not be able to buy their desired outcome by carpet bombing us with their purchased propaganda, as they did in 2018. This time, all their money will be to no avail. They’re going to have to come to the table. And there are way more of us than there are of them”. James Weller

TOM NODDY & THE FLYING KARAMAZOVS! Tom Noddy emailed to say he’s working on getting the original four Flying Karamazov Brothers plus himself to re-unite at the 50th anniversary of the Oregon State Fair. That’ll run August 23rd – September 2. Longtime Santa Cruzans who loved our downtown will never forget the Four Flying Karamazovs (UCSC students who went on touring the world, even making big time films). They’ll also remember Tom Noddy the bubble guy and Artis the Spoonman and all sorts of great entertainers that made our Pacific Avenue so unique.

JOHN DIZIKES DIED. There are certain people who create a place — or better yet, space — in their community that no one else can fill. John Dizikes was one of those special people. He had an unusual ability to be larger than life, to simply fill more dimensions than most folks do. No matter how many decades later, John represented all those special and unique features that UCSC had when it opened. He was a great radio interview, an incredibly knowledgeable opera companion, and we’ll all miss him…very much.

EAGAN’S  SUBCONSCIOUS  COMICS. Peer into the wild, profound world of yours and my id, ego, and unmentionables.

EAGAN’S  DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Divided Government ” 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. Eaganblog has his “View From The Solstice” poem (very subtle) and his blog contains “Just Say Suck” which is nearly unforgettable.

ANNIE LYDON & DAVE STAMEY SHOWS. Singer, performer Annie Lydon joins songwriter and world renowned cowboy vocalist Dave Stamey with two shows at Michaels on Main  2519 Main Street Soquel on January 9 & 10. Get tickets immediately …they always pack the house. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30. Go to www.michelsonmainmusic.com  and scroll down.

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS…Concert #3. The concert is titled “On the Shoulders of Giants!”it features the  Wild Coast Brass with Kevin Jordan, Concert director and trumpet. They’ll be playing music by J.S. Bach, Barber, Canadian Brass and more.  That’ll happen Saturday, January 19, 7:30 pm and Sunday, January 20, 3:00 pm at The Christ Lutheran Church which is at 10707 Soquel Drive, Aptos (Off Highway 1 at Freedom Blvd.)

RED VELVET, THE PLAY. The Jewel Theatre Company, Santa Cruz’s only full time professional theatre company presents Lolita Chakrabarti’s play Red Velvet from January 23-February 17 at the Colligan Theatre in the Tannery. It’s about the backstage world of London in the early 1800’s. The play is Othello and the lead gets sick and a black man from America is about to take his place as the black Othello!! Go to https://www.jeweltheatre.net/red-velvet  for more data and tickets.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Don’t expect action, but prepare to be immersed in Roma, the cinematic version of deep yoga breathing to observe and appreciate the small details of life, this week at  Lisa Jensen Online Express(http://ljo-express.blogspot.com)  Also, some further thoughts on where we go when we’re no longer here, with input from Harry Potter and Mr. Earl!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . Julie James talks about Jewel Theatre’s new play Red Velvet on January 15. Then Celia and Peter Scott talk about Campaign For Sustainable Transportation. Phil Collins from New Music Works discusses their Feb. 2 concert featuring Terry Riley, piano and Sarah Cahill on January 22. Linda Burman-Hall discusses the full season of The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival on Feb. 5. AND/OR…if you just happen to miss either of the last two weeks of Universal Grapevine broadcasts go here… http://www.radiofreeamerica.com/dj/bruce-bratton 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

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 9 years here’s a chronological list of some past broadcasts.  Such a wide range of folks such as  Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011.

QUOTES. “STORMS”

“The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore”, Vincent Van Gogh

It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it. Amelia Barr

“I
think that the
world should be full of cats and full of rain, that’s all, just
cats and
rain, rain and cats, very nice, good
night.”
Charles Bukowski, Betting on the Muse: Poems and Storie