Highlights this week:
ICE Raids here?, Homeless UCSC students hiding?, Voting for Mayor, Abbott Square Fountain distruction, County Jail volunteers quit, Community TV getting worse, I NEED A CAR …Greensite on the rail/trail environmental review …Krohn about loaded City Council agenda, future of City Manager, Homeless Task Force, going to Texas…Steinbruner reports that State Historic Preservation Staff says, “Santa Cruz County Is A Black Hole for Historic Preservation“, Bulldozing Hirahara Barn, Swenson and Pacific hole condos get affordable units requirement waived by City Council, still no building permits at Rancho Del Mar, fees charged at Privates Beach just like Martin’s Beach issue ?…Gary Patton and “The Low Road” poem…DeCinzo and our Earthquake’s 28th anniversary…Jensen reviews Blade Runner 2049…I critique Blade Runner 2049 and Victoria & Abdul…Quotes about Earthquakes.
Norman Lezin addressing a “Civil Rights Sympathy” demonstration in front of The City Hall on March 13, 1965. Norm was formerly Chairman of the Board of Directors of Salz Leathers and Salz Tannery. Salz closed in 2001. The leather industry was one of Santa Cruz County’s most important businesses. Norm was our Mayor 1964-1965 and he was one of the few Democrats in the area back then 😉 !!
Today I found out… This is a great show on Youtube – this episode is about why some people sneeze from the sun.
They don’t make ’em like this anymore…
DATELINE October 9, 2017
OCTAGON & MAH MUSINGS. As I mentioned in the last two weeks I’m now back to sitting in front of the once meaningful Octagon building two or three afternoons per week. Folks ask and tell me all sorts of things. For example will there be more ICE Raids in Santa Cruz as Trump has now amped up DACA? Will our City Council take any stand on ICE Raids? What’s going to happen with that huge “homeless recommendations list” survey the City did about homeless? Is it just a council hype job? What about all the UCSC Students who are homeless…where and when are they entered into the statistics? Any chance there will ever be another push to have rent control put on our ballots? Any possibility of us ever actually voting for the mayor position in Santa Cruz instead of the City Council choosing among themselves?
ABBOTT SQUARE FOUNTAIN. Long time friend Nick Royal emailed me and asked … in the little courtyard (now eating places) was a nice fountain by Alan Counahan. I wonder if it still exists, some place? I liked it”. Nick added that he knows Alan and his wife Gypsy who now live in Ireland.
MAH’s Nina Simon replied…”I met directly with Alan onsite regarding the fountain in 2014 and he agreed that it could and probably should be removed. Because it was poured in place, it was not easily moveable to another site – all but the central column would have been irreplaceable. We did actively pursue the possibility of recreating it with several other sites around the county, but ultimately, no one wanted to do that heavy reconstruction.
Alan preferred for it to be destroyed rather than re-sited as he saw it as a site-specific piece. It was a few years ago, so I don’t remember his precise words, but Alan said something lovely about the idea that the fountain was built to commemorate an important time around the Earthquake, and that now downtown was in a new phase, a new time, time to move on… something like that.
VOLUNTEERS AT THE COUNTY JAIL
Rick Longinotti stopped by the Octagon Platz to tell us that he and the Roman Catholic group of volunteers have stopped counseling, and helping at the County Jail because the officials tried to force them to sign a form freeing the County from any problems the inmates might either cause or be the result of. In a letter to the County he wrote…”I’m hoping that the County really doesn’t expect its jail volunteers to take responsibility for any damage that the inmates might do to one another while they are in our groups. Could you please ask the Sheriff Dept. to edit out the following paragraph in the waiver and I’ll be happy to sign it?
“I further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend the County, its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers from any and all claims, demands, actions, judgments, costs, attorney’s fees and damages of any kind for liability which the County may incur arising out of or in any manner related to the performance of voluntary service
He added…”The Catholics still aren’t going to the jail and it’s been six months since they raised their objection. See the Sentinel article here.
COMMUNITY TELEVISION & CLASSICAL ARTS? Far too many friends and locals are wondering what’s happened to our Community Television Station. Yes, it still runs the local meetings and Amy Goodman but what happened to Classical Arts ? It was the only cultural saving grace we’ve been able to enjoy over the years of cutbacks. The last on screen notice was that “Classical Arts no longer links to Dish Television” but CTV isn’t a Dish owned station. And of course we get the exact same daily movies over and over…what’s really happening at CTV? Why are they so bad at communicating? Why aren’t they more public?
APOLOGY ABOUT EDITING. Mea Culpa all over the place. Last week’s BrattonOnline had way more than the usual errors, misspellings and goofs. I wish there was time each Monday morning to have some editor go over all the words that come flying in. Back in the day I had a few really great, supportive editors. Tom Honig, Buzz Bezore and Rob Pratt were the most memorable. Many errors are also due to lousy linking between Mac and PC. For example the 26 actual pages that made up last week’s edition took way more nerves and naps to produce…thanks for bearing with me, it and us all these years. [Webmistress adds: Mea culpa as well! I’ve had less time to edit – I used to do much more of it, and I’ll try to get back to it!]
I NEED A CAR. Over the more than 42 years that I’ve been writing a weekly column (12 of them online) I’ve posted a “car wanted plea” three times and each time it worked wonderfully. What I need is not an “affordable” car but “middle to low income” priced car. Also each time I’ve asked through this column many folks think that everyone else will respond…they don’t!!! I need you or any friend of yours who wants to sell a car to email me at bratton@cruzio.com and we’ll talk it over. Please??
TALL TALES AND RAIL~TRAILS
Until last Thursday, I hadn’t paid close attention to the controversial rail/trail project beyond the knowledge that some strongly support both rail and trail and some strongly support only the trail. Arguments seem persuasive on both sides.
When I read that the environmental review for Phase 1 of Segment 7 of this 32-mile project, the 1.36 mile section from Natural Bridges to Bay and California Streets was on the October 5th Planning Commission agenda, I thought it wise to take a closer look. The city has a poor track record with environmental reviews or lack thereof. It took a lawsuit to convince the city that yes, if it was going to weaken its Heritage Tree Ordinance it needed to conduct an environmental review and its claims of CEQA exemption were unfounded. It took 2500 petition signers and a letter from an attorney to convince the city that an EIR was needed to adequately assess the environmental impact of changes proposed for the Municipal Wharf under the Wharf Master Plan. So I was keen to read and spot any inadequacies in the environmental documents for this segment of the rail/trail project. It did not take long.
The plan is to construct a 4.5 feet tall safety fence to separate the trail from the rail. It is to be made of steel posts and wire with the lowest rung 6 inches above grade. A friend commented that such a fence would be a disaster for animal migration, including skunks, coyotes, possums and the occasional deer on the far west side. With that in mind I was surprised to read under Section IV: Biological Resources on page 3-22 of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) that: “The Project is located within an urban area and there are no wildlife corridors within the Project area.” Anyone living for a while on the lower Westside knows that’s not true. The MND follows that misstatement with: “Arroyo Seco and Neary Lagoon are not wildlife corridors for migratory fish species.” That’s true. It’s called Arroyo SECO for a reason. What about other species using the supposedly non-existent wildlife corridors? Not mentioned.
Such sloppy environmental review was sufficient to get me to the meeting. The room was crowded with the opposing camps of trail only defenders and rail/trail defenders. One fact is obvious. The rail/trail proponents or at least the many who wrote emails and those who attended the meeting have no interest in potential environmental impacts to animals or the loss of 25 trees due to the project. They applauded the MND and urged swift approval. The trail only proponents expressed concern regarding trees and used that issue to support the trail only option, which minimizes tree loss. No one mentioned animal corridors. When it was my turn to speak, I pointed out the incorrect entry regarding animal corridors. The planner in charge of the project shook his head as I was speaking. I hate when they do that. It’s a signal to other staff and commissioners that the speaker is wrong and is misquoting, which in this case was not true. Despite that tactic, when commissioners deliberated after public comment, three of them expressed concern regarding animal corridors and the impact of the linear fence. While they unanimously approved the project, one asked for that issue to be better addressed in the MND. We’ll see how that is handled when the MND goes to council.
Personally, this closer examination of the project has raised red flags. The 32 miles of the rail line from Davenport to Watsonville bisects many animal corridors, especially in the open space areas. A continuous steel fence running that distance should be of concern for animal migration. Besides that, many areas along the rail are lined with groves of trees providing immense habitat value. If you sight along the tracks in some places, to accommodate the widened rail/trail, all trees will be removed. Many are Monarch butterflies overwintering sites whether designated or not. At the Monarch Festival at Natural Bridges on Sunday, October 9th, the lead interpreter noted not only the decline of this iconic species but underscored the need to “help with trees on the coast and conserve tree groves” if we are to share a future with Monarch butterflies. How will further environmental reviews of the rail/trail handle this dilemma?
An environmental review manipulated to promote a project needs to be called out, whatever side of the issue you support. Otherwise such review is meaningless. In the long run we all lose… butterflies, trees, animals and ourselves.
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.
“It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, but perhaps there is a key.”
–Winston Churchill referring to Russia, but perhaps he could’ve been talking about how the issue of homelessness is addressed in the City of Santa Cruz
Vice Mayor David Terrazas and Council member Chris Krohn cycling through the streets of Houston on a bike-share program. The Santa Cruz version of bike share starts this spring.
City Council Agendas
If you throw in the Parks Master Plan, the report on Short Term Vacation Rentals and its dozens of resident emails, and the “2017 Homelessness Recommendations” list, this city council agenda is well over 1000 pages! Whaaaat! It’s true. You receive the agenda on Thursday night and, voila, by Tuesday morning at 11:30am you have totally digested it, or not…and that’s after the daughter’s Saturday soccer game, a 3-hour council steering committee panel of village elders meeting, a Friday night date with spouse, and of course, the usual Monday meeting with department heads, city attorney and city manager mad-dash…it ain’t pretty, but I know what you are thinking. This is why they pay us the big bucks, about $1500 take home pay each month. I can live with it, but it doesn’t necessarily assuage those self-inflicted guilty feelings of not getting the job done.
But Why?
Why are council agendas so hefty at certain times of the year? We’ve had so many off-Tuesday night meetings cancelled, and at the twice monthly official meeting there’s often been no 7 o’clock session. Why so much on this one agenda? Poor planning? Staff necessities? Is it a chess game–overload councilmembers when you want to get something through? Is the word out? Or is it simply that the city doesn’t sleep, so get used to it rookie!? Okay, the council was able to pivot somewhat and meet this past Monday in closed session for two hours to discuss the future of the city manager. It was the only thing on the agenda. So, it is possible for the council to meet and mediate the work load, sometimes. Is it possible to meet on all the off-Tuesday council meeting nights and take up an issue like homelessness or housing, or a combination of the two…and actually make some decisions? And, how about meeting in a different neighborhood each of those off-Tuesdays? You know, bring the city council to the people similar to the Mayor’s valiant efforts of holding “City Hall to You” meetings in different parts of the city. Why not go the distance and hold an “official council meeting” on the Westside to discuss, and decide upon, an aspect of university growth? Or meet on the eastside to debate the final fate of the “Corridors Plan?” Or meet in any neighborhood and discuss homelessness and what is to be done?
We need to find meaningful responses to homelessness, it’s what’s on everyone’s mind and often outside their front door, but it seems to currently linger like the white elephant in the room. When the agenda is so loaded, as it was this past Tuesday, many residents often head home before their item comes up because meetings are so long. It is even more ironic that if residents wished to register a comment about such a tiring experience, they used to be able to do so at the 7pm, “Oral Communication”, the public podium in other words. That is a time for the council to hear about issues of concern, but the ones that are not on the official agenda. Now, there is no fixed time for Oral Communication. It floats. It might happen at its 5pm scheduled time, or at 5:30pm or 5:45pm as it often does. In addition, if we were serious about creating more affordable housing–as was described in item 17, which was about closing the affordable housing loophole and demanding developers build the legal 15% the community is entitled to asking–it would not have been taken off this week’s agenda. In fact, we could’ve passed it two weeks ago, but who needs housing? City councilmembers all have houses, some have multiple ones. (Full disclosure, I have the one I live in and one that I rent out.) Only Cynthia Chase (looking for a house she says) and Sandy Brown (priced out of the rental market) are the lone councilmembers who rent. I guess my point here is, we need to get some perspective of what is possible in a city council meeting and remain mindful of the public’s ability to participate in meaningful ways.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew chapter 25, verses 35-36)
Homeless Issues Task Force
Everywhere I go I hear about the high cost ofhousing and, can’t we do something to help the homeless come in off the streets of our city? Those are by far the top two issues. So, it appears to be “wrapped in a mystery,” as Churchill states above, why we cannot as a council and a community muster the cajones to build a 24/7 shelter with the attendant wrap-around services like drug and alcohol counseling along, and also identify the transitional housing that is needed. In my first nine months on the city council, round 2 (I also served 1998-2002), we are failing at alleviating the plight of our homeless and not providing much affordable housing to speak of. The staff report for this week’s council meeting says “staff are pleased to report substantial progress…” on homeless issues. I kid you not. The Benchlands, alongside the county building at 701 Ocean Street, is housing 40-50 campers per night I’m told. The US Post Office on Front Street is surrounded by campers now that they’ve been unceremoniously removed from the grounds of city hall. Just off the bike path below highway one that runs next to Holy Cross church often holds a dozen campers, many in tents. Combined with the Food Not Bombs weekly feedings, this picture attests to a great need for items 17 (Shelter!), 18 (year-round shelter!),19 (year-round homeless shelter), and 20 (day services with basic services and case management) listed in the Task Force report. All of them were in the report, but, are now strangely deemed too hard to do. While it is laudable to charge the electronic devices of the homeless, help store their belongings, and offer showers, and I support all of them, but they barely scratch the surface and it’s been well over a year of talking, meetings, more talking and more meetings. The staff even describes these above four points as “Long-Horizon Solutions.” I believe they are the really necessary elements of the 20 points, the ones you hear your neighbors talk about, the ones that are even discussed at the bars and cafes around town, not to mention at every public meeting I’ve been to recently. Housing and counseling services have somehow been left to the auspices of divine intervention…too tough for mammon, too intractable for us in 2017, and too controversial for the meager city resources that currently spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants, facilitators, and job head-hunters (see memo below). Please notify the assistant city manager, Tina Schull who is in charge of putting together the most recent homeless report. She can be reached at tshull@cityofsantacruz.com, or 831.420.5020. Please demand that housing and mental health services be the number one priority when it comes to city funding for homeless services.
“Stuff” Department Odd Stuff
Councilmember Chris Krohn accompanied Police Chief Andy Mills and Vice Mayor, David Terrazas on a trip to Houston, Texas last week to attend a POP conference, “Problem-Oriented Policing.” I will leave it to the mind of the reader why this might be odd, but it was quite the informative conference, bordering on some rigorous intellectual training. It was actually a joy to see a curious, inquisitive, and passionate Santa Cruz police chief interact with his mentor of 27 years, Herman Goldstein, Professor Emeritus in criminal law at the UW Madison law school. Goldstein literally wrote the book on POP in 1990, Problem-Oriented Policing. He knows his stuff and is quite the lecturer.
Hot Stuff
UCSCS sociology professors, Miriam Greenberg and Steve McKay will be hosting a “No Place Like Home” talk and question session at the Civic Auditorium on Thursday, October 19th at 7pm. It is free to the public, so mark your calendars and come prepared to talk housing!
Sleeper Stuff
I’m already receiving another round of emails supportive of the developer give-away Downtown Recovery Plan Amendments slated to be before the city council sometime soon.
Amber Blizinski resigned from the Planning Commission and the council majority gets to choose yet another commissioner this week…It only takes FOUR votes on the council to pick all SEVEN commissioners on every city commission. It’s an inherently unfair process. We need to bring back the one councilmember-one commissioner appointment process and restore not only fairness and balance to the commissions, but a diversity of views as well.
Bernie Quote of the Week “Despite the Trump administration’s destructive efforts, we will not stop fighting for women’s rights and full reproductive justice.” (Oct. 6)
~Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PLANNING DEPT. WANTS TO BULLDOZE HISTORIC REDMAN-HIRAHARA BARN IN WATSONVILLE.
“You have legal ability to require the barn be re-built rather than demolished. You do not have to be the beggars at the table here,” local historian Mr. Ross Gibson wisely told the County Historic Resources Commission at their October 2 meeting. His sage words went unheeded.
Here is the video of that disgusting County Historic Resources Commission meeting last week.
Last week’s County Historic Resources Commission meeting was a real eye-opener. Assistant Planning Director WandaWilliams insisted the wooden barn (built around 1900) next to the Nationally-Registered Redman-Hirahara house on Lee Road in Watsonville has no significance and in fact, informed the Commission that an over-the-counter demolition permit is in the works This was a visible shock to the Commissioners, especially Ms. Carolyn Swift, who was aware of the 2010 archaeologist report recommending the barn also be placed on the National Historic Registry because of the incredible significance the barn played in housing many Japanese-American families returning to the area after forced incarceration during World War II. Luckily for the Hirahara family, their neighbors had paid the taxes on their farm while they were imprisoned, but many other families were not so lucky. The barn housed them until they could get re-established.
The Santa Cruz County Planning Director, Ms. Kathy Previsich, could care less. Neither her Assistant, Wanda Williams, nor the Historic Resources Special Projects Planner, Annie Murphy were willing to acknowledge the importance of the barn, the significance of the 2010 archaeologist report or the blunder on the part of the Planning Dept. to follow through with the National Registry designation when it was professionally recommended. Instead, without notifying the Historic Resources Commission, staff is working diligently with the owner/developer Tut Family and Elite Developers to finish knocking the barn down, splintering the wood and any possible artifacts, and sending it all down the road to the dump. And gee, wouldn’t it all be a shame if the demolition crew accidentally backed the dozer into the house? That pesky historic house is in the way of a profitable new hotel or two, just like what is currently in the works on their other parcel across the road. At the behest of Commissioner Swift, the Planning Dept. staff will ASK the developers if the Commissioners could be notified of the demolition date so as to possibly be present with archaeologists to retrieve historic morsels from the wreckage.
Keep watching it and you will see the brilliant argument that local historian Mr. Ross Gibson made to have the Bob Merriman family home at 1438 Capitola Road saved from the bulldozer. That is on County-owned land slated for a hotel or maybe dense development. Bob Merriman was the real-life hero that Ernest Hemmingway based his “For Whom the Bell Tolls” novel upon…the Planning Dept. does not think that is significant either. The site is also the birthplace of the farmer’s cooperative model that took flight around the nation to help small farmers prosper while working together. That explains why the historic lots in Live Oak are very deep, doesn’t it? Well, the Planning Dept. doesn’t think that is significant, even though that model spawned a rich agricultural heritage of small, very successful poultry farmers in Santa Cruz County. In the early 1900’s, Santa Cruz was second only to Petaluma for the economic value of poultry in the State, and the University of California encouraged an agricultural advisor to work with poultry farmers to build a National Egg Laying Contest Center on the banks of the San Lorenzo River, today the home of Riverside Lighting. Does the Planning Dept. care about this bit of significant County history? NOPE!
Is it any wonder that staff from the State Historic Preservation Office recently said “Santa Cruz County is a Black Hole for historic preservation.”?
Does any of this bother you? Call your County Supervisor: 831-454-2200 and the Director of State Historic Preservation
And the Director of the National Historic Registry: “Jaime Loichinger” jloichinger@achp.gov
(According to Ross Gibson, all structures on a property within the national Historic designation are protected. Wanda Williams would not listen to this or even attempt to investigate the issue.)
Demand that the historic carriage barn at the Redman-Hirahara house be rebuilt, not demolished. The professional survey and recommendation to do so exist from 2010 but the County Planning Dept. never followed up on the recommendation. Also demand that the Bob Merriman home be elevated from an NR-6 historic status (no significance) to an NR-5 status (local historic status and worthy of preservation) and be preserved. The County wants to bulldoze it to make way for dense tax-rich development.
IS ANYBODY PAYING ATTENTION IN SANTA CRUZ?
Two weeks ago, Santa Cruz City Councilman Chris Krohn wrote in BrattonOnline that the City Council had waived for Barry Swenson Builder the City’s requirement to include 15% of the new five-story 79-condo unit development on upper Pacific and Cedar Streets (the hole next to Lulu Carpenters) be dedicated to affordable units. I was shocked. How could the Council throw away 12 affordable residential units when their highest priority in the City’s Strategic Goals is to add more affordable housing for residents?
I wrote the “Affordable Housing NOW!” group to ask their thoughts and was puzzled as to why the leader, Mr. Tim Willoughby, seemed rather unconcerned, stating “there seems to be some confusion about the 15% requirement issue.” But he did acknowledge that 15% of the units will have to meet the affordability requirement when they are sold. (This is technically a condominium project)The council chose not to add any requirement on renting a percentage of the units at restricted rent levels while they are in the rental market.
Here is what Councilmember Chris Krohn had to say:
“The city council CAN demand the builder include “up to 15%” affordable units in a “planned development” (condo project). We have the right and it is legal according to the city attorney. The council had that opportunity, but not the will, to tell Jesse Nickell of Swenson to build them, 12 units. Our community lost.”
Maybe we will see more responsible action from the Council during Affordable Housing Week, October 19-26, with a nice event planned for October 19, 7pm-9pm, at the Civic. JOIN ME FOR A STREET PROTEST THERE TO LET THE SANTA CRUZ CITY COUNCIL KNOW PEOPLE WANT MORE THAN JUST LIP SERVICE TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS. Bring your own signs or make one there. I’ll see you on the sidewalk in front of the Civic at 7pm
BARRY SWENSON’S SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR VIOLATING MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY AND CONTAMINATING APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT SOILS.
As was reported here recently, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney fined Barry Swenson Builder a measly $125,000 for the multiple public health and safety laws that the Swenson crew broke, at the behest of foremen Keith Henderson and Jim Lynn, along with the aid of Santa Cruz Underground Paving (SCUP). Here is the communication from Mr. Ed Browne, the DA, regarding the case:
Ms. Steinbruner,
The case number for the matter is 17 CV 02333. Any negotiations are confidential pursuant to Evidence Code section 1152. However, the attached Complaint and Judgment clears set out the violation and resolution. There are no liens since all penalties and costs were paid prior to the filing of the case.
Ed Browne
LOWER RANCHO DEL MAR CENTER FENCED OFF…DEMOLITION PERMIT ISSUED WITHOUT BUILDING PERMITS APPROVED.
Well, here we go, folks, the Planning Dept. gave TRC Retail a demolition permit, but no building permits yet. I guess that’s the “tight construction timeline” that County Supervisor Zach Friend held onto in order to help boot out the merchants with a 30-day notice. Take a look for yourself at what the Planning Dept. issued just last Thursday, October 5, 2017
You can see the lack of building permits issued if you look at the permit status for APN 039-221-11, advancing to Page 4 of the history. NO PERMITS YET APPROVED.
THANK YOU RTC COMMISSIONER JACQUE BERTRAND FOR INVESTIGATION OF APTOS VILLAGE BUS STOP RELOCATION PROBLEMS!
I spoke before the Regional Transportation Commission Board last week, asking for some accountability of the County’s use of RTC grant money (over $2 million total) to fund all the Aptos Village Traffic Improvements to benefit the developers, but especially the Metro inbound #71 bus stop. Recently, Metro Operations Official, Mr. Ciro Aguirre told the Metro Board that the County plans to pay for the new bus bay that will not allow bus drivers to entirely exit the lane of traffic when stopped, nor will there be a sidewalk leading to the bus stop! How can that be? Thankfully, Mr. Bertrand, the RTC Commissioner representing Capitola, asked staff to investigate and report back.
The RTC Elderly and Disabled Transportation Advisory Commission meets this week…maybe County Public Works will finally explain the reasoning behind this bus stop relocation and lack of access for those with mobility challenges. Stay tuned!
HOW IS MARTIN’S BEACH DIFFERENT FROM CAPITOLA’S “PRIVATE’S BEACH”?
Maybe you saw the headlines in newspapers last week (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 10/5/2017 Page A1) about the Coastal Commission forcing the owner of an access road to Martin’s Beach up north to open the locked gate to once again allow the public free access to the public beach. The Coastal Commission threatened to impose $11,000/day fines if the gate remained closed to the public. So, how can the local Opal Cliffs Recreation District be allowed to continue restricting public access with a locked gate, forcing the public to purchase a $100 key pass to enter the public Private’s Beach? The parcel of land is supposedly owned by the County of Santa Cruz, but the members of the Opal Cliffs Recreation District pay to have access to the beach and also fund improvements at the entry site, located at 4524 Opal Cliffs Drive, Capitola. Why did County Sheriff Jim Hart write and post a letter at the gate last year to support the continued locked gate and paid membership access?
The Santa Cruz Sentinel article (6/17/2017) reported that the County struck a deal with the Coastal Commission to allow free public access from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and to allow the exclusive paid membership access the rest of the year. WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT THAN MARTIN’S BEACH? It is impossible to research much about the ownership of the parcel…County Assessor data show it was recorded on July 4, 1776 and is not traceable. Just like the Soquel Creek Water District’s new Granite Way Well site in Aptos Village Project…..
YET ANOTHER NEW MOBILE HOME ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT WELL SITE?
Strange but true…last week when I was verifying information at the County Assessor’s office public computers regarding the Soquel Creek Water District’s new Granite Way well site (APN 041-011-54), the same “GENERAL PARCEL’ in a residential zone information came up as had previously, but now it has been given an address: 123 Parcel Ave., but no city. Hmmmm…… The other change I observed was that the previous Scotts Valley mobile home information has been replaced with a different mobile home…this one in Aptos.
I asked County Assessor Mr. Sean Saldavia about the irregularity. He was not familiar with a “GENERAL PARCEL” on the data base entries, so asked for a staff person to join the discussion. This woman seemed to be unconcerned with the fact that a residential parcel (now with a mailing address of 123 General Parcel Ave. but no city and no site address) was connected with the APN of a tax-exempt well parcel owned by Soquel Creek Water District, and that a different mobile home was also connected with this piece of Special District owned tax-exempt land. Now, the APN 038-081-14 (site #98, address 220 Mar Vista Drive, Aptos) is attached to the Granite Way well parcel, located within the Aptos Village Project. The General Parcel is also tax-exempt with no assessed value according to 2013-2014 data shown.
Both Mr. Saldavia and the staff person took note that the public computer screen did not print out entirely when the command was issued….removing on paper any connection with the Well Parcel 041-011-54 and the General Parcel of residential land (recorded on July 4, 1776 with no traceable document), and the mobile home personal property recorded July 13, 2017, with document 2017-MHA022 (not available at the County Recorder’s Office).
“What would you think, if you were a common citizen, and saw this information on a County data base?” I asked. “Well,” the woman said, ” I would be curious, but I would not speculate.” Hmmmm……
If it were your property that seemed to have irregular information attached, would you shrug your shoulders and move along? Maybe so, especially if you were the Soquel Creek Water District Board. They still have not responded to my letter to them with documentation of the issue and request for explanation. Are you a ratepayer? Maybe they will have an answer for you if you try contacting them:
COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS CLOSING APTOS VILLAGE TRAFFIC TO ONE LANE THROUGH DECEMBER, 2017.
The massive storm damage to Soquel Drive just at the underpass entering the Aptos Village will be repaired, beginning this week. That has been a worry to many, and the FEMA repair will be welcome. What will make it all a challenge for the area’s residents and businesses is the closure to one-lane of traffic until December 15. That is in addition to the nightmare already in progress, for which there is little public information, in the taxpayer-funded County Phase I work to benefit the Aptos Village Project developers (http://aptosvillageimprovement.blogspot.com/) AND the mess on Trout Gulch Road, Cathedral Drive and Aptos Creek Road that Barry Swenson Builder is creating, with absolutely no public information.
Please contact Supervisor Zach Friend and let him know your thoughts. He loves to hear from you.
~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).
The Sun magazine, which I have recently discovered, and which I find remarkable, has printed “The Low Road,” by Marge Piercy, in its October 2017 edition.
The following is almost the whole poem, but I am ending where I have often said, in this blog, we must all begin. Marge Piercy says it more powerfully. She says it better than I ever could: “The Low Road”
What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can’t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t stop them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.
But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.
Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organization. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fund-raising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.
It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again after they said no,
it starts when you say We …
~Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. See and appreciate DeCinzo’s very serious 1989 earthquake vision just a few scrolls downward.The earthquake happened October 17, 1989 at 5:04 pm.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Worshipping What?” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog….with some “Dotard” concepts.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Catch up with one of Santa Cruz’s most beloved Open Studios artists this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). And life is still mysterious for human and replicant alike in the thoughtful 30-years-late sequel, Blade Runner 2049.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
BLADE RUNNER 2049. Denis Villeneuve directed this sequel and it has very little visually or plot wise in the way of continuity…it’s an unique addition to science fiction films. Dystopian is the very overused word describing a disaster based future. This film has Los Angeles really transfigured…and terrible. Ryan Gosling carries the entire story, with Robin Wright and Harrison Ford doing fine acting jobs too. I have rarely, if ever,seen or felt a theatre audience so still-hypnotized-awed-puzzled-and silent as the one I joined last week. I’m going again, it needs two viewings on as large a screen as possible.
VICTORIA & ABDUL. Almost everyone knows that Judi Dench plays Queen Victoria in this cute, warm, cuddly feel good movie. Eddie Izzard plays the Prince of Wales ( Edward VII), but you won’t recognize him. I didn’t, and I’m a big fan of Izzards. Stephen Frears directed it. He did My Beautiful Launderette, Prick Up your Ears, Philomena and some more great films but this isn’t in that category. Aside from the cuteness, it ignores the cruelty of the British rule over India during the almost 30 years.
MOTHER. An excellent, genius- directed, absolutely intelligent plot, best-acted…what more can you ask from a movie?? Jennifer Lawrence, plus two of my favorite actors Javier Bardem and Ed Harris, Brian Gleeson, and a darker Michelle Pfeiffer make a perfect cast for this challenging film. Not a scary, boo-type, odd, weird, what’s that?, cellar stairs type of film. It’s more like “what is going on”, “I can’t imagine what’s happening next kind of film, Directed by Darren Aronofsky it’s a winner, and you’ll remember seeing it. So go. RT calls it a “psychological thriller” I agree.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES. Billie Jean King plays against Bobby Riggs in this easy going tennis and sex movie. Billie Jean has an internal battle with her own sex, which adds a deeper and more involved plot than the 1973 match which we’ve all been reading up on or remember from those days. Emma Stone reputedly the highest star in the world acts perfectly with Steve Carrell and the movie is a guaranteed hit with everybody. I didn’t recognize Sarah Silverman as the women’s coach because she wears sunglasses all through the movie. I liked Little Miss Sunshine better.
This broke all box office records last weekend when IT opened…and IT should have. IT is a well made, very scary movie. Based on some Stephen King books, IT is chapter one of a two part nightmare- daydream that will grab you when you are least prepared to be scared. It has all the clichés…BUT it’s got tension, mystery, and perfect timing along with excellent acting. Just go see IT but only if you truly enjoy being scared. 86 on RT.
AMERICAN MADE. It is NOT another dopey, violent Tom Cruise superhuman action flick. This one is based on an unbelievable probably half true story about a guy who becomes an international drug runner then gets involved illegally with our CIA and the Iran Contra affair that almost got President Ronnie R. evicted. It’s probably Scientology that gives Tom Cruise that certain extra something…and I have to admit I like watching the buy. 87 on RT.
KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. I wished I’d remembered that this part 2 of an ongoing series comes from comic books. The entire movie looks like an animated cartoon. It’s violent, murderous, and plain goofy. Elton John plays himself and there’s a warning right there. To watch such good actors as Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and especially Colin Firth jump around for their million dollar salaries is embarrassing.
FLATLINERS. Ellen Page who looks like she’s about 18 and is really 30 has the lead in this potentially interesting but terrible mess of a movie. She and some fellow Med students try flatlining (killing) themselves then bringing each other back to life a minute or two later. They have death visions, the equipment fails, they chicken out, and they suffer night and day- mares. But IF there was a director (;-) he or she completely blew it. Don’t go…you won’t be able to make any sense of it either. ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER12.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. Following Phyllis, Katie Hansen and Sierra Ryan two of the authors of the new MAH book Harvesting Our Heritage will discuss our County crop history. Gary Patton gives info and background on the Save Santa Cruz Organization on Oct.17. Also on the 17th The Muslim Solidarity Group (part of Santa Cruz Sanctuary) will talk about their aims, goals, and issues. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
Tutorials are one of the best things about Youtube, for reals!
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. “EARTHQUAKES”
“Playing polo is like trying to play golf during an earthquake”, Sylvester Stallone “The safest place to be during an earthquake would be in a stationary store.” George Carlin, “The earthquake, however, must be to every one a most impressive event: the earth, considered from our earliest childhood as the type of solidity, has oscillated like a thin crust beneath our feet; and in seeing the laboured works of man in a moment overthrown, we feel the insignificance of his boasted power.” Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle “Southern Californians freak out when it rains, yet when there’s an earthquake they’re like ‘pass the salt”, Gregor Collins, “An earthquake is such fun when it is over“, George Orwell, Burmese Days
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Highlights this week:
Read about Garfield Park Circle Church sale being fishy, Abbott Square and more news re Octagon changes, Buffalo Bill’s visits to Santa Cruz, Wilder Ranch & S.F. Chronicle…Carmella Weintraub about The Spirit of Santa Cruz…Greensite on rape rendered invisible in local crime stats…Krohn (from Texas) about Sanctuary State, ICE Raids, Bail schedule, planned development loopholes, Quality of Life Plan, rent control, moratorium on UCSC growth…Steinbruner writes on Rancho Del Mar’s sad day, Supe Zach Friend not helping businesses, cannabis growing and manufacturing problems, “Affordable” housing & Barry Swenson, Sentinel avoids reporting on Trump’s Mexico wall…Patton and our history lessons…Eagan and the jerking of the knee…DeCinzo and KSCO history…Jensen and Battle of The Sexes…I critique American Made, Battle of the Sexes, Flatliners, and Woodshock…Quotes on Puerto Rico.
“Buffalo Bill Cody in parade on Pacific Ave. between Lincoln Street and Cathcart…Friday May 7, 1915”. With Buffalo Bill is his sister Mrs. Lydia Goulding who lived on Seabright Avenue. He visited here here in 1910, April 18,1914 and the above in 1915, his last visit, he died January 10, 1917.
photo credit: photo and Buffalo Bill data courtesy of David Terrazas
BILLIE JEAN KING TODAY. A foolish interview, but we get to see what she looks like after all these years
SANTA CRUZ CLIFF JUMPING. Looks familiar…like maybe I ran this before??? AND it’s still thrilling!!!
This enthusiastic British girl tells us a few things that are neat about Santa Cruz.
DATELINE Oct. 2, 2017
GARFIELD CIRCLE CHURCH SALE. “Something’s fishy about the sale of the Garfield Park Christian Circle Church” is what I heard over and over again from some residents who live in and on the circle street (Errett) that surrounds the church. Why was the selling price so far below the market value? It sold, and is in escrow for a listed price of $2,995,000. Who bought it? Is there a brewery owner involved in the sale and purchase? Where is the money going from the sale? Why are they ripping out the church pews? Many complaints from the treatment of the community from Pastor Steve’s time as head guy to Christopher Drury who runs it now. There was no debt on the building, the neighbors say. It had wide community use by all sorts of groups, now available times are severally limited. Why the new paint job on the church since it was only five years since the last one? There are more questions and because this is such a prime piece of Santa Cruz community and such a piece of our history…these questions and many more need answering, and more publicity shed on this sad Drury dilemma.
NINA SIMON ON OCTAGON AND MAH CHANGES. I mentioned last week that I’m back sitting in front of The Octagon a few random hours each week. It’s great…folks stop by and give me all sorts of topics, secrets, and ideas for BrattonOnline. I also get plenty of questions about the changes that MAH and Nina Simon made to “the MAH-ABBOTT neighborhood” In answer to my query to her about what happened to the huge black letter M that stood next to the red ball at the corner of Cooper and Front Street she replied…”When we designed and built the new deck wrapping around the corner, we wanted to invite people to easily hang out and people-watch from there. We also wanted to make the deck as big as possible. We found a way for the ball – which is iconic to the site and beloved by many – to remain. But not the M. It was removed as part of the project”. In answer to even more questions about what’s going into the Octagon itself she emailed…” The Octagon is leased as part of Abbott Square Market and it is my understanding that they are actively developing it with local chefs, to open in 2018″. As it happened after her reply I asked two guys working inside the Octagon…they said that TWO locally owned restaurants will be opening in there by (next month) November!! I guess we’ll wait and see.
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BUFFALO BILL AND SANTA CRUZ VISITS. David Terrazas and I got to talking (not about politics!!!) about Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) and his visits to his Santa Cruz sisters. I’d never seen or heard about Bill visiting here…and had never seen any local photos…or knew that he was one of seven children. Sophia M. Decker and Lydia Goudling were his Santa Cruz sisters. Sophia died here at her sister’s home on Seabright avenue. David T. also had the library print copies of his PEERLESS PAGEANT OF PLEASURE appearing at the Liebrandt Circus Grounds. His Sells-Floto Circus featured “his Indians, Zora Bravest woman in the world, Ranch Girls, and Beasts of the Jungle performed by MME. Ricardo and Captain Dutch. Before all of that happened they would stage a Circus Parade two miles long!!!
WILDER RANCH HISTORY AND THE S.F. CHRONICLE. Tom Stienstra in his OUTDOORS column for the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, September 28 wrote a great piece about Wilder Ranch State Park. He titled it “A Hidden Gem for Bikers and Hikers”.
He describes not just the scope of the park but the protocol for hikers, horse people and mountain bikers. That is bikers give way to hikers and equestrians; hikers give way to horses. He repeats Ranger conversations and it’s all very nice BUT never once does he or any ranger tell of the huge battle and victory we locals had in fighting the development of 10,000 homes there. No mention of the $121,000,000 lawsuit that Bob Bosso and The Hollywood Turf Club that he represented slammed on us that we had to fight (we won). That battle against development was significant. I wrote Stienstra about all of it. We should wonder now what would our City Council or Board of Supes do today if Apple, Microsoft, Google wanted to build the equivalent of 10,000 homes here…like a Silicon Beach Ranch or some such monstrosity??
THE SPIRIT OF SANTA CRUZ by CARMELLA WEINTRAUB. My decade’s long- time friend Carmella Weintraub wrote this piece and sent it to Gary Patton and me. Carmella is a long time Santa Cruzan, mother and designer. Gary ran it on Facebook and I want to share it with all of you here. It’s so well written and covers the beliefs and feelings so many of us have. Don’t miss it…read it all…
“SAVING THE SOUL OF SANTA CRUZ”
Carmella Weintraub
It is said that the soul of a place is the sum total of the essence of its highest ideals and should be an expression of its commitment to the good, the true and the beautiful. This quality of soul comes only after the evolution through phases of its development, some of which is challenging and some a natural progress. Then, on both the personality level and the cultural level, integration comes and the soul essence solidifies into a clear and palpable sense of integrity and direction. After facing many changes and challenges in the last 25 years, I feel the soul of Santa Cruz in on the line and I want respectfully offer my perspective.
I came to Santa Cruz in 1969, the year of the Woodstock Festival, an event that heralded the arrival and growing strength of the counterculture and the beginning of the Aquarian Age. This coincided with my serendipitous landing in a town that seemed on the verge of virtually living the values of that time. I must say, I resonated. The energy here was so positive and real.
The town, which I had known since the 1940’s – my great aunt and uncle lived in Paradise Park – had not changed that much since that time. It was still a sleepy little burg, full of senior citizens, retirees in their quaint little one of a kind cottages and students and faculty of the newly minted University and a main drag that sported some nice stores, Leasks and the Morris Abrams store in addition to the Cooper House and numerous small businesses.
I found a city that was bordered on one side by the Pacific Ocean and on the other by giant redwood forests. Between these was a magical strip, which included many charming homes and multiple historic public buildings, built between the Victorian age and the 1950’s. In addition, there was a huge amusement part called the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, an iconic symbol of the natural and playful part of human nature. The City on the Hill, the University community, overlooked this whole picture. The arts community, music and entertainment and surfers, boaters and colorful hippies rounded out the palpable spirit of Santa Cruz.
How could one go wrong? Unparalleled pristine beauty, intelligence on the hill and creative energy all around. How could one resist all of that? I moved here. I was 30 years old, give or take a few, and made a life here, knowing this place was special. Finding a job in social services saved me from living on the edge in a place without a huge economic base to support its populace.
The scene blossomed in the 1970’s, in the middle of some awesome cultural institutions, both of the Catalysts (old and new), the Cooper House, with live music and dancing by Ginger, Bookshop Santa Cruz, The Teacup Restaurant, the annual Spring Fair and lots and lots of live music groups, art and literary groups. People “owned” the town. Pacific Ave. was turned into the Pacific Garden Mall in 1968 (originally called Downtown Oasis) a plan inspired by Chuck and Esther Abbott.
The mall was basically a non-stop party of music, mirth and exchange of ideas and provided a place where town residents started to mix with University students and their professors, several of whom held forth at the Pergolesi coffee shop behind Bookshop Santa Cruz to lead a weekly forum of the latest ideological point of view. Hanging out at Logos book store was the pastime du Jour. People were out in droves to see and be seen, to enjoy Don McCaslin, the Brothers Karamozov and to enjoy the radically individualistic social scene that was fueled by the general zeitgeist of the times. Tom Noddy, the Bubble Man, even made it to the Johnny Carson show.
It was a fun, unselfconscious time, and even with the advent of recreational drugs, it was still slow, but upbeat, rich and enjoyable, a culture of free spirits, unfettered by the strictures of a culture of conformity.
Perhaps feeding off of some present, but unacknowledged, understanding of what we really had here, social action began to take place in the mid- 1970’s, focused on preserving the natural settings of Santa Cruz, for all time. During this magnificent period, many Open Spaces were saved for the enjoyment of future generations. Pogonip was saved and annexed by the City in 1978 and would not be developed for housing. In 1974, a committed group of Santa Cruz citizens organized to keep Wilder Ranch from the ravages of north coast development. Later, in 1978, Lighthouse Point was saved, also from development, and later converted to a State Park, a status which endures until now providing perhaps the most beloved gathering spot in our city. Even later in the ‘70s Arana Gulch became a permanent greenbelt and would remain committed to its pristine original nature- green, wet and wild.
Money was beginning to creep into the culture of Santa Cruz, but not in a greedy or ostentatious way. Houses on Westcliff were sold and other large ones built but still, there was the original feeling of Santa Cruz. A place for many people, visitors and residents alike to enjoy a place of rest, rejuvenation, relaxation and renewal. It was a magical time and things were about to change dramatically.
At the end of the 1980’s, there occurred a sudden and major shift. The Loma Prieta earthquake hit, decimating the Pacific Garden Mall and killing 3 people. I was downtown with my young children at the time and witnessed this tragic event. The damage was so extensive that the Mall lost its Historic status because 19 of 36 buildings that qualified for the appellation just two years prior to the quake were lost. Future generations would never see the examples of 1890s to 1929 architecture. The Cooper House, deemed unsafe by City officials, came down, despite the protests of hundreds of tearful onlookers.
This loss was a metaphor for much more that was lost in the Earthquake because in the ensuing years many aspects of Santa Cruz changed. In the nanoseconds following the earthquake, the town was plunged into a crisis of major proportions. The town was in shambles and soon so was the spirit of Santa Cruz. We had lost our center.
Very quickly, outside professional urban planning consultants were called in to consult on what our town should look like, despite their lack of familiarity as to what the DNA of Santa Cruz had always been. Our hip little town soon became a “chic” little town and started a trend that was to continue until this very day.
After the earthquake the local ambience and architecture changed very rapidly and often surprisingly with less public input than was probably fair.
Costco, our first city big box store, opened in 1994. A few years later, in a sudden departure from our historic heritage, Gateway Center opened in 1997, much to the chagrin of the small business owners who had their charming and historic buildings knocked down. Replacing these historic businesses with what turned out to be a strip mall in the shape of a square, housing businesses at the gateway to our town, in non-descript box like stores with no apparent nod to the look and feel of our town. As if that were not enough shock. Soon modern design, coupled with a garish green paint on metal standards, appeared in the form of lighting on River St., ostensibly to create a welcoming look to the historic center of town. In the opinion of many citizens, this goal was never achieved.
There were many shocked people, including myself, but as local architect–activist Mark Primack stated, at the time, after only two people showed up at the design review planning meetings, “the citizens of Santa Cruz will get what they deserve”. I am recalling all of this because I believe we are at a similar juncture now. If we don’t get actively involved in setting the course of development in this town, we will again be the recipients of something we do not want nor deserve.
After this particular surprise, more change came about and currently continues to come about, fast and furiously as the City fathers (and mothers) move quickly to fill in every empty space in Santa Cruz city limits with high density potentially generically designed “infill”, a phenomenon that is currently in process now, led by the Santa Cruz City Council and City Planners.
To that end, currently on the table or in process are these projects:
The Corridor Plan, putting high density, tall buildings and hotels on Ocean St. Soquel Ave, Water St. and Mission St.
The Active Transportation Plan, a plan containing 260 separate projects all over the city to encourage bicycle and walking transportation and safety. Some of the projects disturb neighborhood unity, safety and aesthetics with signage and changes the neighborhood residents do not want to see in their established places of habitation. Other projects invite unbidden crime to enter quiet neighborhoods that are particularly vulnerable.
The Wharf Plan, potentially putting high density, tall buildings on the wharf, creating issues in congestion, questionable aesthetics and future dangers if sea levels do rise,
The Hyatt hotel in place of the former Unity Church, out of place in this particular crowded neighborhood with congested streets.
Potentially moving the present downtown City Library to the space displacing the Farmer’s Market and putting in a multilevel parking garage where none currently exists, at that site.
Increased non-aesthetic designs (so far) on the planned San Lorenzo River high-end housing development.
Increased development of the tech industry coupled with high speed Internet cable.
Destruction of more historical housing and buildings, especially on high profile streets.
More freeway lanes going to and from Watsonville, yielding more pollution and greenhouse gases
Private development of housing that does not meet the economic needs of most local citizens, low income and homeless populations.
Why is this all-important and where are we going with this? And why?
What can we do?
Taken together and followed by potentially more changes, these planned projects would change the face of our city in radical ways. We need to determine our personal response to these intended changes and act on our convictions on behalf of all stakeholders, including visitors and future children. We need, as a community, to take stock of exactly what values we hold dear and exactly what we are losing by not honoring these values.
First, let’s be clear, these concerns are not about maintaining the status quo or about nostalgia. They are about maintaining our spiritual, aesthetic and moral center in the face of an increasingly inhuman environment which is killing people and compromising the sanity of many our of citizens, young and old and obliterating natural resources and open space.
There are many practical issues associated with planned changes for Santa Cruz, many of which are long term concerns . First, can the infrastructure we have now support new development, especially those that will house many residents or visitors? Currently, our infrastructure of roads, sidewalks and buildings need repairing before money is spent on private development. Secondly and importantly, can we continue to supply water and other resources to new development and still service existing citizens? While new hotels can support the sagging tax base, the concern that current water users have is valid. We have contributed here for years. Thirdly, why are taxes not levied on the multi-million dollar homes that are being built? The alternative, sales tax, creates an overdependence on materialism and shopping. Fourthly, how are all economic levels of citizens going to be able to remain here to enliven the mix of cultures and points of view we have historically enjoyed?
These are all valid, reality-based concerns for our citizens but there are also meta-issues which cannot be addressed at town hall meetings and these involve concerns that are often talked about in private conversations and they affect a large constituency of residents, visitors and future generations of same. Let me express, as a long term resident of this town, how I experience the many hidden values of our town and what we can do to save these before it is too late.
I feel Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) is a sanctuary, a holy sacred space for all who venture into these environs. The operative word here is ALL. Over the years, we have developed something special here and Santa Cruz’ charm and values are a magnet for people all over the United States and the world as well. I submit that Santa Cruz is a center of counter culture for a reason and is known worldwide for the way we live. As our mainstream culture speeds up, creates crowded, concrete communities overloaded with technology and cars and speed, we have maintained a commitment to something slower, saner and unique. It is perhaps a one-of-a-kind experience. Indeed, Santa Cruz IS an experience, a state of mind that is almost indescribable. We have much to offer a world-weary population and we must adhere to the core values and the gifts we offer to the planet. And they are many. Our human lives actually rely on the necessity of regeneration, relaxation, recreation and rest. Our nervous systems actually demand this and the price we pay for not adhering to these necessities is illness, sometimes severe and often expressed as continuing low grade stress.
We have many healers here and it is, in my opinion, because we are a healing community. People need what we have, all people. We must remain faithful to the part we play in healing the homeless, the frazzled, the young and the restless and let’s not forget our seniors, the original inhabitants of this retirement community. We owe this to them as well as our children and future generations.
The chance to experience nature at its finest on miles of currently protected beaches and hundreds of square miles of redwood forests is priceless and nurturing and is, in essence, the basis of our healing atmosphere. The pace in Santa Cruz is not syncopated or staccato but, instead, more lyrical and softly entrained to the rhythm of the ocean and its playful inhabitant creatures. This is our DNA. Nature is our “brand” and in keeping with that, countless human beings can remain a natural human and even more can come here and remember what it is to be fully human. Through the enjoyment of our natural resources, we can experience the joyful and natural state that is evoked by our beautiful beaches and the countless other recreational opportunities that our environment offers.
In a time when cultural mania is increasing to megalomania and the metropolis becomes megalopolis; we have an example, here, of how to balance this trend. Hyperactivity is a national illness and it is up to us to remain a clear beacon for an alternative way to live. Indeed, Santa Cruz has the ability to provide an active model for a viable life-style alternative. A lot is riding on our commitment to modeling how it is to be fully human, related to nature, to each other and our fellow inhabitants of the planet. In these meta-respects, we are a model city.
Coupled with our natural resources, our University culture and our small, human size homes and public buildings, each with its individual look, we have created a culture of connected individualism, environmental sanity and ecological consciousness. Artists, musicians, creators, imaginers, young and old, people of diverse orientations, rich and poor, come together to create a culture of character and diversity which is unmatched anywhere. Why would we want to ruin this by importing any of the insanity that is what ruins most other large communities. To do so would, in and of itself, be insanity of the highest order.
We should not become a Silicon Beach. We do not need to be a bedroom community of Silicon Valley and we do not necessarily need to grow. We should not become Monterey and we are not Carmel with its quaint arts community. We simply need to continue to be ourselves and honor what has come to be an amazing place centered as we are on the edge of the Pacific Rim.
I believe we are here with a spiritual charge to balance the insanity of the techno, bureaucratic, corporate industrial complex. With the protection of the forest on one side and the sea on the other, we are a virtual island of sanity. We are a true oasis of intelligence and creation and beacon of individual freedom to each be who we are as essence and to also share in the rich and diverse community that we share. We must as what we can do to retain the paradise that we have. In the spirit of dialogue, I humbly offer the following suggestions to perhaps stimulate a discussion about how we can help maintain a commitment to existing beauty and value in this town,.
OUR TASKS
Support activities and leaders who will not gentrify, technologize, monetize or materialize (nor caffeinate) our community nor exploit human or natural resources to these ends.
Support the continuance of spiritual development and higher consciousness here, thus encouraging each individual to reach his or her full potential.
Support spontaneous grass roots level creativity, especially collaborative kinds of projects and events for all ages and stages of life..
Support those activities, which do not exploit our natural and historic collective resources on behalf of a few, whether that is government, private citizens or outside developers.
Support aesthetic building and public art and design which is in keeping with our historic legacy. This entails keeping the landscape “low rise” as opposed to high rise.
Support those policies which do not allow crowding out the citizens of this area who are operating in the lower socio-economic levels.
Support those changes which do not increase speed, concrete, cars or exclusive money. Economic development must be based on values of economic moderation and inclusiveness of all levels.
Support activities, people and policies that allow us to keep our natural rhythm, size and connectivity. Choose that which supports harmony, diversity, inclusiveness and diversity.
Support the development of a process for ongoing public input and voting on each proposed development that has the capacity to change the DNA of our community. Encourage referendum process.
Support density in what is already here, change zoning laws to allow development of the many small outbuildings that abound in the city of Santa Cruz.
Support individuals to accept responsibility and accountability for the role he or she plays in the evolution of our planet and indeed, our very existence.
This includes responsibility for not over-populating the planet, for not condoning any form of violence or brutality and for respecting all beings as worthy of dignity and acceptance.
We need to unify our energies and goals for this town and listen closely to every voice. The planet and we have a lot at stake. It is not too late to save what we have created in this village by the sea. We are capable of leading the nation in propagating values that lead to quality human lives as well as the other kingdoms with whom we share the planet, lives unburdened by values not developed in our true interests- that of being happy, healthy and connected with our whole planet and Universe.
Lastly, it is important that we elect leaders who understand the language of the soul. This means making collaborative decisions and working through a channel of what feels right, not only what a few think is right. Leaders need to listen carefully to all citizens who choose to speak up and it is my feeling that it needs to be longer than 2 or 3 minutes per speaker (as it currently stands in the City Council). Santa Cruz people know the language of the soul and we need to speak up on behalf of what we might lose if we don’t make our values known. We have way too much to lose if we stay silent. Many citizens, present and future are depending on us to serve the highest good of all.
RAPE RENDERED INVISIBLE
It’s that time of the year. When the FBI releases its Uniform Crime Report tracking crime data for cities and counties nationwide, as predictable as fog in July, Santa Cruz officials distort the data by making rape invisible.
Last Saturday’s Sentinel covered the story of the FBI’s annual release of violent and property crimes with a focus on the rise of property crimes in Santa Cruz County and the reduction in violent crimes, both the reverse of national trends. While the nation has seen a 4.1% increase in violent crimes, Santa Cruz County has seen a 5% decrease. Property crimes fell nationwide by 1.3% yet have increased significantly in Santa Cruz County. Law enforcement spoke to the issues with the crime analyst from the Sheriff’s office Josh Pastor quoted as saying that “the rising property crime numbers are offset by the low levels of violent crimes.” He commented that “the area has experienced a decline in violent crimes for decades” and “you’d have to go back to the 1950’s to find a time with a lower crime rate.” He added that when he visits conferences in CA metropolitan areas his colleagues are surprised at the low rate of violent crimes in Santa Cruz County. Reassuring to a community worried about violent crime but is it true? It is, unless you examine the data on rape.
The federal Uniform Crime Report collects data on all violent crimes, including rape. According to the data, Santa Cruz County had a rate of rape at 44 per 100,000 people. This compares to Oakland/Haywood at 35; San Francisco at 34; San Diego at 32; LA at 41 and to venture out of California, Michigan at 32 and Miami at 29 (numbers rounded). Seems we have quite a high rate of rape per head of population, in fact, one of the highest.
It is instructive to compare cities, although the FBI warns against reading too much into such comparisons. So let’s not read too much into such comparisons, let’s just compare. In 2016, Salinas with a population of 159,000 had 86 reported rapes; Santa Monica with a population of 93,000 had 40; Huntington Beach with a population of 204,000 had 55; South San Francisco with a population of 68,000 had 25; Davis with a population of 68,000 had 26; Scotts Valley with a population of 13,000 had 1; Capitola with a population of 10,000 had 4; Watsonville with a population of 54,000 had 26 and Santa Cruz with a population of 65,000 had 45. For all cities, the percentage increase in rape was 4%, notwithstanding the change in the definition of rape in 2013.
While our murder rate is low, our rape rate is high. Reducing the data to averages may be politically expedient in a tourist town but is not helpful in directing law enforcement and community attention towards addressing our high rate of rape. Behind every statistic is a person whose life has been forever transformed by rape. We owe it to every person who has reported a rape to not render her or him invisible. Otherwise we are saying that rape is not a serious crime and we are setting the stage for the next victim.
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.
“New York (Santa Cruz too?) in its current dissonant form, is at ease with a disturbingly paradoxical identity, as a place that says yes to every branch of Dunkin’ Donuts and no to the people whose fortunes consign them to working there.”–Gina Bellafante, N.Y. Times Book Review of Vanishing New York
I offer an update about several issues that went before the Santa Cruz city council last week. Here’s the recap…
Ya Win Some…
There was unanimity on the Santa Cruz City Council to support Senate Bill 54, which essentially declares California a sanctuary state. It is such a positive step in the direction of providing a commitment to some of the “huddled masses yearning to be free.” It is a bill that affirms our commitment to immigrants, and it is also in keeping with our American heritage, culture, and traditions. Although it is essentially a symbolic gesture unless the state also offers sanctuary cities legal support in defending ourselves against the Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) raids. These ICE raids continue to take place across the country. To also make it real, our Santa Cruz city council needs to set aside some money during the mid-year budget review in January to help pay the legal bills in defending our residents and their DACA offspring, which leads me to the next win. This same city council voted 7-0 to also stand firm with the Dreamers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Perhaps nothing the Trump administration has done is more insidious and wrong than trying to end the DACA program. But there is hope. There are conversations going on between Republicans and Democrats that we hope will continue this important program. Our council resolution calls on congress to renew this program. Please call US Rep., Jimmy Panetta today and urge him to stand firm and support the program.
There is “…complicity between municipal government and big private money to reconfigure whole sections of a city, with dubious consequences, chief among them the ceding of space, goods and social currency from the ordinary classes to the ruling order.” (Bellafante, Times Book Review)
Ya Lose Some...
We lost on bringing some sanity to the Santa Cruz bail schedule. Sandy Brown and I vote “to not approve this bail schedule and ask staff to bring it back with information about a sliding bail schedule that does not adversely hurt poor people.” The vote was 5-2. The other notable council agenda item was a recommendation by staff to close the inclusionary loophole for planned developments. Most of the time, developers choose to pay into an affordable housing fund or rent to Section 8 voucher-holders instead of renting the required 15% as affordable units. City staff came and unfortunately recommended 7.5%…maybe…if it’s not too much of a burden on the developer the head of Economic Development department indicated. Since the staff report for this item was obfuscating, the council chose to punt and wait on a final inclusionary decision until the next council meeting…it could be in this week’s rainout category too. (too many sports metaphors I know, sorry.)
It’s about “…the hand of menacing greed and self-interest.” (Bellafante, Times Book Review)
And Some Get Rained Out…
No doubt my agenda item to oppose SB 35, the so-called, “Affordable Housing” bill was nothing short of a rainout. On the face of it, this measure is a pro-developer one. Good things are actually present in the bill: developers must pay prevailing wage, requires a 10% inclusionary, and Sacramento acknowledges there is a severe housing crisis in this state, especially along the coast. But why does the state have to tell us to require a 10% inclusionary in all developments when Santa Cruz already has a 15% inclusionary? The bad stuff in SB 35: it allows multi-family development in single-family neighborhoods, it also would tie the hands of local decision-makers in making land-use decisions, and it is bad for democracy. This bill also provides no money. What is it that conservatives often rail about, “unfunded mandates?” This bill was opposed early on by two groups who often do not see eye-to-eye, the League of California Cities, because it puts constraints on what cities can decide, and the Sierra Club because SB 35 seeks to undermine the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The council finally voted to change the “we oppose this bill” resolution to a rather milk-toast just tell Gov. Brown that we want to let you know we don’t think it’s such a good thing to do to put mandates on cities and undermine CEQA. Our resolution is now moot as Brown signed it last week and it is now law. Another rainout may happen with the repeal of SB 1, the gas tax. It passed the legislature this past April. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1
As California Attorney General, Xavier Becerra and the anti-gas tax petition gathers continue to wrangle over what the initiative will exactly be named, many cities including Santa Cruz are already spending some of the money that is anticipated to be collected, that is 12 cents per gallon. The tax kicks in beginning Nov. 1st. How many signatures do they need to get the repeal on the ballot? Only 365, 880, statewide.
News of the Most Vulnerable Food Not Bombs Feeding the Poor Last Sunday at Post Office
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (sound familiar?!)
Truly Affordable Housing Now! A 10-Point Plan
Get ready; we could be in for a roller-coaster of a ride if we hope to make any kind of dent in the currently insufferable pro-seller-landlord housing market in Surf City. There are so many first-course menu items vying to get on the table that it’s hard to keep up. So, here it is, a TEN-POINT Santa Cruz Quality of Life Plan that not only looks to lift all boats, but seeks to protect the most vulnerable and offer everyone a pay raise as our community approaches the stark reality that there is an actual “carrying-capacity” in our ecological hot-spot. Who will tell the people that there are limits? The following 10 points are not only the jagged pieces to the Santa Cruz housing puzzle–each not THE answer but rather a constituent part–but also its what I’ve been hearing from the multiple voices within the various social and political bubbles that I inhabit.
Santa Cruz Quality of Life Plan
Placing a housing bond before the voters and it’s got to be in the hundreds of millions to even make a dent. (Santa Clara County passed one last year with 68% of the necessary two-thirds vote. It was for around a $1 billion.)
Enact rent control complete with a “just cause eviction” ordinance along with an elected rent board. It failed twice before in Santa Cruz, but that was a long time ago when there were less than 50% renters, now tenants are near 60% and rents are at an all-time high.
A five-year moratorium on growth at UCSC. Is it time for the gown to take a time-out so the town can recover, work on its own housing needs and shore up the transportation, and water infrastructure?
Should the community demand that at least a full 50% of the thousand units of housing now being envisioned along Front and Pacific, between Soquel and Laurel, be truly affordable housing? Not by “design” or simply called, “workforce housing,” but by law and HUD standards of between 30% and 80% of the median county household income?
San Jose to Houston for the P.O.P. conference–“Problem Oriented Policing.”
Notice this is how they rope you in…there’s that first box of donuts, then…who knows what’s next.
(L-R) Councilmember Chris Krohn, Chief of Police Andy Mills, Cathy Mills, Principal Management Analyst Lupita Alamos, and in the back, Santa Cruz Police Sergeant Bill Azua and Lt. Jose Garcia. [edit: Vice Mayor David Terrazas is also in the photo!]
I’ll tell you about the conference in next week’s post and how many donuts I ate!!
Continue the “Fight for $15” and demand it be on the ballot in 2018!
The city should implement the UCSC model of faculty housing by building low-cost for-sale units, which only increase in price at the local cost of living rate.
The city must work with the school district to create affordable housing for teachers. The city of Santa Cruz has land that could be “donated” to the school district to construct teacher housing. The school district holds land that the city can help with the permitting process.
Enact a real estate transfer tax, a special “Airbnb” tax, and a 3% hotel tax to support homeless services and a permanent fund for affordable housing.
The UCSC administration must lower its $1700 per month, per student dorm fees. It is the most potent force in driving up rentals all over town.
Elect a city council majority in 2018 that will help advocate, enact, and enforce the housing measures above; candidates who promote student concerns, uphold the values of labor, and place social justice, fairness and an open political process, first.
Bernie Tweet of the Week “At a time of massive inequality, the Republican budget takes from the middle class and those in need, and gives huge tax breaks to the rich.” (Sept. 29)
Correction(?) Who knows how old UCSC is? Raise your hand. I know they had a 50th anniversary that lasted like, two years. In my column last week, I said this was the 51st year. (opened in 1965) Well, it turns out that 2017-1965 = 52. Someone wrote in to say UCSC is actually 53. So how old is it? You’d think you could Google the answer, but it’s not so easy.
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council).
SAD DAY FOR RANCHO DEL MAR MERCHANTS AND THE APTOS COMMUNITY
I stopped in last Saturday evening at lower Rancho del Mar Center to offer help and good wishes to the independent small business owners on their final day allowed by TRC Retail. Keang and DeeDee Lee were working hard to load fixtures they had sold into a trailer to clear out Le Chef Kitchen Store. Lee’s Baskin-Robbins was already closed, but posters on the window held hand-written sentiments from the customers who have appreciated Keang’s friendly manner and delicious ice cream for 14 years. Showtime Pizza owner Jose Gonzalez served a loyal customer the last piece of pizza and shook hands. Sofia’s Taqueria owner, Robert Cordova, who started as a teenage dishwasher there and bought the business 12 years ago, talked casually with the many loyal customers who came for dinner before the restaurant is shuttered.
WHY IS DEVELOPER TRC RETAIL BOOTING THESE FOLKS OUT WHEN THERE ARE NO BUILDING PERMITS ISSUED? WHERE IS SUPERVISOR ZACH FRIEND?
I asked the merchants what they would like to have from TRC Retail?
Showtime Pizza owner Jose Gonzalez: “Nothing.” He got lucky and will move to the nearby Aptos Village Square and re-open next month.
Sofia’s Tacqueria owner Robert Cordova replied “Please talk to me.” He said TRC Retail would not answer his many requests for information and updates about the remodel timeline, and thought he had more time to find another place. When he received the 30-day eviction notice, he said he asked about the projected price of the spaces after remodeling is complete: ” They said $4/SF…that’s too much for me.” He pays $1.75/SF now.
Baskin-Robbins and Le Chef owners Keang and Dee Dee Lee were working too hard to talk much, but said they really don’t know what to do. TRC Retail has not replied to their repeated requests for information either. “It would be nice if we had first option to locate back into the Center after the remodel is complete” Keang said earlier. Maybe he does not know the $4/SF price tag. “I am beginning to think that TRC Retail does not want a Baskin-Robbins in their shopping center,” he added.
Erik’s Deli was already closed up.
Senior Benefits Insurance Services owners Ken Cook and Bill Weber, the last business to occupy the vacant theater building, were not around.
Call TRC Retail Project Manager Scott Grady 949-500-6192 Scott Grady sgrady@trcretail.com and ask that TRC Retail to at least give the tenants compensation for moving costs…after all, TRC Retail’s property managers (there have been three of them!) did not respond to the tenant’s questions and Mr. Bruce Walton, TRC Retail management, admitted “We dropped the ball on communication.”
TOTO, WE’RE NOT IN APTOS VILLAGE ANYMORE…..
Work on the Trout Gulch/Soquel Drive intersection in Aptos Village is looking more like downtown San Jose every day. Take a look at this great photo by Aptos resident Holger Blech. The railroad crossing towers are not yet in place but are stored on the Aptos Village Project premises and ready for Collins Electric to hoist them into place. What is missing in this photo is the gridlocked traffic in all directions.
I WANTED TO BUY A GOOD BOOK, SO TRAVELLED TO KELLY’S BOOKS IN WATSONVILLE.
I asked Kelly (of Kelly’s Books) about the scenario when she was given a 30-day eviction notice by Kaiser Medical last year. She had an interesting story. It seems that well-meaning efforts by elected officials actually were not so helpful, but the additional time and $2/SF moving cost re-imbursement was better than nothing. What surprised me was that those elected officials never once asked the affected business owners what they wanted in the process. She also said that there is a legal requirement that businesses must be given 60 days notice to relocate, even if their rents are month-to-month. I want to investigate that…..
COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT REPORT PRIORITIZES COUNTY STORM-DAMAGED ROADS FOR REPAIR.
Last Tuesday’s Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisor meeting included a report from Department of Public Works (Item #38 on the Consent Agenda) that prioritized all 207 projects (page 1407 of the agenda, if you are interested). I am happy to see that the precarious southbound Soquel Drive in the Aptos Village underpass area is #8 on the list and should be fixed by December 18, at a cost of $717,801. The #1 priority of the County is Valencia Road in Aptos, now up to a grand total of $5.2 million after the Sups approved doubling the budget the week before.
Even though Supervisor Zach Friend curtly announced at that meeting that he was tired of having me bring up the subject of Nelson Road in Scotts Valley and comparing it to the Valencia Road repair, I’m gonna do it again. It needs to be pointed out (again) that the Nelson Road repair is a nearly-identical situation to the Valencia Road culvert repair but now at #156 on the County’s priority list for repair and is listed at costing $305,000 to repair. Wow. Why the difference? Supervisor Bruce McPherson got Anna Eshoo up there right away, and the temporary bridge that had been sitting in the Public Works yard, according to Director John Presleigh, got installed within three weeks after the storm made the creek crossing impassable. Supervisor Zach Friend waited over a month to give Jimmy Panetta a tour, and the temporary bridge finally went in six months after the storm collapsed the culvert and Valencia Elementary School closed.
I am sure it will all look good someday on Zach Friend’s political resume.
SHOULD LOCAL FIRE AGENCIES BE ABLE TO BID ON PROVIDING EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORT?
That was the big question and I was glad the Board of Supervisors had pulled that “non-controversial” Consent Agenda item off to be discussed in more depth as a regular agenda item. So were the dozen or so fire and emergency response staff that attended. It seems the County hired Abaris Group consultants for $100,000 to write a Request for Proposal (RFP) for providing emergency medical transport for Santa Cruz County residents. The consultant met with emergency responders and related EMS staff to help craft the content of the RFP and had told the fire agencies they would be able to apply. However, the actual wording of the document excluded the fire agencies, seemingly at the recommendation of the County Health Services Director Ms. Giang Nguyen. After much discussion, the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to accept the RFP wording and “get the process started.” Only Supervisor Greg Caput looked out into the sea of dark blue uniforms and asked “Is this motion (to approve the RFP) what you want?” Several heads shook ‘No”, but only Supervisor Greg Caput paid attention. He was the lone “No” vote. Stay tuned to possible delayed response times in a neighborhood near you….the bids close December 19.
COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDED FOR THE COUNTY DRAFT EIR FOR CANNABIS CULTIVATION & MANUFACTURING LICENSES
Thanks to County Cannabis Licensing Director Ms. Robin Bolster-Grant for listening to the many residents who asked for more time to read the two-inch-thick Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Now you have until October 31, 2017 to read and submit comment regarding this document that spells out significant impacts of the new County licenses for Cannabis Cultivation and Manufacturing. The mitigations along are 33 pages long.
Several County Commissions and staff have spent hundreds of thoughtful hours working out the details to address both the needs of the Cannabis industry, for which the County has already budgeted $1 million in anticipated tax revenue, and the mountain residents who worry about fires, water, erosion and trash. The trick will be striking a balance that is not so onerous that the Black Market flourishes at the expense of the people dedicated to trying to do the right thing.
It seems that the Second District special overlay that Supervisor Zach Friend pushed through at CEO Susan Mauriello’s bidding will remain in effect…no outdoor Cannabis cultivation allowed in his District. Ms. Mauriello lives in the Second District and did not like the smell of Cannabis growing in her neighborhood. Never mind that forcing growing operations inside buildings increases the risk of electrical overloads and fires. My neighborhood nearly burned to the ground in 2013 for that very reason.
WILL THERE EVER BE ENOUGH AFFORDABLE HOUSING?
With Governor Brown signing into law several bills aimed at increasing the state’s affordable housing problems, it merits thought as to what is behind the problem. Is it lack of housing, or lack of housing that local people can AFFORD? Santa Cruz City Councilman Chris Krohn’s article last week in Bratton Online really upset me…why wouldn’t the City leaders choose to require Barry Swenson developers to make 15% of the 79 residential units approved for the FIVE-STORY mixed-use building on Pacific Avenue and Cedar Street affordable? Mr. Tim Willoughby of ‘Affordable Housing NOW!’ replied to my query to that group on this topic that the City only can require 15% affordable units that are to be sold, but not if they are for rent.
Now, however, that may change with AB 1505, which restores the ability of local governments to require developers to include affordable rental units after a 2009 appellate court had nixed it. This seems like a good thing for the public benefit, as fewer people are able to afford to buy a home. Notice, however, that the local governments MAY require but, if the process follows past patterns, local governments will not, because they seem to covet the “developer’s feasibility and flexibility.” In other words, the developer gets to call the shots and make as much profit as they can, and often are awarded grand concessions to boot. Not good for the taxpayers, or the general public benefit.
Other laws that Governor Brown just signed have me worried:
SB 167 will fine cities that do not comply with a court order to build developments at a certain rate would be hit with automatic fines of $10,000 per housing unit not built.
SB 35 will require cities to build at the rate dictated by faceless regional agencies, such as Associated Bay Area Governments (AMBAG). It will target cities that fall short of the quota and require them to approve more housing developments that fit the criteria until they are caught up with the mandated numbers.
SB 540 will allow cities to essentially create planned unit developments for certain areas, possibly waiving public hearings and environmental reviews. This is intended to speed up the approval and construction process.
SB 2 will impose taxes of up to $225 on some real estate transactions (but not home purchases) to collect $1.2 billion over the next five years to address homeless issues.
A thought-provoking article in the Mercury News discussed the idea that constantly increasing taxes on the population only worsens the poverty levels and makes affordable housing further out of reach for more people. Here is the link
BUILDING THE GREAT BIG WALL
I have been somewhat surprised that the Santa Cruz Sentinel has not been covering the progress of Trump’s Wall at the Mexican border, but I am grateful that the Mercury News and many other newspapers have. According to the media, work is beginning this week on the prototypes by companies selected by the Homeland Security administration. Several environmental laws have been waived to expedite the work. Here is a link to just one article
Also of note are articles about ICE arrests increasing 43% but fewer have criminal records. Here is a link
It seems that maybe our government could effectively put more effort and resources into helping undocumented residents hop on the pathway to citizenship.
What do you think?
~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.
Rod Dreher, a self-declared “American Conservative,” was profiled in The New Yorker in May, 2017. That is when I became aware of Dreher’s blog, which is apparently followed by something like 200,000 people.
On September 20th, Dreher posted a long reflection on the state of our present-day society, economy, and politics, with the following title: “This Crisis? It’s Nothing.” I’ll include an excerpt, below, so you can read some of Dreher’s thoughts without having to track down the original. He ends up concluding that, “compared to 1968-73, today is a total cakewalk.”
While I agree that the years from 1968 to 1973 were filled with all sorts of stresses and strife, I am not really willing to call our present situation a “total cakewalk.” Read Dreher to make up your own mind.
Here’s where I DO agree with Dreher: He says we are all too much consumed with the “present,” and that we all need to “study history.” He’s right about that. That actually does help!
Imagine that the US was involved in a major overseas war in which over 11,000 American soldiers died in one year alone (1967). For a point of comparison, fewer than 7,000 US troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 14 years of combat there.
Imagine that 17,000 US soldiers would die in 1968, and 12,000 in 1969 fighting that war.
Imagine that you might be drafted to go fight there.
Imagine what it would be like if you were convinced the war was profoundly immoral, and you had to choose between deserting the country and bearing arms in that war.
Imagine that many college campuses had become hotbeds not of snowflakey sit-ins, but of serious violence.
Imagine that two of the nation’s most prominent political leaders (MLK and RFK) Bobby were gunned down three months apart.
Imagine that your government and military were lying to Congress and to the American people about the war, and had been for years (as was revealed with the 1972 publication of the Pentagon Papers).
Imagine that major American cities were burning in race riots.
Imagine that cops in a major American city staged what was later called “a police riot” outside a political party’s national convention, and beat the hell out of protesters.
What’s harder to imagine is the historical context in which these shocking events were taking place … The country in 1958 was relatively stable, settled, and buttoned-up. A decade later, it was ripping itself apart, and would continue to do so for years to come.
Americans at the start of that period trusted our institutions, including our government. To watch protesters in the street demolishing universities (figuratively, mostly, but not always) and in some cases carrying communist flags into protest — that had to have been a terrible shock to the system. The template for US involvement in war was still World War II, a “good” war; most people could not grasp that Vietnam was not that kind of war. (Indeed, the film keeps pointing out, importantly, that for most of the war, the American people were solidly behind it and the president; this was Nixon’s “silent majority”). Families were falling apart as the divorce rate soared skyward, beginning a steep rise that would not peak until the early 1980s. The churches were also crumbling. Drug use was going mainstream. Watching The Vietnam War, even as I felt within myself a growing revulsion to the war, and even rage at the US government officials prosecuting it, and sending those young men into that meat grinder, I also felt total disgust at the images of the blissed-out college student freaks. I can only imagine what ordinary conservative people like my folks must have thought from 1968-73, watching this play out on American streets …
My point is that these radical changes were all taking place very quickly, in a society that was in no way prepared for them…
And Watergate was yet to come, as was stagflation.
The point is this: compared to 1968-73, today is a total cakewalk. This is not to minimize the very serious problems we face, politically and otherwise. In fact, some of the moral breakdown that seemed so traumatizing back then has been normalized by our society, such that we don’t feel the pain of fracture as Americans did back then. Still, you want to talk about an American hell? It was then. Watching The Vietnam War is like seeing the history of some other country, not our own. Yet it happened within my own lifetime. When my children are middle-aged, as I am today, they won’t have any films like this to watch about our own period of American life, because for all the corruption and decadence and foolishness afoot, it’s not like those horrible, horrible days.
This is why we should study history.
~Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. A not very historic visit to KSCO!!! Scroll below.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Taking The Knee” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog and “Hoot Culture”
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “It’s game-on when Billie jean King meets Bobby Riggs on the tennis court of honor in Battle of the Sexes, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). And kudos to the Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre for bringing an intriguing new play about Martin Luther King to our little town!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES. Billie Jean King plays against Bobby Riggs in this easy going tennis and sex movie. Billie Jean has an internal battle with her own sex, which adds a deeper and more involved plot than the 1973 match which we’ve all been reading up on or remember from those days. Emma Stone reputedly the highest star in the world acts perfectly with Steve Carrell and the movie is a guaranteed hit with everybody. I didn’t recognize Sarah Silverman as the women’s coach because she wears sunglasses all through the movie. I liked Little Miss Sunshine better.
AMERICAN MADE. It is NOT another dopey, violent Tom Cruise superhuman action flick. This one is based on an unbelievable true story about a guy who becomes an international drug runner then gets involved illegally with our CIA and the Iran Contra affair that almost got President Ronnie R. evicted. It’s probably Scientology that gives Tom Cruise that certain extra something…and I have to admit I like watching the buy. 87 on RT.
FLATLINERS. Ellen Page who looks like she’s about 18 and is really 30 has the lead in this potentially interesting but terrible mess of a movie. She and some fellow Med students try flatlining (killing) themselves then bringing each other back to life a minute or two later. They have death visions, the equipment fails, they chicken out, they suffer night and day- mares. But IF there was a director (;-) he or she completely blew it. Don’t go…you won’t be able to make any sense of it either.
WOODSHOCK. Kirsten Dunst parades and mopes, and staggers, through this entire flop of a movie in a wide selection of slips, bras, and panties. She is stoned in a Humboldt or Oregon cabin and neither you nor Dunst will ever figure what the point of this weed-hazed movie is about. I tried for the first half hour and gave up. Luckily it …ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER 5.
MOTHER. An excellent, genius- directed, absolutely intelligent plot, best-acted…what more can you ask from a movie?? Jennifer Lawrence, plus two of my favorite actors Javier Bardem and Ed Harris, Brian Gleeson, and a darker Michelle Pfeiffer make a perfect cast for this challenging film. Not a scary, boo-type, odd, weird, what’s that?, cellar stairs type of film. It’s more like “what is going on”, “I can’t imagine what’s happening next kind of film, Directed by Darren Aronofsky it’s a winner, and you’ll remember seeing it. So go. RT calls it a “psychological thriller” I agree.
DOLORES. See both Chris Krohn’s and my “advice” and “promotion” of this very necessary documentary up above. We all have some opinion of Dolores Huerta based on rumor, poor memory and the ignoring by media. That’s why we should all see this film. It’s also strong on feminism and Gloria Steinem along with Angela Davis have much to add to Dolores’ near overwhelming labor organizing. Then too you’ll learn just how much aid and direction that Bobby Kennedy gave to Dolores. See this film and bring a good friend…or Republican. 100% on RT!!! ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER 5.
This broke all box office records last weekend when IT opened…and IT should have. IT is a well made, very scary movie. Based on some Stephen King books, IT is chapter one of a two part nightmare-daydream that will grab you when you are least prepared to be scared. It has all the clichés…BUT it’s got tension, mystery, and perfect timing along with excellent acting. Just go see IT but only if you truly enjoy being scared. 86 on RT.
BRADS STATUS. Ben Stiller is at his very best acting here and it’s a touching, involving, magnetic film. It’s about a dad and his son and the all too real complex relationship between parent and offspring. Austin Abrams plays Stiller’s son and he is quite simply great in the part. I cringed a lot due to reality, and it’s a fine film. ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER 5.
STRONGER. Jake Gyllenhaal is the spectator at the 2013 Boston Marathon who got hus legs blown off. What takes this movie out of the soupy heart puller category is that Jeff Bauman the victim was apparently a goof and fairly nasty guy. So you get booze, fighting, fuck words, lots of anger but because it’s Jake Gyllenhaal you come out liking the show. It’s a feel good film and barely shows anything of the marathon. Go if you like that sort of thing. ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER 5.
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score. Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
STRONGER. Jake Gyllenhaal is the spectator at the 2013 Boston Marathon who got hus legs blown off. What takes this movie out of the soupy heart puller category is that Jeff Bauman the victim was apparently a goof and fairly nasty guy. So you get booze, fighting, fuck words, lots of anger but because it’s Jake Gyllenhaal you come out liking the show. It’s a feel good film and barely shows anything of the marathon. Go if you like that sort of thing. ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER 5.
VICEROYS HOUSE. When you have Hugh Bonneville (from Downton Abbey) playing Lord Mountbatten it would seem to guarantee a masterpiece but this saga about Britain leaving the control of India in 1947 and dividing that part of the country into Pakistan and India, but it’s dull and near-boring in its’ accuracy. You’ll see Ghandi, Churchill, newsreels, and corpses…and learn a lot of history about oil deposits in Pakistan. Go warned. ENDS THURSDAY OCTOBER 5.
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. I wished I’d remembered that this part 2 of an ongoing series comes from comic books. The entire movie look like an animated cartoon. It’s violent, murderous, and plain goofy. Elton John plays himself and there’s a warning right there. To watch such good actors as Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and especially Colin Firth jump around for their million dollar salaries is embarrassing.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. October 3 has Denise Gallant talking about her Tom Scribner documentary, and then we’ll talk with Erik Gandolfini and Avondina Wills about TheMountain Top play at the Center Stage. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. Following Phyllis Katie Hansen and Sierra Ryan two of the authors of the new MAH book Harvesting Our Heritage will discuss our County crop history. Gary Patton gives info and background on the Save Santa Cruz Organization on Oct.17. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
This is uplifting. More people like this in the world, please!
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. “PUERTO RICO”
“American imperialism is often traced to the takeover of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii in 1898.” Noam Chomsky “In Puerto Rico, we have a lot of traditions. We eat a very typical thing that’s called ‘pasteles’ – it’s almost like a tamale made of bananas, and we make it all together. Like, all the women of the family unite, and it’s a very big deal, a very big thing”. Joyce Giraud “After four centuries of Spanish rule, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States in 1898. Residents were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917, and the federal government has allowed Puerto Rico to exercise authority over its local affairs in a manner similar to the 50 states.” Pedro Pierluisi
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Highlights this week:
About Rape and Sexism…Back to the Octagon and the missing M and next Octagon occupant..Angelo Grove leaves FashionArt Show…”Greensite offline this week. Returns next week.”…Krohn about UCSC growth, EDGI forum, Homeless garden project, Short Term Vacation Rentals, Jail bail schedule…Steinbruner and irritated, angry, accusatory Supervisor John Leopold, Supe Zach Friend fails residents of Rancho Del Mar, Tom LaHue says Steinbruner is lying and she replies…Patton and Trumps mental state…Eagan and The National Health Alert…DeCinzo and private Trump school.. Jensen and Rebel In The Rye…I critique Brads Status, Rebel In The Rye, Stronger, Polina and Kingsmen #2…plus Quotes for October.
HINKLE’S CASH STORE.circa 1894 to 1923. At the corner of Pacific Avenue, Mission and Water Streets. Read more about this once great and important corner two paragraphs below.
SAN LORENZO RIVER WALK. Check out Alan Martin his video and his music too.
We gotta do something to bring our river up to its beautiful potential.
LITTLE BOY’S UNBELIEVABLE STUNTS.
SANTA CRUZ MUNICIPAL WHARF. This wharf is an integral part of our
community. Let’s keep it that way…and vote against the touristy plans the
City Council is thinking about.
DATELINE September 25, 2017
ABOUT RAPE AND SEXISM. Last week in BrattonOnlineGillian Greensite enclosed a paragraph in her column that not only bears repeating but it should be memorized. It says so much about rape and sexism that still isn’t said , admitted and practiced enough. Read it again…
“This developer friendly view of the high cost of housing brings to mind a similar distortion when people discuss why we have a high rate of rape in Santa Cruz, in California, in the US and globally. The usual list includes: women wearing skimpy clothes; women drinking; women going out alone; women partying; women not using the buddy system; women flirting…you get the picture. The main cause of rape is masculine sexual aggression, which is rendered invisible and thus assumes the status of a force of nature that women must navigate around, alter their lives around and suffer the guilt and blame if they fail and are raped. We will never radically reduce the incidence and trauma of rape if we ignore the cause and focus on extraneous factors that are at best, irrelevant, at worst victim-blaming. We need to re-focus attention on creating the social conditions for boys to be raised in a culture where “being a man” is not equated with being aggressive and in which all genders respect and support each other. No, not easy, we don’t have a good role model at the top right now and it won’t happen overnight but at least we can stop looking in all the wrong directions while ignoring the only one that will make a difference”.
BACK TO THE OCTAGON. I seriously have no idea how many years I’ d enjoyed sitting in front of the Octagon working on this column and my radio shows. In front of the Octagon is a great place to observe the passing parade and to get hundreds of confidential tips on what’s happening. While the de-construction of Abbott Square and the con-struction of MAH’s courtyard happened, I mostly stayed home for those hours. I went back last week, met dozens of long time friends, and got some ideas and opinions you see here. The two biggest questions I was asked and I’m asking too, were…. what happened to the giant black “M” that stood so tall next to the Red Ball at the corner of Cooper and Front Street. Where did the M go and why was it removed? The probably more often asked question was when or who is opening what inside the Octagon…the most historic building in our Downtown? I’ve asked Nina Simon director of MAH……as of this printing (downloading) no response from Nina. But we’ll hear soon, I’ll bet.
HISTORICAL MISTAKE. I wrote some awkward words about the McHugh Bianchi Building that I pictured last week. Eagle eyed Steven Bignell wrote to say, “As I’m sure other have already commented (and of course you know), the late and lamented McHugh and Bianchi General Store was actually demolished not in 2011 but back on August 20th, 1974. John Chase’s Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture gives a good summary of the losing battle that ultimately helped create the City Historic Preservation Commission and the Santa Cruz Historic Building Survey”. He’s right of course and Chase’s book tells us that specific corner building started out as a barbershop, a candy factory, a stove store, and then a bunch more businesses. From 1894 to 1923 it was Hinkle’s Cash Store. It was McHugh and Bianchi’s from 1946 to 1974. There was a huge battle to save McHugh’s and when I ran Henry Faitz’s campaign for State Assembly in 1974 we made it a big part of the campaign platform. We lost, and Bank of the West built what we now see at the Pacific and Water and Mission intersection.
FASHION/ART SHOW AND ANGLO GROVA’S GOOD BYE. For what seems to be obvious reasons the annual FashionArt Show at the Civic is another one of those Santa Cruz things. It’s silly, beautiful, erratic, artistic, and has become in its 12 years very successful, and I’ve been to every one of them…including the first one in Angelo Grova’sMichael Angelo Gallery parking lot in 2004. Angelo gave a serious and heartfelt 37 second speech last Saturday night at the end of the show. He’s retiring and turning it all (almost all) over to Christina Morgan Cree who will executive direct it. So plan on attending next year…she’ll do a great job too.
GREENSITE’S INSIGHT.
Gillian emailed to say… “Greensite offline this week. Returns next week.”
(Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild).
I Dreamed I Saw Some Affordable Housing Last Night… “EDGI” at the Cutting Edge of Climate Justice
Most locals agree that UCSC growth is out of control. You’ve probably noticed that students are back! Some are still in pursuit of non-existent apartments and the cars most off-campus dwellers bring to town are beginning fill that brief street lull that locals relish between Labor Day Boardwalk closure and the first day of school. The rush on and off-campus begins in earnest this Thursday, Day 1 of Year 51. And, if you ask old-time watchers, those who monitor the student stream flow on and off the city-on-a-hill, it has only become more intense–more crowded, congested, and often bumper-to-bumper–on Bay, Story, and High Streets. Of course, it’s not just the estudiantes, its larger numbers of faculty and staff who serve them and travel from as far away as Hollister and Gilroy, and from Livermore and Walnut Creek too.
Bernie Quote of the Week
“We must work toward making health care a right. But right now, our job is to save our current system which Republicans are trying to destroy.” (Sept. 18). Bernie was hot this week. He spoke at the California Nurses Association (CNA) conference in San Francisco. See the video here:
If politics, the housing crisis, car traffic, or the latest rent increase has you down, just take a hike across the UCSC campus. It’s still filled with deer, bobcats, incredible bird life, a bunch of wild turkeys, and even a few rarely-seen pumas.
So, it was with those foreboding thoughts in mind that I attended a recent UCSC, Friday “The Original Thinkers” Forum. What drew me to this event was the mildly politically-charged title, “Meaningful Activism in the Trump Era,” and it was being officially sponsored by the University of California. And “meaningful” it was. Seems that the keynote speaker, sociology Prof., Lindsey Dillon is part of an international group named EDGI, Environmental Data and Governance Initiative whose charge is to save U.S. government agencies’ data from the likes of Trump and his ilk. Plus NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Osha, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Energy, and the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency were a few of the “guv” agencies that scientists were worried about as Trump era troglodytes began to leave their caves and roam about freely in the capitol. Outfitted with IT scrubbing brushes, and their nefarious form of electronic Windex, they are still out looking to obliterate words like “climate change,” and all the data that comes with it that’s taken years to compile, Dillon said. The EDGI data collecting was a monumental job that began shortly after election day and continued until May 1st of this year. Her task originally was to create “data rescue events” in which dozens of people with laptops would assemble and download government data before it could be erased or rearranged. Now, EDGI’s work is directed at creating access points for scientists and all members of the public to view the data. They also are writing reports on how these government agencies are going through unprecedented change with the new Administration. One of their reports, The First 100 Days and Counting Part 1: The EPA Under Siege, “is an in-depth analysis of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Trump and administrator Scott Pruitt” according to EDGI’s web site. Part of group’s work too has been to conduct confidential interviews with scientists and other employees of these government agencies to find out what change looks like from the inside.
How does EDGI “organize and collaborate?” Dillon said they use programs like #slack, peerio (end-to-end encryption software), zoom (video conferencing software), GitHub (“data folks use it”), Versionista (“to track changes on-line), and the more well-known, Google Drive so every team member can work on tasks together she said. The data itself is set to be stored at the University of Pennsylvania, Dillon revealed. It was refreshing to see a host of local academics and pols offer Proffessor Dillon kudos. As Chancellor George Blumenthal opened the Hotel Paradox 8am breakfast event, I looked around at the faces of the 50 or so packed into a smallish conference room. Among those present were former Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane, Supervisor Ryan Coonerty, former Redevelopment Director Ceil Cirillo, new UCSC Dean of social sciences, Katheryn Mitchell, and former city council candidate Robert Singleton also came out. It was a good audience for Dillon, and she knocked it out of the park. It is also good to know activist-scientists like Dillon and her crew are working, like our state and federal court system, to combat all the seeds of badness and chaos that the Trump gang continues to sow. Yay Lindsey, keep it up!
Homeless Garden Project–Back from the Brink and Prospering
I met with Homeless Garden Project’s (HGP) board chair, Cathy Calfo, along with HGP executive director, Darrie Ganzhorn, to get briefed and updated on where their capital campaign and future are headed. They offered me some impressive numbers: 17 current trainees; 2,188 total garden and store volunteers last year alone; and a healthy $750,000 annual budget. The HGP ain’t going away anytime soon! In fact, it appears to be thriving as its board carries out a formidable capital campaign–as was done not too long ago at UCSC’sCommunity Agroecology and Sustainable Farm Systems (CASFS) led by the Prof. Daniel Press–to stabilize and grow the program as they make their seismic move to the Golf Club Drive side of the Pogonip. They are more than a third of the way to their $3 million-dollar goal and local heavyweights who form the capital committee include Patrice Boyle (Soif), Scott Roseman (former owner of New Leaf Market) and Calfo herself (Executive Director of California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)).With the HPG, CASFS, Life Lab, and the explosion of our local farmer’s market, Santa Cruz is continuing to lead the way in organic agriculture and consumer products. This is all the more reason that we have to carefully till the social, political, and agricultural soil of the newly legal cannabis culture. If the cannabis commercial newbies (CannaCruz, Kind Peoples, WAMM you listening?) take a page from these three successful organically grown (pun intended) venerable organizations, our Santa Cruz will solidify its position at the forefront of the organic movement right where it belongs, and continue to create good jobs and attract grant money as well.
What do STR’s, Closing of the 15% Inclusionary Loophole, SC City Bail Schedule, and Affordable Housing Week Have in Common?
They’re all on the September 26 Santa Cruz city council agenda. Of course, STR’s (Short-term Vacation Rentals) far and away leads the pack for now. I’ve received over 200 email messages on this subject and they are running about 60-40 in favor of clamping down on STR’s in order to free up more housing for locals. The Planning Department staff report seems on the surface to be a reasonable one: supports limiting STR’s before they completely overwhelm Santa Cruz; all STR’s must be “hosted,” meaning owner has to live on premises; expresses concern about “unhosted” STR’s and suggests severely limiting their number by not issuing any new permits to the unhosted; and limiting the number of new “hosted” permits to 200. But, when joined with the existing STR’s this would give us around 500 (? still not clear) legal short-term rentals in the city of Santa Cruz. Is that too many or too few, or should government not get involved in telling people what they can and can’t do with their property(s)? Aside from the fact that government already has lots of rules around how people can develop property in the city, there are many heart-breaking and uplifting stories contained in those correspondences that support few limits. Mom visits for three months a year, Son comes home during summer…Can’t afford my mortgage without the STR…This is my retirement income you’re playing with…We get a better “class” of people to rent to (not fooled on that one)…I get to meet so many interesting people in a short period of time, and on and on go these stories. And most of them I take pretty seriously and have great sympathy. But folks, the community comes first, and really, we are talking currently about a very small group changing, whether they realize it, the very character of this town. Yes, it has been a tourist town at least since the first railroad steamed in during the 1880’s, but there has always been protection, preservation, and dedication by the city council concerning neighborhood integrity. If let to its own devices, the short-term rentals market would be, if it is not already, an unwanted mainstay in every neighborhood. And rental property is the most pressing need in this community, not short-term, but long-term rentals. If you need to house your son, daughter, granddaughter or grandfather at various times during the year then why not rent your place out as a sublet? Given the housing market and how long people search and have to wait to occupy a long-term rental, sublets could be a very necessary piece of our housing puzzle. Two, three, and four-month sublets are in short supply. It seems to me that by limiting the number of short-term rentals, the city council is sending the message to most year-round residents that they’re doing their job by protecting local housing stock for locals. Look for an update on STRs here next week…this issue will likely not become moot any time soon.
Look at right sidebar and click on the icon titled, “September 2017 Bail Schedule” to access the 15-page document.
Affordable Housing Week Oct 19-26 is getting closer and Steve McKay and Miriam Greenberg’s“No Place Like Home” project will kick it off on October 19th at the downtown Civic Auditorium. Mark your calendar, much more to come. We need to arm ourselves first with information, organize into small groups and large groups, and then get out and make some demands on councilmembers, supervisors, assembly members, and state senators. As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Together, we can do this.
Odd Stuff
Are there really over 500 short-term rentals in the city of Santa Cruz?
Seventeen condos are proposed to go in over Old School Shoes on Pacific Ave., right next to the Catalyst. Will it be spelled out in the lease that ear protection will be provided by the landlord for every tenant?
Did anyone pony up the hundred bucks to attend Chip’s, “Downtown Party” last Friday night? (How was it?)
Two thousand and one-hundred beds are supposed to be coming on-line at UCSC by the year 2022, but the Family Student Housing complex–at $1658 per month for a 2-bedroom arguably one of the best deals in the city–will be shut down in order to rebuild it. Won’t that be a temporary loss of several hundred beds? So, not so big an increase in bed space then?
Hot Stuff
It’s amazing to watch NFL football players, and now fans too, “taking a knee” during the national anthem. Somebody proposed that city councilmembers “take a knee” during the flag salute at the beginning of each meeting in support of our Black Lives Matters’ brothers and sisters.
Sleeper Stuff:
The Looming, But Not-forgotten Issue of Next Month
Sign of the times…forty proposed condos at 1930 Ocean Street Extension. Housing for the second-home crowd?
~ (Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council).
NO BUILDING PERMITS HAVE YET BEEN ISSUED FOR RANCHO DEL MAR CENTER REMODEL.
So, why couldn’t Supervisor Zach Friend negotiate more than a paltry 10 days beyond the 30-day eviction date given the lower Rancho del Mar Center merchants? He claims that owner TRC Retail is on a tight construction timeline and therefore he could not push for anything more. Really? How can that be true if TRC Retail has NO permits yet?
Because I have recently been accused of telling lies here, I urge all readers to take a look at the Santa Cruz County Planning Dept. website: http://www.sccoplanning.com/
Click on the box “Check Application Status and Permit History” and enter APN 039-221-11 in the search box that appears. Lots of permit history comes flying up for this old shopping center, but at the bottom of the page, click on page “4” and take a look at what comes up. Master Applications 171014 and 171015 are still pending, having only been submitted July 19, 2017, the day before the Zoning Administrative Hearing when TRC Retail asked for a sign variance to allow four massive 12′ highlighted signs (which Administrator Wanda Williams thankfully rejected and applied reasonable modifications). The most recent comments by planners are listed on August 18, 2017….lots of comments, in some cases.
So, no permits…what was the rush to push out the tenants? Baskin-Robbins owner, Mr. Lee, cannot find a location suitable for relocation. Even if he could, it would require approval from corporate headquarters that usually takes two months. What did County Economic Development Director advise him to do? Call Barry Swenson Builder and try to get into the Aptos Village Project! Supervisor Zach Friend did nothing to help the merchants but certainly could have.
To make matters worse, the Aptos Chamber of Commerce organized a “Rally Around Rancho del Mar Merchants” last weekend. With the crowded rally, shoplifters stole hundreds of dollars in merchandise from Le Chef Kitchen Store, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lee.
What is a saddened citizen who supports their independent small business family to do? Call Supervisor Zach Friend 831-454-2200 and write him at Zach Friend zach.friend@santacruzcounty.usand let him know how you feel about his glaring lack of leadership that could have helped the Rancho del Mar merchants and citizens had he taken his dutiful role of negotiator last summer. And while you’re at it, ask why he could not insist on more time for the merchants to relocate SINCE THERE ARE NO PERMITS FOR THE REMODEL PROJECT ISSUED.
Call TRC Retail Project Manager Mr. Scott Grady 949-508-6192 or write Scott Grady sgrady@trcretail.com and ask why TRC Retail gave the Rancho del Mar merchants a 30-day boot when the remodel project has no permits for the work.
“YOUR WRITING IS FULL OF LIES… AND I WANT YOU TO STOP IT RIGHT NOW!’
Those were the words of Soquel Creek Water District Board Chairman Tom LaHue when he approached rate payer Mr. Tom Stumbaugh and me after the September 19 Board meeting. No Community TV video or microphone recorded that angry conversation, wherein Chairman LaHue directed Mr. Stumbaugh and me to “just move on” from the issue of all the free water that the District staff knowingly allowed Aptos Village Project developers to take for dust control throughout the construction areas and for concrete curing. He told us to stop being so negative and look for solutions. Gee, one would think that Soquel Creek Water District Board members and staff would thank watchful citizens and rate payers that call out irregular service connections and water leaks. Not the case here…I got called a liar.
WHY IS THERE PERSONAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY (WITH NO ADDRESS) AND A MOBILE HOME IN SCOTTS VALLEY ASSOCIATED WITH THE GRANITE WAY WELL PARCEL IN APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT???
Well, that may be a deep subject and worthy of the Grand Jury investigating. Look for yourself:
Visit the Santa Cruz County Assessor website.
Under the left-hand ‘Quick Links’ box, click on ‘Parcel Information’
In the Parcel APN search box, enter 041-011-54, which is the parcel number of the Granite Way Well within the Aptos Village Project.
You will see the parcel information, listed as a ‘Well Site’ and no address.
Click on the green parcel number, and a screen stating there is ‘no assessed value’ appears, being under the column ‘Assessed Value and Taxes’, and sure enough, no taxes are assessed on this Special District government land.
Click on the next column heading , ‘Parcel Addresses’ and you see the mailing address of Soquel Creek Water District.
Now, click on the next column, ‘Splits & Combos’ and you see a green “GENERAL PARCEL” appear, with the recorded document 2015-0045724 and the date of November 13, 2015 when the deed for the new well site was recorded.
Click on the “GENERAL PARCEL” and take a look at what comes up closely, still under ‘Splits and Combos’. Now you see the General Parcel is listed as a Residential Lot, and has a new active APN of 023-121-08-32, with an odd recorded document ‘2017-MHA-043″, that was recorded May 1, 2017. That’s after the Granite Way Well parcel was deeded, isn’t it? That is a mobile home document, and is not available at the County Recorder’s Office (I asked). Also observe that the parcel number is in a different geopgraphical numbering area, and has an extra two numbers (-32) at the end…it turns out to be the space number of the mobile home located in Scotts Valley…somehow connected with the Aptos Village Project Granite Way Well. Hmmmmm…..
Click on the green parcel number and this is verified…the address is 6011 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA, and is classed as MH/Personal Property (remember, MH=mobile home).
Click on the next column, ‘Transfers’, and see that the mobile home, with it’s recorded document of May 1, 2017 has NO VALUE.
Click on the column ‘Characteristics’ and see that this mobile home was made in 2017, has 972SF Main area, 252SF carport, 24SF deck, forced air and a composition roof. No land.
Now, click back on the ‘Assessed Value and Taxes’ column, and see that there is NO ASSESSED VALUE OR TAXES FOR THIS MOBILE HOME PERSONAL PROPERTY, BECAUSE IT IS OWNED BY A SPECIAL DISTRICT GOVERNMENT THAT MAKES IT EXEMPT. Hmmmm….
Click on the column ‘Parcel Addresses’ and see that the mailing address for the mobile home is 6011 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066. Wait a minute, that is not Soquel Creek Water District’s address… Hmmmm…..
But if you click back on the ‘Parcel List’ column, you see that the Granite Way Well APN (041-011-54) with address as unavailable, the GENERAL PARCEL with address unavailable but classed as residential zone,, and the APN 023-121-08-32 mobile home at 6011 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA are all connected and exempt from tax assessment.
Now click on the green GENERAL PARCEL and you see that land has no assessed value either, even though it is in a residential zone, with address unavailable. Isn’t this interesting?
But wait, it gets better! Click on the ‘Transfers’ column and see that this residential property reappraisal transaction ($0 price) was recorded on JULY 4, 1776 and has an odd document number CONV000000777713. There are two irregular things about this: California did not become a state until 1850, so how could a document be recorded on July 4, 1776? Also, the County Recorder’s Office staff told me that documents with “CONV——-” do not exist in the Recorder’s files and ARE NOT ABLE TO BE TRACED. Hmmmmm….
Now, if you do this search anywhere but the County Assessor Office public computers, you will not see the owners of these properties. The County cannot make that information public except on its own computer system. Try doing this search from the public computers at the County Building’s first floor Assessor’s Office and you are in for a real shock.
There, you can see that the owners of the Scotts Valley mobile home are Robert Castillo and Denelle Huff, listed in conjunction with Soquel Creek Water District’s Granite Way Well and the mysterious GENERAL PARCEL, but all properties are tax exempt. The Recorder’s transfer fee on the Granite Way well parcel deed is $0, because Soquel Creek Water District is exempt from the usual $1.10/$1000 sales price of the transaction. I wonder if the mobile home sales transaction was also tax-exempt?
The new mobile home does indeed exist at the Mountain Brook Mobile Home Park, 6011 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley in space #32. But why is it connected with the Soquel Creek Water District well parcel in Aptos Village Project? All tax exempt? Who bought that new mobile home and why?
Call Soquel Creek Water District 475-8501 and ask, or better yet, write the Board a letter and ask them those questions (and any others you might have):
I hope Chairman Tom LaHue doesn’t accuse you of being a liar, too.
EXPERT PANELISTS FROM NATIONAL WATER RESEARCH INSTITUTE EXPRESS RESERVATION ABOUT SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S ABILITY TO MANAGE A COMPLICATED SEWAGE WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
I attended the September 20 Expert Panel from the National Water Research Institute (NWRI), sponsored by Soquel Creek Water District. Two of the five experts (Nelson and Cotruvo) expressed some reservation about Soquel Creek Water District being a relatively small water purveyor and possibly being challenged by the high level of technical expertise required of such advanced water treatment facility operators. If the system functions perfectly, the water is safe, they said. I think that “IF” is a huge “IF”. Given the lack of transparency the District has shown so far regarding this PureWater Soquel (notice they keep changing the name of the Project), I would not trust the District to be transparent with the public about any possible problems encountered with the operation of the proposed facility. Look at what the poor people of Cambria are experiencing for just this reason and have water rates also skyrocketing as a result.
The public workshop last Wednesday morning allowed members of the audience to hear presentations from District staff and NWRI scientists and recycled water experts and submit written questions before the Panel convened in closed session. The public session was recorded and is available in the information I have copied and pasted:
NWRI Independent Advisory Panel for PUREWater Soquel Groundwater Replenishment Project
Video and Presentation Slides Available from Public Meeting held September 20, 2017
The NWRI Independent Advisory Panel created to provide expert third-party review of the PUREWater Soquel Groundwater Replenishment Project met on September 20, 2017, at Capitola City Hall.
During the meeting, Soquel Creek Water District staff and their consultants provided an overview of the PUREWater Soquel Groundwater Replenishment Project, and community members in the audience submitted written questions to the Panel during the public question-and-answer period. The Panel responded verbally to questions that were within the scope of their charge, and will include written answers in the recommendation report that will be prepared for Soquel Creek District Staff. Written questions on the project will continue to be accepted through Wednesday, September 27, 2017, via email ssharkey@nwri-usa.org, or USPS
Contact/Submit Written Questions To:
Suzanne Sharkey
Water Resources Scientist and Project Manager
National Water Research Institute
18700 Ward Street
Fountain Valley, CA 92708 ssharkey@nwri-usa.org
(714) 378-3278
Mr. Doering owns the Provision Glass Shop on Chanticleer Avenue that is within the area Soquel Creek Water District has marked as “affected property” for their proposed advanced water treatment plant currently under environmental review by consultants at ESA. The problem is that neither Mr. Doering nor his adjacent property owner are willing to sell their land or businesses to the District, should ESA make the determination that the Chanticleer Avenue is the best location for the District’s “preferred supplemental supply solution”. It seems, in talking with Mr. Doering, that representatives of the District have visited his business and told employees that the water treatment plant is going to be built there, and that they will have to move. Stressful, don’t you think?
Meanwhile, neighbors in the residential community surrounding the District offices are continuing to express their opposition to having an industrial water treatment plant in their midst. The District has not handled this well, failing to be transparent with these people, and shoving a handicapped tenant out of the Section 8 affordable housing in the home on the property purchased with the treatment facility in mind. And don’t forget that the other home Soquel Creek Water District intends to demolish is the significant Millsap house, built in 1890. Who cares about preserving local history?
Well, ESA is due to release the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Scoping Report soon. That will have a public comment period, then scurry away for further study. The final EIR will be released sometime next spring, with what I am sure will be a shocking surprise that PureWater Soquel (or whatever name the District has given the project by then) will be the best choice for a supplemental supply. But don’t worry, the Board constantly assures the public that they have not made up their minds about a project until the EIR is complete. Meanwhile, the District has already hired a full-time engineer to begin developing plans for the PureWater Soquel project. Transparency???
MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY APPROVES PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Last Thursday, the MidCounty Groundwater Agency (MGA) Board approved the Nominating Committee recommendations for members of the Groundwater Sustainability Planning Committee. There were 30 applicants and nine were chosen. I thought it was interesting that NONE of the chosen applicants has ever been to a MGA Board meeting. Some attended last Thursday’s meeting, but not all. Neither Supervisor Zach Friend nor Supervisor John Leopold was there to represent the County government.
That group will begin educating themselves about the groundwater problems and issues with the first in a series of informational workshops that will be open to the public. This is will be a two-year commitment for these folks, with important work to define what will be done to heal the critically over drafted aquifers in the area by 2040. Oddly, the State defines the sustainability goals to be measured by actions that do not cause any “undesirable conditions”. These “undesirable conditions” include significant sea water intrusion, lowered groundwater levels, reduction of groundwater storage, land subsidence, negative impacts on local surface water environmental habitats, and degraded water quality. All must be quantified and measurable.
If you want to be notified of future workshops and meetings, contact Julia Townsend and Darcy Pruitt and ask to be put on the “Interested Parties” list for notification.
“YOU’RE TAKING UP A LOT OF TIME”
Those were the words of County Board of Supervisor Chairman John Leopold at last Tuesday’s meeting when I stepped up to the podium to ask questions about the first of three items that I had asked to have pulled from the Consent Agenda and placed on the Regular Agenda for discussion. I learned awhile back, quite by accident, that members of the public can do that if they have a question about a Consent Item and want to get an answer publicly. Consent Items are supposed to be non-controversial, but usually anything controversial, such as the Aptos Village Project, gets put on as a Consent Item in order (my opinion) to keep it from being discussed publicly.
Usually, such items requested to be placed on the regular agenda would be placed at the VERY end of the agenda, requiring one to wait until the end of the meeting. However, Chairman John Leopold did me a kind favor and placed the three items before the one item on the day’s Regular Agenda. I appreciated that, and said so.
Here are the items I wanted discussed and the questions I wanted answered:
1) Ambulance Operators Certification. I thought this was approval related to the extension of the American Medical Response (AMR) contract and I wanted answers about the response time problems and why Aptos / La Selva Fire’s Medical Response Unit gets paged out so often, effectively taking the main fire engine out of service for Aptos. I misunderstood, and the item was about having a licensed operator certification, not about the contract. Now I know but it was not clear from reading the information in the agenda packet documentation..
2) Increasing the budget for the Valencia Road repair in Aptos by $2.5 million for a total of nearly $5.2 million. I wanted to know exactly why the project budget had to be doubled? I wanted to know why a similar project in Scotts Valley, on Nelson Road, was completed within three weeks and cost (according to Dept. of Public Works Storm Damage Report submitted to the Board in June) about $350,000 and the FEMA account has been closed? Dept. of Public Works Director John Presleigh gave very vague reasons for the huge Valencia repair cost increase and reported that when Nelson Road’s culvert is eventually replaced, it will probably cost about $1 million.
Supervisor Zach Friend stated then that he had heard Dept. of Public Works explain Nelson Road three times now, and he understands the situation and wonders when I will? What an effective elected representative he is, don’t you think?
3) I wanted to know why the Dept. of Public Works was asking for Board approval of $1 million/year to each of five engineering firms (none local) for the next three years (that’s a total of $15 million!) for outside engineering contract to help with designs for storm-damaged road repairs. Wow, that is a lot of money for a small county already $7.4 million in budget deficit, especially when the Director of Public Works stated a few months ago at a Board meeting that all engineering would be done in-house to save money. Mr. Presleigh denied saying that, and stated that in order to get the damaged roads fixed quickly, more engineers are needed. I guess the 22 on payroll just are not enough (that number was supplied to me by a Public Records Act request document from County Counsel). If climate changes models are correct, last winter could become the normal winter…maybe it would be cheaper and more effective to hire more staff onto County Public Works? I wonder if the engineer, Mark Christensen, who stands all day watching the contractor crews work at the Aptos Village Traffic Improvement Project could help out?
Here is a list of engineering consultants your tax dollar is hiring for $3 million each:
Dokken Engineering (Folsom, CA)
Drake Haglan Assoc. (Rancho Cordova, CA)
TY Lin International (San Jose, CA)
Quincy Engineering (Pleasanton, CA)
WSP USA (Los Angeles, CA)
Also, your tax dollars have hired Hagerty Consultants to manage the FEMA reports (Evanston, IL)
The Board approved all of the above, but not without first getting into an argument that should embarrass Chairman John Leopold. During the discussion regarding storm damaged roads, Supervisor Greg Caput had questions for Director Presleigh. This seemed to irritate Chairman John Leopold inordinately, and he repeatedly tried to shut Supervisor Caput up. Supervisor Caput persisted with trying to get answers to his questions, quickly leading to Chairman John Leopold interrupting and asking County Counsel Dana McRae what discussion is legally allowed? She replied that all discussion had to be kept to items on the agenda, in order to satisfy the Ralph M. Brown Act requirements. Supervisor Caput’s questions did pertain to the agenda item, but once again, Chairman John Leopold tried to shout down the discussion. “Well, in the interest of avoiding a food fight, I’ll stop,” consented Supervisor Greg Caput.
What disrespectful manners. Cover your teenagers’ ears when you watch that video:
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEAR $30,000 CONSULTANT DESCRIBE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN PROCESS.
In a truly symbolic gesture, the full Board of Supervisors moved to tables arranged on the floor at audience level. We all watched a TED Talk video about motivation and success, and then a new strategy for Departmental direction and successful measurements rolled out. “Vision Santa Cruz County” is a brainchild of new CEO Carlos Palacios for involving staff and the public to develop a strategic plan for what the County will look like in five years and how the government process will effectively accomplish and measure those goals.
Chairman John Leopold wanted to know how much the public would be involved and to what degree their input would be incorporated? Good question.
The consultant explained that there had already been a weekend retreat for department heads to discuss the new strategic planning process, and 40 staff members have begun a LEAP Program, learning how to implement these ideas. Another 30 will be trained next year, so that eventually, all interdepartmental staff will be working together under the same mindset.
Public comment was interesting. The few members of the public who had stayed to listen wanted to know if there truly would be a shift in government responsiveness to reflect the opinions and concerns of the public expressed at public meetings. Some pointed out that the Board of Supervisors had destroyed the very effective Citizen’s Building Code and Fire Code Appeal Board, and now require citizens who want to appeal government decisions to pay large sums of money to be heard. Another pointed out that the County does not always follow its own guidelines, for example granting demolition permits and waiving staff time when an historic building is demolished yet claims on websites to value historic preservation.
Chairman John Leopold did not appreciate those public comments, some of which I made while reminding him that he had told me earlier in the meeting that I was taking a lot of time by asking to have staff publicly answer my questions. Public input and active involvement welcome??? Not really.
TRAFFIC SIGNALS UP IN APTOS VILLAGE BUT GRIDLOCK PERSISTS
Last week, the new traffic signals got installed at the Soquel Drive and Trout Gulch Road intersection, as part of Phase I of the County’s project to benefit Swenson developers and others destroying the Aptos Village area. It’s a lot like having to pay for the bullet to kill a family member. Former Supervisor Ellen Pirie told me last year that she has full confidence that the traffic engineers at the County have solved any potential traffic problem associated with the Aptos Village Project by adding two traffic lights to the area. Will this really effectively handle the 8,000 additional vehicles per day that County Traffic Engineer Jack Sohriakoff anticipated on his grant application to the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to fund this mess?
Jack Sohriakoff retired about a month ago. Ellen Pirie might still be hiding in Africa. Who will be accountable if the traffic lights don’t fix the gridlock problem???
~
METRO OPERATIONS CHIEF OFFERS SHOCKING INFORMATION ABOUT APTOS VILLAGE BUS STOP RELOCATION.
Many thanks to letter-writer extraordinaire Mr. Tom Stumbaugh for making sure there was written correspondence in the Metro Board agenda packet last Friday regarding the inbound #71 bus stop relocation in Aptos Village. Because that correspondence was on the agenda, the Board had to get an answer from Operations Chief Mr. Ciro Aguirre when several members of the public spoke up at the public communication time asking questions about the relocation. Mr. Aguirre’s answer was not always audible, but what I heard was that early versions of the bus stop design submitted by County Public Works were NOT handicap-accessible and failed to satisfy the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The County dropped the federal funding portion of the Phase I Aptos Village Traffic Improvement Project and subsequently, local engineering firm Bowman and Williams submitted plans for the bus stop that were ADA-compliant but that did not include sidewalks. Wow.
Mr. Aguirre went on to admit that the specifications for the new bus bay had to be changed because of the intrusion into railroad right-of-way, and therefore the bus will not be able to get completely out of the lane of traffic when stopped. He acknowledged that there is limited line of sight visibility for motorists approaching the bus stop from the westbound Soquel Drive, but assured the Metro Board that the bus driver Union Leader had signed off on the project, so it all would not be a problem. Wow, again!
“Why did Public Works ask us to move this bus stop? Traffic in Aptos Village is crazy and I just don’t see how a bus driver will be able to get back out into traffic. It’s ridiculous!” said Metro Director Dan Rothwell. Mr. Aguirre could not answer why Public Works had asked for the bus stop to be moved from the current level and highly-visible location, but assured the Board that the Metro drivers are all trained in defensive driving techniques and would deploy the flashing “YIELD TO BUS” sign on the back of the bus.
“We really don’t have any say in these matters,” Director Mike Rotkin said. “Public Works maintains the roads and we just have to put up with what they hand us.” He might not be so agreeable if he had mobility issues and had to get on the #71 bus at Aptos Village to get to Santa Cruz.
Write the Department of Public Works and ask why the inbound #71 Metro stop in Aptos Village is being moved at taxpayer’s expense. All questions have to be directed to Ms. Christine Berge mailto:christine.berge@santacruzcounty.us or phone 454-2160. Maybe ask County Supervisor Zach Friend, too. He attended the closed session meetings when all this was decided, and allowed the Aptos Village Project developers (Swenson, Appenrodt, Testorff) to get all this work done at taxpayer expense to benefit their disgusting development. Call 454-2200 or write Zach Friend mailto:zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us. Maybe also ask when the disruptive County Public Works road work in the Village that is really hurting business for the existing merchants will be finished??? As always, Zach says he loves to hear from you.
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).
On August 29, 2017, The New York Times ran an Op-Ed by Peter D. Kramer and Sally L. Satel. Kramer is an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Brown. Satel is a psychiatrist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. These psychiatrists addressed the following question: “Who Decides Whether Trump Is Unfit to Govern?” Kramer and Satel concluded that “the medical profession and democracy would be ill served if a political determination at this level were ever disguised as clinical judgment.”
On August 31, 2017, reader Ken Lefkowitz fired back a response. His letter to the newspaper strongly disagreed with Kramer and Satel:
“May I respectfully disagree with the esteemed psychiatrists, whose position is that politicians and not mental health professionals should decide on President Trump’s fitness for office. They write that “many experts believe that Mr. Trump has a narcissistic personality disorder.” These experts are concerned about his mental and emotional instability.
People with this disorder distort reality to meet their extreme ego needs, rendering them blind to other views and facts but their own. Mr. Trump is capable of any belief or action that feeds his extreme narcissism, no matter how absurd. His actions are driven by his obsession to gain the praise and adoration of others.
This inability to understand reality and the truth, which we have clearly seen in Mr. Trump, renders him incapable of evaluating situations and making informed, appropriate decisions. It is time the mental health community step up and join, if not lead, [sic.] the effort to remove our president from office”.
Let me weigh in on this timely topic, made even more timely by the fact that our president is clearly trying to match craziness with the Supreme Leader of the Democratic Republic of North Korea. If we truly believe in “self-government,” and a government “of, by, and for the people,” then “the people” must be in charge of deciding who is competent to be president. Expert opinion can be solicited and employed as the people make decisions, but decisions about who should run our government, and what our government should do, are not susceptible to delegation to experts. “We, the people,” need to decide.
We have set up political mechanisms to make the political decisions that determine who is in charge, and how the government will operate.
I conclude that we should stop looking for someone other than ourselves to save us. “We, the people,” is not a fictional entity. It’s a genuine political reality. I am voting for Kramer and Satel, on the question, “Who Decides?”
We decide! That’s what “self-government” means. I think we made a bad decision last November. If we want to reverse that decision now (which would be a good thing to do, in my opinion), we’d better start making our political system work, instead of hoping for some expert to come in and solve our problem for us. (Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo Looks at what could now be a Trump approved private school!!! See below.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” National Health Alert #9” 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: “Look, Ma, I’m on Rotten Tomatoes! Here’s the link, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Also, Rebel In the Rye, the new movie about the life and times of J. D. Salinger: perceptive or phony? Read all about it in this week’s Good Times.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
REBEL IN THE RYE. Unfortunately this excellent film, especially if you’ve ever thought about writing for a living leaves on Thursday. It’s about J.D.Salinger and THE BOOK and what the writing and the success afterwards did to his life. A chubby Kevin Spacey plays J.D.’s mentor and Nicholas Hoult is J.D. See it quickly, or sometime for sure.
ENDS THURSDAY September 28.
BRADS STATUS. Ben Stiller is at his very best acting here and it’s a touching, involving, magnetic film. It’s about a dad and his son and the all too real complex relationship between parent and offspring. Austin Abrams plays Stiller’s son and he is quite simply great in the part. I cringed a lot due to reality, and it’s a fine film.
STRONGER. Jake Gyllenhaal is the spectator at the 2013 Boston Marathon who got hus legs blown off. What takes this movie out of the soupy heart puller category is that Jeff Bauman the victim was apparently a goof and fairly nasty guy. So you get booze, fighting, fuck words, lots of anger but because it’s Jake Gyllenhaal you come out liking the show. It’s a feel good film and barely shows anything of the marathon. Go if you like that sort of thing.
POLINA. The plot is from a book and it’s another will the poor kid struggle into fame against the odds….except that most of the “odds” here are created by Polina. It leaves Thursday so no big problem here. The dance photography isn’t much to watch either…and it should have been.
ENDS THURSDAY September 28.
KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. I wished I’d remembered that this part 2 of an ongoing series comes from comic books. The entire movie look like an animated cartoon. It’s violent, murderous, and plain goofy. Elton John plays himself and there’s a warning right there. To watch such good actors as Julianne Moore , Halle Berry and especially Colin Firth jump around for their million dollar salaries is embarrasing.
MOTHER. An excellent, genius- directed, absolutely intelligent plot, best-acted…what more can you ask from a movie?? Jennifer Lawrence, plus two of my favorite actors Javier Bardem and Ed Harris, Brian Gleeson, and a darker Michelle Pfeiffer make a perfect cast for this challenging film. Not a scary, boo-type, odd, weird, what’s that?, cellar stairs type of film. It’s more like “what is going on”, “I can’t imagine what’s happening next kind of film, Directed by Darren Aronofsky it’s a winner, and you’ll remember seeing it. So go. RT calls it a “psychological thriller” I agree.
DOLORES. See both Chris Krohn’s and my “advice” and “promotion” of this very necessary documentary up above. We all have some opinion of Dolores Huerta based on rumor, poor memory and the ignoring by media. That’s why we should all see this film. It’s also strong on feminism and Gloria Steinem along with Angela Davis have much to add to Dolores’ near overwhelming labor organizing. Then too you’ll learn just how much aid and direction that Bobby Kennedy gave to Dolores. See this film and bring a good friend…or Republican. 100% on RT!!!
This broke all box office records last weekend when IT opened…and IT should have. IT is a well made, very scary movie. Based on some Stephen King books, IT is chapter one of a two part nightmare- daydream that will grab you when you are least prepared to be scared. It has all the clichés…BUT it’s got tension, mystery, and perfect timing along with excellent acting. Just go see IT but only if you truly enjoy being scared. 86 on RT.
WIND RIVER. Jeremy Renner and young beauty Elisabeth Olsen track down a killer on an Indian Reservation in the very cold Wyoming winter. Much better than average, you’ll stay with the plot and quite decent acting…all the way. It males some obvious social comment along the way, and that works too. The conclusion is a bit crude and drunken, but Renner is almost always worth watching. ENDS THURSDAY September 28.
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
VICEROYS HOUSE. When you have Hugh Bonneville (from Downton Abbey) playing Lord Mountbatten it would seem to guarantee a masterpiece but this saga about Britain leaving the control of India in 1947 and dividing that part of the country into Pakistan and India, but it’s dull and near-boring in its’ accuracy. You’ll see Ghandi, Churchill, newsreels, and corpses…and learn a lot of history about oil deposits in Pakistan. Go warned.
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
THE TRIP TO SPAIN. This is the third supposed comedy that two British actors, comics, impressionists… Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon have made, and they shouldn’t make any more. These guys go on supposedly food tasting trips to restaurants in England, Italy and now Spain. In each restaurant and on the road they do imitations of famous British actors…James Bond, well Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Mick Jagger and try very hard to be funny. I haven’t laughed once during any of these contrived messes and find the two actors just about nauseating. Don’t blame me if you do decide to go. ENDS THURSDAY September 28.
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. September 26 has Conductor, artistic director Michel Singher talking about the next Espressivo Orchestra Concert, after Michel, Betsy Anderson and Alison Carrillo talk about Museo Carrillo. October 3 has Denise Gallant talking about her Tom Scribner documentary, and then we’ll talk with Erik Gandolfini and Avondina Wills about the Mountain Top play at the Center Stage. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. Following Phyllis two of the authors of the new MAH book Harvesting Our Heritage will discuss our County crop history. Gary Patton gives info and background on the Save Santa Cruz Organization on Oct.17. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
This is cute 🙂
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. “October”
“October is the month for painted leaves…. As fruits and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight”, Henry David Thoreau, “Autumnal Tints”
“October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins…. Merry October! ~Rainbow Rowell “On October 15, 1965, an estimated 70,000 people took part in large-scale anti-war demonstrations“, Noam Chomsky “Chicago is an October sort of city even in spring”, Nelson Algren
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Highlights this week:
Griggs and Vulnerable Santa Cruz…True story of Barry Swenson’s Illegal Tank Removal…Nestlé’s buys vegan biz (like Coke buying Odwalla)… Peter Bartczak mural’s demise… Warning against Western Service Workers Association …Dolores the movie, reviewed by Krohn and Bratton…Greensite on Housing Costs…Krohn and affordable housing, and the Pacific Ave. hole and Swenson plans…Steinbruner and true story of Swenson and Aptos Village development problems, Rancho Del Mar fighting TRC developer, Zach Friend not responding or caring or helping… Patton and DACA deal…DeCinzo and school time…Eagan and Medicare…Mark Stone Party Thursday…FashionArt show next Saturday…Jensen and a movie hint…I critique Mother, Dolores, Viceroy House and Beach Rats…Quotes, an amalgam of.
McHugh & Bianchi General Store. November 1972. This grand identifying structure was replaced with Bank Of The West in 2011. It was right across the street from Scribner Square at the corner of Pacific and Mission.. It was once known as the Hotaling Building and Hinkle’s Cash Store.
SANTA CRUZ TIME CAPSULE 1979-1999. As created and filmed by LBJohnson.
THE HUMANS 1979 from their album. Early Santa Cruz music!!!
Larry Hosford and Jeff Cruse on KUSP at General Feed and Seed in Soquel.
DATELINE September 18, 2017
VULNERABLE SANTA CRUZ. UCSC Earth Scientist professor and former director of the Institute of Earth Sciences Gary Griggs and I talked about the official City of Santa Cruz Vulnerability Study that he and Brent Haddad were commissioned to do. Paid for by FEMA money, it was also known as the Santa Cruz Climate Adaptation Plan. It laid out the dangers of flooding Pacific Avenue, floods filling Neary Lagoon, shores crumbling, on and on it reads. What’s the City ever done in reaction to the study, what has the City ever done by way of the evacuation plan it urged…nothing, just nothing. It’s the same as back in 1988 one year before the 1989 earthquake when the city commissioned experts to detail the possible earthquake dangers. That study said that almost all the business on Pacific Avenue needed re-shoring, needed huge new support systems. The businesses on Pacific and the City Council paid the study fee and sent the experts back out of town and almost all the building owners did absolutely nothing. Except oddly enough Max Walden who owned The Cooper House did the necessary re-structuring. But after the 89 quake local “experts” said the Cooper House did get damaged and because the new owner wanted the FEMA money he let the historic building be destroyed. Are we still in the same boat? Will the next tsunami, tidal wave, or quake destroy more of our community because the City Council again ignores all the warnings? We’ll see, won’t we? Listen to the Griggs interview at … http://www.radiofreeamerica.com/dj/bruce-bratton and click on “September 12”.
BARRY SWENSON GOT CAUGHT AND FINED! Becky Steinbruner has again, scooped everybody in her BrattonOnline column long ago and told all of us about Barry Swenson and the ILLEGAL TANK REMOVAL…this week she tells us the entire story that the Sentinel missed completely. Read it just below.
NESTLE’S BUYS IN. Read in The Monterey County Weekly how Nestle’s bought out a Moss Landing organic vegan business. Read the details here… Read the details here…
A fond farewell to Moonlight Dance, located at Scope Park, with artist Peter Bartczak and the Santa Cruz Arts Commission. Moonlight Dance has been a poignant symbol of the accepting and diverse culture of Santa Cruz for 24 years. The community shared fond memories and thoughts of the mural.
PETER BARTCZAK & MURAL. Like destroying the Cooperhouse, the closing of Logos, losing the Pergolesi, losing the Art and History from the McPherson Museum of Art and History, the painting over Peter Bartczak’s “Moonlight Dance” mural in what used to be Scribner Square (SCOPE PARK) means losing more of the spirit of Santa Cruz. That’s the spirit that identifies us as a community and bonds and binds the folks who have chosen to live here. It is the same spirit that preserved the Town Clock….watch Peter
BEWARE THE WESTERN SERVICE WORKERS ASSOCIATION. This cult of young adults are back again (Trader Joe’s downtown) asking for spare change and trying to get more young people to join their group. Controversy follows them everywhere and always read this website before you get involved …or donate… Anybody know anything about the western service workers association?
CHECK YOUR FINGERS. Under no circumstances should anyone go see the movie “Beach Rats” now showing at the Nickelodeon. (see critique down below). But the one thing I did remember from critiquing it last Sunday is just one statement in the film. “If your index finger is longer than your ring finger, that means you’re gay”.
DOLORES…MORE THAN A MOVIE. Two more than salient topics are dealt with in this long overdue tribute to Dolores Huerta. One is to realize what history (and all of us) has done to motivated women. Obviously Hillary C. but add in Elizabeth Roosevelt, Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi and on and on. Huerta is shown to be a monumental force in spite of all odds, most of which are sexist. The second feature of this documentary is the power and strength and validity of The Boycott and its place in our history. From Delano and the grape boycott, to General Motors, Safeway, Nestle, Luis Valdez, Angela Davis are featured
HOUSING COST SHIBBOLETHS
A recent Sentinel editorial noted that California’s high cost of housing, including rents, hinders economic growth and is the major factor behind the high cost of living in the Golden State (As We See It 9/14/17). The editorial laid out the reasons for the state’s high housing costs as seen by the editorial board, namely: zoning restrictions that limit the amount of developable land; NIMBYS (Not In My Back Yarders); high development impact fees; overly strict building codes and labor rules; CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) abuses and inclusionary zoning measures (requiring a development to include a certain number of below market-rate units.) Wow, their list neatly summarizes factors that protect the environment; ensure building safety; respect the right to protest gentrification and overbuilding in neighborhoods and provide for some (never enough) lower-than- average priced (never low enough) housing units in multi-unit developments. Conspicuously absent from the Sentinel’s list is any mention of investors, speculators and developers whose right to profit from a basic human need for shelter is never questioned.
This developer friendly view of the high cost of housing brings to mind a similar distortion when people discuss why we have a high rate of rape in Santa Cruz, in California, in the US and globally. The usual list includes: women wearing skimpy clothes; women drinking; women going out alone; women partying; women not using the buddy system; women flirting…you get the picture. The main cause of rape is masculine sexual aggression, which is rendered invisible and thus assumes the status of a force of nature that women must navigate around, alter their lives around and suffer the guilt and blame if they fail and are raped. We will never radically reduce the incidence and trauma of rape if we ignore the cause and focus on extraneous factors that are at best, irrelevant, at worst victim-blaming. We need to re-focus attention on creating the social conditions for boys to be raised in a culture where “being a man” is not equated with being aggressive and in which all genders respect and support each other. No, not easy, we don’t have a good role model at the top right now and it won’t happen overnight but at least we can stop looking in all the wrong directions while ignoring the only one that will make a difference.
And so it is with housing. The invisible, major driver of housing costs is that housing is a commodity designed to generate profits usually tied into global financing and capital. For local flavor, add a few factors such as a growing demographic of high tech, high salaried consumers; UCSC’s continued expansion; global marketing of Santa Cruz’s natural/cultural environments and the result is that the value of land and rents on that land will be pushed as high as possible. Remember not long ago when $350 a month for a one-room apartment seemed high? No amount of building will lower the ever-increasing cost of housing under conditions of unlimited demand, which is to live in Santa Cruz, so long as housing is a commodity. In fact, building more will only raise the cost of housing by raising the value of property just as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) raise the cost of housing while not providing working class/blue collar affordable rentals. Well-off, single millennials soon tire of dense apartment living and look for single -family homes, further driving up the price. Of course, an economic slump in global capital will chill the housing market for a while, allowing the big financiers to buy up stock and wait out the slump until the next boom.
Taking housing out of the capitalist market is probably not a popular option but like health care, is probably the only way to lower the cost and ensure that everyone has access to truly affordable shelter. Short of that there are some ways to better regulate the market other than leaving it up to financiers with their shills in Planning Departments and compliant elected officials to make decisions that pretend to nibble at the cost corners but in fact just smooth the way for more development. Inclusionary zoning, seen by some as a solution, encourages dense development, which placates some housing activists but does not deliver the “affordable” goods. It does raise the value and therefore the cost of the surrounding properties.
Since Santa Cruz properties are being snapped up as second homes by the wealthy, legislation that heavily taxes such unoccupied dwellings would help. Rent control would help. Stopping UCSC growth would help. A heavy tax on flipping properties would help. What won’t help is to follow the Sentinel editorial board down the garden path to open the gate wider for developers by eliminating the few avenues the public has available to temper the excesses of profiteering and protect what’s left of Santa Cruz as a town with a distinct character rather than a corporate brand.
~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.
Who Will Hold the City Council’s Feet to the Affordable Housing Fire?
“If Not Now When? If Not Us, Then Who?”
(Outrageous) Photo of the week Your tax dollars at work! What happened to the smaller Ford Rangers, or even the Toyota Tacoma’s? What message is the city sending? What about an E-truck? Try jogging, biking, or strollering around this F-150 behemoth!?! Difficult at best. Why is the city purchasing such bloat? Just a couple of months ago I saw Park Rangers patrolling the river levy driving an electric golf cart. These carts are maneuverable and provide plenty of room to get around the recreating residents. Somebody has too much money in the city, and I have a homeless shelter that needs funding.
Brother, Can You Spare a Condo?
The housing “buck” that’s supposed to stop at the Santa Cruz City Council this week came and went. It came in the form of a Barry Swenson 79-condo project at 1547 Pacific Avenue; the site of the pre-earthquake Bookshop Santa Cruz. Our housing hyper-sensitive community was entitled to 12 units of affordable housing in this project. There it was on the table, but upon voting, our community was left hung out to dry and the 12 units disappeared into that same black hole of council misses: 555 Pacific Ave., 1800 Soquel Ave. 716 Darwin Street and the recent dubious additions to 630 Water Street. Somehow TWELVE bedrooms and studios just slipped through the folded arms of a compliant, developer-first five-two majority city council. Folks, our city council is just not holding developers accountable.
In this case, Swenson front man, Scott Connelly, was not offering any affordable units, and the Council Five wasn’t demanding any. In fact, Scotty will build a completely unfriendly-family project with NO 3-bedroom units, while at the same time turning several two-bedroom units into studios and more one-bedrooms in this “Santa Cruz hot, hot” housing market. How hot is it? I asked a simple question: Scotty, before you beam me up, how much will the rent be at 1547 Pacific Avenue? After all, it’s the location where I was introduced to caffeine during my UCSC undergrad days at Caffe Pergolesi, and where the Penny University was founded, and also where I was recently told, Supervisor Gary Patton held his Monday agenda review sessions before Tuesday County supervisor meetings. Well, it took Scott about ten minutes to get to the, er, actual, illusory maybe, rent prices. But finally, he did reveal some numbers to gaping mouths, dropped jaws, and bystander gasps. In a doctor’s voice charged with telling the patient she’s got incurable cancer, Mr. Connelly stammered and finally arrived at the price tags: Studios for $2000, 1-bedrooms for $2800, and 2-bedroom units as high as $3800…and “our” Santa Cruz City Council scored zero affordable units that day.
I often feel like I am living in a parallel universe while occupying a seat on the left side of city council dais. Some 58% of the community members that occupy some part of the universe I’m also apart of are renters. And those renters were looking to the council last Tuesday afternoon to help level this insane Santa Cruz rental market. I am deeply sorry to say the council failed this rather simple test because guess what? There’s hundreds more units of housing being contemplated along Front Street and the river, and achieving deep levels of affordability does not look very promising at this point.
Public Wants Council to Demand Developers Build the Affordable Units
To top it off, 28 of 29 members of the public who wrote in pleading with the council to demand that the developer at least take some time and come back to the council with the requisite number of affordable units were almost completely ignored. “Just figure it” out they wrote in unison. The city is entitled to 15%, or 11.85 units under the “Planned Development” scenario that the developers agreed to enter in. Perhaps the correspondence is best summed up by what retired teacher, Ruth Valdez, wrote:
“As a retired-teacher I am finding it nearly impossible to afford housing in this area where I’ve lived and worked since 1985. Is this any way to treat us? In your approval of 79 condos on Pacific Ave at the old Bookshop Santa Cruz site, your Council needs to demand that the developer build the 13 inclusionary units as per our ordinance for Planned Development units. The Council has discretion to demand this. I urge you to demand that these affordable units be built as part of the development. We need all the affordable housing possible in our city.”
As a matter of fact, the city council a couple months back, passed a Two-Year Work Plan Strategic Goals, and guess what is stated as the number one goal of this city council? Come on now…did it say to make developers happier and wealthier? Nope. On Page 7, the Strategic Goal numero uno, is housing and “creat[ing] pathways for housing development that maintains our community character while supporting affordable housing goals…” But, not on second Tuesdays in September, I guess. Basically, what I learned from this resulting council vote was that there would be no “public benefit.” A public benefit finding is negotiated with the developer when the council offers permit relief or land or certain permissions. The council can demand the developer build affordable units, or put in extra trees, or require bicycles on premises to cut down on car trips, or put in a rooftop garden, or make the building a Leeds-certified design, or obtain an easement through the property to provide the public with access between Pacific Avenue and Cedar Street, in this case…but no, no public access to this building at all was required by THE FIVE who voted to approve it. Game On folks, NOT Game over!
Dolores
I’m not trying to steal thunder from Bratton’s movie reviews here, but if you want a shot in the organizer arm, go see Dolores at the Del Mar Theater before it leaves, or rent it on-line if it’s gone. This movie is one we need to take notes from because the 2018 city council elections are right around the corner, and if we are to get better affordable housing negotiators we need to elect councilmembers who turn their talk into deeds. It’s a fine film portrayal of what a terrific organizer, Dolores Huerta was, and still is, up to this day! The story is personal, political, and we hear some tear-jerking moments from her eleven kids about a mom who was away for most of their childhood years organizing farm workers and feminists, running picket lines, and later teaching younger organizers. Local Santa Cruzan, Tatanka Bricca, wrote me an email recently about Dolores:
“Dolores lives in Bakersfield. We talk frequently. I am godfather to a couple of her grandkids and good friends with Camila (in the movie) and her husband and their children. Camila is her youngest daughter who runs the Dolores Huerta Foundation. It’s been an amazing journey–my life, that is, and Dolores is the one who recruited and trained me. Grateful every day of my life for that!”
Santa Cruz History of Housing
That same Swenson condo giveaway day, the council also heard a staff report about the sorry state of rental and for-sale housing in Santa Cruz given that prices rise exponentially compared to local wages. In the twenty-four- page report, “Community Engagement, Housing History & Affordability,” there are a few eye-opening bits of information.
In the Mayor’s “listening tour” under “Challenges,” more people have brought up the combination of “traffic” and “corridors development” than any other issue (p.3), and under “Solutions,” rent control and funding for a housing bondmeasure together are the big winners.
“To afford the average Santa Cruz rent of $3,187 [per month], you need to earn $8,400 per month…or $100,800 per year.” (p. 9)
“About 8% of the City’s Housing stock is deed-restricted affordable units.” (p. 12)
Recent housing bonds passed in the Bay Area: Alameda County for $580 million, Santa Clara County for $600 million, City/County of San Francisco “repurposed $261 million in existing bond issue to acquire and rehabilitate units for affordable housing” (p. 14)
What’s not so clear on page 20, “City Population and UCSC Enrollment” is that student enrollment has doubled in size whereas city population as a whole has grown by less than a third. (p. 5)
What might Santa Cruz County voters approve in the way of a housing bond? We probably need between $200-$300 million to even make a dent in our housing needs. And how might the bond money be repaid? Generally, from a parcel tax on homeowners.
Affordable Housing Week
Get out your calendars now, and block out Affordable Housing Week for Oct. 19- 26. There will be discussions, debates, deliberation, and hopefully some decision-making about how Santa Cruz will address its housing crisis. Be ready to make some demands and work for some changes (Go Dolores!) in the face of the outrageous rents being charged. Where will we end up on the short-term vacation rental issue? Can we put forward a real estate transfer tax to penalize house-flippers and fund affordable housing? Can we raise the minimum wage?…build a 24/7 homeless-houseless shelter with mental health and addiction services?…and what to do about that 19,000-pound gorilla called:
U-C-S-C?
Get ready, get set, go! We need everyone on alert and active if we are to tackle this housing crisis.
~Bernie Quote of the Week
“A great nation is not judged by its billionaires, but by its compassion.”
Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY FINES BARRY SWENSON BUILDER $125,000 FOR ILLEGAL TANK REMOVAL & SOIL CONTAMINATION AT APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported Sept. 16, Page A4 that Barry Swenson Builder agreed to pay $125.000 environmental fine related to a major Aptos development (notice the name is missing) for “improperly handled and disposed of” underground storage tank. Here is the link.
Well, in my opinion, the articles do not report the whole truth of this story. Here is what really happened:Barry Swenson Builder (the articles say the company is now called “Swenson”) and Santa Cruz Underground Paving crews came upon a buried metal tank in the Aptos Village Project on March 1, 2016. By law, the crews should have stopped work, notified County Environmental Health and Aptos/La Selva Fire staff that the tank was there. Did that happen??? NO. Crews, at the direction of Barry Swenson Builder project foremen Jim Lynn and Keith Henderson, continued to extricate the tank. The tank ruptured and spilled hundreds of gallons of old diesel fuel, probably associated with the historic Lam-Mattison Apple Dryer and Vinegar Works, the foundation of which was adjacent to the tank.
I happened to drive by just then and saw the workers furiously channeling the liquid into a trench that SCUP had hastily created and I saw the large metal tank on the ground nearby. I saw the liquid welling up from the hole where the tank had been, all next to the intersection of Village Drive and Granite Way. I did not have a camera, but went back the next day and found NO TANK, and the trench filled in. Hmmmm….
I contacted Assistant Planning Director, Ms. Wanda Williams, about the tank. It took nearly a month to get an answer. She assured me that all was well, that Barry Swenson Builder had a permit from County Environmental Health to remove the tank. What caught my attention, however, was that the copy of the receipt for the permit was for March 8, 2016 (not March 1 or before) and that double fees for the permit were levied. Hmmmm….
Luckily, I found out the shocking truth from some honest County staff:
Barry Swenson Builder and SCUP violated the law by removing the underground storage tank without permit
Their environmental consultant, Comprehensive Construction Consultants, did not arrive until March 2 and did not notify County staff
Barry Swenson Builder/SCUP crews hauled the tank away the evening of March 1 (several eye witnesses confirm and the tank was gone when I went March 2 to photograph it)
The tank had not been cleaned or certified legal to transport on public roadways.
County grading inspectors noticed the strong smell of diesel March 4 and asked County Environmental Health about the problem….THAT WAS THE FIRST THAT THE AGENCY IN CHARGE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILLS AND PERMITTING HAD HEARD ABOUT THE INCIDENT.
A metal tank arrived at A & S Metal Recycling in Castroville the morning of March 2, cut up and without any permits or documentation normally required of such tanks. It was held for 3 days, then destroyed. This all happened before County Environmental Health was contacted by Barry Swenson Builder or SCUP representatives about the issue.
County Environmental Health Hazardous Materials Specialists Mr. John Hodges and Mr. John Gerbrandt met with Swenson’s environmental consultant and received an erroneous timeline of events, with a claim that the tank left March 2, rather than in the night of March 1 (same day as extrication). Swenson paid double fees to get a retro-active tank removal permit….a mere $2000.
Environmental Health staff site inspection revealed fresh soil work, with a large area of oily sheen on the surface. REMEMBER, THE TANK WAS GONE AND SWENSON/SCUP CREWS HAD COVERED EVERYTHING UP…INCLUDING THE TRENCH FULL OF DIESEL AND THE HOLE LEFT BY THE TANK.
About a month later, sampling took place in the soils that had the sheen, and the location of the tank CLAIMED BY KEITH HENDERSON, PROJECT FOREMAN. However, this tank location was NOT the location that multiple eye-witnesses told Environmental Health about.
Many diesel and gasoline-related contaminants were detected at very high levels. Crews were ordered to tarp the disgusting-smelling soils and label “Hazardous Waste” a tank of effluent that the environmental consultant had collected before the trench was filled with soil prior to the Environmental Health specialists’ site visit. The tank never got labeled because, as Keith Henderson told County staff, he did not want the neighbors to see it.
Despite repeated requests by eye witnesses and community members, Environmental Health did not require further testing to determine if there was contamination at the location where the tank was actually located, next to Village Drive and Granite Way, some 75′ upstream as the groundwater flows. Barry Swenson Builder and Aptos Village LLC developers refused to allow an independent soil sample and test to be conducted under County Environmental Health supervision, but paid for by private citizens.
Oddly, this all was happening at the same time as the We Are Aptos group was filing Petition for Writ of Mandate against the County and the Aptos Village developers. Attorney Bill Parkin felt this soil contamination and illegal removal of the tank was “NO BIG DEAL. IT’S JUST SOIL REMEDIATION, BECKY”. Those were his exact words when I questioned him about the incident and how it might be applied to our Writ. Instead, he pressured our group to settle out of court. When I refused to agree to remain silent forever on the Aptos Village Project, he asked what it would take to get me to sign it. I mentioned my concerns remaining about the diesel tank contamination. The next day, the County Environmental Health Department CLOSED THE DIESEL TANK AND SOIL CONTAMINATION CASE, claiming the problem was taken care of. But the normal process required for this type of case closure was not followed. There were no “punch tests” to ensure the contaminants had not entered the groundwater. This is especially odd, given there are TWO public wells (both owned by Soquel Creek Water District) nearby and the contaminants found included gasoline-related organics, which travel widely and freely in groundwater.
I met last spring with the new County Environmental Health Hazardous Materials Specialist, Mr. Tim Fillmore, and the newly-appointed Director of Health Services, Dr. Arnold Leff, to discuss the issue of soil contamination at the Aptos Village Project. I had seen another tank noted on the 1902 Sanborn Insurance Map for the area, and I wanted to ask the County to require Swenson and SCUP to use Ground-Penetrating Radar to scan the area of the development to assure there would not be a repeat of the problem last year. Dr. Leff asked me “If we agree to require this Radar survey, would you drop your complaint (to State Regional Water Quality Control Board) about the other diesel tank site?” I replied that I would not. Mr. Fillmore hastily said, “Well, we are not here to negotiate anything.” Dr. Leff refused to require any further examination of the Aptos Village Project soils or require a Ground Penetrating Radar Study to be done. He also refused to require Barry Swenson Builder to allow citizens to institute an independent soil contamination study at the TRUE TANK LOCATION.
I was contacted soon after by Mr. Ed Browne, the newly-hired County District Attorney investigating environmental and consumer affairs issues. He wanted to talk with me about the Aptos Village Project diesel tank issue. When I met with him in his office, he said he had already interviewed all of Swenson’s staff associated with the case, and that they had admitted guilt of violating the laws. He said the Swenson staff did not aware that they were to have contacted County officials when crews found the tank. Mr. Browne assured me he would bring Barry Swenson Builder and all associated sub-contractors (SCUP) to justice, and would consider making an independent soil test at the disputed tank site part of the settlement, with an injunction issued. He asked me to keep him informed of other issues related, but that he would not be able to take much action on the case until September because he was so busy with bigger cases.
So, when Barry Swenson Builder crews started excavating the contaminated soils from the true tank location in order to build the 17 foot-high retaining wall, I phoned Mr. Browne and begged him to issue an injunction. The crews were smearing the diesel-smelling soils throughout the Project area, which drains into Aptos Creek. He did not return my call. I went to his office. He met with me and said he couldn’t do anything about it just then. I reported the diesel-smelling soils to Environmental Health’s NEW Hazardous Materials Specialist, Ms. Rebecca Supplee. She replied that staff did not detect any diesel odors and that I must report all problems via the County website.
Last summer, I received a copy of the pre-maturely issued County judgment against Barry Swenson Builder regarding the illegal diesel tank removal and associated contamination. I again met with Mr. Browne. I asked why the penalty fee ($125,000) was so low when, by law, he could impose $25,000/day of violation? He said he talked with some people who felt the $125,000 was appropriate. I asked why there was no requirement to have independent further soil study done at the TRUE TANK LOCATION? He said Environmental Health staff did not think it was needed. I asked why SCUP was not also named in the penalty? He said he talked with some people and they felt that was not necessary. I asked what was left to be negotiated and why the press release had been immediately revoked? Well, the dollar amount is not up for negotiation, and someone just thought they were being helpful.
IS THERE STILL SOIL CONTAMINATION AT THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT? I THINK SO.
RANCHO DEL MAR SAGA CONTINUES IN APTOS
Many thanks to the 521 people who signed the online petition to County Supervisor Zach Friend, asking him to take leadership and negotiate with Rancho del Mar Center owners TRC Retail to allow the merchants who were given a 30-day eviction notice until the end of the year to stay in business through the busiest shopping season and find suitable re-locations. It seems that the merchants are being told by County Economic Development Director Barbara Mason to CONTACT BARRY SWENSON BUILDER ABOUT GETTING SPACE IN THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT. Do you smell a rat or two?
Meanwhile, Zach Friend’s mouthpiece, Doug Deaver, Business Counselor who resides in Rio del Mar, has told the merchants there is really nothing that Supervisor Friend can do to help them because construction schedules for TRC are rigid. REALLY?? What about giving them some concession if the project is delayed…The County has given Barry Swenson Builder lots of those at the Aptos Village Project.
As usual, Zach Friend has not held any meetings with the Rancho del Mar merchants or the public to discuss the issue. Where is this “leader”? I had so hoped that he would follow the excellent example of Watsonville City Mayor Felipe Hernandez last year when this same issue came up with the Crossroads Center merchants. I guess it’s just too much to ask Zach Friend to show up unless there is a camera and the opportunity to further his own political career. What a shame.
KEEP THE PRESSURE ON ZACH FRIEND TO DO HIS JOB AND HOLD A DISCUSSION WITH RANCHO DEL MAR MERCHANTS AND TRC RETAIL. Call 454-2200 or e-mail Zach Friend <zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us> and insist he bring these parties together for negotiation…TRC Retail VP Bruce Walton acknowledged that their company has fallen down on the communication job with merchants. Many merchants tried contacting the company numerous times via phone and e-mail, asking for information about the project timeline, to allow them to plan their merchandise orders and look for new locations. TRC Retail staff NEVER responded. Supervisor Zach Friend could go to bat for these merchants on that alone…and at least negotiate that the existing merchants get first priority to sign leases when the remodel project is done. Right?
TRC RETAIL BREAKS YET ANOTHER PROMISE TO APTOS COMMUNITY…NO LOCAL CONSTRUCTION JOBS DURING REMODEL
When TRC Retail held two community meetings to discuss the Rancho del Mar remodel, they told the people that the work would be given to local construction companies. Now, thanks to Carpenter Local 505 on-site awareness actions, we know that is not the case.
The CLOSEST COMPANY CONSIDERED FOR LABOR BID IS SACRAMENTO. TRC Retail is not requiring any construction company doing the work to pay workers the area wages nor to require there be apprentice and training positions included for the trades. That hurts local workers and their families. What about those TRC Retail promises to the Aptos Community?
Contact Mr. Scott Grady, the TRC Retail Project Manager, at 949-662-2100 and let him know your thoughts.
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.
Did President Trump make a deal on DACA? A deal that actually involved working with Democratic Party members of Congress? Yesterday, the media said, “Yes,” or at least, “we think so.” Of course, nothing is done until it’s done; we will all have to wait to see what ultimately happens. Nonetheless, the news stories raise an intriguing possibility. Could it be that we are finally moving away from a politics that is so hyper-partisan that it might be possible to contemplate a Congress that will play the role it is supposed to play in our governmental system?
After the election of President Obama, in 2008, the Republican Party took the position that all Republican Party members of Congress would vote, en bloc, against anything that President Obama proposed. And the Party acted accordingly, with the Republican Party leadership ruthlessly enforcing that hyper-partisan “party line.” That meant, as a practical matter, for the last ten years of the Obama presidency, that nothing could happen on any significantly controversial matter.
Any legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Congress could be vetoed by the President, and any program that the President favored would simply not be enacted by the Congress, no matter what. In the latter category were immigration reform, and specifically any program that would try to find ways to allow children who had been brought to the United States without proper authorization to stay in this country, and to continue to contribute to it. The President’s “Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals” program, carried out by Executive Order, was one of the “work arounds” that resulted from the Republican Party’s unwillingness to work with a Black President.
With the election of President Trump, the Republican Party assumed complete control of the Executive and Legislative branches of government. It seemed pretty clear, as well, that the appointment of Justice Gorsuch to the Supreme Court also put the Judicial branch into Republican Party control. The DACA program was an easy target. Its existence came about through an Executive Order from a Black President, and now the Republicans could get rid of it. Not unexpectedly, President Trump did, in fact, indicate that he was going to shut the program down, but he put a little spin on the pitch. Maybe, the president suggested, the Congress might want to legislate itself on this topic.
As I noted in this blog on September 5th, it seemed to me that there was a hopeful aspect to the president’s action. If the news reports from yesterday pan out, that hope will have proven to be not unfounded.
Our governmental system, as outlined in the Constitution, is premised on the idea that the Congress, with representatives supposedly responsible not to a national party ideology, but to local voters, will propose legislation to address issues of national concern. That legislation will have to pass muster with the president, who is elected “nationally,” not locally, so both “national” and “local” political opinion and perspectives will be decisive in the enactment of any law. That’s the way “it spozed to be.” Hyper-partisan political ideologies are not supposed to be the key factor in the governance of the nation.
As I said in my earlier blog posting, if President Trump’s actions on DACA can actually demonstrate that our political system can work in the way it is supposed to, his ability to have saved the “Dreamers” will keep the “American Dream” alive in more ways than one. If the DACA deal comes off as advertised, I think it would be fair to record the President’s actions as a “good deed,” and to post this fact in the “give the president some credit, where credit is due,” column!
~Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. Scroll below to see De Cinzo’s opinion of students …and fall!
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Medicare For All ” 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.
MUNCHING WITH MOZART CONCERT. Not a bit of Mozart or classical music for some reason this Thursday. Here’s what they sent…”Jazz standards form the basis of the musical tradition that has been called “America’s Classical Music,” with jazz bands interpreting the songs in an endless variety of ways. Persephone (featuring guitarist and vocalist Suki Wessling and drummer Jen Bruno) presents these songs stripped back down to their essence, with the songs’ musical and lyrical context. (For more information, visit PersephoneBand.com.) Join us for a celebration of pan-American song! Thursday, September 21st 12:10 – 12:50 Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown Branch – Meeting Room.
BIG MARK STONE PARTY THIS THURSDAY (9/21). Join almost every thankful resident and voter in the 5th Annual Party in Support Of Assembly member Mark Stone. Mark has been a great County Supervisor, near-perrfect Coastal Commissioner and has been taking good care of us in Sacramento. Please Join Friends, Supporters, and Hosts, Les and Nancy Gardner, George Couch, Democratic Club of North Santa Cruz County, Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County for The Thursday, September 21, 2017 5:00pm to 7:00pm party at Bruno’s BBQ 230-G Mt. Hermon Road • Scotts Valley, California.
Sliding Scale: $30 – $50 Supporter: $250 Sponsor: $1,000.
Checks can be made payable to Friends of Mark Stone PO Box 81, Monterey, CA 93942 or contribute online at www.FriendsOfMarkStone.org For More Information Or To RSVP Please Contact: 831-234-5885
FASHIONART…THE 11th ANNUAL!!!
FashionART Santa Cruz brings together the very best of fashion and wearable art to create a one of a kind, unforgettable event. In 2006, Angelo Grova, of Michaelangelo Gallery, hosted a fashion show in the parking lot outside his gallery to help support a friend studying fashion design. Much to Grova’s surprise, more than 400 people showed up in his parking lot that night… and so, FashionART Santa Cruz was born. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of that evening Grova, along with a dedicated group of volunteers, moved the show to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Now an annual event, FashionART Santa Cruz showcases exquisite creations by emerging designers and spectacular, wearable art pieces. FashionART Santa Cruz takes the very best of fashion and art and brings them together to create a unique, colorful production full of surprises and creative talent. FashionART Santa Cruz is a full blown multi-media runway show featuring ready to wear from local and Bay Area designers and unique, one of a kind art pieces, all strutting down the runway for a truly unforgettable event. FashionART Santa Cruz 2017 will partner with non-profit organization, the Santa Cruz Education Foundation, who will receive partial proceeds from ticket sales. General Admission/Reserved Tickets. Tickets can be purchased from the Civic Auditorium by phone (831) 420-5260, in person, or online using the button below. It happens Saturday September 23, at the Civic Auditorium starting at 7 p.m. To purchase Premium Runway Seating tickets the day of show, contact FASC by phone: (831) 426-5500 or email: fashionartsantacruz@gmail.com And for sure don’t miss the TRUNK SHOW in the Civic parking lot that opens at 7 and goes on until after the Runway Show.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: Lisa writes: “Check out the newest trailer from what may be one of my favorite movies of the year (hint: it’s from Guillermo del Toro) this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). And if you’re feeling blue that the final season of Game Of Thrones won’t be broadcast until (gah!) 2019, cheer up with this on-set blooper reel!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
MOTHER. An excellent, genius- directed, absolutely intelligent plot, best-acted…what more can you ask from a movie?? Jennifer Lawrence, plus two of my favorite actors Javier Bardem and Ed Harris, Brian Gleeson, and a darker Michelle Pfeiffer make a perfect cast for this challenging film. Not a scary, boo-type, odd, weird, what’s that?, cellar stairs type of film. It’s more like “what is going on”, “I can’t imagine what’s happening next kind of film, Directed by Darren Aronofsky it’s a winner, and you’ll remember seeing it. So go. RT calls it a “psychological thriller” I agree.
DOLORES. See both Chris Krohn’s and my “advice” and “promotion” of this very necessary documentary up above. We all have some opinion of Dolores Huerta based on rumor, poor memory and the ignoring by media. That’s why we should all see this film. It’s also strong on feminism and Gloria Steinem along with Angela Davis have much to add to Dolores’ near overwhelming labor organizing. Then too you’ll learn just how much aid and direction that Bobby Kennedy gave to Dolores. See this film and bring a good friend…or Republican. 100% on RT!!!
VICEROYS HOUSE. When you have Hugh Bonneville (from Downton Abbey) playing Lord Mountbatten it would seem to guarantee a masterpiece but this saga about Britain leaving the control of India in 1947 and dividing that part of the country into Pakistan and India, but it’s dull and near-boring in its’ accuracy. You’ll see Ghandi, Churchill, newsreels, and corpses…and learn a lot of history about oil deposits in Pakistan. Go warned.
BEACH RATS. This is a very gay movie so… if you’re not gay don’t go, it’s a terrible movie. If you are gay really don’t go!!! The acting the plot, the shallowness, will or should, infuriate you. There is no depth, no background, lots of violence, crotches, lying, but mostly bad acting. And don’t forget about the length of your index vs ring finger (see above). ENDS THURS. SEPT.21.
This broke all box office records last weekend when IT opened…and IT should have. IT is a well made, very scary movie. Based on some Stephen King books, IT is chapter one of a two part nightmare- daydream that will grab you when you are least prepared to be scared. It has all the clichés…BUT it’s got tension, mystery, and perfect timing along with excellent acting. Just go see IT but only if you truly enjoy being scared. 86 on RT.
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January). ENDS THURS. SEPT.21.
WIND RIVER. Jeremy Renner and young beauty Elisabeth Olsen track down a killer on an Indian Reservation in the very cold Wyoming winter. Much better than average, you’ll stay with the plot and quite decent acting…all the way. It males some obvious social comment along the way, and that works too. The conclusion is a bit crude and drunken, but Renner is almost always worth watching.
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
HOME AGAIN. Some friend used the word “torpor” in a meeting I attended last week. Torpor fits this movie almost perfectly…so does, stupor, inanity, vapid, fatuous and it stars Reese Witrherspoon. It’s not funny enough to be a comedy and not serious enough to be even close to a drama. A 40 year old woman (Witherspoon) rents/shares her house to three young guys and they have sex…you shouldn’t watch. RT gives it 35 but it shouldn’t have. ENDS THURS. SEPT.21.
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
THE TRIP TO SPAIN. This is the third supposed comedy that two British actors, comics, impressionists… Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon have made, and they shouldn’t make any more. These guys go on supposedly food tasting trips to restaurants in England, Italy and now Spain. In each restaurant and on the road they do imitations of famous British actors…James Bond, well Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Mick Jagger and try very hard to be funny. I haven’t laughed once during any of these contrived messes and find the two actors just about nauseating. Don’t blame me if you do decide to go.
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. . Jane Mio and Barbara Riverwoman from the San Lorenzo River Mysteries group start the hour on Sept.19. After which Christina Morgan Cree and Jenny Sandrof reveal the fashion secrets of the annual FashionArt show happening Sept. 23. September 26 has Conductor, artistic director Michel Singher talking about the next Espressivo Orchestra Concert, after Michel, Betsy Anderson and Alison Carrillo talk about Museo Carrillo. October 3 we’ll talk with Erik Gandolfini and Avondina Wills about the Mountain Top play at the Center Stage. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. Gary Patton gives info and background on the Save Santa Cruz Organization on Oct.17. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
If I didn’t post this before, I’m posting it now. And if I did, it’s worth watching again. This guy is hilarious 🙂
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. “AN AMALGAM”
“Man is by nature a political animal”, Aristotle “People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do”, Isaac Asimov
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom”. Isaac Asimov
“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former”. Albert Einstein
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Earthquake hole on Pacific Avenue getting new development??..Garfield Circle Church reactions…Steve Pleich running for Supe in 2019…Greensite with updates on the Wharf and Hyatt…Krohn about marijuana concerns, the Mayors feedback session at MAH, plans for Downtown…Steinbruner deals with Taxpayers paying for Aptos Village road work, “Denser housing does not mean Affordable housing” sez County official, tough County pot laws developing, WILPF mtg. coming about water, drinking sewage water, lets help save Rancho del Mar businesses…Gary Patton and Inescapable Trump facts, plus military equipment coming to our cities…DeCinzo and annual Civil War Tribute in Felton… Eagan and Global Warming and warning…Lisa Jensen asked to be Official Rotten Tomatoes Critic!!… I critique “It”, Home Again, and A Trip To Spain…and quotes about FALL.
PACIFIC AVENUE PLAZA FOUNTAIN, August 23, 1967. The real name is The Morris Memorial Fountain. The Town Clock that towers over the fountain now was added July 4, 1976. Then on August 5, 1995 E.A. Chase’s statue “Collateral Damage” was placed a little to the east of the Clock Fountain.
10 Amazing Science Tricks Using Liquid These are fun!
Cloying DELIVERY But fascinating famous painting mysteries
HOW TO SURVIVE WHILE IN A FALLING ELEVATOR
DATELINE September 11, 2017
PACIFIC EARTHQUAKE PIT UP FOR DEVELOPMENT. It’s that last and most noticeable 1989 earthquake hole on Pacific Avenue where BookShop Santa Cruz used to be. Developer Bill Brooks and Geoffrey Dunn tried to develop it awhile back, that didn’t work. Prior property owner Ron Lau had a tough time working with Neil Coonerty trying to rebuild something there…that flopped. Now developer Barry Swenson has glorious concepts for that prime location. He wants to develop 2 bedroom suites, all high priced rentals. Building right up to the sidewalk, and more than likely chopping down the historic Black Walnut tree on Center Street near Locust. Let’s see what our City Council does with this one.
STEVE PLEICH RUNNING FOR THIRD DISTRICT SUPERVISOR. Never saying die, Steve Pleich announced that he has already taken out papers to run for the Third District Supervisor’s job. In case you just got here, the Third District covers some of Santa Cruz city, Bonny Doon, Davenport, Swanton Road and Ryan Coonerty heads it up now. Ryan’s term ends January 7, 2019.
GARFIELD CIRCLE CHURCH. Sheila Carrillo wrote to tell us that a friend of hers “and one of the current tenants at the Circle Church is hopefully going to make an offer. It would be a performing arts/education complex and maybe even some co-housing. In the meantime, let’s let the church know that we don’t want a big development going in there. I suggest we start by calling the church–the pastor is Christopher Drury and the assistant is Kristen 426-0510 and let them know that our community wants the church to work with a buyer who will save the historic buildings, continue the church’s stewardship mission, and maintain the character of the neighborhood.. A bonus would be to continue to serve the current tenants who are primarily children and special needs groups. Hopefully, someone will set up an online petition. Si se puede!”
Then Sheila added, “Unfortunately, it seems like the Circle Church is (and always was) a done deal. The whole thing was handled very sneakily by the church. The other thing you might want to explore, in a different direction, is the fact that some cities (Venice, Cal. and Hollywood for example) are building (REAL) affordable housing above city owned parking lots”.
STEVE PLEICH RUNNING FOR THIRD DISTRICT SUPERVISOR. Never saying die, Steve Pleich announced that he has already taken out papers to run for the Third District Supervisor’s job. In case you just got here, the Third District covers some of Santa Cruz city, Bonny Doon, Davenport, Swanton Road and Ryan Coonerty heads it up now.
REVISITS AND A CORRECTION
First a correction: In the August 30th issue of BrattonOnline I wrote on the proposed building of 3000 beds on the west side of campus at UCSC. From information shared by UCSC at a scoping meeting and confirmed by someone who attended a different meeting with UCSC, I noted that 900 of these beds will be new and the other 2100 will be to relieve pressure on converted lounges and doubles that are being used as triples. That information was incorrect.The 2100 beds will be new and the 900 will be to relieve pressure on existing resources. My apologies for the error.
Second, an update on the Don’t Morph the Wharf campaign: the Environmental Impact Report, which you may recall was a direct result of community and legal pressure on the city, has not yet been released. It most likely will be ready within the next couple of months. Meanwhile hundreds of people, most of them from Santa Cruz, are eagerly signing the Don’t Morph the Wharf petition. Many are prominent Santa Cruz natives, many are old-timers and most have never heard of the Wharf Master Plan. All are adamantly opposed to the particulars of the Plan when shown the consultant’s renditions of the proposed changes. The overwhelming sentiment expressed is, “We love the wharf the way it is: don’t mess with it!” When they hear that federal Tsunami Relief funds were obtained to pay for the Plan with the false claim that the wharf was “severely damaged” from the tsunami, a certain level of disgust is expressed. If you would like to gather some signatures on the petition, email me at gumtree@pacbell.net.
The former Unity Temple and late Red Horse Chestnut on Broadway
Their replacement: Hyatt, Queen Palms
and Red Horse Chestnut sapling
Lastly, it’s time to revisit a tree issue. The first photo above is of the iconic 110 year-old Red Horse Chestnut tree that the city failed to protect under its Heritage Tree Ordinance and which was sacrificed, as was the neighborhood, for the recently completed Hyatt Hotel (at Broadway and Ocean Streets) as seen in the second photo. Such is how the character of Santa Cruz is changed: for the worse in my opinion. If you squint you can spot a Red Horse Chestnut sapling planted in the far right hand side of the property, a required mitigation for the loss of the 110 year-old tree. The original tree inspired an outpouring of love and a fierce devotion to try to save it. The sapling is cramped in a far corner with too little room to spread its future crown to the sky. No love lost there.
I had a chance to raise the issue of heritage tree protection with the newly hired Planning Director Lee Butler. I shared the observation that by the time a developer brings in a design to planning staff the process is well under way. Delineating heritage trees on a property early and before a design is contemplated is key. Sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn’t. Developers should be alerted by planning staff that they are required under the ordinance to accommodate heritage trees wherever possible in their design prior to their spending time and money on its creation. That if they fail to do so they will be sent back to the drawing board. It should not be acceptable to create a design that fails to accommodate a heritage tree and then claim the tree is in the way and has to be cut down, which is what happened with the Hyatt design. By the time the public is made aware of a development a few days before it reaches city council for a vote it is usually too late to make significant changes. Well, council does have that power but few are prepared to wield it to save trees. Only Katherine Beiers, who was on the city council when the Hyatt was initially approved, voted against its approval over the tree loss issue. Bravo Katherine! Director Butler agreed that early timing is crucial and said he would look into it.
Follow-up and scrutiny are also key. On a number of occasions I’ve had to contact the city to save a heritage tree that is slated for removal but which could easily be saved (the Frederick Street project) or to alert them that ground has been broken on a project and the heritage trees earmarked for protection are being damaged. The Seaside Company back-hoed trenches a few feet from the trunks and right through major roots of the 5 heritage trees earmarked for protection during their remodel of the Sea and Sand Inn on West Cliff. A few years later, the city gave them an emergency permit to remove all 5 trees on the grounds of safety.
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.
Can’t believe another week went by and it’s already Sunday afternoon and here I am trying to churn out something at the Coffee Roasting Company (now that Pergolesi is no more) and going over my notes from another hectic week of meetings, forums, and get-togethers. Meetings with the new Planning Director, Lee Butler, the Mayor, the city manager, Beach Hill advocate and sometimes activist Don Webber, with Team WAMM and Team Planning Department on a new Marijuana ordinance coming soon, and with the redoubtable and always entertaining old-time Santa Cruz rabble-rousers of the Community Water Coalition. Pleasant Get-togethers included sit-downs with former Assembly Speaker Pro Tem and Santa Cruz County Treasurer, Fred Keeley who’s working on a county housing bond…and the other one with John Leopold, a Santa Cruz County Supervisor who had some push-back at me from my comments here last week, ‘So what’s the county doing on homelessness?’ John says county is doing plenty beginning with the success of the “All-in Plan,” hiring a full-time coordinator on homeless issues, and building transitional housing. And the main forum this week was a 50-resident discussion at the MAH, part of Mayor Cynthia Chase’s “listening tour” on housing. Even got to be on John Sandidge’s radio show with Culture Czar Grant Wilson and abogado extraordinaire, Ben Rice. (p.s. I’ve taken up “free yoga” too at Patagonia, 8:30a on Sundays.)
Team WAMM
The Wo/men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana is the real deal. Their deeds are the stuff of legend. Their mission, to offer care, medicine, and concern to many sick and dying people, is more awesome, complicated and necessary now than it’s ever been. In case you just got to Santa Cruz, WAMM has been a force for peace, spiritual and mental healing, and patient’s rights going on 25 years. They were the major force behind passing California’s Prop 215, “the Compassionate Use Act,” in 1996, and then they were forced to take on the bullying tactics of John Ashcroft’s Attorney General’s office after their farm was raided in 2002 by the DEA (yes, that Drug Enforcement Agency). Mike and Valerie Coral, the founders of WAMM, were even detained and taken to a San Jose holding facility, their 136 plants pulled up, but it all ended on a “high” and defiant note. The WAMM club’s weekly patient distribution of medical marijuana took place on the steps of city hall in front of a thousand residents as a DEA helicopter flew overhead. Fast forward to today and WAMM is still fighting to be a licensed dispensary in the city of Santa Cruz, and it will be on the council agenda this week. In case you are wondering, ganga is now legal in California and the law is set to take effect January 1st. Questions apart from licensing WAMM, abound: 1) residents are allowed to grow six plants in their garden, but they must be out of sight from other humans. Why? 2) dispensaries must be 600 feet apart in the local ordinance, but I believe only 300 feet apart under state law…why? 3) There is farmland within the city of Santa Cruz where pot could be grown, but the local ordinance being proposed outlaw’s “cultivation” within city limits. Why? 4) Will plant nurseries be able to sell “six-packs of marijuana plants, in the “open?” 5) Smoking rooms are not allowed in the proposed Santa Cruz ordinance. Does this unfairly discriminate against the poor who have fewer options, and as a result will people be smoking marijuana openly on the streets where it is also not legal? 6) And perhaps most importantly, we need to demand that an organic product be the only kind of marijuana product allowed to be manufactured, processed and packaged here within the confines of Surf City. Branding is important, and if the Santa Cruz brand is not organic we stand to lose not only a part of our values, but a piece of the market as well.
La Crisis Santacruceñade Vivienda (y el salario mínimo?)
Every week there are a new set of housing stories in Santa Cruz, and this week was no different. The Mayor Cynthia Chase called for a forum at the MAH (Museum of Art and History) for residents to come and share with her their housing crisis stories, and ideas about how to solve the crisis…and people came out. She began the “listening conversation” by first talking because the first question was, ‘So what do you think, Mayor?’ Some of what she said she was hearing about in her previous twelve meetings was that tenants say they are being priced out, students living next door are causing problems, home buyers are being priced out, and there is a “widening demographic of homeowners.” Around fifty residents were present, and I counted 26 who were able to offer questions and comments. Not bad. The group talked it up about several aspects of the housing crisis: how is affordability defined? And what about homelessness and transitional housing, the increased traffic around the beach area, the impacts of UCSC on our housing stock, and a few reasons why people are not supporting and using the Metro bus system, en masse. Strangely, NO one seemed interested in the plight of the poor, profit-driven condo developer. Go figure.
Some housing-related comments:
the idea of affordable housing is a kind of joke. What it leads to is the city must become a developer of affordable housing, and that seems to be running counter to the city’s ‘corridor’ and ‘downtown” plans.'(I did not understand this comment even though I liked it.)
…7-9-story buildings are not okay…
Failure [to deal with homelessness] is not an option…
Can we tax second homes and absentee homeowners?
Council needs to implement the [the council’s own 20] recommendations on homelessness…staff is stalling.
We actually have a lot of solutions on the table…our values is what really makes Santa Cruz special.
I grew up here. I’ve seen so many of my peers move away because they can’t afford it.
We need a very good bus system, but buses run empty, except to UCSC…
Concentrate university housing on the Westside…
…eliminate sidewalk and driveway requirements in the ADU (accessory dwelling unit) ordinance…
And finally, an observation on short-term vacation rentals: More people are walking by my house dragging luggage.
After an hour and a half of conversation on the Secret Garden patio of the MAH, ‘da Mayor asked people to break into small groups and talk to their neighbors. People seemed to do so, milling around for another half-hour.
Over Two Hundred Year of Activism in One Room
Without naming names, I was present in a room full of planning activists and advocates this past week. I calculated there was over 220 years of collective political advocacy experience within The Eleven present. It may have been daunting for our new Planning Director, Lee Butler, to take The Eleven’s tsunami of issues, but it turned out…by meeting’s end, er, a bit underwhelming. Truth be told, Lee Butler was the city manager’s third choice, the first two bowed out after being asked to take the job. But, the meeting began on a bright note with Lee describing his interests and immediate goals: Housing, the environment, “making sure we have homes for our residents,” and to be “an attractive city for tourists and tourism.” He said he’d like to explore a housing impact fee that was assessed in Santa Clara where he previously worked. Developers would pay essentially a fee, depending on the square footage of their project, into a fund to buy up existing units, or build new ones, and keep them affordable.
But for some of the big issues on people’s minds, Planning Director Butler had little to say: Rent control (there’s “positives and negatives”); is it merely a supply and demand situation here in Santa Cruz? (“If we are not building housing now we will have a problem” [in the future] …; suggestions for a revenue stream for affordable housing (“I think a lot of options need to be explored.”); what is good planning? (“First and foremost, it is the General Plan…”); and…he never said a word about university growth except to say, “It’s important we have a seat at the table…” He also said when pushed on growth, “Change is inevitable…” and “…our fiscal health is tied to our industrial lands.” The general consensus from the Santa Cruz grey beard activists present was that we need more meetings like this, both with Lee and other department heads, in order to begin, and maintain, a dialogue between the community and city leadership. I second that if it’s a motion on the floor.
The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s production of “Walls,” was welcomed back to San Lorenzo Park by over 400 residents this past Sunday.
Odd stuff: If you look at the published minutes of last week’s city council closed session agenda item B, #2 you may wonder. I can’t say anything other than what is stated on the agenda, “Donald Harman v. City of Santa Cruz, et al. Northern District Court of California, Case No. 5:16-cv-034361.”
Hot stuff: The Downtown Recovery Plan Amendments and Downtown Association Executive Director, Chip!’s “Party” downtown on September 22nd. No one is sure what it is, but tickets cost $100. The locations to be visited from his web site look to be the new Glow Candle Lounge, MAH Secret Garden, and this just in from Chip!, “Downtown is constantly being redesigned. Representatives from Santa Cruz Economic Development Department and others will be on hand to talk about some of the exciting possibilities for Downtown including a Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium renovation, a permanent Kaiser Permanente Arena a renovation of SC Pacific Station and some very exciting housing projects right here in Downtown Santa Cruz.”Kinda makes you wonder what’s up that it costs a hundred bucks to see our downtown on that night and being ex-ed out of a discussion on some pretty big topics? Why wouldn’t they want to share this evening with everyone…for free?
Sleeper stuff: This is when those in power want you to look over there at the spot on the wall, while they’re downplaying (hiding?) what they are doing right in front of you. This week’s candidates for “Sleeper Stuff”…my fellow Santa Cruzans, keep your eyes on the Wharf Master Plan, the marijuana dispensary conversation and the subsequent ordinance(s), and the Downtown Recovery Plan.
~Bernie Quote of the Week “I will do everything I possibly can to protect the DREAMers from being thrown out of the only country they have ever known.” (Sept. 8)
Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
SIGN AN ONLINE PETITION TO SUPPORT RANCHO DEL MAR LOCAL BUSINESSES
TRC Retail, the owner of the Rancho del Mar Center in Aptos, has given the boot to all tenants in the old theater area, with a deadline of September 30 to be out. That is no way to treat tenants who have reliably paid their rent and whom you want to support during a very disruptive remodel project, don’t you think?
You may recall that when Kaiser bought the CrossRoads Center in Watsonville last year, those tenants also received a 30-day eviction notice. You may also recall that then-Mayor Felipe Hernandez stepped up to the leadership plate and negotiated a 90-day termination notice with Kaiser, which allowed the merchants to find new retail space and relocate in an organized manner that preserved their businesses and served the Community well.
Where is Supervisor Zach Friend????? Silent, as usual, and smiling for the Aptos Times cameras. Please sign this online petition that I was somehow able to create (technology is not my forte) and let Second District County Supervisor Zach Friend know you want him to help these people who will suffer great financial hardship. He needs to negotiate the ability for them to stay in their current locations until the end of December. Some, such as the Baskin-Robbins owner, must first secure corporate approval to relocate his franchised store, which can take two months alone. A 30-day eviction notice is unacceptable and borders on cruel, especially considering that TRC Retail has known for many months that eviction would be the plan.
ZACH FRIEND <: SUPPORT LOCAL MERCHANTS IN RANCHO DEL MAR CENTER
So where is the County Economic Development Advisor, Ms. Barbara Mason? It is her job to help merchants like these. Our tax dollars pay her to do this. She recently sat next to the TRC Retail people at the County Zoning Administrative hearing when they were seeking a variance for their four 12-foot-tall entrance signs. Call 831-454-2100 and ask for Barbara Mason’s help to ensure that these small local business owners get help, too. She has not responded to my multiple calls and e-mails, nor to those of the Rancho del Mar merchants who have been given the 30-day boot.
While you’re on the phone, give Mr. Bruce Walton at TRC Retail a jingle (858) 442-9960 and remind him that he and other TRC staff assured the 300+ Community members at the public meetings that the existing tenants would be treated fairly. Ask him to keep that good-faith promise to the public who supports those retailers and ask that the existing retailers be allowed to remain until the end of December, with first priority to move back in after the remodel is complete.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT’S “INVISIBLE” ( TRANSPARENT) FIRE HYDRANT IN APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT
Last week, I reported about the free water that Barry Swenson Builder crews enjoyed with full knowledge of the Soquel Creek Water District management. I also reported the significant water leak and pond adjacent to Granite Way and within the Aptos Village Project boundary but across from the two new houses being built by Pete Testorff (one of the developers). I brought this before the District Board last Tuesday, and asked for an explanation.
I got none there, but two days later received a response from General Manager Ron Duncan that really puzzled me. Here it is:
“Dear Ms. Steinbruner,
Thank you for your email (dated Sept. 1, 2017) to the Board of Directors regarding what you perceived as a leak at the Aptos Village improvement project area.
On behalf of the Board, I wanted to assure you that we are aware of the situation and have taken appropriate action. On Wednesday, 8/30, we investigated what was reported as a leak/water waste in the vicinity of 457 and 461 Granite Way. A fire hydrant had been accidently hit and our staff responded to the situation. Unfortunately such fire hydrant collisions and associated water loss do happen all too often and we have just had to develop standard ways to handle these accidents. By the time we responded, water had run down the same side of the street, and had also run across the street in the vicinity of what you term the “irregular service connection”. The larger pool of water along Granite Way and the smaller pool near the “irregular service connection” were remaining from the 8/30 fire service leak. No additional leaks or breaks had occurred at this location as verified by staff on the afternoon of 8/31. If you can provide photos documenting that water waste occurred, we may be able to send out a first violation notice in accordance with our water waste enforcement protocol.”
The problem with Mr. Duncan’s explanation of the large pond at the Aptos Village Project is that THERE WAS NO FIRE HYDRANT IN THE AREA. How could one get “accidently hit” when it does not exist? This explanation must be part of the Soquel Creek Water District’s Transparency Award protocol. Hmmmm……
It was unfortunate that testimony of two members of the public regarding this issue were not video recorded at the September 5 District Board meeting. Chairman Tom LaHue adjourned the meeting without allowing public comment on the written correspondence in the Board agenda packet. He agreed to allow the people to speak but made no action to remedy the fact that the testimonies were not getting recorded even though it was made apparent. That is just evidence of more inspiring transparency award stuff at work.
EXPERT RECYCLED WATER PANEL WILL CONVINCE YOU THAT DRINKING TREATED SEWAGE WATER IS GOOD FOR YOU.
The Soquel Creek Water District has hired a panel of recycled water proponents from the National Water Research Institute to speak on Wednesday, September 20, 10am-1pm, in the Capitola City Council chambers (that is a time of day when working people cannot attend).
The time is not given here nor on the main website announcement, but you can verify it by clicking on the agenda. Here is the agenda
Notice that this is the SECOND meeting of these experts. The first one was NOT public, and was a telephone conference call to discuss strategy, ie, how to deal with the public and keep things under tight wraps.
So, why is Soquel Creek Water District so intent on shoving the PureWater Soquel project through and paying so little attention (and money) to any of the alternatives? The Board denies having made any decisions regarding the proposed project until the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) comes out next spring. But if that is true, why has the District already hired an engineer dedicated to the PureWater Soquel sewage water injection project? Why will a 17.5% customer rate increase take effect January 1, 2018, with another to follow later next year? Why has District staff been intimidating property owners on Chanticleer Avenue to sell property for the PureWater Soquel sewage water treatment plant currently under environmental review? Hmmmm…..it’s all transparent.
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE….THE NOMINATIONS ARE……
The MidCounty Groundwater Agency Board will meet Thursday, September 21, 7pm, at Simpkins Swim Center to discuss a number of issues, and to accept recommended nominations for the Groundwater Sustainable Plan Committee. It should be no surprise that very qualified and solution-oriented applicants, such as Mr. Scott McGilvray, a former State Water Advisory Commissioner and founder of Water for Santa Cruz County, has heard absolutely nothing from the MidCounty Groundwater Agency Nominating Committee. Neither have I. Not even a “thanks for your interest” letter. Nada.
Well, it would make sense that the Committee would have to be comprised of people who really don’t know what is happening and therefore need to “be brought up to speed” regarding the issues and proposed solutions, and that would not ask pesky questions about carcinogens that persist in the advanced treated water. I guess Mr. McGilvray and I just forgot to check the box that we like to drink treated sewage water and pay exorbitant sums of money for projects, consultants and Washington, D.C. lobbyists. Maybe the box was transparent and I just missed seeing it on the application? Hmmm….
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS…PERSPECTIVES ON REGIONAL WATER SUPPLY SOLUTIONS.
The Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom (WILPF) will moderate this excellent public discussion Monday, September 25 at the Aptos Library, 7pm-9pm. The event coincides with the educational display at the Aptos Library this month, organized by the Water for Santa Cruz County group.
Agencies invited to attend include Soquel Creek Water District, Santa Cruz City Water Dept., Central Water District, MidCounty Groundwater Agency, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, Scotts Valley Water District, San Lorenzo Valley Water District, Santa Marguerita Groundwater Agency, Santa Cruz County Environmental Health Water Dept., Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District, Private Well reps., and Water for Santa Cruz County. Each agency will have 5-8 minutes to present an overview of their organization and projects. The audience will then be given the remainder of the evening to publicly of the Panel or specific agencies, with a total of two questions per person.
Please join this much-needed conversation about how we can work cooperatively to solve the critical groundwater overdraft problems and find creative solutions for safe and affordable drinking water and healthy stream flows. Many thanks to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom for moderating the discussion.
NEW CLIMATE CHANGE MODELS PREDICT CENTRAL COAST WILL BE WETTER.
I learned so much at last week’s County Water Advisory Commission meeting, but perhaps the most amazing was that a new climate change model recently released indicates that California could become wetter in the future. Take a look at this.
That model is being closely monitored by Santa Cruz City Water Dept. staff to plan accordingly for storm water runoff issues. The MidCounty Groundwater Agency’s groundwater model being developed by HydroMetrics (originally hired by Soquel Creek Water District) is using a different set of data, and will most likely produce a different outcome, according to County Water Director Mr. John Ricker. I wonder if that model will support the necessity of PureWater Soquel injection of treated sewage water into the aquifer to solve the supply problem???
LET’S MAKE THIS EXPENSIVE AND DIFFICULT FOR EVERYBODY.
I attended the public meeting discussing the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) the County’s Cannabis Cultivaton and Manufacturing licensing procedure. This 800+ page document is available here, and it is also at all of the County public libraries. What I thought interesting was the 31 pages of mitigations that must be followed in order to obtain a license. Take a look at Chapter 6 in the document.
The list of requirement is amazing:
Growers must provide 120,000 gallons of water stored exclusively for fire fighting and cannot be used for irrigation.
Growers and manufacturers must construct 20′-wide roads leading to all facilities.
No generators will be allowed, and all growers & manufacturers must use 100% renewable energy sources.
Any structure 50 years old or more must be reviewed by the Planning Department Historical Resource Planner and with the California Register of Historic Resources criteria.
Growers must provide bike lockers and carpool vans for workers to reduce greenhouse gas emission effects.
The list goes on… Oh, and the Second District Special Overlay that prohibits outdoor cultivation looks like it would REMAIN, thanks to Supervisor Zach Friend and retired-but-still-influential County Administrative Officer (CAO) Susan Mauriello. She lives in the Second District and really does not like the smell of Cannabis farms in her area, so she has rewarded Zach Friend somehow for his acquiescent actions, apparently supported by the rest of the Board of Supervisors.
There will be a public informational event Wednesday, September 13, 7pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. Meet the new County Cannabis Licensing Manager, Ms. Robin Bolster-Grant, and learn about the latest state and local regulatory actions as well as the County Draft EIR.
There will be another Public Meeting October 2, 6pm-8pm at the 5th Floor Chambers (701 Ocean St.) when the public can ask further questions and submit written comment on the EIR. Final comments are due by October 16 at 4pm.
I really am glad the issues of environmental damage and fire risk are being carefully examined, but it really seems heavy-handed to me. Stay tuned.
“DENSER HOUSING DOES NOT MEAN AFFORDABLE HOUSING.”
I was amazed to hear Santa Cruz County Housing Manager Ms. Julie Conway say those words at last week’s County Housing Advisory Commission meeting. I have observed that creating affordable housing is the driver sanctioning the dense, multi-story housing complexes currently proposed throughout the County and Santa Cruz City. Watch for the Affordable incentives coming down the pike to help out developers like Barry Swenson Builder get maximized profits on towering hotels while little crumbs of affordable housing get built.
I am heartened that the in lieu fees will allowed on a case-by-case basis, with the Board of Supervisors being able to decide who gets the exceptions. Hmmmmm…..
APTOS VILLAGE TRAFFIC WORK BACK IN ACTION AT TAXPAYER’S EXPENSE.
Construction crews returned late last week to the Aptos Village road work project that has been stalled unexplainably for nearly three months. Supposedly soils contaminated by lead and other pollutants caused delays, but the workers shoveling alongside the suspect railroad bed soils last week had ZERO dust control and were kicking up quite a dust cloud. Where is Cal OSHA when an unsuspecting worker needs them?
The County Department of Public Works website blog finally got updated ( well, sort of …June 9???) with a couple of photos of crews removing the railroad signal arms. Why are the taxpayers funding this work that is to benefit the Aptos Village Project developers? Other developments are required by the County to pay 100% of the costs of improvements that support the development impacts.
County taxpayers should be worried about this cozy arrangement with Barry Swenson Builder, Joe Appenrodt, Pete Testorff and others because those developers are reaping the benefits of improved infrastructure supporting the Project but not paying for it.
For example, just last week, County Counsel confirmed this is NO Project Development Agreement between the County and the Aptos Village Project developers. Here is the definition of that important document:
“A development agreement is a voluntary contract between a local jurisdiction and a person who owns or controls property within the jurisdiction, detailing the obligations of both parties and specifying the standards and conditions that will govern development of the property. Although the agreements are voluntary, once made they are binding on the parties and their successors.
A development agreement provides assurances to the developer that the development regulations that apply to the project will not change during the term of the agreement. The city or county may require conditions to mitigate project impacts, as well as clarification about project phasing and timing of public improvement.”
What bothers me is that as a result of Public Records Act requests, I have seen two different drafts of the Aptos Village Project Development Agreement. One presented by the County Public Works Dept. and the CAO proposed that the County repay Barry Swenson Builder $2 million for the cost of BSB constructing roads within the Project. Barry Swenson Builder staff rejected that version and proposed their amendments of the County paying $10 million to BSB and limiting the contribution of only $15,000 for improving Aptos Creek Road. Wow.
“There is no Development Agreement but there are unwritten agreements,” said Mr. Jack Sohriakoff, Sr. Traffic Engineer with County Public Works. I asked him about the Aptos Village Project Development Agreement a couple of years ago. After that, his supervisors would not allow me to speak with him. Hmmmm….
So now, there is no Development Agreement, as confirmed by County Counsel, and yet the County is undertaking the massive and getting-more-massive cost of moving the Metro bus stop into polluted soils and not being ADA-compliant, removing and replacing 200′ of railroad track with excavation to 31″ in contaminated soils, installing brand new railroad crossing arms and a brand new traffic light at Trout Gulch Road and Soquel Drive that will magically handle the 8,000 additional vehicles/day predicted by Mr. Jack Sohriakoff at Public Works in his application for nearly $2 million in taxpayer-funded grants with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) to help pay for all this work. And that is all just Phase I.
Why has the County consistently placed grant applications for the Aptos Village projects as TOP priority and requested the highest dollar amount of any project application submitted? Why has the RTC consistently funded these projects? Maybe Zach Friend has some answers…if only he were publicly available to ask. I wish former Supervisor Ellen Pirie would come back from Africa and explain this all publicly to the taxpayers…..she made some amazing deals.
A Federal audit concluded that $50 million in taxpayer money was used improperly by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to subsidize San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts. The money helped subsidize planning the water tunnel project when the irrigation districts were supposed to pay for the work. According to the audit findings, only a small amount of the funds would be required to be repaid by the irrigation districts, under a special agreement. Further, one of the chief Directors of the Westland Irrigation District, Mr. David Bernhardt, involved in the illegal $50 million deal, has been chosen by Donald Trump as the second in command for the Interior Department, which oversees the Bureau of Reclamation. That places him in a position to give the irrigation districts preferential treatment in how the Interior Department implements the 2016 water legislation and permitting for the proposed tunnels.
Handy, don’t you think? I wonder if Mr. Bernhardt has an office in Africa, next to Ellen Pirie’s? It seems a safe place for hiding when the deals made become public.
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.
FROM GARY A. PATTON From Gary’s “We Live In A Political World” website…
We’re including two of Gary’s Two World’s this week…
From Monday, September 11, 2017
“UNMINCED”
This is the inescapable fact: on November 9th, the United States elected a dishonest, inept, unbalanced, and immoral human being as its President and Commander-in-Chief. Trump has daily proven unyielding to appeals of decency, unity, moderation, or fact. He is willing to imperil the civil peace and the social fabric of his country simply to satisfy his narcissism and to excite the worst inclinations of his core followers.*
____________________________________
* David Remnick, “The Divider,” The New Yorker, August 28, 2017
And from Sunday, September 10, 2017
#253 “I HAVE JUST A FEW SUPERFICIAL CONCERNS” The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump has “reinstated the ability of local police agencies to receive surplus military equipment, including grenade launchers….” See above for a picture of a grenade launcher. Click the link above for the entire article. Click here for a commentary!
Quoting again from The Wall Street Journal article, “Civil-rights activists criticized the move, saying having military vehicles and similar equipment in local communities … suggests a police force at war with residents. They also said the programs have few rules to control how the equipment is used and ensure officers are trained to use it properly.”
And here is one final quote from the article, outlining the position of the Trump Administration:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the change in a speech before the National Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police union. “We will not put superficial concerns above public safety,” Mr. Sessions told police officers, according his prepared remarks.
If you think it is a “superficial concern” that the federal government apparently wants to turn our local police agencies into armed combat units, with full military capabilities, then you will probably go to sleep tonight feeling safer, understanding that your police department may soon be mobilizing grenade launchers (and similar military equipment) against civil rights demonstrators and other kinds of bad guys.
I have an opposite opinion. It’s like they say about the movies, or a play: “Once you show the audience the gun, you know it has to be used.”
I don’t want my city to end up looking like some town in Syria. Think about what kind of damage a “grenade launcher” can do on your city streets.
I have been urging, for some time, that we put the “war metaphor” to rest, as a fundamentally inappropriate way to understand the reality of our life. Putting military combat gear in the hands of our local police is a non-superficial escalation of violence in the heart of our local communities. That’s my opinion, at least.
Despite the federal government’s desire to outfit our local police with military equipment, local police departments and other law enforcement agencies don’t have to participate in the program. Contact your City Council and County elected officials. Get them to adopt an official policy for your community that will prohibit the use of any military equipment by local law enforcement (and may I say, especially “grenade launchers”).
(Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. Reliving and paying tribute to the the Civil War in Felton (Roaring Camp). Scroll downward a ways…think about it!!!
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” Global Warming/Warning” 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: “Feast your eyes on the fabulously dark and romantic new cover of my next book, Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Also, take a look at my newly arrived Advanced Reader Copies, for a first glimpse of Beast in book-like form. And don’t look now, but yours truly has just been invited to join the roster of “Tomatometer-approved” movie critics over at Rotten Tomatoes!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975
This broke all box office records last weekend when IT opened…and IT should have. IT is a well made, very scary movie. Based on some Stephen King books, IT is chapter one of a two part nightmare- daydream that will grab you when you are least prepared to be scared. It has all the clichés…BUT it’s got tension, mystery, and perfect timing along with excellent acting. Just go see IT but only if you truly enjoy being scared. 86 on RT.
HOME AGAIN. Some friend used the word “torpor” in a meeting I attended last week. Torpor fits this movie almost perfectly…so does, stupor, inanity, vapid, fatuous and it stars Reese Witrherspoon. It’s not funny enough to be a comedy and not serious enough to be even close to a drama. A 40 year old woman (Witherspoon) rents/shares her house to three young guys and they have sex…you shouldn’t watch. RT gives it 35 but it shouldn’t have.
THE TRIP TO SPAIN. This is the third supposed comedy that two British actors, comics, impressionists… Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon have made, and they shouldn’t make any more. These guys go on supposedly food tasting trips to restaurants in England, Italy and now Spain. In each restaurant and on the road they do imitations of famous British actors…James Bond, well Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Mick Jagger and try very hard to be funny. I haven’t laughed once during any of these contrived messes and find the two actors just about nauseating. Don’t blame me if you do decide to go.
MENASHE. An excellent story about life in a Hasidic Jewish community in New York. A young father tries with all his might to raise his young son in this orthodox world. It’s subtitled and all in Yiddish with subtitles. Go see it. ENDS THURS. 9/14
TULIP FEVER. Christopher Waltz and Alicia Vikander have the leads in this complex, twisted plot that somehow is based on a legendary tulip mania in Amsterdam in the 1700’s . It has beautiful costumes and ok photography but the story line is so pointless, that you’ll sleep during ¾ of the film. A sad disappointment. 10 on RT. ENDS THURS. 9/14
WIND RIVER. Jeremy Renner and young beauty Elisabeth Olsen track down a killer on an Indian Reservation in the very cold Wyoming winter. Much better than average, you’ll stay with the plot and quite decent acting…all the way. It males some obvious social comment along the way, and that works too. The conclusion is a bit crude and drunken, but Renner is almost always worth watching.
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January).
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
THE GLASS CASTLE. Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts and especially Brie Larson bring this autobiographical life story to the screen. “Dysfunctional family” doesn’t come close to describing their family problems. The problem is that Woody Harrelson almost always plays exactly Woody Harrelson (as do John Goodman,Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) He’s an incurable drunk and takes his family on his 100’s of trips through hell. It qualifies as a sob story except that Brie Larsen is just mesmerizing and perfect in the role. Plus you have to believe that Naomi Watts is an old wrinkled mountain woman married for life to Woody. ! Go see it and bring a hanky.
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
PATTI CAKES. A youngster in New Jersey tries to make it in show biz…you’ve seen this 100’s of times before only not with an overweight unloved pudge as the star. It’s too corny and too predictable and too sad to be a comedy. If you like, or better yet if you LOVE rap music you’ll like this film much more than I did. ENDS THURS. 9/14
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING. Michael Keaton completely steals every movie he’s ever made and he sure does playing an evil “Vulture” in this latest version of the web spinner (there have been at least 13 versions of Spidey on TV and the movies!!) Spidey is a high school student with Teresa Tomei as his mom. Robert Downey jr. is back as Iron Man. It doesn’t matter much but Gwyneth Paltrow is in it too. It’s a little better than most of the Marvel Comics hero movies but not much.
ANNABELLE: CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
I DO…UNTIL I DON’T . It’s supposed to be a comedy about a documentarian making a film about marriage. It stars Lake Bell, Ed Helms, and mostly Mary Steenburgen. Miserable acting, pointless plot twists about fidelity and marriage and goes in absolutely no direction with a boring ending. ENDS THURS. 9/14
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. UCSC’s Professor of Earth Sciences Gary Griggs discusses his newest book, “Coasts In Crisis” on Sept.12. Then Patricia Rain talks about her 2nd annual Vanilla Festival. Jane Mio and Barbara Riverwoman from the San Lorenzo River Mysteries group starts the hour on Sept.19. After which Christina Morgan Cree reveals the fashion secrets of the annual FashionArt show happening Sept. 23. September 26 has Conductor, artistic director Michel Singher talking about the next Espressivo Orchestra Concert happening Oct.15. October 3 we’ll talk with Erik Gandolfini and Avondina Wills about The MountainTop play at the Center Stage. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. Gary Patton gives info and background on the Save Santa Cruz Organization on Oct.17. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
I love this guy 🙂 He brings me back to my adolescence 🙂
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. “FALL”
“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.”
Yoko Ono
“At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. Containing depth within itself, darkness, something of the grave almost.” ? Rainer Maria Rilke,
“What makes a hero? Courage, strength, morality, withstanding adversity? Are these the traits that truly show and create a hero? Is the light truly the source of darkness or vice versa? Is the soul a source of hope or despair? Who are these so called heroes and where do they come from? Are their origins in obscurity or in plain sight?” ? Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Highlights this week: Omei’s closing not from boycott!!…Shelley Berman memories…Rancho Del Mar shoddy development moves…Santa Cruz Nutritionals 500 plus employees and their cars … Garfield Park Circle Church up for sale and development?… Main Library warnings…Greensite on How Change Happens…Krohn on spending funds for housing and mental health…Steinbruner and safe place for addicts, Soquel Water bills to rise, more favors for Barry Swenson….Patton and Schafly and Kessler…DeCinzo and our friendly ocean, Eagan and what climate change?…Mime Troupe coming here…Jewel Theatre opens new season…Jensen takes off… I critique Menashe, Tulip Fever, Patty Cakes, I Do Till I Don’t….Quotes on “HEAT”
DAVENPORT TRAIN STATION. This was taken April 25 1948. It’s a passenger NOT a freight train…and it worked. Save the rails!!!
FIREBALL RIDE AT THE BOARDWALK. I think I ran this one before, but it’s still scary!!
EARTH VIEWS FROM OUTER SPACE
PYRAMIDS IN ANTARCTICA!!
Buddy Rich & Jerry Lewis – Drum Solo Battle (1965)
DATELINE September 4, 2017
OMEI’S CLOSING – NOT FROM ANY BOYCOTT. Everybody got really jumping about the so-called BOYCOTT of the Omei Restaurant because owner Roger Grigsby had, and has been a long time right wing financier and donated $500 to David Duke the former head of the Ku Klux Klan. If we stop and think about it…it wasn’t the boycott that did the closing, it was the entire restaurant staff quitting all at once. Any boycott even in Santa Cruz would have taken days longer.
SHELLEY BERMAN DIED. Back in 1964 my trio “The Goodtime Washboard 3” opened for Shelley Berman at the “hungry i” in San Francisco. We’d finished a long run at the Purple Onion (almost across the street) and just the chance to go big time at “the i” loomed large. This was the time of Mort Sahl, Tom Lehrer, Lenny Bruce and other geniuses. Shelley had just experienced that terrible documentary showing him losing his temper somewhere backstage…and we were all terribly afraid of him losing it again, he didn’t. Matter of genuine fact he had Enrico can the vocalist that filled between us and his act. He gave us dozens of pointers, hints, and ideas…a real pro. And of course it was at the hungry i where he made his big hit comedy album in 1957. Footnote: our trio also played at the newer hungry i out at Ghirardelli Square and Charles McCabe “The Fearless Spectator” was a regular fan…ahhh those days, and nights!!!
RANCHO DEL MAR DEVELOPMENT. I hope everyone reads Becky Steinbruners weekly article…weekly! When you read her news last week you saw that the TRC developers were going to shut down existing, operating businesses in the Rancho Del Mar plaza. The Sentinel caught onto it and did a front page story a few days ago. Folks who care about Aptos and South County news should keep up with Becky S. she keeps us well informed. If you too are wondering what the future of Rancho Del Mar will look like since TRC (Terramar Retail Centers) bought out Safeway take a look at any one of their schlocky plaza re-dos…
http://www.trcretail.com/sf-east-bay Safeway’s plans don’t look quite so bad in hindsight do they? The latest news is that none of the carpenters that TRC Developers hires to work on the Rancho development will be local!! Lower labor bids are coming in from the Sacramento area. More than that as we have read TRC is evicting most of the lower level merchants so they can begin “renovating”. For example Baskins Robins Ice Cream store will not be allowed to move into the upper level of the Rancho but the Kitchen Store has been given the ok.
SANTA CRUZ NUTRITIONALS IS HIRING!!!….and??? Santa Cruz Nutritionals has about 500 employees now and the good news is they have new management and they are hiring “for all shifts”. Wouldn’t it a great and environmental concept if they started using employee buses to pick up their employees from an easy to park location and dropped them off at their Westside factory? The Westside is getting more and more full of traffic and this could be a giant step forward. Especially so since the Garfield Park Church Circle will soon be up for development.
GARFIELD CIRCLE CHURCH FOR SALE FOR $2,995,000. The David Lyng/Redfin real estate ad reads… “Large lot in the heart of Westside Santa Cruz with large ocean view! The lot currently has a church on it, but is zoned for residential use, and is R-1-5 which will allow for ten 5,000 Sq. Ft. Lots. Truly a one of a kind lot that will make for a one of a kind investment!”. With our Santa Cruz City Council making decisions and especially with Mayor David Terrazas heading the dais next year you can bet your top and bottom dollars that the existing Disciples of Christ Church will vanish into real estate heaven in weeks. Huge high rising floors of stucco and cheapness will replace the 1000’s of square feet of community meeting rooms and and hope of meditation space for any reason. We need to make bets on which developer will get there first. Check out the ad… then you’ll see what I mean.
LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT Jean Brocklebank of “Don’t Bury The Library” committee writes..We took a thorough tour of the present Main library, all 44,000 sq. ft. of it, during the second Downtown Library Advisory Committee (DLAC) meeting. I noticed a lot of inefficient use of space and a lot of sloppy housekeeping. That on top of years of deferred maintenance was annoying to witness.
The library does not need “more” storage, just better management of existing storage space.
The main problem is that many people want to turn the library into a community center, a museum, a day care center, a homeless services center, a place for at risk children to read a book aloud to dogs. a co-working space for chatting and a cafe. Everything BUT a library! We already have a museum, co-working space, dozens of cafes, a homeless center and the Boys and Girls Club downtown … all within a few blocks of the library. We don’t need to repurpose the library for all of those things. What we need is a library where patrons can find information, do research, read, use a computer, print materials, check out materials and have it quiet so they can concentrate on information gathering and absorption.
The City received $27 million of Measure S money and the City decided to allocate $23 million to a new library. No one is suggesting a 3rd or 4th story to the existing library, which has 44,000 sq. ft of space already. Besides, structurally, the bottom two stories will not be able to bear the weight of two more stories.
The date of the Downtown Library Committee meeting is September 13 between 6 – 9 pm in the upstairs meeting room of the library and our Don’t Bury The Library web site
AGENTS OF CHANGE September 4, 2017
Wallace Baine, commenting on the closing of Caffe Pergolesi and Logos Books, coinciding with the opening of Abbott Square, writes, “But change has little respect for nostalgia and those of us around today can watch it unfold—with melancholy or excitement or a tincture of both, as we see fit.” (Sentinel 8/31/17) This way of thinking obscures the human agency that orchestrates change and elevates it to a force of nature to which we must adapt. Thus, only our attitudes towards it are within our power to control. Such a worldview is a boon to those who wield the batons of change. It ensures that most will accept change albeit grudgingly and a swift kick in the nostalgic pants will keep the rest in line. The closing of Logos had more to do with changing buying habits and Pergolesi had more to do with the property owner’s (as distinct from the business owner’s) interests, but nevertheless, such changes are human driven. Had we known, we might have made a difference.
Currently in Santa Cruz, significant change is being imposed from a combination of large-scale property, speculative development interests and the city’s Economic Development Department. Boosted by UCSC growth, Silicon Valley, global marketing, tourism and a growing income divide, Santa Cruz is ripe for the picking. The casualties will be the locally owned, small, long-time businesses including the wharf, low- income workers and the familiar town we know and love.
The agents of change, in this case, the city’s top management staff, are adept at giving us spin. Consider the following statement from the city’s Economic Development director, Bonnie Lipscomb, commenting in the Sentinel on the height and density changes to downtown that are in the wings: “Being able to be at the forefront of adding critically needed housing for our community is part of the larger revitalization effort. Having more people living downtown will help strengthen vitality of our downtown into the future, particularly with the challenges of online retail right now — you can definitely see how having more bodies downtown and having retail surrounded by downtown and residents is going to be very helpful.”
This is not “critically needed housing for our community” but market rate housing for those who don’t yet live here, predominantly new students and tech workers, all of whom will strain our available, finite resources. Students and techies living downtown will not only “strengthen the vitality of downtown” but also change the nature of downtown. Such is how change happens: from department stores selling sheets and bath towels to boutiques and coffee shops. Not inevitable, not natural but rather contrived and implemented by those holding the batons of change. Nostalgia is a sop to the disempowered.
Even the democratic avenues available to hold such economic self-interests accountable are open to spin if the public loses interest. Take only one example from the draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on the Downtown Recovery Plan amendments (DRP), to which Ms. Lipscomb was referring, which will allow 85 feet tall buildings on the west side of Front St. and 70 feet tall buildings next to the levee and which will be considered at upcoming Planning Commission and City Council meetings. Assessment of the availability of parks for the expected growth due to the project is a requirement under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The DEIR notes that: “The City is currently underserved for neighborhood and community parks and requires a total of 57 acres to meet these goals (City of Santa Cruz, February 2017)”and “Based on the City’s parks standards set forth in the General Plan, the indirect population that could result from the project would result in the need for approximately 4.5 acres of additional park land.” Given those facts, a reasonable person would conclude that the project is either untenable or will create a significant impact with respect to parks, not to mention traffic, crowding, loss of views and habitat but let’s stick to parks. Not so says the DEIR, which concludes “no significant impact” and writes: “There are several neighborhorhood (sic) and community parks within proximity to the downtown area. The Mimi de Marta Dog Park is located in the vicinity of the project area.” If you know that pocket sized park, this is either an attempt at humor or an attempt to mislead and I suspect it is the latter.
Rather than passively watching change unfold, if we don’t agree that such change is in our interests as a small town community, we can impact the process by our involvement and collective action. It’s up to us.
~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.
While I agree on the Santa Cruz troubles, which Terrazas writes about including “chronic drug use, recidivism and untreated mental illness,” I part company with his main solution of “increasing police staffing” and waiting for Samuel Beckett’s local version of Godot, the county board of supervisors, to act. Increasing the number of police has been tried before and the fact now remains that we have a problem attracting qualified officers to one of the region’s most expensive housing markets. At least six funded sworn officer positions have yet to be filled.
So maybe we can go a different route back to the future. Why not use the money that’s in the budget to fund a social worker in every police car? a 24/7 emergency shelter? drug and alcohol treatment facilities? and increased mental health programming?
Don Williams of the UCSC theater department re-reading and re-membering Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech at Santa Cruz clock tower last week.
Santa Cruz has a rich history of progressive politics. Some people in the Santa Cruz city government might hold the position that the city should only act in a serious way to address homelessness, petty crime, drug and alcohol addiction, and our mental health crisis if, and only if the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors acts. Councilmember Terrazas clearly outlined several of the problems our city faces, but simply waiting for the county to act while throwing more police at an intractable social problem are not the answers. While I agree that county resources would help, the city of Santa Cruz has forged ahead before, and now is not the time to wait for the county’s help if they are an unwilling partner.
Back in the 1970’s when local progressive government was being birthed, it was the Westside Community Health clinic and saving the Garfield Park Library that the progressives road to the rescue. Bruce Van Allen and Mike Rotkin were surprise victors in the 1978 city council election. Later, into the 1980’s, they were joined by Mardi Wormhoudt and John Laird to form a council majority and make city support for social services sacrosanct, complete with line items in the city budget. The current city council would do well to replay those tapes and commit significant city resources to taking care of the most vulnerable in this community. The progressives of yesteryear didn’t wait for county government to step in as they responded to the needs of the community in their day.
Now, it’s time for the current Santa Cruz City Council to respond to the legitimate demands of neighborhoods, mental health providers, and the many members of this community who live outside each night. Nobody wants people sleeping in doorways, stooped over and carrying bundles, as Paul Cocking pointed out on the same Sentinel editorial page last week, or dealing with the illegal drug and property crime activities that Councilmember Terrazas discusses. The $buck$ stops with the city council, and there’s $105 million in the city’s general fund budget that requires some rearranging to meet the needs of city neighborhoods and the destitute. The current council must, with or without our county supervisors, address the street crisis our community is now suffering through.
The county supervisors are welcome to join the city council in designing and funding housing and mental health programs, but just like the earlier generation of Santa Cruz progressives who directed city money towards social services because city voters demanded it, this city council has to be willing to go it alone. We are already spending close to $20 million in policing the homeless as Terrazas also points out. What if we spent half that on creating more healing places for them to go? What if the city set as a goal to house 500 more homeless each night, AND provide what is called “wrap-around” services to help insure people will not have to return to the street? This is not avant-garde Santa Cruz somehow inventing something new. It is following past experience, and a proud tradition, of taking care of the most vulnerable in this community while also preserving neighborhood integrity. Please call the Santa Cruz City Council, 420-5020, and tell them to act NOW to end our housing and house-less crisis!
Bernie Sanders Tweet of the Week “We stand with the immigrant families who are scared to death, to young people on the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program for whom America is their home.” (Aug. 28)
And, if you want to read about some activist’s push-back on Bernie’s weakened single-payer bill, as opposed to John Conyers’ House Version now supported by 116 other members, read this thought-provoking piece.
~Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
SHOULD TAXPAYERS PROVIDE A PLACE TO SAFELY INJECT ILLEGAL DRUGS?
That is a good question…considering there is no money for local infrastructure to serve the general population. AB 186, co-authored by Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) and Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblywoman Laura Friedman , would fund a pilot study in seven counties, including Santa Cruz County, and is now under consideration by the legislature.
Here is the essence of the bill:
“AB 186, as amended, Eggman. Controlled substances: safer drug consumption program. Existing law makes it a crime to possess specified controlled substances or paraphernalia. Existing law makes it a crime to use or be under the influence of specified controlled substances. Existing law additionally makes it a crime to visit or be in any room where specified controlled substances are being unlawfully used with knowledge that the activity is occurring, or to open or maintain a place for the purpose of giving away or using specified controlled substances. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to rent, lease, or make available for use any building or room for the purpose of storing or distributing any controlled substance. Existing law authorizes forfeiture of property used for specified crimes involving controlled substances. This bill would, until January 1, 2022, authorize specified counties or cities within those counties to authorize the operation of supervised injection services programs for adults that satisfies specified requirements, including, among other things, a hygienic space supervised by healthcare professionals or other trained staff health care professionals, as defined, where people who use drugs can consume preobtained drugs, sterile consumption supplies, and access to referrals to addiction substance use disorder treatment. The bill would require any entity operating a program under its provisions to provide an annual report to the city, county, or city and county, as specified. The bill would exempt a person from existing criminal sanctions while he or she is using or operating a supervised injection solely for actions or conduct on the site of a safer drug consumption services program for adults authorized by a city, county, or city and county.”
The bill passed in the Assembly on 6/1/17 with a vote of 41-33. Local representatives Mark Stone and Anna Caballero both voted in favor of the bill. The bill has been amended by the Senate and is now in its third reading, which means it will be voted upon soon. You might notice that the amended version requires approval of the respective County Boards of Supervisors and City Councils. If the County representatives deny the project, can the cities within the chosen County still approve a pilot project within the city boundaries? I think so. How would something like that be funded? How would the pilot study injection center location be decided upon?
How were these seven pilot counties chosen? Oddly, they are NOT the locations where there are the highest drug overdose death rates. Look here.
Here are the counties included in the pilot study, with drug overdose death rate based on 2012-2014 information: Alameda (10), Fresno (10), Humboldt (33), Los Angeles (7), Mendocino (20), San Francisco (17), Santa Cruz (19). WHY NOT TRY THIS PROJECT OUT IN THE COUNTIES WHERE THE DRUG OVERDOSE DEATH RATES ARE THE HIGHEST: Plumas (49), Lake (46), Lassen (32), Butte (30), Mariposa (28), Amador (27)???
You can read the legislative analysis here., and read more here. Assemblywoman Eggman states in this article that she was surprised by the push-back NIMBY response she received from Santa Cruz County. She has been working closely with representatives in our area since first introducing the legislation. Again, since the ultimate approval will rest with County Supervisors and City Councilmembers, I suggest you contact yours now with your thoughts.
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT NEW RATE STRUCTURE… INCREASES COMING YOUR WAY
The Soquel Creek Water District will roll out its new rate structure increase plan at the Board meeting September 5. The plan, discussed by a special Rate Advisory Committee recently, has devised a flat-rate charge tiered system that allows ratepayers to choose which plan they want to have. Customers can change plans only once/year without financial penalty. If customers use less than the allowed number of units in their plan, they would get a rebate. The details of that reward for conservation are to be discussed at the Board meeting.
WHY DID SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT ALLOW BARRY SWENSON BUILDER FREE WATER FOR THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT CONSTRUCTION SITE THIS YEAR?
At their August 15 meeting, the Board of Directors told a ratepayer who had questioned the irregular service connection on Granite Way that “you can ask all the questions you want but you can’t demand answers.” That was in response to General Manager Ron Duncan saying that “appropriate action had been taken” regarding the unmetered subterranean connection that Barry Swenson Builder crews have been using all year for dust control and concrete curing work THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE all year long. In the September agenda packet (Item # 7.3 on page 65) you can read Mr. Duncan’s letter to that ratepayer, wherein he states: “I will inform you of the following findings: 1) the water service was a legal, active service meaning that the customer of record was continually paying their bill; and 2) the meter had been removed from the service. In response to these findings, the service was promptly locked off and will remain locked until it is either reactivated by the account holder, or formally decommissioned/abandoned as part of the Aptos Village project improvement plan.” I wonder what Mr. Duncan really means by “locked off”? The only thing that has changed is that there is now a lid on the connection so no one can see what is going on.
~
Take a look at the history of the District’s response (Page 58 of the agenda packet) to my repeated earlier requests for action on this irregular unmetered service connection that lacked anti-contamination devices. For weeks, the District staff replied “we are taking appropriate action” to my inquiries (which were copied to all members of the Board) while continuing to allow Barry Swenson Builder crews to use the water from this unmetered connection.
I wonder if the District’s ratepayers know about this? Which Plan do you think Barry Swenson Builder would choose?
APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT POND ON GRANITE WAY: PETE TESTORFF’S QUESTIONABLE CONNECTION?
Pete Testorff is one of the Aptos Village Project developers, and he also owns a parcel on Granite Way, adjacent to the development. He recently demolished a 1906 house and is building two huge houses on the parcel. Last week, a significant pond of water appeared within the Aptos Village Project boundaries, directly across from Testorff’s new houses. There is a new service connection on that edge of Granite Way with a lid marked “FIRE”.
The pond persists, so one must assume that it is a leak related to this new connection. Did Soquel Creek Water District technicians do this work? When I reported the leak to staff last week, with photos of the pond, the answer was “We’ll get a technician right out.” I wonder what “appropriate action” will be taken? Hmmmmmm……
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.
On Saturday, August 26, 2017, I read an article by Vivian Gornick that mentioned Phyllis Schlafly. For any who may not remember Schlafly, here’s a brief biography from Wikipedia:
“[Schlafly] was known for her staunchly conservative social and political views, her opposition to feminism and abortion, and her successful campaign against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Her 1964 book, A Choice Not an Echo, a polemic push-back against Republican leader Nelson Rockefeller, sold more than three million copies. She co-authored books on national defense and was highly critical of arms control agreements with the former Soviet Union. Schlafly founded the conservative interest group Eagle Forum in 1972 and remained its chairperson and CEO until her death”.
On Saturday, August 26th, I also read a commentary published in my hometown newspaper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, by one of the Sentinel’s favorite cultural commentators, Stephen Kessler. Kessler’s column was called “Open letter to a so-called ‘white supremacist’,” and was a pretty much unexceptional and rather condescending denunciation of those persons who would fit that category.
As I said in my blog posting on August 25th, I am no fan of white nationalists or white supremacists, and it may be that the Kessler column wouldn’t have struck me as perhaps a bit off-base if I hadn’t just read Gornick’s thoughts about Schlafly.
Schlafly exemplifies another politically objectionable species (at least from my point of view), as an outspoken, right-wing, pro-military anti-feminist. Gornick, though, in this article, was kind of “soft” on Schlafly, and this was somewhat surprising, because I feel certain that Gornick largely shares my own political point of view, and certainly would not be positive about Schlafly’s political positions, any more than Kessler or I would be warm and friendly to white supremacists.
So….here is Gornick’s point (which I believe she has drawn from Sagan’s book):
The struggle of any society—but especially that of a society that calls itself a democracy—is to honor the existence of the one not like ourselves. Now, much like in ancient Athens, our own democracy is teetering: a moment when so many of us have become unreal to one another.
Can we “honor the existence” of the white supremacists and the right-wing, pro-military, anti-feminists, even while we reject their views? Gornick suggests that our ability to maintain democracy in our country may hinge on the answer to that question.
As we debate whether or not “free speech” should include our ability to tolerate objectionable, hate-filled arguments that we abhor, it’s a question worth thinking about!
~ Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. See DeCinzo’s “Our friendly oceans” just a scroll below, a twist or two and there you are!
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” What Climate Change?” 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.
SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE. The San Francisco Mime Troupe will be here again performing their newest play, “WALLS“. It happens Saturday September 9 and Sunday September 10 at 3 p.m. in San Lorenzo Park on the flatlands. Bring a chair and a blanket to sit on and a generous donation to help this brave band of actors continue bringing us great commedia and a healthy look at our government. Get there at 2:30 to hear the band play…you won’t forget it…or them.Go here for more data on “WALLS”.
JEWEL THEATRE. Santa Cruz’s own Jewel Theatre opens their 2017-2018 season with Arthur Millers “ALL MY SONS’ September 6th through October 1. If you haven’t attended their plays now in the Colligan Theatre in the Tannery you’ve been missing something. Go here for tickets and info… http://jeweltheatre.net
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa is taking a sort of vacation to work on special things and will return next week. Read her latest stuff this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Also, discover the evocative and fanciful pastels of her Beauty and the Beast illustrator of the month, Binette Schroeder (as the countdown to her own Beast book continues)!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
MENASHE. An excellent story about life in a Hasidic Jewish community in New York. A young father tries with all his might to raise his young son in this orthodox world. It’s subtitled and all in Yiddish with subtitles. Go see it.
TULIP FEVER. Christopher Waltz and Alicia Vikander have the leads in this complex, twisted plot that somehow is based on a legendary tulip mania in Amsterdam in the 1700’s . It has beautiful costumes and ok photography but the story line is so pointless, that you’ll sleep during ¾ of the film. A sad disappointment. 10 on RT.
PATTY CAKES. A youngster in New Jersey tries to make it in show biz…you’ve seen this 100’s of times before only not with an overweight unloved pudge as the star. It’s too corny and too predictable and too sad to be a comedy. If you like, or better yet if you LOVE rap music you’ll like this film much more than I did.
I DO…UNTIL I DON’T . It’s supposed to be a comedy about a documentarian making a film about marriage. It stars Lake Bell, Ed Helms, and mostly Mary Steenburgen. Miserable acting, pointless plot twists about fidelity and marriage and goes in absolutely no direction with a boring ending.
WIND RIVER. Jeremy Renner and young beauty Elisabeth Olsen track down a killer on an Indian Reservation in the very cold Wyoming winter. Much better than average, you’ll stay with the plot and quite decent acting…all the way. It males some obvious social comment along the way, and that works too. The conclusion is a bit crude and drunken, but Renner is almost always worth watching.
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January).
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
THE GLASS CASTLE. Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts and especially Brie Larson bring this autobiographical life story to the screen. “Dysfunctional family” doesn’t come close to describing their family problems. The problem is that Woody Harrelson almost always plays exactly Woody Harrelson (as do John Goodman,Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) He’s an incurable drunk and takes his family on his 100’s of trips through hell. It qualifies as a sob story except that Brie Larsen is just mesmerizing and perfect in the role. Plus you have to believe that Naomi Watts is an old wrinkled mountain woman married for life to Woody. ! Go see it and bring a hanky.
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
SPIDERMAN:HOMECOMING. Michael Keaton completely steals every movie he’s ever made and he sure does playing an evil “Vulture” in this latest version of the web spinner (there have been at least 13 versions of Spidey on TV and the movies!!) Spidey is a high school student with Teresa Tomei as his mom. Robert Downey jr. is back as Iron Man. It doesn’t matter much but Gwyneth Paltrow is in it too. It’s a little better than most of the Marvel Comics hero movies but not much.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE DARK TOWER. How can a movie from books by Stephen King, and produced by Ron Howard, and which stars Mathew McConaughey and Idris Alba be so bad?? (18 on RT). It’s intergalactic, bloody, complexly stupid plot…and it’s filmed mostly in the dark. That saves tons of money spent on special effects. McConaughey is the bad guy and Alba is the good guy, in case somebody forces you to go. It’s more depressing than watching Fox news!!
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
GOOD TIME. One of the darkest, mean spirited films of the decade. Robert Pattinson (“Twilight” star) does all he can to get his demented brother out of jail. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the old mentally disturbed girl friend. It’s not exciting or meaningful but it does have some excellently hand- held filmed scenes. Not my kind of movie by any means.
INGRID GOES WEST. It’s being billed as a dark comedy, and I didn’t laugh once. A deranged teen ager is totally hooked and dependent on any and all social media…especially her iPhone. She haunts and threatens her equally nutty celebrity heroine and it all takes place in around and about Venice Beach. I suggest you skip this one. I didn’t forget any star names, there aren’t any.
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. September 5 has Lisa Hadley and Davis Banta previewing their Quality Of Life play. Then therapist Alexandra Kennedy talks about her Awakening to Life In Transition retreat. UCSC’s Gary Griggs discusses his newest book, “Coasts In Crisis” on Sept.12. Then Patricia Rain talks about her 2nd annual Vanilla Festival. Jane Mio from the San Lorenzo River Mysteries group starts the hour on Sept.19. After which Christina Morgan Cree reveals the fashion secrets of the annual FashionArt show happening Sept. 23. September 26 has Conductor, artistic director Michel Singher talking about the next Espressivo Orchestra Concert happening Oct.15. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
This goes to show, sometimes opportunities you think you’ve missed come back around.
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. “HEAT”
“When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat”, Nelson Mandela “It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility”, Yogi Berra “Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself”, William Shakespeare “Those who cannot understand how to put their thoughts on ice should not enter into the heat of debate”, Friedrich Nietzsche “I am not bound for any public place, but for ground of my own where I have planted vines and orchard trees, and in the heat of the day climbed up into the healing shadow of the woods”, Wendell Berry
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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Highlights this week: Omei boycott a success!!!…Greensite writes in vacation mode…Krohn and Pergolesi closing, his letter to the City Council,important dates for activists…Steinbruner and Senator Bill Monnings bill to help CalAm and polluters and to gouge taxpayers, more on Aptos Village Traffic and Barry Swenson Builders get fined, and long time Rancho Del Mar businesses to get “evicted”… Patton about Political change and the effectiveness of Protesting…DeCinzo and welcome back UCSC students…Eagan and that painful Trump itch…Jensen and The Only Living Boy In New York…I critique Whose Streets, Good Time, The Only Living Boy In New York and Ingrid Goes West. Check out Quotes about September.
DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ’S “COOPER HOUSE”. Back on October 30 1961 this was of course our Santa Cruz County Court House. As you can see it was “Civil Defense Week”. And the Defense Week was sponsored by the Santa Cruz Junior Chamber of Commerce. The sign says this basement fallout shelter (from which the girls are peeking) would cost $35. That’s a shelter shell on the left that could be dropped in the hole in your backyard and covered with cement…and no more worries about any old Atomic Bomb!!! Nope, no info on the young women’s identities.
2013 World Synchronized Skating SP-3 Team Russia 1
Fantastic little girl! The best talent in the world 2016 Rollerblade Freestyle Slalom Dancing
DATELINE August 28, 2017
OMEI BOYCOTT WORKED!
It is encouraging to see that the Omei Restaurant is now closed. It truly is the power and the will of the people that accomplished this. Omei owner Roger Grimsby has been a long time backer of right wing causes and a Republican student newspaper on the UCSC campus.
When enough folks learned that Grigsby contributed $500 last year (2016) to David Duke’s campaign for the U.S. Senate they too decided to stop eating at the Omei. More than that I’ve been told that the Omei staff quit in protest to his support of Duke and the KKK.
In 2002, Duke pleaded guilty to defrauding supporters by claiming to be in dire financial straits, and asking them for money to help him pay for basic necessities. At the time, Duke was financially secure, and used his supporters’ money for recreational gambling.
We’ve experienced decades of boycotts against grapes, oil companies, Nestles, Tyson Foods, WalMart, Coors, Chevron, and on and on. One website states, “The word boycott actually comes from a person. Charles Boycott evicted those who couldn’t pay rent on the land he owned. The result was that all of his workers downed tools, delivery people refused to work with him and he found himself outcast from his local community. ‘Boycott’ quickly became the word for a form of economic protest. With a country built on capitalism and economic freedom, Americans see the value of taking economic action against those who don’t play fairly or break the law”. Then that site says, “Activists say that it encourages people to pause to reflect on what they are spending and the environmental and ethical consequences of what they are buying”. One misguided soul lamented the Omei closing and she said “the mob ruled”…I call it democracy and a positive demonstration of the will of the people who care where their money is spent.
CORRECTING THE RECORD
Three unrelated topics recently caught my eye. Each contains misleading content. Some appear intended to deceive. All need correcting before they are accepted as fact and form the basis for decisions and points of view.
The first is the statement from Sarah Latham, UCSC Vice Chancellor of Business and Administrative Services in a recent letter to the editor in the Sentinel on the topic of student impact on the local housing shortage. Dr. Latham notes that the provision of 3000 new on-campus bed spaces, which are expected to be built and fully available by 2022, will relieve the student pressure on the local rental housing market. She says this is good news for the community. Since many have criticized UCSC’s failure to provide sufficient on campus housing, such information blunts criticism and at first glance does seem a significant step forward. What Dr. Latham neglects to include in her letter is that only 900 of the 3000 beds will truly be additional bed space. The other 2100 will be bed space for those occupying converted lounges and converted doubles into triples. This is according to the manager overseeing the project and was shared with the public that is the four of us who attended the scoping meeting on the project. “Decanting the pressure” on existing facilities was how the 2100 bed distribution was described. And since UCSC continues to add students, by 2022, the 3000 additional beds will at best maintain the current stranglehold on the local rental housing market rather than in any way offering any relief. Since Dr. Latham was described as having “great skills and an inexhaustible enthusiasm for UCSC” when she was hired, one can assume she knows full well that her statement is misleading.
The next is a line item in the survey of 400 residents conducted by the city in the context of a possible quarter cent city sales tax increase that may be placed on the ballot for a vote. I tend to oppose all sales tax increases with rare exceptions since they are a regressive form of taxation impacting disproportionally those at the lowest economic levels. That, plus the fact that the city keeps padding at the top level of management at very high salaries, keeps hiring consultants for all sorts of projects but puts on a poor man’s cap when there’s a budget shortfall and claims that all sorts of vital services will be cut unless the sales tax is approved. The one liner that caught my eye is the entry that asks respondents if they think the following need was one they could very strongly support, strongly support or not support. The need described is to fix the “damaged and deteriorating municipal wharf infrastructure.” Of course most respondents checked the first two categories and who wouldn’t with images of crumbling wharf pilings evoked by such wording. What deceit! The city well knows from its own engineering study paid for by federal funds obtained by phony claims of tsunami damage to the wharf that the wharf, including its pilings is in excellent condition with only 5% of the pilings needing replacement and funds have already been secured for that work. And if the surface road needs repair, that is part of ongoing maintenance and should be paid from the $26 million annual profit that the wharf businesses generate. Besides Don’t Morph the Wharf! perhaps we need to add Don’t Fool the Public!
The final topic that stood out for me is an entry in Stephen Kessler’s otherwise fine piece titled “An Open Letter To White Supremacists” in the August 26 edition of the Sentinel. Mr. Kessler writes: “Races have been mixing in this country since the Indians welcomed the British immigrants, and since the first Africans were brought in chains as slaves, and since the Spanish mated with indigenous Mexicans and settled the Southwest.” The words “mixing” and “mating” could not be more misleading and betray the all too common ignorance of the systematic, condoned brutalization and rape of indigenous and African women at the hands of the conquering European colonial males. The attempt to erase from history the global and systemic rape of girls and women needs correction whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.
~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.
They Partied Like It Was 2017 Cafe Pergolesi’s front door slammed shut just before midnight on Saturday, August 26th. But it did not go gently into that good night. Nope, not the Perg crowd. The evening was a final sweaty, throat-clearing, song and tears-filled dance jam. As more than 500 crammed into the old Dr. Miller’s building one last time to hear the sometimes smooth and sometimes ear-piercing band of Perg’s longtime barista, Hiram Coffee, few believed what they were witnessing. The twenty-five year-long run (Started in the old Bookshop SC courtyard, remember?! where the Penny University began too!) of Cafe Pergolesi was winding down. This was it. The oldsters and youngsters, some heavily tattooed, others sporting hipster beards and multiple piercings showed up one last time to pay homage, dance, receive free Rebecca’s cookies, drink one last beer from a pirate keg, and just share stories with friends and strangers about what Pergolesi meant to this town. Was the event really a harbinger cog in the capitalist wheel running over Santa Cruz? What most present understood too well was that along with Logos bookstore, Pergolesi was yet another casualty of “$the market$.” While the ribbon-cutting at the 106-room Broadway Hyatt hotel will soon take place, and the 95 $market-rate$ condos at the end of Pacific nears completion, some at this cafe-wake suspected more condos coming here to the Cedar Street corner, while others said the old Victorian house would likely come down to provide some more surface parking for SC Warrior fans. Ahh, Surf City is riding one of its most gnarly socio-economic waves in recent memory. With the loses mounting up for bohemian Santa Cruzanos I offer below some upcoming events where you can get involved, get (or stay) active, and let your voice be heard about the kind of city you want to live in.
Not Without Your Voice
Get out your calendar. Here are the dates you should be aware of…and either write a letter, an email, or come out to a meeting and express your First Amendment rights by advocating and commenting on the kind of Santa Cruz you want help create. The city you see today is not necessarily the city that developers, the UC Regents, 1960’s conservatives, and real estate-mongers somehow bequeathed us. It took work to create and preserve Lighthouse Field, Wilder Ranch, the Pogonip, Del Mar Theatre, the Moore Creek Uplands, Tannery Arts Center, contra-flow bike lanes, keeping Santa Cruz Shakespeare in Santa Cruz, passing a Sanctuary City ordinance, and support for a killer Museum of Art and History (MAH). We can do more, but not without more community voices. Will we continue to bleed more Logos and Pergolesi’s, or can we work now to create the kind of future we want to live in? Protectionist? Activist? Socially just? A movable feast celebrating diversity?
Sept. 8th–LAST day to comment on Downtown Recovery Plan Draft EIR, http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/planning-and-community-development-2/environmental-documents
Sept. 9th—Mayor Cynthia Chase is at the MAH to discuss, what else? HOUSING, at 10a.m.
Sept. 12th, There will be an official Santa Cruz City Council meeting. Agenda items may include Marijuana dispensary licensing
Sept. 12th—SC4Bernie Meeting will be at the Live Oak Grange, 1900 7th Ave., 6p. The Bernies, like the Indivisibles, are not mourning, they’re organizing.
Sept. 13th—Downtown Library (Garage?) Committee meets upstairs at the library, 6pm to decide how to spend the $23 million library bond money and whether to include it in a parking garage atop the downtown Farmer’s Market. You help decide.
Sept. 21st–Santa Cruz Planning Commission, 7p, City Council Chambers. Agenda items include–limiting, or expanding, MHCAN’s hours of operation. MHCAN is one of the only peer-to-peer mental health programs we have in the city. It works and it’s being threatened.
Sept. 22nd–“Downtown Engagement” Event put on by the Downtown Association for “stakeholders” is said to be a $100 per head affair on the old Thrift Center store site, downtown.
Sept 23rd—Santa Cruz Indivisible’s “Political Art” event will be on Cooper Street, 2-6p.m.
Sept. 26th–Another official Santa Cruz City Council meeting. Agenda items may include a decision on STVR’s–Short-Term Vacation Rentals.
Sept. 28th—Santa Cruz Planning Commission meeting, items may include: Downtown Recovery Plan amendments to change building heights and densities in downtown SC.
Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25–Brown Bag housing discussions at city hall, noon
Oct. 14th—Santa Cruz City Council meeting, agenda items may include closing the inclusionary loophole on planned developments, i.e. demanding developers build the 15% affordable units in every project.
October 15-24, SANTA CRUZ HOUSING “WEEK,” stay tuned! Workshops, speakers and rallies…
Nov. 14th—Santa Cruz City Council meeting, agenda items may include: Downtown Recovery Plan amendments to change building heights and densities in downtown SC.
ALSO, COMING to the city council in November and December–40-unit condo project at 1930 Ocean Street Extension, a possible housing bond ballot measure, the Parks Master Plan, UCSC Long Range Development Plan meeting schedule…and discussions of why rents are too damn high in this town and what WE can do about it!
Fun Stuff that Will Help You Recharge Your Activist Involvement Batteries.
Aug. 31-Sept. 3rd, will be the Santa CruzShakespeare final performances of 2017. I’ve seen them all and they are terrific…39 Steps is my favorite, really funny if you like slapstick comedy. www.santacruzshakespeare.org
Aug. 31st-Sept. 3rd–The real, super, spectacular grand opening, with a few plants too, of Abbott Square at the MAH, 5p. https://santacruzmah.org/
Sept. 9 and 10–Free SF Mime Troupe at San Lorenzo Park, music begins at 2:30 p.m , performance is at 3p. http://www.sfmt.org/schedule/
And don’t forget, you can get involved with all the groups working on AFFORDABLE HOUSING. They include: Santa Cruz Tenant’s Rights, Affordable Housing Now, SC Organizing Circle, SC4Bernie, and Students United with Renters (SUR).
Finally, an Open Letter to my Colleagues on the Santa Cruz City Council
“Tequila Festival and San Lorenzo Park’s Houseless”
Dear Mayor and Fellow City Councilmembers,
I am perplexed. I’ve recently received three inquiries about the “Tequila Festival” taking place this (past) weekend in San Lorenzo Park. Forgive me, but I do not recall this item coming up before the city council for approval during these past eight months. (Perhaps last year’s council approved it?)
An issue two constituents wanted to bring to my attention was about the displacement of the people who sleep in the park nightly, between 50-100 individuals do so – they said. The indigent people were simply ordered to leave and not directed to any other area where they could be, no alternative shelter space was mentioned when the “Tequila Festival” fencing was erected Thursday afternoon. “The fences just went up,” one of them told me.
We need to fund a 24/7 shelter as soon as possible, not just in winter, but year-round. It could be an entry point to direct the houseless to other services as well. We really need to stop the presses. Stop what we’re doing. Perhaps delay downtown development, wharf and civic auditorium remodels, and stop the library-garage projects’ work flow and FIRST, find shelter for the most vulnerable among us. I believe this is our duty as councilmembers.
I stand ready to work with all of you on finding housing for our homeless population. I am open to hearing about timelines, sites, funding sources, and discussions with county officials. I know I am not the only one of us feeling this urgency, I just wanted to emphasize this aspect, perhaps most significant, that homeless people are the most vulnerable population in our Santa Cruz housing crisis puzzle.
Sincerely, Chris Krohn
~Bernie quote of the Week: “By pardoning Sheriff Arpaio, President Trump has once again made clear where he stands: on the side of racism and discrimination”.
Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
A STATE TAX ON DRINKING WATER? Senator Bill Monning wants to impose a first-ever drinking water tax with his SB 623, under the pretense of bringing in over $100 million in new funding for water improvements for disadvantaged communities suffering from nitrate in their wells. Bill Monning says the General Fund is just not a reliable fund source. In my opinion, this is nothing more than a money grab to benefit big water business, such as CalAm, pad the state coffers, exempt polluters and gouge the common people for life-sustaining water.
SB 623 would ALSO tax all fertilizer materials (“fertilizer fee”) and tax all milk produced (“dairy fee”) and allow voluntary contributions, gifts, settlements, grants and bequests to go to the Safe & Affordable Drinking Water Fund. Hmmm…
In exchange for these new taxes, SB 623 PROHIBITS the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) or Regional Water Quality Control Boards from specified enforcement actions against ag operations FOR EXCEEDING NITRATE GROUNDWATER OBJECTIVES OR OTHER GROUNDWATER POLLUTION STANDARDS as specified “if the operation demonstrates certain mitigation requirements are met, INCLUDING TIMELY PAYMENT OF FERTILIZER OR DAIRY FEE UNTIL 1/1/2033.” Senator Monning’s bill states the ag operations are entitled to “receive SWRCB enforcement relief”.
Read that shocking bit of verbiage yourself on page 4, ‘Polluter Pays Principle’, here in the 8/22/2017 bill analysis
The proposed legislation is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee until hearing on September 1, 2017. Because of recess, the actual text of the bill will only be available in print three days before it goes to hearing. Isn’t that handy? It imposes a 95 cents per month tax on all metered and unmetered customers of public water systems and up to $10/month for customers with larger diameter service connections. It exempts low income customers, fire flow and non-potable uses (aka, recycled water) until July 1, 2020.
SB 623 would allow the SWRCB to take charge of administering these new taxes after July 1, 2020, at which time, in working with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the tax rates could double. It would also REQUIRE that the tax rate be increased regularly, but maintain exemption for low income customers.
The stated intent is to raise money for funding system improvements for communities with nitrate problems, but nothing is mentioned about stopping the pollution and in fact, allows without impunity the ability of ag operations to continue to pollute as long as the tax monies roll in to the State. However, SB 623 would require all public water systems to submit an updated map of the aquifer in areas of high risk of contaminant levels above drinking water standards.
Groundwater mapping is expensive…what will that requirement accomplish other than digging a deeper financial hole for small water agencies already struggling to meet the increasing number of tests and reports to file with the State. This fits nicely with the State’s MANDATORY CONSOLIDATION OF SMALL WATER AGENCIES that I discussed here last week.
So, here is how I see all this fitting together: Senator Monning’s SB 623 would bring in over $100 million/year on the backs of the common people, fund CalAm and the likes to get free money to acquire struggling small water agencies, and allow big ag operations to pollute without any worry of the State enforcing the laws that would stop them. Now do you understand why SB 623 has support of the ag and dairy industries?
Oh, and after July 1, 2020, SB 623 would allow the SWRCB to adopt all water fee regulations as EMERGENCY REGULATIONS, which means environmental reviews, analyses and maybe even public process would be waived. Does SB 623 seem like a good idea to you? If not, you need to speak out and let your thoughts be known as soon as possible. Contact members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee by this Friday, September 1. http://apro.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff
For questions about the analysis of SB 623, contact Approppriations Committee Deputy Chief Consultant Ms. Jennifer Galehouse 916-319-2081 Assembly Appropriations Committee, State Capitol, Room 2114, Sacramento, CA 95814 FAX 916-319-2181
According to the article in the Mercury News, Senator Bill Monning has support of Republican Senator Andy Vidak from the Central Valley, also a cherry farmer. “This is very, very important to my constituents,” he said. “This is one of the most important things in my district.” Hmmm….sounds like he might be taking a cue from Trump’s profound Tweets.
SPEAKING OF SOIL CONTAMINATION…COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS CONTINUES TO STALL APTOS VILLAGE TRAFFIC AND STRAIN EXISTING LOCAL BUSINESSES
What IS going on??? Still no public information from Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works about why the Aptos Village road work has been stalled for two months without explanation. Here is the only source of information for the public.
The County has not updated the site in five weeks and yet this is the source promised by Supervisor Zach Friend publicly to be maintained for public information updates. NADA!! The interactive blogs have not received any County answers in nearly a month. The Village merchants and residents beyond are tired of the disruption that is making life difficult.
We can thank the County Public Works folks for not considering the possibility of soil contamination associated with railroad bed soils to even add that little detail into the project bid description. Apparently, the contractor, John Madonna Construction of San Luis Obispo, did not check into the detail either, and excavated soil for the inbound #71 Metro bus stop relocation site. Thankfully, County Environmental Health staff was paying attention and required testing in the small mountain of soil that John Madonna Construction had stockpiled on the Aptos Village Project construction site ( on top of the buried 1880’s railroad turntable and near the Bayview Hotel).
Here is a recent judgment announcement that was quickly rescinded:
LOCAL BUILDERS TO PAY $125,000 SETTLEMENT IN THE MISHANDLING AND DISPOSAL OF AN UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK AND HAZARDOUS WASTE Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey S. Rosell, announced today that the Santa Cruz County Superior Court has ordered Green Valley Corporation dba Barry Swenson Builders, Inc., to pay $125,000 as part of a settlement of a civil-environmental prosecution.
According to the District Attorneys’ complaint filed with the Courts, Barry Swenson Builders unlawfully handled and disposed of an underground storage tank and related hazardous waste on March 1, 2016. This information was identified during inspections conducted by investigators from the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency – Environmental Health Division at a construction site at Aptos Village in which Barry Swenson Builders was acting as the general contractor.
Under the Court order, Barry Swenson Builders must pay $115,000 in civil penalties, $435 in court fees, and $9,565 to reimburse the costs of the investigation, designed to prevent Barry Swenson Builders from committing similar violations in the future.
Prosecutor Ed Browne indicated that Barry Swenson Builders cooperated throughout the investigation and quickly responded to enhance their policies and procedures designed to eliminate the improper disposal of underground storage tanks and hazardous wastes at its construction sites.
District Attorney Rosell stated “Today’s settlement is a significant victory in our effort to hold businesses accountable for any unlawful actions, and in protecting the environment and the citizens of Santa Cruz County.”
Well, the tests of the County’s project along Soquel Drive showed indeed the soils were contaminated with arsenic and several other pollutants. Good thing Barry Swenson Builder and Pete Testorff had not yet smeared the contaminated soils all over the site, as was done with the diesel contamination soils near Granite Way. But wait, Public Works sort of followed in Barry’s footsteps by hauling off the contaminated railroad bed soils to a land fill that is not registered to accept those contaminated soils, and did not even bother to notify County Environmental Health staff supervising the remediation efforts. Hmmmm….
Meanwhile, Aptos Village continues to be gridlocked and torn-up. Barry Swenson Builder regularly stops and delays traffic to chew through Trout Gulch Road to install storm water drains leading to Trout Creek and Valencia Creek. Where is the County-required construction notice signage with delay dates and a disturbance coordinator number? It is indeed difficult to decide who is the most arrogant and egregious about disregarding the law…Barry Swenson Builder or County Public Works (cuddled by County Administrative Officers Mauriello and Palacios and Supervisor Zach Friend)?
Well, maybe an El Nino will wash everything away into the Bay and we can all just breathe a sigh of relief (except if you’re on Granite Way, you’ll cough and sputter because there is NO DUST CONTROL THERE).
TRC RETAIL READY TO TERMINATE LEASES FOR EXISTING MERCHANTS SOON.
Sad but true, according to Mr. Bruce Walton, TRC Retail hopes to begin remodel work in October and plans to “terminate leases of some of those businesses who are struggling”. He insisted no one will be evicted…I guess that’s different than terminating a lease? The list is confidential but Mr. Walton did divulge that Erik’s Deli will close for a complete interior remodel project. The entire $10 million remodel project will take 12 months to complete.
Where will those existing businesses go? How will those merchants be able to handle relocation during the busy holiday shopping season? I asked Mr. Walton if the remodel project could be postponed until January. “No.” Will there be any reduced rents? “Lease renewals will be evaluated on an individual tenant basis.” Why are the tenants not receiving any communication about the remodel schedule and plans? “Well, TRC is aware there have been problems. We have gone through turnover of three different people who are supposed to be in charge of front line communication, but we have just hired a new person.” Oh, what is that person’s name? “Shannan. I don’t have her last name with me, but tenants will be hearing from her soon.” (Uh-oh!)
Can the theater space be restored to a performing arts venue, modeling from the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz?
“Our sources tell us the Rio is a labor of love by a benefactor who loses money. If you can find a benefactor that could pay the rent, we would consider the idea, and could probably figure a way around the use restriction of the permit.”
IS THERE A BENEFACTOR IN THE HOUSE? Is there anyone who would be be willing and able to take on the project of developing a performing arts/conference space at the former Aptos Cinema, maybe on the Rio or Kuumbwa Center models? If so, please contact Bruce Walton, BWalton@trcretail.com
FIRE SERVICE VELO RIDES THROUGH TOWN, RAISING CANCER AWARENESS
Last week, a team of 21 firefighters bicycled through with a mission to raise public awareness about the unusually high cancer rates throughout the fire service. The Register-Pajaronian’s excellent coverage reported a very sobering statistic:
“In the fire service industry, some 63 percent of firefighters are being diagnosed with some form of cancer, said Cindy Ell, founder and president of Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation, Inc.” 63%??? Wow. The riders began in Sausalito and ended 484 miles later at the Santa Monica pier. Each rider raised at least $1000 to support firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Make sure to wave heartily at the women and men who are true public servants in fire and emergency response.
METRO BUS RIDERS AND DRIVERS PROTEST CEO’S 10% PAY INCREASE AMIDST ROUTE CUTS AND STALLED DRIVER PAY INCREASES
I attended the Santa Cruz Metro Board meeting last Friday (8/25) because I wanted to remind them that the Aptos Village #71 Inbound bus stop relocation is a taxpayer-funded project to benefit the Aptos Village Project, is not necessary, and is not ADA-compliant. I was greeted by a crowd of SEIU 521 workers protesting the 10% pay increase the Metro Board unanimously approved in closed session for CEO Mr. Alex Clifford.. Here is a link to the Sentinel article
The 2016-17 County Grand Jury report discusses the budget and other problems that Metro has experienced: The “FY 2017 & FY 2018 Budget” states that even with anticipated revenue from Measure D the district will return to a structural deficit in FY 2019.
At last Friday’s Board meeting, members declared there are glaring inaccuracies in the Grand Jury Report, but did not elaborate. Look for their upcoming responses
Clifford would become the district’s CEO/general manager under a new six-step schedule that starts at $172,000 and tops out at $220,000. He would start at step two, which pays $181,000.”
When Mr. Clifford was hired on by Santa Cruz Metro in 2015, he was given a healthy pay step-increase built-in with time. Although he declined that increase last year, along with the bus drivers in SEIU 521, he accepted double the step increase this year and the Board conducted that pay raise increase behind closed doors. “No one spoke out at the June meeting about Mr. Clifford doing an unsatisfactory job, so we had to approve a step increase associated with his evaluation.” said County Supervisor John Leopold.
Metro CEO was adamant that the report was full of glaring inaccuracies, but did not elaborate. Stay tuned for those official responses on the Grand jury website.
OVERSIGHT, ANYONE? The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Board met August 17 and discussed, among other things, the formation of the Measure D Oversight Committee. Here is the link to that agenda packet that contains applications for the members of the public to volunteer. (page 32)
While you are browsing that, make sure to look through the proposed projects that will inhale the projected $4.5 million supplied this year by SB 1 funds (page 17). Do you think we will ever see those bicycle/pedestrian bridges over Highway 1 that County Supervisor Zach Friend promised years ago when first elected? Let’s cut him slack…he has been busy helping Barry Swenson Builder at the Aptos Village Project and flashing big smiles for the cameras at Valencia Road’s temporary bridge….
ONE QUICK FLASH ON YOUR DNA, PLEASE
The Mercury News featured an article last Sunday (page B1) about the passage of the Rapid DNA Act that will allow law enforcement, under FBI guidelines, to collect DNA samples from everyone arrested, even though they are not convicted of a crime. That will greatly increase the data base of DNA identification information, and understandably has civil rights organizations worried. I am worried, too.
One has only to be arrested or maybe even stopped by a law enforcement officer. The swab of your cheek collects the data, which is then sent to companies such as Pleasanton-based IntegenX and one can be detained (or not) until the results come back in 90 minutes.
Somehow, I just cannot believe information like that would be used for anything good.
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.
I was very happy to read the name of Zeynep Tufekci in a recent New Yorker article, “Is There Any Point to Protesting?” As you will see if you click the Tufekci link, above, I have long thought that Tufekci has a very accurate understanding of what it actually takes to make a revolution. Most recently, she has published a book on the subject.
Tufekci’s prescription is the same prescription that Hannah Arendt identified in her book, On Revolution, and that Margaret Mead has captured in a quote that everyone (I hope) will recognize:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
The New Yorker article, by Nathan Heller, quotes Tufekci extensively on what is needed to achieve real political change. Ad hoc, large scale protests won’t do it (at least not by themselves). That is her main point:
The missing ingredients, Tufekci believes, are the structures and communication patterns that appear when a fixed group works together over time. That practice puts the oil in the well-oiled machine. It is what contemporary adhocracy appears to lack, and what projects such as the postwar civil-rights movement had in abundance. And it is why, she thinks, despite their limits in communication, these earlier protests often achieved more.
Tufekci describes weeks of careful planning behind the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott, in 1955. That spring, a black fifteen-year-old named Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on a bus and was arrested. Today, though, relatively few people have heard of Claudette Colvin. Why? Drawing on an account by Jo Ann Robinson, Tufekci tells of the Montgomery N.A.A.C.P.’s shrewd process of auditioning icons. “Each time after an arrest on the bus system, organizations in Montgomery discussed whether this was the case around which to launch a campaign,” she writes. “They decided to keep waiting until the right moment with the right person.” Eventually, they found their star: an upstanding, middle-aged movement stalwart who could withstand a barrage of media scrutiny. This was Rosa Parks.
In other words, if we are serious about making real and significant political changes (and that is how we create the world we inhabit), we need to organize ourselves in small groups, decide that we will plan on how to take real power, mobilize the resources that will allow us to implement our plan, and then work unremittingly, persistently, until we have succeeded. Generally speaking, the time required is measured in whole lifetimes. That’s what it means to be “serious.”
Protests in the street? That can be good, but that’s an activity, not a plan.
Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. It’s Fall again and welcome back students…scroll below and check out DeCinzo’s take on our influx!!
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. You should be itching to see Eagan’s “Crab Louse Trump” 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: “Jeff Bridges has way too much fun as an irascible old Yoda, mentoring a footloose young man in the school of life, in The Only Living Boy In New York, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Also, discover the evocative and fanciful pastels of my Beauty and the Beast illustrator of the month, Binette Schroeder (as the countdown to my own Beast book continues)!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
WHOSE STREETS. A brilliant well done documentary with a 98 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s about the Ferguson, Missouri riots following the killing of teenager Michael Brown. It’s important that all us liberals see this film…especially since we think we know all there is to know about race relations. We don’t. It has many well placed interviews with participants from all angles. See it before Thursday. ENDS THURSDAY AUGUST 31
ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK. Most critics didn’t like this New York City family drama…I think it’s one of the finest films I’ve seen all year. It stars Jeff Bridges, Kate Beckinsale, Pierce Brosnan and Cynthia Nixon (from Sex and The City). The tricky, intelligent plot revolves around a teen ager growing up in a family with complications. See it before Thursday…please??ENDS THURSDAY AUGUST 31
GOOD TIME. One of the darkest, mean spirited films of the decade. Robert Pattinson (“Twilight” star) does all he can to get his demented brother out of jail. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the old mentally disturbed girl friend. It’s not exciting or meaningful but it does have some excellently hand- held filmed scenes. Not my kind of movie by any means.
INGRID GOES WEST. It’s being billed as a dark comedy, and I didn’t laugh once. A deranged teen ager is totally hooked and dependent on any and all social media…especially her iPhone. She haunts and threatens her equally nutty celebrity heroine and it all takes place in around and about Venice Beach. I suggest you skip this one. I didn’t forget any star names there aren’t any.
WIND RIVER. Jeremy Renner and young beauty Elisabeth Olsen track down a killer on an Indian Reservation in the very cold Wyoming winter. Much better than average, you’ll stay with the plot and quite decent acting…all the way. It males some obvious social comment along the way, and that works too. The conclusion is a bit crude and drunken, but Renner is almost always worth watching.
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January).
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
MAUDIE. A 90 on Rotten Tomatoes and Sally Hawkins plus Ethan Hawke play a severely crippled arthritic and her cruel, stubborn husband…and it’s a true story. The film is sad, poignant, heart gripping and maybe even mawkish. Other than some fine acting by all involved I’m not sure why they made this film, or why you might enjoy it. Me? I’m not sure if I did.
ENDS THURSDAY AUGUST 31
THE GLASS CASTLE. Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts and especially Brie Larson bring this autobiographical life story to the screen. “Dysfunctional family” doesn’t come close to describing their family problems. The problem is that Woody Harrelson almost always plays exactly Woody Harrelson (as do John Goodman,Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) He’s an incurable drunk and takes his family on his 100’s of trips through hell. It qualifies as a sob story except that Brie Larsen is just mesmerizing and perfect in the role. Plus you have to believe that Naomi Watts is an old wrinkled mountain woman married for life to Woody. ! Go see it and bring a hanky.
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
SPIDERMAN:HOMECOMING. Michael Keaton completely steals every movie he’s ever made and he sure does playing an evil “Vulture” in this latest version of the web spinner (there have been at least 13 versions of Spidey on TV and the movies!!) Spidey is a high school student with Teresa Tomei as his mom. Robert Downey jr. is back as Iron Man. It doesn’t matter much but Gwyneth Paltrow is in it too. It’s a little better than most of the Marvel Comics hero movies but not much.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE DARK TOWER. How can a movie from books by Stephen King, and produced by Ron Howard, and which stars Mathew McConaughey and Idris Alba be so bad?? (18 on RT). It’s intergalactic, bloody, complexly stupid plot…and it’s filmed mostly in the dark. That saves tons of money spent on special effects. McConaughey is the bad guy and Alba is the good guy, in case somebody forces you to go. It’s more depressing than watching Fox news!!
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. On August 29 The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Marilet Martinez tells us about their 9/9, 9/10 performances here. She’s followed by UCSC Astrobiologist and author David Deamer talking about new theories on the Origin Of Life . September 5 has Lisa Hadley and Davis Banta previewing their Quality Of Life play. Then therapist Alexandra Kennedy talks about her Awakening to Life In Transition retreat. UCSC’s Gary Griggs discusses his newest book, “Coasts In Crisis” on Sept.12. Then Patricia Rain talks about her 2nd annual Vanilla Festival. Jane Mio from the San Lorenzo River Mysteries group starts the hour on Sept.19. September 26 has Conductor, artistic director Michel Singher talking about the next Espressivo Orchestra Concert happening Oct.15. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
BBC3 did this whole series of “Things Not To Say To…” You should check some of them out; they vary from humorous to very thought provoking.
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. “SEPTEMBER” “That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air … Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer”,Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose “We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost”. Heny Rollins “My favourite poem is the one that starts ‘Thirty days hath September’ because it actually tells you something”, Groucho Marx
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Highlights this week: KU KLUX SUPPORTER IN SANTA CRUZ…New buildings coming on Pacific…Greensite on vacation…Krohn about Housing issues, City poll results, City employees salaries…Steinbruner tells Soquel Creek Water has no answers, Bulldozing another historic house, Soquel’s Washington DC lobbyist, CalAm swinging in SCTO…Patton relates Liberal Democracy…DeCinzo deals with dogs…Eagan and Snacking…Jensen and Wind River…I critique Logan Lucky, Wind River and The Hitman’s Bodyguard….Quotes on Eclipses.
PACIFIC AND COOPER STREETS 1894. That’s what fires used to do to our downtown when it was mostly built of wood. Note the Town Clock made it through unscathed on top of the IOOF building on the far right.
JOHN KELLY LISTENING TO PRES. TRUMP. An expert interprets Chief of Staff John Kelly’s body moves as he listens.
ANTIQUE SURPRISE. This apartment has not opened since 1939. A true, if unintentional, time capsule. Look at these photographs; they are amazing!
DATELINE August 21, 2017
SANTA CRUZ CHECKUP LIST. Somehow we never seem to hear about projects like these. Watch for them…they’re in the works…
The boarded up building next to the Catalyst on Pacific will most likely be torn down and 17 units built there. They’ll come complete with earplugs to drown out Catalyst noise!
The remaining earthquake hole on Pacific next to Lulu Carpenters is being pushed for 79 expensive condos. Nope, none will be affordable or even middle income…it’s a Barry Swenson project and yes that historic tree on Cedar Street will have to go…so it will all “pencil out”.
SANTA CRUZAN ROGER GRIGSBY SUPPORTING DAVID DUKE & THE KU KLUX KLAN.
We should thank IndyMedia, Linda Carson and some good folks for doing the research and letting us know that Roger Grigsby of The Omei Restaurant contributed $500 to David Duke the head of the Ku Klux Klan just last year when he ran for U.S. Senate. There wasn’t time to check out Grigsby’s entire local career, but he was also one of the major supporters of the Republican student newspaper on the UCSC campus. Some folks told me that he has sold the Omei Restaurant that he opened out on Mission. His wife April Shen owns Shen’s Gallery at the other end of the Omei Restaurant shopping strip.
A few years (17) ago I wrote this weekly column in The Metro….check it out. It’s full of Santa Cruz political history… you can read about Scott Kennedy, Cynthia Mathews, Mike Rotkin, Arnie Leff, Dan Dickmeyer, Sandy Brown, and where their support was way back then. Among other items it says..
METRO NEWSPAPER September 13-20, 2000 issue NEW NOODLES. Now that Shen’s Gallery has left the Redtree building on Pacific and moved into the old Linda Vista market building out on Mission Street a few doors down from Omei Restaurant, Omei is going to open a noodle shop in the Shen’s Gallery place on Pacific, next to Artisan’s. Roger Grigsby, who owns Omei (and funded the right-wing newspaper on the UCSC campus) is married to April Shen, which explains the coincidental moves”. If you’ve got recent data on R. Grigsby send it to me, and we’ll share.
Gillian’s taking a week off…and swears it’ll only be a week!
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild).
Imagine Affordable Housing, Houselessness, and UCSC Growth, Oh My!
The three issues I heard about most during the city council campaign from August to November of 2016 were the lack of affordable housing, the overall community sense that we need to do more for our burgeoning homeless and houseless population, and UCSC growth. Nothing else really even came close, although farther down the issues list were petty crime (car break-ins and bike theft), too much traffic, and concerns for the future of downtown. The recent poll the city paid for underscores these concerns, except, and it’s a pretty big EXCEPTION; any university growth issue questions seem to have been omitted.
Housing, or Lack Thereof Imagine there’s no affordable housing, it’s easy to do. As the city council went “dark” in July, it seems that the Bregman & Associates polling firm was burning the midnight oil and running another number, er, poll on the residents under the direction of the Santa Cruz city manager’s office. The staff report for item #21 on this week’s city council agenda notes that the twenty-minute survey was administered to 400 Santa Cruzanos, “likely voters.”Well, Bregman & Associates were paid thousands in city resident’s
With S.C. County Supervisor John Leopold and his nephew recently, aboard the peace ship, “The Golden Rule.”
semolians (love that word!) to tell us what most of us experience every day: 1) there’s not enough housing to go around, 2) the cost of living in Surf City is too damn high compared to the meager wages paid to “most” of us (see below), and 3) the traffic is currently unbearable (and about to get worse when the 600 more approved hotel rooms come on-line). Did we have to pay for a poll to tell us this, you wonder? Me too.
According to this survey, 92% of the 400 polled either thought the cost of living here “very serious[ly]” or “somewhat serious[ly]” out of whack…with? wages? housing costs? The boardwalk all-day wristband price? It was hard to tell. Eighty-four percent thought “traffic congestion” was a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” issue…and if that is not enough, 92% also thought the subject of housing “for people who work here” is “very serious” or “somewhat serious.” Funny thing though, while 86% said it was “important” or “somewhat important” to provide AFFORDABLE HOUSING, I could find nowhere in the poll results where respondents were clamoring for more market-rate housing. Surprise! And guess what? Not many folks said parking (19%)–read library with four-story garage overhead–or remodeling the civic auditorium (17%) were very “important” issues confronting our city right now. BUT, 46% said that there is a “very serious” lack of “not enough services for homeless people.” Wow! Is our Santa Cruz city staff and council listening?
This poll was a rather boiler plate affair, but nonetheless, there are interesting tidbits of information if you look at it closely. Perhaps the most startling poll number came in near the end of the 58 questions disguised to look like fourteen…it was almost like a throw-away question: “Are you, or is anyone in your immediate family either a student at, or employed by UC Santa Cruz?” A whopping 76% said, “NO.” And guess what? This was the ONLY question I could find on this survey concerning the 18,783 (sure to be over 19,000 this fall)-pound elephant sitting in the Santa Cruz living room.
Poll footnote: When you combine the “Excellent” and “Good” respondents’ comments, the Fire Department gets a “B+,” while the Police receive a “D” grade. Of course, City Guv. as a whole, gets a failing grade (54%) from our 400 likely voters.
Note: According to this web site, students living in a single room with a 7-day meal plan pay $2,021. This is likely more than double what students living off-campus pay for housing. Feeling pushed out yet? Is it any wonder so many students want to get off campus to find housing?
READ ‘EM AND WEEP DEPARTMENT.. What to know what some Santa Cruz city employees made in 2016:
Position
total pay
total compensation
Fire Battalion Chief
$248,715
$345,534
Fire Chief
$202,333
$259,519
Fire Captain
$218,126
$297,968
City Manager
$235,000
$269,517
Assistant City Manager
$206,646
$264,611
Fire Division Chief
$226,000
$319,566
Police Chief
$211,361
$283,280
Police Sergeant
$179,675
$255,628
Human Resources Dir.
$175,316
$227,075
Note: Out of the top 50 highest paid Santa Cruz city employees, only three are women.
(Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council).
“YOU CAN ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU WANT…BUT YOU CAN’T DEMAND ANY ANSWERS.”
Those were the words of Soquel Creek Water District Board Vice President Mr. Bruce Daniels at last Tuesday’s Board meeting when a customer wanted to know more about an illegal water connection being used by construction crews in the Aptos Village Project. The customer had written the Board earlier to report the connection with no meter or backflow device to prevent system contamination. General Manager Ron Duncan responded to the letter immediately, stating “appropriate action has been taken”. (see Item 8.1 in the August 15 Board packet).
The customer wanted to know why Mr. Duncan had responded to his letter instead of the Board (and did so before the Board even met to authorize his action) and also what was meant by “appropriate action”? Mr. Duncan, upon questioning by the Board, explained that the service connection was not metered and was irregular but that the developer would “take care of things in the future.” The customer wanted to know more, but Mr. Daniels quickly silenced him by stating that if getting an answer to questions requires staff time to provide it, the customer had no right to expect an answer. The Board then hastily adjourned the meeting and went into closed session, insisting that everyone in the audience leave. I tried to ask Mr. Duncan about the illegal service connection, but he refused . I waited outside the meeting room with other equally-shocked audience members and again asked Mr. Duncan to just repeat what it was he had said about the connection earlier. He refused to speak, and quickly left the site. Shocking, isn’t it? Do you think Soquel Creek Water District really merits those Transparency Awards earlier granted? I don’t.
JUST BULLDOZE THAT HISTORIC 1890 MILLSAP HOUSE AT 2850 CAPITOLA AVENUE !!
That’s what the Soquel Creek Water District Board approved Tuesday, despite pleas from neighbors and other members of the public to offer the historic home of the prominent Millsap family and nationally-recognized artist Darrell Millsap to be saved and moved, or allow the salvage of historic materials. NOPE. One neighbor wanted to know why a backhoe had been digging adjacent to his fence early one morning without any notice? Another wanted to know what the rush is all about if the site use is not going to be determined until after the PureWater Soquel Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is complete next year? That person also wondered why the Board would choose to send the splintered house to the landfill instead of salvaging any part of it? The Board did not reply…but approved the demolition. Transparency? Hmmm….
IT WILL BE NICE TO HAVE A $44,000-FRIEND IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Still more action taken by the Soquel Creek Water District Board was to approve a contract for a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. for $44,000/year. I pointed out that the work outlined in the lobbyist contract really fell into the purview of the General Manager’s job and urged fiscal responsibility. NOPE. Contract approved. But not to worry, the anticipated 17% rate increase billed to customers will pay for it.
“WELL, IF CUSTOMERS DON’T LIKE THE RATE INCREASE…THEY CAN JUST MOVE.”
That’s what a citizen member of the Soquel Creek Water District’s Rate Payer AdvisoryCommittee said at last week’s meeting. The group (I am not sure how they were chosen) had previously been given information by Ms. Strohm, the Director of Financial Services, telling them that the rate payers are only covering 30% of the cost of capital improvements and that there are many old pipes that are now failing and need to be replaced. Based on that, the Committee felt it imperative to recommend steep rate increases but at tiered rates that customers can select, based on the amount of water use. If customers exceed that level of water use, they will be fined. If they use less, they will be given rebates at the end of the year, but the rebates will be paid at the end of the year and low water use will not be rolled over from month to month as a cushion for months when use could be higher due to temporary changes in the household (i.e., extra family or a special event).
I was amazed to hear the five members of the Committee (there were name tags prepared for about twelve) discuss how best to substantially raise customer rates. One did not know what the PureWater Soquel Project was (I passed around a sign-up sheet for a Technical Tour of the San Jose facility) and another member that I talked with afterward was not aware of the multiple high-priced outside consultants, including the Washington, D.C. lobbyist, which the District employs.
Ms. Strohm seemed to want the Committee to sign off on the proposals and disband, saying that she wanted to take their report to the Board and had not scheduled their Community Foundation meeting room into the future. The Committee asked to meet one more time to review the material before Ms. Strohm presents it to the Board. MS. STROHM ANNOUNCED LAST TUESDAY (8/15) TO THE BOARD THAT SHE WILL PRESENT THE RATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT AT THE SEPTEMBER 5 BOARD MEETING BUT THERE ARE NO COMMITTEE MEETINGS SCHEDULED BEFORE THAT. I wonder how the Committee members will review the material before it gets to the Board, as they had decided? I wonder which tiered plan Barry Swenson Builder will choose for the Aptos Village Project’s illegal connection?
WHY WERE ALL WATER PIPES IN THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT RECENTLY DUG UP AND REPLACED?
I had to ask the Water Board more than once before (gasp!) they answered. Engineer Taj DuFour replied at the strong suggestion of the Board (“We are curious about that, too” said Chairman Tom LaHue), explaining that the pipe had not been laid in the trenches to meet the District’s specifications. “At the contractor’s expense?” asked the Chairman. “Yes” replied engineer Taj Dufour. No further discussion. Really? A major flaw in a large District project, inspected by the contractor and overseen by District engineers gets no discussion before the public?
HUMAN RIGHT TO AFFORDABLE, CLEAN WATER ALLOWS STATE TO AUTHORIZE MANDATORY WATER COMPANY CONSOLIDATIONS
I attended the joint meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission and the State Water Board in Sacramento to learn more about the plan to MANDATE consolidations of small water companies with larger water providers in the area. State agency representatives presented the case that troubled small utilities simply cannot compete with the lower rates of larger utilities because of economy of scale and lack of expertise. Beside, SB 88 allows for it, all without CEQA, and the State will pay for the costs of consolidation. More than one agency representative implored that this is necessary to help disadvantaged communities and that society is responsible for all peoples’ rights to clean, affordable water.
There were a number of people from small water companies who spoke about not wanting to be consolidated, and a few larger company representatives spoke who said they did not want to be forced to assume small water companies. One citizen pointed out that this mandatory state action is unconstitutional under California Constitution Article 13 (C) and (D).
CalAm staff gave a presentation about two cases in which that large company took over small companies. One was in Monterey County. The State agency reps then THANKED CAL AM FOR BEING SO SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE AND HELPING THOSE PEOPLE. Cal Am forgot to include the part about their 79% rate increases in Monterey County. Here is a link.
CalAm is the largest investor-owned water and wastewater treatment company in the U.S., with 15 million customers in 32 states and Ontario, Canada. There are over 700,000 in California…and soon to grow. You may remember the 2008 struggle in Felton to take back local ownership of their water from the multi-nationally owned CalAm giant. Here is a link
What worries me now is that it appears the State will mandate consolidations and CalAm will benefit by taxpayer-funded subsidies to cover the costs of consolidation, waive CEQA, and upgrade system improvements, possibly including the addition of recycled water facilities (think Soquel Creek Water District’s PureWater Soquel project to inject treated sewage water into the aquifer, the local drinking water supply). Are you beginning to connect some water dots here?
The Office of Ratepayers Advocate rep, Suzie Rose, gave a presentation stating that any acquisitions of small water companies by investor-owned utilities (like CalAm) would have an annual 9%-10% rate of return BUILT-IN to the rate structure of the consildated utilities. If the acquisition is ordered, the poor rate payers have relief, BUT NOT OTHERWISE. That office recommends all consolidations be handled on a case by case basis, but the Public Utilities Commission authorizes the permit for rate collection, while the Dept of Drinking Water issues operating permits. http://www.ora.ca.gov/
Contact California Public Utilities Commission Public Advisor <public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov> OR PHONE 866-849-8390 or 415-703-2074 and ask to be placed on notification lists for this topic.
Commissioner Martha Guzman-Aceves presided over last week’s joint power workshop, along with Dee D’Adamo and Steven Morris of the State Water Board.
~
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).
Listing a number of contemporary challenges to human civilization, running from climate change to the current confrontation between the United States and North Korea, Dionne says that “the challenge to liberal democracy is far and away the most consequential question facing the world.” This is true, says Dionne, because “liberal democracy is essential for solving every other problem.” Liberal democracy, Dionne says, “assumes that history is open and that free electorates can change their minds and their governments. Oppressed groups have a right to agitate and organize against injustices, and new ways of reforming society are given room to emerge.” In other words, “liberal democracy” is the way that we can address our collective challenges and opportunities, and jointly fashion a world that meets our deepest aspirations.
For Dionne, “liberal democracy” means “a belief in governments created through free elections and universal suffrage; an independent judiciary; and guarantees of the freedoms of speech, assembly, religion and press.”
Dionne also states that “the right to private property is a characteristic of liberal societies,” and insists that “there is also an important place for social insurance, government provision of various services (education and health care among them), and rules protecting workers, consumers and the environment.” Indeed, Dionne says, “the vast inequalities that capitalism can produce when unchecked typically undermine liberal democracy, and are doing so now.”
Looked at analytically, it seems to me that Dionne too easily conflates the governmental procedures that establish democracy (free elections with universal suffrage, a free press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and an independent judiciary) with some of the accomplishments that Dionne attributes to the operations of this “liberal democracy” – things like “rules protecting workers, consumers, and the environment, and governmentally-provided health care and education.”
What counts more? The democratic procedures that Dionne lists, or the “results?” It seems pretty clear to me that Dionne is most concerned with the “results.” He fears that because the procedures that establish “liberal democracy” are not delivering acceptable results, we are on the way to discarding the procedures of free elections, a free press, free speech, freedom of religion and assembly, and an independent judiciary. Here is how he concludes his column:
When liberal democrats become arrogant and forget that governments have an obligation to create the circumstances for widespread well-being, autocrats will always be there offering security and prosperity in exchange for less freedom. Liberal democracy must be defended. It must also deliver the goods.
The “bottom line” for Dionne, is that those governing our nation (and he calls them “liberal democrats”) have allocated too much to the rich, and not enough to everyone else. Our government is serving the 1%, not the 99%, and this is putting the whole premise of our democracy in peril.
I certainly agree that the economic misallocations Dionne identifies are horrific, and I am definitely a believer in “democracy.” I am not only happy to use that word, but I am even willing to call democracy “liberal democracy,” if that makes people happy. What is most important to me, however, and even more so than “democracy,” is “self-government,” a government in which we ourselves are personally engaged.
If “liberal democracy” is in trouble around the world, as Dionne correctly suggests, one reason is that “we, the people,” those supposedly in charge of our government, are now more “governed” than “governors.” The results of recent governance have been bad, as Dionne says, but the biggest problem for us may be less with the “results” than with the ever-more obvious reality that those making decisions are not “we, the people,” but incredibly rich and powerful special interests that are governing everything, and using free elections, the free press, and free speech in the process of doing so.
Unless large numbers of ordinary men and women reengage, and become more directly and personally involved in government, neither “procedures” nor “results” will produce a commitment to the common enterprise of government that allows us to “solve every other problem.”
~Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
AFTER-ECLIPSE. 12 Key Events That Are Going To Happen Between August 21st and September 30th…plan ahead!!!
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. It’s another “Dog-Gone” great DeCinzo classic…just below a few turns…
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Eating Alone” 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: “Alias Hook becomes a meme, thanks to one enthusiastic book-blogger, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). Also life is brutal and brutalizing on a Wyoming Indian reservation, but director Taylor Sheridan makes a profoundly eloquent suspense thriller out of the material in Wind River. Read all about it in this week’s Good Times.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
WIND RIVER. Jeremy Renner and young beauty Elisabeth Olsen track down a killer on an Indian Reservation in the very cold Wyoming winter. Much better than average, you’ll stay with the plot and quite decent acting…all the way. It males some obvious social comment along the way, and that works too. The conclusion is a bit crude and drunken, but Renner is almost always worth watching.
LOGAN LUCKY. This film has just about everything that should guarantee greatness or at least give you two hours of “Good Movie”. It’s a robbery movie that takes place at the annual Coca Cola NASCAR race in Concord North Carolina. Channing Tatum isn’t very impressive, but Adam Driver steals many, many scenes with his one arm. Katie Holmes is in it too but it’s Daniel Craig who is most watchable. It’s odd and weird but Hillary Swank shows up in the last few minutes that must hint that there’ll be Logan Lucky 2. Steven Soderbergh has done better.
THE HITMANS BODYGUARD. Samuel L. Jackson probably says “motherfucker” at least 100 times in this car chase, bloody, violent flick. Audiences laugh nowadays at the violence and I have a tough time with that. Jackson is the Hit man and Ryan Reynolds is supposed to be his body guard for some reason that I slept through. Salma Hayek is supposed to be Jackson’s wife and I guess to prove it, she too says “motherfucker” at the very end of the movie. Don’t expect to enjoy Gary Oldman, because he only has about 10 lines.
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER, We should never forget that there were 22,438 Trump Voters in Santa Cruz County and they should all be allowed in free to see Al Gore’s update on Climate Warming. As you know climate warming is worse than ever. Facts, experts, news clips, common sense and a great documentary team show us just how bad itreally is right now. ENDS Thursday August 24.
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January).
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
MAUDIE. A 90 on Rotten Tomatoes and Sally Hawkins plus Ethan Hawke play a severely crippled arthritic and her cruel, stubborn husband…and it’s a true story. The film is sad, poignant, heart gripping and maybe even mawkish. Other than some fine acting by all involved I’m not sure why they made this film, or why you might enjoy it. Me? I’m not sure if I did.
THE GLASS CASTLE. Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts and especially Brie Larson bring this autobiographical life story to the screen. “Dysfunctional family” doesn’t come close to describing their family problems. The problem is that Woody Harrelson almost always plays exactly Woody Harrelson (as do John Goodman,Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) He’s an incurable drunk and takes his family on his 100’s of trips through hell. It qualifies as a sob story except that Brie Larsen is just mesmerizing and perfect in the role. Plus you have to believe that Naomi Watts is an old wrinkled mountain woman married for life to Woody. ! Go see it and bring a hanky.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was recently corrected on KZSC’s Bushwhackers Breakfast Club.
WAR ON PLANET OF THE APES. This should really be classified as an animated saga. It’s all digital ape stuff with Woody Harrelson as an evil human. It has a plot that could make you think seriously…if you can take the computer apes seriously. It could eb said to relate to the Democrats versus the Republicans. Republicans (Harrelson) want to build a wall among other plot devices and the more liberal apes just want to have peace. About 90 % of the film is centered on wars between the two forces and who will rule in the future. Better to go to one of our museums or galleries instead.
SPIDERMAN:HOMECOMING. Michael Keaton completely steals every movie he’s ever made and he sure does playing an evil “Vulture” in this latest version of the web spinner (there have been at least 13 versions of Spidey on TV and the movies!!) Spidey is a high school student with Teresa Tomei as his mom. Robert Downey jr. is back as Iron Man. It doesn’t matter much but Gwyneth Paltrow is in it too. It’s a little better than most of the Marvel Comics hero movies but not much.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen this haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE DARK TOWER. How can a movie from books by Stephen King, and produced by Ron Howard, and which stars Mathew McConaughey and Idris Alba be so bad?? (18 on RT). It’s intergalactic, bloody, complexly stupid plot…and it’s filmed mostly in the dark. That saves tons of money spent on special effects. McConaughey is the bad guy and Alba is the good guy, in case somebody forces you to go. It’s more depressing than watching Fox news!!
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. August 22 has Faisal Fazilat explaining what Ranked Choice Voting is all about…followed by Magi Amma and Danny Drysdale talking about the Santa Cruz Bernie Organization. On August 29 The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Marilet Martinez tells us about their 9/9, 9/10 performances here. She’s followed by UCSC Astrobiologist and author David Deamer talking about new theories on the Origin Of Life . September 5 has Lisa Hadley and Davis Banta previewing their Quality Of Life play. Then therapist Alexandra Kennedy talks about her Awakening to Life In Transition retreat. UCSC’s Gary Griggs discusses his newest book, “Coasts In Crisis” on Sept.12. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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. “ECLIPSE”
“Zeus, the father of the Olympic Gods, turned mid-day into night, hiding the light of the dazzling Sun; and sore fear came upon men.” Archilochus (c680-c640 BC),
“In addition to this, there is evidence for the truth of what I have stated in the observed facts with regard to total eclipses of the sun; for when the centre of the sun, the centre of the moon, and our eye happen to be in one straight line, what is seen is not always alike; but at one time the cone which comprehends the moon and has its vertex at our eye comprehends the sun itself at the same time, and the sun even remains invisible to us for a certain time, while again at another time this is so far from being the case that a rim of a certain breadth on the outside edge is left visible all round it at the middle of the duration of the eclipse. Hence we must conclude that the apparent difference in the sizes of the two bodies observed under the same atmospheric conditions is due to the inequality of their distances (at different times).” Aristotle (Greek, 384-322 BC)
“Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night. Dawn and resurrection are synonymous. The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul”, Victor Hugo
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Highlights this week: Charlottesville, The Ku Klux Klan… Red, White and Blue Beach changing owners…Cabrillo Festival and some history…Greensite on better public process for developments…Krohn in Portland plus Eugene and city politics and Faris Sabbah qualifications…Steinbruner and the Sentinel article on Aptos Village problems, Barry Swenson Builders, Rancho Del Mar and Aptos Jewelers closing, Privates Beach in Capitola, Soquel Creek Water District…Patton about Government, Trump and democracy…Eagan and a Pensive moment…DeCinzo and cyclists…Jensen reviews Step…I critique The Glass Castle, Annabelle: Creation, and The Dark Tower…Quotes about Beaches.
ORIGINAL PERGOLESI January 20, 1954. As we can see, this was once the dentist Dr. Miller’s Offices. We’ve been reading about the Pergolesi Coffee House closing. One could say it went from pain to pleasure to pain again.
GREAT SCENE FROM AMADEUS. Remember this scene?? Only historians will tell you that back then conductors didn’t stand where Mozart did…if they even had conductors!!!
TEETER TOTTER SCENES. They don’t make them like they used to…
DATELINE August 14, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE & NO FURTHER COMMENT…(from The WRAP and Yahoo News Sat. August 12, 2017)
Former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke blasted Donald Trump on Saturday for the president’s tweeted call for unity following the violent protests by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left three dead and more than 30 injured.
“I would recommend you take a good look in the mirror & remember it was White Americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists,” Duke tweeted.
A friend sent me the SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER website. It says that there’s a Neo-Nazi hate group in Santa Cruz. Go here to prove it. https://edit.splcenter.org/hate-map
If you click around you’ll find other DAILY STORMER groups (as in storm troops) in Mountain View, Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
OUR BEACHES AND THE LAW. I asked a friend to tell us what’s happening legally at the good old Red, White and Blue Beach. Here’s the reply…
IN THE NORTH COAST WIND
August 13, 2017
Ownership of Red, White and Blue Beach, our North Coast’s last accessible, privately owned beach, will be changing hands. Earlier this year, Judge Paul Burdick ordered the property sold to settle the claims of heirs to the property.
For decades, until it closed in 2008, nudists visited, paying a modest fee to stay in tents and RV’s while they swim and cavort and enjoy a dog and camera free beach. Bordered by Wilder Ranch State Park to the south and Coast Dairies State Park to the north, the property would seem to be a logical addition to the Parks portfolio. But time has shown that California State Parks doesn’t have the resources to manage the beaches, improve access, or develop any sanitary facilities to serve the hundreds of visitors who come each week to the North Coast beaches they acquired in 2006 as part of the first phase of the Coast Dairies transaction. In comparison, Red, White and Blue Beach is in pristine condition. By restricting access, the owners have prevented the ongoing onslaught of trash and graffiti that have become a feature of Santa Cruz County’s North Coast beaches since they became public, and even more visitors can be expected when access to the adjacent Monument property just inland is developed.
The Santa Cruz County Land Trust has long had their eye on the property. Time will tell if they will prevail in the planned private sale, or perhaps a wealthy individual will follow millionaire Vinod Kholsa’s example at Martin’s Beach, up the coast in San Mateo County.
The billionaire venture capitalist bought the beach property and barred visitor access, sparking an ongoing court battle over public access to the coast versus an owner’s property rights.
CABRILLO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. Christi Macelaru both impressed everybody and he too seemed to be impressed by his first season here as the conductor of the Festival orchestra. I counted over 70 members of the orchestra…and that’s huge by today’s music market. Dennis Russell Davies began teaching the Santa Cruz new music goers when he took over the Festival in 1974. He’d conduct some Beethoven and then a brand new composition and show us how they related, Marin Alsop after she got through her Leonard Bernstein period brought us dozens of living composers. Christi, using almost all of Marin’s orchestra veterans played it safe and didn’t make any big changes…and everyone seemed to like his choices.
ODD LOCAL HISTORICAL NOTE TO THE FESTIVAL. composer Christopher Rountree mentioned in his remarks to the audience that he had long time relations to sheriffs in Santa Cruz…he sure did!!! As one historical webpage states… Undersheriff Rountree and Sheriff Howard Trafton were shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man who was interfering with highway construction crews. Sheriff Trafton was able to return fire during the shootout and killed the suspect”. That was on September 5, 1925. We also now have a Santa Cruz County Jail named Santa Cruz County CA Roundtree Medium Facility after Christopher’s grandfather. More than that, The men of the Rountree family served as peace officers for nearly a century in Santa Cruz County. Go here to reads all about the Rountree family
WHEN A PROJECT IS A FAIT ACCOMPLI
Unable to attend a recent city council meeting, which approved by a slim one-vote margin, the proposed new hotel at the site of the run-down now condemned Lanai Hotel on Beach Hill, I caught a re-run on Community TV. At first sight this one seemed easy for council to vote against: a developer wishing to build a 60-room hotel to replace his current 20-room hotel at a height that will block the “breathtaking ocean-views” for the assisted living and memory care residents of Sunshine Villa, the historic Victorian directly behind and at the same height as the proposed hotel. Who would take away from an elder with dementia their view of the ocean from a facility to which they are confined? The developer, four council members and city staff, that’s who. (Brown, Watkins and Krohn voted against). What at first sight seemed an easy decision for me became more complex as the details emerged. Apparently in the past, Sunshine Villa had sought to develop the site and build a facility as tall as the proposed hotel, which would have blocked the views of the ocean for those in the current building. They later withdrew the project. The architect for the hotel project posited that Sunshine Villa’s current position was hypocritical. Sunshine Villa’s manager responded that their tenants at that time had different needs. I found myself thinking, a view of the ocean is a view of the ocean.
The hotel developer and owner was asked if he could reduce the scale of the hotel down to three stories which would significantly reduce the loss of view-shed? He replied that despite his owning the land, such a reduced scale would not “pencil-out.” He would not make sufficient profit to cover the cost of underground parking and cost of building, since he is not building a box but a handsome building. When asked if he had ever in the two years it took to develop the project sat down with the residents and management of Sunshine Villa to discuss concerns and explore options, the developer said no. Any ambivalence I had was dissipated, replaced with thoughts of “heartless” and “greedy.” Unfortunately the council majority didn’t share my thinking and approved the project with a request to ensure the back-side of the building, which will soon replace the ocean view for Sunshine Villa residents, is a bit more interesting than the current design (Mathews) and a request for future projects over 40 units to have Public Works/Transportation Commission input (Terrazas) since traffic issues were raised and dismissed.
The source of the problem for this project, for the Hyatt on Broadway, for the Wharf Master Plan and for a host of other projects is that years of work are often done behind the scenes prior to scrutiny by the public and even the council. “Stakeholders” is a euphemism for “supporters of the project.” The City Staff follow codes and zoning or are supposed to do so. If the project is within the guidelines, then staff usually recommends approval or recommends variances to accommodate aspects such as increased height limits and council majorities usually approve staff recommendations. By the time the public or folks impacted, such as Sunshine Villa residents or Broadway residents get wind of a project it has already been in the development stage for years. The iconic 110 year-old red horse chestnut tree that grew on the edge of the site on Broadway should have been protected under the Heritage Tree Ordinance which states a “heritage tree can only be removed if a design cannot accommodate it.” Rather than telling the developer’s architect at the beginning of the process to submit a design to accommodate the heritage tree as required by ordinance, staff approved a design that by its nature could not accommodate the tree. Thus began the charade where the heritage tree could not be protected. Another source of the problem is the acceptance of developers’ statements that the economics “will not pencil out” if they don’t get to build as high and as massive as they want. Is this true? Some basic economics and alternatives should accompany every significant development. It’s quite possible that the proposed hotel to replace the Lanai could make a decent if not obscene profit with 40 rooms rather than 60, a tripling of the current 20 rooms. Council and the public should have access to such information.
A way to avoid conflicts between developers and residents and allow council a better gauge of public sentiment would be to float a project idea prior to any costly architectural design work being done. Had staff and council done that with their Wharf Master Plan, the howls of protest would have sent urban design firm ROMA scurrying back to San Francisco without a million bucks of questionable public monies in their pockets for a design make-over that few if any seem to like. I applaud the Dream Inn developers for holding a public meeting prior to any fixed design to gauge public reaction to the proposal for their West Cliff and Bay parking lot. If the developers, city staff and council majority listen and respond to the chorus of opposition rather than seeking ways around it, then public process has real rather than perfunctory meaning.
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.
All eyes this past weekend were on Charlottesville, Virginia. I hope they still are, even as your eyes multi-task and read these words too. Will the horrifying puss from our mixed and still remaining racist amnesia continue to drip unheeded from the wound that is the AltRight? It starts with the Presidency, and until “he who shall not be named” steps up this wound will continue to fester. Can the ropes that brought down the Saddam Hussein statue in Bagdad now be used to fell the pro-slavery memorials in Charlottesville, Richmond, and St. Louis? We must support this movement. According to the New York Times, three people have lost their lives–Heather D. Heyer of Charlottesville, 32 and a Bernie supporter, helicopter pilot, Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, 48, of Midlothian, Virginia, and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, 40, of Quinton, Virginia, and at least 19 were injured when, a car ran into a “supporters-to-tear-down-the-statues” rally. Santa Cruz mourns this week.
Connecting the Dots
I was in Portland last week. It’s a city that many of our Santa Cruz brothers and sisters are retreating to, I wanted to find out why. The trip accomplished goals for both my current jobs. I attended the Ecological Society of America’s (esa.org) annual meeting at the Oregon Convention Center, an enviro cast of over 5000. The overall theme for this year’s get-together was “Linking biodiversity, material cycling and ecosystem services in a changing world,” meaning folks, we are up shit’s creek with no paddle in sight, now we really need each other more than ever! And that’s just what ecology is about. It’s both a branch of biology linking all us organisms to one another and to our physical surroundings, and it’s a political movement that forms questions and seeks answers in how best to protect the environment. We may not be able to stop climate change, but we can fight like hell to develop mitigations, change habits, and educate each other on the real global threat: relentless consumerism under the flag of capitalist ideology.
My other mission was to visit elected representatives in Portland and Eugene to find out what their issues are–high cost of housing, homelessness, widening income gap that has led to petty crime (sound familiar?)—and how they deal with them; can we learn something from how their city addresses these matters? First stop, Portland city hall to attend their council meeting. The five councilmembers are called “commissioners” in Rip Town, and a high-rise development project was the main item on the agenda. Of course, in this city, high-rise means over 200 feet and today’s agenda item includes no affordable units but lots of tree amenities, and a pedestrian street running through the project that would be open to the public. The subject was the old Oregonian newspaper printing press site on Broadway in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. The new building rendering was supposed to look like an open newspaper, which an opposing speaker said no one would even remember in ten years what that was. At the end of the meeting I approached Commissioner Amanda Fritz and she invited me to her office to share ideas. Each of the five commissioners is responsible for a department in the city, hers is Parks and Recreation. “That’s right,” she said to me later in her enormous woody-everything office, “I can fire the Parks Director right now, not that I’m going to, but I am in charge of that department.” But it is also at the ultimate discretion of the mayor, Ted Wheeler who can also take away this privilege from a commissioner at any time. Strange, no? It is an interesting check and balance system they established here in 1913. (For a discussion on how most commission forms of government led to the council-manager form, see: ballotpedia.org/City_commission.) Fritz and I discussed how homelessness is affecting neighborhood parks, and how mountain bikers are tearing up vulnerable hiking trails (familiar again), “we need to find a place for them too,” she said. Then she’s called away by an assistant. (I find myself imagining what it would be like if Santa Cruz city councilmembers had just one real staff assistant…each Portland commissioner has around six.) Suddenly, she returns with the mayor and their brand-new police chief, Danielle Outlaw the former Oakland deputy chief, in tow. Pleasantries are exchanged as I wonder how a 41-year old African-American woman might lead the police department in a city recently reeling from a knife-wielding trolley passenger who killed two who had come to the defense of a woman who appeared to be Muslim, and stabbed a third. Seems like it could be a terrific choice. I asked Chief Outlaw if she was familiar with the new Santa Cruz police chief, Andrew Mills. She nodded and smiled and said she was aware that he had just taken the job in Santa Cruz. She appeared favorably impressed. Then I was off on the Bolt Bus for the two-hour journey to Eugene where the University of Oregon is located and where a fellow traveler, “Councilor” Emily Semple, had just been elected.
A California Sister City? Emily Semple is from the suburbs of New York City. She attended the University of Connecticut before heading west to Oregon with her then lawyer-husband. Later, she studied Forest Ecology at the University of Oregon. What interests her most on her council job is climate remediation, building housing “for people to sleep,” city parks, and green spaces. Like I said a fellow traveler. She’s on the city’s Budget Committee, the Human Rights Commission, and she is the city’s liaison to the McKenzie Watershed Council.
Emily was recently concerned about the proliferation of marijuana dispensaries in Eugene. She was supporting a 1000-foot buffer to protect locals from outside money, but she told me that battle’s been lost, “although it could come back to council sometime in the future.” There’s outside money coming in and it’s hard to stop. (Beware fellow Santa Cruzanos!) They tried to make a law to protect locals, but the Oregon version of the California ABC, the OLCC, vetoed it because “it’s not possible to determine where the money actually comes from,” she paraphrased their decision. One of her allies, George Brown, who held the Ward 1 seat before her, and whose advice she sometimes relies upon, told her that limiting the number of outlets would be like if another market wanted to open next to his Kiva Market in downtown Eugene. He would not oppose it, on principle. So, why should cannabis businesses be any different, he reasoned? There are now 56 dispensaries in Eugene according to Semple.
I peppered her with more questions, she peppered back responses. She’s in the minority on a 6-2 council. The mayor only votes to break ties. There are 166,000 people in the city of Eugene, and around 20,000 in the downtown ward she represents. Some 9,894 people voted in last November’s election, and she won by only 140 votes. She beat the establishment candidate (sound familiar again?). Semple said the city is not feeling the bigness of the University of Oregon (23,000 students) like Santa Cruz feels UCSC (18,700), even though U of O is only located about a mile from downtown. She said she’s met the university president, but has little to do with their politics. “We can’t stop them from growing anyhow,” she said.
Emily supports the “homeless rest stop program,” but there are only three and she says it’s difficult to expand because no one wants one in their neighborhood. Note: their last “point in time” homeless count was 1,500, but Semple believes there are almost double that number. She’s pushing a “free to ride” city bus program, but does not see it happening any time soon. Bus fare is currently $1.75 compared to our $2.00 Metro fare. She’s a Bernie supporter; believes council meeting minutes should provide more information about what was actually said during council meetings; and she’s working on attracting more “like-minded progressives” to run for council seats. (Sounds familiar? Yes!) She mentioned that the council can only hire and fire the city manager, police auditor, and the municipal judge. That’s a bit different than Santa Cruz. The city manager in Eugene hires and fires everyone else including the city attorney and city clerk.
She toured me around her district. There seemed to be lots more buses than in Santa Cruz, moveable tables and chairs made it easier for people to gather, and I saw occasional congregations of homeless people, “but they have to leave five feet for people to walk by,” Semple said. Rents are rising, mainly because so many people from California are moving here several people mentioned, but rents are nowhere near the Santa Cruz crisis. In Eugene, one bedrooms are from $500-$1200 and two bedrooms are around $1300-$1800, I was told by several people. (I’ve not yet checked Craigslist.) Semple says there are too few places for “low and no income” people, and she’d like to change that.
It’s easy to see that Emily Semple is a serious and intense student of local government. She works at this job 40 hours a week for $14k per year. “I’m starting to live on my credit cards,” she said. Her other job as a graphic artist is in decline because of how much time she spends on Eugene city council business. Honestly, I would welcome her to Santa Cruz politics, but I am really glad someone like her is holding down the left side of the city council in Oregon’s third largest city. Portland and Salem are numbers one and two in size.
Support for Faris Sabbah
A meeting I forgot to cover in last week’s column was with the thoughtful and likeable, Faris Sabbah, candidate for Superintendent of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. His background includes a childhood shared between Dad’s Iraq and Mom’s Ecuador. He later graduated from UCSC and earned a Ph.D. at Berkeley. Currently, he’s number two to Michael Watkins who is retiring from that top spot. I’m endorsing Sabbah for Superintendent because it seems like he has his eyes on the prize: believes in the values of equality and social justice, focuses on the needs of migrant students, and he will readily admit he does not have all the answers, but is open to learning them. With a $40 million budget, he will make over $200k per year, too much given what teacher pay is, but that’s up to his bosses: Sue Roth, Dana Sales, Abel Sander, Jane Barr, Sandra Nichols, Bruce Van Allen, and Rose Filicetti. The “superintendent” is actually the “secretary to the board.”What does a superintendent do? The majority of the work is to “review local accountability plans for each local school district,” Sabbah told me. And I guess, make them accountable. He’s also interested in addressing the lack of affordable housing for teachers, and students. The city of Santa Cruz is losing students because of the lack of affordable housing and teachers are uneasy about job security as a result. But housing prices definitely top all other insecurities countywide.
Street furniture in Eugene. Can’t you just imagine this kind of street furniture taking over Cooper Street as an extension of the MAH, or perhaps closing off part of Church Street alongside Regal Cinema 9, or even placing some on Lincoln Street next to the Farmer’s Market? We can do it… with the people leading.
Immigrant Note
Just to keep it real, a manager at a chichi “bio-dynamic” (means organic and a whole lot more, look it up!) winery near Portland said the labor shortage this year is severe. “Scarce, more unskilled, and expensive” is how she put it. All the wineries are in contact with ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and wondering what will happen, she said. “ICE is saying, ‘Yes, we are authorized to detain whoever we want, but we are only going after those who have a warrant.'” Raise your hand if you believe this…They pay $13 an hour, “and the contractors are paying even fifty-cents more an hour to attract experienced pickers, but it’s getting harder and more cut-throat now,” she said. If you include workers’ compensation and insurance, her winery will pay $16.90 an hour and still can’t attract enough laborers this year.
Bernie Tweet of the Week “As hate crimes and hostility toward minorities surge, now more than ever we must stand against those who threaten our brothers and sisters.” (August 12)
Upcoming Events
Aug 16th – Food Lounge – 5:30 p.m. Showing of Citizen Jane.Community discussion to follow. 1001 Center Street #1
Aug 17th – Rank Choice Voting (non-partisan) Community Meeting – 7 – 8:30 p.m. Presentation by FairVote – 411 Roxas – Santa Cruz Community Church.
Aug 22nd–City Council meeting, 2:30pm, City Council Chambers, 801 Center Street, SC
~Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
“HEART OF THE VILLAGE” WILL BE A TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE
Last Sunday’s (8/13) Santa Cruz Sentinel cover story about the Aptos Village Project was disgusting. Lots of quotes by Supervisor Zach Friend and Chamber of Commerce leader John Hibble painted an unrealistic picture of this overly-dense and out-of-character development that has been pushed through by the County to benefit Barry Swenson Builder. Neither of them lives in the area and they will not be affected by the intensified daily gridlock of 8,000 additional vehicles caused by the development.
Do you think any of the influence in all this mess getting shoved through despite public protest might be related to former Supervisor Ellen Pirie’s efforts, driven by the need to “feed the County machine”? Here is a quote from Assistant County Planning Director Ms. Wanda Williams’ May 6, 2011 e-mail to Supervisor Ellen Pirie in a discussion about the Apple Barn’s preservation: “The loss of the NR-3 (historic) rating would trigger the need for preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and I have been told by the Swenson team that the EIR requirement will kill the project—something that we are working furiously to avoid.”
How about this February 16, 2011 e-mail exchange between out-going County Planning Director Tom Burns and Supervisor Ellen Pirie: “The staff tends to get caught too much up in the details on the CEQA issues, and Wanda (Williams) seems to get where they need to get to. Just remember, try to avoid us doing the detailed CEQA review for the RR crossing project.” Public Records Act requests are great things when the County actually honors them, as was the case a year ago.
The reason Tom Burns handed the Aptos Village Project over to Wanda Williams, the Assistant Planning Director, and not to Kathy Previsich, the new Planning Director, is because Kathy Previsich’s husband, John, bought land adjacent to the Aptos Village Project in the 1990’s and HAS GREATLY PROFITED FROM THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT BY SELLING A SEWER EASEMENT FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS $$$, SO SHE LEGALLY HAD TO RECUSE HERSELF. In fact, the photo on the front page of last Sunday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel was taken from the vantage point of the Previsich driveway…Hmmmmm
What the Sentinel reporter, Mr. Nicholas Ibarra, did not discuss in last Sunday’s article was that:
All of the parking along Aptos Creek Road that runners and cyclists use to access Nisene Marks State Park will vanish. Mr. Jessie Nickell, Sr. Vice President of Barry Swenson Builder, has stated (in writing) that the public will have free and open parking available in the Aptos Village Project, including Nisene Marks State Park users. However, the Codes, Covenants and Restrictions (CC&R) for the Project state that tenants have full right to limit parking uses to best benefit tenant needs. Do you see the writing on the parking meters?
Why did the County continue to use 2004 traffic counts to assess traffic impact fees for the Project and to design traffic improvements to accommodate the Project? Will adding two traffic lights in the Village really fix everything? Why did the Public Works staff use the lowest visitation value for all businesses within Project when some, such as a grocery store, have one of the highest visitation rates? Those numbers also were used to calculate the miniscule amount of transportation improvement fees requested of the developers.
Why are the taxpayers funding virtually all of the street improvements to accommodate the 8,000 new vehicles trips per day that Public Works forecasts the Project will cause? All other developers are responsible for 100% of the development’s impacts. Why are taxpayers funding the Metro bus stop relocation (not ADA-compliant) in order to make way for the Parade Street gateway to the Project from Soquel Drive?
Why hasn’t the County required Barry Swenson Builder to follow the law regarding the diesel contamination problem that occurred last year when crews illegally extracted a 5,000 gallon underground storage tank? Why won’t the County require additional soil testing and remediation for the contaminated soils where the tank was located? The true site was never evaluated because Barry Swenson Builder crews had already hauled out the tank and covered everything up with soil by the time County Environmental Health inspectors were notified of the contamination. Witnesses have submitted testimony and video, but are ignored. New Leaf Market is next to this polluted site. Does New Leaf Market know about the judgment Santa Cruz County District Attorney has filed against Barry Swenson Builder for their illegal action?
Other concessions the County gave Barry Swenson Builder waived the $1000/bedroom park development fee for the 69 new residences (not 65, as the article stated), most of which are 2800 square feet and over. The County also gave the developers FREE easement across County park property for storm water drainage (parking lot runoff) directly into Aptos Creek.
Affordable housing concessions likely will allow Barry Swenson Builder to rent at market rate the 10 affordable units (the public was told all through the process that there would be 12 affordable units) for 7 1/2 years before selling them at affordable rates. Swenson was also allowed to make the affordable units smaller than is normally allowed and to reduce the number of bedrooms in affordable units.
Why has the County allowed Barry Swenson Builder to excavate massive amounts of earth within a recorded Ohlone Village archaeologic site(CA-SCR-222) and have no qualified archaeologist or Native American observer present? Why did the County allow Barry Swenson Builder to demolish the foundations of the historic Lam-Mattison Apple Dryer and Vinegar Works last year without a permit or involving the Historic Resources Commission or having a qualified archaeologist present? What about the historic 1880 railroad turntable known to be buried on site and for which initial explorations supported but the findings eliminated from the environmental review reports? Now, developer Joe Appenrodt is asking County Environmental Services for permission to excavate the soils in that area and use it for fill elsewhere in the development, even though the soil is contaminated with lead, arsenic, and petroleum pollutants, as one would expect of railroad soils.
The article claims that We Are Aptos “unsuccessfully filed suit against the County in February 2016 over what the group claimed was an inaccurate development map.” In truth, We Are Aptos filed a petition for a Writ of Mandate of the County in March, 2016. We were demanding that the County do its job to force Barry Swenson Builder to follow the law with respect to Conditions of Project Approval that were violated. Judge Paul Burdick agreed with We Are Aptos in the court room that the County had not followed its own requirements. County Counsel said staff would “probably” do better in the future while making sure the developer had maximum feasibility benefits. Judge Paul Burdick denied our petition, then disclosed that he was a long-time friend and neighbor of Joe Appenrodt, one of the Project’s developers.
Both Supervisor Zach Friend and Mr. John Hibble trivialized the noise and traffic congestion problems that are inherent of the Aptos Village Project. Zach Friend touted Measure J in the article but in 2015 when the Planning Department unrolled its Code Modernization mess, Supervisor Zach Friend said “MEASURE J IS OLD AND NO LONGER SERVES THE MODERN NEEDS OF THE COUNTY.”
Measure J, passed by voters in 1979, was an effort to slow the County’s growth rate at a time when it was second-fastest in the state. It was an effort to require 15% of all development be dedicated to affordable units (recently diluted to allow developers to pay in-lieu fees instead, and those units have not been being built).
Old documents? I wonder if Supervisor Zach Friend wants to also shred the U.S. Constitution?
(Becky later asked..”I wonder what the Sentinel reporter meant in the article by “formerly known as Barry Swenson Builder“? She’s trying to find out… BB)
THE COUNTY IS NOT OBLIGATED
In an effort to understand the soil contamination problem with the County taxpayer-funded Aptos Village Traffic Phase I Improvement Project, I had to file a Public Records Act request to obtain any information. Nearly one month later, I still do not have the answer because County Counsel formatted the CD in a manner that made the information inaccessible on all computers I am able to use. In order to read the CD, Counsel advised I have to download a program called ‘Outlook’. However , the public library system does not allow that practice. The CD also does not work on the computers at the County Law Library.
Counsel David Nefouse informed me last week that “The County is not obligated to ensure that the public can access materials provided in a Public Records Act response.” Other materials on CD and flash drives have worked fine, but this request seems blocked. Hmmm… Is there a First Amendment Coalition doctor in the house?
THE COUNTY’S APTOS VILLAGE PUBLIC WORKS BLOG IS FINALLY INTERACTIVE
Business owners and residents of the Aptos Village area receive NO information about the stalled progress of the taxpayer-funded road improvements to benefit Barry Swenson Builder and the other Aptos Village Project developers. Businesses in the area are suffering due to the major disruption and problematic parking. County Public Works Project Engineer Carissa Duran had informed me at the project’s beginning that I could not leave comments on the blog site, even though Supervisor Zach Friend and Public Works engineer Colt Essenwein had assured my community that the Public Works blog site would provide interactive information.
The site is rarely updated, but finally, it seems the public can post comments and get an answer…maybe?
NO CONSTRUCTION DELAY WARNING FOR BARRY SWENSON BUILDER’S TRAFFIC DELAYS
The Aptos Village Project crews are also digging up Trout Gulch Road in order to connect storm water pipes and utilities. The only way to get information about those traffic delays is via the 24-HOUR APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT ANSWERING SERVICE: 831-427-8050. Nowhere on the site is there any sign with this number posted as the County-required 24-hour disturbance contact, but if you look closely at one of the cheery little turquoise signs on one of the many construction trailers at the site, you’ll see it. By the way, did you know that the Project’s Conditions of Approval state there is to be ONE construction trailer on site? I think I counted eight or ten…oh, well, what do rules matter?
ADIOS TO APTOS/ LA SELVA FIRE CHIEF JON JONES
Last Thursday (8/10), after listening to further public testimony and over an hour of deliberation, the Aptos / La Selva Fire District Board of Directors announced that they were granting severance to Chief Jon Jones and immediately replacing him with Division Chief Todd Skrabak. The audience of 100+ stood and applauded. The sense of tired relief from the firefighters who had gathered was palpable.
Thank you to the Board for listening to the firefighters, and the public. Healing is long-overdue.
AND ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST IN THE RANCHO DEL MAR CENTER
Yet another long-established Aptos business in the Rancho del Mar Center is going away. Aptos Jewelers is closing its doors, having been in business since 1972. Is it related to the remodel work on the horizon by owners TRC Retail? The owners Mr. Bill Hoffman and Mr. Donald Coldwell, say it’s just time to retire and have a change.
Other existing business owners are wondering what to do, with the $10 million remodel project around the corner, and no information from the TRC Retail folks about what to expect. I try to patronize those independent businesses as much as possible…it’s hard to make a living in a ghost town atmosphere.
BUSINESS AND INSTIUTUTIONAL REPS NEEDED TO HELP SOLVE MIDCOUNTY WATER PROBLEMS
The Midcounty Groundwater Agency Nominating Committee decided to re-open the window for applications of business owners and institutional reps. The Groundwater Sustainable Planning Committee will be working to develop the plan for healing the area’s critical groundwater overdraft problem. The new deadline for applications is August 22. Applications are available at http://www.midcountygroundwater.org/
Stop in at the Community Foundation (10am-noon) this Thursday, August 17 and get answers to your many questions about the agency and the tasks mandated by the State.
SUSTAINABLE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PLAN STILL IN EIR PROCESS…NOT A DONE DEAL !!
I was surprised to hear from Supervisor John Leopold that the Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan, which calls for massive dense mixed use developments throughout the County, is still in the EIR process and has not been approved by the County Board of Supervisors. It had seemed to be a done-deal and not discussed much. However, at his constituent meeting recently in Porter Memorial Library, a woman asked specifically about the status of the Nissan dealership proposed for the Soquel Drive/41st Avenue intersection. In that discussion, Supervisor Leopold stated that, much to his chagrin, the Planning Department has not followed through with the environmental review deadline for the Plan, as has been repeatedly requested by the Board. Now, it seems, Planning Director Kathy Previsich stated during budget hearings that the report may not be ready until June, 2018.
Personally, I think smearing the likes of the Aptos Village Project throughout the County is a mistake, especially with inadequate infrastructure to address the impacts of dense, multi-story developments. Water?? What water?? Gridlock? Well, just hop on the bus and be gridlocked there, too. Significant historic structures in the way? Just bring in the bulldozer.
WITH LIBERTY AND ACCESS FOR SOME…PRIVATE’S BEACH
Last week’s ruling by the First District Court of Appeals in San Francisco that forces the land owner to allow public access to Martin’s Beach over private property seems like it could have implications on a similar local access issue at Private’s Beach in Capitola. Here is a link to information about last week’s ruling: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/10/martins-beach-ordered-open-to-public-by-appeals-court/
Requiring people to pay $100/year for a key to the gate and beach access seems counter to the Coastal Commission’s mandate of free access to the public’s beaches. Interestingly, Mr.Mark Massara provided legal counsel in both cases. He represented SurfRider for access at Martins Beach, and has represented the Opal Cliffs Recreation District to restrict access at Private’s Beach.
It will be interesting to watch what area Coastal Commission Pat Veesart (725 Front Street, Santa Cruz, Ca 95060) does with the 9′-high wrought iron fence and locked gate restricting access to Private’s Beach (it’s a nude beach, by the way).
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR THIS WEEK’S SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT BOARD MEETING?
At last month’s Board meeting, Chairman Tom LaHue scolded me severely for not having thoroughly read the thick agenda packet in advance of attending their meeting. How dare I want to ask questions of staff AFTER their reports to the Board, rather than BEFORE the reports are even given? Tsk, tsk…
To mend my ways, I requested a copy of the full agenda packet last Friday afternoon as soon as it became available. My, what interesting reading. Here are some highlights:
Item 5.1 page 53 Work to develop a memorandum of understanding with the City of Santa Cruz for obtaining secondary or tertiary treated water for the PureWater Soquel Project has been completed. Both agencies approved final draft agreements on June 27, 2017. WAIT A MINUTE…THE EIR IS NOT DONE YET AND THE BOARD INSISTS THEY HAVE NOT DECIDED TO PURSUE PUREWATER SOQUEL TREATED SEWAGE WATER INJECTION INTO THE AQUIFER. Hmmm…
Further staff reports in Item 5.1 (page 55) is a notice that the Danish helicopter investigations to identify the location of the saltwater interface will be ready in October. That’s good news.
NO Engineering report items? Not even news about the stalled Granite Way well that will serve the Aptos Village Project? How about the treatment for the new O’Neil Ranch Well that has been taken off line due to unexplained increasing ammonia levels? Not even a whisper about the possible treatment of the Country Club well, now offline due to high 1,2,3-TCP carcinogen contamination? Hmmm….
What’s this? (page 56) agendize a conversation about changing the District name?
Oh, oh. (Page 64) Assembly Bill 574 would require the State Water Resources Control Board to develop regulations in four years for direct potable reuse of treated sewage water. Well, maybe Soquel Creek Water District should hold off on their rush to inject that nasty stuff into the groundwater supply of the entire area and just sell it to their own customers outright then. I’m not sure I can trust their water anyway (they’ve been knowingly pumping carcinogenic 1,2,3-TCP into the drinking water for years).
Item 6.2 (page 90) Funding the Pipe Loop Study with Santa Cruz City to test corrosive issues for river water transfers. That’s a good idea. The folks in Flint, Michigan would have benefited by such careful study.
Item 6.6(page 121) A request to extend the consultant contract with HydroMetrics before the greater contract finally goes out for bid. HydroMetrics, with former Soquel Creek Water District manager Laura Brown as a principle, has been on call since 2005. Consultants charge $200/hour for their time spent monitoring management, equipment and data collection. Wow.
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Item 6.7 (page 125) Approval if bid award for $53,300 to Coastwide Environmental Technologies from Watsonville to demolish the two houses next to District offices to make way for the PureWater Soquel West Annex treatment plant. One house was built in 1890 and probably has some valuable historic heart redwood taken from local canyons…why not offer that for salvage, or even move the house? There is some asbestos in an area of the kitchen counter, according to an earlier report, but not the entire house. No respect for historic structures or the fact that t well-known commercial artist, Mr. Millsap, grew up there? WHAT IS THE RUSH TO DEMOLISH THE HOUSES AND CLEAR THE DECK FOR PUREWATER SOQUEL WEST ANNEX? Isn’t the EIR still in process? Could it be that staff and the Board REALLY HAVE made up their minds to do this project?
Hmmm…part of the bid price break-down is “paint stabilization and hazardous waste paint debris disposal” for $5,000. That’s right, all paint pre-1970 contained lead and is potentially toxic. Golly, I wonder if Barry Swenson Builder was careful about the paint removal last week from the Apple Barn exterior prep work? I hope the County knows…write Rebecca SuppleeRebecca.Supplee@santacruzcounty.us and John GerbrandtJohn.Gerbrandt@santacruzcounty.us or call 831-454-2022 and ask.
Item 6.8 (page 138) approve up to $44,500 for contract with a Washington, D.C. lobbyist??? I remember hearing this discussed at the may 16, 2017 Board meeting, and really wondered how a District with the second-highest customer rate charge could justify hiring yet another consultant. The Board seemed rather doubtful at the time, but agreed to allow staff to launch a proposal to solicit bids. Well, here it is…a request for alot of money to lobby, hiring CapitalEdge. Staff and Board members Carla Christensen and Rachel Lather even conducted interviews.
I wonder if the Soquel Creek Water District customers know their rates are scheduled to increase by over 17% next year??? Take a look at some of the correspondence on pages 183-208…I think some people are beginning to ask important questions of the District and Board. That’s good news!
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).
I just got through reading the book whose cover is pictured on the right. Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos, and Michael Huttner, founder of ProgressNow, outline ways to change our national politics in the time of Trump. The authors have some very good ideas, and they outline their “45 ways to fight Trump” in five different sections:
Resist Trump At All Costs
Protect The Culture
III. Minimize Damage, Policy
Build Electoral Infrastructure
Build Grassroots Infrastructure
I particularly applaud Sections IV and V, since that is really what democratic self-government is all about. We, the people, can and must assert control over our own government, but generally speaking, talking about it isn’t going to be enough. Some actual action, focused on elections, is going to be required. This is the message of activist Micah White, too, about whom I wrote in a blog posting a week or so ago.
I do want to say that there were some things in the Moulitsas-Huttner book that I found disturbing. Specifically, statements like these:
Why do the Dakotas, with their combined population of 1.6 million have four senators, while California, population 38.8 million, has two? [Page 2]
Donald Trump is not the legitimate president of the United States… [Page 2]
We aren’t living in a legitimate democracy… [Page 3]
We cannot accept the results of an illegitimate election won by an illegitimate candidate by illegitimate means… [Page 4]
People as racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic as Trump and his gang of brownshirted cronies have no legitimate role in our nation’s public life [Page 6].
Let me comment, first, on why North and South Dakota (two separate states) have four senators to California’s two. It’s pretty clear why! Our Constitution allocates TWO senators to each state, regardless of population. While we could have organized our nation differently, there are some very good reasons to have adopted a “federal” system. “Mass democracy” has its potential problems. Read Hannah Arendt if you need convincing.
Avoiding any debate on the merits of our federal system (and there are definitely arguments on both sides of the question), I don’t like to see the authors deliberately attempting to mislead their readers.
The sentence to which I object acts as though there is an “equivalence” between “the Dakotas” and “California.” The sentence therefore implies that the allocation of two senators to California, while “the Dakotas” get four, is somehow unfair and “illegitimate.” Of course, unless and until we amend the Constitution, the allocation of senators that the authors complain about is totally “legitimate,” and it’s not “unfair,” either. That’s the system we’ve set up. It would be fine to argue for a change to the system, but unless the system is changed, giving “the Dakotas” four senators is exactly the way our system is supposed to work. There is nothing “illegitimate” about the system. Quite the opposite!
While the authors’ misleading statement about “the Dakotas” doesn’t use the word “illegitimate,” it gives the impression that the authors believe that the system established in our Constitution is “illegitimate.” That is a word used liberally throughout the book, as noted in my list, above, of objectionable statements.
In every case, the authors say that Trump’s victory was “illegitimate,” and if that were true, that would seem to justify extraordinary actions outside the confines of the law. I am not a Trump fan, but the authors are way out of bounds, in my opinion, in seeking to inflame public opinion on the basis that Trump is another Hitler (he and his “brownshirted cronies”), or that he is not the “legitimate president,” or that we do not live in a “legitimate democracy.”
This is a very dangerous set of assertions.
If our democracy has in fact “failed,” in some fundamental way, so that our elections are no longer “legitimate,” then what are we to do? In fact, the “45 Ways To Fight Trump” are all actions well within the boundaries of normal democratic activities. But the prefatory materials suggest that this isn’t really enough.
Be careful for what you wish for!
Portraying our democracy as having failed, and rating it as “illegitimate,” sets us all up for a political civil war. I don’t think the outcome would be so good!
I am sorry that Donald Trump won the election. I think he is unqualified and unsuited for the job, and he should be replaced. There are several different ways that could happen, but voting him out of office, the next time there is a presidential election, is the normal way we take care of such matters. To say that our system is “illegitimate” opens up the possibility that some other means for governing ourselves should be chosen. And if the last election wasn’t “legitimate,” then maybe we should delay the vote next time around, or ask the generals to take charge!
Let’s stop any further talk about the “illegitimacy” of our current democracy, or of the president the nation elected. Check out the 45 ways to make sure the next election produces a different result! Our very legitimate democracy can take care of business; that’s what I think. Suggesting that it can’t is dangerous in the extreme.
~Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo takes a broad view of “cyclists” below a page or two.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “A Pensive Moment” 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: “While a certain temporary resident of the White House and his cronies are doing everything they can to defund educational opportunities, along comes a movie like the affirmative and joyful Step to explain in vivid terms how education can transform lives, families, and communities. This engrossing documentary examines the stakes for three young black women, high school seniors from inner-city Baltimore, as they strive to be the first members of their families to go to college. Read all about it in this week’s Good Times, and keep checking back at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/) for more news, reviews, and updates!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THE GLASS CASTLE. Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts and especially Brie Larson bring this autobiographical life story to the screen. “Dysfunctional family” doesn’t come close to describing their family problems. The problem is that Woody Harrelson almost always plays exactly Woody Harrelson (as do John Goodman,Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone, etc.) He’s an incurable drunk and takes his family on his 100’s of trips through hell. It qualifies as a sob story except that Brie Larsen is just mesmerizing and perfect in the role. Plus you have to believe that Naomi Watts is an old wrinkled mountain woman married for life to Woody. ! Go see it and bring a hanky.
ANNABELLE:CREATION. This is supposed to be the prequel to the Conjuring series (in case you’ve seen the haunted doll series). You can stay home and write the tired old script in seconds. Dark cellar stairs, creepy doll in closet, innocent orphan girls, scarecrows, dumbwaiters, you’ve seen it dozens of times if you haven’t been careful.
THE DARK TOWER. How can a movie from books by Stephen King, and produced by Ron Howard, and which stars Mathew McConaughey and Idris Alba be so bad?? (18 on RT). It’s intergalactic, bloody, complexly stupid plot…and it’s filmed mostly in the dark. That saves tons of money spent on special effects. McConaughey is the bad guy and Alba is the good guy, in case somebody forces you to go. It’s more depressing than watching Fox news!!
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER, We should never forget that there were 22,438 Trump Voters in Santa Cruz County and they should all be allowed in free to see Al Gore’s update on Climate Warming. As you know climate warming is worse than ever. Facts, experts, news clips, common sense and a great documentary team show us just how bad itreally is right now.
LADY MACBETH. A well deserved 89 on RT and it should be more. Florence Pugh plays the Lady, and she only made one other film The Falling in 2015. The book source was written in 1865 and this version is set in a Downton Abbey time. It’s full of sex, great costumes, amazing woman empowerment (that you won’t like!) and a thriller that will hold you to the screen every second. I loved it. 9 Thumbs up. ENDS THURSDAY, AUGUST 17
DETROIT. Will Poulter who plays a Detroit cop is one of the most dislikable actors we’ll ever see onscreen. You wouldn’t like him even if he played Jesus, Tom Hanks or even Cristi Macelaru. He leads the cops into the Algiers Hotel killings that happened in Detroit in 1967. It’s all about racial hatred and cops killing black people. Way overdone, no depth, no development and far below the work that Kathryn Bigelow and her work directing The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. Here’s a link to The Guardian statistics about how many people Police kill in the United States each year…. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January).
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
MAUDIE. A 90 on Rotten Tomatoes and Sally Hawkins plus Ethan Hawke play a severly crippled arthritic and her cruel, stubborn husband…and it’s a true story. The film is sad, poignant, heart gripping and maybe even mawkish. Other than some fine acting by all involved I’m not sure why they made this film, or why you might enjoy it. Me? I’m not sure if I did.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk. Do remember too that Wonder Woman is a DC comics creation NOT a Marvel Comic character…there’s a big difference, and I was corrected on Bushwhackers last Friday.
WAR ON PLANET OF THE APES. This should really be classified as an animated saga. It’s all digital ape stuff with Woody Harrelson as an evil human. It has a plot that could make you think seriously…if you can take the computer apes seriously. It could eb said to relate to the Democrats versus the Republicans. Republicans (Harrelson) want to build a wall among other plot devices and the more liberal apes just want to have peace. About 90 % of the film is centered on wars between the two forces and who will rule in the future. Better to go to one of our museums or galleries instead.
SPIDERMAN:HOMECOMING. Michael Keaton completely steals every movie he’s ever made and he sure does playing an evil “Vulture” in this latest version of the web spinner (there have been at least 13 versions of Spidey on TV and the movies!!) Spidey is a high school student with Teresa Tomei as his mom. Robert Downey jr. is back as Iron Man. It doesn’t matter much but Gwyneth Paltrow is in it too. It’s a little better than most of the Marvel Comics hero movies but not much.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or archived for two weeks… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. On August 15 Julie James releases the news about the new Season of The Jewel Theatre. After Julie, interventional cardiologist and Doctor Neil Sawhney (PAMF) brings us up to date on heart news. August 22 has Faisal Fazilat explaining what Ranked Choice Voting is all about…followed by Magi Amma and Danny Drysdale talk about the Santa Cruz Bernie Organization. On August 29 The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Marilet Martinez tells us about their 9/9, 9/10 performances here. September 5 has Lisa Hadley and Davis Banta previewing their Quality Of Life play. Then therapist Alexandra Kennedy talks about her Awakening to Life In Transition retreat. UCSC’s Gary Griggs discusses his newest book, “Coasts In Crisis” on Sept.12. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always and only at bratton@cruzio.com
This lady is great!
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. “BEACHES” “I love out-of-the-way, rugged places. For me, holidays are about the experiences, and the people, and the memories, rather than sitting on a nice beach getting tanned. I try to plant myself where I am and embrace what is there in front of me”. Evelyn Glennie
“To go out with the setting sun on an empty beach is to truly embrace your solitude”, Jeanne Moreau
“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea”, Anne Morrow Lindbergh
“In this big ball of people, I’m just one grain of sand on this beach”, Aurora
COLUMN COMMUNICATIONS. Subscriptions: Click and enter the box in the upper right hand corner of each Column. You’ll get a weekly email notice the instant the column goes online. (Anywhere from Monday afternoon through Thursday or sometimes as late as Friday!) Always free and confidential. Even I don’t know who subscribes!!
Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Highlights this week: Dream Inn expansion is definitely in the Coastal Zone!!!…Shocking photos of proposed Downtown Development… Landmark closing S.F. movie Theatre…Mauna Kea telescope protest on Maui brings six arrests… Greensite on Questionable funding for the Wharf Master Plan…Krohn re Meetings and Martin Bernal… Steinbruner and Aptos Fire Chief, Water for Santa Cruz, new city buses…Patton deals with Sempervirens Fund and conflict of interest problem…DeCinzo and What Would Jesus do?…Eagan and Nailing it Down…Jensen links to Lady Macbeth…I critique Inconvenient Truth Sequel, Detroit, Lady Macbeth…Quotes about “Immigrants”
BUILDING THE DREAM INN 1962. This was taken just before we lost the view of sky, Sisters Hospital and a sense of place. Also note the pilings from the long gone railroad wharf that were still in place. I didn’t have time to check the names of the Santa Cruz City Council at this time …and I hope they are/were proud of what they did!!! Just like we should put MayorCynthia Chase’s name on the new Hyatt House at Ocean and Broadway.
TRUMP MEETS GILBERT & SULLIVAN. We watched the Trump-Rossini opera production…now catch this one.
DATELINE August 7. 2017
DREAM INN EXPANSION PLOT WITHIN COASTAL ZONE!!! In direct contrast to what folks were told when they went to the Ensemble/Dream Inn sales job/party on Tuesday August 1st…the Coastal Planner/analyst for the California Coastal Commission Ryan Moroney stated that the Dream Inn parking lot site for the proposed high rise IS in the coastal zone and a portion of it is in the appealable zone.
The appealable aspect is very important for a lot of very concerned environmentalists. What’s hard to figure out is whether Miller Maxfield Inc. knew they were lying or were just guessing, or were slightly misinformed by their leaders. If they were guessing, it’s interesting that they made the same guess… that it’s not in the Coastal Zone! What an introduction and kick-off to this monstrous insult to our community, and our environmental laws.
PHOTOS FROM THE DOWNTOWN RECOVERY PLAN. Hopefully you can pick out the captions or recognize all the corners involved in this wholesale plot to forever change our Downtown…all for big bucks.
TRUMP AND STREISAND DUET. Jimmy Fallon sinks to a low but funny level here…!!!
THE REAL JOHNNY DEPP. This is a nutty interview…and I always like to remind folks that Depp’s brother had a bookstore in Santa Cruz right near where Richelle Noroyan’s parents had a restaurant near where Westside Videois now.
LANDMARK CLOSING SAN FRANCISCO MOVIE HOUSE. Landmark Theatres the folks who bought and operate our Nickelodeon and Del Mar Theatres decided to close their Opera Plaza Cinema on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. They still have the Clay and Embarcadero Center Cinemas and about 55 other art-independent film houses around the country. The Chronicle said last week….”Opera Plaza LP, owner of the commercial property at the 13-story condo tower in the Civic Center, has filed a request with the city to convert the ground-floor space from a movie theater to 6,000 square feet of retail sales and service. “Opera Plaza Cinema is no longer economically viable — and has not been for a long period of time,” said Nathan Nishiguchi of Urban Pacific Properties, managing agent for Opera Plaza. “The operator (Landmark Theatres) and the landlord have arrived at the decision that closing the theater is the most appropriate next step.” So far there’s no local angle to this story…let’s hope!!!
NO RADIOACTIVE “DUMP’ SITE AT UCSC.
I was corrected when I wrote last week that UCSC’s clear-cut on Heller Drive was to be a “dump site” for just a teensy little bit of radioactive waste”. The $20 million building will “process and temporarily hold waste generated by teaching, research, and campus maintenance activities”, as Scott Hernandez-Jason told me. “currently, lab waste is directed to two different interim facilities, one on Science Hill and one at the base of campus”, he said. I wanted to make that perfectly clear.
MAUNA KEA TELESCOPE PROTEST. Native Hawaiians and supporters have been protesting the building of another telescope on their sacred Mauna Kea. 6 were arrested when they locked and linked arms like our UCSC protestors did last year. The story from Huffpost tells it all…”The $1.4 billion project has received funding from a number of private and public organizations, including the University of California system, the California Institute of Technology and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy. The United States, Japan, India, Canada and China have all contributed as well.
BBC link… BBC link… http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32239000 What is puzzling is that we have seen NOTHING in our local (Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Jose) papers. I haven’t seen any coverage on our TV networks either. It couldn’t be due to the University of California connections could it?
CABRILLO FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC NEWS. I always wondered, and especially so this year with their new and very cheery, happy conductor Cristian Macelaru being so new… who and how are the orchestra members chosen ? Who auditions them, etc. Well I learned that all the members of this year’s orchestra were recommended by either Marin Alsop or from Cristi’s own lists. No auditions, they were so well known and so proficient. That’s why they sound so good…and if you read the program you’ll see they come here from almost everywhere!!!
MAKING WAVES OUT OF RIPPLES
When the tsunami of March 11th 2011 reached Santa Cruz I was watching from the cliffs above Cowell Beach. While the harbor was being hammered with severe damage as the waves compressed into its narrow entrance, surfers and beach goers enjoyed the gentle ins and outs of the surges at Cowell’s. I almost went home for my swimsuit to join in the fun.
It was therefore a surprise to learn that the city of Santa Cruz in 2012 applied for a federal government grant for disaster funding for the municipal wharf, resulting they said, from damage to the wharf from the tsunami. Having witnessed the wharf barely caressed by the tsunami and being a curious person, I requested all documents related to this grant application.
The city stated in its application on Form ED-900, that, “the tsunami damaged the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf’s structural support system of 4,528 pilings and interlocking horizontal structural supports.” It further stated that, “many of these pilings and supports are damaged.” Additional comments included, “The Wharf was severely damaged (my emphasis)by the March 2011 tsunami natural disaster. This project mitigates the immediate impacts of this physical damage while envisioning and preparing the Wharf to withstand similar events and be able to rebound quickly from future economic interruptions to a vital tourist and safety infrastructure project.” Based on such statements the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) approved the $850,000 disaster grant with a required local matching fund of $170,000, which was drawn from the city Parks and Recreation budget.
The project, according to the city’s entries on its application to EDA, was to replace and reinforce supports damaged by the impact of the tsunami waves; that construction could begin immediately after the potential grant award and would take place within a twelve-month period. An Engineering Report to examine all pilings was to follow plus a Wharf Master Plan. A cost breakdown stated: Demolition and removal: $15,000; construction (of new pilings and supports) $485,000; architects and engineering fees $350,000. Then a curious switch happened. A revised Form ED-900 entry stated: “The IRC (Internal Review Committee) of the EDA recommended that the project description be limited to a wharf master plan and engineering report to evaluate the structural integrity of the wharf. Therefore there is not any construction with this project.” I requested more records. None was available. I was told that this revision was a based on verbal exchanges and the city did not attend the meeting of the IRC when such a recommended change was made. There are no receipts or records of any replaced wharf pilings in the year after the tsunami. The distribution of federal and matching local funds was also changed: the full $1.1 million went to ROMA who drafted the Wharf Master Plan and the 2014 Engineering Report from Moffat and Nichol, a subsidiary of ROMA.
The 2014 Engineering Report concluded that: “Most piles are in excellent condition. A small percentage are(sic) in need of replacement.” And, “the piles are in good condition, overall. Less than 5% of the 4,450 piles need replacement. Notable exceptions are underneath buildings where replacement is difficult with the building structure in place.” And, “the condition of the structure is good; due to the quality of original construction and continuous maintenance. There are some areas of deterioration, primarily due to water leakage below the deck and vehicle overload in parking areas.” No mention of tsunami or severe damage. The only reference to the tsunami is from ROMA, the authors of the Wharf Master Plan who write in reference to closing the wharf prior to predicted periods of “extreme waves such as occurred with the 2011 tsunami” (my emphasis).
It would appear that the Wharf Master Plan is based on shaky ground. That plus the overwhelming opposition to the proposed changes to the wharf should give council pause for thought before digging the hole any deeper. Shelving this ill conceived and unpopular project would go a long way to restoring trust in local government.
Many thanks to all who requested petitions to gather signatures opposed to the Wharf Master Plan. If you would like to do the same, contact me at gumtree@pacbell.net
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.
Meetings! Meetings! Meetings, it’s what’s for dinner, breakfast and lunch, too. As a member of the Santa Cruz City Council you attend a lot of meetings. You have to have a disciplined regime too in order to avoid overeating the carbs, drinking too much coffee, and keeping a regular exercise routine becomes difficult. Body deterioration is always right around the corner in this job. But you keep going. (Why?) You meet— for-profits, non-profits, neighborhood groups, individuals with “issues,” and city department heads too; you sit–for council meetings, commission meetings, various board meetings; you meet some more–with mountain bikers, golfers, homeless-houseless activists, affordable housing advocates, and market-rate for-profit developers.Then repeat.Don’t know what I would do without meeting spots like Zachary’s, Cafe Bene, and Cafe Pergolesi…I’m getting to where I’m expecting a rent bill in the mail any day now.
So, I will cover a few of those meetings in this week’s column. Sound boring? I hope not, but when you get elected, and real peoples’ lives are involved in almost every decision the council makes, and various parts of $275 million (total city budget) are on the line, well, your attention becomes very focused…I met with the Santa Cruz City Manager (CM), Martín Bernal on July 25th. We talked about the Downtown Recovery Plan “amendments,” in which the developers are looking for the city council’s blessing to build taller buildings along Front Street, Pacific Avenue and the San Lorenzo River. It will be coming to the city council in September or October according to Bernal.
He went to Google Maps and showed me the parcels on his twenty-five-inch computer screen, the ones that have been assembled by market-rate housing developers. There they were, from Soquel to Laurel Street along Front and Pacific avenues. Developers Barry Swenson, Doug Ross and Owen Lawlor representing Devcon, are spearheading this current California gold rush. Will they build many affordable units? This is anyone’s guess, but I am guessing NO, not without an engaged community making their demands, as Frederick Douglas would say, and being present at all the meetings, formal and informal, that are coming up. (Note to self: there is something called the “Downtown Engagement Event” (?) scheduled for only special “stakeholders” to tour these building sites “in supporting the success of downtown,” according to item #8 on the city council’s consent agenda this week. Stay real tuned in on this one!)
We also talked about agendizing upcoming marijuana regulations (he will get back to me, “they keep being delayed,” Bernal said) as new state law kicks in January 1st. (Did you know marijuana is legal in California? But, will it become like Las Vegas where you can only sell it, but using it anywhere seems to be illegal.) There was a pushback email (spam?) about the new police chief. Somebody identifying themselves as the “POA” (Police Officers Association) was very unhappy over the new police chief and surmised that the fix was in before anyone was even interviewed for the job. Bernal assured me that he was in contact with the “real” POA, and the message was not from them, and the POA president was looking into the matter of who sent this errant email to the entire city council.
Next up were the several complaints I’ve received regarding the seemingly non-enforcement, according to some residents, of our prohibition on fireworks law this past Fourth of July. Many wanted to know why the city does not have an official fireworks event so as to deter individuals from setting them off in the neighborhoods. Martín Bernal explained that we used to have one, but it just got out of hand–drinking, fights, police overtime–and it ended several years ago; he was not sure what year. And it was the city manager’s view that tolerating the current fireworks scofflaws is preferable to returning to the beach blanket brawling days of yester-year. In our hour-long meeting, I was able to ascertain that the former Thrift Store on Front Street that was torn down at the behest of the city, is owned by the city, and was scraped off its foundation to make way for additional surface parking.
This space is very much in play when (if?) the Downtown Recovery Plan amendments are approved by the council, according to Martín B. And what about the vaunted “2X2?” It was on the city staff and council advisory committee’s homeless solutions recommendations list. Two city councilmembers–Cynthia Chase and Cynthia Mathews–will be paired with two Santa Cruz County Supervisors–?–and address the issues of homelessness that the county and city share in common. When was the first meeting, I asked. Hasn’t happened yet, according to Martín B. Well, it is late July, I said, and people are sleeping in all parts of town, (except not a city hall anymore thanks to his campus clean-out campaign). Can’t the 2X2 get together soon? He will get back to me he said.
No new word on the community acquisition of the Beach Flats Community Garden was our next topic, but he did give me Boardwalk CEO, Karl Rice’s email, and I used it to try and set up a meeting. I’m waiting for his response. We also discussed Brent Adams’ proposal to the city to provide a mobile shower unit, storage facilities, and a managed campsite for our homeless population. Everyone I’ve spoken with seems to agree it is a good idea, cost effective and will address the priority needs of the houseless. The City Manager M.Bernal said we are looking at various options and no plan has been chosen yet.
I’m not sure why there is much bureaucratic foot-dragging when it comes to our homeless, and also renter, communities? It is upsetting. People are anxious and being driven from their hometown as attention is offered sparingly to the economic and social drivers in this insidious housing scenario. On the other hand, there is much talk, and some movement, on remodeling the civic auditorium, rebuilding the wharf, putting the library in a five-story parking garage on the site of the Farmer’s Market, passing the Downtown Recovery Plan amendments, and the Dream Inn’s proposed mini-mall project on West Cliff. What are your priorities my friends?
On July 31st I met with Deputy City Manager, Tina Schull. I asked why recently hired Parks Director, Monica Rubio, was let go. She said it was a “personnel matter” and could not discuss it. Monica had relocated here from Arizona back in February. It was a short stint in Surf City. Tina and I discussed the city’s recent public opinion polling. She believes around 400 residents were reached. The results will be coming to a council closed session soon she assured me. She also showed me the recent homeless survey results. Seems like there are 1,204 people sleeping out on any given night, or at least the night they did the survey. A report will be coming to the council she said, maybe at our October 10th meeting. We talked about the city council travel budget ($15k per year total to go to conferences) and the Visit Santa Cruz relationship with the city of Santa Cruz (No real relationship really, but Cynthia Mathews and Richelle Noroyan do sit on their board. Their budget has gone from under a half a million dollars in 2002 to the current $2.5 million…Wow, who knew you needed so much money to tell people Santa Cruz is a nice place to visit…The constant chant I hear around town from residents is that you might want to stick a fork in the traffic woes of this town. People are fed up, anger is boiling over. Who will address these traffic concerns?)
HIROSHIMA DAY 2017. “Never Forget”. Taken August 6th at the “COLLATERAL DAMAGE” statue next to Town Clock in downtown Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz Chapter of the United Nations Association sponsored the event.
We have two new department heads. Andy Mills is our new police chief and Lee Butler is the new planning director. Mills brings a lot of experience from San Diego and Eureka, while Butler has been working in the busy housing boom towns of San Jose, Gilroy, and Santa Clara. While Mills found a place to rent in Capitola, Butler has been living in Santa Cruz for the past 15 years. He currently resides on the Westside. Butler will command a staff of 38 with an $8 million budget. Mills has 94 sworn officers and a $27 million budget. I met with Butler last week for an hour and a half freewheeling, one-on-one discussion about his past and the Santa Cruz present and future. (I hope to sit down with Chief Mills sometime next week.) Butler is all about “transparency” he said. He’s got experience with “traffic demand management” plans, environmental impact reports and the creation of affordable housing. His experience was that in Santa Clara and San Jose they almost always extracted the required number of inclusionary rentals and for-sale units from developers (10% in Santa Clara and 20% in San Jose).
He also mentioned that assessing developers an “impact fee” of $30-$40 per square foot brought in some significant money to the affordable housing fund. Can we do it here? That will be up to the city council. I found it refreshing that Butler had more questions than answers and he readily acknowledged that he was on a sort of listening tour and trying to get up to speed with current city culture. As I bid Lee farewell I mentioned that he’s perhaps going into the community buzz saw of scrutiny and asked if he was a bit nervous. He said he wasn’t, and looked forward to the challenge of working with the council, his own staff and the community.
Bernie Quote of the Week. “ The reality is…. Fraud is the business model of both Wall Street and the pharmaceutical industry. It’s not the exception. It’s the rule. (Aug. 4th. 2017)
~ Chris Krohn is a father, writer, activist, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember (1998-2002) and Mayor (2001-2002). He’s been running the Environmental Studies Internship program at UC Santa Cruz for the past 12 years. He was elected last November to another 4-year term on the Santa Cruz City Council.
PHOTO OP FOR ZACH FRIEND DELAYS OPENING OF VALENCIA ROAD BRIDGE FOR RURAL APTOS RESIDENTS
It was amazing to many Aptos residents to see that the new bridge over Trout Creek on Valencia Road remained CLOSED FOR USE over the weekend even though the work was complete last Friday. Why? Simply to allow Supervisor Zach Friend to have a glorious publicity event at 11:30am on Monday. Zach Friend could not be bothered to show up at the bridge last Friday morning when about 20 youngsters were gathered there for some other photo op…The bridge remained closed all weekend. Construction crews even parked equipment across both access points to block any possible entry, just in case someone got the idea to move the chain link fence sections and drive, bicycle or walk across.
Stunning, isn’t it? Why does Zach Friend care more about his own publicity stunts than the health and welfare of the nearby 140+ residents of Rolling Green Estates and Aptos School Road? In addition to having to travel over 5 additional miles to town, they have had increased emergency response times to medical and safety issues in their neighborhood since the road was closed last January. Well, he does have his own political future to think of, you know…
I think it is interesting that this “temporary bridge”, as part of the project’s $3.8 million repair, took eight months to complete. Contrast that with an almost identical situation on Nelson Road in Scotts Valley. That “temporary bridge” was in place within three weeks after the culvert failed and, according to the County Department of Public Works report issued to the Board of Supervisors as Item #47 on the August 8, 2017 Consent Agenda, cost $351,000 and is complete as a FEMA repair. I think there is more to this picture than meets the eye…
Say “Cheese”, Zach.
APTOS / LA SELVA FIRE CHIEF JONES ASKED FOR TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION
I found it shocking that Chief Jon Jones could ask the Aptos / La Selva Fire District Board to extend his contract another two years when he has zero support and trust from the firefighters and chiefs. Although the Board has remained silent since last month’s meeting, it became known recently that Chief Jones did indeed make his request on July 13, the date of the last Board meeting.
ATTEND THE THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 APTOS /LA SELVA FIRE DISTRICT BOARD MEETING IF POSSIBLE. The Board will vote to decide whether to approve or deny Chief Jones’ request. Remember that Firefighter Local 3535 voted unanimously “No Confidence” in Chief Jones last April, and the Aptos /La Selva Fire Chiefs Association followed that action in May with a unanimous vote of “No Confidence”. This is unprecedented action, and truly calls out to the Community for support of those who serve us with dedication
Write to the Board and Ms. New: (you must specifically ask Ms. New to have your comments included in public correspondence in the Board’s agenda packet)
PUBLIC WORKS NEEDS TO BE CLEAR ABOUT BID REQUESTS
Also on the August 8, 2017Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisor Agenda is Item #67, awarding the bid for the County’s yard and wood waste. This item was taken off the consent agenda in June by Chairman John Leopold to allow more time for scrutiny…and indeed, it was needed. Vision Recycling, the company that has had the contract for many years, contested the County Public Works recommendation to award the bid to Keith Day Company, for several good reasons.
Now the Public Works again recommended the Board approve award to Keith Day Company for reasons that were not even mandated in the Request for Proposals (RFP). It seems that the State has two mandates on the horizon, AB 1826 adn SB 1383, that will require local governments to reduce organic waste, including food waste, from going to the landfill. Here is what the Department of Public Works Director, Mr. John Presleigh, rationalized for recommending Keith Day’s approval: “Although NOT MANDATED BY THE RFP, direct access to Keith Day gives added benefit of allowing the County to more easily meet these mandates and to make further progress toward our zero waste goals.” The earlier rationalization in June was because Keith Day could process gypsum from construction waste, which was also NOT mentioned in the RFP language issued to bidders.
How can it be transparent and legal to award a contract based on issues that are not included in the description of what the County wants and needs to have included in a proposal? How can the Department of Public Works or the County Supervisors endorse awarding a contract to Keith Day when it will mean immediately closing the wood and yard waste facilities at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station and the Buena Vista Facility, and instead HAUL EVERYTHING TO MOSS LANDING IN TRUCKS? Does this make ecological sense in terms of carbon footprint increase, road surface impacts and public safety? I hope that the Board will reject all bids, rescind the existing RFP and ask Public Works staff to write a new RFP that is clear about what the County needs to have included in a bid proposal that will address future state mandates. Stay tuned…
WOULD YOU PAY $3 PER DAY TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE INTO DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ?
I found myself feeling quite depressed to hear that some Bay Area municipalities are considering this option, the Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) per diem tax, according to Mr. Steve Raney, Joint Venture Silicon Valley transportation consultant. He recently spoke in Santa Cruz, as part of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation group’s public workshops. What really bothered me was that Mr. Raney repeatedly said that people respond more to “sticks” (punishments) than to “carrots” (incentives). He talked a lot about the effectiveness of the SOV tax, and also a $5 gas tax and a 20 cents/mile toll… What about people who are barely able to pay their housing and food costs? What about those who live and work in areas poorly-served by public transportation? What about those whose work involves driving for delivery services? What about people who are on fixed incomes, need to transport children to multiple places at odd times, or have companion pets that are not allowed on public transportation?
I left the workshop feeling as though I had been beaten by a big stick…I have tried using the bus to get to work from Watsonville, but it took two hours.
GOOD NEWS FOR METRO BUS RIDERS, AND HOPEFULLY FOR THE BUS DRIVERS AS WELL
The Board of Directors for Santa Cruz Metro met in Special Session last Friday (08/04) to approve allocating $2.78 million to match funds for a federal grant application that could provide funding for nine new natural gas-fueled buses. The matching funds come from Measure D and SB 1 money that is all brand-new money but estimated to be enough to allow a 50% match in local support. Metro staff reported that there are 61 diesel buses that are long overdue for replacement. I hope this all works out and eventually service levels can be restored.
The Board also approved a pilot project to allow three articulated buses for the UCSC area, beginning this winter and into the spring. UCSC will fund the project 100%, with the hopes that students will approve a ballot measure next spring to tax themselves more for better public transportation to serve students. One Metro bus driver spoke at the meeting and expressed support for improving the service in the UCSC area because often he has to pass up riders waiting at stops due to his bus being full. The articulated buses will be able to hold more passengers, and will, under the current Union contract, require that those drivers are “paid premium wages”. The driver mentioned that negotiations for the current contract required all drivers to accept a 2% pay DECREASE in order to minimize deeper cuts to bus service and greater lay-off numbers.
“AN ITEM WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH”
That is what Metro General Manager Mr. Alex Clifford said when the Metro Board member asked why County Public Works would support moving the inbound #71 Metro bus stop in Aptos Village when the design may not be ADA-compliant. I asked the Board to investigate the matter of the relocation design that has raised issues with not only the Regional Transportation Commission Elderly and Disabled Technical Advisory Commission (E&D TAC), but also the Aptos Chamber of Commerce. The E&D TAC approved moving the bus stop “in concept” in 2013, but never saw the final specifications before the project went to bid as part of the $2+ million Phase I Aptos Village Traffic Improvement Project, currently in progress but stalled due to soil contamination problems. Moving the bus stop is only to assist the Aptos Village Project developers, but the work is being paid for by the taxpayers. Mr. Clifford said he will send information to the Metro Board, but would not discuss the issue publicly. I have written him and asked that I also receive the information…stay tuned.
ANSWERS REGARDING THE PILE OF BLUE PIPES WILL COST $100 OR MORE
That was the news when I requested information from Soquel Creek Water District to understand why the new water pipes in the Aptos Village Project were dug up last week and replaced with different pipes. I received a letter informing me that I will have to pay $100 minimum charge for the IT provider to extract emails, and the information will not be available until August 22, 2017. Wow. I am forced to file Public Records Act requests to get answers to my questions….rarely does staff reply otherwise.
HOW MUCH CAN WE RAISE OUR RATES?
That is the question being discussed ongoing by the newly-formed Soquel Creek Water District Rate Committee. That group will meet next on August 14, 3pm-4:30pm at the Community Foundation Building in Aptos. I have already seen the draft District budget plan for next year’s 17% rate increase to accommodate the PureWater Soquel project. Environmental process? Not really. Additional staff will soon be hired to begin the initial work on the project that the Board insists has not been decided upon. Tell me again why this District was recently given two transparency awards?
WATER FOR SANTA CRUZ COUNTY HAS BETTER, CHEAPER SOLUTIONS
A group of intelligent, educated local citizens has formed the Water For Santa Cruz County in an effort to help bring alternative information about affordable and realistic solutions regarding groundwater problems to the public. Soquel Creek Water District seems to have an endless supply of money to fund consultants who develop slick, expensive advertising to support the energy and technology-intensive plan to inject treated sewage water into the MidCounty region’s drinking water supply. Take a look at www.WaterforSantaCruz.com and look for their educational display at the Aptos Library next month, along with a panel discussion TBA.
NEW SANTA CRUZ POLICE CHIEF ANDREW MILLS BRINGS HOPE
When I read in the Register-Pajaronian and Santa Cruz Sentinel that Andrew Mills had been chosen to fill the Santa Cruz City Police Chief’s job, I wondered what it would mean to the Community. I telephoned a couple of homeless resource agencies in Eureka, where Chief Mills was Chief of Police.. Based on what those community members told me, I felt hopeful that there will be some positive changes happening in Santa Cruz. “You are SO lucky to get Andy Mills,” said one director, and then she added, “I am near tears at the thought of him leaving our city.” Another resource director described a City Council meeting wherein Chief Mills was being asked to ban homeless people from a particular area of the city. “Chief Mills threw up his hands and said ‘Well, where are they supposed to go?!”
Chief Andy Mills is officially being sworn in Monday, August 7 but I have already heard radio announcements that he invites the public to meet with him on Mondays, 9am-10:30am at the Santa Cruz City Police Station. Already, I see positive change…….
~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.
FROM GARY A. PATTON From Gary’s “We Live In A Political World” website… #219 / Save The Trees???
The Sempervirens Fund just sent me a fundraising email (see above for the graphic that accompanied it). Sempervirens is a nonprofit organization that has been saving redwood trees since 1900. I am not exactly a “big donor,” but I have consistently supported the Sempervirens Fund, which is why I am on the organization’s email list.
This latest email from Sempervirens, though, came at a bad time, as far as I am concerned, because I recently heard about a controversy in which I think the Sempervirens Fund did exactly the wrong thing. This wasn’t a good time for the Sempervirens Fund to ask me for money.
I routinely read Bratton Online, a weekly blog covering all things Santa Cruz, and the July 26 – August 1 edition had some distressing news about Sempervirens.
Here is the Bratton Online story in its entirety:
SEMPERVIRENS FUND & THE CALIFORNIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION & SOME SERIOUS QUESTIONS. Betsy Herbert, longtime forest activist, resigned from the Board of Directors of the Sempervirens Fund. Her environmental and community serving credentials are impressive: A PhD in environmental studies from UCSC, longtime local forest advocate, former watershed manager for San Lorenzo Valley Water District, currently President, Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council and board member, Center for Farmworker Families. Most importantly now is that she served on the Sempervirens Fund board for 15 years until she resigned last week.
Historically, the Sempervirens Fund has used money from donors to provide permanent protection to the redwood forests of the state. Now, over Betsy’s objection, the Board has put Rich Gordon, former Member of the Assembly, on the Sempervirens Board. What makes this exceptional is that Gordon has just been named as the President and Executive Director of the California Forestry Association, which is the state’s main lobbying group representing the timber industry. The CFA website tries to present itself as working for “sustainable forests.” In fact, the CFA’s main mission in Sacramento is to make it easier to cut down more trees. Here’s the California Forestry Association website.
After Betsy sent in her resignation letter, the Sempervirens Fund, obviously, acted quickly to update the organization’s website and removed her name as a Board Member. Another local angle: Fred Keeley is a member of the Sempervirens Board, and apparently didn’t see any conflict in putting the timber industry’s chief lobbyist on the Board of the Sempervirens Fund.
The Sempervirens Fund did NOT update the website to give full information on Rich Gordon, however. Here is how the Sempervirens Fund presents him:
RICH GORDON Government Relations Officer, Caminar; former member, California State Assembly; former member, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors; former President, California State Association of Counties; a resident of Menlo Park.
Here’s what the CFA has to say about Rich Gordon:
CALIFORNIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION HIRES FORMER ASSEMBLY MEMBER RICH GORDON AS NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO. Posted on June 7, 2017
California Forestry Association (Calforests) Chairman Arne Hultgren announced today that former Assemblyman Rich Gordon has been named its new President and CEO, effective July 17, 2017. “We’ve worked with Rich for years and are pleased to have him join our Association. We are confident his leadership and policy experience will continue to create great policy results for California and for our membership,” said Chairman Hultgren. Gordon brings more than 20 years of public service experience to Calforests, having most recently completed three terms in the State Assembly, where he served in leadership and successfully carried legislation supporting sustainable forestry. He also served as a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, during which time he sat on the Board of Directors of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC). Gordon was president of CSAC in 2008. He has extensive nonprofit experience and was the founder of Youth and Family Assistance, an agency in San Mateo County serving at-risk youth.
As President and CEO of Calforests, Gordon will be replacing retiring President David Bischel, and will be responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for the Association. In this capacity, Gordon will represent more than 4 million acres of private and family-owned forests; 95 percent of the States forest product manufacturers; producers of renewable biomass energy; and, forestry-related professionals.
“Healthy forests are crucial to the sustainability of our planet. It is an honor to have been chosen to lead an industry association that plays a key role in Californias environment and economy,” said Gordon. “I look forward to working on behalf of Calforests for the benefit of allCalifornians.”
Gary continues…”I was an environmental lobbyist for the Planning and Conservation League from 1995 to 1998, and from 2005 to 2008, working in the California State Capitol. Among other things, on behalf of PCL, I opposed the enactment of bills to make timber harvesting easier, and bills that would undermine regulations that protect our state’s threatened forestlands. I think I have a pretty good idea about who does what in Sacramento, where timber legislation is concerned, and the characterization in the Bratton Online column is accurate. The California Forestry Association is a major advocate for the state’s timber industry. The CFA is emphatically not out to “Save Trees.”
I don’t know what Sempervirens was thinking, but I believe that allowing the state’s major lobbyist for the timber industry to have a place on the Sempervirens Fund Board was not a good call. At the very least, the CFA will use Gordon’s affiliation as part of its lobbying pitch, as it attempts to get legislation that makes timber cutting easier. If things are worse, the retention of Gordon on the Sempervirens Board indicates that Sempervirens may be wanting to “make deals” in Sacramento, helping to support timber industry legislation in return for money for forestry acquisition.
~There IS such a thing as a bona fide conflict of interest. I know one when I see one. Apparently, the Sempervirens Fund Board doesn’t…or doesn’t mind the conflict, on the theory that the organization is going to get some sort of benefit.
Whatever best describes the reality, the words “non-donor” best describe me, with respect to the Sempervirens Fund.
I am not giving money to an organization that says it wants to “Save Trees,” while it puts the state’s foremost timber industry lobbyist on its Board of Directors.
I am not giving money to an organization that doesn’t know what a conflict of interest is…..
Or doesn’t care!….
Gary 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 his blog at www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. First there was no room at the inn…now this. See below a scroll or two.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Hitting that damned nail” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog with his ideas on
“Yes and Not No” this week.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “It’s not Shakespeare, but expect something wicked indeed in the psychological thriller, Lady Macbeth, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com/). And speaking of the Bard, find out how Santa Cruz Shakespeare turns an iffy play into a visual delight with The Two Gentlemen of Verona!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL:TRUTH TO POWER, We should never forget that there were 22,438 Trump Voters in Santa Cruz County and they should all be allowed in free to see Al Gore’s update on Climate Warming. As you know climate warming is worse than ever. Facts, experts, news clips, common sense and a great documentary team show us just how bad itreally is right now.
LADY MACBETH. A well deserved 89 on RT and it should be more. Florence Pugh plays the Lady, and she only made one other film The Falling in 2015. The book source was written in 1865 and this version is set in a Downton Abbey time. It’s full of sex, great costumes, amazing woman empowerment (that you won’t like!) and a thriller that will hold you to the screen every second. I loved it. 9 Thumbs up.
DETROIT. Will Poulter who plays a Detroit cop is one of the most dislikable actors we’ll ever see onscreen. You wouldn’t like him even if he played Jesus, Tom Hanks or even Cristi Macelaru. He leads the cops into the Algiers Hotel killings that happened in Detroit in 1967. It’s all about racial hatred and cops killing black people. Way overdone, no depth, no development and far below the work that Kathryn Bigelow and her work directing The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.Here’s a link to The Guardian statistics about how many people Police kill in the United States each year….
A GHOST STORY. Excellent, wonderful, brilliant, thoughtful, meaningful…really worth seeing and thinking about. It should be titled : “A Ghost’s Story“. It is a story about a kindly ghost who watches the world after he dies. No blood, no BOOS, no closets, just Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck have lead roles. Casey as the bedsheeted ghost wanders through time and locations’ trying to connect or figure out what life is all about. It is well worth seeing, probably twice!! I’ve seen it twice and it’s even better the second time!! ENDS THURSDAY AUGUST 10….darn!
THE MIDWIFE. Catherine Deneuve has always been magnetic in her films and she still is as an aging and still controlling mother. 86 on RT. Well known French actor Catherine Frot plays the daughter of the man Deneuve cheated with decades ago. It’s a beautiful, excellent film that you’ll remember for years. Go see it. ENDS THURSDAY AUGUST 10..damn!.
THE BIG SICK. Kumail Nanjiani the Pakistani jerk from the “Silicon Valley” tv sit com not only wrote this plot but he and his real wife lived it. The film is a bit long but it’s well worth seeing. It’ll grab you when you least expect it. He’s a standup comic and falls in love with Zoe Kazan, a “white” girl. It’s heart rending, funny and a tale told of cultural differences between his traditional Pakistani family and her very contemporary Mom (Holly Hunter) and dad. Go see it…it’ll surprise you.(and I’ll predict some Awards around December-January).
ATOMIC BLONDE. Charlize Theron does a nearly perfect job as the Blonde in this James Bond – Berlin Wall era action movie. Very well done fight scenes, complex spy loyalty plot, John Goodman is getting more and more difficult to believe, and he’s in it too. James McAvoy is there too but he doesn’t matter much. It’ll be the first of many sequels believe me, even though it didn’t do that well on opening weekend. Charlize T. also produced the film, and it’s based on a graphic novel.
DUNKIRK. Acclaimed auteur Christopher Nolan directs this World War II thriller about the evacuation of Allied troops from the French city of Dunkirk before Nazi forces can take hold. co-star, with longtime Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer providing the score.
Dunkirk is a city in France and during WWII the Nazis drove the allied troops to Dunkirk’s beaches. There were 400, 000 troops stranded there with no ships to take them to safety. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance are in the film briefly and do fine acting jobs. The film is all war and is well made and directed…better than most war films. But with City Of Ghosts playing now that’s the one to see IF you like genuine war films.
MAUDIE. A 90 on Rotten Tomatoes and Sally Hawkins plus Ethan Hawke play a severly crippled arthritic and her cruel, stubborn husband…and it’s a true story. The film is sad, poignant, heart gripping and maybe even mawkish. Other than some fine acting by all involved I’m not sure why they made this film, or why you might enjoy it. Me? I’m not sure if I did.
LANDLINE. A New York and Jewish themed near comedy that isn’t very funny…or meaningful. John Turturro is the only familiar face in the cast. It’s about a disturbed family and the dozens of lies they try to live with. Everybody cheats on each other. You would come away from this film feeling much better about your family…which must operate much better than this one. ENDS THURSDAY AUGUST 10.
WONDER WOMAN. IF you like comic book heroes or heroines (hope its ok to use that term) Wonder woman is several cuts about the usual no brainer/ violent/monster filled box office smashes we keep seeing. Gal Gadot is a former Miss Israel and we keep hearing about that. She plays W. Woman. Robin Wright, is in it too and she is a long time favorite of mine. She is Sean Penn’s ex. Chris Pine just jumps around looking like the usual Hollywood cutie pie. If you remember that she’s a comic book star and is supposed to battle, fight and pose in tight pants all the time you could enjoy this more than most of that ilk.
WAR ON PLANET OF THE APES. This should really be classified as an animated saga. It’s all digital ape stuff with Woody Harrelson as an evil human. It has a plot that could make you think seriously…if you can take the computer apes seriously. It could eb said to relate to the Democrats versus the Republicans. Republicans (Harrelson) want to build a wall among other plot devices and the more liberal apes just want to have peace. About 90 % of the film is centered on wars between the two forces and who will rule in the future. Better to go to one of our museums or galleries instead.
SPIDERMAN:HOMECOMING. Michael Keaton completely steals every movie he’s ever made and he sure does playing an evil “Vulture” in this latest version of the web spinner (there have been at least 13 versions of Spidey on TV and the movies!!) Spidey is a high school student with Teresa Tomei as his mom. Robert Downey jr. is back as Iron Man. It doesn’t matter much but Gwyneth Paltrow is in it too. It’s a little better than most of the Marvel Comics hero movies but not much.
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS. (See above for the NO 3D at the Regal 9). This is an excellent example of a comic book film. Set in the 28th century its silly, preposterous, amazing, and it’s sort of like the first Marlon Brando Superman film. The cast actually includes Herbie Hancock, Ethan Hawke and Clive Owen…but not very much! It’s full of stolen creatures from Star Wars, Avatar, yep even Jar Jar Binks, and long scenes looking like Blade Runner. Only if you like comic books.
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. Dr. Shawna Riddle (PAMF) guests on August 8th talking about staying healthy in Santa Cruz. She’s followed by John Aird talking about C.L.U.E. (Coalition for Limiting University Expansion) and what they’ve accomplished. On August 15 Julie James releases the news about the new Season of The Jewel Theatre. After Julie, interventional cardiologist and Doctor Neil Sawhney (PAMF) brings us up to date on heart news. Then on August 29 The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Marilet Martinez tells us about their 9/9, 9/10 performances here. September 5 has Lisa Hadley and Davis Banta previewing their Quality Of Life play. Then therapist Alexandra Kennedy talks about her Awakening to Life In Transition retreat. On October 10 Phyllis Rosenblum discusses the Santa Cruz Chamber Players 2017-18 season. The top winners of the Bookshop Santa Cruz Young Writers contest read their works on November 28. 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
NEW UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVE FEATURE. Stuff changes at KZSC a lot. If you missed 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.
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. “IMMIGRANTS” “We asked for workers. We got people instead”, Max Frisch “Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery”, Jack Paar “Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists”, Franklin D. Roosevelt “The truth is, immigrants tend to be more American than people born here”, Chuck Palahniuk, Choke “I take issue with many people’s description of people being “Illegal” Immigrants. There aren’t any illegal Human Beings as far as I’m concerned”, Dennis Kucinich
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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