CABRILLO COMMUNITY CAMPUS 1967. Remember these good old days when the entire community was so proud of Cabrillo College? Remember when the teachers were so active and sincere and involved? What ever happened to the mutual pride we had for that College and the pride it had in itself?
MARY HOLMES & SARA BOUTELLE HOLMES DESCRIBE THEIR UPBRINGING. 1997. These two sisters are legends in the world and especially in Santa Cruz. Wallace Boss filmed them; Wallace is Coeleen Kiebert’s son.
DATELINE May 1, 2017
“MEMORY OF JUSTICE”. This is a documentary available now on HBO. It gives us a world history of terrible holocausts. Starting with the Nuremberg Trials, Dachau and Auschwitz it also includes many of the United States induced holocausts. Starting with Little Big Horn, and including Hiroshima, Dresden Bombing, Mai Lai, Vietnam, Nagasaki, it has terrifying newsreel footage. Filmed in 1976 and directed by Marcel Ophuls it has everyone from Joan Baez to Herman Goering, Yehudi Menuhin…and Hitler. It is four hours and thirty-eight minutes long. And Ophuls interviews more than forty people…including Daniel Ellsberg in a very significant role.
Huffington Post says the film’s thesis is : Any group in power is capable of war atrocities.
More than all those recent atrocities it could cause you to wonder just how much the killing fellow humans is an integral part of “being human”. The archeologists tell us of early millennia old battles, we know Hawaiian islanders and the brutal warfare that happened between islands and even between their own families. We see it in Santa Cruz with the hate and disdain against the homeless and the hungry.
Keith McHenry of Food Not Bombs told me on last week’s Universal Grapevine that the same hate and animosity against the poor is the same at all the Food Not Bombs sites around the world (except Thailand and Sumatra!) As we watch battles in Berkeley, pro vs. anti Trump, and gun buying increase, so dramatically we must wonder if humans like all other animal species kill because it is in our heritage. And that we never will stop it. See Memory Of Justice…go to a friend’s house who has HBO, it’s worth it!!
REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
May 1, 2017
As someone who tends towards the ruthless criticism of everything existing, I am not a pessimist. With an eye for hidden agendas behind politicians and non-profit profiteers, I am delighted to expose such folly. This trait does not endear me to many and I understand that reaction. Some is simple sexism. Females are supposed to be cheerleaders not critics. Some of it is a desire to see only the positive in a world of negatives. I understand that worldview. I feel better guided by Gramsci’s approach. “Pessimism of the mind: optimism of the will.” Hold both sides of the tension. Yes, it is bad and yes, we can make the difference. Sometimes it’s good to adjust the balance. Two experiences this week amplified “optimism of the will.”
The first was at Cabrillo College from students in response to my presentation on rape in their Human Sexuality classes. After deconstructing gender and rape historically, I asked for their ideas on how they would make a difference towards constructing a world freed from male violence. One woman had already made a difference by confronting sexual harassment towards her students by a male “leader” which led to his removal from a position of influence. That took courage. Male students talked of speaking up when they were around other males whose behavior was ignorant of gender justice. I left inspired.
The second was at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for its Ocean Plastic Summit.
This excellent project open to all schools in the state inspires teachers of pre-kindergarten through 12th graders to develop and present student-led projects to reduce plastic waste and pollution in their local waterways via scientific data and activism. The culmination of the year is to present their results at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and I was privileged to attend. The projects of the 38 schools represented were impressive. It’s hard not to cry and rejoice when an earnest 8 year old describes her group’s project that resulted in an 86% reduction in plastic usage. All projects had impressive results in less use of “throw away” plastic. I noted the absence of Santa Cruz city schools.
The City of Santa Cruz has been asked by the head of Save Our Shores and me representing the Sierra Club to take steps towards banning the use of plastic single-use water bottles at city-sponsored events with a long-term goal of banning their use countywide. The response so far has been lukewarm. Yes there are obstacles. San Francisco managed to overcome them and has an ordinance that bans availability of plastic bottles at city-sponsored events. Surely we can do the same if not better. Globally, every day, we throw away 300 million tons of petroleum-based plastic waste, which could circle the world 3500 times. Pessimism of the mind.
As a regular swimmer at Cowell Beach I note the crates of single use plastic water bottles delivered for even the most humanitarian of events sponsored by the city. Others have noted the same at Depot Park plus the absence of recycling bins. We can do better. In fact we should be leaders in this effort. Optimism of the will.
~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).
May 1, 2017 THE STAMPER STUMPER: IS THIS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE?
In November of 1999, with my five-year old daughter in tow, I left Santa Cruz for Seattle. The previous evening the Santa Cruz City Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) head-long rush toward globalism. Little did I know, as I arrived to San Jose airport on a chilly November evening that my daughter, Sophia that we were headed into one of the largest protest events ever in U.S. history. On, and off the airplane, I casually ran into UCSC professor Dana Frank, Santa Cruz Culture CzarGrant Wilson, peace activists Ruth Hunter and Skip Spitzer (who were both eventually arrested and detained by Seattle police), and Santa Cruz Action Network SCAN (remember that?!) board member, Bob Guzley. I began to believe something might be happening in what today is known as the “Coffee Capital.”I would run into dozens of Santa Cruzans in Emerald City that week, and when I arrived to see more than 60,000 taking to the streets, I knew the anti-globalization movement had arrived and Santa Cruz could say, “presente.”
Protesters—students and labor, Teamsters and turtles—held demonstrations and teach-ins at various intersections, at school playgrounds and in a soccer stadium. The goal of the protesters was to stop WTO delegates, including UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright from ever reaching the Seattle Convention Center. Mission accomplished. At least for a couple of days Seattle was shut down. But what began as a tranquil protest—the police chief was complemented by protesters after Day 1—ended badly with police shooting tear gas at peaceful protesters and some black block partisans turning over everything in sight including garbage cans, dumpsters, and newsstands. November 30 and December 1 of 1999 were the major protester head-banging days, and by Day Five Seattle was a city on the brink and definitely looking to rid itself of anything WTO-related. Between multiple tear-gassings, seeing pepper spray being dropped from six inches away onto large groups occupying most intersections, and stun grenades launched to simply clear these intersections, the city had become a war zone and Sophia and I were simply targets.
I carefully avoided most of these running street battles while pulling on my daughter’s arm as we moved briskly from the outskirts of one battle scene to another. I feverishly passed out our city council’s resolution, handing copies to the army of news media people who were covering the Battle. On Day Two we witnessed the giant metal letters of the Nike building being pried off and dropping onto the sidewalk below. The social, political and financial toll for this port city was enormous:$20 million in damage to businesses; $6 million spent on security by the city of Seattle; and arguably, the incumbent mayor thrown out of office, and the police chief forced to resign.
Now, fast forward to this past weekend (4/29-4/30) in Santa Cruz…Norm Stamper, the then disgraced and retired Seattle police chief has been on a “forgive-but-never-forget-that-he-tear-gassed-peaceful-protesters” tour to discuss police reform and promote his informed brand of social change. He was in town peddling his new book, To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America’s Police, and expound his reformist philosophy of policing—1) “end the drug war, 2) set and enforce national police standards, and 3) form a grassroots movement to reform the police in America.” How ‘bout that! During a Saturday panel discussion and Sunday post-movie, “Do Not Resist “discussion, Stamper was nothing short of brilliant. His folksy, earnest and at times erudite commentary on the state of policing gave his audiences much food for thought as local organizer, Lee Brokaw has high hopes of using Stamper’s appearance to boost support in placing a police commission model of police review on the ballot locally.
Best quotes from Stamper:
On tear gassing protesters at WTO protests in ’99 “It was the single worst decision I made. When you launch tear gas it is no longer a demonstration, it is a riot. I came to the conclusion that I was not only wrong, I was colossally wrong.”
On Ferguson, Missouri Protests “Very reminiscent of Bull Connor in Birmingham, Alabama.”
On American culture “What is it about the people and the police? A free and democratic society belong to the people. Look at structure and culture, if structure does not change the culture (of policing) will not change.”
About the police “American policing is broken and in need of repairing.”
Stamper ended his Nickelodeon Theatre talk by telling a story. He said that he was interviewing an African-American activist and he asked him, “Why now? Why so many protests in Black communities now? So, he grabs my cell phone and holds it up and says, ‘Because now, white middle-class people can see what we’ve experienced for generations.” Cell phones matter?
City Council Meeting Addendum, April 25, 2017 Agenda
It didn’t seem like a big issue, #19. After all, it was on the Consent Agenda, likely to sail through to a yes vote, and it was only spending $140,000 out of the H2O department budget “for the preparation of a Desalination Feasibility Update.” And all I did was put forward a motion to NOT spend this money for a desal update because the people of Santa Cruz, in 2012, said that they wanted to vote if desal was going to be pursued. I saw this agenda item as a backdoor way of avoiding that vote. A bit of controversy erupted when Councilmember Mathews called my motion, “ridiculous,” and then called the water director to the podium to explain what the money was for. I knew what the money was for and after spending $15 million to pursue an errant desal plant my sense is we should spend no more until the people of Santa Cruz have their say. By the way, got more conservation?
The biggest issue for me on this agenda was the council unanimously agreeing to send a letter to UCSC’s chancellor, George Blumenthal, letting him know that we would like the university administration to address a whole series of questions concerning growth and the upcoming Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) that he and his cohorts will be pushing when they come to present at the upcoming May 23 city council meeting. The student population is now around 18,700 students and only half live on campus. The housing situation in town, as every councilmember is keenly aware, is dire. Any new students have to be housed on campus because there is NO room left in town, and “room” is currently only created by charging $3200 rents for a 2-bedrooms, which thus evicts any occupants who cannot pay. (And this just in: I am told the new Darwin Street apartments, across from Staff of Life, are renting two bedroom units for $3500! That could be a new high $ in Surf City.)
Of course, the council also unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the building of any Trump Wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and perhaps more importantly “recommending that the City of Santa Cruz divest from any companies involved in the construction of a border wall.” In addition, we also passed a significant ban on doing business with Well Fargo…”to immediately ban Wells Fargo Securities as the City’s broker dealer and terminate within 90 days any investment holdings with institutions funding the Dakota Access Pipeline for a period of five years …” How about that?! Nice.
Finally
I attended a panel discussion at UCSC’s Cowell College last Saturday. It was set up by alum, Mathew Waxman, and was about the current growth of UCSC and the LRDP process, all part of the “Alumni Days” festivities at UCSC. The current California Secretary for Natural Resources, John Laird a Cowell alum, was part of the panel and he recalled suing the university over growth back in the 1980’s when he was also the mayor of Santa Cruz. He said that it was odd that back then it took the first 44 days of a 45-day negotiation period “to figure out who was the decision-maker” for UCSC as the mediation was carried out between Town and Gown.
It will be hard to look towards the next LRDP process without looking at the failures—housing, traffic, transportation—of the current one that is set to expire in 2020. The planning for the next one should begin in earnest by 2018.
~ 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.
RANCHO DEL MAR MATURE TREES SAVED.
Thanks to everyone who contacted Mr. Bruce Walton Senior Vice President of Development for Terramar Retail Centers (RC Retail), about keeping the mature trees in the remodeling of the Rancho del Mar Center. Mr. Walton left a message for me stating that in response to public comments, consultants are reviewing the logging plans. Good work! Stay tuned.
WHY DOES FARMING MATTER?
Why is it important to grow your own food…or know the farmer who does? What does the future hold for small organic farmers? Aptos organic farmer Ms. Erika Knudsen will discuss this and more at the Aptos Library, Saturday, May 6, 1pm-3pm. The event is free and part of the “Aptos Agriculture… a nod to the past, a look to the future” display this month in the Library.
WONDERING ABOUT SANTA CRUZ CITY WATER DEPARTMENT’S NEWEST WELL?
Here is an opportunity to learn more about the city’s newest Beltz 12 well and treatment plant: Wednesday, May 17, 10:30am-noon. RSVP to 831-420-5220. Does Santa Cruz City plan to use treated sewage water in the near future? That could work for the DeLaveaga Golf Course, which currently is irrigated with potable water.
COUNTY PARKS STRATEGIC PLAN WORKSHOP IN APTOS VILLAGE PARK
Saturday, May 6, 10am-noon at Aptos Village Park. Join your neighbors to help shape the future of parks Countywide. Take a look on your way at the vertical hillside in the area where Granite Way meets Aptos Creek Road (on your right as you travel into Nisene Marks Park). That is the vertical hillside that Barry Swenson Builder gave to the County for a park to sa tisfy the requirement to provide an active recreation park. Swenson supposedly paid half-a-million dollars for the hillside, and will not have to pay to develop it into an active recreation area.
In exchange for the land, the County granted Barry Swenson Builder FREE drainage easement across the Aptos Village Park land to dump storm water from the Aptos Village Project parking lots and roof runoff into Aptos Creek. I am sure the salmonids will love that.
The County also WAIVED ALL DEVELOPER PARK FEES for Barry Swenson Builder. Other developers in the County are required to pay $1000/bedroom to help develop parks that will serve the occupants of their project. There are 69 new residential units approved for the Project, some are 3,000 square foot condominiums.
It seems the County Planning Department, former County Supervisor Ellen Pirie and current Supervisor Zach Friend highly value that future hillside active recreational park…or maybe another form of green? Hmmmm…. Ask about the future of that valuable hillside park, and why County Parks is putting out to bid $35,000 for work on the Aptos Village Park driveway and parking lot.
SUPERVISOR ZACH FRIEND ANNOUNCES VALENCIA ROAD TEMPORARY BRIDGE WILL NOT BE INSTALLED IN TIME TO ALLOW VALENCIA SCHOOL KIDS BACK BEFORE JUNE.
Well, now that we know the delay for beginning the Valencia Road repair was not due to staff at State Fish & Game (as was stated at a couple of neighborhood meetings by Supervisor Friend and other County staff), the blame now goes to delaying so that a two-lane temporary bridge can be installed, rather than a one-lane temporary bridge. That extra work will, according to Supervisor Friend, cause the temporary bridge installation to be delayed until early to mid JULY. Coincidentally, that is the same time the County’s $2 million-dollar Phase I road work and Trout Gulch traffic light project will finish up. Handy, don’t you think? One cannot deny that having the Valencia Elementary School traffic out of the way makes the road work benefiting Aptos Village Project much easier, especially when the railroad crossing has to be closed down for excavation and track replacement.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District leadership and Valencia Elementary School families (600+ students) need to press the County Public Works Department to move on the temporary bridge faster, to allow the students and staff back before the end of the year. The front page article in last Wednesday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel (4/26) interviewed Valencia Elementary teachers who must arrive daily at their temporary classrooms in Mar Vista Elementary by 6:30am to set up, and by 2pm, take everything down because the space is shared with other uses. The article also stated that routine facility maintenance at Valencia Elementary stopped when the school closed on January 23.
A temporary one-lane bridge was installed in three weeks for residents on Nelson Road in Scotts Valley…why is the County dragging its feet on the Valencia temporary bridge?
Assistant Public Works Director, Mr. Steve Wiesner assured me that staff is working as quickly as they are able to on this project, but that there are other projects to work on in the County. There are 22 civil engineers on County payroll (according to Transparent California website), and the Board of Supervisors recently approved contracting with outside engineers for the next 3-5 years, at a cost of $15-$25 million to the taxpayers. Mr. Wiesner did not appreciate my reminding him that the Valencia problem is the only road problem that has caused a public school to be closed. He did not like my explaining that people I know who have installed similar emergency bridges in the military are, like many people in the Aptos community (as well as Fish & Game) wondering why no work is taking place. He invited anyone with plans to visit him…maybe you know someone, too.
In the meantime, Supervisor Friend sent a message to Valencia Elementary School families and Rolling Green Estates residents that PG&E and Trout Gulch Water Mutual Company will begin moving utilities this week or next….three full months after the closure. Hmmm….
COUNTY ROAD WORK BLOG RARELY UPDATED FOR CITIZEN INFORMATION
Before the County’s roadwork in Aptos Village to benefit the developers began, Supervisor Zach Friend assured the community that their source of current information regarding traffic delays and road construction timelines would all be available on a project website.
Because I must travel through the construction zone daily, I check the website frequently for updates. There are none. The site is merely a documentation of what work has occured in the past, and is rarely updated. I suppose it really doesn’t matter because very few people even know the website information exists. The two orange construction project information signs that are required to be positioned at each end of the road construction zone are both located facing sparsely-traveled Aptos Street, and are difficult to read through the orange plastic netting.
I have asked more than once that Public Works staff re-position the signs. No response.
SPEAK OUT AND WRITE FOR FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT AT MAY 12 PUBLIC HEARING. Friday, May 12, 9:30am 5th Floor Board of Supervisors Chambers, 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz.
Due to several Brown Act violations, the County Planning Department has scheduled a re-do of the public hearing for the Aptos Village Project Apple Barn proposed changes to the Historic Resources Preservation Plan. This is a discretionary approval by the County Historic Resources Commission, and therefore is a legal time for members of the public to bring forth new information that warrants the County to require the developers to conduct further environmental review.
The case can be made for this demand on several issues. Contact me for this information:
The letters must be submitted before the close of the public hearing on May 12. Address them to the County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Cruz County Planning Dept., and the County Historic Resources Commission.
MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY BOARD WILL MAKE BIG DECISION: WHO WILL CREATE THE WATER PLAN & POLICY?
The MidCounty Groundwater Agency, a joint power required by the State to develop and implement a sustainable groundwater management plan for the overdrafted aquifers in the area will meet Thursday, May 18, 7pm at the Simpkins Swim Center. There will be representatives of Soquel Creek Water District, Central Water District, Santa Cruz County, small water companies and private well owners available at 6pm to discuss related issues and answer your questions.
One of the items on the agenda (I have been told) will be deciding who will be able to participate on the Advisory Committee that will help MidCounty Groundwater Agency Water Planner, Ms. Darcy Pruitt, develop THE PLAN and how it will be implemented. I have been told that members of the general public can and should ask to be on that committee. The Board will be discussing how to choose just who will be included on that Committee. Private well owners and customers/owners of small water companies in particular need to be involved. The Board has repeatedly stated that there is no need to make an effort to notify these water users “until we have something to tell them.” I think it is better, for transparency, to have those parties at the table BEFORE decisions are made, rather than AFTER the decisions have been made.This is critical. I hope that you will attend the Board meeting Thursday, May 18, 7pm at Simpkins Center.
SUPPORT THE APTOS/LA SELVA FIREFIGHTERS AT MAY 11 BOARD MEETING
Since last month’s action by Aptos / La Selva Firefighters Local 3535 to vote UNANIMOUS NO CONFIDENCE against Chief Jon Jones, and a massive show of community support at the April 13 Board meeting, there has been no action from the Board. Many citizens requested Chief Jones submit his resignation, and that the Board demand it.
The firefighters have sounded the alarm bell for the public to take action to protect the level of community service that the District is known and trusted to provide. Chief Jones has taken actions to cut funding and staffing such that critical services such as child car seat programs to educate new parents and fire protection inspections are gone. The surf rescue program, which saves lives, is under duress due to slashed funding for training. The busiest fire engine is routinely taken out of service to staff a small medical response unit as part of an agreement with the ambulance company (American Medical Response or AMR) that Chief Jones neglected to re-negotiate and now cannot for another 18 months. Dedicated seasoned high-level staff resigned early due to poor conditions and disrespect from Chief Jones.
The firefighters need your support. Attend the May 11 meeting, 7pm at the Aptos/La Selva firestation near Cabrillo College.
‘DO NOT RESIST’ FILM SCREENING LAST SUNDAY (4/30) AND DISCUSSION WITH MR. NORM STAMPER WAS A REAL EYE-OPENER.
Last weekend, the local American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Veterans for Peace, and the Resource Center for Non-violence teamed up to host Mr. Norm Stamper, former Seattle Chief of Police, and present the movie “Do Not Resist” documentary about this country’s police militarization. There was also a panel discussion that included Chief Stamper, Santa Cruz Councilmember Ms. Sandy Brown, journalist/broadcaster John Malkin, and attorney Ms. Samora Marion from the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability.
Chief Stamper resigned from his post in 2000 after his department pepper-sprayed a crowd of 50,000-60,000 non-violent protesters at the World Trade Organization Conference in Seattle. He apologized to the audience Sunday after the documentary “Do Not Resist” ended.
He explained that at the time he authorized the pepper spray, the importance of clearing the crowded intersection was paramount. “We did what we thought we had to do,” he said. It was not until later that he realized the action quickly turned a peaceful protest into a perilous riot.
The documentary focused on SWAT teams and the “pumped-up” tactics used during raids that often occur in the middle of the night. It discussed the danger of local law enforcement juridictions accepting the free “surplus” military equipment (BearCats, etc) just because it is offered by Homeland Security. It showed excerpts of Congressional inquiries bearing the fact that 36% of the “surplus” equipment is actually brand new. It discussed the lack of oversight by the federal government regarding how the equipment is used, even though there is a stipulation that the equipment CANNOT be used to control unruly crowds.
Other information in the documentary showed a disturbing use of blanket area facial recognition software that allows local law enforcement to identify any and all people in public and to track their movements. The company Persistent Surveillance Systems CEO stated that there would be mistakes but it didn’t really matter. Use of racial information to bolster Predatory Policing (PredPol) models is arguably unnecessary, said the CEO, but practiced any way. A Los Angeles police officer demonstrated the license plate reading and tracking technology already in use in patrol cars. It disturbed me to see law enforcement’s use of artificially-intelligent observation drones in public places being tested, with independent AI “decision-making” regarding use of lethal force if a “person of interest” is detected. These drones can fly over large areas in formation, and can communicate with one another for decision-making. “When people are in public places, they no longer have privacy rights” stated the officer explaining the technology.
Well, that was enough to tie my stomach in knots, but the movie’s end with a clip of Dave Grossman, the nation’s number one trainer for law enforcement, pumping up the conference crowd by referring to citizens speaking out against police use of lethal force as “slimey little things that must be squashed and crushed back into their holes and kept out of sight” threw me and half the theater audience over the edge. In the film, Mr. Grossman’s students stood and applauded.
Mr. Stamper’s ensuing discussion was rich. He advocates for citizens to demand change of the broken system that seems to have forgotten the motto “Protect and Serve”. He points out that it is unconstitutional for American military troops to use force against citizens on American soil, so the Department of Homeland Security offers free military equipment to local law enforcement jurisdictions and calls upon their SWAT to conduct initial drug raids and crowd control. The federal agents then move in for further action. Over 40% of America’s SWAT are freshly from active military duty.
“80% of the SWAT raids in this country are against nonviolent drug offenders,” he said. The film showed a SWAT team nearly raiding the wrong address, and then being angry because they could not find the weed listed in the warrant.
Mr. Stamper stated that there are …
THREE THINGS CITIZENS MUST DO TO CHANGE THE BROKEN SYSTEM:
Demand an end to the “Drug War“. When President Nixon declared the “War on Drugs” in 1971, it was really declaring a War on citizens. The U.S. government has spent $1.5 trillion in prosecution of mostly low-level drug offenses (chiefly cannabis). Mr. Stamper insists that this money would be better spent on treatments for addiction and mental illnesses.
Set and enforce NATIONAL STANDARDS for law enforcement procedural standards regarding use of force, requiring self discipline to refrain from weapons use at all. The National Standards will be used in conjunction with local jurisdictional additional restrictions crafted by grassroots efforts.
Put the Community back in a people’s police force, create a definition of community policing with the use of census tracks, election models, and include a citizen panel for making hiring policies, crisis management policies and civil demonstration policies. Create a partnership between the public and law enforcement that gives meaning to transparency and rebuilds trust.
Mr. Stamper encouraged the audience to become familiar with local law enforcement personnel by volunteering for ride-alongs. He said that law enforcement leaders need to begin each shift with the words “Nobody is going to die today” and actively work to change the police mentality that “I never back away from a fight” and “I always win”. David Grossman, the country’s #1 law enforcement trainer said however, “You are men and women of violence, and you will win by using superior violence.”
Before he returns to the peaceful San Juan Islands, Mr. Stamper will meet with Chiefs of Police and the County Sheriff to advocate for re-instatement of citizen police review commissions in the local law enforcement jurisdictions. What will you do?
“Sheriff Jim Hart” Jim.Hart@santacruzcounty.us Kevin Vogel – Santa Cruz Chief of Police Contact: (831) 420-5810 Steve Walpole, Jr. – Scotts Valley Chief of Police Contact: (831) 440-5670 Terry McManus – Capitola Chief of Police Contact: (831) 475-4242 policechief@ci.capitola.ca.us David Honda – Watsonville Chief of Police Contact: (831) 471-1151
MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
DO SOMETHING TODAY.
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.
Ben Sasse seems to think so. Sasse is a Republican, and is the junior United States Senator from the state of Nebraska. He recently wrote an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, “The Challenge for Our Disruptive Era.” Here is how he leads off his article:
I am a historian, and that usually means I’m a killjoy. When people say we’re at a unique moment in history, the historian’s job is to put things in perspective by pointing out that there is more continuity than discontinuity, that we are not special, that we think our moment is unique because we are narcissists and we’re at this moment. But what we are going through now—the past 20 or 30 years, and the next 20 or 30 years—really is historically unique. It is arguably the largest economic disruption in recorded human history. And our politics are not yet up to the challenge (emphasis added).
Sasse’s suggestion that “we are narcissists” (meaning the nation as a whole, as I read it), is worth thinking about. The implications are important.
Believing that we are a “special” nation can lead to some mightily destructive and counter-productive behavior. Claims that “we are special,” particularly when we are NOT that special, can get us into trouble.
Could Americans get their heads around the idea that we are NOT special? Is it possible that we are NOT (as our recently-appointed Ambassador to the United Nations has claimed) “the moral conscience of the world?”
Narcissism comes in various flavors, and while I’m concerned about how narcissism is manifesting itself in our current president, our national narcissism may be even more dangerous.
When a nation claims, through its leadership, that it is “special,” and is able to say what is “right” and what is “wrong” for the entire world, other nations may well see a degree of national narcissism that demands some kind of resistance and intervention, and that reaction to our national narcissism could put our nation, and all other nations, in great danger.
For instance, meet Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, and his claimed ability to bombard the West Coast of the United States with nuclear missiles.
Let’s not try to out-narcissist a narcissist! Kim Jong-un might just try to prove that he is more “special” than we are. Claims of American “exceptionalism,” claims of an American moral goodness not possessed by others, can easily become pathological.
As Nikki Haley’s claims make clear, we have been staring into the pool way too long!
~Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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 points out one of our many seasonal foibles, scroll down just a bit o’pages.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. While Tim’s gone on vacation he’s gifted us with some of his more than classic and classy ” Subconscious Comics” which you’ll find 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.
PAUL WHITWORTH & MIKE RYAN IN AURORA THEATRE’S “TEMPLE” PLAY NOW!
This is the U.S. Premiere of the play about the very important OCCUPY LONDON action that happened in October 2011. Watch the trailer here…
SYLVIA RETURNS TO THE JEWEL THEATRE. This play by A.R.Gurney runs May 3-28. Juile James, Shaun Carroll, Diahanna Davidson and J.T.Holstrom have the leads.
Empty nesters Greg and Kate have moved back to Manhattan after twenty-two years in the suburbs. As “Kate tells Greg: “The dog phase of my life is definitely over.” But life has a way of giving you what you think you don’t want. Greg finds Sylvia, a street-smart lab/poodle mix, and brings her home. She promptly becomes a bone of contention between Greg and Kate, testing their marriage to hilarious and touching effect. For info and tickets go to www.JewelTheatre.net or call 831 425-7506.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “You don’t have to be a sucker for movie about writers (like I am) to get a kick out of Their Finest, a sharply funny, if bittersweet story of movie scriptwriters concocting a morale-boosting epic in WWII-era London. Read all about it this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THEIR FINEST. Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton lead off in this British semi-comedy set during WWII as England is being bombed while they are making a film trying to encourage the USA to enter the war. Jeremy Irons is in it for about 8 seconds. The film waves back and forth between drama and comedy. You won’t remember much of it afterwards, but it’s one of the best out and around at the moment.
THE CIRCLE. This weak plotted pointless mess earned a 17 on Rotten Tomatoes… I would have given it maybe 18 because it was fun to see the making fun or evil of the Apple empire in Cupertino where I’ve visited a number of times. Tom Hanks does his usual job or being the perfect Steve Jobs – Mark Zuckerberg type guy. Emma Watson proves again that she can act…most of the time. Friends tell me that in the book Emma does not turn out to be a nice girl as she does in this flick but joins Hanks in trying to rule the world by controlling all personal data on everybody in the world.
BORN IN CHINA. In 1952 my photography teacher in Pasadena Norm Wakeman shot hours of footage for Walt Disneys’ Water Birds. Coincidentally, he shot the water Ouezel footage up here on Swanton Road at The Big Creek falls!! He told me at the time just how severe Disney Nature films are anthropomorphized and edited/faked/dubbed to make them into the glossy, sweetened versions we still see in Born In China”. The photography is only stunning, amazing, and beautiful. Pandas, Snow leopards and cutesy monkeys are the main feature…if you can make it through all the added verbal poop.
COLOSSAL. Nacho Vigolondo directed it….and that should be a clue..He’s a wild Spanish young director who did Timecrimes and Open Windows. Anne Hathaway tries very hard to make this into maybe a comedy or possibly a sci-fi fantasy, but the studio and the director were against her. It has Godzilla monsters under her control, it’s got her battleing a serious drinking problem, and a very brutal boyfriend who actually beats her up a few times. I can’t imagine anyone liking this stuff, but it’s strictly up to you!!!
LOST CITY OF Z. A pointless and true plot based on a book about a Brit who keeps trying to find what he thinks is a lost civilization deep in the Amazon jungle. Its 2 hours and 20 minutes long, but you’ll think it’s longer. It has everything jungles always have except Tarzan…and suspense. The hero leaves his wife and kids at home for years on end and you’ll wish you had stayed there too. The true name of the hero only adds to the boring trek… Percy Fawcett.
THE PROMISE. Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale lead this sad story of how the Germans under the Kaisers rule watched and supported the Turks back in 1915 as they murdered the Armenian segment of their population. ( 1.5 million Armenians). For some unknown reason James Cromwell has a two minute role and Jean Reno is also on screen near the end of the film. IF you do go, see if you feel like Christian Bale who plays an Associated Press newsman somehow is too big for the screen. Sounds odd but check it out. There is a very serious love interest dealing with tradition, religion, fidelity that seems to offset the too real tragedy of the Armenian slaughter. The Republic of Turkey still denies all this ever happened…more of the insanity of world politics. Ends Thursday 5/4.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget, semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected to make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
YOUR NAME. This beautiful Japanese inspired animated film makes Disney animation look like Walter and Margaret Keane’s “Big Eye” paintings in San Francisco in the 60’s. It is drawn with such skill and a sense of what animation can create that even Pixar should hang their well-financed heads in shame. The story behind Your Name is complex and thought provoking. Centering on youth and growing up, and sex changes, and ghosts, and family… it is just brilliant. See the subtitled version to get the full Japanese sensitive touch.
GIFTED. Hollywood stars Chris Evans (who usually plays Captain America) and Octavia Spencer along with British star Lindsay Duncan lead the cast of this feel good saga of a 7 year old girl who was born into a mathematical genius family and who becomes another mathematical genius. It’s too soapy, too cute, too unbelievable, too contrived to be a good movie. I can’t think of any solid reason to recommend it to any group except to families who may have a genius child and are wondering what to do OR not do, with her.
GOING IN STYLE. Another tired re-hash is Going In Style starring Morgan Freeman-79, Alan Arkin-83, Michael Caine-84, Ann Margret –76, and Christopher Lloyd – 79 as the same grumpy old geezers who decide to rob a bank. That these actors would align themselves with Steven Mnuchin who was the National Finance Manager for the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, and who Trump just appointed as Secretary of The Treasury is a shame. The first version was in 1979 and starred now long gone stars George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. Making our senior citizens the butts of jokes is about as funny as Mantan Moreland, Aunt Jemina, Gordo, and any overused stereotypes that come to mind.
UNFORGETTABLE. Katherine Heigl plays the absolutely perfect ex-wife who haunts, plots, and damned near demolishes the new relationship her husband is having with Rosario Dawson. It’s more like a 1940’s B movie plot that we’ve seen too often. Lies, deceit, trust, sex, stabbing, and who loves the 10 year old perfect daughter most is about the entire story. You don’t need to see it any more times.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go – if you like Donald Trump type movies.
FATE OF THE FURIOUS. Just about everybody who watches or reads the news knows that the Fate of The Furious (better title “Fart of the Furious” as in exhaust) movie topped almost every box office record ever set. Vin Diesel (real name Mark Sinclair) was born in Alameda in 1967 and has been the lead in all eight exact copies of one of the dumbest plots ever filmed. To see such stars as Helen Mirren sink to a three-minute role, Charlize Theron half act some part as a Russian killer is just sad. There’s a street race in Havana and somehow it ends with cars taking on the Russians in some sort of war. The USA reaction and most of the world’s reaction to such a crap of a film is an embarrassing statement of our collective taste. Dwayne Johnson is in it too but he is always in these sorts of things.
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 May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences in Taiwan on my turn at Pledge Drive night!!… May 9th has director Kinan Valdez discussing the traditions behind the new version of the “Zoot Suit” play opening May 26-June 4 at UCSC. Kinan is followed by artistic director Anita Monga coming down here to talk about The San Francisco Silent Film Festival (June1 -4). Cruzio co- founder Chris Neklason tells us about Net Neutrality and the Cruzio position on May 16. Then Phil Collins from The New Music Works talks about their wild new fun raiser. Bookshop Santa Cruz features its top Short Story Winners on May 30. 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 can spend way, waaay too long watching these kinds of craft videos. Now, where did I put my gluegun?
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. “MAY”
“Lots of people go mad in January. Not as many as in May, of course. Nor June. But January is your third most common month for madness”, Karen Joy Fowler,
“May: the lilacs are in bloom. Forget yourself”, Marty Rubin
“At last came the golden month of the wild folk– honey-sweet May, when the birds come back, and the flowers come out, and the air is full of the sunrise scents and songs of the dawning year”, Samuel Scoville Jr.,
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PRE-DRONE PHOTO OF SANTA’S VILLAGE May 29,1957. Wikipedia says…. “In 1956 the Lawridge dairy farm, alongside Highway 17 in Scotts Valley, was leased to southern California developer Glenn Holland. He had already developed Santa’s Village in 1955, in San Bernardino County, and would later build a third in East Dundee, Illinois, becoming Santa’s Village AZoosment Park. The grand opening was May 30, 1957, with Danish native Carl Hansen (aka magician/clown Hocus Pocus) in the role of Santa Claus. The main rides were a bobsled, a spinning Christmas tree and Santa’s Express train. There was also a petting zoo, a huge Jack-in-the-Box and equally large Santa’s boot, and an Alice in Wonderland hall of mirrors.
In August 1966, Holland sold to developer Noorudin Billawalla. In 1977, the Santa’s Village Corporation filed for bankruptcy, and in 1979 the park closed for good. In 1990 Borland International purchased the land as their world headquarters. The park had its own freeway exit off Highway 17, and as of 2016, the freeway exit signs still read “Santa’s Village Road”.
Paraguay’s landfill orchestra plays instruments made from recycled rubbish
STAR TREK DEALS WITH TERRORISM!!!
SANTA CRUZ SWINGS A Full length movie. I posted this one hour and 22 minute film by Ken Koeniga year or more ago. It got great reviews. If you haven’t seen it…do it now. You’ll learn a lot about our older and newer jazz history.
UCSC AND THE NUDGING OF STUDENT NUMBERS. The responses to the shifting of enrollment numbers given by UCSC Chancellor Blumenthal show a very real concern, support, respect, diversity, and caring for the relationship between the University and the community. One respondent wrote…“That’s a very good point. Some of the missing students might be undocumented students who left after Trump was elected. That’s a number that could tell a story or two”. Andrew Schiffrin wrote… “I read in your most recent column about the confusion around the University’s enrollment numbers. I may be able to help. As I understand it, the University uses a three quarter average in determining the official annual enrollment number. I think the Chancellor’s 17,500 number refers to the three quarter average for the 2016-17 school year. As your column states, the 18,753 enrollment number is for the Fall, 2017 enrollment.
Since enrollment declines over the school year, the University argues that using the three quarter average is reasonable. The 19,500 maximum enrollment under the current LRDP is tied to this approach. Of course, a reasonable argument can be made that the impacts of the Fall Quarter enrollment on the community are real and shouldn’t be discounted through incorporation in the annual average.
We won’t know how close this year’s enrollment approaches the 19,500 maximum until the University releases this year’s three quarter average. The maximum was projected to be reached by 2020 and can’t be exceeded until a new LRDP is adopted. I hope this helps”.
Calling attention to another aspect, a reader writes… “Failing to mention the methodology is still misleading. And if the chancellor is talking about planning, I think that the most honest population number should be a projection from the most current numbers. And projecting from the Fall 2016 enrollment, more than 1,800 students would have to have dropped out between October 2016 and Jan 2017 to maintain the 17,500 average. That’s more than ten percent of the student body. So he’s picking numbers, now almost a year out of date, that makes him look good. Or his Communications people are putting these numbers in his mouth”.
STILL MORE UCSC NEWS. The April 20 issue of City on A Hill Press told a sad story. The sub headline read…”Response to removal of 80,000 books for study space, café”. The story by Katherine Plocharczyk opened with…More than 80,000 texts were permanently removed without faculty approval from the Science and Engineering (S&E) Library last summer to make room for renovated study space and a library cafe. On April 13, research professor Michael Nauenberg, who has been a member of the UC Santa Cruz community for over 50 years, held a talk, urging students to consider how this may affect their education”.Read all of it here… It also states “The books were either destroyed or relocated to storage facilities”. It’s hard to really tell what’s going on up there on the Hill. Are they that desperate for space and money, do they lack an appreciation for books, do they dare ask the faculty for advice? Above all that, is anyone in charge of the overall quality of the education that the next enrollees will receive? Every meeting I have with UCSC students (and I have a lot) involves hearing about the crowded classrooms, the inability to take classes they need to graduate, proper places to study, and so on. What is also a large question that never seems to be made clear is “Who’s in charge”? How much control or decision-making power does the Chancellor have and just which areas does he make decisions? The number of new students admitted, on campus housing numbers, construction of new bed spaces…and how many decisions are delivered to him by the Board of Regents?? I only wish we knew more about that.
THE SWANTON FAMILY BRINGS ELECTRICITY TO SANTA CRUZ. Historian and former UCSC map librarian Stan Stevens was kind enough to send us a four-page document detailing not just the Fred Swanton we know a little about but also his dad Albion Paris Kingston Swanton. The Swantons not just created our very own opera House and brought the very first electricity to the city, and the connection to the early Boardwalk but plenty more. Download the pdf here!
HOUSING: PRICE NOT SUPPLY IS THE PROBLEM.
Sunday’s Sentinel (4/23/17) contained two op-eds that address the future of Santa Cruz. One under the name of UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal and the other by Gail Jack of the organization, Affordable Housing Now! Both are growth endorsing and both are based on assumptions that can be challenged.
The Chancellor’s article is a smooth piece of salesmanship for growth. We hear about Regine, from a working class Filipino family whose early interest in computers has led her to UCSC and a major in computer engineering. A heart- warming story sending a subtle race-coded message that any opposition to further UCSC growth will thwart the educational aspirations of thousands of future Regines. Never mind that students can get a fine education at UC Merced, including a major in computer engineering. The goal here is not so much ensuring that future students receive an education but that they get it at UCSC. Bigger is better. Students who select a campus other than UCSC receive letters encouraging them to consider UCSC if they change their minds. That doesn’t reflect a concern for the impact of UCSC growth on the community.
When addressing housing, the choice of words is revealing. The op-ed states: “The County’s housing shortage, for example, makes interesting headlines.” A more accurate statement would be “UCSC growth has resulted in escalating rents that are forcing out low income workers and families.” A shortage of housing is not the core of the problem. There is a rent crisis fuelled largely by UCSC growth in the context of housing being a market commodity. There are hundreds of units of housing currently being built in town and the rents are exorbitant. A 300 square foot unit rents for $1700 a month. Others are in the $2300 a month range. Supply and demand is not the model any more. You can pave over paradise and the rents will still be exorbitant. The reassurance that UCSC is planning on building 3,000 beds by 2020 under a new public-private partnership will reassure some but not this writer. That means destroying the Porter meadow and erecting a concentration of housing that will not only be out-of scale with what has been historically the human-scale of campus development but will also ensure social problems that will strain already maxed out resources such as counseling; police; health services etc. I lived for four years in Family Student Housing, a complex of 199 apartments, which translates into approximately 700 beds. The scale of 3,000 beds crammed into the Porter meadow is a formula for problems. Not to mention that students also venture off-campus, which means pressure on all off-campus facilities and resources. And if less than 97% of those 3,000 beds are occupied, the result will be rent increases across the board for all on-campus students, driving them into the community where landlords adjust their rents to keep pace with UCSC. Growth is the problem, not the lack of housing or lack of participation in the LRDP process.
The op-ed from Affordable Housing Now! uncritically accepts that growth is good, that the problem is lack of supply rather than housing speculation and that high density will translate into affordability with everyone biking and walking or using public transit. The op-ed states “we are not building enough housing for the people who want to live here.” Why should we? Building more housing has not resulted in lower housing costs or rents and that is true for Santa Cruz and other communities. It only results in over-crowding. It is estimated that you would need to build 10,000 units of housing to see rents reduce by 15% according to housing researchers. Nowhere does the op-ed address the concept of carrying capacity or sustainability. People don’t spend all their lives inside their houses. The consume things. They get on the roads, most of them in cars. They go to clinics where parking and getting an appointment are becoming difficult. Where is the space for new medical clinics? And all the other services that a community needs and desires?
It’s past time to accept that we are at the upper limit of human carrying capacity and the only possible solution is to not build more housing for all who would like to live or study here but to take care of the people who are already here.
~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).
GRANITE AND TRUMPS WALL. Micah Posner emailed to clarify Granites “BID-NO BID” statement … Yes. It is a big victory, albeit a minor role in one. It seems likely that the pressure did effect Granite. Their CEO said that if Granite was “asked to build it, they would.” Google “Trump’s Wall Granite Construction” for the source. While that is not exactly the same as putting in a bid, it does seem to connote that they have had a change of heart. Good for them”. Read Chris Krohn’s Trumped–up Wall report next.
SPEAKING OF THOSE PESKY THINGS KNOWN AS EMAILS.
First, the Happiest News This Week — All part of Just Saying No to Trump’s Trumped-up Wall
First, I received this email forwarded from the city manager:
Martin (Bernal),
Thank you for your call today. You had asked me for feedback on whether Granite [Construction] has bid any border security work under the current administration. You may be aware that the Department of Homeland Security solicited proposals and whitepapers to be submitted by contractors on April 4th. I can say with certainty that the only border security-related projects that Granite has submitted bids on to-date were administered under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. As Granite has previously shared with the City of Santa Cruz, we fully support everyone’s right to voice their opinions. Granite is in the business of creating jobs by putting the proven skills and capabilities of our thousands of diverse employees across the country to work and build infrastructure projects in North America. Please let me know if I can provide any further clarification.
Best regards,
Don (Roland)
Manager Construction Materials, Coastal Region Granite Construction
Then I sent this to Don Roland: Thank you Mr. Roland. Can I tell my constituents that Granite Construction of Watsonville, Ca. will not, has not, and does not have any intention of bidding for work on an ill-conceived border wall idea by the Trump administration? It is important for all of us that you clearly state your intentions. I believe you are going in the direction of NOT assisting in the wall-building fiasco, but could you be a bit clearer?
Thanks much and your communication is much appreciated.
Best, Chris Krohn Councilmember
Then, I was elated when I received the following email and declared victory:
Council Member Krohn,
Thank you for your message. My family and I live in Santa Cruz, so as one of your constituents I appreciate your service to our city. April 4 was a critical deadline to submit proposals to the Department of Homeland Security for border security projects. Granite did not submit a proposal, and to date has not bid any border security projects under the Trump administration. With recent road maintenance funding being secured at the state and local levels, we’re currently focused on building those types of projects.
The Santa Cruz city council agenda for April 25th has as one of its thirty agenda items a 299-word superfluous account of a 7-hour meeting about the city’s goals and strategic planning for the next two years. It simply states:
Item 5. Minutes of the April 1, 2017 City Council Retreat. Motion to approve as submitted.
“At 9:22 a.m. facilitator Shawn Spano closed Oral Communications. Led by facilitator Shawn Spano, the City Council discussed mission, goals, focus areas, deliverables, and priorities for a two-year work plan, in addition to a set of topics to be scheduled for regular report-out to the Council in the next 12 months. City staff are to refine the work plan based upon Council comments and return the work plan for formal City Council acceptance at an upcoming regular meeting. The City Council took no action.”
Upon seeing this I sent the following email to the city manager:
Reading the one-pager (mostly describing who was there, but without titles of Department Heads and city staff..?) A member of the public would never know what went on between 9:30am and 4:30pm on April 1st 2017 inside a room in a rather hidden part of the city of Santa Cruz…seven hours with “city leaders,” some of the highest paid municipal employees in this city, most of whom make in excess of $150,000 per year, got together to discuss city business, a strategic work plan, and goals for the coming two years and nothing about our conversations is reported out to the public?
Missing minutes:
–I specifically stated, “for the record” at the beginning of the meeting, “let the record reflect that Parks and Rec. Director Mauro Garcia is NOT present.”
[Nothing noted in official minutes.]
—It should be noted in these minutes too, because it is noteworthy, that the city clerk and finance director were also absent without nary a reason offered to the public that was present or the city council that I am aware.
—So, what happened at this meeting? What was said? You sort of summed up what the public said, you even got John Aird’s three points (homelessness, water banking and the university’s future growth) in there, but what did council and staff say? The city manager? Assistant city manager? Dep. city manager? What did they say?
—What was on all those charts that Shawn Spano, the facilitator wrote out? And please do not tell me that a “report” will be issued later and “posted” on the web site because that is not my point of bringing this to your attention.These minutes are sometimes the only thing the public will ever see, ever have to question, ever have in the way of information, or start, a conversation with their elected representatives and city staff.
Please Mr. City Manager, give the good people of Santa Cruz a better report on 1) what the “strategic plan” is to be, and 2) what are the goals, short and long-term ones, that were discussed?
What’s Coming Next?
May 9th City Council Agenda May Have Something on it for Every Concerned Resident
The May 9th city council agenda is shaping up to be an epic, historic and perhaps histrionic council session. There are no less than at least five pretty big issues scheduled by the city manager to be on that agenda. (Has he consulted yet with the Mayor? Will something get bumped? Probably no film at eleven.) Here is what we are tentatively in store for:
Short-term Vacation Rentals, otherwise known as “STVR’s,” and my sources say they are killing the golden goose of Santa Cruz as a premier university town, Santa Cruz as a place for working people to live, and Santa Cruz as a place of diversity. STVR’s, along with the University’s exorbitant dorm fees, are driving out families and low-wage earners from Santa Cruz. There are well over 300 of these vacation rentals now, that’s 300 additional hotel rooms! There’s currently a moratorium while a subcommittee of eleven made up of two renters and the rest homeowners—studies the issue and gets back to the council. The group asked for three additional meetings, so the council must extend the current moratorium on vacation rentals. I’m calling for keeping it in place at least until October 15th and not slipping it onto a council agenda when the students are away this summer. Los estudiantes have a big stake in this issue. It is currently slated to go to the Planning Commission on June 29th.
Marijuana permits for two additional outlets, two of our oldest established groups—Valerie Coral’s WAMM, Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, and Lisa Molyneux’s, Greenway,will also be on the agenda. These two groups have been operating since Proposition 215, the “Compassionate Use Act,” was passed by more than 70% of SC voters. Seems to me we should be able to work this out and cap the number of outlets in Santa Cruz at four. There are currently two licensed businesses in the marijuana-selling business in SC.
The elusive, exclusive, oft-referred to but never zeroed in on since I’ve been on the council the past five months, is the “Homelessness Coordinating Committee’s” Report on how we might address the issue of homelessness. Will it really come to the council at long last? The situation for the past year has been dire for the homeless. It is easily the #1 issue on most people’s minds (with housing a close second, but they are connected). This committee is a subcommittee of the city council that’s been meeting for awhile, to figure out what to recommend on this, the most dire and pressing issue in town. Stay tuned!
UCSC chancellor,George Blumenthal will attend the city council on May 9th and attempt to say how the 19,500-student gorilla in town is really around 17,000, and UCSC is saving water, and the traffic counts on campus haven’t changed in ten years (?!?), and that while UCSC is experiencing some growing pains, “we” have to do it ‘cause we’re mandated by the state. You may have guessed it! Must be time for a new Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) process. The old one, an agreement that was clearly not good for the city of Santa Cruz given the current housing, traffic and water situation, is set to expire in 2020 and the planning must begin in earnest sometime soon. So, is now—May 9th—the time for the “town” to come out en masse and say, “NO MAS, 19,500 is all we can fit into Santa Cruz” to the “Gown?”
And Finally, on That Same Tuesday, May 9th Agenda…
Stop the presses! Drew Glover, hometown guy who got over 10,000 votes in the last SC city election and was subsequently thrice denied a seat on city commissions may finally get appointed to the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women (CPVAW). But then again, maybe not…People should come out and make sure either Drew is appointed or that council members state publicly why they are opposed to his appointment. Stand up for Drew and be counted!
~ (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).
RANCHO DEL MAR CENTER IMPROVEMENTS MEAN CUTTING DOWN ALL EXISTING TREES (even the large redwood by Ace Hardware).
I requested a meeting with Planner Randall Adams to review the TRC Retail plans for Rancho del Mar Center. He responded by placing the plans in the Records Room for me to see. I am troubled by the plans to remove all existing vegetation…the large redwood tree, the large palms, the mature Hollywood Junipers. There are no new planting areas included in the sea of asphalt of the lower areas near the theater. It does not appear there are any stormwater runoff elements, such as bioswales or pervious paving included either. Contact Mr. Bruce Walton “Bruce Walton” BWalton@trcretail.com 858-442-9960 (cellphone)
A GREAT RESOURCE FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN LOCAL WATER ISSUES
A thoughtful and highly educated group of citizens has formed “Water for Santa Cruz” to study secondary supply options for our County. One member, Mr. Scott McGilvray, has served on the State Water Advisory Commission and others have a wide range of engineering and scientific expertise. This group has sounded the alarm regarding the Soquel Creek Water District plan to pursue the PureWater Soquel project, injecting treated sewage water into the groundwater supply for the MidCounty region. These people have asked many times to be included on Board agendas for presentations to the Soquel Creek Water District and Santa Cruz City Water District meetings, but are never given the opportunity to give a public presentation.
Take a look at their website: www.WaterforSantaCruz.com to learn about the readily-available and affordable alternative solutions to the groundwater overdraft problem facing our area. You will also find a comprehensive list of local meetings and hearings regarding the local groundwater crisis.
BROWN ACT VIOLATIONS CAUSE RE-DO OF APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT PUBLIC HEARING
The Santa Cruz County Planning Department and Historic Resources Commission committed at least nine violations of the Ralph M. Brown Act in the course of the Aptos Village Project Public Hearing held earlier this month. Because a few citizens brought this to the attention of County Counsel, the Planning Department has decided to RE-DO THE PUBLIC HEARING ON FRIDAY, MAY 12 AT 9:30AM (Board of Supervisor’s Chambers, 701 Ocean Street).
Here are the violations committed that must be cured and corrected with a re-hearing:
Improper notification: the agenda for the public hearing was not made available at least 72 hours in advance of the hearing.
The agenda, once made available to the public, did not include any of the information in the attachments referenced in the agenda. The public was therefore given no information regarding the specifics of the proposed amendment changes. Members of the public unable to attend the 9:30am Monday public hearing could not have responded in writing to issues reviewed by the Commission due to improper notification procedures.
The agenda, when first made available to the public, had the incorrect time for the public hearing, listing it as occurring at 9:30pm. This was corrected when an observant member of the public questioned Planning staff member, Ms. Murphy, 24 hours before the public hearing. Members of the public who viewed the agenda before it was corrected were improperly notified and improperly informed.
The agenda was very vague and was not written in such a way as to pique the public’s interest to further investigate critical issues not available in the agenda. For example, the agenda stated the proposed amendment reduced the number of doors. In reality, the two doors remaining are proposed to be a modern industrial steel roll-up door and a steel door for employee entrance. This diverges greatly from the historic preservation of the character of the structure, which is eligible for the National Historic Registry.
Members of the public attending the public hearing were given incomplete packets of information, devoid of many Exhibits purported to be in the agenda packets of Commissioners.
There was an insufficient number of complete information packets available for all members of the audience at the public hearing. Because no advance information was available, even the members of the public who attended the public hearing were not properly or fully informed of all of the critical issues being considered.
There was insufficient room for all attendees to be comfortably seated. Even though Ms. Murphy was notified in advance that a sizeable number of people were planning to attend and that she needed to consider a larger room for the public hearing, attendees were crowded into the small Planning Department Conference Room. The chairs were uncomfortably close together, making access difficult, and some members of the public were forced to stand the entire duration of the hearing.
The County Historic Resources Commission website was not updated with any current information before the public hearing.
During the public hearing, it became clear that three of the five Commissioners had privately toured the Hihn Apple Barn and the Aptos Village Project with Barry Swenson Builder foreman Mr. Keith Henderson at some point before the public hearing. This constitutes a serial meeting and as such violated the Ralph M. Brown Act.
REQUEST NOW THAT COUNTY PLANNER MS. ANNIE MURPHY NOTIFY YOU OF THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ALL ASSOCIATED INFORMATION TO BE CONSIDERED:
Mark your calendar for Friday, May 12 at 9:30am for the second public hearing to consider these vendor-driven changes to the Historic Preservation Plan for the Hihn Apple Barn. Remember, the New Leaf Market architect said at the last hearing that adding modern changes to this 125-year old historic treasure of the Project “won’t really matter because no one will be able to see them due to the 15-foot high retaining wall nearby.”
Is that the attitude our community wants to support when we were promised the historic character of the Barn would be preserved?
THIS HEARING IS ALSO THE LEGAL TIME TO PRESENT NEW INFORMATION REGARDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW OF THE PROJECT THAT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED AT THE TIME OF INITIAL APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT’S MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION.
I wonder why work on the foundation for the three-story building next to the Apple Barn has stalled after it was pointed out to Assistant Planning Director Ms. Wanda Williams and Chief Building Official Mr. Martin Heaney that there was no permit issued for the work? Hmmmm…..
Maybe someone took a closer look at the second soil report that stated liquefaction risk was low, when the first report stated liquefaction risk was high? Hmmm…….
COUNTY ROAD WORK BENEFITING THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT SLOWED THIS WEEK
For unknown reasons, the bulk of the construction equipment brought in by John Madonna Construction of San Luis Obispo has been idle on the railroad tracks at Trout Gulch Road and Soquel Drive this past week. Maybe it was the rain? Maybe it was the lack of archaeological observers on site during previous excavation work (and a significant historic artifact was discovered)?
Maybe it was the potentially-contaminated soils under the 200′ of railroad track bed to be excavated 31″ deep that must be sampled, tested and remediated? That will be especially important now that the disturbed soils from Pete Testorff’s and Joe Appenrodt’s parcels (known to have high lead and arsenic levels, and possibly petroleum compounds) have discharged stormwater runoff that collected at the railroad tracks. An independent analysis of the sediment-laden stormwater is forthcoming.
There are many potential soil contamination problems at the Aptos Village Project. But what else would one expect, given the extensive historic railroad and lumber yard use, along with the apple dryers, which often contribute to elevated arsenic levels in soils?
THE GOOD NEWS IS THE VALENCIA ROAD REPAIR WILL BEGIN IN TWO WEEKS
It was interesting to discover last week that officials from State Fish and Wildlife have also been puzzled why no work has occurred on the Valencia Road repair. “We assumed that the Valencia Road site would receive a temporary bridge to resume service, as was done on Nelson Road in Scotts Valley.” the official wrote. That official thanked the members of the public who sent information that Valencia Elementary School has been closed due to unsafe access and await the Valencia Road repair. That person contacted the County Department of Public Works, and reported back that the County representative, Mr. Tim Bailey, stated the work will begin in two weeks.
Contact Mr. Tim Bailey or phone 831-454-2160 and ask when the work will begin.
The 600+ students at Valencia Elementary School will thank you and so will the 130 households in adjacent Rolling Green Estates. I wonder why the work was stalled? Do you think it was to make the road construction project at Trout Gulch Road and Soquel Drive easier without the school traffic? I do.
WHY IS SANTA CRUZ COUNTY PARKS SPENDING $35,000 TO PAVE APTOS VILLAGE PARK ROAD?
I wondered that when I read over last weeks’ County Board of Supervisor Consent Agenda. The binder of information available for the public in the County Clerk of the Board’s window did not have the plans included in the documentation. There was no notation that the plans were available at any other source or that they were missing from the binder.
The documentation stated that all information would be available in the County General Services Dept. at 701 Ocean Street (that’s room 330). I went there Tuesday morning and asked to see the information. I was told it was not available to the public until after it was approved by the Board. Transparent government? For that reason, I asked the Board to remove the item from the Consent Agenda and place it on the regular agenda. That means I had to wait until the very end of the meeting.
I was informed by the Board that there are public computers available at Clerk of the Board’s office. I did not know that because there are no notices posted at the two computers in the lobby, which were placed there last fall for the Cannabis licensing program.
Well, I had a commitment to honor that required me to leave the County Building for over an hour. I returned to find the Board meeting seemingly near the end of the item preceding the Aptos Village Park Road work issue. I dashed to the public computer to look at the plans. One computer was only for Cannabis licensing and the other was not operational.
The kind lady at the office got the second computer to work, but the plans were very large and took a long time to become available. I dashed back to the Board meeting…it seemed like the hearing about spending $1million for serial inebriates was closing…I dashed back to the computer to see a plan for the parking lot work that County Parks staff had drawn for the bid work but there were no less than THREE large volumes describing the actual scope of the work going out to bid. Frantic, I dashed back to the Board meeting. Again, it seemed close to the end, so I sat to listen.
My item for discussion came up. I explained that I had great difficulty accessing the information but saw that the Aptos Village Park parking lot was to be repaved and work done at the entrance adjacent to Aptos Creek Road.
Why do this work now when the County’s Phase II of the road construction work on Aptos Creek Road is forthcoming, and would most likely damage the Park’s road entrance? Why do this work at all when the Park road is in better shape than most of the County roads? Why not slurry seal the parking lot, rather than use expensive paving? LEO’s Haven, the All-Inclusive Park for kids with mobility challenges could really use that $35,000 instead.
Chairman John Leopold did not ask any County staff to address my questions. “I am surprised, Ms. Steinbruner, that you would ask that Parks spend money for engineered plans for this project.” I did not say I wanted that, but rather that I had become interested because the paving project drawings had not been drawn by engineers. I live on a privately-maintained road and as such, know that the County will not accept from my neighborhood any drawings for paving projects unless they are from a licensed engineer.
“Your opinion about the Aptos Village Project is widely known, Ms. Steinbruner.” and Leopold looked to Second District Supervisor Zach Friend. “The answers to your questions are all available in the material, if you would have only taken the time to read it.” he said. At that, the Board voted unanimously to approve spending $35,000 on the road into Aptos Village Park that is in excellent condition. Well, well, well. I just have to wonder if there is more to this project than meets the public eye? Stay tuned…..
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST DOW AND SHELL CHEMICAL CORPORATIONS FOR GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION PROBLEMS
Kudos to Ms. Melissa Dennis for her excellent Op-Ed piece in the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Sunday, April 23, page C9). Ms. Dennis clearly described the problem with the 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) contamination in one of the production wells currently serving water to Soquel Creek Water District’s customers in the Seascape/Aptos areas.
TCP is a carcinogen that was an unnecessary byproduct of an old formula for the fumigant Telone. Dow removed TCP from the fumigant 30 years ago, after knowingly contaminating water supplies of millions of Californians but not publicly disclosing the hazard.
According to Ms. Dennis’ article, “The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) says five parts TCP per trillion is too much. The levels in the Balustrol Drive well have been as high as 15 parts per trillion, despite the fact that TCP hasn’t been applied in over 30 years.”
At last Tuesday’s Soquel Creek Water District Board meeting, Item 5.4 discussed System Water Production Reports. The issue of TCP at the Country Club Well is outlined on page 263: “Country Club Well was drilled in 1953. Chromium 6 is present at an average of 6.8micrograms/liter (the MCL, or Maximum Contaminant Level, is 10 micrograms/liter). Country Club water also contains 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP) at concentrations EXCEEDING (bold type added for emphasis) the draft MCL of 5 nanograms per liter (ng.L). TCP levels at Country Club range from less than 5 ng/L to 15ng/L. The MCL is expected to be finalized later this year.”
“In addition to commissioning a feasibility study for treatment options and costs, District staff is also investigating the feasibility of temporarily reducing or stopping the use of the Country {Club} Well pending installation of treatment in order to minimize exposure to TCP.”
****When I asked the Board if they would take the well off-line NOW, the answer was NO, because the State has not yet officially set the maximum contaminant level that would require that action.****
So, those who drink Soquel Creek Water District’s water in the Seascape/Aptos area are getting a daily dose of TCP carcinogen, as it is blended with the water from other wells. Does that bother you? I am not one of those customers, but it bothers me that the Board does not see value in immediately removing a known carcinogen from the water they sell.
Soquel Creek Water District has been required to report the TCP levels to the County Board of Supervisors, but no one has taken any action to ask that the contaminated well be taken off-line as a public health precaution. Supervisor Zach Friend recently told a citizen that he buys bottled water for his toddler to drink, due to concerns about possible contaminants in Soquel Creek Water District supplies. Hmmm…
CALL the District 475-8500 or WRITE the Board and ask why the Country Club Well continues to remain in production when TCP levels are a potential health hazard (enough that the District is suing Dow and Shell Corporations for the problem)?
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT APPROVED A SPECIAL RATE FOR TWIN LAKES BAPTIST CHURCH FUTURE ADDITIONS
The Twin Lakes Baptist Church wants to add a 330-person-capacity wedding chapel, a new coffee house, and a new outreach center to their campus. The organization requested a MUCH-REDUCED water demand offset figure than the District would normally consider. However, because of the good record keeping the Church could provide regarding current water use, the Board agreed to approve the reduction. It seems the water demand offset rules can always be bent to suit certain interests. I wonder if this Board action will set a precedent for other applicants to now make claims for reductions?
Remember, this is the same group that in 2014 filled the Board meeting beyond capacity at Seascape Resort to protest when some Board members were recommending a moratorium due to the critical groundwater overdraft and sea water intrusion problem. Back then, the Church wanted to expand their school campus and needed the water service approval to get building permits.
The Board instead voted to declare a Groundwater Emergency, and granted the service agreement. They also went on to grant the approval for the Aptos Village Project, which will use 38+ AcreFeet of water every year…..that’s a lot.
Keep in mind the District now only allows a total of about 4AcreFeet/year new water use, because the seawater intrusion problem continues to cause irreversible damage to the region’s water supply.
MEANWHILE, THE NEW O’NEILL RANCH WELL IS STILL OFFLINE due to unexplained increasingly high levels of ammonia in the water. The new Granite Way Well, constructed next to the Aptos Village Project, is a relatively low-producer due to the deep non-water-bearing clay layers. Engineer Mr. Taj Dufour stated that the well is still due to come online this summer,…even though no work seems to be happening to develop the well.
I wonder if there were any of those Barry Swenson Builder illegal diesel tank contaminants found in the water tests? Hmmm……
WONDERING WHAT SANTA CRUZ CITY WATER THINKS ABOUT COOPERATIVE TREATED SEWAGE WATER PROJECTS?
Ms. Rosemary Menard will speak about this at the next Soquel Creek Water District meeting on May 2, at the Capitola City Council Chambers, 6pm.
WONDERING ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE DEEP WATER DESAL PLANT IN MOSS LANDING?
Representatives of that group will give a presentation at the May 16 Soquel Creek Water District meeting, same place, same time. Former District General Manager Ms. Kim Adamson now shepherds the massive Project.
WANT TO TOUR SANTA CRUZ CITY’S NEW BELTZ WELL & TREATMENT PLANT?
Sign up for the May 1 tour (11am) by calling 420-5213.
LACK OF TRANSPARENT ZONING ADMINISTRATOR DECISION TO APPROVE A COMMERCIAL EVENT CENTER ON RURAL PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD.
A Pleasant Valley resident who found out at the last minute about a public hearing to consider approval for a large event center in his neighborhood told me many other neighbors with concerns just did not know about the hearing last Friday. Maybe that’s because the County is only required to notify residents up to 300′ from the project…maybe the cows in the pasture next door got the notice?
The Zoning Administrator, Ms. Wanda Williams, had not visited the site to see how narrow Pleasant Valley Road is before she approved more events to be held than what Planner Ms. Sheila McDaniels recommended, due to neighborhood comments. The applicant’s traffic study (Hamilton & Swift is the lead on this) indicated there would be no impact on the traffic caused by 10 large events (200 guests) and 16 small events (50 guests) every year, in addition to the regular weekend wine tasting events.
What amazed me was that Ms. Williams was prepared to approve the zoning change to Commercial use in this rural residential and agricultural community, but was not exactly sure how she wanted the conditions of approval declared. “We’ll just have to tweak it and put up on the website what we decide to approve,” she said.
I pointed out that doing so is not transparent government. She declared a five-minute break, returned, and approved more events than what had been recommended, with the option to request even more large events (200 guests) with amplified music lasting until 9pm within six months, at a level of discretionary approval NOT requiring any public notice at all. Wow.
I guess it did not matter to Ms. Williams that she approved something that is being considered under the Planning Department’s Environmental Review policy, but has not been vetted by the public or the Board of Supervisors. Maybe the Pleasant Valley community who value their quiet rural quality of life will have to pay $1800 to appeal the decision…and hire a lawyer. Here we go again…..
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
DO SOMETHING TODAY.
~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.
Brent Lewellen, pictured right, wrote a letter to the San Franciso Chronicleaddressing the forcible removal of Dr. David Dao from United Airlines Flight 3411 on April 9, 2017. Lewellen’s letter was published on Saturday, April 15, 2017, and is reproduced below.
I believe the most important aspect of the United Airlines story is being overlooked. It’s not about overbooked flights or whether airlines should have the right to compel passengers to give up their seats (currently they do). The most important question this regrettable confrontation raises is what, as a society, we believe citizens should do when persons of authority, such as a security guard or a police officer, direct us to do something. Is it really OK now to simply disregard what a cop or security guard asks (then tells) us to do because we don’t want to?
You can reasonably argue whether United Airlines should have brought in airport security, but once it did, a citizen in a free society has a duty to comply with its instructions. You are certainly free to complain (loudly) as that authority figure escorts you from the plane; threaten to sue, demand to see a manager. But you must comply with those instructions, or you violate the social contract. One reason United called airport security is that people have decided they don’t have to listen to airplane personnel anymore. We can’t continue down this path.
signed…Brent Lewellen, San Francisco
It is Mr. Lewellen’s contention that “a citizen in a free society” has a duty to “comply” with the instructions of a “security guard or a police officer” when such an official issues a direct order to the citizen to do something, and that this duty to “comply” applies without any reference, whatsoever, to how justified, or not, the order might be. In other words, it is Mr. Lewellen’s belief that our duty as citizens is to “comply” first, and to complain later. This is how citizens must uphold “the social contract,” according to the way Lewellen sees the world. This is, to repeat, what Mr. Lewellen contends is the obligation of “a citizen in a free society.”
I want to disagree with Mr. Lewellen. Politely, I hope, but emphatically.
My first posting about this United Airlines incident noted how much the series of events that occurred on Flight 3411 duplicated what we know about how totalitarian societies operate, how they seize control, and how they transform what has been a “free society” into something quite the opposite.
Far from going along with what appears to be an abuse of official authority, I suggested nonviolent resistance, not only on the part of the passenger (Dr. Dao in this case), but also by everyone else, precisely so “citizens in a free society” could maintain that quality of freedom. If governmental authority has the right to act in apparently arbitrary ways, with the duty of the citizens being to “comply,” no matter how arbitrary or legally unsupported the orders might be, then the chance to challenge the unjustified order at a subsequent time counts for very little.
If the security officers had told all the Jews on the plane to stand up, and get off, we know that this would have been wrong, but as Lewellen sees it, anyone subjected to this kind of an order, and anyone watching it happen, should simply “comply,” and then take up their objections later, in a different forum.
Again, I politely disagree.
My second posting about the United Airlines incident was about “adhesion contracts,” and raised a legal question. Is it actually true that the airlines have a legal right to kick ticketed passengers off their planes, just because there is a 46-page contract that the passenger never read, but that the passenger supposedly agreed to? Lewellen thinks that these are the current rules. I am not quite so sure this is true. While I do think legislation to eliminate this possibility is appropriate, as I argued in my blog posting, such an adhesion contract, in the circumstances in which Dr. Dao was kicked off Flight 3411, is quite possibly not a legally enforceable obligation to which he had a legal duty to “comply.”
I would have no disagreement with Lewellen if he had said that he thinks that Dr. Dao made a very bad choice, in attempting to employ the tactics of passive resistance to oppose what the doctor thought was an improper order. In other words, had Lewellen been trying to give his personal advice about how it would be best to handle such a situation in the future – “comply” now, and take up the legalities later – he would have been making a responsible suggestion (thought I might politely disagree with that conclusion, too).
But Lewellen didn’t say that he thought citizens should consider the “compliance and complain later” strategy as the best strategy to pursue, in cases like that in which Dr. Dao found himself. Lewellen said that it is the duty of citizens to “comply” with the orders of governmental officials (whether legal, justifiable, or not), and that this is what “citizens in a free society” are required to do.
I can’t emphasize enough how much I disagree with Lewellen’s approach to citizenship. It will be much better for all of us if every one of us refuses to “comply” with apparently arbitrary orders, and we need to refuse to comply at the time these orders are issued, not months or years later, in some completely different forum.
A “free society” can only remain free if governmental authorities are required to demonstrate their legal right to issue orders, and to carry them out, in advance of executing them, rather than demanding immediate “compliance” with what appear to be arbitrary demands, backed up by the potential and actual use of violence for those who don’t “comply” with those demands immediately.
In my opinion, whether he really intended this or not, Lewellen comes down on the side of a totalitarian approach to government by saying that “compliance” is always the first duty of a “citizen in a free society.”
In my view, the opposite is the case.
~Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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 pity on UCSC Students and “rockin out”. See a few pages downward.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Korean fashion statement”below some few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
SANTA CRUZ BAROQUE FESTIVAL. The Baroque Festivals Concert #5 is titled “Harmonious Sphere”. Experience the North American debut of the renowned Colombian early music group Esfera Armoniosa. Directed by the charismatic Claudia Liliana Gantivar, they will perform folkloric villancicos, psalms, and lamentations from Colonial Latin American archives. Instrumentation includes recorder, baroque guitar, theorbo, dulcian, and viola de gamba. Trained at European early music conservatories, Esfera Armoniosa appears with support from the Colombian Ministry of Culture. It’s happening Saturday April 29 at 7:30 pm
in the Holy Cross Church, 126 high Street, Santa Cruz. Or get in touch at Santa Cruz Baroque Festival • 831-457-9693 • E-mail • P.O. Box 482 • Santa Cruz, CA 95061
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “How does the great Alfred Hitchcock’s sage advice for constructing a movie apply to writers? And what does Maestro Hitch have to do with the 2017 Santa Cruz Shakespeare season? Find out this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (ljo-express.blogspot.com).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
LOST CITY OF Z. A pointless and true plot based on a book about a Brit who keeps trying to find what he thinks is a lost civilization deep in the Amazon jungle. Its 2 hours and 20 minutes long, but you’ll think it’s longer. It has everything jungles always have except Tarzan…and suspense. The hero leaves his wife and kids at home for years on end and you’ll wish you had stayed there too. The true name of the hero only adds to the boring trek… Percy Fawcett.
THE PROMISE. Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale lead this sad story of how the Germans under the Kaisers rule watched and supported the Turks back in 1915 as they murdered the Armenian segment of their population. ( 1.5 million Armenians). For some unknown reason James Cromwell has a two minute role and Jean Reno is also on screen near the end of the film. IF you do go, see if you feel like Christian Bale who plays an Associated Press newsman somehow is too big for the screen. Sounds odd but check it out. There is a very serious love interest dealing with tradition, religion, fidelity that seems to offset the too real tragedy of the Armenian slaughter. The Republic of Turkey still denies all this ever happened…more of the insanity of world politics.
UNFORGETABLE. Katherine Heigl plays the absolutely perfect ex-wife who haunts, plots, and damned near demolishes the new relationship her husband is having with Rosario Dawson. It’s more like a 1940’s B movie plot that we’ve seen too often. Lies, deceit, trust, sex, stabbing, and who loves the 10 year old perfect daughter most is about the entire story. You don’t need to see it any more times.
FRANTZ. Subtitled and in French and German this is another masterpiece from the young (40) Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, See The Sea). Subtle, sensitive, perfectly paced and engrossing acting by all concerned. It’s about the aftermath of WW1 and the heart tearing effects it has on the soldiers and the families that survived. Love, enemy hatred, family loyalty, a soldiers duty are all paced and packed together in a film that will keep you completely involved up to and including the closing scene. See it quickly, Landmark closes these films way too quickly.
T2 TRAINSPOTTING. Danny Boyle is one of the most effective and wide ranging film directors working today. Not only did he direct the original down, gritty and dirty original Trainspotting in 1996 but he also did Slumdog Millionaire, and Steve Jobs fils. T2 takes us back to the original four druggies, thugs, and crazy guys who did that heroin robbery 20 years ago. They get together again and NO they don’t do “another job” they argue, hug, fight and give us a very busy film full of creativity, brilliance and Edinburgh Scotland atmosphere. It too has Iggy Pop music and Ewan McGregor in the lead. You have to see it if you liked the original.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget, semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected to make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
YOUR NAME. This beautiful Japanese inspired animated film makes Disney animation look like Walter and Margaret Keane’s “Big Eye” paintings in San Francisco in the 60’s. It is drawn with such skill and a sense of what animation can create that even Pixar should hang their well-financed heads in shame. The story behind Your Name is complex and thought provoking. Centering on youth and growing up, and sex changes, and ghosts, and family… it is just brilliant. See the subtitled version to get the full Japanese sensitive touch.
THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE. Jessica Chastain and her husband ran the Warsaw Zoo in Poland in 1939 before, during and after the Germans invade. A true story adapted from the book it details how the couple managed to hide 300 Jews from the Nazis inside the zoo during the invasion. You might get to thinking, as I did about half way through the film about the contrast, similarity, duality of watching the animals escape from behind bars and then keeping the Jews in the same place. Or of watching the animals escape to their freedom or posible death…well you see what I’m getting at. Besides that I’m against Zoos, Aquariums, animal parks, and all that cruel stuff. So go se this film, Jessica is very good in the lead role except that her fake Polish accent sounds fake.
GHOST IN THE SHELL. If you can stand watching Scarlett Johansson running, jumping, leaping, shooting and maybe being a robot for 106 minutes while she’s wearing just a skin tight, white, thin, body suit…then go see this movie. It’s a zillion dollar Japanese Studio production and another good thing about it is that Takeshi Kitano has a brief appearance and it’s amazingly powerful. Then again, he always is. The plot is way too complex and unbelievacle to fathom out. It’s copied from a Japanese comic book. Not to insult them, but12 year olds will love it.
GIFTED. Hollywood stars Chris Evans (who usually plays Captain America) and Octavia Spencer along with British star Lindsay Duncan lead the cast of this feel good saga of a 7 year old girl who was born into a mathematical genius family and who becomes another mathematical genius. It’s too soapy, too cute, too unbelievable, too contrived to be a good movie. I can’t think of any solid reason to recommend it to any group except to families who may have a genius child and are wondering what to do OR not do, with her.
GOING IN STYLE. Another tired re-hash is Going In Style starring Morgan Freeman-79, Alan Arkin-83, Michael Caine-84, Ann Margret –76, and Christopher Lloyd – 79 as the same grumpy old geezers who decide to rob a bank. That these actors would align themselves with Steven Mnuchin who was the National Finance Manager for the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, and who Trump just appointed as Secretary of The Treasury is a shame. The first version was in 1979 and starred now long gone stars George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. Making our senior citizens the butts of jokes is about as funny as Mantan Moreland, Aunt Jemina, Gordo, and any overused stereotypes that come to mind.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go- if you like Donald Trump type movies.
FATE OF THE FURIOUS. Just about everybody who watches or reads the news knows that the Fate of The Furious (better title “Fart of the Furious” as in exhaust) movie topped almost every box office record ever set. Vin Diesel (real name Mark Sinclair) was born in Alameda in 1967 and has been the lead in all eight exact copies of one of the dumbest plots ever filmed. To see such stars as Helen Mirren sink to a three-minute role, Charlize Theron half act some part as a Russian killer is just sad. There’s a street race in Havana and somehow it ends with cars taking on the Russians in some sort of war. The USA reaction and most of the world’s reaction to such a crap of a film is an embarrassing statement of our collective taste. Dwayne Johnson is in it too but he is always in these sorts of things.
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. . Carla Brennan discusses Mindfulness and Awareness on April 25 after which Keith McHenry talks about “Food Not Bombs” and the Santa Cruz experience. On May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences on my turn at Pledge Drive night!!… May 9th has director Kinan Valdez discussing the traditions behind the new version of the “Zoot Suit” play opening May 26-June 4 at UCSC. Bookshop Santa Cruz features its top Short Story Winners on May 30. 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 Bob Ross and his happy little trees. 🙂
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. “MOVIES”
“A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later”, Stanley Kubrick “If the boy and girl walk off into the sunset hand-in-hand in the last scene, it adds 10 million to the box office”, George Lucas “To you I’m an atheist; to God, I’m the Loyal Opposition”, Woody Allen “Life doesn’t imitate art, it imitates bad television”, Woody Allen
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DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ 1884. This lovely Swanton House stood at 850 Front Street. It was destroyed by on May 30 1887 May 30. It was built over the Bonner stables and stood right where the post office is today. Built by Albion Paris Swanton. Anybody know if Albion was related to Fred Swanton?
UCSC HEAD COUNT QUESTION. For now, let’s ask why Chancellor Blumenthal is so far off in his report on the number of students. He says UCSC has 17,500 students now ; the UCSC registrar says 18,783 were enrolled in fall of 2016. Moreover, isn’t UC President Napolitano pushing another 600 students on top of that for 2017? Then in addition, he says, “Our 2005 LRDP, updated more than a decade ago, identifies an enrollment envelope of 19,500 students”. Those numbers change the lives of everyone and everything is Santa Cruz , there’s got to be some explanation. Being truthful, I moved here because Santa Cruz is a university town. It gives us so much but it is taking away more in these last years. Somebody should ask the Chancellor for an explanation or correction on those numbers…it is important.
POOR STATE OF MOVIES. Just about everybody who watches or reads the news knows that the Fear of The Furious (better title “Fart of the Furious” as in exhaust) movie topped almost every box office record ever set. Vin Diesel (real name Mark Sinclair) was born in Alameda in 1967 and has been the lead in all eight exact copies of one of the dumbest plots ever filmed. To see such stars as Helen Mirren sink to a three minute role, Charlize Theron half act some part as a Russian killer is just sad. There’s a street race in Havana and somehow it ends with cars taking on the Russians in some sort of war. The USA reaction and most of the world’s reaction to such a crap of a film is an embarrassing statement of our collective taste. Dwayne Johnson is in it too but he is always in these sort of things.
MORE ABOUT MOVIES. Another tired re-hash is Going In Style starring Morgan Freeman-79, Alan Arkin-83, Michael Caine-84, Ann Margret –76, and Christopher Lloyd – 79 as the same grumpy old geezers who decide to rob a bank. That these actors would align themselves with Steven Mnuchin who was the National Finance Manager for the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, and who Trump just appointed as Secretary of The Treasury is a shame. The first version was in 1979 and starred now long gone stars George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. Making our senior citizens as the butts of jokes is about as funny as Mantan Moreland, Aunt Jemina, Gordo,
KIMBERLY ELLIS AS HEAD OF CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY?
That’s the huge question around the state. The Democrat party is moving rapidly in all directions at once…and so are defections. The local Peoples Democratic Party (PDC) is meeting to decide “Should PDC endorse Kimberly Ellis for California Democratic Party chair? Be part of the decision – Thursday night PDC meeting.
To help decide how to vote on the endorsement, watch five minutes of excerpts from her presentation here last month edited by Erik Erikson, PDC representative to the Central Committee and AD Delegate, to show how Kimberly plans to reshape the California Democratic Party.
It’s happening 6:30pm. Thursday April 20 at Democratic Party Headquarters 740 Front Street on the groundfloor of the Galleria next door to the Riverfront Theatre….across from Mobo Sushi.
UCSC GROWTH PAINS
A recent message from UCSC Chancellor Blumenthal announced the start of the process for the 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). This blueprint will be the guide for future UCSC growth. With measured words, the Chancellor acknowledged that any growth has real effects on the surrounding community, assured that the process must be collaborative, and expressed his confidence that together “we can chart an innovative, sustainable, and exciting future for UCSC.”
I worked on campus for 30 years and was active in the student/staff/faculty effort to scale back the 2005 LRDP. At that time (2003) the campus enrollment was around 10,000 and the impact of an additional 8,000 students on the campus as well as on the community was hard to imagine. Signs of strain were already being felt. On campus, housing rates were climbing with every new residence facility built, a phenomenon documented by the late Don Van Den Burg, Crown College bursar (fiscal manager). Off-campus landlords tied their rent increases to that of the university so every unit of campus growth resulted in rent increases in town. Students seeking rental-housing off-campus numbered around 6,000 (today that number is around 9,000). Dorm lounges were being converted into bed space, shuttles were becoming crowded, and students were complaining they could not get into classes they needed for graduation. Unique and sacred lands were bulldozed and developed, forever lost to natural history and research. Such impacts pale beside the negative impacts from today’s enrollment and the specter of an additional 10,000 students above the current level of 18,000 is chilling.
In 2003 we were naïve about how to effectively counter the UCSC growth model. We marched with signs; held rallies; disrupted planning meetings; groaned and rolled our eyes; missed deadlines and were more of a nuisance than a counter force. Many were sidelined by the well-crafted charge of elitism that was liberally thrown around by top administrators and growth-supportive faculty. Who were we, who were attending UCSC, to say no more students could get in? A tough one especially when it was accompanied by charges of racism since the majority of new students to be attracted to UCSC would be students of color, so it was claimed. Today, all students are negatively impacted by the forward march of growth but many who are new have no yardstick with which to measure the decline. Those who are benefitting are selected faculty, department chairs jockeying for position, the bloated upper administration, and town stakeholders who make money off growth.
Some in the community are less critical of growth per se and are pushing UCSC to house on campus all of its students above the threshold of the current LRDP. However, without subsidies, building on campus is expensive and that cost is spread across all students who live on campus. This is the phenomenon described by Don Van Den Burg. Growth raises the cost of campus housing which in turn encourages landlords off campus to raise rents. Even if the state decided to pass legislation to subsidize UC housing (an unlikely event) or an innovative housing design/funding mechanism led to lowered cost, all other impacts of growth remain and will be intensified, whether that be traffic, crowding at your favorite surfing spot, coffee shop, medical facility, displacement of elders on fixed incomes, low-income workers etc. Student growth spurs town growth (think Corridors Plan and Downtown Recovery Plan). Town growth spurs gentrification and dislocation.
I believe there is a simpler solution, which will require the Chancellor’s and the Office of the President’s support. When we opposed the current LRDP there was no tenth campus to absorb the growth in student demand. UC Merced opened in 2005. It currently has just shy of 7,000 undergraduates. It is the most ethnically diverse of the UC campuses. It has the land and ability to handle more students. If there were genuine concern behind the Chancellor’s encouraging words, then he and other UC leaders would be urging the shift of potential new student growth to UC Merced. This would demonstrate a real understanding of the severe impact on Santa Cruz of current and further growth. UC claims that every UC campus provides a world-class education and degree. UC Merced is not a poor cousin. Students might not get what they want but they will get what they need. That in balance is a small sacrifice in order to preserve what is left of our town for those who live and work here and to not gentrify it out of recognition.”
~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).
April 19-25, 2017
Special for Bratton Online
Whose Wall? Not OUR wall!
Okay, I am going to keep within the 800-word “column” tradition for this one. Although, one of my heroes, Frank Rich was typically given 1500-2000 words after he left his 800-word gig at the New York Times for New York Magazine, and of course, he’s worth it. Frank Rich is a very good writer (see: http://nymag.com/frank-rich/). So, what happened this past week and what should the good people of Santa Cruz be looking out for with respect to their local government? You mean, where will the good intentions of the Santa Cruz progressives rear their ugly (?) head next? Well, let me tell you…I offer several wordy snapshots of progressive politics this past week in Surf City.
Chance to Be Slugged Again
I had a conversation with “The University” and it seems the chancellor, George Blumenthal, will be coming to the city council chambers on May 9th to address the community on the usual suspects: traffic, water, and housing. He will likely be addressing us too on the coming end of the 2005-2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and the beginning of the next BIG PLAN. Are there Slug elephants in this room? Or will it just be the voice of “one crying in the (former redwood) wilderness?” Come, listen, and lend your voice to the discussion on Tuesday, May 9th, 809 Center Street. The “U” officials have also just announced plans to build bed space for 3000 in the Porter Meadow…So, does this mean curtains on the biggest unofficial UCSC yearly event, “4/20?” It draws between 8000-12,000 marijuana aficionados each year. Since the “U” has never figured out how to embrace this loose and spontaneous festival, paving over paradise may now be their default position. Anyhow, would 4/20 even survive now that the state has legalized weed?
Lest We Ever Forget “With silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Follow-up to Sanctuary City Resolution and Ordinance
I had a cordial conversation with Sheriff Jim Hart who works from behind our “golden door,” 701 Ocean Street. We discussed whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers were being honored by our county on some prisoners who were booked into the county jail on Water Street. I had gotten word from a local attorney that he was hearing of ICE holds being put on prisoners after their release date. Sheriff Hart said that while he does not honor an “ICE hold,” ICE agents are nonetheless legally permitted into the jail, as are other federal and state law enforcement agencies. ICE can place a detainer on an immigrant up to five days before his or her release, according to the Sheriff. He said there was one detainer each in January and February, but four former prisoners were turned over in March to ICE upon their release from the county jail. The strange thing to remember here is that during the height of deportations during the Obama presidency, ICE was detaining 15-20 immigrants at our county jail each month for the purposes of deporting them.
On Saturday morning, I attended the Senderos open-house event at Branciforte Small Schools. Senderos is an exemplary model of community organizing, teaching, learning, and advocacy. In less than an hour I attended four separate classroom events. There were a dozen dancers practicing for the annualOaxaqueño Guelaguetza festival, Santa Cruz-style. Next I witnessed an orchestra training in another classroom with a scholarship conductor who is visiting from Oaxaca and keeping the culture alive right here in Sanctuary City! In addition, there was a packed room of parents attending a “Know Your Rights” seminar. Many trying to move beyond fear and become empowered during a time when the US President does daily anti-immigrant tweets and rants. Finally, there was a computer class providing tutoring in math and paper writing by a current Harbor High math teacher who volunteers her time. Her parents came to Santa Cruz from Oaxaca. Later that afternoon it was the Beach Flats Community Garden Spring Festival attended by over 100—gardeners, their families, neighbors and supporters. The garden is thriving despite the almost 50% land take-back by the Seaside Company…and besides a few large planters, Seaside’s land-grab area remains largely empty. Stay tuned because this history is still being written. El pueblo unido jamás será vencido! The people united will never be defeated (or divided), and you can quote me on that!
The Santa Cruz Federal Wall
Update on the large, terrible, detestable, metal fence-of-a-wall that surrounds our historic post office at the corner of Water and Front streets across from the Town Clock. In 2012, this civic anchor building celebrated its 100th birthday and Santa Cruz Sentinel reporter, J.M. Brown wrote: The 1912 Renaissance Revival building — the oldest continually operating California post office on the National Register of Historic Places — was modeled after the 15th century Filippo Brunelleschi’s Foundling Hospital in Florence, Italy. It is home to four priceless murals by the American artist Henrietta Shore. Yes, this edifice so deserving of praise, honor, and admiration has now passed into an era of pity. The employees I spoke with say they don’t like the fence, but “feel safer…”and “we don’t have to clean up urine and feces. “In a meeting this past week the Santa Cruz Postmaster said, “I think there is one thing we can all agree on, we would like the fence to come down.” Amen. This is a start. Now, maybe the city can submit a plan that will allay the fears of post office staff, make the property more secure, and provide assistance in picking up trash that might accumulate around the building. Just so everyone knows, this was a drastic step taken by postal officials, and possibly a cry for help from them, so the city (council, staff and county supe too) are trying to figure it out and get the fence down ASAP. Stay tuned on this one too.
Upcoming Council Agenda
So, I can’t believe I’m already over my 800-word self-imposed limit? My deadline is an hour away, and I’ve not even gotten to the exciting, and historic, items coming up on the Santa Cruz city council agenda this April 25th. Mayor Chase, Councilmember Watkins, and myself are co-sponsoring two resolutions. One that will deny Wells Fargo anymore city business because of their refusal to cease funding the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), and the second one is that we are asking for council approval to denounce the construction of Trump’s wall along the US-Mexico border, and essentially withdraw city business from any vendor who participates in the building of “that wall.” This latter resolution is directly linked to interest in building the wall by Granite Construction’s CEO last March (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-11-18/granite-construction-ceo-we-ll-build-a-wall-if-asked) Granite Construction’s headquarters is located in Watsonville, California. The city of Santa Cruz has done more than $5 million in business with Granite since 2010. Who’s [paved] streets? Our streets. Who’s [Granite] wall? Not OUR [Granite] wall! I’m hearing “boycott” from many throughout the city over this…again, stay involved and stay tuned.
Bernie’s Tweet of the Week:
“Virtually every Western industrialized country has chosen to end capital punishment. The United States should join them.”
~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.
BROWN ACT VIOLATIONS AT APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT PUBLIC HEARING
The County Historic Resources Commission held a public hearing last Monday, April 10, to consider discretionary changes to the Aptos Village Project Historic Preservation Plan for the Apple Barn. Despite the inconvenient hour of 9:30am, the small room was packed with about 20 residents (I had let staff consultant Planner Ms. Annie Murphy know in advance that there would be several people attending and that a larger room may be needed, but instead, she just crammed more chairs into the small room.)
I paid a man to video the hearing because previous Historic Resources Commission meetings have relied solely on the notes that Ms. Murphy takes and submits as minutes. I have observed that these minutes are devoid of public comment notes, and in fact that was the case for the minutes that the Commission approved last Monday. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO-jvakWZYA&feature=youtu.be [Webmistress note: video unavailable at time of publishing, I included it anyway in case it gets fixed.]
Despite several audience members pointing out that no the Planning Department had made NO information regarding the content of the public hearing and modifications available to the public in advance of the public hearing, and that several Brown Act violations had occurred, Planners Annie Murphy and Paia Levine assured the Commission that it was not required to inform the public of anything.
The Commission approved all modifications to the Barn, including the steel roll-up door and steel employee entrance door, a skylight and altered decking. These were all changes requested by New Leaf Market’s architect and not at all in keeping with the historic character of the Barn. The architect responded to public questions relating to that issue: “Well, we thought that no one would really notice because of the 15′-high retaining wall nearby.” What did Second District Commissioner Ms. Carolyn Swift have to say? As you will see in the video, she was upset with the public for questioning anything. I am appealing the Commission’s decision and will demand an evening public hearing before the Board of Supervisors. Stay tuned.
APTOS VILLAGE COUNTY ROAD CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES…BUT NOTHING FOR VALENCIA ROAD
Work by San Luis Obispo contractor John Madonna Construction Co. continues in the Aptos Village area as the Phase I improvements to benefit the Aptos Village Project developers. I observed markings on Aptos Creek Road last week, stating there is road work planned this week for that area, the Phase II part of the project.
The Board of Supervisors has not approved that portion of the Project yet, so I wonder how work could begin? There is item #23 on the April 18 Board of Supervisor consent agenda (reserved for non-controversial items???) to approve the Aptos Village Park Road Repairs and begin bidding. Gee, I wonder if that is the same as Aptos Village Phase II Traffic Improvement Project? Semantics can be your friend, can’t it?
The County’s informational blog available on the Department of Public Works website has not been updated since March 28. The two orange notification signs for the Project both face little-traveled Aptos Street. Why aren’t the signs on Soquel Drive and Trout Gulch, where people can see the 24-hour Project Disturbance Coordinator’s phone number and the informational website information? The flashing sign blocking the right lane of traffic at Rancho del Mar Center only has the stagnant “Expect Delays” and the same date….will this continue until July 17 as the only source of public information? In the meantime, Supervisor Zach Friend has sent information to Valencia Elementary School families stating that the Valencia Road repair is being held up by Fish& Wildlife requiring a larger culvert than was in previous existence. If that is true, that removes the emergency contingent of the repair because the project has now become an improvement.
Residents of nearby Rolling Green Estates wonder why there cannot be a temporary one-lane bridge installed now, similar to what the County installed within three weeks for the residents of Nelson Road in Scotts Valley? Supervisor Zach Friend’s information states “FHWA” is requiring some approvals. He never explains what that acronym means, but for your information, it is the Federal Highway Administration. I wonder why the Valencia Elementary School staff and 600+ student families are not being more vocal about this?
ATTEND THE PAJARO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEETING TO LOBBY FOR THE STUDENTS: Wednesday April 26, 7pm at the Watsonville Civic Center (top floor) KION television did a report on the issues April 5. Could it be possible that the County might be stalling the Valencia Road repair / temporary bridge to make life easier for the Aptos Village road construction project? Hmmmmm…..
IS THE 1928 APTOS CREEK BRIDGE SAFE?
It has been made clear by County Counsel, in response to Public Information Act requests, that the County has NO recent inspection reports for the 1928 Aptos Creek Bridge for storm-related damage, but gave me multiple photos taken of the erosion at the bridge abutments. The 2013 CalTrans civil engineer inspection report recommended Counsel the bridge be closely monitored during storm events and closed if necessary. CalTrans engineers routinely inspect the bridge every 24 months but do not do special inspections. The bridge was inspected in 2015 and is due for that routine assessment this fall. Where are the County Public Works engineers? Call or write John Presleigh. John.Presleigh@santacruzcounty.us> 454-2160
OTHER PUBLIC MEETINGS WORTH ATTENDING:
County Planning Department and Housing Advisory Commission will hold a public meeting to roll out the new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU, aka ‘Granny Unit’) regulations: April 26, 6pm, Simpkins Family Swim Center, Live Oak.
First-Ever County Parks Department Strategic Plan Public Workshops:
April 26 Ben Lomond: San Lorenzo Valley at Highlands County Park 6:30pm-8:30pm
April 27 Watsonville at the Civic Center Community Room 6:30pm-8:30pm
May 2 Davenport at Pacific Elementary School (50 Ocean Street) 6:30pm-8:30pm
May 6 Aptos at Aptos Village Park 10AM-NOON
May 11 Live Oak at Simpkins Family Swim Center community Room 6:30pm-8:30pm
You will find more information on the County Parks Dept. website, along with a quick survey you can take online. And you can visit www.scparks.com/strategicplan for updates throughout the process, and feel free to contact Park Planner, Will Fourt, at will.fourt@santacruzcounty.us or 831-454-7910 with any questions or comments.
3. County Zoning Administrator Public Hearing. Friday, April 21 9am 5th Floor of 701 Ocean Street County Building
Item #2 will consider approval of a large winery and event center in the rural Pleasant Valley area of Corralitos (APN 107-111-32, -76,-77,-79,-80). This is essentially approving an application of the County Planning Department’s Code Modernization before it has even been vetted by the public or approved by the Board of Supervisors. This issue was eloquently pointed out to the Board last Tuesday by rural resident Ms. Debbie Hencke. The Code Modernization environmental review report is currently six months behind schedule and has not been made available publicly.
Another possible instance of applying the un approved codes was apparent in last Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s “Written Correspondence” Item #D: Application for Alcoholic Beverage License by Steelhead Engineering, Inc., located at 1850 Day Valley Road, Aptos. I tried to ask the Board about that curious item, but was told that I had had plenty of opportunity to comment on items on the agenda. The Board adjourned and my podium microphone was turned off. I just wanted to ask why an engineering company in rural Aptos would need an alcoholic beverage license? Well, now I know that if one wants to comment on any piece of written correspondence included in the Board’s agenda packet, you comment during Open Public Comment, rather than waiting for the end of the meeting, like I did (there is no information about this procedure included on the agenda).
THE NEW STATE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING BILL…WILL IT HELP SANTA CRUZ COUNTY FIX THE ROADS?
The Governor and legislature quickly passed SB1, the new legislation that increases gas excise taxes by 12 cents/gallon and diesel excise taxes by 20 cents/gallon, along with increasing diesel sales taxes and, effective 2020, an annual $100 fee for Zero Emission Vehicles.
According to information by Supervisor Zach Friend published in the Aptos Times, this will bring $6 million to Santa Cruz County’s coffers when everything is fully implemented. That is not really very much, considering the Aptos Village Phase I and II Traffic Improvement Projects alone will total over $4 million. But, every little bit helps…I just want to know that the money will be used for what has been promised, and will benefit the greater public good.
THE COUNTY’S $20,000 CONSULTANT SEARCH FOR NEW COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CONTINUES
The County has hired consultant Peckham & McKenney to help find the replacement for Ms. Susan Mauriello, who will retire this July after holding the County Administrator Office (CAO) job for 27 years. I looked again at the consultant website and was glad to see that there is now more information about what qualifications are necessary and what the job really entails (there was only a nice description of how beautiful the scenery is in Santa Cruz when the position announcement was initially launched on April 1). I found it interesting that in the needed profile, a successful candidate will need to “Identify opportunities and create a plan to develop new sources of revenue” and “Create a short term and long term plan for infrastructure improvements.” It does not mention that the County Budget is currently in $8.1 million deficit or that the CAO reported to the Board of Supervisors in February that there may not be money available from the General Fund for major capital infrastructure improvements. I suppose that will all come out during interviews, which are scheduled for May 15-19 and finalist interviews for June 2-3. Applications for the job will be accepted through May 8, according to Peckham & McKenney website information.
I wonder if we make our requests known now regarding what we, as the taxpayers, would like to see in our CAO, if it would make a difference? The selection process, I have been told, is not open to the public.
As Ms. Mauriello said herself during last week’s Aptos Chamber of Commerce breakfast, where she was guest speaker, we all need to speak up for what matters to us, because silence is the same as acceptance. Gee, I think I will really take her advice to heart….and action.
APTOS COMMUNITY SUPPORTS THE APTOS/LA SELVA FIREFIGHTERS
Last Thursday, April 13, about 200 residents and fire agency supporters filled the engine bays at Aptos fire station to register support for the Aptos/La Selva firefighter local 3535 at the Board meeting. Recently, the firefighters UNANIMOUSLY VOTED NO CONFIDENCE in Chief Jon Jones. Public testimony lasted for over two hours, all in support of the Local 3535, and asking that the Board NOT extend Chief Jones’ contract by two years. Some, including me, asked for Chief Jones to resign immediately. Supporters from other fire agencies throughout the area also testified in support. To be clear, the issue is not about the contracts, but rather about the firefighters’ concerns regarding lack of leadership, communication and allowing important community services to diminish. The shocking news is that three well-respected employees, Deputy Fire Chief Carol Wallace, Division Chief Mike Conrad, and Fire Captain Bob Snyder all retired this year, earlier than they had planned, simply because work conditions are so deplorable under Chief Jones. I have worked with these people over many years, and always have been impressed by their professional dedication to respectfully serving the public.
Unfortunately, Board member Mr. Vince Hurley published vicious and inaccurate accusations against the firefighters in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. These accusations were all debunked by multiple testimonies of Local 3535 leadership. At the end, Mike Conrad stood before the audience and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, everything you have heard here tonight is true.”
The Board took no action on the matter, since it was not on the agenda for the night. Oddly, there was NO coverage of the meeting in any of the local news media….Hmmmmm…..
Contact the Aptos/La Selva Board members with your thoughts:
The firefighters of Local 3535 have served the Aptos and La Selva communities well for 87 years, as well as other areas of the County and State on mutual aid calls. Now they need our help.
Contact the news media while you are at it….why is there silence on this issue?
~WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE….
BUT DO SOMETHING TODAY.
Cheers,
Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes).
#104 / Dumb Wars
I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.
These are the words of then-Senator Barack Obama, in a speech in Chicago on October 2, 2002. The “dumb war” he was specifically talking about was the War in Iraq, begun by then-President George W. Bush.
In an opinion column in the Monday, April 10, 2017, edition of The New York Times, Samuel Moyn and Stephen Wertheim quoted the former President on the topic of “dumb wars.” Moyn is a professor of law and history at Harvard University. Wertheim is a fellow in history at King’s College, Cambridge University.
The column by these historians was prompted by President Trump’s missile strike on an airport in Syria. Moyn and Wertheim didn’t think that was very smart They expressed concern that “Mr. Trump may wind up repeating his predecessor’s pattern of anti-Iraq-war campaigning and perpetual-war governing.”
The professors, in other words, skeptical about our current president, are not exactly handing out plaudits to our former president. They are not very happy about the state of “perpetual war” into which the United States has plunged itself, a state of war that was perpetuated throughout Obama’s two terms as president, and that continues to the present day.
For some reason, never convincingly explained (and maybe just because he had spoken out against “dumb wars”), the Nobel Prize Committee saw fit to award the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama in October 2009. Maybe the Nobel Prize Committee shared my perspective, which is that if you are against “dumb wars,” you are probably pretty much against any wars, in general. I must say, that would definitely be my own judgment.
Moyn and Wertheim don’t comment on that 2009 decision by the Nobel Prize Committee, but their article certainly suggests that the way President Obama conducted himself, on the issue of war, was not very much of a model. I definitely agree.
In fact, if I had a chance to put a question to the former President, here’s an inquiry I’d like to make: Realizing (and applauding the fact) that you are against “dumb wars,” can you tell me what wars (following the end of World War II, which ended before you were even born) you would NOT describe as a “dumb war?”
If our former president reads this, by some chance, and sends me an answer, I will be sure to share it on Facebook!
As for our current president, who has just ordered the “mother of all bombs” dropped in Afghanistan, please don’t double down on dumb!”
~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. The joys of hiking in Nisene Marks..except……(scroll below)
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “E.Coli 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. With his “Quit while you’re Ahead” thinking this week!!!
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “It’s a good thing Chris Evans didn’t follow W. C. Fields’ famous advice for actors: “Never work with children or animals.” Otherwise, he might not have made Gifted, in which he plays the guardian of a 7-year-old math prodigy. Find out why it turns out to be one of his best roles, This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
RAW. A French subtitled first film from young 33 year old woman Julia Ducornau, hit me hard. After studying films in about seven years of formal classes, and years more of lectures, 100’s of cinema books, I was uncertain how to critique it. In 39 years of critiquing films in print, and on air, this is one of the very rare times I have to report that I admired the film 100% , give it 2 or 3 thumbs up and I’m not sure if I liked it…those are completely different categories. It’s a film, and no humans were hurt during the filming and it’s about two major themes a young girl coming of age and going off to school and how to fit in with others. AND it’s remarkable back theme is cannibalism. The film is funny, scary, bloody beyond human boundaries, and is a nearly perfectly made and acted film. Moments when I could barely watch the screne, and many scenes which were so unique, so touching, and so fresh and new. It’s great cinema. You may not LIKE it but if you love films you have to see it. I’m very glad I did. Closes Thursday April 20!!!
FRANTZ. Subtitled and in French and German this is another masterpiece from the young (40) Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, See The Sea). Subtle, sensitive, perfectly paced and engrossing acting by all concerned. It’s about the aftermath of WW1 and the heart tearing effects it has on the soldiers and the families that survived. Love, enemy hatred, family loyalty, a soldiers duty are all paced and packed together in a film that will keep you completely involved up to and including the closing scene. See it quickly, Landmark closes these films way too quickly.
T2 TRAINSPOTTING. Danny Boyle is one of the most effective and wide ranging film directors working today. Not only did he direct the original down, gritty and dirty original Trainspotting in 1996 but he also did Slumdog Millionaire, and Steve Jobs fils. T2 takes us back to the original four druggies, thugs, and crazy guys who did that heroin robbery 20 years ago. They get together again and NO they don’t do “another job” they argue, hug, fight and give us a very busy film full of creativity, brilliance and Edinburgh Scotland atmosphere. It too has Iggy Pop music and Ewan McGregor in the lead. You have to see it if you liked the original.
GIFTED. Hollywood stars Chris Evans (who usually plays Captain America) and Octavia Spencer along with British star Lindsay Duncan lead the cast of this feel good saga of a 7 year old girl who was born into a mathematical genius family and who becomes another mathematical genius. It’s too soapy, too cute, too unbelievable, too contrived to be a good movie. I can’t think of any solid reason to recommend it to any group except to families who may have a genius child and are wondering what to do OR not do, with her.
YOUR NAME. This beautiful Japanese inspired animated film makes Disney animation look like Walter and Margaret Keane’s “Big Eye” paintings in San Francisco in the 60’s. It is drawn with such skill and a sense of what animation can create that even Pixar should hang their well-financed heads in shame. The story behind Your Name is complex and thought provoking. Centering on youth and growing up, and sex changes, and ghosts, and family… it is just brilliant. See the subtitled version to get the full Japanese sensitive touch.
GOING IN STYLE. See above at the start of the column for this week’s review Closes Thursday April 20. FATE OF THE FURIOUS. See above at the start of the column for this week’s review
THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE. Jessica Chastain and her husband ran the Warsaw Zoo in Poland in 1939 before, during and after the Germans invade. A true story adapted from the book it details how the couple managed to hide 300 Jews from the Nazis inside the zoo during the invasion. You might get to thinking, as I did about half way through the film about the contrast, similarity, duality of watching the animals escape from behind bars and then keeping the Jews in the same place. Or of watching the animals escape to their freedom or posible death…well you see what I’m getting at. Besides that I’m against Zoos, Aquariums, animal parks, and all that cruel stuff. So go se this film, Jessica is very good in the lead role except that her fake Polish accent sounds fake.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget, semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected to make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
LIFE. Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds and a “nice” interacial crew are trapped aboard a space station with an ever-growing giant calamari from space, that almost kills everybody. Yes, it’s the old Alien plot, and it’ll do just fine for 12 years olds. I mean that, it’s tense, exciting only a few fuck words in it and plenty of 2001 scenic memories. To be honest I got to thinking (which you’ll have plenty of time to do) what if that space creature just wants to save it’s own fate and travel to earth with “our guys”? Why not write a movie where somebody from earth wants to escape its dying future and tries to climb aboard an extraterrestial vehicle and the outer space visitors keep fighting him/her away like we treat our extraterrestial visitors? Send the kids, don’t take them.
KONG:SKULL ISLAND. Kong is back and after waiting for his appearance about 45 minutes into the film I figured why Kong is always mad.Unlike all gorillas, Kong has hair all over his butt and he has no penis! He does have his usual minute or two with a beautiful blonde…that’s Brie Larson (playing Faye Wray). Samuel. L. Jackson is a very bad guy, Tom Hiddleston is the big hero John Goodman gets killed before you expect it and John C. Reilly saves the movie from being just another numb & dumb box office smash. It beat Logan at the ticket office so that proves it. Truthfully though, it isn’t all bad IF you like monster gorilla movies.
GHOST IN THE SHELL. If you can stand watching Scarlett Johansson running, jumping, leaping, shooting and maybe being a robot for 106 minutes while she’s wearing just a skin tight, white, thin, body suit…then go see this movie. It’s a zillion dollar Japanese Studio production and another good thing about it is that Takeshi Kitano has a brief appearance and it’s amazingly powerful. Then again, he always is. The plot is way too complex and unbelievacle to fathom out. It’s copied from a Japanese comic book. Not to insult them, but12 year olds will love it.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
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. Jeffrey Smedberg and Camille Walker will talk first about the Reel Work Labor Film Festival on April 18, then Lloyd Kahn author of “Small Homes – The Right Size” visits us from Bolinas and illumines us on their virtue. Carla Brennan discusses Mindfulness and Awareness on April 25 after which Keith McHenry talks about “Food Not Bombs” and the Santa Cruz experience. On May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences. May 9th has director Kinan Valdez discussing the traditions behind the new version of the “Zoot Suit” play opening May 26-June 4 at UCSC. Bookshop Santa Cruz features its top Short Story Winners on May 30. 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
When I saw the videos for this week, I just had to jump on this bandwagon (see what I did there?!)
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. “APRIL and the like”
“Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want rain without thunder and lightning”. Frederick Douglass
“Don’t give cherries to pigs or advice to fools“. Irish Proverb
“If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings” Welsh Proverb
“Now the noisy winds are still; April’s coming up the hill! All the spring is in her train, Led by shining ranks of rain; Pit, pat, patter, clatter, Sudden sun and clatter patter! . . . . All things ready with a will, April’s coming up the hill!” Mary Mapes Dodge
“The children with the streamlets sing, When April stops at last her weeping; And every happy growing thing Laughs like a babe just roused from sleeping”. Lucy Larcom
“For after all, the best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain”. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“If the state of oratory that inundates our educational institutions during the month of June could be transformed into rain for Southern California, we should all be happily awash or waterlogged“. Samuel Gould
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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EARLIEST KNOWN PHOTO OF DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ. Somehow you can almost tell that this is the corner of Water, Front (then called Willow) Pacific Mission and Main Streets. The year was 1860. Just think how back then the folks had no Jamba Juice or Bank of The West.
SANTA CRUZ’S & UCSC’S FUTURE. UCSC is going through a special study to develop their next LONG RANGE DEVELOPMENT PLAN.(LRDP). Their LRDP plans
AMAZING WOMAN FOOT JUGGLER.
forever change the lives of everyone who lives, works, and commutes to Santa Cruz. Many very involved Santa Cruzans had opinions on UCSC’s future. I’ve cut, edited and included as many shades and aims of these opinions to help all the rest of us catch up and not lose focus on where and how we are growing. Gillian Greensite’s ideas rang very straight and to the point she emails..
UCSC has grown too big for the town to accommodate without severe and negative impacts. With close to half the students competing for off-campus rentals, every increase in student numbers worsens the ability of local workers and families to find rental housing. Affordability is a pipe-dream.
Building more housing on campus does not solve the problem. UCSC cannot force students to live on campus and most prefer to move off-campus after their first or second year for independence. Building more housing on campus results in higher rents both on and off campus due to the high cost of building on complicated geological and soil lands and the fact that the cost of building has to be born by students.
It is frustrating that UCSC keeps repeating that they house a higher % of students than any other UC campus. While true, it avoids facing the reality that Santa Cruz has far less land availability for housing growth than other UC campuses.
The vast majority of off campus people who support UCSC growth are those making money from such growth ( landlords, developers and businesses who profit off students consumption needs.) The rest of the community is strongly opposed to continued growth and has a low opinion of UCSC as a result.
UC Merced was built to accommodate the increase in student numbers. UCSC is not playing fair in continuing to advertise for extra students when it could be better responding to the impact of such growth on the town.
If a poll or ballot measure was circulated amongst residents who live here and do not own rental property for “A moratorium on further growth at UCSC” it would win by a huge majority.
WORLD JUGGLING DAY
Another voice.. “One calculation which would indicate the significance of this imbalance would be to count ( in five-year increments) the number of single family homes in each block near the university that house students and then move further out geographically as the dynamic of single home conversion to student housing occurred. This has a very direct impact on the quality of residential living in a neighborhood and among other things also negatively effects single-family housing values”
And another view.. “UCSC cannot force students to live on campus and most prefer to move off-campus after their first or second year for independence.” UCSC cannot control where students live; UCSC can control enrollment”.
More…”The issue of percentage housed on campus is real, but is also part of a “shell game” strategy to take attention away from the key issue: enrollment, enrollment, enrollment…
I believe students would definitely live on campus if it was a whole lot cheaper regardless of the independence issue…I speak with students all the time and many say they would rather live on campus because it’s “easier,” but too costly”.
The main issue is cost…independence does factor in, but not as much as cost.
Still more…”The most common local belief is that if there were just more parking on campus, or more housing on campus, then things would not be so bad. When really, to me, those things (parking, inexpensive housing on campus) are just pie-in-the-sky and the ultimate issue is enrollment. I think if the issue were clear, then essentially all my neighbors (and yours) would realize that they are against enrollment growth. (And that doesn’t make them against education or against diversity or any of the other distracting arguments one hears.)”
Another source stated, “the point is to stop further growth not debate whether it should be on or off campus”. On the same point, and Chris Krohn also includes Coonerty’s letter in his “minority report” column…
In a letter to the Board of Supervisors on April 4, 2017 Supervisor Ryan Coonerty says among other good points… “On the other hand, UCSC also has impacts in terms of housing, traffic, and water demand. The County has a legitimate and significant interest in the University’s plans and policies for the UCSC campus”. The impact of students, faculty, and staff on our community, especially the City of Santa Cruz, is significant and is a contributing factor in the high cost of housing in Santa Cruz and traffic congestion on our roads.
In my view, given the relatively small size of Santa Cruz, the capacity of the community to absorb campus growth has been reached and, ideally, there should be no further increase beyond the 2020 LRDP projections in student population. However, if the University, which is not regulated by local government, determines that additional growth should be allowed, the amount should be as low as possible and all increases, including students, faculty and staff, should be housed on campus”.
A partially related comment that just few in and …adding to Ryan’s UCSC comments above is his guest speaking at the PDC..People’s Democratic Club (4/20) presupposed that …just maybe Ryan’s running for Mark Stone’s Assembly seat?? And gee, now (4/10) UCSC sent out a UC Advocacy Network message saying they care about our feelings and input.
UCSC STUDENT VIEW. UCSC Student Andrew Austin emails…
This Winter, a new student group called the Campus Expansion Student Coalition began to re-organize the students who came together for “anti-expansion” events last Spring. We’ve only had three or four events so far, but we also have a Facebook page called ‘UCSC Beyond Capacity’ and we’re going to be sending out a lot of informative literature and outreach materials for events very soon this Spring.
About actual UCSC growth: there are currently a few different on-campus construction projects in planning and preliminary stages, all of which will probably face direct resistance from “anti-expansion” activists and other forms of resistance from students more concerned with the accessibility and affordability of new housing. Some examples include a proposed extension to Crown College, redevelopment of Kresge College, a new residential college, and possibly new parking spaces/facilities. Over spring break UCSC cleared some trees near the Kerr Hall bus stop, but it turns out it’s not for housing it’s for an “Environmental Health and Safety Facility” which has been quietly public for a year or so. Some students are strongly in favor of new construction and are putting on pressure for more housing as soon as possible, and others are strongly opposed and more concerned with the current capacity. But almost everyone involved seems concerned with the lack of transparency and the lack of university response in general. It seems unlikely at the moment that UCSC will take into account either of these student viewpoints, as long as it continues to rely on fees/tuition and research profitability as revenue sources” . Gillian Greensite added to Austin’s news a question…This Winter, a new student group called the Campus Expansion Student Coalition began to re-organize the students who came together for “anti-expansion” events last Spring. We’ve only had three or four events so far, but we also have a Facebook page called ‘UCSC Beyond Capacity’ and we’re going to be sending out a lot of informative literature and outreach materials for events very soon this Spring. Gillian Greensite added a question to Austin’s news… “Are students aware that the new facility will store nuclear waste?”.
GREENSITE’S INSIGHT. Gillian emails… “traveling back to Santa Cruz. Column resumes 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).
QUESTION: HOW DO YOU SPELL GROWTH?
(Note: See answer and New feature this week : I love footnotes, so check’em out at the end of the column)
When will the city begin exercising its negotiating powers in confronting university student growth? Eighteen thousand students and growing, and no new bed space. Singles, doubles, triples and quads with a five-day meal plan now range in price from $1468 (quad) to $1967. This means, if four students live in a “Quad,” (the cheapest available dorm), they would collectively pay a total is $5,872. They used to be able to score a five-bedroom house with a yard near the ocean for less than that, but there aren’t any left because guess who is driving up the rents in Santa Cruz? (Of course, the real estate folks are lovin’ it since the norm that’s resulted is to place ever larger numbers of students into single family homes and charge them per head. It ends up being a bargain for students after 1-2 years of high dorm prices. The result is that local families are on the edge of extinction in many neighborhoods.)
Eco-Hotspots and Mountain Bikes
I went walking this week up Chinquapin Road, past the campus fire station and the UCSC Crown-Merrill apartments; the asphalt soon gives way to an upper campus dirt trail. I was invited for a hike by my old friend, emeritus physics professor, Peter Scott. His two-foot long flowing white beard makes him appear like Moses, and he walks briskly in leading me toward his Promised Land—the “ecological hot spot” that is upper campus. At eighty-plus years old I wondered how he so easily outpaced me on this hike. I follow him to a trailhead that he says is “new” to his eyes.
“Where does it go?” I ask.
“Not sure, but let’s just go and see where it takes us,” he says with a joyful grin.
Peter’s taking me out to look for signs of erosion, tire tracks that have formed new gullies and will lead to future seasonal streams. The tire markings are abundant in this area of campus. There are now herds of mountain bikers among the deer, fox, and mountain lion populations. Many of the spandex-clad riders perhaps do not realize they are traversing an area that the Smithsonian Institute has made a place for on their ecological hot spot map. It is also an area that’s said to have been one of Henry Cowell’s favorite places to ride his horse back in the late 1800’s.
Later, I’m still trailing Peter as we emerge from our forest walk. He wanders toward McLaughlin Drive and I follow. We turn right and walk up Science Hill. Peter marvels at how many students are waiting at both bus stops between Baskin Engineering and the Science Library. There are literally hundreds. It is 5:15 pm after all, and a great human tide is about to descend off campus. But as we walk, there are both white campus shuttles and Metro buses passing up the hundreds who are waiting.
As we made our way down the east side of campus there were two lines of cars gridlocked at the intersection of Coolidge and Hagar, a place where the cows gather to look out across grass and asphalt onto the subsidized faculty housing. No one was moving, except the cows. I wondered in that moment what might ensue when we get to the Long-Range Development Plan’s (LRDP) max of 19,500 students, which leads me to the letter Supervisor Ryan Coonerty submitted to the SC Board of Supes last week.
Supervisor Coonerty, seeking to catch up to a fast moving UCSC train wrote to his colleagues this week subtly observing that the university has become a community behemoth. He points out in the letter that UCSC has now begun the planning process for preparing the next LRDP. It will set limits on future campus growth, and identify the facilities and policies to support this growth. He sought to be measured, and arguably pulled some of his punches. He writes:UCSC provides many benefits to our community, particularly in the cultural and economic areas. On the other hand, UCSC also has impacts in terms of housing, traffic, and water demand. The County has a legitimate and significant interest in the University’s plans and policies for the UCSC campus.
Coonerty makes three points in his letter, his second being a rather gentle and gracious and important “ask” of the university. He writes:University growth in the next LRDP should be no greater than 19,500 students as allowed under the current LRDP and, if additional student growth is approved, it will be minimal and all the students, faculty, and staff resulting from this growth should be housed on campus. Translation: Could they please house their students on campus if they just happen to go over the 19,500 mark, which they are damn near right now.
Gown Now Hiding Town?
If there are already 18,763 students on campus, and an estimated 650 coming next year…help me do the math. That’s a whopping 19,413! One might say that UCSC has reached the limit, no? Does this mean no more students housed in town after next year (okay, 87 more) as agreed to in the LRDP? Unfortunately, new bed space on campus has been talked about, but I am not aware of any being built. What this figure means for the town of Santa Cruz is huge (Trump voiceover here)! In terms of housing, homeless services, Metro Bus service, police calls-for-service, and the competition for jobs we are fast approaching a social, economic, and political day of reckoning. Does the “Gown” now envelop the “Town,” and “the Hill” begin where Highway 17 meets Ocean Street? Or will the city council, and Santa Cruz county board of supervisors representing the people of Santa Cruz, start to push back on our UC guest…just a little bit?!
Rent Control, Mountain View-style
The vice-mayor of Mountain View, Lenny Siegel made his way down the coast last Saturday to promote his city’s recently passed rent control initiative. He said it tries to bring some sanity to the housing market by rolling back rents to their October 2015 rates. Siegel, speaking before a crowd of some thirty housing, rent control and wage activists (there was also one city planner present), said he was elected in 2014 and immediately called for a rent control ordinance. But when the city council majority refused to place one on the ballot, activists huddled around him and did it the old-fashioned way. They organized a petition signature campaign and achieved a majority vote in November of 2016, while also electing two more supportive council members. Of course, the California Apartment Association immediately sued, but lost the first-round in court last week according to Siegel.
The peninsula vice-mayor contended that there may be a second judicial round over the issue of a rent rollback to 2015, as the new ordinance mandates, but he was holding his breath and clearly relishing their first legal wining the case. Although it was a significant victory for the renters of Mountain View, Siegel sees “rent control as a tool to diminish displacement, not as a long-term solution.” And it doesn’t affect new construction, “only units built before 1995,” he assured the audience. He also said, in order to avoid a rash of arbitrary evictions, any rent control initiative must include a just-cause eviction clause as well. Siegel said that 60% of households in his town were renters, as compared to 56% in Santa Cruz.
Since it was a session on rent control and transportation, Siegel talked about working with Google and how they have expanded the options for getting to work and school for many Mountain View residents. These include increased Caltrain service, bicycle amenities, greater skateboard access to transit (no joke!), lots more buses, and what he hopes the future might look like, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT). He said he’s been pushing Google, or “working with them” on building the “North Bayshore” project, some 10,000 units that will have a .50 required parking space for each bedroom, meaning it will be very transit-oriented.(Siegel supports a .75 parking space per unit because that would be more family-oriented he said.) He’s also working on getting 15%-20% of all of these units HUD—Housing and Urban Development—affordable. He says there exists “entitled” development, and development with the help of “legislative acts.” If the city council passes legislation to assist the developer then the city can demand more from that developer, he said, “and get the city attorney to make that really clear to the council.”Siegel also touted some current legislation, Assembly Bill 1505 that would restore local authority in cities ability to demand a certain percentage of new rental units be built as “affordable.” Heads in the room nodded approvingly over this new affordable housing-friendly bill.
Answer to OPENING question: The UC Regents. Why? Because they are directing more students to Santa Cruz without providing the resources to adequately house and educate them and that spells G-R-O-W-T-H.
Footnotes….Don’t Believe Everything You Read. Look it up!
Bernie quote of the week:”The goal of a health care system should be to keep people well, not to make stockholders rich.” (Tweeted April 8, 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.
UNPRECEDENTED ACTION FOR APTOS/LA SELVA FIREFIGHTERS
Last week, the entire membership of Aptos/La Selva Firefighters local 3535 signed a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE against Chief Jon Jones. This has never happened in the 87-year history of the District. What is happening? I spoke with Local President Captain Ryan Peters to find out. Captain Will Wingert, the Vice-President, sent written clarification and is quoted below. Since Chief Jones was hired in October, 2014, there has been a steady decrease in services offered to the public. “This is alarming since even during the greatest economic recession witnessed since the 1930s Aptos/La Selva always managed to find ways to expand its base of service. And now in a time of economic expansion the fire department is offering less than it did 3 years ago. ”
*GONE: “A well used car seat program for expectant families is gone. This valuable program offered car seat education, proper installation and helped parents to understand how best to keep their children safe while in a car.”
*GONE: “The Surf Rescue Program which has saved many many lives has had to struggle to justify itself and is still at an impasse about holding training off duty so that members can all get trained. On duty training is problematic as call volume pulls people away and people sometimes miss training altogether. The Chief has been recalcitrant to allow off duty training because he doesn’t want to pay overtime costs for it, but the cost would be minimal.”
*GONE: The Fire/Arson Investigation program. ” There has been no succession planning on the part of the Fire Chief. Division Chief Conrad retired in December. He was our chief investigator. There was nearly a year to forecast this. Individual members are interested in taking classes and filling this important position. Presently the program has not been funded, and no classes to get people trained have been authorized although requests have been made. Waiting for the outcome of a strategic plan is not an excuse to not train and fill existing needs. ”
*GONE: Administration Office now closes noon-1pm…no more business there during your lunch hour.
*NEARLY GONE: Fire Prevention Bureau..helping property owners learn how to develop fire defensible space to give firefighters a safer opportunity to save homes and prevent fire spread to wildlands. ” The Fire Prevention Bureau was once staffed by a Fire Marshall, a Deputy Fire Marshall, and an administrative assistant who had a role in prevention. The administrative assistant was dedicated 17 year employee of the district who resigned because of the unfavorable work environment. She had a significant role in Fire Prevention, part of which included updating our alarm card information. She has been gone for close to a year now and her position has yet to be filled.”
“The absence of alarm card data means sometimes we don’t have reset data on alarms, nor does the 911 center. This results in commercial establishments whose alarms can’t be reset. This means as was the recent case with the now-abandoned movie theater which connects to several offices on that side of Rancho Del Mar that much of the east end of that complex sat un-alarmed. Often times business residents tired of hearing the malfunctioning alarm would just silence it. This could result in a shopping center burning for hours before fire crews were made aware of it. A clear and present threat to both the public and fire crews.”
THE DEPUTY FIRE MARSHAL CHOSE TO RETIRE EARLY, CITING THE UNFAVORABLE WORK ENVIRONMENT. “Again, although there was ample notice given – there was no succession planning to fill the position. The Chief’s idea was to outsource the Deputy Fire Marshall position to a private company that through no fault of their own is not working 40 hours a week. This was a 40 hour a week position filled with a very experienced local inspector. There was no way they would be able to keep up. What is left now is a Fire Marshall, and some outsourced help here and there. ”
***SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED: The busiest fire engine is taken out of service daily to fulfill a contract agreement with American Medical Response (AMR) requiring Aptos/La Selva paramedic firefighters to respond in a smaller vehicle to medical calls. This occurs when AMR is unable to meet the response times required in their contract with the County. Medical response calls have increased 13% in the past four years. “To be fair, Aptos La Selva does get paid for those transports, but we believe that with the increased call volume, not just in Aptos and La Selva Beach, but county-wide we can no longer support this resource and serve the community properly. AMR was recently granted its 15th contract extension in a row and not a peep of protest came from the administration of Aptos-La Selva Fire. Significant incidents including serious medical calls and fires with people trapped have occurred just blocks from the station. More maddening is that there is a clause in the county ambulance contract that says any agency that feels it is being adversely impacted can open the contract at any time and modify it with 30 days notice. The Chief has been approached numerous times by numerous individuals about this. Nothing to date has happened. Curiously it is now placed in the board agenda nearly 3 years after taking over.” What happens to fire response time if a structure or wildland fire occurs while this small medical response unit is on duty, not a fire engine? Not good.
DISTURBING….. Here is what the firefighters wrote to the District Board: “Internally, our Firefighters’ morale has never been lower. Chief Jones’ management style has alienated our Division Chiefs and firefighters alike, resulting it an organization that is in disarray without direction. The threat of discipline is frequently used as a tool for intimidation and retaliation. Lawsuits are now a regular part of our district as the Firefighter Bill of Rights and labor standards are consistently violated.”
CHIEF JONES’ CONTRACT ENDS THIS YEAR, BUT THE BOARD CAN APPROVE A TWO-YEAR EXTENSION AT HIS REQUEST, WHICH CAN BE MADE WITHIN THE FINAL 6 MONTHS OF HIS CONTRACT. His contract expires in October 13, so the door opens this week, April 13. According to The Sentinel, he does plan to make that request. The issue will be on the April 13 agenda (and may be continued). “We felt that this issue could not be left to chance and was important enough to the future of how emergency services are provided, how responders are prepared and equipped that we could not wait until he put his formal request in. This is a matter that affects the entire constituency we serve and we felt like it was time that the public knew what was happening.”
*****Attend the Board meeting Thursday, April 13, 7pm at the Aptos Fire Station #1 near Cabrillo College. Write all five Board members:
Bob Spisak <Bspisak.aptlsfd@gmail.com> George Lucchesi <Glucchesi.alsfpd@gmail.com> Joe Foster <Jfoster.alsfpd@gmail.com> Jim Abendschan <Jabendschan.alsfpd@gmail.com> Vincent Hurley <Vhurley.alsfpd@gmail.com>
Let them know you feel the unanimous decision for a vote of no confidence against Chief Jones is a brave step taken in the best interest of service to the Community. Support your emergency responders. Personally, I wondered why Chief Jones immediately ordered a chain link fence installed at Station #1, making it look like a fortress against the people. I have written him letters, but received no response. However, it was his comments regarding the Aptos Village Project that raised my eyebrows:
1) “It is not my job to make sure there is secondary emergency access” for the residents of Village Drive and Granite Way or emergency responders going there. Barry Swenson Builder plans to cut off access to Aptos Creek Road for those two streets.
2) “I am sure that the Aptos Village Project will not affect traffic congestion in the area” he said at a recent community meeting regarding traffic impacts of the County road project in Aptos Village. I wondered how he can be so sure? Maybe he knows something I don’t because he always sits next to Barry Swenson Builder staff at the Aptos Chamber of Commerce breakfasts. Hmmm…..
WHY ISN’T THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS FOLLOWING COUNTY CODE AT APTOS VILLAGE? I contacted the Department of Public Works team about a fact brought to light in a discussion I had with a notable local historian regarding the geologic antiquity of the soils beneath and adjacent to the railroad in the Aptos Village road construction project. This is relevant because in addition to the bus bay excavation near the intersection, 200′ of track will be removed and soil excavated to 31″ deep. The berm where the westbound Metro bus bay will be is soil that Chinese laborers brought in sometime around 1882-83 and have not been significantly disturbed since. The soils beneath the tracks have never been disturbed. I asked politely for an archaeological observer and a Native American observer to be actively present at all excavation work. NO ONE REPLIED. I sent a follow-up message to all, including the press, asking for a response. Only KION News responded, and were interested in doing a story on the issue. (That aired Wednesday, April 5).
I RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM COUNTY AGENTS. I stood in front of the excavator to make my point. Mr. Simmer, the foreman for John Madonna Construction, called in the County (and the sheriff) and instructed his crew to do other work for the time being. County Department of Public Works project foremen Ms. Carisa Duran and Mr. Mark Christensen told me there was no requirement for an archaeological observer unless there were artifacts discovered. “Who will be observing the excavation and making that call?” I asked. Their reply: “the excavator operator ‘. When Mr. Simmer said his crew has not been trained on this project to recognize artifacts of historic significance, I returned to ask the County staff more. When pressed, Mr. Christensen admitted that he would observe the dig when he is there. Soon, the excavator operator called out to the shovel operator about something shiney in the soil. Sure enough, the co-worker retrieved a bottle, and quickly tossed it back in front of the excavator. I called out “Hey, don’t throw it back in!” He picked it back out and offered it to me. Mr. Christensen then came running over and took the bottle. “Are you going to note it, and research it’s age? ” I asked. “NO” “Are you going to check with local historians about the age and significance of this bottle” I asked. “NO” I offered to research the issues, and he then gave me the artifact. After some research, I had help determining that the bottle is dated to the 1800’s. I let Mr. Christensen and Mr. Simmer know right away. No response, at all.
WHY DOES THE COUNTY NOT FOLLOW CEQA GUIDELINES? At this time, I still have no response for observers to be on site. Mr. Simmer’s crew did extensive excavation work at the bus bay location the following day. There were no observers present. I wonder what would happen to you or me if we found an 1800’s bottle on our property?
STAY TUNED NEXT WEEK…. The Aptos Village Project Public Hearing….violations, anyone? Stay warm and enjoy the pleasing sun.
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!
BUT DO SOMETHING NOW.
~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).
Citing to WhoWhatWhy, an online provider of responsible investigative journalism, Talbot noted that James Comey, Director of the FBI, has apparently been “sitting on” information demonstrating that our current President is directly tied to Russian mobsters, and specifically to Semion Mogilevich, “a Russian crime kingpin closely connected to Putin.”
This information about Trump’s ties to Russian mobsters was supposedly known by Comey prior to the November 2016 election. I am betting that the information might have been of interest to the voters had it been disclosed prior to the balloting. Comey chose to highlight possible irregularities in how Hillary Clinton dealt with her State Department-related emails, instead of saying anything about this particular topic.
Comey, in other words, is no friend of the Democrats. So says Talbot. And Comey appears to be a friend of President Trump, in terms of how Comey conducts the official business of the FBI. That’s Talbot’s conclusion. Here is a link to the WhoWhatWhy story that Talbot is talking about, if you’d like to read it. In the meantime, ponder what Justice Brandeis had to say about sunlight and secrecy. Maybe we ought to have a system that lets the American people have access to all that “information” that we are paying that “Federal Bureau” to collect!
Brandeis said it: “Sunshine is said to be the best of disinfectants!”
~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 took a look at the only am radio station in Santa Cruz. See downwards just a bit.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Tim Eagan’s “Another trophy”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: “Discover one of the best, unsung movies of the year, Frantz, a haunting tone-poem to love, loss, and absolution, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ). Run out and see this beautiful French film right this minute, before it disappears! Also, check out my Beast of the Month for April, courtesy of another great French filmmaker, Jean Cocteau!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
FRANTZ. Subtitled and in French and German this is another masterpiece from the young (40) Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, See The Sea). Subtle, sensitive, perfectly paced and engrossing acting by all concerned. It’s about the aftermath of WW1 and the heart tearing effects it has on the soldiers and the families that survived. Love, enemy hatred, family loyalty, a soldiers duty are all paced and packed together in a film that will keep you completely involved up to and including the closing scene. See it quickly, Landmark closes these films way too quickly.
T2 TRAINSPOTTING. Danny Boyle is one of the most effective and wide ranging film directors working today. Not only did he direct the original down, gritty and dirty original Trainspotting in 1996 but he also did Slumdog Millionaire, and Steve Jobs fils. T2 takes us back to the original four druggies, thugs, and crazy guys who did that heroin robbery 20 years ago. They get together again and NO they don’t do “another job” they argue, hug, fight and give us a very busy film full of creativity, brilliance and Edinburgh Scotland atmosphere. It too has Iggy Pop music and Ewan McGregor in the lead. You have to see it if you liked the original.
THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE. Jessica Chastain and her husband ran the Warsaw Zoo in Poland in 1939 before, during and after the Germans invade. A true story adapted from the book it details how the couple managed to hide 300 Jews from the Nazis inside the zoo during the invasion. You might get to thinking, as I did about half way through the film about the contrast, similarity, duality of watching the animals escape from behind bars and then keeping the Jews in the same place. Or of watching the animals escape to their freedom or posible death…well you see what I’m getting at. Besides that I’m against Zoos, Aquariums, animal parks, and all that cruel stuff. So go se this film, Jessica is very good in the lead role except that her fake Polish accent sounds fake.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected o make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
LIFE. Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds and a “nice” interacial crew are trapped aboard a space station with an ever-growing giant calamari from space, that almost kills everybody. Yes, it’s the old Alien plot, and it’ll do just fine for 12 years olds. I mean that, it’s tense, exciting only a few fuck words in it and plenty of 2001 scenic memories. To be honest I got to thinking (which you’ll have plenty of time to do) what if that space creature just wants to save it’s own fate and travel to earth with “our guys”? Why not write a movie where somebody from earth wants to escape its dying future and tries to climb aboard an extraterrestial vehicle and the outer space visitors keep fighting him/her away like we treat our extraterrestial visitors? Send the kids, don’t take them.
GHOST IN THE SHELL. If you can stand watching Scarlett Johansson running, jumping, leaping, shooting and maybe being a robot for 106 minutes while she’s wearing just a skin tight, white, thin, body suit…then go see this movie. It’s a zillion dollar Japanese Studio production and another good thing about it is that Takeshi Kitano has a brief appearance and it’s amazingly powerful. Then again, he always is. The plot is way too complex and unbelievacle to fathom out. It’s copied from a Japanese comic book. Not to insult them, but 12 year olds will love it.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
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. Carson Kelly tells us about the political force “Santa Cruz Indivisible” on April 11. Followed by Brian Spencer talking about the See Theatre play “The Nether” opening April 14 at the Center Stage Theatre. We’ll talk first about the Reel Work Labor Film Festival on April 18, then Lloyd Kahn author of “Small Homes” illumines us on their virtue. Carla Brennan discusses Mindfulness and Awareness on April 25. On May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences. Bookshop Santa Cruz features its top Short Story Winners on may 30. 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.
(You are not going to believe this, but I picked out my video before I had a clue that Bruce was putting one, let alone TWO, juggling videos in this week’s column!! Weird, huh?)
This is interesting. I like juggling. Can’t juggle myself to save my life, but this guy is good, and he’s funny in an understated sort of way 🙂
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. “SPRING”
One of my very favorite e.e. cummings poems for many decades….
“sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love
(all the merry little birds are
flying in the floating in the
very spirits singing in
are winging in the blossoming)
lovers go and lovers come
awandering awondering
but any two are perfectly
alone there’s nobody else alive
(such a sky and such a sun
i never knew and neither did you
and everybody never breathed
quite so many kinds of yes)
not a tree can count his leaves
each herself by opening
but shining who by thousands mean
only one amazing thing
(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)
sweet spring is your
time is my time is our
time for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love”
E.E. Cummings
“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
“If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring.”Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060
THE GOODTIME WASHBOARD 3 with BING CROSBY. That’s Wayne Pope on the left, then Bing Crosby,Bruce Bratton on washtub bass and Pete Arnott with banjo on the far right. This was on Bing’s nationwide TV show The Hollywood Palace. It happened April 1, 1967 Read more about us below.
THE GOODTIME WASHBOARD 3 WITH BING CROSBY. We performed this on April 1st 1967. That’s Wayne Pope on washboard, Pete Arnott on banjo, Bing Crosby with thimbles and yours truly on washtub bass. We met Bing at The Bohemian Grove and after hearing just a few tunes he asked if we’d like to be on his next Hollywood Palace show. Even more than that, we got to rehearse with Louis Armstrong, Nanette Fabray and Red Buttons. And we never left our day jobs!!!
THE OAKLAND SONG. We wrote this at one rehearsal when KSFO’s Jim Lange said every city has a song except Oakland. The Mayor of Oakland invited us to play it at an official Oakland City Council Meeting…we did of course.
MY COLLEGE FRIEND WAYNE POPE DIED. Wayne Pope was the kindest, most friendly, generous person I’ve ever known. We met in Spanish class at UC Berkeley in 1957. Our trio The Goodtime Washboard 3 needed a new washboard player and I convinced Wayne he would be fantastic…we bought thimbles and a washboard and our lives chamged forever. Our trio The GTW3 went on to play and perform at the Purple Onion, the Hungry i, and on Bing Crosby’s Hollywood Palace. We recorded two albums for Capitol Records (never released) and wrote and recorded the “Oakland Song” for Fantasy Records. (available on iTunes) We opened and closed shows with Milton Berle, Shelley Berman, Ray Bolger, Turk Murphy, Barbara Dane and dozens more. Showbiz was a great hobby for us.
Another UC Berkeley friend Chris Strachwitz who created Arhoolie Records (recently acquired by the Smithsonian Institute) and the Down HomeRecord store needed a graphic artist to design his album covers. I introduced him to Wayne and the two of them remained good friends and worked together for decades. We three did an interview for NPR two years ago. To say that Wayne will be missed, doesn’t come close to reality…
April 3, 2017 IT’S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE
If you enjoy hiking our local trails you probably have an opinion about mountain biking. If you hiked the trails in Santa Cruz prior to the early 1990’s you probably recall the trails were smooth and the only sounds were birds and the crunch of leaves beneath your feet. Then along came mountain biking, an industry which forever changed the ability to enjoy the simple pleasure of a hike.
Since their beginnings, far too many mountain bike riders have viewed limits on their access to public open space as an affront. Armed with this attitude, they have violated every reasonable restriction and the result is an alarming increase in illegal trails, soil erosion, trail damage, habitat disruption and the displacement of passive recreation such as hiking and bird watching.
According to their industry magazines, mountain biking grew out of dirt biking, when restrictions on that high-impact activity forced entrepreneurs to develop a new technology. Along with the technology came the attitude of “if they won’t give us what we want, we’ll take it,” as quoted in a mountain bike publication.
And take it they have. Every state park and open space in Santa Cruz, including the UCSC upper campus has been severely impacted by illegal mountain bike use. Where birds used to sing in the middle of the upper campus forested lands, now loud voices of large groups of mountain bike riders dominate from their internal, illegal trail network. The formerly smooth fire trails are deeply rutted. All this downcutting from thousands of mountain bike tires sends silt pouring into the San Lorenzo river with winter rains. Lest we forget, this is our drinking water.
I partnered with a mountain bike rider as concerned as I about this environmental destruction. We documented the damage and he approached the state parks to solicit their help in reining in the illegal trail creation and usage. The response? None. And here is the crux of the problem. Those whom we pay in taxes to protect our parks and open spaces are not doing their jobs. They are biassed. They favor a powerful, well-funded and influential lobby over the needs of other less powerful users of our public lands. Deputy chief of Police Dan Flippo attends a council meeting to sing the praises of mountain bikers in eradicating Pogonip of heroin users, a job which apparently his department is not able to accomplish. A familiar tale and one we are more used to from conservative politicians. A tale that is poised to take shape in progressive Santa Cruz.
The Parks Master Plan (PMP) is wending its way through the public process. Included in the Plan is a proposal to create new downhill mountain bike only trails in De Laveaga and Pogonip. This is despite the fact that the random poll conducted for the city by paid consultants to assess residents’ usage of the parks and to inform city park priorities found that hiking was the highest favored activity at 34% with mountain biking lower on the list at 9%. Given that evidence, one should expect that staff efforts be directed to enhancing the hiking experience by closing the illegal trails and enforcing the law which is what we pay for. On the contrary, according to the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz group, the city approached them and asked their input on how to increase mountain bike access in Santa Cruz parks and open space. This is bias.
The Parks & Recreation meeting to discuss and vote on the mountain bike trails is on May 1st. Expect a huge turnout from the mountain bikers. The meeting will be in The City Council Chambers at 4 p.m. I hope to see you there.
~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.
#11 April 3, 2017
STRATEGIC PLANNING. Part 2. (Sounds Boring?)
Jim Frawley the Santa Cruz Fire Chief was doing a crossing-guard routine last Saturday morning on Encinal Street over in the Harvey West Park area. Councilmembers, Sandy Brown and David Terrazas were looking just as lost as I was. We were searching for the city council strategic planning session. It was to be an all-day meeting, and supposedly the location was the Santa Cruz County Office of Education at 400 Encinal. “It’s not over there, it’s over here,” Frawley yelled out from the corner of Dubois and Encinal. He pointed in the direction of #399. He directed us away from the main headquarters to this other building across the street.
Inside the meeting room were tables positioned in a horseshoe shape, with other smaller round tables nearby where city department heads would be. It was a sunny, cloudless Saturday and all council members and department heads would be inside investing eight hours in some “strategic planning.” What would the future of Santa Cruz look like after today I wondered? Heady and creative cooperative planning? Or simply another opportunity for the city manager to affirm who runs Surf City?
First, we heard from members of the public. Since this was a “public meeting” in which more than three council members were present it is required by the Brown Act that community members be allowed an oral communication. They were, and they told us about the “illness of climate change,” (Pauline Seales); that it is “strange that our ‘norms and values’ session came before our strategic planning” meeting, and that out of the 73 strategy-related projects on our schedule” only 1 is related to UCSC” (John Aird); and we should be thinking of “giving the other species half of the earth” too (Barbara Riverwoman); and Santa Cruz has an opportunity in taking the lead on the environment by either centralizing environmentally-related issues into “a Department of the Environment, or at least hiring an environmental coordinator “(Jane Mio); and finally, Nancy Park reminded everyone present that it was all about “how we treat people”—homeless people, immigrants, and those who are the most vulnerable in our community.
The city manager and his staff—Martin Bernal (CM), Tina Schull (ACM) and Scott Collins (DCM)—then went to work shepherding the council through some “strategic planning” that they had likely spent days strategically planning. And by the way, Tina Schull handed out a pie graph depicting “city average percentages by effort type” (whew!) as it was also being projected onto a wall. Important stuff! She made the point that the current staff (800 full-time employees) has just 17% of its time left for anything city council members might want them to do because they are already overworked and really busy. We were constantly reminded of this throughout the day-long “retreat.”
The $10,000 Man, Shawn Spanos, professor of communications at San Jose State University
Next, our attention was directed to five pieces of four-foot long sheets of butcher paper attached to another wall. Each had categories atop that included: City of Santa Cruz Programs and Spotlight, which were supposed to be “ongoing efforts” by staff and included the “Beach Flats [Community] Garden” along with “disaster planning”,”sanitation and illegal campsites” and “Youth Programs.” The butcher paper on the Main Stage had a threesome category approach. It had been whittled down from the supposed unwieldy seven-category document we were working off of that had been produced at a 2015 city council retreat (with Don Lane and Micah Posner present and minus Sandy Brown and me), titled: City of Santa Cruz-Two-Year Work Plan FY17-18 through FY18-19. The three categories that were preserved from 2015 were “Safety and Well Being, Housing, and Infrastructure.” Gone were “Environmental Sustainability” and “Economic Vitality,” which by the way later had me voting with Cynthia Mathews to restore, but alas, she voted for them before she voted against them. The CM’s office people argued that environment and economics permeated the document already (without actually saying environment or economy) and those categories didn’t need to be explicitly stated. I respectfully disagreed, but I only had three votes if I wanted to preserve them. We moved on.
The issues I kept coming back to early and often were: How can we get the UCSC admin. to house more of its students? How can the city buy up apartment units and make them affordable for people who live here now? What are the steps we need to take to buy the Beach Flats Community Garden? Can we send the BearCat tank back? And, how are we going to put the Corridors Plan to bed?
The most stunning aspect of all of the chart-making, dot-putting, and color marker-marking was that “ucsc” (sic) was only mentioned once, as if were a passing fad. It was nowhere to be seen in the “Goal/Focus Area” or “Deliverable(s)” categories. Nor was the Seaside Company. (I wondered, how the hell can you “strategically plan” out the next two years without talking about those two Santa Cruz economic Godzillas?!?) The County (gov.) was brought up often, but only in context of helping the city shoulder the costs of the homeless “problem.”
If this is all starting to sound like an entire Saturday swallowed up by heaps of bureaucratic B.S., well, you might be on to something, but the lunch was good (Eric’s Deli tuna sandwich and salad), and I have to say, each councilmember placing colored sticky dots on their faves and least favorite city projects was fun and instructive for this council member. I loved placing my red dots (means: get rid of it!) next to the “corridors plan,” “downtown amendments” (which Devcon desperately needs to develop hundreds of market-rate units between Front and Pacific), and the more “ordinances” category that would add additional rules regulating street behavior.
Okay, Some of the Things I Found Interesting and Strange About this City Decision-making Combine Day
There were many weirdnesses, and they started with council members being asked to support the implementation of “City Council and Homelessness Coordinating Committee recommendations” without us ever seeing a list of what the recommendations were, but we heard offhanded references to them all day. (What?)
Another moderately disturbing event was when the city manager said that a downtown building boom would likely be commencing soon and we should expect 500 new units of housing. But when I asked about affordability, he seemed to agree that there would be no more than 75 affordable units, and that’s only if they are “for-sale units” and if the council majority doesn’t let the developer buy their way out of building those.(I’m becoming convinced more each day of this job that similar to health care, we need to take the greed and profit out of housing. All of us need a place to live and it should not take 50-70% of our salary, nor should it depend on luck or “a really nice landlord.”)
The city has $6 million to spend on affordable housing in the above referenced downtown project area, said Bonnie Lipscomb the SC Economic Development Director. So, we can expect some affordable rentals somewhere in this project, I guess.
Library hours will be expanded at all branches as of June 1st according to Susan Nimitz, the Library Director.
The Rental Inspection ordinance no longer puts units out of commission, but the city assists to “legalize units,” according to acting Planning Director, Alex Khoury.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that the neo-city manager form of government (“Taylorism,” 2017?) has calculated that city staff only has 17% time to work on the issues of the city council? )-:)
The facilitator in the picture that goes along with this column was paid $10,000 to…ready for this? Facilitate our discussion. (?!?)
The “fiber network” system (“Fourth utility” as the Public Works Director called it) is currently estimated to cost the city $45-$50 million. (Given that expense, can we also find the money for a 24/7 homeless shelter, or to place a social worker in every police car, or to expand the sobering center or increase counseling and job services for the homeless? What are our priorities?)
“Corridor Plan” was moved off the Two-Year Work Plan and onto the Tier 2 butcher block paper as a result of two red dots (Sandy and I) and five yellow (lower status) ones. Maybe we are making some progress…eastsiders, you gotta keep pushing though!
“Paddling” on the San Lorenzo River (I think) was taken off the city’s agenda entirely!
“Evaluate Police and Park Ranger Staffing” received a solid seven green (go!) dots. Was the council saying they wanted more oversite of public safety agencies?
READY, SET, GO!
City Council should’ve passed a resolution, “Standing with Standing Rock,” by the time you read this. Last line of the resolution is… RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz stands in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s opposition to the construction and use of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) across the Tribe’s ancestral lands, waters, and sacred sites;
But the heavy lifting begins at the April 25th city council meeting when we should have a resolution divesting the city from Wells Fargo because they continue to finance this absurd pipeline. Hope you can join us.
I went to a most amazing reading this past Sunday of the Martin Luther King speech, “Beyond Vietnam, A Time to Break Silence.” It happened on the steps of the downtown post office, how timely given the chain-link fence surrounding this historic federal structure. MLK gave the speech on April 4, 1967. It is so real, so prescient, and so eerily reflective of the time we are living in now that I was brought to tears. And, so many people wanted to read that it was presented twice! My favorite line in the part I was privileged to read was: “The war in Vietnam is but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit, and if we ignore this sobering reality we will find ourselves organizing…for the next generation.” That was fifty years ago.
Bernie tweet of the week: “How insane is it for us to literally discourage bright young people from attending college because of how much money their parents make?” (April 2, 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.
WHO GOT A SEAT AT THE TOWN HALL “ESCHOO & PANETTA” MEETING?
Last Saturday’s (4/01) Townhall Meeting with Congress members Ms. Anna Eshoo and Mr. Jimmy Panetta was overflowing onto the parking lot when I arrived at 10am. Capitola police were guarding the closed doors, not allowing anyone in because the multi-purpose room at New Brighton Middle School was at capacity. The doors opened at 9:30am but those who got in had arrived by 8:30 to line up. The large overflow crowd was directed to the gymnasium to view the session live-stream on a screen, but there was no sound. That was later fixed, but the audio quality was so poor, the 20 or so of us who stayed could not understand what was being said.
Congressional Analysts were outside accepting written questions to take inside. I submitted mine. The lady unceremoniously plopped it in a basket with about 100 others. I hope I receive a response.
Mr. Panetta’s analyst told me it was “a learning experience” and next time, the venue will be larger. He said the Civic Auditorium was booked. He was not familiar with the Henry Mello Center in Watsonville but will look into it.
SANTA CRUZ CITY COUNCIL REJECTED CLAIMS OF PROBLEMS REGARDING POLICE MURDER OF MR. SEAN ARLT FOR BRANDISHING A GARDEN RAKE
Last week, the Council denied there were problems concerning how Santa Cruz City Police quickly killed Mr. Sean Arlt, a mentally-troubled young man who held a garden rake in his hand. Police had encountered him just a few days earlier, and were well aware he had mental illness issues. Mr. Arlt was at the house he had grown up in, and the family friend residing there last October called police in the hopes that they could get professional help for Mr. Arlt.
Instead, the police coaxed him out of the backyard, shot him with tasers, then killed him.
Do you think there is a problem here? I do. Those officers merely did what they are trained to do: shoot to kill. They were military veterans. Santa Cruz City and County law enforcement officers are also trained to shoot at the head and torso of those who do not succumb to tasers or rubber bullets.
Should military veterans who have been trained in active combat be allowed to have street-duty law enforcement assignments? I don’t think so. A growing number of Americans also feel that active-combat veterans need a period of at least five, perhaps eight years, to re-train muscle memory with other techniques to handle law enforcement problems. Martial arts. Active training in recognizing mental illness behaviors and non-violent de-escalation methods.
As usual, other places in the world are way ahead of us on this. Norway. Japan.
A small group of concerned and thoughtful people are working together to meet with local law enforcement officials to ask for changes here. Santa Cruz police recently received a few hours of training to help them recognize mental disturbance behaviors. That is good, but not enough.
Last fall, when I asked State Assemblyman Mark Stone what could be done regarding police training methods to avoid tragic outcomes such as what happened with Mr. Arlt, he told me that all such changes must come from local community action and policy change.
It is up to us to press for those changes. In the meantime, Mr. Arlt’s family will most likely be pressing charges.
FILL OUR PRISONS…WITH IMMIGRANTS??
The Register-Pajaronian published a very interesting article “Empty jails hope to cash in on illegal immigration crackdown” (4/1/17, page B1). In Texas, several county governments went into debt to build jails, hoping to create jobs for local residents with contracts to house inmates from other counties as well as prisoners for the state and federal governments.
However, “a decline in crime and an increase in alternative sentencing reduced the Texas prisoner population and created a glut of jail space.” One would think that could be taken as good news, but apparently not by the County Administrative Officers (CAO) in Texas. These counties are struggling with the debt but are now hopeful, thanks to Trump’s executive order tweets, that there will be federal contracts available “to house some of the immigrants expected to be detained in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Or they can sell the vacant detention centers to private prison companies that aim to do the same.”
“Other counties have entered into agreements with private prison companies to renovate their empty facilites in expectation of reopening if immigrant detention opens opportunities.”
According to the article, ICE would not discuss how many beds the agency might need or it’s timetable for obtaining them. I don’t think that is good news, do you?
“At least one advocacy group is wary of the secretive process and of putting more detainees in privately-run faciliies after complaints and violations of inmate-care standards.”
Maybe we need to begin asking Santa Cruz County and City government officials about this issue. The County Board of Supervisors recently approved closing the County’s Blaine Street Women’s Jail and moving the inmates to Watsonville’s Rountree facility. What are the plans for that empty jail? It is always good to ask questions and to expect honest answers….and know what to do if the answers given do not seem quite clear.
THE SEARCH HAS BEGUN…OUR NEW COUNTY CAO!!!
County Administrative Officer (CAO) Ms. Susan Mauriello is retiring this July. The County is paying $20,000 for consultants Peckham & McKenney in Roseville to search for her replacement. Here is what their website posted April 1, 2017:
County Administrative Officer
County of Santa Cruz, California
With its natural beauty apparent in pristine coastal beaches, lush redwood forests, and rich farmland, Santa Cruz County enjoys an ideal Mediterranean climate with low humidity and 300 days of sunshine a year. The County’s approximately 270,000 residents enjoy an excellent quality of living. Santa Cruz County has a workforce of 2,452 and FY 2016/17 all fund budget of $720.7 million. Appointed by a dynamic five-member Board of Supervisors, the County Administrative Officer is responsible for the administration of all County services and activities and provides direct and indirect administrative direction to department heads and general direction to the CAO’s Office staff. A Bachelor’s degree in public or business administration or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred. The retiring CAO’s annual salary is $290,040; appointment DOQ. Filing deadline is May 8, 2017.
I wonder why the CAO’s advertisement has no other links providing information about desired qualities, available support staff and important local issues, as there are in nearly all of the other jobs advertised on the website? Maybe admitting the County is in a chronic budget deficit would scare too many people away? Maybe Ms. Mauriello has already chosen her successor, so the website search is just cursory? County Department Directors were supposedly consulted for the job description… Hmmm……
It worries me that Santa Cruz County budget is at $8.1 million deficit (down from last year’s $12.8 million deficit), and that according to Ms. Mauriello’s mid-year report to the Supervisors, there may not be any money available from the general fund for infrastructure capital improvements. Think about that as you navigate road closures and culvert failures. Will Valencia Road and Old San Jose Road ever get repaired?
PUBLIC HEARING FOR APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE HISTORIC APPLE BARN
It pays to read over the microscopic-print legal advertisements in the local newspapers. That is where I saw notice in last Friday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel (3/31) of a public hearing on Monday, April 10, for proposed changes to the Aptos Village Project’s Historic Preservation Plan by the County Historic Resources Commission. That will be at 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, 4th Floor Planning Department Conference Room at 9:30am. The public is being given the opportunity to weigh-in on the Historic Resources Commission “to consider a proposed amendment to the Historic Resource Preservation Plan for the Apple Barn in Aptos Village. The proposed amendment includes the addition of skylights, minor changes to the deck (former loading dock), and reduction in the number of new doors, and requires review and approval by the Commission. The Commission will also review plans for retention of historic single wall construction and floorboards as required. The Project address is 151 Aptos Village Way, (previously 417 Trout Gulch Rd.) in Aptos (Aptos Village). The applicant is Aptos Village LLC. For more information contact Annie Murphy, Santa Cruz County Planning Dept., at 831-454-3111.” The fact is, it is also your opportunity to bring forth newly-discovered significant information that could require further environmental review. Hmmmm…..
The Assessor Parcel Number (APN) is 041-011-03. Take a look at the Planning Dept. Website…you learn interesting things by researching the building permit status by parcel.
Please attend the April 10 Public Hearing at 9:30am if you can, or send your comments to Ms. Annie Murphy
APTOS VILLAGE…MANY DISTURBING THINGS…Regarding the County road work in the Aptos Village, here are some interesting facts:
The project cost is nearly $2 million. The work includes moving a bus stop, adding a traffic light, adding two dedicated turn lanes to serve the shopping center owned by Aptos Village Project developer Mr. Joe Appenrodt, removing and replacing 200′ of railroad track, new railroad crossing arms and cement crossing pad, and sidewalks and bike lanes on Trout Gulch Road. None of this work is urgently needed. All of the work is being done to benefit the Aptos Village Project, with very little money being paid by the developers for the improvements.
There will no longer be bike lanes on Soquel Drive, in order to make room for new dedicated turn lanes for the Starbucks/Bay Fed Center (owned by Mr. Joe Appenrodt). There will be a bike lane added to a brief portion of Trout Gulch Road in the Village area.
The new bus stop location will not allow the buses to get completely out of the lane of westbound traffic when at the new bus bay near Trout Gulch/Soquel Drive. This will create a traffic hazard, as there is poor line-of-sight visibility for motorists and cyclists coming from the underpass nearby. The representative from Santa Cruz Metro was puzzled by his predecessor’s approval of such a questionable design. The new stop will be at a slope that may or may not be ADA-compliant. The County Public Works Department was uncooperative with the Metro manager’s many requests for information on the final design.
The bus stop is being moved to make way for the Aptos Village Project’s new gateway entrance on Soquel Drive via the new Parade Street connector.
The railroad bed and the area adjacent to the tracks to be excavated has not been disturbed since 1882-83 when Southern Pacific Railroad replaced the narrow gauge rail lines with standard gauge track. The area where the bus stop is planned was built by Chinese laborers and the origin of the fill soil is unknown. When trenching was conducted recently nearby as Soquel Creek Water District was installing new water mains in the Aptos Village Project, Native American and archaeological observers found historic and pre-historic artifacts. If the fill soil for the railroad bed work were taken locally (very likely) from the area of the Aptos Village Project construction site, there could very likely be significant artifacts under the railroad bed and where the bus bay excavation is planned. To date, the County has not even mentioned the historic significance of the soils. I have contacted County Supervisor Zach Friend, Public Works Director Mr. John Presleigh, and the construction foreman, Mr. Richard Simmer, of John Madonna Construction Co. from San Luis Obispo.
Also concerning the soils beneath the railroad bed is the very real possibility of contamination. The County has not brought this aspect of the excavation work to public light either, but considering the historic use of the railroad bed, there will be contaminants found. Therefore, it is important that the soils be properly sampled and tested for contamination, and remediated accordingly. It is critical that the soils do not get used as fill in the nearby Aptos Village Project or anywhere else if contamination is found.
Phase II of the County-sponsored Aptos Village road projects will include creating the new railroad crossing on Soquel Drive to make a gateway to the Aptos Village Project via the new Parade Street entrance. In order to receive approval for the new private railroad crossing, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) required two existing private railroad crossings in the County be closed. County Public Works Sr. Traffic Engineer Mr. Jack Sohriakoff chose them: 1) the main ingress/egress for the Bayview Hotel and 2) the Warrenella Road crossing for Davenport’s New Town residents.
Recently, I attended a Davenport Community meeting (it was regarding plans for the Cemex Plant) and learned that the Warrenella Road crossing closure had been taken off the table. That was confirmed by Mr. Felix Ko at the PUC. He said the County is still planning to close the Bayview Hotel ingress/egress but now the main approval will be revisited.
THAT ALLOWS FOR PROTEST FROM THE PUBLIC.
Contact: Public Utilities Commission Senior Utilities Engineer Mr. Felix Ko
Bayview Hotel owner, Ms. Cristina Locke, has protested the taking of her land and ingress/egress all along. To date, no County representative or Aptos Village Project developer has contacted her about compensation or agreements. Now, she is being forced to seek legal action to defend her private property rights which were established in 1876 when Mr. Jose Arano granted the Santa Cruz Railroad an easement over his land.
Regarding the Aptos Village Project:
I recently met with County Assistant Planning Director Ms. Wanda Williams to ask about some odd issues regarding the Aptos Village Project permits. (Planning Director Ms. Kathleen Previsich has had to recuse herself from any work on this Project because her husband has greatly profited by the development.) She could not answer my questions, and brought in County Building Official Mr. Martin Heaney. He was also puzzled. What do you think?
It appears from the Santa Cruz County Planning Department website (http://planningapplicationstatus.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Pln?n=101027) that the Master Application for the Aptos Village Project has expired, as of last September 25, 2016. It was extended by 24 months once already under the provision of AB116. That bill allows for one extension of 24 months. Therefore, all work being done on the Project appears to be violating the Master Application permit agreement. I brought this to the attention of Assistant Planning Director, Ms. Wanda Williams, over two weeks ago. She could not explain the discrepancy and neither could Mr. Martin Heaney, County Building Official.
There are no permits issued for the foundation work for the planned three-story building that Barry Swenson Builder crews recently began constructing behind the Apple Barn.
The soils in this area were identified by Haro & Kasunich’s geotechnical studies as high risk for liquefaction in a major earthquake. Developer Barry Swenson Builder subsequently presented a second geotechnical report from a different consultant that identifies the area as low risk for liquefaction. Notes in the County Planning Department files ask for an explanation of the discrepancy, but I have not seen any such document in my research. No building permit has been issued for this three-story building to be attached to the historic Hihn Apple Barn, destined to become a New Leaf Market, but extensive foundation work was begun early this month.
THAT FOUNDATION WORK STOPPED LAST WEEK. Hmmmmm……
Similarly, there is no permit issued for improvements to the historic Hihn Apple Barn. There was a permit issued for the relocation of the structure, but not for further work. Crews have been working inside the Barn constantly since the Barn was relocated last autumn.
That work seems to have also stopped or diminished this week.
Other Assessor Parcel Numbers (APN) to check for the Phase I Project are 041-011-33 (a massive retaining wall is under construction, but since the Master Application permit has expired, the development improvements would also seem to require new permit approval), and 041-011-41, 041-011-42. There have been new APN’s assigned to the parcels, but the Planning Department website shows no permits applied for under those new numbers. The numbers I have listed here are mostly the old numbers.
One parcel (APN 041-011-03) has an approved winter grading permit (http://planningapplicationstatus.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Pln?n=151334) that was issued in December, 2015. That permit is valid for three years, according to Ms. Carolyn Burke, County Environmental Planner. There have been repeated serious stormwater runoff problems with the site. None of the erosion control and storm water retention sediment pond installations, mandated by the approval of the permit, have been followed. I have video recorded multiple instances of the storm water and construction debris flowing from the construction site and directly into the storm drain to Valencia and Trout Creeks (and ultimately to the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary). I have filed requests for action and also complaints with the County Planning Department, but no action was taken.
I took storm water samples and samples of the sediment to the County Environmental Health Department, asking for analysis. That agency refused the samples. I left the samples with Ms. Burke, the County Environmental Planner, asking for analysis. She told me later she did nothing with the samples.
I also at that time took samples to a private lab for stormwater analysis. That lab reported high lead, arsenic, phosphates and nitrates in the sample. I took a second set of samples to the private lab during a subsequent storm water runoff problem from the construction site, and am awaiting the results. I have notified the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and have been notified by Ms. Julie Dyer of that agency that she is conducting an investigation. You may view the video evidence of this and other environmental problems in the video on the right.
Also, there is the unresolved soil contamination problem on the construction site, as a result of Barry Swenson Builder crews illegally removing a 5,000 diesel tank that was buried near Granite Way. The County Environmental Health specialists never saw the tank or the hole where the diesel and other contaminants were located because Barry Swenson Builder crews removed the tank during the night and covered everything up before the County could get there eight days later. The site indicated as the tank site is NOT the true site…there are multiple witnesses who saw the tank being removed and the liquid welling up from the hole. I am one of them. Neither the County nor the Regional Water Quality Control Board ever interviewed any of the witnesses. The case was quickly closed without proper process, such as sampling for groundwater contamination.
WHAT WILL YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BE LIKE IN THE FUTURE?
Plan to attend one of the workshops being presented by Associated Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) and find out what dense and towering developments are headed your way.
Water? What water?
April 6 Hollister Community Center, 300 West Street (6pm-7:30pm)
April 10 Watsonville Civic Center, 275 Main Street (top level) 6pm-7:30pm
April 13 Steinbeck Center, Vista Room, 1 Main Street, Salinas 6pm-7:30pm
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
BUT DO SOMETHING TODAY
~Cheers, Becky Steinbruner Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes.
A couple of community activists who are working on climate change issues in our local community contacted me, recently. The activists wanted me to comment on whether I thought that a lawsuit along the lines of the “Children’s Trust” lawsuit filed in Oregon could help bring about changes at the local community level.
If you are not aware of this litigation, you can click on this link to find out more about the legal details. It is immensely encouraging that a federal court has now held that young people have a right to sue the federal government, to seek to force the federal government to address global warming, since the failure of our government to act is putting their future lives in peril.
While I truly LOVE that “Children’s Trust” lawsuit, I didn’t advise the local activists to head in that direction. The email I have reproduced below (just slightly modified) gives some alternative advice, and I think it is pretty good advice for activists working on any issue at a local level.
Incidentally, I mention one of my former blog postings in the email below. I continue to think that it is one of my best efforts, and I encourage anyone who wants better to understand how politics relates to law to consider how judicial “discretion” enters into the mix.
I completely agree with your evaluation of the state of our local politics. I am not, actually, very familiar with the details of the City’s Climate Action Plan, except to say that I don’t think of the City’s Plan as having any significant conduct-changing content.
Generally speaking, I recommend “politics,” as opposed to “litigation,” to deal with community issues, since our political/legal system is based on the idea that when we elect our representatives, and give them our power, THEY should make the key policy decisions. The courts consistently DEFER to elected officials, and this is not just a statement of past practice, that might be changed in an appropriate case (for which the “children’s trust” approach could certainly qualify). The courts MUST defer to elected officials, who are granted “plenary” authority to make “police power” decisions.
Obviously, a lawsuit can factor into a political effort, but I think that lawsuits, generally, are not very worthwhile. Politics, on the other hand, is VERY worthwhile.
Threatening a lawsuit that the City Attorney would advise the Council is highly unlikely to be successful would not, in my opinion, be a very good political tactic. However, packing the Council Chambers with well-educated and appealing young people, asking for the Council to save the world so they can continue to live in it, could be pretty powerful, and if that kind of a demand for change could be mobilized, that would likely change the politics of the community. I always describe my legal practice as being focused on the “intersection of law and politics.” As you can see, it is my belief that law is in second place. Politics comes first, if you want to make actual changes.
I am not aware of how your local effort is organized, or what its strategy is, but I always advise focusing on getting the three or four votes you need to have something meaningful done, by the elected bodies to which we have transferred our political power, in our system of representative government. Sustained political efforts require the involvement of large numbers of people, who then get interested in politics, and some of these people, later, become elected officials themselves. In this way, issue battles may ultimately change the entire political character of the community. In short, this is my personal experience, going from helping in the effort to Save Lighthouse Field to being elected to and then serving twenty years on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Considering the issue you are working on, and considering this community, you should be able to make significant changes with a properly thought-through political/legal strategy.
But I wouldn’t lead with this lawsuit.
~(Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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
THE GOODTIME WASHBOARD 3 SING “DON’T BLAME PG&E PAL”. We wrote this one at Barbara Dane’s and Fantasy Records request to “re-but” her songs with Lu Watters and Turk Murphy. It is on the flip side of the Oakland 45 rpm.
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo does a fly-by viewing “selective forest harvesting”. See below a few pages…
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “The Revolutionary Obama Care future” down a few pages. As always, at TimEagan.com you will find his most recent Deep Cover, the latest installment from the archives of Subconscious Comics, and the ever entertaining Eaganblog.
THE SANTA CRUZ BAROQUE FESTIVAL. The Baltimore Consort is coming to Santa Cruz this Saturday April 8 at 7:30pm to UCSC’s Music Recital Hall. The program is titled “Musick’s Silver Sound”. Their Shakespearian tunes filled the air surrounding the common folk who came to the Globe Theatre; played on street corners, in taverns, and in the theatrex, they were a part of the public subconscious in England and abroad. This Baltimore Consort program will send you dancing from the halls feeling as if you’ve travelled back in time to the world of Shakespeare. Location: UCSC Music Recital Hall .
Tickets….. here! Or maybe at the door, but they have a huge following herabouts, so plan ahead.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa’s up to her eyes in editing and will be back with us/you next week! See her website this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). And find out about her own “Beast book” heading into production at last. Drinks all around!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE. Jessica Chastain and her husband ran the Warsaw Zoo in Poland in 1939 before, during and after the Germans invade. A true story adapted from the book it details how the couple managed to hide 300 Jews from the Nazis inside the zoo during the invasion. You might get to thinking, as I did about half way through the film about the contrast, similarity, duality of watching the animals escape from behind bars and then keeping the Jews in the same place. Or of watching the animals escape to their freedom or posible death…well you see what I’m getting at. Besides that I’m against Zoos, Aquariums, animal parks, and all that cruel stuff. So go se this film, Jessica is very good in the lead role except that her fake Polish accent sounds fake.
GHOST IN THE SHELL. If you can stand watching Scarlett Johansson running, jumping, leaping, shooting and maybe being a robot for 106 minutes while she’s wearing just a skin tight, white, thin, body suit…then go see this movie. It’s a zillion dollar Japanese Studio production and another good thing about it is that Takeshi Kitano has a brief appearance and it’s amazingly powerful. Then again, he always is. The plot is way too complex and unbelievacle to fathom out. It’s copied from a Japanese comic book. Not to insult them, but 12 year olds will love it.
THE LAST WORD. Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried and (sadly) a minor role for Anne Heche makes up this mildly humourous , not funny, cast of this quirky comedy about an 81 year old woman with lots of money who actually gets her own radio program…if you can believe that!!! MacLaine is a much better actor than this cute, cranky, stereotypical, witchy part allows her to play. Amanda Seyfried’s part is too cute and boring, contrived, predictable, and dull, and is unworthy of her. Amanda is supposed to be writing an obituary for the wealthy, formerly important and dictatorial MacLaine. Never mind the plot just go see any of MacLaine’s other films…they are much better.
LIFE. Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds and a “nice” interacial crew are trapped aboard a space station with an ever-growing giant calamari from space, that almost kills everybody. Yes, it’s the old Alien plot, and it’ll do just fine for 12 years olds. I mean that, it’s tense, exciting only a few fuck words in it and plenty of 2001 scenic memories. To be honest I got to thinking (which you’ll have plenty of time to do) what if that space creature just wants to save it’s own fate and travel to earth with “our guys”? Why not write a movie where somebody from earth wants to escape its dying future and tries to climb aboard an extraterrestial vehicle and the outer space visitors keep fighting him/her away like we treat our extraterrestial visitors? Send the kids, don’t take them.
PERSONAL SHOPPER. An absolutely brilliant film. Eerie, a few subtitles, high fashion, ghosts, and not shocking but mystifying , puzzling, nervous, and Kristen Stewart is rapidly becoming one of my favorite “actors”. Stewart plays the personal Shopper for a famous female celebrity…and maybe it’s her brother’s ghost that is communicating with her…or maybe not.
It’s not “don’t go into the cellar” scary nor is it jump out of the closet scary, one brief corpse scene and just enough of a wonderful plot that will make you remember it and think about it long after you leave the theatre.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected o make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
LION. A true story of a little 5 year old boy getting lost in India. At last we get to see Dev Patel portray somebody serious and he does an excellent job. It’s a very cornball plot that you can guess every turn and twist, but still just because it’s India you do stay tuned in all the way through. Rooney Mara is his girlfriend for part of the plot and Nicole Kidman is the Australian wife who adopts him. It’s 100% feelgood and there are much better films out and around now, but it does have a certain charm.
KONG:SKULL ISLAND. Kong is back and after waiting for his appearance about 45 minutes into the film I figured why Kong is always mad.Unlike all gorillas, Kong has hair all over his butt and he has no penis! He does have his usual minute or two with a beautiful blonde…that’s Brie Larson (playing Faye Wray). Samuel. L. Jackson is a very bad guy, Tom Hiddleston is the big hero John Goodman gets killed before you expect it and John C. Reilly saves the movie from being just another numb & dumb box office smash. It beat Logan at the ticket office so that proves it. Truthfully though, it isn’t all bad IF you like monster gorilla movies.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
SONG TO SONG. A Terence Malick movie… probably it’s about relationships just like Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, Moonlight, Gone With The Wind films are about relationships too. All in all this is a completely unfathomable mess of a plot…like all of Malick’s films. It’s got Cate Blanchett, ping pong, Ryan Gosling, oil rigs, Rooney Mara, , hungry Latina mothers, swimming pools, blonde Natalie Portman, Val Kilmer, and Holly Hunter. If you figure it out let me know.
WILSON. It isn’t a good criticism but,(or and) you’ll never figire out if we are supposed to like, love, hate, or identify with Woody Harrelson’s role as Wilson is this mean-spirited, confused nasty saga. Laura Dern plays the same role she always plays, Judy Greer is about the most logical, natural human in the movie…and Cheryl Hines returns to the screen from her frustrating role in Curb Your Enthusiasm, years ago. Don’t see this movie. You’ll leave angry, confused and as mean-spirited as Woody portrays. And I still don’t know if it’s supposed to be a comedy, drama, or just an adaption of a graphic novel..which it is.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
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 April 4 Linda Burman-Hall returns to talk about The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s spring concerts. After Linda, UCSC’s Ben Leeds Carson details the April In Santa Cruz concerts. Carson Kelly tells us about the political force “Indivisible” on April 11. Followed by Brian Spencer talking about the See Theatre play “The Nether” opening April 14. We’ll talk about the Reel Work Labor Film Festival on April 18. On May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences. 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.
Today I needed some inspiration, having dealt with some really crappy things lately. If this tiny little slip of a thing can do this, then there truly are no limits.
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. “TAXES“ “One in four corporations doesn’t pay any taxes”. Bernie Sanders “The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward”, John Maynard Keynes “What are called ‘public schools’ in many of America’s wealthy communities aren’t really ‘public’ at all. In effect, they’re private schools, whose tuition is hidden away in the purchase price of upscale homes there, and in the corresponding property taxes”, Robert Reich
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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PACIFIC AVENUE January 26, 1965. Note Palace Stationers and Webers Photo Shop in their original locations next door to each other in the I.O.O.F. (International Order Odd Fellows) Building. The Palomar Building has Del Williams Jewelers and Ferrari Florists. Beyond that is The Bank Of America, the Del Mar Theatre, all there on the East Side of Pacific. Note too…the amazing width of Pacific Avenue two passing lanes, two parking lanes, and the wide sidewalks with potted plants and pedestrians.
SENTINEL’S PRO TRUMP HEADLINE. Any reader of the Santa Cruz Sentinel’s ” Letters to the Editor” page knows how they love to print those rare letters saying that the Sentinel is “too liberal”. Huge laughs result from any and all locals who’ve read more than a few editions and know all too well where the editors are now and have always been politically. Nowhere was this more clearly demonstrated than in last week’s biggest TRUMP headline when his Health Care bill was defeated. The San Francisco Chronicle headline stated ,”Stunning Defeat on Health Care” . New York Times headline read ” In Major Defeat for Trump, Push To Repeal Health Law Fails”. Newsday said, “Trump, Ryan suffer defeat”, the Huffington Post had “Trump Concedes Defeat”… worldwide news talked about Trump being defeated.
SPIKE JONES AND THE BLUE DANUBE WALTZ
Look now at our Santa Cruz Sentinel headline that same day (Saturday March 25) “Trump, GOP pull health care bill” Just as if it were a minor legal point, or some small step to a major Trump victory. That same issue carried Stephen Kessler’s pro Trump column stating Trump’s cutting of the government supporting the arts is a good idea saying that artists produce great art when they are starving. Or Kessler‘s column the week before damning the homeless saying they were too messy and didn’t clean up spaces where they were sitting.
SAN FRANCISCO AND ANTI-WALL BUILDING. The City of San Francisco is stopping any and all financial connections with companies that are bidding on building Trumps wall against Mexico. Shouldn’t we demand the same from our Santa Cruz City Council? Read Chris Krohn’s #10 minority report below a few pages about Watsonville’s Granite Construction wall building bid.
NEWS FROM THE GRAPEVINE. There are always plenty of news and opinions on my weekly Universal Grapevine radio program Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. on KZSC (now in its 11th year!) “Chip” the executive director of The Downtown Association of Santa Cruz was my guest last Tuesday. (It’s archived at KZSC.org) we were talking about the present, past and future of our Pacific Avenue Downtown. He made an excellent point, whether we like it or not, that retail stores are in serious danger all over the country due to online buying. Small locally – owned retail stores have an extra rough time meeting high rents….so franchised businesses are becoming more and more prevelant. Walk down, or up, Pacific Avenue again and figure out what percentage of businesses of any kind are locally-owned.
BE VERY AWARE. Wouldn’t you think that if our police shoot people carrying rakes that they would have murdered dozens of those dreaded leaf blower intruders around town? I mean those leaf blowers look just like machine guns or bazookas…maybe it’s because they’re louder???
BOB BROZMAN’S HAWAIIAN GUITAR HISTORY I can’t embed this video as per the request of the original poster, but I am going to provide the link, here. Spend 13 minutes for some truly fascinating facts and things you never knew about music!
GREENSITE’S INSIGHT.
“Greensite is traveling. No column this 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).
#10 March 27, 2017
“SEARCHING FOR INTERSECTIONALITIES”
INTERSECTIONALITY, noun.1) The complex, cumulative manner in which the effects of different forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect. (Merriam-Webster)
2) …ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia ableism, xenophobia, classism) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another. (Geek Feminism Wiki)
Intersectionality is a word I’ve been running into often lately. Whether in my office at UCSanta Cruz, and on the recent Woman’s March along Pacific Avenue, or at this past Saturday’s “A conversation on LGBTQ rights,”confronting our own intersectionality may be where we stand right now in American history. The Live Oak town hall-style meeting brought together County Supervisor, John Leopold, Sacramento-based Legislative Analyst, Alice Kessler, and Lisa Cisneros, Program Director for the California Rural Legal Assistance LGBTQ program to discuss “intersectionalities, andhow we stay well informed, engaged, and connected in the age of resistance.”
It seems that resistance has become our calling in the age of Trump. Perhaps we did not choose it this way, but it’s here and somehow teasing out our abilities to cope. Perhaps building upon our intersectionalities will ultimately reflect how successful we are in turning our resistances into a silver lining of organizing for the present and future needs of our community.
Affordable Housing Now(?)
Last Saturday also saw a gathering of affordable housing advocates huddling around Don Lane, who recently returned from down under (New Zealand) and was offering a summary of what led to the Santa Cruz housing “problem” (not crisis?), and also what the city-developer world is doing to confront and exploit it.
Groups working on this vivienda watershed moment, according to Don include: tenants (Santa Cruz Tenant’s Association), Affordable Housing Now (coalition of groups), No Place Like Home (academics Steve McKay and Miriam Greenberg), Smart Solutions to Homelessness, and the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership. He left out Organizing Circle and the Santa Cruz Strike Committee both groups in the thick of opposing any more vacation rentals. Lane pointed out that he wants affordable units built, but “builders will not build one hundred percent affordable,” he said. He also stated that “there are misconceptions in the community around the city’s inclusionary ordinance.” The Santa Cruz inclusionary ordinance still requires developers to build 15% of their total “for-sale” units as affordable in any project they undertake. What they are no longer required to do is build affordable rental units, UNLESS the city council negotiates that provision with the developer. It’s up to the city council to get the best deal for the community, or guess what? Maybe, developers don’t get to build here if their project doesn’t include a significant number (100%?) of affordable units.We have a housing CRISIS and the city council needs to respond.
And what’s being planned now by council? Pretty much hotels and market rate units. Councilmember Sandy Brown and I are doing everything we can to stop this tide. Some rentals are often negotiated under the guise of “affordable by design,” which is developer-speak and means whatever the market will bear. A dizzying array of projects were mentioned by Lane on this cloudy afternoon in Surf City. They include,the corridors plan “with opportunities for more rental housing on the corridors” (but not all rentals are equal!), the Owen Lawlor-Devcon project along Front and Pacific Avenue (Planning department planner said up to 500 new units may be built), the expansion of the Mid-Peninsula housing on Jessie Street, the Metro District’s “multi-use project” above the transit center, and the “Red Church” parking lot between Cedar and Center that Don says is slated to be “senior housing.” (Better check that. I’ve heard they may be scrapping that idea in favor of market rate condos).
My question right now around the housing issue is: Where is our community’s sense of urgency? Do we have it? The people paying stratospheric rents or living in their cars, or eking out an existence under the eaves at city hall can wait no longer. We need truly affordable housing now for those struggling to stay here now.
Bernie-istas Are Alive and Well and On the Move!
Along with the Indivisible newbie organizing, the SC4Bernie continues its mad dash toward achieving social and cultural change all over the place. I cannot help but contrast the above gathering of aging arm-chair advocates (DWC housing forum grouping around Don Lane) with the SC4Bernie’s can-do organizing style.
There was one of those periodic general membership, hell-everybody’s-a-member meetings last Wednesday at the Live Oak Grange, and you know right away when driving up and there’s a parking lot attendant turning away vehicles that the attendance will be big, and it was. Almost 200 packed into the hall to hear updates on the last ICE raid, mixed reviews on agriculture and capitalism, and a Danny Drysdale-moderated audience participation question on “How are you coping in the age of Trump?”The meaning of any Bernie meeting seems to come down to”Don’t Mourn, Just Continue to Organize.” And did they ever! Well-attended organizing break-out sessions included: affordable housing, Citizen’s Climate Lobby, Medicare For All, Organizing Circle, and Divestment (from the Dakota Access Pipeline financiers) among others. It was a fun, active, and participatory event…you know, how we dream meetings might be!
City Commissions
Last Thursday morning the Downtown Commission met to discussTraffic Demand Management (TDM), the future of the Downtown Trolley, and whether to give the thumbs up for the city staff’s continued zeal to build a five-story garage-library on the current location of the Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market. The TDM presentation was a boon to the hopes of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation’s efforts to bring less cars downtown, and in contrast flamed the fears of certain city staff members who, maybe rightly so, see their jobs as engineering more parking spaces. The commission shot down a recommendation proposal to apportion $2.3 million for garage design.Now it goes onto the city council for a final vote.
Then in the evening there wasa Planning Commission meeting to discuss the “corridors plan.” With a packed house of Eastside neighbors there was sure to be fireworks around a developer-friendly, pure capitalist- inspired plan to build, build, and build some more market rate housing east of the San Lorenzo. After all, isn’t that what Santa Cruz needs, you might be wondering? Well, an old friend and UCSC emeritus professor, Michael Urban sent me an email describing the night he went to the Planning Commission meeting. I print it here with his permission.
“Marilyn Patton goes 3rd in public comment, tells ’em that she teaches critical thinking and will give a transcript of the meeting to her students for analysis, pointing out a number of frequently used double-speak terms as she does so well. In short, she called “bullshit” on the whole thing. I went next, addressing not the commission but the audience. Told ’em that capitalism is destroying the planet and that we can’t do a thing about it. Told ’em that capitalism has come to mean that corporations are people enjoying far more rights than actual persons and that we can’t do a thing about the fact that we no longer live in a democracy. Told ’em that the corridors plan is capitalism which seeks to privatize and profit from our common space and that we can do something about that by rejecting this horrendous proposal.”
Amen Professor!
What Else?
We had Part I of our retreat, Norms and Values, last Tuesday (Part II will be April 1st) and it wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t whatever the opposite of pretty is either…We agreed to disagree on a lot of stuff and also opened some avenues of communication on issues we do agree upon, like…trying to communicate better. (Keep in mind, this meeting of our city council was NOT televised.)
I went in wanting to talk about some councilmember’s “no” votes on Drew Glover to be a member of the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women (wouldn’t want to talk about it “publicly,” according to Councilmember Mathews); the headlong rush to build a library-garage using voter approved money (It’s still in the planning stages, nothing approved yet, according to the city manager); the commission appointment process wherein four councilmembers are able to appoint seven commissioners to every city commission (It’s a process that’s “good for the city,” according to Cynthia Mathews); and what about the feedback I receive from the public that they feel left out of the council process, like decisions are somehow already made before a council meeting even begins many have told me?(No response at this retreat about that query.)
The short-term consensus-building issues I brought up were: withdrawing city money from Wells Fargo and finding another bank to do the city payroll (not so easy…); entertaining a conversation about a leaf blower ordinance; work towards placing an affordable housing bond before Santa Cruz voters; and finally, creating a time-certain for Oral Communication, which is a time on every city council agenda for the public to address the council on issues not yet on the council’s bi-weekly agenda (By consensus we agreed to putting the time certain at 5pm instead of having it float around as is now the case).
City Council Agenda this week…Not a huge agenda really.
A BIG issue is item #8, also on closed session agenda. Seems like no less than three people in the Sean Arlt family are filing claims against the city concerning the untimely death of their son and father at the hands of the SCPD. Item #14 has to do with a Granite Construction contract for $400k. It is the same company that has put in a bid to build the Trump’s wall along the US-Mexican border.(http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/mexico-border-wall-construction-contract-bids-open-march-6/)
In addition, Cemex (Davenport & Sand City) has a bid to pour the cement for the wall. I hope folks south of the border are protesting as much as we are about this absurd construct. Item #19 seems to be about banning fire rings and mandating propane or butane if you want to have fires, or cook on the beach in Santa Cruz. Finally, item #20 will regulate food trucks in the city, and I suggest you go to the following web site and read about it and let me, or other councilmembers know if you have issues with this proposed ordinance. http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=838&doctype=AGENDA
The Bernie Quote of the Week is:
“At a time when elderly women are more likely than men to be living in poverty, not only do we say NO to cuts in Social Security, we will expand Social Security.”
~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.
TOWNHALL MEETING THIS SATURDAY
Plan to participate in the Townhall Meeting with Anna Eshoo and Jimmy Panetta on April 1, 10am-11:30am at the New Brighton Middle School in Capitola. John Laird will moderate.
Although there is no specific focus for the event, look forward to hearing discussion about pressing issues such as road repair funding, groundwater crisis, housing problems and health care. What questions would you like to ask? Get your list ready. Doors open at 9:30am.
CHECK THEIR WEBSITE OFTEN TO VERIFY
Another public unveiling April 1 includes the official search for County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) replacement for Ms. Susan Mauriello, who will retire this July after 28 years at the helm. Will this job really be offered publicly or is it just a formality before Ms. Mauriello makes her choice (likely Deputy CAO Mr. Carlos Palacios)? Check the website for the consultant the County has hired: Peckham and McKenney in Roseville. Yet another consultant hired to do work that one would think the County Personnel Administrator would be capable of handling. Instead, the consultant will get paid $20,000 to search. Remember, the County budget is currently $8.1 in the red?
I SURE HOPE THE NEW CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (CAO) WILL CONSIDER FUNDING….. THE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Fire Department Advisory Commission hopes that as well. That group has many times recommended that the Board of Supervisors more equitably divide the State Public Safety Prop. 172 sales tax money ($17 million last year) between fire protection and law enforcement. Only 0.5% goes to fire, and County Fire Department (the volunteers who keep the County emergency response working when paid agencies leave the area for major events elsewhere) does not even get that little crumb. It goes to the Fire Chief’s Association, with no stipulations on spending focus. Luckily, that group is fiscally responsible, and last year used the money for some badly-needed upgrades at the area’s training center in Bonny Doon.
The 2017-18 County Fire budget will deplete the last of reserve money. A change in Board of Supervisor voting, encouraged by a fire-safety-minded CAO could send half of the Proposition 172 money to purchasing much-needed water tenders and restoring engine staffing to the State level of three responders per engine. Maybe the Board is hoping for more state and federal emergency money to help with a major fire season on the horizon? Maybe Ms. Mauriello has high-volume sprinklers mounted all over her rural home in the Second District and therefore just doesn’t care.
AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION ON USING STORMWATER TO RECHARGE DEPLETED AQUIFERS
I attended the excellent program at the Hotel Paradox by Dr. Andy Fisher, UCSC Professor of Hydrology, and Dr. Daniel Mountjoy, representing the non-profit ‘Sustainable Conservation’. Both spoke about the issue of groundwater overdraft and low-tech methods for recharging them.
Much of what Dr. Fisher discussed related to the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency’s work since formation in the 1980’s to solve the overdraft problem. Currently, about 20% of the pumping from the area’s private agricultural wells are adding to overdraft by 12,000AcreFeet/Year. That is an improvement, but still the seawater is advancing inland at the rate of about 9″/day.
Three threats will continue to exacerbate the problem:
Demand for water is increasing
There is a shift in land use, creating more surface land space that is impermeable
Climate change could bring more intense rainfall in shorter time frames, not allowing for the land to absorb the rainfall and recharge the groundwater.
Capturing stormwater runoff…all that water gushing down the storm drains and into the swollen creeks…and collecting it in ponds for groundwater recharge through natural percolation could easily, according to Dr. Fisher, help solve this area’s critical overdraft crisis in a low-tech, low-energy demand way.
Working with the Resource Conservation District (RCD), a pilot study project on a 172-acre farm in Pajaro Valley will be worth watching. The 4-acre settling pond will not only recharge the groundwater table but also improve stream water quality overall by removing agricultural fertilizers and contaminants from the overall runoff into the creek nearby. What’s the incentive for the farmer to reduce production area to dedicate land for a recharge basin? Money is always a strong one. The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is developing a program similar to net-metering used by solar panel owners who produce power for the electrical grid. In the case of groundwater recharge, it will be a bit more complicated and relies on good verification that the system is indeed recharging the aquifer. The pilot study will use an independent third-party certifier (UCSC and the RCD) to determine how much stormwater is percolating into the aquifer. Based on that information, the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency will pay for the rebate to the farmer’s water bill. Currently, farmers pay between $203/AcreFoot to $359/AcreFoot for the water they pump from their ag wells, depending on location of the well with respect to seawater intrusion threat (wells closer to the coast are assessed highest).
Dr. Fisher explained that other areas of Santa Cruz County are being evaluated as possible recharge sites, depending on geology and current land use. Recently, he met with local water agencies and County staff to overlay those areas with GIS parcel maps to identify possible property owners to approach for further pilot studies. He stressed that, with good monitoring and collaboration, collecting stormwater runoff can help return the region’s pumping demands to sustainable levels.
I thought it was interesting to hear that an acre of strawberries requires 2.5AcreFeet/year to produce and that these fields are covered by plastic mulch that reduced groundwater recharge by rainfall.
The second speaker, Dr. Daniel Mountjoy, discussed similar projects occurring in the Central Valley. He talked about that area’s ground subsidence…actual sinking of the land due to recent and sudden increased agricultural pumping as a result of no water available from the California Aquaduct. He explained that many farmers changed to drip irrigation, in an effort to use less water than flood irrigation, but actually depleted groundwater recharge levels by doing so.
“We have to build on natural processes, not fight them,” he said, and return the rivers to flood plains in a controlled way. To that end, one farmer did just that about six years ago, and invited his neighboring farmers to take a look at his findings. Now, Dr. Helen Dahlke, at the University of California, Davis (UCD) is on board with pilot studies to determine the long-range effects on crops where the fields are allowed to flood in the winter storm months.
These studies are financially supported by such groups as the Almond Board and Farm Bureau, but also several large food processing companies, such as Campbell’s, General Mills, Nestle and Anhueser-Busch are also donating large sums. These sponsors are concerned about the threat of losing the large supply of foods for their processing plants nearby if California farmers run out of water.
I SURE HOPE THAT SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT WILL TAKE NOTE OF THESE ENCOURAGING STUDIES and NOT proceed with the PureWater (“PoopWater“) Soquel Project, which calls for massive amounts of energy and perfectly-functioning high-tech systems to pump 3.1 million gallons of sewage water each day into the aquifer via injection wells. No ponds. No control of contaminant accidents. Not good.
LET THE PEOPLE VOTE…..everyone who depends on this water source for their safe drinking water should have a chance to weigh in via a Prop. 218 ballot process.
THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT HAS A BIG RECHARGE POND OVERFLOWING INTO THE CREEK
Last week’s gentle rains filled the recently-graded excavation site adjacent to Trout Gulch Road, with lots of erosion from recent massive amounts of earth work contributing to high sediment content of the uncontrolled stormwater runoff. Where are the erosion control practices? Where are those five temporary sediment retention basins indicated on the Drainage and Erosion Control Plan approved by Santa Cruz County Environmental Planner Ms. Carolyn Burke? That was all required on paper when Barry Swenson Builder was able to get a winter grading permit approved in December, 2015.
I think it should be revoked. Why doesn’t the County Inspector take note of these Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) violations? Maybe the Regional Water Quality Control Board will?
Last week, I met with Ms. Burke’s supervisor, Assistant Planning Director, Ms. Wanda Williams, to discuss the problems. Ms. Burke was on vacation. Ms. Williams was not interested in the stormwater and sediment samples I brought to her office. She also did not seem interested in the lab analysis report of the stormwater samples I collected last month, which are high in lead, arsenic, nitrate and phosphate. Hmmm…
There were many questions regarding permits for the Aptos Village Project that she could not answer, so she asked Building Department Official Mr. Martin Heaney to step in. He also was mystified. I was surprised to learn from him that the Santa Cruz County Building Department only deals with electrical permits, not anything to do with grading, drainage or fire code issues.
He thought it is okay that Barry Swenson Builder is running an extension cord from the former Hihn Apple Barn electrical service through puddled water over to the construction office trailers, and then on to the construction crews working inside the Barn in it’s new location. “What about rodents chewing the insulation and creating a fire hazard inside the historic Barn when the cord remains in the Barn and lights are left on all night?” I asked. He thought it was okay as long as the contractor examined the cords daily. I was glad that Ms. Williams asked Mr. Heaney to ask Barry Swenson Builder to remove all electrical extension cords from the Barn at the end of each work day. I wonder if they will?
IF I HAD BEEN ABLE TO GET THERE, I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR EXPLANATIONS
There were three items on the March 21 County Board of Supervisor Agenda that I would have asked to be taken off the Consent Agenda and made into Regular Agenda items for discussion. Unfortunately, heavy traffic and an overflowing parking lot at 701 Ocean Street made me later than usual, and I missed the action on the Consent Agenda. I would have liked to have gotten answers to these questions:
Why did the Department of Public Works ask for and receive approval for the ability to hire five outside civil engineer consultants for $1 MILLION EACH annually for a contract period of three to five years to work on plans for storm repair projects? Didn’t Public Works Department Director Mr. John Presleigh tell the Board at their February 28 public meeting that “We’re going to do all the engineering in-house to save money.”?
When I asked the Dept. Of Public Works how many civil engineers there are on staff, I was told to go ask County Counsel. Really? Mr. Nefouse in that department could not tell me, but said he would send me an answer before the Board met. I received a general list of all staff titles for the Public Works Department, and it was difficult to determine how many civil engineers are on staff. I searched on ‘Transparent California’ and determined that there are 22 of them. Shouldn’t they be able to handle the work load?
Well, apparently not. The Board approved this $15 – $25 MILLION EXPENSE. Remember, the County is already $8.1 million in deficit.
Why did the Sheriff Department get Board approval for an additional $30,000 to pay Central Coast Landscape Maintenance for storm-related tree damage and drainage problems? I used to work in landscape maintenance and that seems like alot of money. I happened to drive by the Sheriff Center on Soquel Avenue frontage road and Chanticleer and took a look.
No tree damage. No big wash-outs. What I did see was an excavated area next to the building itself that had some fresh concrete next to the foundation. I am no building expert, but it seems to me that might be something the contractor who built that brand new Sheriff Center ought to be liable for, given there was a Performance Agreement.
But since that contractor is Barry Swenson Builder, it seems that the County officials have bent over backwards yet again and expect taxpayers to fix the problem instead. I don’t think that is right. Do you? Maybe the Grand Jury would be interested in this $30,000 ticket?
Soquel Village will soon have parking meters everywhere to bring in money to maintain the two County-owned parking lots. Last year, the Department of Public Works put forth a ballot measure asking property owners in the Village to form a new assessment district to pay for this. It was rejected by over 80% of those voters.
So, the Board of Supervisors approved the placement of parking meters in those lots and for all on-street parking in Soquel Village to collect the money, at 50 cents/hour. It will take lots of money to buy, install, maintain and read those meters, so Department of Public Works will loan the effort $100,000 as start-up money, payable over the next three years. Isn’t that generous?
That $100,000 would help repair roads, such as Valencia Road in Aptos, where the elementary school closed due to unsafe road conditions. I wonder if the parking meters will need a consultant, too?
SPEAKING OF VALENCIA ROAD CLOSURE…
HOW COME NELSON ROAD IS PASSABLE?
I took a drive up to Scotts Valley to see how the County was able to re-establish the route for Nelson Road (not far up Lockhart Gulch Road) over a creek where a large culvert failed in recent storms. That situation is interesting and similar to the Valencia Road conditions.
However, County Supervisor Bruce McPherson was able to get that temporary one-lane bridge installed by pushing hard to get money quickly from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. Two railroad flat cars were placed side-by-side to create a sturdy one-lane bridge on rock and timber abutments. Simple and effective, and it got done within three weeks after the storm closed the road.
So, why is Valencia Road still closed? Why did it take nearly a month for Supervisor Zach Friend to visit the site with Congressman Jimmy Panetta? Why isn’t this fast-tracked to get the job done to allow Valencia Elementary School students back to their class rooms?
Gee, I wonder if it could be related to the County wanting to keep the consequent reduction of traffic in Aptos Village area while the road work supporting the Aptos Village Project occurs? Lane closures begin Monday, March 27 and will happen through July 17. “The motoring public is asked to avoid this area if possibleor be prepared for delays of up to 20 minutes.” according to Mr. John Presleigh, Director of Public Works. What about the residents and merchants in the area who have no choice but to travel through this area? Well, keep that pesky school traffic out of the way….
Please tell me again why the taxpayers are footing the bill to move a bus stop, install turn lanes, replace 200′ of rail track, and add a traffic light….”for the Aptos Village Project”, again according to Mr. Presleigh of Public Works, as reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel Coast Lines (3/8/17)?
The Regional Transportation Commission has approved two grants totaling $1,300,000 and also allowed $137,000 to be transferred from the Calabasas School Safe Pedestrian Project all to go to the Aptos Village Project road improvements. The Aptos Village Project developers (Barry Swenson Builder, Joe Appenrodt, Pete Testorff) are paying very little.
The County has bent over backwards to reward them with other concessions, too, and a draft Development Agreement in 2013 offered $5 million payback from County coffers to Barry Swenson Builder to re-imburse them for internal road and right-of-way expenses. Wow. I wonder if that includes the hefty sum Barry Swenson Builder paid County Planning Department Kathy Previsich’s husband for an easement of a narrow strip of land adjacent to Granite Way in the Project? Hmmmm….
Maybe the County Grand Jury would like to know about this ticket, too. Maybe even the State Attorney General….
By the way, the only source of information the public has is a blog on the County Public Works website: aptosvillageimprovements/blog But as of last week, it had not been updated with the new March 27 construction start time… then again, neither has the flashing road sign at Trout Gulch and Cathedral Drive. Hmmm…..
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
BUT JUST DO SOMETHING.
Cheers, Becky Steinbruner
~Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes.
FROM GARY A. PATTON From Gary’s “We Live In A Political World” website…Thursday, March 23, 2017
Discussing her thinking at the time she wrote the book, Atwood says that she had a great deal of trepidation that she would be able to “persuade readers that the United States had suffered a coup that had transformed an erstwhile liberal democracy into a literal-minded theocratic dictatorship.” Accordingly, one of the rules she followed in writing The Handmaid’s Tale was that she would “not put any events into the book that had not already happened … No imaginary gizmos, no imaginary laws, no imaginary atrocities…”
Atwood’s article is very much worth reading (presuming that you have already read The Handmaid’s Tale). If you haven’t, you should read the book first. Despite my appreciation for the article, I do want to make one critical comment, which might be thought of as a suggestion that nothing “imaginary” should appear in her discussion about the origins of the book, any more than “imaginary” topics should have been inserted in her story.
Atwood ends the article this way: “In the wake of the recent American election, fears and anxieties proliferate. Basic civil liberties are seen as endangered, along with many of the rights for women won over the past decades, and indeed the past centuries. In this divisive climate, in which hate for many groups seems on the rise and scorn for democratic institutions is being expressed by extremists of all stripes, it is a certainty that someone, somewhere — many, I would guess — are writing down what is happening as they themselves are experiencing it. Or they will remember, and record later, if they can. Will their messages be suppressed and hidden? Will they be found, centuries later, in an old house, behind a wall? Let us hope it doesn’t come to that. I trust it will not”.
A minor quibble. Or maybe not. I think Atwood should have dispensed with that very last, very short, sentence.
“Trusting” that we are not on the way to a totalitarian society might be disempowering. Suggesting that “trust” is the support on which we should rely might be read as a counsel that things will probably turn out alright.
That is a happy imagining. Our need to take action to ensure that democracy is not swallowed up, not a suggestion that some kind of “trust” is warranted, is what I think might be the better lesson from The Handmaid’s Tale“.
Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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. Takes on the “nature loving” bike riders scroll downwards.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Secretary Tillerson’s Trips ” 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.
ESPRESSIVO- SMALL AND INTENSE. Now in its second season, our newest serious music chamber size orchestra presents its fifth concert. The concert’s title is “An American Heritage”. That means music by composers Charles Ives, Ned Rorem, and Aaron Copland. They’ll perform Copland’s “Applachian Spring” that Copland himself conducted at Cabrilho College for the Cabrilho Music Festival directed by Dennis Russell Davies in 1978. It happens Thursday March 30, 2017 at 7:30pm at the Peace United Church of Christ, 900 High Street in Santa Cruz. Probably tickets at the door or at their website http://www.espressorch.org.
THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY. The Santa Cruz Chamber Players play musics by Debussey, Ravel, along with works by Hahn, Valderrabano and concert director Chris Pratorius Gomez. That’ll be Saturday April 1, at 7 :30 and Sunday April 2nd at 3 p.m. in the Christ Lutheran Church, 10707 Soquel Drive just off Freedom Blvd. Highway 1 turnoff just above the CHP headquarters. You could hope for tickets at the door or go to www.scchamberplayers.org
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Even though my friend and colleague Richard von Busack scooped me in the paper, you can still read my review of Disney’s new Beauty and the Beast this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). And speaking of which, find out about my own Beast book heading into production at last. Drinks all around!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
PERSONAL SHOPPER. An absolutely brilliant film. Eerie, a few subtitles, high fashion, ghosts, and not shocking but mystifying , puzzling, nervous, and Kristen Stewart is rapidly becoming one of my favorite “actors”. It’s not don’t go into the cellar scary nor is it jump out of the closet scary, one brief corpse scene and just enough of a wonderful plot that will make you remember it and thuink about it long after you leave the theatre.
WILSON. It isn’t a good criticism but,(or and) you’ll never figire out if we are supposed to like, love, hate, or identify with Woody Harrelson’s role as Wilson is this mean-spirited, confused nasty saga. Laura Dern plays the same role she always plays, Judy Greer is about the most logical, natural human in the movie…and Cheryl Hines returns to the screen from her frustrating role in Curb Your Enthusiasm, years ago. Don’t see this movie. You’ll leave angry, confused and as mean-spirited as Woody portrays. And I still don’t know if it’s supposed to be a comedy, drama, or just an adaption of a graphic novel..which it is.
SONG TO SONG. A Terence Malick movie… probably it’s about relationships just like Frankenstein, Mary Poppins, Moonlight, Gone With The Wind films are about relationships too. All in all this is a completely unfathomable mess of a plot…like all of Malick’s films. It’s got Cate Blanchett, ping pong, Ryan Gosling, oil rigs, Rooney Mara, , hungry Latina mothers, swimming pools, blonde Natalie Portman, Val Kilmer, and Holly Hunter. If you figure it out let me know.
MOONLIGHT. LAST CHANCE TO SEE Best Oscar film 2017!!! For starters, Moonlight has a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s not just me who really not only enjoyed this tale of drugs, gangs, and love, but people who like deep, serious films loved it too. Set in Miami, this sharp, delicate, brilliant story of a Black man’s life is told in three parts. It’s best not to read too much about the plot and just watch with wonder as it unfolds. You’ve never seen a film like this one. Yes, It’s back again…many nominations and winning an Oscar for best picture did it!! ENDS THURSDAY MARCH 30!!!
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected o make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
SENSE OF AN ENDING. What a cast!!! Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Emily Mortimer and even Michelle Dockerey who plays a pregnant lesbian. The major, and only problem for me, with this film were the veddy veddy narsty Brit accents. Adapted from the book this is a sensitive and complex view and review of Jim Broadbent’s memories of his love lives and his marriage. Its mean and subtle zings and arrows might be depressing for you and you’ll miss being in London if you like London…but go see it quickly. It won’t be many Santa Cruzans cups of tea. ENDS THURSDAY MARCH 30!!!
LION. A true story of a little 5 year old boy getting lost in India. At last we get to see Dev Patel portray somebody serious and he does an excellent job. It’s a very cornball plot that you can guess every turn and twist, but still just because it’s India you do stay tuned in all the way through. Rooney Mara is his girlfriend for part of the plot and Nicole Kidman is the Australian wife who adopts him. It’s 100% feelgood and there are much better films out and around now, but it does have a certain charm.
HIDDEN FIGURES. A syrupy, Hollywoody much- altered story of three Black American women who did spectacular mathematical and technical work at NASA while fighting against a lot of racial and female prejudice. All to launch John Glenn into orbit. It’s both a cute and painful story at the same time. It’s a contender and still lacks something that could have made it a classic. It almost outdrew Star Wars on opening weekend!
KONG:SKULL ISLAND. Kong is back and after waiting for his appearance about 45 minutes into the film I figured why Kong is always mad.Unlike all gorillas, Kong has hair all over his butt and he has no penis! He does have his usual minute or two with a beautiful blonde…that’s Brie Larson (playing Faye Wray). Samuel. L. Jackson is a very bad guy, Tom Hiddleston is the big hero John Goodman gets killed before you expect it and John C. Reilly saves the movie from being just another numb & dumb box office smash. It beat Logan at the ticket office so that proves it. Truthfully though, it isn’t all bad IF you like monster gorilla movies.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
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. Roy Malan discusses the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert happening April 9. John Aird follows with an overview of UCSC growth, water, and our tourist driven wharf plans. On April 4 Linda Burman-Hall returns to talk about The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s spring concerts. After Linda, UCSC’s Ben Leeds Carson details the April In Santa Cruz concerts. Carson Kelly tells us about the political fo rce “Indivisible” on April 11. Followed by Brian Spencer talking about the See Theatre play “The Nether” opening April 14. On May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences. 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
Today I needed some inspiration, having dealt with some really crappy things lately. If this tiny little slip of a thing can do this, then there truly are no limits.
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. “APRIL”
“April is a promise that May is bound to keep”. Hal Borland “April is the cruellest month”. T. S. Eliot “Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever”. Charles Lamb “The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year“. Mark Twain
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!!
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PACIFIC AND CATHCART STREETS, Downtown Santa Cruz, November 29, 1950. This is where you’ll find Kianti’s Pizza and Hoffman’s Bistro. The building that says “Fulmer’s Furniture” was once upon a time known as The Good Times Building. It was owned by Jay Shore the original creator and publisher of Good Times. With an incredible piece of luck he sold the building a very short time just before the 1989 earthquake.
PLAYING THE PIPES. Don’t tell John Malkin about this…he’ll be playing them too
IMPEACHARA…face your problem. Do you suffer from T.I.A.D.? The Shadowbrook’s Ted Burke sent this one. He adds…” For all the anti-Trump people out there and those who aren’t but appreciate good political humor no matter the target. Good fer what ails ya . . .
TRUMP’S TOP SECRET MARCHING BAND. Their precision is stunning but somehow it’s also scary.
BLACK “POLICE” CARS…PLEASE TELL US. I believe it was last Saturday and I was driving around the Santa Cruz Police Headquarters area when two sleek, all black, no white doors, black searchlights cars turned the corner. Each contained a pair of some kind of uniformed personnel. Who or what are they? ICE staffers/agents? some secret unmarked Santa Cruz Police? Anybody know who or what these cars are doing here? Lemme know ASAP
POWER TO AND FOR THE PEOPLE. Supervisors Bruce McPherson and John Leopold appear to be genuinely in support of and are actively pushing the Monterey Bay Community as a group to buy our electric power at wholesale prices from PG& E and forming our own power company so we can get that power at more reasonable rates. Other California communities like Palo Alto have been doing it for decades. It’s about time we became involved. Salinas is voting on it Tuesday March 21, 2017. There has been very little coverage in our local papers and here’s what I found in Supervisor John Leopold’s monthly newsletter…
“On February 28th, the Board of Supervisors took a critical step in the creation of a locally run, municipal power utility that will greatly increase the amount of renewable energy in use in Santa Cruz County and beyond. Since 2013, the County has joined with San Benito and Monterey counties and the cities in each county to examine the feasibility of using the Community Choice Energy (CCE) model to provide clean-source power at a cost equivalent to PG&E. This model is used in a number of other counties and would allow our community to choose what kind of power we wanted to pursue while still having PG&E maintain the power lines and provide customer service. Importantly, revenues that have historically flowed to PG&E will stay in our community to help fund renewable energy projects and local jobs.
Known as Monterey Bay Community Power, the new utility will have rates equivalent to what is now charged by PG&E. A local board of elected officials would set rates and determine the type of energy mix that best serves the community. My priority will be the reinvestment of revenue from this new entity to create local jobs by creating new renewable energy projects locally. Cities and counties in the three county region have been signing on quickly. While there are still some issues to be resolved, the next step in implementation is putting together the financing for the startup of the operation. You can read about the Board’s action here. Check out the website for Monterey Bay Community Powerhere for complete information and updates.
If you go to the MBCP you’ll read…
MONTEREY BAY COMMUNITY POWER UPDATE. Monterey Bay Community Power is continuing their effort to move forward in its final phase of formation. Jurisdictions from throughout the tri-county region are bringing the JPA Agreement and ordinance to their Boards of Supervisors and City Councils for consideration with hopes of seating the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) in April 2017 and delivering its first renewable power to local residents and businesses in Spring of 2018. The program is projecting up to 62% renewable energy portfolio as early as 2019, nearly double the 2020 requirement of 33% set by California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard.
MBCP is being touted as the single most important climate initiative our region can adopt to support local climate action goals. MBCP is receiving broad community support from the public, local businesses, and local non-profits.
The Compact is grateful to all supporters who have contributed public comment at council and board meetings, letters of support, and additional outreach to ensure the success of MBCP. A very special thank you is in order to the County of Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Romero Institute, and Emerging Ecologies for their support and community outreach. The efforts of these organizations have been instrumental in the recent formation of the JPA. Official Joint Powers Authority Members to date: San Benito County, Santa Cruz County, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Marina, Hollister, and Soledad.
Jurisdictions who have passed the first reading:Watsonville, Gonzales, Seaside, San Juan Bautista, King City, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey County, Sand City and Monterey.
I don’t know who is responsible for all the pushing and shoving a major move like this takes …and that person should receive a medal (not made of metal!).
DEVELOPING OUR DOWNTOWN. Jean Brocklebank wrote this piece that says everything about what should concern all of us about the City of Santa Cruz, our environment and how little our City Council seems to care about all of above.
“On behalf of Friends of San Lorenzo River Wildlife environmentalist Jean Brocklebank shared concerns sent to City planners, about proposed Downtown Recovery Plan, General Plan and Local Coastal Plan amendments that will have impacts on wildlife. Those amendments will be a way to make Santa Cruz grow in scale, once more — this time by getting closer to the San Lorenzo River and getting higher into the sky. “Any development along the river corridor will absolutely impact avian species. East-facing windows will reflect the rising sun and cause confusion for birds. More birds are killed by flying into building windows than by any other means. FoSLRW expects the City to address this impact and research ways to prevent bird deaths due to new buildings, regardless of height.
“There is precedence for the FoSLRW request. On Tuesday March 7, 2017 the San Jose City Council voted to prioritize working on bird-safe design guidelines for buildings near creeks. San Jose City staff will begin work on studying this issue over the coming year, and will bring their recommendations to the City Council when this work is finished. The City of Santa Cruz would be wise to emulate the City of San Jose. FoSLRW wants development farther away from the river and the Riverwalk. This will allow people to enjoy the river without buildings being built almost on top of it.” Check out Friends of San Lorenzo River Wildlife at http://foslrw.weebly.com/
22,438 TRUMP SUPPORTERS (VOTERS) IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. Just repeating this, as promised. Many times this last week I brought up this statistic to friends…it amazes everybody. We should never forget it.
LEAF BLOWER MEETING. Has anybody ever met a human who likes leaf blowers…either gas or power driven? Everybody hates them and other cities are doing something about it….Santa Cruz is finally organizing and maybe we can get the City Council to join the world and again help save the environment and our ears, and noses, and sensibilities.
C.H.A.S.E. (Santa Cruz Coalition for a Healthy And Safe Environment) advocates a ban on the use of gas powered leaf blowers and blowers louder than 55 decibels in the City of Santa Cruz. They have organized a CHASE Postcard Signing Event for : this Saturday March 25th at the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. Refreshments will be served & you can drop in anytime between 1 and 4 p.m. The Center is located across from the Municipal Wharf by the tracks at 35 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz. CHASE invites you, your family, friends, and neighbors to fill out our postcard expressing your support for leaf blower regulation. CHASE will deliver the postcards en masse to the Santa Cruz City Council with a request for action. Children are welcome to sign as well; their voices must be heard! If you cannot attend but would like to sign a postcard, email chasesantacruz@googlegroups.com and we will deliver one or more to you. Alternatively you can sign the online petition
CABRILLO FESTIVAL HOUSING. I’ve known and still know, dozens of folks who have housed Cabrillo Music Festival musicians during the fest and they love it. Here’s what the Festival says re: sharing a room or space…”Our most critical need!! The Festival is in constant need of donated accommodations to comfortably house our orchestra members, esteemed composers, guest artists, and technical staff. Specifically, if you have a spare bedroom, guest house, or granny unit that you can offer for one to two weeks during the Festival, please contact us right away at: (831) 426-6966, or use the form provided on their website. Our Housing Coordinator Valerie Hayes will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Hosts are not expected to provide meals or transportation, just aclean, safe, and friendly home base while artists are here for the Festival. Housing an orchestra musician is reportedly one of the most rewarding aspects of the Festival experience!
SAVING SANTA CRUZ IDENTITY
The original Santa Cruz Public Library, built in 1908, was a handsome building. One wonders if locals at the time tried to save it before it was demolished in 1966. Were people too busy or too complacent to try to preserve that beautiful landmark building or were they ignored? Fast forward to 2017 and the future of the Santa Cruz Public Library is again at stake. Built in 1968, the downtown library may lack the imposing presence of its predecessor and may be short on some of the amenities apparently now desired in libraries but skilled renovation could bring it into the modern era while preserving its current existence. For those who have called Santa Cruz home for decades and who love books, the downtown library is as familiar as a favorite sweater. It is part of the identity of Santa Cruz.
The proposal from city staff is to demolish the current library building and put a new one under a 5 story parking garage on Cedar Street, displacing the Wednesday Farmers’ Market, and removing the stately magnolia trees. I see nothing to like here. Many feel the same way for a variety of reasons. There is a public process for examining the issues before any recommendations are made to council but staff appears to be proceeding as though the proposal is a fait accompli. Maybe they know something we don’t.
The council vote on 12/6/16 called for “an independent study to verify savings of renovation versus a new build” and this study has not been done. The vote also called for a seven-member citizens’ Downtown Branch Library Advisory Committee and this committee has not yet been formed. Yet the agenda of the Downtown Commission for Thursday March 23rd at 8:30 AM at city hall includes a Public Works Capital Improvement Program budget recommendation for $2.3 million for a design and environmental review of the parking structure. This would seem to put the cart before the horse or the car before its alternatives. The three consultants hired by the city all recommended workable measures to reduce demand for parking prior to considering building expensive parking structures. On the one hand staff are recommending removing fifty percent of parking requirements for the new 65 to 85 feet tall mixed-use buildings anticipated for Front and Pacific (an economic boon for developers) and on the other hand staff are citing the lack of parking downtown as justification for a new 5 story parking structure, paid for by the public. Whose side are they on?
So far the discussion has centered on economics and efficiency. It’s easier to build a new library and move all the materials over to it when it’s built than to store all the materials while the current building is renovated. This is true. However economics and efficiency are not the only issues that have merit. There is history, tradition, a sense of place and community. None has been considered in the discussions so far. I have heard developers assuring the decision-makers that “neighborhood identity” can easily be recreated when the old homes have been bulldozed to make way for the new high rises. Such self-serving assurances should not so easily sway the policy makers.
In the late 1970’s we fought hard and successfully to save the Garfield Park Library. That effort spawned what is viewed as the new era of progressive city council members. It’s no accident that history has erased the two progressive women council members who paved the way for those who came later. And it will be no accident if we lose our downtown library to a glass and steel, high-rise parking structure. If they were ignored in 1908 let us not allow history to repeat itself.
~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).
#9, March 20, 2017
A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THIS COUNCILMEMBER.
Every week on theSanta Cruz city council is different. As different as one week is from another , there must be some ties that bind. Perhaps it is the dissimilarities, distinctions, or varying disagreements that occur, which links the calendar dates into a more cohesive narrative that may reveal a picture of my civic life.
Early Monday morning I met with City of Santa Cruz Planning Department’s Principal Planner,Ron Powers, to discuss”The Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report” (re: Downtown Recovery Plan). It was an engaging conversation, which revealed that this is a big plan, folks. Similar to the steroidal Wharf Master Plan, and the market rate housing developer dream known as the“Corridors Plan,” this one contemplates BIG changes in the downtown, for example building heights going to seventy feet along Front Street. It’s a plan that brings together some formidable developer interests too including land-use consultant, Owen Lawlor who teams with Milpitas’ Devcon Construction. And don’t forget Barry Swenson and Doug Ross also have interests in this area. This plan includes parcels from Soquel to Laurel along Front Street, and from Cathcart to Laurel along Pacific Avenue. The question for city council members might be: What will the public benefit(s) be in these forthcoming projects? Affordable units maybe? It’s up to the community to weigh in and make the developers do the right thing. One elephant in this room is what will the Metro be doing with their property (1.5 acres)? Will they Play Ball with the developers, or go their own way? Stay tuned, the development of our downtown takes a village.
Later in the day I met with city manager (CM), Martin Bernal to discuss the Tuesday city council meeting agenda, but the conversation was mostly agreeing to disagree over one of his pet projects, the so-called “garage-library,” a five-story behemoth planned for the current site of the Farmer’s Market at Lincoln and Cedar streets. I will continue to update this story as information is made available.
Tuesday was an official city council meeting and truth be told, I believe every vote taken by the council was unanimous. The most significant moment during the meeting was perhaps city manager Bernal’s not so cryptic message to the city council that there is a “no interference clause” in the city charter he said, prohibiting the council from telling him who to appoint as the next chief of police in Santa Cruz. It came across as a not so subtle message. The other agenda issue the council voted affirmatively on was the sanctuary city ordinance backing up an already approved city resolution stating clearly that Santa Cruz welcomes immigrants and will seek to protect them when threatened by outside federal powers.
The evening city council meeting was a most remarkable event given Santa Cruz’s history of contentious politics. It was a kumbaya moment that had both councilmembers and water commissioners singing the praises of the city’s water advisory committee (WASC). Everyone present was falling over each other in endorsing the post-desalination reset policy recommendations that will help us move toward even greater conservation with the implementation of a more innovative rate-payer structure that incentivizes using less water.But during public comment that night, Curtis Reliford the made-in-Santa Cruz change-maker and mirth-maker provided a poignant, and almost surreal moment after a night of back slapping, when he repeated the Standing Rockcampaign slogan, “Water is Life,” and reminded this group of decision-makers that not everyone’s water is so secure.
Wednesday night I spent at the Resource Center for Non-violence. It was a birthday celebration for Tatanka Bricca (72!) and his partner Carol (68). The evening was filled with music and an informative update on what activists are currently doing at Standing Rock in North Dakota since the pipeline was given a thumbs-up, first by the Trump Administration and then by a judge. Danny Sheehan of the Romero Institute is there aiding several protesters who were arrested according to Sheehan’s son whose band performed at the birthday party. There has been a news blackout since protesters were forced off the site last month. NPR reported last Sunday that oil could be flowing through the pipeline(DAPL) as early as this week.
Thursday’s highlight was at the Beach Flats Community Center where I joined fifteen other community members who’d gathered to offer input to CM Bernal as he moves toward reviewing applications of those who’ve applied to be the next police chief. He responded to a variety of questions including, Is the ICE agent still embedded in SCPD? (That agent is in the process of leaving.), Why have rangers displaced downtown hosts and community service officers on Pacific Avenue? (To provide more protection.) And, how can PD be restructured to provide real help to the homeless instead of just issuing more tickets? (We don’t have the funding to fund human services…the money goes to our core services, it’s a balance between protection and enforcement.)
If your group wants to meet with the city manager to offer input on the next police chief, and planning director too, you can email him at:mbernal@cityofsantacruz.com or call 420-5020.
Friday’s big meeting was a ONE-HOUR gathering of the city’s Climate Action Task Force. It’s a wonderful group of environmentalists, alternative energy practitioners, bicycle advocates, educators, a city staff member, and me. We were summarily told by the staff member that we will NOT be making recommendations to the city council, even though the same council set up the group. BUT we are to assist(?) in implementing the city’s climate action goals as contained within the Climate Action Plan. How, you might ask will we will assist if we are not to make any recommendations? Me too. We will have three more”one-hour” meetings (since when is a task force meeting only one hour?) between now and December. We can talk about stuff, but just don’t make any recommendations was the message. I was perplexed by this outcome, especially given that the massive “garage-library” project, originally a part of our agenda was suddenly removed right before the meeting by the staff member’s boss, deputy city manager, Scott Collins. It was a baffling turn of events.
Saturday is usually busy, chaotic and a buffet of meetings to choose from, and it was no different this past week.But this was also the first weekend of March Madness basketball, which I had to follow in the upper small box window of my computer as I meeting-hopped. First up was the “Community Conversation on Homelessness” at the Garfield Park Church. Around forty people came and went during a meeting where the main discussion topics were: what’s being done around homelessness, what can be done, and what should be done? There was ample input and a particularly thoughtful presentation by Santa Cruz county’s Human Services Department’s senior analyst, Adam Spickler. He stressed that collecting data (“evidenced-based”) is crucial in drawing not just funding, but empathy from the greater community towards the plight of our city’s homeless population. Of which only around 600 are sheltered on any given night out of over 2000 according to the Santa Cruz County Homeless Census & Survey of 2015. Next, I attended the amazing organizing effort being carried out by a newly formed group called, Santa Cruz Indivisible. The civic auditorium took on a job fair-style atmosphere in which hundreds mingled around tables advocating for dozens of causes that included free speech, universal healthcare, immigrant’s rights, and affordable housing to name a few of my favorites. Organizers say that over 2000 have registered with Indivisible in only a few months’ time. What everybody attending seemed to agree upon was that we must all get much more organized if we are going to resist Trump and his regressive social policies. People are fired up and that is good to see. Finally, I attended the meeting of the “Anti-Trump Reading Group”, organized by current and former graduate students from UCSC. It’s an eclectic, thoughtful, and provocative assembly that’s been meeting every Saturday afternoon in the backroom of Lupelos on Cedar Street. They send out an academic-style reading at the beginning of the week and the conversation flows on Saturday. “The Tyranny of Structurelessness,” by Jo Freeman was only tangentially brought into a conversation that covered organizing;how to enable democratic practice; meeting facilitation; and the importance of having a media presence within activist groups so that the overall message is not coopted or misconstrued.
Sunday’s meetings included an organizing effort around a Granite Construction boycott, in light of Granite’s bid to build Trump’s wall between the US and Mexico. The other group meeting I attended, Organizing Circle, is a project that grew out of SC4Bernie’s “Brand New Council”campaign to get a new city council elected. Well,the canvassing continues and this group meets once a month to “listen” to neighbors and their concerns about the city. This was the third such walk and between 11 and 25 walkers have made their presence known these past months in the Beach Flats, Lower Ocean, and South of Laurel Street neighborhoods so far. What is unique about the Organizing Circle is that it meets for an hour to discuss tactics, walks for two hours, and then meets at a group member’s house for a potluck-debrief-story-sharingsession. It’s actually fun!
Other Notes
The city council’s, “norms and values” retreat part I, is Tuesday March 21st from 3-7pm at the Harvey West Clubhouse in Harvey West Park… and I’m sure I’ll write something about it in some way next week.
Also, don’t forget the Planning Commission’s “special meeting” to discuss, you guessed it, “the Corridors Plan” Thursday, March 23rd at 7pm in the city hall chambers.
Bernie quote of the week:
The Republican health care bill… “should be seen as a huge tax break for the wealthiest people in this country.”
~ 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.
WILL WE BE ABLE TO GET FROM HERE TO THERE SAFELY?
No one from the Department of Public Works or County Board of Supervisors has answered that question with regard to the structural integrity inspections of the Aptos Creek Bridge. I have searched the CalTrans online bridge inspection reports, as Mr. Presleigh, Director of County Public Works suggested (well, he yelled angrily at me, really), but found nothing. The Public Records Act request I filed for the information has been ignored, with the exception of nine pages of computer gibberish sent me from County Counsel Mr. Nefouse.
Why doesn’t anyone seem to know the answer to the basic citizen question of “Has the Aptos Creek Bridge been inspected since the major storms?” Is the 1928 bridge safe? Will it be able to withstand the sustained heavy construction equipment traffic inherent to the proposed Aptos Village Traffic Phase I Improvement Project as well as the Aptos Village Project? Many citizens are worried….and the public safety officials are not responding to their questions.
I wonder…..how DID Barry Swenson Builder and the other Aptos Village Project developers recently bring in the many pieces of massive earthmoving equipment to begin building the 17′-high retaining wall and new road? Did they travel over the “impaired” washed-out area of Soquel Drive near the trestle or over the questionnable 1928 Aptos Creek Bridge?
The equipment seemed to arrive overnight. LOTS of interesting things happen at the Aptos Village Project at night….such as illegally transporting and destroying the 5,000 gallon metal diesel tank that the crew removed from the ground without permit or legal cleaning and handling. I wonder where that tank really went?
THE STENCH WAS TERRIBLE THIS WEEK
Soils at the true location of that underground storage tank were never tested or remediated. That’s because Barry Swenson Builder had covered everything up by the time (eight days later) the County Environmental Health staff became aware of and inspected the site where hundreds of gallons of diesel and who-knows-what-else leaked into the soil as the crew cavalierly ripped it from the ground.
There has been massive earthwork all around the true tank location, but that site has remained untouched…until this week. An excavator bit into the edge of the site and WHEW! The soil smelled of diesel and sewage. There was no further work there the following day…maybe Air Quality Control Board and County Environmental Health caught wind of the problem?
When asked if staff investigating the problem might take soil samples, County Environmental Health staff replied “No, but we could require the developer to do that.” Do you think that Barry Swenson Builder crews would do a thorough and honest job of sampling? Hmmmmm…….
BARRY SWENSON BUILDER REFUSED TO RESPOND TO PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS’ REQUESTS TO PROTECT THE HISTORIC HIHN APPLE BARN.
Last weekend, crews negligently left a large ladder propped up from the ground level and leading into the open door of the 125-year-old historic Hihn Apple Barn. Lots of odd things happen in that construction area at night, such as historic artifact scavenging, illegal diesel tanks leaving… It seemed to me that a ladder providing easy access into the Barn could spell trouble.
That is why I phoned the Sheriff’s non-emergency number (471-1121) to ask that a deputy investigate and contact the developer to remove the public nuisance ladder and easy access to the historic Barn. I also phoned the “24-hour Disturbance Response” number that the County requires to be posted on site for the public benefit. That number for the Aptos Village Project (475-7100) is Barry Swenson Builder’s business hour phone and is only active Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. Responsive, indeed.
The Sheriff kindly investigated the site and phoned to confirm the ladder access to the Barn and to let me know that she had no way to access the construction site to fix the problem. She said she would work with the developer to get the problem resolved.
At the end of the following day, the ladder access problem remained. I phoned the Aptos/La Selva Fire station directly and asked that the public nuisance and potential hazard for a warming fire set inside by area vagrants be corrected. The officer assured me he would discuss the problem with his Chief and get back to me. The ladder remains as I write this article and I have received no reply from either the Fire Department or Barry Swenson Builder’s “24-hour Disturbance” staff. Wow.
It sure would be a shame if the Hihn Apple Barn had the same unfortunate accident as the Rispin Mansion did when Barry Swenson Builder was working there, wouldn’t it? Well, think good thoughts for the Barn and phone the Fire Department quickly if you see suspicious activity in the area.
Tell me again how those recent lights were left on in the Barn all night when there is no electricity legally hooked up to the construction site? Hmmmm….
PROTEST THE COUNTY SPENDING $2 MILLION TO HELP APTOS VILLAGE DEVELOPERS AT THE EXPENSE OF VALENCIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIDS AND 1500 RURAL RESIDENTS!
****Join your neighbors Friday (3/24) 4pm-6pm, Saturday (3/25) 9am-noon, Monday (3/27) 7:30am-9:30am) at the intersection of Trout Gulch Road and Soquel Drive to PROTEST the County spending $2 MILLION to help Aptos Village Project developers instead of Valencia Elementary School and 1500 rural households affected by the indefinate closure of Valencia Road.
The warning signs are now in place on Soquel Drive (blocking the lane of traffic for Rancho del Mar customers) and also at the Cathedral Drive/Trout Gulch Road intersection…”EXPECT DELAYS ON TROUT GULCH: 8:30am-4:30pm beginning March 27 and through July 17″.
Gee, can the County really justify spending this $2 million to move the westbound Metro bus stop and create dedicated turn lanes “necessary for roadway and storm drainage improvements for the Aptos Village Project, according to John Presleigh, the county public works director.” ????? (direct quote from March 8, 2017 Santa Cruz Sentinel ‘Coast Lines’)
I think the County’s priorities, and motives, are questionable.
Metro maintenance managers (I like that alliteration, don’t you?) gave a tentative nod of approval to the relocation site a long time ago, but there have been significant changes made to the design, location and specifications since. No one from Metro seems to have been consulted about this project recently, and according to Metro staff, COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS IS NOT RESPONDING TO REPEATED REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION. Gee, I guess I’m not the only one that gets ignored, but that gives me no comfort in this case.
Contact Public Works Director John Presleigh <John.Presleigh@santacruzcounty.us> 454-2160, or County Supervisor Friend <zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us> 454-2200 (he loves to hear from you) and let them know you think the basic safety of 600+ school students and staff and 1500 rural households deserve highest priority for scarce public road repair money.
LOOKING ON THE HORIZON TOWARD SANTA CRUZ CITY….BIG CHANGES IN REZONING
Try to attend the Corridor Rezoning Public Hearing Thursday, March 23, 7pm at the Santa Cruz City Council Chambers. Here is the link for more information.
This means TALL, DENSE changes on the horizon for the Water Street, Soquel Avenue, Ocean Street and Mission Street areas of Santa Cruz. You might get a sense of what could come by looking at the new Palo Alto Medical Foundation Building on Mission…tall, with reduced setbacks. However, the proposed height for these areas is 5-7 stories…much more imposing.
I attended one of the public meetings held last year where the traffic study was presented for the proposed changes. All major intersections would become so congested that the Level of Service (i.e., how long the average delay would be to travel through an intersection) drops way below the City’s current acceptable level. The mitigation proposed amazed me….to simply DOWNGRADE the City’s acceptable Level of Service to match what the proposed project would create. Wow. Oh, and also eliminate parking for the businesses in the Branciforte area.
Attend the March 23 public hearing if you can, or send an e-mail to the Project Manager, Ms. Michelle King: mking@cityofsantacruz.com
Water? What water?
MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY BOARD APPROVED SPENDING LOTS OF MONEY
Last week, the MidCounty Groundwater Agency (MGA) Board met to discuss more details about how the group consisting of Soquel Creek Water District, City of Santa Cruz, Central Water District, small private water companies and private well owners can satisfy the State’s requirement to have a plan ready by next year to heal the critically-overpumped Purisima Aquifer. The meeting, held during evening hours at the Simpkins Swim Center, was well-attended.
The issues mostly centered around approving expenditure of money, money and more money. With the exception of the Central Water District representative, the Board agreed to all proposed amounts and issues. Central Water District serves about 800 customers in the Freedom Boulevard and Day Valley area of Aptos. Unlike the other larger water agencies on the Board, Central Water District has a bare-bones staff and works very hard to keep the cost of water to its customers as low as possible.
Soquel Creek Water District proposed that the MGA approve an additional $107,070 for their consultant, HydroMetrics, to continue working on a groundwater model that the MGA AdHoc Plan Committee will use to develop the required Plan for the State. Keep in mind that one of the owners of HydroMetrics is Ms. Laura Brown, former General Manager of Soquel Creek Water District.
The Board discussed what value the model might have for decision-making and whether or not the information might even be available in time for their use to create the State-required Plan. Soquel Creek District General Manager, Mr. Ron Duncan, said he’d have to check into it, but he thought that the contract between the District and HydroMetrics probably said something about that. I asked if there is any deadline specified in the contract for the date of the deliverable information? That question was ignored. Hmmm…….
Two members of the MGA Board recused themselves from voting. When the Central Water District representative voted “No” on the approval (he said something like “I cannot justify passing this large expense on to our customers”), Board President, Dr. Bruce Jaffee pointed out that the MGA By-Laws dictate that the agencies must unanimously approve any asset expenditures.
After a bit of silence, the bookkeeper for the group, which happens to be the Soquel Creek Water District’s bookkeeper and is paid by the MGA as part-time staff, pointed out that the model would not really be considered an “asset”, and therefore a unanamious vote of approval was not necessary….Well, that was handy !
With a sigh of relief, the Board then went on to approve $100,000 for a possible study by a Danish company of the sea water intrusion location within the offshore areas of the Purisima Aquifer. I was glad to hear Mr. Duncan report that he had talked with Stanford scientist Dr. Rosemary Knight, who recently published results of her extensive seawater intrusion studies at the beaches between Seaside and Capitola, and that she was impressed with the Danish work. Mr. Duncan discounted my comment.
She points out there is a freshwater plume extending into the Bay that correlates with a stormwater collection pond in the Seaside area. Why can’t our area make good use of stormwater collection and recharge, too? The Pajaro area has a couple of pilot projects. Take a look!
I was glad that Mr. Brian Lockwood, General Manager for the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, was in the audience. He had not been made aware of the proposed study and asked that his agency be included, sharing the cost.
The Board then went on further to approve hiring a legal consultant, just in case County Counsel cannot give an opinion. Mr. John Ricker, representing the County Environmental Health Department, explained that no one on County Counsel is really proficient in water law.
I pointed out that Ms. Darcy Pruitt, the Senior Water Planner and recently hired by the MGA ($148,000/year) is a lawyer with specialty in water law and land use. Her job is to check that the State-required Plan is legally fit. Why hire another expensive lawyer? My comment and question were ignored. The Board also did not seem to care that Soquel Creek Water District had already paid the now-approved legal consultant a sizeable sum BEFORE the Board approved the action and told me I could not comment further on the matter. Hmmmm…..
By the way, Boardmember Supervisor Zach Friend here left the meeting early…as he always does.
After Mr. Ricker gave the update on the Aquifer status, based on measurements and tests within the many monitoring wells, staff asked the HydroMetrics representative in the audience “Do you foresee improvements in the status of the aquifer within the next 5 years, based on your current studies?” After hesitation, the man replied “A policy decision would change the aquifer, but a technological change would not.” Does that mean he agrees with my many requests to Soquel Creek Water District to declare a moratorium and that the County needs to hold a public hearing to declare a countywide groundwater emergency? Soquel Creek did the later in June, 2014 (I am correcting that date from last week’s column). My requests are ignored and the Board of Supervisors does not respond to my letters asking for such.
If you live in the San Lorenzo Valley or Scotts Valley areas, you need to know that a similar joint group is forming the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency. There have already been meetings.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 19, 4pm-6pm. I suggest you get a place at that table as soon as possible. Sign up for notifications here: www.smgwa.org
IS YOUR BACKYARD ON THE RADAR TO BE ACQUIRED?
The article “Group maps land protection strategy” in the Santa Cruz Sentinel (3/13/17) got my attention. The Nature Conservancy has created maps identifying key areas “for local land trusts to use to identify private lands that could be strongholds for species threatened by climate change.” The maps and information, “called the Terrestrial Resilience and Regional Connectivity reports and maps, cover some 355,000 square miles in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and parts of Montana, Nevada, California and Utah.”
So far, the group has $6 million from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation that it is now distributing to land trusts to use for gaining “use-limiting easements or outright purchases.”
Similarly, the Sempervirens Fund recently proposed ‘The Great Park’, and included taking a great deal of private land to create it. Take a look at this map and see if your land is on their radar. If you are, you might want to join others who are concerned: http://www.rurallandalliance.org.
IN CLOSING. I HAD FUN visiting the California State Library while in Sacramento last week. I am researching Branciforte County, which is what the area from the Pajaro River north to at least Pescadero was called BEFORE becoming Santa Cruz County (and San Mateo County) in 1850. Look for more about the 220th anniversary celebration of Villa de Branciforte coming up this July!
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. BUT DO SOMETHING.
~Cheers, Becky Steinbruner (Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes).
Jack Gorman, a psychiatrist, and his daughter, Sara Gorman, a public-health specialist, probe the gap between what science tells us and what we tell ourselves. Their concern is with those persistent beliefs which are not just demonstrably false but also potentially deadly, like the conviction that vaccines are hazardous. Of course, what’s hazardous is not being vaccinated; that’s why vaccines were created in the first place. “Immunization is one of the triumphs of modern medicine,” the Gormans note. But no matter how many scientific studies conclude that vaccines are safe, and that there’s no link between immunizations and autism, anti-vaxxers remain unmoved. (They can now count on their side—sort of—Donald Trump …) All three of the books Kolbert reviews are showing us, she says, that “human reason may have more to do with winning arguments than with thinking straight.”
How on earth could that possibly be? Most of us assume that our ability to reason (greater than the ability possessed by other species) is what has helped us survive in a dangerous world. In fact, Kolbert tells us, citing to the second book she reviews, The Enigma of Reason, by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber:
Humans’ biggest advantage over other species is our ability to cooperate. Cooperation is difficult to establish and almost as difficult to sustain. For any individual, freeloading is always the best course of action. Reason developed not to enable us to solve abstract, logical problems or even to help us draw conclusions from unfamiliar data; rather, it developed to resolve the problems posed by living in collaborative groups.
In short, gaining group acceptance for what could be called a “political solution” to a challenge or an opportunity is what has made it possible for human beings to prosper and survive, in evolutionary terms. By mobilizing a collective response to danger or opportunity, humans have been able to be more successful than they ever could have been had they only been able to act individually. “Reason,” thus, turns out not to be some abstract ability to find out the “real truth” about the world, but is more like the ability to provide others with a “reason” for working together to accomplish some particular goal.
The third book mentioned in Kolbert’s article is The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone. Authors Steven Sloman, a professor at Brown, and Philip Fernbach, a professor at the University of Colorado, are cognitive scientists. They, too, believe that “sociability is the key to how the human mind functions or, perhaps more pertinently, malfunctions.” Naturally, since our “reason” is not really based in our objective examination of the “facts,” on a scientific basis, the fact that other people seem to agree with us confirms our understanding. Our “wrong” understanding, in many cases: As a rule, strong feelings about issues do not emerge from deep understanding … And here our dependence on other minds reinforces the problem. If your position on, say, the Affordable Care Act is baseless and I rely on it, then my opinion is also baseless. When I talk to Tom and he decides he agrees with me, his opinion is also baseless, but now that the three of us concur we feel that much more smug about our views. If we all now dismiss as unconvincing any information that contradicts our opinion, you get, well, the Trump Administration.
This is how a community of knowledge can become dangerous, Sloman and Fernbach observe. In a study conducted in 2012, they asked people for their stance on questions like: Should there be a single-payer health-care system? … Participants were asked to rate their positions depending on how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the proposals. Next, they were instructed to explain, in as much detail as they could, the impacts of implementing each one. Most people at this point ran into trouble. Asked once again to rate their views, they ratcheted down the intensity, so that they either agreed or disagreed less vehemently.
Sloman and Fernbach see in this result a little candle for a dark world. If we—or our friends or the pundits on CNN—spent less time pontificating and more trying to work through the implications of policy proposals, we’d realize how clueless we are and moderate our views. This, they write, “may be the only form of thinking that will shatter the illusion of explanatory depth and change people’s attitudes.”
What Sloman and Fernbach are calling for, in fact, is the kind of “political” debate and discussion that will ultimately lead to a “political” solution. We need a solution that is based not on what one side or the other believes is “right,” or “true,” but on what we find, after discussion and debate, will be collectively accepted, thus allowing us to mobilize cooperative action going forward. The scientists are telling us that the human species has prospered and survived based on that ability to cooperate.
The way I read the Kolbert article, it confirms that we do live, most immediately, in a “political” world, and that our survival in the World of Nature, upon which we ultimately depend, will itself depend on our ability to sustain a “political world” in which we can act cooperatively to meet our common challenges. Time presses on us now, and with great urgency.
Right now, in the United States, genuine political discussion and debate has virtually ceased. Everyone is trying to “prove” the other side wrong, marshaling their arguments, and basing those arguments on what often turn out to be “alternative facts” (and this is true on both sides; let’s admit it).
“Forget the facts,” is what I think Kolbert’s article is saying. The idea that we must use our human reason to find the “right” answer is precisely the “wrong” thing to do. There are at least two varieties of “right,” with respect to every argument, and the “confirmation bias” Kolbert discusses in her article will operate to keep it that way. If we keep on denying each other’s arguments, instead of finding out how to “reason together,” as the Prophet Isaiah advises, all sides are going to go down, “denying to the grave.”
The cracks in the ice at the poles are obvious enough. The World of Nature is being transformed, and not to the benefit of our human civilization. What is not so clear is whether our human history of collective cooperation can once again prevail, in the face of everything that the Natural World throws at us. It is that cooperation that keeps us safe. It is that cooperation that will allow us to survive”.
~
Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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. Check out his news re: Shopping bags and the profits see below.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Lime Tick 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, check out this week’s feature “On Second Thought” (circa 1987) and the ever- entertaining Eaganblog.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “I hope you’re in the mood for surprises, because I have no idea what I’ll be coming up with this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). But the sun is out (for a few days, anyway), the trees are in bud, Spring is lurking just offstage, and anything is possible! But do expect to hear from me about the new Beauty and the Beast movie soon!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
SENSE OF AN ENDING. What a cast!!! Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Emily Mortimer and even Michelle Dockerey who plays a pregnant lesbian. The major, and only problem for me, with this film were the veddy veddy narsty Brit accents. Adapted from the book this is a sensitive and complex view and review of Jim Broadbent’s memories of his love lives and his marriage. Its mean and subtle zings and arrows might be depressing for you and you’ll miss being in London if you like London…but go see it quickly. It won’t be many Santa Cruzans cups of tea.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Total 100% Disney sights, sounds and drech. You couldn’t possibly tell the songs from this Disney production from any of the last 30 years of Disney product songs. A wasted cast includes Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Ewan MacGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald. BUT most of these actors play the roles of animated tea pots and candlesticks. There is or are no reasons to see this re-hash of every commercial triumph the Disney Factory has turned out for more than 50 years. And the kids will probably love it.
LAND OF MINE. Denmark’s entry for best foreign film 2017. Subtitled and deeply magnificient. Pefrectly acted, 100% engrossing, and for me it was a deep as any Greek tragedy.
It’s 1945 The Germans lost the war and Denmark has forced 1000’s of young Deutsche POW’s to defuse and de-activate the millions of land mines that they buried along the miles of Denmark’s beaches. Human, realistic, painful, If you like films that make you think AND re-consider what you hold deeply, go see this one… as quick as possible. ENDS THURSDAY March 23.
MOONLIGHT. Best Oscar film 2017!!! For starters, Moonlight has a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s not just me who really not only enjoyed this tale of drugs, gangs, and love, but people who like deep, serious films loved it too. Set in Miami, this sharp, delicate, brilliant story of a Black man’s life is told in three parts. It’s best not to read too much about the plot and just watch with wonder as it unfolds. You’ve never seen a film like this one. Yes, It’s back again…many nominations and winning an Oscar for best picture did it!!
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. James Baldwin began writing a book in 1979 and this documentary uses the 30 pages his finished as continutity between the 6 chapters in the film. The links are stories of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. It’s Baldwin working for unity and equality and we all need to see this film. It’s a lesson in humanity, and probably no Republicans or any of the 22, 438 Santa Cruz Trump voters will see this important film. It’s narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and got a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes. Please see it!!! ENDS THURSDAY, March 23.
A UNITED KINGDOM. “Based on a ture story” has almost become a law for movies lately…but this one really is. And It’s an excellent film. There’s a bunch of Black & White themed films out there now and that’s a good thing. This “historical” film about the King of Botswana land falling in love with and marrying a white Brit. woman is still deeper and more meaningful than most of the rest. (“Loving”, etc.) Recent award winner David Oyelowo and the brilliant Rosamund Pike star of Gone Girl (one of my favorite actors) grab hold of every scene and make you believe it. More than that you (we) become completely involved with the story. Somehow you’ll begin to wonder just how far you’d go in this “mixed marriage” thing. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85%. ENDS THURSDAY, March 23.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected to make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
LION. A true story of a little 5 year old boy getting lost in India. At last we get to see Dev Patel portray somebody serious and he does an excellent job. It’s a very cornball plot that you can guess every turn and twist, but still just because it’s India you do stay tuned in all the way through. Rooney Mara is his girlfriend for part of the plot and Nicole Kidman is the Australian wife who adopts him. It’s 100% feelgood and there are much better films out and around now, but it does have a certain charm.
HIDDEN FIGURES. A syrupy, Hollywoody much- altered story of three Black American women who did spectacular mathematical and technical work at NASA while fighting against a lot of racial and female prejudice. All to launch John Glenn into orbit. It’s both a cute and painful story at the same time. It’s a contender and still lacks something that could have made it a classic. It almost outdrew Star Wars on opening weekend!
KONG:SKULL ISLAND. Kong is back and after waiting for his appearance about 45 minutes into the film I figured why Kong is always mad. Unlike all gorillas, Kong has hair all over his butt and he has no penis! He does have his usual minute or two with a beautiful blonde…that’s Brie Larson (playing Faye Wray). Samuel. L. Jackson is a very bad guy, Tom Hiddleston is the big hero John Goodman gets killed before you expect it and John C. Reilly saves the movie from being just another numb & dumb box office smash. It beat Logan at the ticket office so that proves it. Truthfully though, it isn’t all bad IF you like monster gorilla movies.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine #10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
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. . Espressivo conductor and artistic director Michel Singher talks about their March 30 concert on March 21 followed by Chip from The Downtown Association of Santa Cruz.Roy Malan discusses the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert happening April 9. John Aird follows with an overview of UCSC growth, water, and our tourist driven wharf plans. On April 4 Linda Burman-Hall returns to talk about The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s spring concerts. After Linda, UCSC’s Ben Leeds Carson details the April In Santa Cruz concerts. Carson Kelly tells us about the political force “Indivisible” on April 11. Followed by Brian Spencer talking about the See Theatre play “The Nether” opening April 14. On May 2nd UCSC Film Professor emeritus Earl Jackson talks about films and his Asian teaching experiences. 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
Here is the exact opposite of the drum corps above. I love these guys, they’re amazing!
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. “WHALES”
“Ships are expendable; the whales are not”, Paul Watson “Nature did not put whales on this earth to splash kids while stuck in a pen”, Jane Velez-Mitchell “If you were to make little fishes talk, they would talk like whales”, Oliver Goldsmith “If I say that I am more interested in preventing the slaughter of large whales than I am in improving housing conditions for people, I am likely to shock some of my friends”, Richard Dawkins
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
OUR ORIGINAL SANTA CRUZ PUBLIC LIBRARY. With funds donated by Andrew Carnegie this great structure went up in 1908 and being Santa Cruz, it was destroyed in 1966.Obviously it was replaced by what we have now.
DALI & DISNEY. Talk about your odd couple…yet these two guys had some dreams in common..
ROBIN WILLIAMS MEETS GORILLA
MAGIC . Tons of slight of hand on You Tube but this one really got to me…
FIRST THE BEACH FLATS, NOW THE POST OFFICE. I’m guessing many of us are wondering about the chain link fence that was put up last week around the U.S. Post Office, Santa cruz branch. Is this another Trump government /police tactic against the homeless like last month’s raid on Beach Flats against immigrants? Did our Santa Cruz Police put up the fence…which branch of what government is responsible. The post office is Federal property, and just exactly what laws were the homeless breaking when they slept and hung out there? It’s been days and still I haven’t seen a word in the Santa Cruz Sentinel…am I missing something here? By the way now that the Santa Cruz police have admitted to having a permanent Homeland Security office and official in their building and since they said they would be “evicting” him soon…just when will that be?
MORE POST OFFICE FENCE NEWS.
The NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch, and the Santa Cruz chapter of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom invite you to take part in a community reading of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Beyond Vietnam” speech. It’s where he connected militarism, capitalism, and racism – an electrifying speech. We will read it from 1 – 3 pm on April 2nd – close to the 50th anniversary of the speech (April 4th) – on the steps of the downtown Post Office. There are many more questions and opposition to that fence. The Post Office Building is a designated Historic building and to alter or deface or erect new additions is illegal. Who’s in charge of all this, who’s behind it?
RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL? Just like Bruce McPherson gave up the Republican Party just in time, and Ryan Coonerty and Mike Rotkin ditching de-sal in split seconds we are seeing our local Santa Cruz City Council future being re-shaped. First J.M Brown who lost his first City Council campaign, now attending The People’s Democratic Club (PDC) meeting trying to score new left – progressive votes!!! Then we have Mike Rotkin almost a guaranteed council candidate, actually agreeing and having his name associated with Rick Longinotti’s in The Sentinel. Another topic worth mumbling about is whether or not Cynthia Mathews would run again. She’s lost big popularity according to the last election results and insiders say she’s also lost some of her usual force and drive. WRITE THIS DOWN… Cynthia Chase and RichelleNoroyan are up for re-election, and David Terrazas is out after 8 years.
WELLS FARGO & SANTA CRUZ CITY MONEY? Our city apparently has millions invested in Wells Fargo Bank for various purposes and tasks as well as in other financial institutions. How can we citizens (voters) get the city to stop Wells Fargo… and their crooked business deals and screwing their customers? Plus the no less serious investing and supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline project? Both Seattle and Davis, California pulled their accounts with Wells Fargo. If we are really, really going to be a world class city we need to join them.
SANTA CRUZ …. A “WORLD CLASS CITY”?
As the U.S. Edition of The Guardian stated….”While housing shortages and homeless epidemics have afflicted communities up and down the west coast, a major crisis has emerged in Santa Cruz, the liberal seaside city 80 miles south of San Francisco, known internationally for its surfing and laid-back boardwalk attractions. With a swelling presence of Airbnb short-term rentals and university students, Santa Cruz has increasingly become unaffordable and inhospitable to many longtime low-income workers and middle-class families, and experts say the tech boom and housing crunch in nearby Silicon Valley is exacerbating the displacement”.
The Guardian continues… ‘Least affordable’ housing in the US. Santa Cruz, which was originally controlled by Mexico, was incorporated as a California town in 1866. The city is constrained by mountains and the ocean but has steadily grown since the gold rush, attracting agriculture and commercial fishing along with a vibrant resort community and tourism industry. Housing development has not kept pace with the growth of the population, which is now 62,000 in the city and 270,000 total in Santa Cruz County. The county has added roughly one housing unit for every 10 new residents in recent years, according to county housing manager Julie Conway”. AND in spite of this we are hearing and seeing the usual Business suspects like the Chamber of Commerce and developers up the gazoo clamoring to bring in more big business, build more high rises and so on. They use the same old numb & dumb slogan ” Growth will bring in the taxes which support our civil services’ which has been disproven eons ago. Stop the growth, stop the development. It’s never too late. Look at San Jose por ejemplo.
CABRILLO MUSIC FEST’S BIG NEW SEASON. The new music director Cristian Macelaru has lined up some guaranteed big attractions for this years Cabrillo Music Festival. When you have names like Lou Harrison, John Adams, Evelyn Glennie and Jake Heggie you know some serious planning has been done. This season’s highlights include seven world premieres, one US premiere, three West Coast premieres, plus 11 composers in residence. They are… Karim Al-Zand, Clarice Assad, Gerald Barry, Michael Gandolfi, Aaron Jay Kernis, David T. Little, Cindy McTee, Christopher Rountree, Gabriella Smith and James Stephenson. Special guest artists include Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussion), Jennifer Frautschi (violin), Gemma New (conductor), Clarice Assad (piano/vocals), Keita Ogawa (percussion), Jason Hardink (piano), and Jonathan Lemalu (bass-baritone). Go here for more details and figure ways to get your tickets early. http://cabrillomusic.org/2017-season-announcement . Also IF you have an extra room or space and want to partake in the extra fun of the Festival, share a space/ bedroom with a Festival musician…especially if you live near the Civic auditorium. Then too you could volunteer to be an usher or donate $$ or help out at the street Fair. Remember, no more concerts at San Juan Bautista Mission!
LOSING THE SANTA CRUZ IDENTITY.
I urge you to take a walk to the new construction site at 555 Pacific Avenue to view the future of Santa Cruz if development interests are left unchecked. It is just around the corner from the first roundabout. You can’t miss it. It towers over and dwarfs every other familiar landmark. Its bulk and scale transform the area into an unrecognizable urban wind tunnel. Soon, its 99 rental units will be occupied, with maybe 4 to a unit, and this formerly quiet stretch of the town will lose its identity. If it were the only example there might be less concern. However, such developments are on track for approval (or have already been approved) across Santa Cruz, particularly for downtown and the eastside although the far westside has its share of dense new ugly.
This transformation of Santa Cruz has its supporters. Of course those who stand to make money from the growth are first in line. City planners seem to like it, either because it brings in money to hire more planners or they don’t live in town. Otherwise one would expect the staff reports to temper such growth and require developers to keep to height and zoning ordinances rather than continuously requesting variances, which the council majority approves. Newcomers who have no feel for what gives this town its character don’t seem to mind the growth and urbanization so long as they can get their new downhill mountain bike trails pushed into Pogonip and De Laveaga. Some progressives see this as “smart growth” and as long as folks get out of their cars and onto their bikes, see no problem with density and loss of identity. Tethered to smart phones and whatever new technology is around the corner, more and more people are losing connection to and seeing value in the human landscape from the past.
Local historian Ross Gibson as quoted in the Sentinel of 2/28/17 said it best: “Santa Cruz is constantly renewing itself and always pretending that there was never anybody there before them. They’re taking over a neighborhood without any identity as far as they’re concerned. We have a tough time in Santa Cruz on the historic end, trying to pass down from one generation to the next, the things that are of value to us and an identity that made the community what a wonderful place it is today.”
Examples of such local loss are legion. La Bahia was a big one. Curious how deliberate neglect on the part of the Seaside Company and some peeling paint sent many into the “tear down and transform” camp. There is little we can do about such losses now. But there is much that remains that is worth fighting for. The Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf is a big one. There are many who see that effort as worthwhile as evidenced by the 2500 people who signed the “Don’t Morph the Wharf” petition, both locals and visitors alike. Another is the Downtown Recovery Plan, the transformation of downtown with up to 85 feet high buildings, especially along Front Street adjacent to the San Lorenzo River. This Plan is currently wending its way through the approval process and comments on the Initial Study are due Friday March 17th. You can find it here
Proponents of this new urbanization like to label those of us who oppose it as “out of touch” or “nostalgic”. “Get over it”, they say. Or that growth is inevitable and this is the best way to accommodate it. Nothing is inevitable about human action. It’s a struggle; its political; its difficult but nothing is pre-determined. Far from being nostalgic, we see the human value in what is left of the unique character of Santa Cruz in a rapidly homogenizing, urbanizing world. We also see the finite nature of natural resources that cannot accommodate the bottomless pit of demand on the part of the wealthy to live in Santa Cruz, nor the town’s ability to cater to the unfettered growth of UCSC. The future of Santa Cruz is at a tipping point. Money, power and influence heavily weight one side. Ordinary folks speaking out can as always tip the scales.
~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).
majority report #8 March 13, 2017
“PSYCHO-S**T, TEAM-BUILDING AND TAKING BACK THE POWER”
First, some good stuff that happened at the city council.
A two-way bike path on Pacific Avenue from Church to Cathcart Street was recently approved by the city council. This measure has been a long time in coming and…might this action be the preface for what residents have been crying out for ever since I arrived in 1980: a car-free Pacific Avenue?! This undertaking by the council should be a boon for cyclists wanting to go toward the beach through downtown. In addition, the council also voted to look for a vendor to run a “Bike-Share” program. Think Portland or Minneapolis or NYC where bike-share programs are enormously popular and really work. I have my fingers crossed that it will be successful. It will begin with a modest fifty bikes and five stations.
The council also passed a “Declaration of the City of Santa Cruz as a Sanctuary for all its Residents.” We are a real, affirmative, legislatively-approved “sanctuary city” now. Which by the way, does mean something, despite what mainstream media pundits might say. It means that we welcome immigrants here to Surf City, and we will go out of our way to offer you protection and no one should make no mistake about that! (Gawd, I love double negatives.)
All these decisions were unanimous.
Also, once again it was reiterated by certain city authorities that it’s just a vicious rumor, spread by “certain people,” that public parking will actually be taken off of the Soquel and Water Street corridors anytime soon. That is good news too for many Eastsiders. No ordinance yet to preserve the parking, but we’re working toward that!
Now, the psycho-S*** and navel-gazing part of council life (it’s important though)
Met up with Shawn Spanos this past week. He calls himself, a “community engagement” expert. He’s been hired by city manager (CM), Martin Bernal to do some “team-building.” Shawn says he will facilitate a city council meeting-retreat, dubbed “norms and values.” He wants to go over some questions that he’d sent out earlier to all councilmembers. This meeting-retreat is for the entire city council and it’s scheduled for March 21st at an as yet, undisclosed location. On April 1st (April Fool’s Day) the council will be present at another all-day conversation, this one will be about public policy I am told.
These encounter sessions must be disclosed seventy-two hours in advance as a “publicly noticed meeting.” If more than four councilmembers are to be present and will be discussing city business, according to the Ralph M. Brown Act that governs how public officials are to conduct official city business, any gathering or meeting is then open to the public. An exception to this might be when six out of the seven current Santa Cruz city councilmembers all showed up recently, for example, to celebrate “Brian Murtha Day,” and to recognize his enormous talent and service to this community. It was okay because the six councilmembers did not discuss city business as a group. (There was a lot of heartfelt talk about Brian though.)
Shawn and I encountered each other for the first time inside the center of city hall-dom, the CM’s conference room. It’s a narrow rectangular slice of our Spanish-style city hall that is more show than function. It is a room that’s completely filled by an enormous oval hardwood table and at least fourteen high-back leather chairs. There are two doors to this room and so little space that people will often come in one door and have to exit through the far one lest they become trapped by others given the room’s restricted space. But on the morning I met Shawn it was just the two of us and we had plenty of room to roam.
Spanos is a professor in Communication Studies at San Jose State University. His bio on the SJSU web site claims that he “teaches courses and applied research in interpersonal and small group communication.” He tells me he’s planning to meet all seven councilmembers for one hour each today. Before the meeting, he sent out a two-page questionnaire to get us thinking about this interview “prep” session and the actual norms and values meeting next Tuesday from 3-7pm. His first question was, “What inspired you to become involved in public service?”
“Well,” I responded, “I was on the council from 1998-2002, and that was almost enough,” I say. “No. It was enough, but what brought me back were a kind of tripartite series of political vicissitudes on the part of the then-council. First, the city council voted to buy a BearCat tank from Homeland Security for the Santa Cruz police department. Then a large parcel on Laurel Street was rezoned from housing to a hotel and then given over to the Marriot Corporation. Finally, the Seaside Company wanted to repossess the 26-year old Beach Flats Community Garden, and the city council at the time did not want to buy it and keep it as a green space forever for the people of the Beach Flats neighborhood, even when their own city attorney informed them that it was within the council’s purview to buy it since it would constitute a clear public benefit.”
Shawn Spanos was quick to smile during our session. He sported an empathetic curled-lip-of-great-concern about whatever I said. He nodded often and sprinkled his sentences with “great,” and “wonderful,” and “terrific.” These short bursts of enthusiasm came in-between my long paragraph responses to his prepared questions.
“And what do you want to achieve in the next two years?” he asked. So, I pulled out my two-pages of typed responses, a laundry list really, of what I heard from residents during three months of walking Santa Cruz neighborhoods and knocking on doors this past fall: create truly affordable housing, address homelessness and mental health issues, redo the “corridor plan,” and place a $15 an hour minimum wage on the ballot. I also included items I’ve heard during my first two months in office: a curbside residential and business compost collection program, an ordinance reigning in gas-powered leaf blowers, getting a general fund-destined housing bond on the ballot, move oral communication back to 7pm on the city council agenda, and withdraw city money from any banks that are funding DAPL, the Dakota Access Pipeline that runs through the Standing Rock Sioux reservation.
[Spanos] “specializes in bridging social construction and dialogue theory with practical skills…”
Our time actually became quite short. The hour flew by, another councilmember was soon waiting in the hallway, so Shawn began to push hard on only two more of the eight questions he had us prepare for. These concerned “how have you or will you approach your work on the council?” And, “what principles, norms, and behaviors should guide communication between councilmembers?”
I glanced across the table and felt his hopeful energy. His eyes twinkled as a slight smile filled his lips. In that instant I saw past him and looked out the window at the city hall courtyard and fixed my eyes on the once-upon-a-time working fountain in the center. I recalled a September day in 2002 when cable news trucks surrounded city hall and CNN went live covering a thousand-plus crowd that had come to witness the Santa Cruz city council support for WAMM’s weekly distribution of medical marijuana right out there on the steps of city hall as a DEA helicopter whirred overhead.
Suddenly, overcome with tears, I looked back at Shawn and related that episode to him and added, “The city council holds the potential to wield great power. And with that comes great responsibility.”
This city has led the way before in combatting off-shore oil drilling, modeling how to preserve green spaces, and on that September day protecting the most vulnerable in our community from the predatory reach of the federal government. (We are doing it again with our sanctuary city ordinance, if coming somewhat late to the party.) We can do it again, I told him. That is what I would like the council to take from this meeting…leave perhaps with a sense that we have the ability to do great things if we think big, and work together.
The public, guaranteed by the Brown Act, can view these council retreat exercises, and weigh in during a mandatory public comment period. Remember, councilmembers just might disclose how some of their “norms and values” inform the votes they cast on the council. I for one am looking forward to these two sessions. Stay tuned for the location”.
~(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).
THE BOARD ROOM WAS FULL AND OVERFLOWING…
Last Tuesday’s (3/7) Soquel Creek Water District Board meeting drew another standing-room-only crowd from the neighborhoods near the District offices. The District has been seriously considering the installation of a sewage treatment plant in that location, immediately adjacent to a quiet residential neigborhood. Those people feel the District staff has not been forthright in the information presented and are paying little attention to the neighborhood concerns. They are not happy. Here is a link to the neighborhood online petition.
The Board started off by discrediting nearly all of the Water for Santa Cruz information. I had already been publicly accused by Ron Duncan at the previous meeting of speaking false information, but without any substantiation. He never responded to my message asking for clarification on exactly what I said that was false. The Board then made all the people wait for the item on the agenda relative to the Carollo Engineer presentation on contaminants. I had seen this presentation before at the Secondary Supply Subcommittee meeting, and I noticed that this time, there were no charts or information about what contaminants persist through various stages of treatment process. I was still outside in the hallway at that point but tried to look in to see the presentation screens. He also addressed the issue of high energy demand that is inherent with the reverse osmosis process. He quickly said that it takes less than desal, so it is a good choice.
By the time the Board finally let people speak, many had left. Many talked about the lack of clear and honest communication that the District has had with the community. Many are worried about their property values. I raised the issue of the later item on the agenda where the Board would consider a draft agreement with Santa Cruz City for wastewater. The Board insisted it is not a draft contract, just a memorandum of understanding. I also talked about NDMA and the fact that it makes it through the reverse osmosis process about 50% of the time. The presenter insisted that it is all removed by UV, but that is not what the presentation showed at the Subcommittee meeting… NDMA was there, but below State health levels. There were 17 other contaminants that made it through R/O, but were shown to be removed by UV disinfection.
The Board then took a break, at which nearly all of the audience left. There was then, albeit out of order for the agenda listing, a very interesting presentation by Mr. Vind from Denmark, representing a company that has sponsored him to live in Los Gatos for three years to promote the use of Electro-Resistivity Technology (ERT) to map salinity in groundwater supplies, including areas UNDER the Bay. He mentioned Dr. Knight from Stanford, who has recently published her work using this technology to assess the sea water intrusion along the beaches from Seaside to Capitola. It is the same technology, but Mr. Vind insists that his company can use it to get information about the aquifer areas that are beneath the seawater interface. Director Bruce Daniels pointed out that Dr. Knight has said the technology does not work reliably for that situation.
The Board is considering hiring this Danish company to conduct some studies. I asked how this would dovetail into the current model that HydroMetrics is working on (and it seems like to me that they will never complete but continue to need more funding for upgrades). In fact, Soquel Creek Water District is proposing that the Mid County Groundwater Agency approve $100,000 for this study when that group meets this Thursday March 16 (7pm at Simpkins Swim Center).
So, then the talk came back to the issue of Item 6.3 Receive/provide direction on PureWater Soquel Project and re-evaluation of treatment facility locations. There were very few people left in the audience, but some from the neighborhood group were still there. Ms. Melanie Schumacher presented the Board with a list of 24 locations they could consider. Some had been suggested by members of the public. Someone had rated them and the area near the District offices still came out on top. New to the list were the Capitola utility yard area that Capitola City Councilmember Ms. Stephanie Harlan talked about during her earlier public testimony. Another location is the Par 3 Golf area in Aptos.
The Board still wants the location near their office, but voted to remove the bio-reactor option for a raw sewage treatment plant from the EIR study in progress. That will be welcome news to the residents near the District office however, the District is still actively pursuing the idea of the plant being there, along with the Capitola yard area. The Board assured one remaining resident that the District office area property was pretty much empty…just one vacant house and another structure. They did NOT admit publicly that the house is vacant because the District evicted the elderly man who had been living there many years. My neighbor knows him from Grey Bears and told me he had no idea where he would go.
There will not be another District Board meeting until April 4, due to the big water convention in San Diego during the week of March 20. Rosemary Menard, Santa Cruz City Water Manager, will be at the April 4 meeting. I suppose the talk will focus on the agreement for receiving treated sewage water and the contract to study the contaminants found therein this summer.
MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY MEETING… MORE MONEY FOR STUDIES?
The collaboration of Soquel Creek Water District, Central Water District, Santa Cruz City Water Department, and representatives of private well owners and small water companies compose the MidCounty Groundwater Agency (MGA). This group must, under a state mandate, devise a plan for managing the critically-overdrafted Purisima Aquifer. That Board will meet Thursday, March 16, 7pm at Simpkins Swim Center.
On the agenda is a proposed conflict of interest statement required of all Board members. I wonder if the consulting firm, HydroMetrics, needs to consider this issue. Former Soquel Creek Water District General Manager, Ms. Laura Brown, is a senior owner of the company. Her husband, Mr. Jess Brown, is a member of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau. Former Santa Cruz County hydrologist, Mr. Mike Cloud, now works for HydroMetrics. Hmmmm…..
Also on the agenda will be whether to approve an additional $107,070 for the consultant company, HydroMetrics, to continue working on the groundwater computer model that Soquel Creek Water District hired them to do well over one year ago. Last year at this time, the MGA approved $356,000 for HydroMetrics to continue developing the model that would provide information necessary for the MGA Working Group to develop the sustainable plan required by the State. Then, in September, the Board approved an amount not to exceed $239,085 for further modelling studies. Now, HydroMetrics wants an additional $107,070??? HydroMetrics also recommends the MGA hire Mr. Barry Hecht, to act as a private technical advisor for the groundwater model (another $1,840).
HydroMetrics also wants $8,000 for delivering quarterly reports to the MGA Board on the model’s progress. Last year, consultant Mr. Cameron Tarmo gave two such reports for $4000. Wow.
I wonder why Santa Cruz City Water Department has hired a different consultant, Kennedy-Jenks, and sub-consultant Trussell Technologies, Inc to study groundwater problems and using treated wastewater?
Soquel Creek Water District is asking the MGA to also approve $100,000 for the Danish company to do evaluations of where the salt water interface might be in the areas of the Purisima Aquifer that are beneath the Monterey Bay.
The MGA has an annual budget of $1.3 million, with the focus of developing the plan by 2018. Thursday’s budget meeting will consider hiring a legal consultant, Mr. Russ McGlothlin of Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck to handle legal matters that the Santa Cruz County Counsel cannot handle. But wait, the newly-hired MGA Senior Water Planner, Ms. Darcy Pruitt, is an attorney with specialty in land use and water law. She was hired at $148,000/year to oversee the legalities of the sustainability plan that the MGA Working Group develops. Does the group need so much redundant legal counsel? Hmmmm…..
Well, I suppose the good news is that the MGA Working Group has met four times since last December. Notes state that the group supports the notion that the sustainable water plan they are charged with developing must interface with the County Planning Department to acknowledge that the land uses issues must coordinate with the water availability. Also, discussion notes state that the Purisima Aquifer users must protect the Basin structure by pumping within the sustainable yield levels while preventing contamination of the water supply.
So, why hasn’t Soquel Creek Water District and the County of Santa Cruz declared a moratorium on new connections until this can all get resolved? The District declared a groundwater emergency in June, 2015. I asked the Board of Supervisors over one month ago for the County to hold a public hearing to discuss the issue and the 2016 Water Resources Report, and whether or not the criteria for declaring a groundwater emergency have been met. No response. The Board has the legal right and responsibility to take this action under the 1987 County Well Ordinance.
Maybe they hope to continue to ignore the issues, and hope curious, concerned citizens will just go away….
WHAT IS A CURIOUS CITIZEN TO DO???
The County is planning to begin major road and railroad track construction on Trout Gulch and Soquel Drive in Aptos. Supervisor Zach Friend recently stated that the contract agreement with John Madonna Construction, of San Luis Obispo, started on March 6. I think there are a number of problems with that project….such as public safety and fiscal responsibility.
The 1928 Aptos Creek Bridge was inspected in 2013. The report advised that the bridge be monitored during heavy storm events, and possibly closed. The report noted serious erosion at the abutments. So, is the bridge that my family and community depend on for safe ingress/egress to the Aptos Village area safe? The crumbling status of other local bridges of similar vintage due to storm damage made me wonder.
The online information that I found stated that the bridge must be inspected every two years. I could not find any inspection reports done since. Since the report stated that the County has jurisdiction on the matter, I submitted a Public Records Act (PRA) request for all inspection reports for the Aptos Creek Bridge.
You see, County Public Works Department staffmember, Ms. Peggy Ducey, informed me that I am NOT ALLOWED to talk directly with any staff in her department, and that she will not answer any questions that I ask. She has informed me that I must submit PRA requests for documents and find my own answers. Last week, her department refused to accept my PRA, and said I must submit them only to County Counsel. Those attorneys are paid at least $250/hour…is that responsible and wise use of taxpayer money when departmental clerks cost MUCH less?
I received no response from Public Works regarding the PRA and bridge inspections. However, I did happen to see Public Works Director Mr. John Presleigh in the elevator at the County Building, so I asked him about the bridge.
He said the bridge was inspected in 2015 and “it was great.” I wondered how that could be, given the notes in the 2013 report. I do not recall seeing any work done on the bridge in recent years. I asked if it had been inspected since recent major storms? He said “we’ll get somebody out there.”
Meanwhile, Aptos Village Project developer Barry Swenson Builder has been hauling in large earthmoving equipment…did it come over the uninspected Aptos Creek Bridge or the only other entry, on Soquel Drive coming from Rio del Mar Boulevard, which has been reduced by storm damage to nearly one-lane at the railroad trestle?
I just want to know that my family and neighbors will be safe traveling into and out of the Village area. Valencia Road remains closed at Trout Gulch (although the federal government just awarded $4 million for repairs). There isn’t an alternate route.
So, why did Public Works Director Mr. Presleigh accost me at my place of employment, publicly accusing me of twisting the facts and misrepresenting his Department? I tried to calm him and ask for discussion, but he shouted “You were wrong about the bridge! CalTrans did the last inspection, so that’s why our files didn’t include it!” He caused such disturbance, my supervisor rushed over to quiet things down. Mr. Presleigh walked away.
Well, at least I got some information, even though it was under very upsetting circumstances and public personal attack. I can only think that Mr. Presleigh is under great stress and forgot professional conduct etiquette. Maybe we should all offer him some calming tea?
AVOID APTOS VILLAGE AREA BEGINNING MARCH 20
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel’s Coast Lines announcement on March 7, the County’s $2 million project to help Aptos Village Project developers Barry Swenson Builder and Joe Appenrodt will begin March 20.
According to the Sentinel: “These delays and potential lane closures are necessary for roadway and storm drainage improvements for the Aptos Village Project, according to John Presleigh, the county public works director. The motoring public is asked to avoid this area if possible or be prepared for delays of up to 20 minutes.:” Wow. .
What if you are among the 1200 rural residents of Aptos Knolls Mobile Home Park, Trout Gulch, Quail Run and Cathedral/Redwood communities who have no alternate route to avoid the Aptos Village area? I wonder how the existing Aptos Village merchants will survive financially if customers DO avoid the area?
Do you think it is the best use of precious County road maintenance money to spend $2 MILLION to move the bus stop for the Aptos Village Project developers and add a traffic light and turn lanes to their businesses?
Write Mr. John Presleigh, Director of Public Works: <John.Presleigh@santacruzcounty.us> 454-2160
and Supervisor Zach Friend <zach.friend@santacruzcounty.us> 454-2200 He loves to hear from you.
ARTIFACTS, ANYONE?
As mentioned earlier, Barry Swenson Builder is doing major earth work at the Aptos Village Project these days. One of the County Planning Department’s requirements of Swenson is that there be a qualified archaelogist observing all earth disturbance work. This is because of the rich historic significance of the Project area.
No archaeologist has been there watching over the auger drilling holes for the steel I-beams that will support a 17′ tall retaining wall near Granite Way. No archaeologist has been there watching over the massive amount of grading work going on in the area where Mr. Lam Pon, the grandfather of George Ow, Jr., partnered with Mr. Ralph Mattison and ran a very significant apple drying business. No archaeologist has been observing at all….even though the County requires it.
Residents of the area report observing scavengers visiting the Project site almost nightly. It is easy to push through the chain link fence perimeter, and many do. I would think the County Planning and Building Department would enforce their own requirements to ensure significant historic artifacts are preserved for the public to view.
That is what last year’s ‘We Are Aptos’ legal action was all about….a Writ of Mandate to insist the County enforce their own rules. However, even though Judge Paul Burdick agreed that the County was in violation of upholding their own requirements of the Aptos Village Project developers, and requested that the County and Aptos Village Project developers sign an agreement that they WOULD follow the rules in the future (they refused), he denied our request for a Writ of Mandate. County Counsel Ms. Brooke Miller said the County would “probably enforce” requirements in the future, but must allow the developer flexibility for maximum feasibility.
So, why even pretend to have Codes and requirements if the County will not enforce them?
By the way, Judge Burdick afterwards disclosed that he is a long-time neighbor and friend of Aptos Village Project developer Joe Appenrodt. Hmmm….shouldn’t that have warranted his recusal? In the words of County Counsel: “Probably”.
I wonder why We Are Aptos Counsel, Mr. Bill Parkin, thought that recusal issue was “silly”? Hmmmmm…….
COUNTY TO HIRE CONSULTANT TO FIND NEW CAO…
County Administrative Officer (CAO) Ms. Susan Mauriello will retire from her job this July. She has been directing all levels of local government for the past 28 years.
The County has yet to advertise for her replacement. County Personnel Director, Mr. Michael McDougall, told me that the County has hired a consultant in Santa Rosa to find Ms. Mauriello’s replacement. That consultant will cost well over $20,000. Mr. McDougall said the job description will be advertised beginning April 1, 2017. No kidding. It seems to me that date allows very little time to advertise for, select and interview potential candidates nationwide. I wonder if Ms. Mauriello has really already chosen Mr. Carlos Palacios, her Deputy CAO, for her job? Hmmm…..
By the way, Mr. McDougall mentioned that any consultant contracts under $35,000 do not have to be approved publicly by the Board of Supervisors. Wow.
IS THE COUNTY HIRING A SECOND PLANNING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR?
Postcards on the Planning Department front desk advertise the County is hiring an Assistant Planning Director, as well as a couple of more planners. Is current Assistant Planning Director, Ms. Wanda Williams retiring? Nope. Apparently, future business is looking up, so the County will be hiring a SECOND Assistant Director, maybe with starting salary of $170,000/year.
Hmmmm….could this be connected to the massive in-fill development plans outlined in the “Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan” that are coming down the pike?
Water? What water?
~WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
BUT DO SOMETHING.
Cheers, Becky Steinbruner (Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes).
The Constitution of the United States is organized into seven different “Articles.” The first three Articles outline the duties of the three branches of government that the Consitution establishes:
Article I – Legislative Article II – Executive Article III – Judicial
This is pretty basic, and most of us understand the concept pretty well. Each branch of the government has its own assignment, or assignments, and to the degree that the government is going to be able to act at all, the three branches have to “agree,” or at least not “disagree.” The fact that each branch can (and is supposed to) act as a “check and balance” on the other branches is one of the ways we make sure that our democratic government doesn’t turn into despotism.
Here is the bad news: I am reading what Professor Theodore Lowi has to say about the way our system is working, and he is not very reassuring that the system is working as designed. He notes that the Congress has largely delegated almost all of its policy-making power to the president, creating a “personal presidency,” and that this delegation has pretty much eliminated any “check or balance” that the Congress might otherwise be expected to provide on presidential excesses.
If you are concerned about the erratic and possibly despotic possibilities that face us under our current president, then now is the time to be in constant touch with your elected representatives in Congress. The Constitution doesn’t give the president the right to decide what happens in our country, and it is the Congress, not the President, which is supposed to decide upon the appropriate policies to guide governmental action.
Take a look at that Article II. There are really only two basic tasks assigned to the President:
To “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
Having an “erratic” president reminds us that we need to make sure that both Congress (and the courts) do the jobs to which they are assigned. That’s why showing up at Congressional offices, in force, and bringing out the public to Congressional Town Hall meetings, is exactly the right way to treat the first signs of the “despotic disease” within the body politic”.
~Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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 depicts Danged UCSC students facing reality…or Santa Cruz!!! Scroll below just a bit…
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Tim Eagan’s “The President Who Cried Wolf” 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: “Childhood is not for sissies. But marginalized kids on the fringes of the social norm get their story told with humor an compassion in the charming animated featutre, My Life As a Zucchini, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
MUNCHING WITH MOZART. Every third Thursday Carol Panofsky presents… “MUNCHING WITH MOZART & FRIENDS” it’s this Thursday, March 16th, 12:10 – 12:50 at the Santa Cruz Public Library Downtown Branch – in the upstairs Meeting Room. It’ll feature Mozart and Chopin played by Carol Panofsky and Ben Dorfan, solo pianists. Carol will be playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Sonata in A Major, K. 331 and Ben will play Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) Ballade in G Minor, op. 23. Get there early, the good- but few seats fill fast.
JEWEL THEATRE’S “The Dance of Death” a play by August Strindberg plays March 16-April 9 at the Colligan Theatre over in the Tannery Arts Center. Wikipedia says it has black humor. It’s about a soured marriage and reviews have almost always said it has overtones of George and Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”. Tickets and more information here.
PATRICE VECCHIONE’S ONE—WOMAN SHOW. Author, artist, teacher, poet and performer Patrice Vecchione has created and will perform her newest one –woman show “Words Dressed & Undressed:Women, Aging & Identity” Friday March 17 and Saturday March 18 at the Center Stage Theatre 1001 Center Street. With humor, fashion and flair she’s put together a performance that reveals much of her most surprising personal history. Get tickets at Brown Paper Tickets online.
LAND OF MINE. Denmark’s entry for best foreign film 2017. Subtitled and deeply magnificient. Pefrectly acted, 100% engrossing, and for me it was a deep as any Greek tragedy. It’s 1945, the Germans lost the war and Denmark has forced 1000’s of young Deutsche POW’s to defuse and de-activate the millions of land mines that they buried along the miles of Denmark’s beaches. Human, realistic, painful, If you like films that make you think AND re-consider what you hold deeply, go see this one… as quick as possible.
KONG:SKULL ISLAND. Kong is back and after his appearance about 45 minutes into the film I figured why Kong is always mad. Unlike all gorillas, Kong has hair all over his butt and he has no penis! He does have his usual minute or two with a beautiful blonde…that’s Brie Larson (playing Faye Wray). Samuel. L. Jackson is a very bad guy, Tom Hiddleston is the big hero John Goodman gets killed before you expect it and John C. Reilly saves the movie from being just another numb & dumb box office smash. It beat Logan at the ticket office so that proves it. Truthfully though, it isn’t all bad IF you like monster gorilla movies.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
MOONLIGHT. Best Oscar film 2017!!! For starters, Moonlight has a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s not just me who really not only enjoyed this tale of drugs, gangs, and love, but people who like deep, serious films loved it too. Set in Miami, this sharp, delicate, brilliant story of a Black man’s life is told in three parts. It’s best not to read too much about the plot and just watch with wonder as it unfolds. You’ve never seen a film like this one. Yes, It’s back again…many nominations and winning an Oscar did it!!
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. James Baldwin began writing a book in 1979 and this documentary uses the 30 pages his finished as continutity between the 6 chapters in the film. The links are stories of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evans. It’s Baldwin working for unity and equality and we all need to see this film. It’s a lesson in humanity, and probably no Republicans or any of the 22, 438 Santa Cruz Trump voters will see this important film. It’s narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and got a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes. Please see it!!!
A UNITED KINGDOM. “Based on a ture story” has almost become a law for movies lately…but this one really is. And It’s an excellent film. There’s a bunch of Black & White themed films out there now and that’s a good thing. This “historical” film about the King of Botswana land falling in love with and marrying a white Brit. woman is still deeper and more meaningful than most of the rest. (“Loving”, etc.) Recent award winner David Oyelowo and the brilliant Rosamund Pike star of Gone Girl (one of my favorite actors) grab hold of every scene and make you believe it. More than that you (we) become completely involved with the story. Somehow you’ll begin to wonder just how far you’d go in this “mixed marriage” thing. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85%.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected o make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
LION. A true story of a little 5 year old boy getting lost in India. At last we get to see Dev Patel portray somebody serious and he does an excellent job. It’s a very cornball plot that you can guess every turn and twist, but still just because it’s India you do stay tuned in all the way through. Rooney Mara is his girlfriend for part of the plot and Nicole Kidman is the Australian wife who adopts him. It’s 100% feelgood and there are much better films out and around now, but it does have a certain charm.
HIDDEN FIGURES. A syrupy, Hollywoody much- altered story of three Black American women who did spectacular mathematical and technical work at NASA while fighting against a lot of racial and female prejudice. All to launch John Glenn into orbit. It’s both a cute and painful story at the same time. It’s a contender and still lacks something that could have made it a classic. It almost outdrew Star Wars on opening weekend!
LA LA LAND. It all depends on how much you remember the glorious and very bright and brilliant days of the Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Betty Grable, even Barbara Striesand, Judy Garland, and especially Ginger Rogers musicals. La La Land works very hard to convince us that the world hasn’t changed since those days and tries earnestly to recreate the innocence, and obvious genius of those performers. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone make La La Land fun and happy to a degree, but it’s not the same. The music and songs aren’t anywhere near as good and the photography of today’s LA doesn’t add much either, besides that Stone and Gosling are not professional dancers or singers like all of above. It’s like having Eddie Redmayne play Tarzan.
JOHN WICK Chapter 2. Keanu Reeves is back as the star of this sequel. That should be warning enough. One of the most splatteringly bloodiest films I’ve seen in years. Seems like all American made big studio films are violent nowadays, but this one is more than that. They justify the plot by adding sworn Mafia type family oaths , scenes in Rome, and just blood and more blood and as I said, most of it gets splattered on walls… a lot. However. I’m more than willing to entertain the possibility that it’s a generational thing. Most of my younger friends love it…and Rotten Tomatoes gives it 90%!! It’s in “THE SAME VEIN” as Logan and Jack Reacher movies.
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. Patrice Vecchione returns March 14 to talk about her one-woman show “Dressed and Undressed” happening March 17 & 18, then Bruce Van Allen from the Affordable Housing Now and S.C. Tenant’s Organizing Committee will talk about short term vacation rentals. Espressivo conductor and artistic director Michel Singher talks about their March 30 concert on March 21 followed by Chip from The Downtown Association of Santa Cruz.Roy Malan discusses the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert happening April 9. John Aird follows with an overview of UCSC growth, water, and our tourist driven wharf plans. On April 4 Linda Burman-Hall returns to talk about The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s spring concerts. After Linda, Ben Leeds Carson details the April In Santa Cruz concerts. 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 absolutely love bellydancing, and this girl is great! Check her out.
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. “WALLS”
“Men build too many walls and not enough bridges.” Joseph Fort Newton
“If there is a hard, high wall and an egg that breaks against it, no matter how right the wall or how wrong the egg, I will stand on the side of the egg. Why? Because each of us is an egg, a unique soul enclosed in a fragile egg. Each of us is confronting a high wall. The high wall is the system which forces us to do the things we would not ordinarily see fit to do as individuals . . . We are all human beings, individuals, fragile eggs. We have no hope against the wall: it’s too high, too dark, too cold. To fight the wall, we must join our souls together for warmth, strength. We must not let the system control us — create who we are. It is we who created the system. (Jerusalem Prize acceptance speech, JERUSALEM POST, Feb. 15, 2009)” Haruki Murakami
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance”. Robert Kennedy
“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect”. Ronald Reagan
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PRE DEPOT PARK 1905. The Santa CruzUnion Station was built in 1892for the South Pacific Coast Rail Road. Note the Santa Cruz electric open car on the far right. Now there’s mostly an artificial turf soccer field taking up all that space.
WHARF TO WHARF COMPARISON. The editorial in Sunday”s Santa cruz Sentinel (03/05) had a great bit of statistics that hopefully convince locals of the need to preserve our Municipal Wharf instead of developing it into a non descript shopping mall. To quote the Sentinel…
“For Monterey, a recent Herald report found that city’s Fisherman’s Wharf was the second most visited attraction in the area in 2016 (Cannery Row was number 1 and the Aquarium was number 3.)”. It clearly shows that visitors go first to the historic and preserved sites (Cannery Row) then second they go to the more modernized Monterey Wharf. Lastly they go to the Aquarium. Adult admision to the Aquarium is now $49.95!!!
22, 438 TRUMP SUPPORTERS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. One way or the other I’m going to repeat this voting statistic often. We must remember that even in this heavenly liberal bubble we somehow keep thinking we live in..that the reality is that 22,438 neighbors voted for Trump! (lest we forget)
THE COTONI-COAST NATIONAL MONUMENT NEWS. Everyone one who cares about the environment, climate change, tourism, and politics waited with bated breath to see if President Obama would declare this space a national minument just before leaving office….and he did it.What’s been happening since? How do the neighbors who live near the “monument” feel about it? What’s the future hold for the development? The Latest issue of The Rural Bonny Doon Association newspaper The Highlander has thai article in it…it’s four or more pages long and if you want to understand more about what monument status means…go for it.
Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument:
LOTS OF QUESTIONS, FEW ANSWERS.
As most of us expected, on Jan. 12 then- President Obama, under the auspices of the National Antiquities Act, proclaimed Coast Dairies a national monument, and added to it the name of the Cotoni (pronounced Cha-tone-ee) band of Amah Matsun people who used to inhabit the area.
Along with other local groups like Friends of the North Coast and the Davenport/North Coast Association, the RBDA Board feared the designation would attract many more visitors to the 5,800 acre property that stretches from Highway One up into Bonny Doon, surrounds Bonny Doon Road, and reaches up the coast into Swanton, than if it were simply maintained as a protected area managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management, a division of the Interior Dept.
The problem is that national monument designation gears up a global barrage of publicity, while guaranteeing only a pittance of additional funding for management and stewardship.
Cotoni-Coast Dairies faces the same dilemma as most other protected lands. They are managed for two conflicting purposes: public recreation, and environmental and habitat preservation. But Cotoni-Coast Dairies is different from most other large protected lands: it is just two hours or less away from a population of 8 million people, many of whom are enthusiastic hikers and bikers. It isn’t hard to foresee that when a visitor center and trails are established, 500,000 or more people a year may be enjoying the property. [State Parks estimates that that many visitors—obviously, many of them locals who use it frequently—tramp or ride about on Wilder Ranch State Park each year. We think that estimate is high.] Since being named a monument, Ft. Ord’s visitation has zoomed to over 400,000.
Will BLM have the personnel and funding to protect the land and minimize fire danger and other impacts? Republicans, who control Congress, and now the White House, too, are hostile to spending money for environmental protection. The Interior Dept. budget has been shrinking, considering inflation, for several years, and it has an estimated $15 billion backlog in deferred maintenance. Private funding may make up some of the budget shortfall for Cotoni-Coast Dairies, but it can’t make up for a serious deficit. Historically, conservation organizations have been willing to donate funds for programs and facilities, but not for operational budgets.
Adding to our concerns are more studies that show that top predators—mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, etc.—shy away from areas frequented by humans, even people just hiking through. Cotoni-Coast Dairies is a significant territory for those predators.
Undoubtedly BLM will proceed slowly, and, we hope, thoughtfully and carefully, in opening trails. It will take several years, perhaps 10 or more, for them to fully develop a visitor center (most likely at the Davenport cement plant site), parking lots and other facilities. Everyone acknowledges that successful stewardship will require the development of a dedicated volunteer cadre; BLM itself has only four rangers right now for the 278,000 Central Coast acres it manages.
It remains a mystery where the money will be found to meet the additional costs for local emergency services and law enforcement, and there seems no way to cope with increased traffic on Highway 1/Mission St., and feeder roads like Highways 17, 92 and 84, and even Felton Empire and Empire Grade. Along with the near-term prospect of opening San Vicente Redwoods to the public, we fear that Davenport, in particular, Bonny Doon and even Santa Cruz may become much busier than many of us will like.
To follow this issue as it develops, and share your thoughts, go to friendsofthenorthcoast.org, and join the Facebook group Friends of the North Coast.
Cotoni-Coast Dairies Supervisors’ Conditions Missing from Monument Proclamation
Responding to concerns raised by the RDBA and the Davenport/North Coast Association, in April 2015 the County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution basing their support for Coast Dairies becoming a national monument on a set of conditions that could help mitigate the impacts of the expected increase in visitation. President Obama’s monument proclamation failed to meet many of those conditions. The Supervisors’ resolution specifically stated, “There should be no implication in the Proclamation that the National Monument is adjacent to the California Coastal National Monument.” Instead, Coast Dairies is now officially part of the CCNM.
Condition 10 said “Long-term funding from private, as well as public, institutions should be secured to assure adequate management of the Monument.” While Sempervirens Fund, which initiated and spearheaded the campaign for monument status, has promised some funding, it is a pittance compared to the amount needed for “adequate management,” and Congress is more likely to reduce the Interior Dept.’s budget than expand it.
Condition 3 stated that “The Proclamation designating the National Monument shall contain a commitment that the National Monument Management Plan shall: a. Be comprehensive and specific to the land included in the Coast Dairies National Monument.” The Proclamation ignores this, and the Cotoni-Coast Dairies management plan may instead be included in the CCNM management plan, which could well make it much less specific to Cotoni-Coast Dairies. The Proclamation also ignores Condition 2, which calls for the management plan to be completed within 3 years. Condition 3f. said the Proclamation should direct that the management plan “Assure that local fire and rescue services are not overburdened by increased use.” That language isn’t in the Proclamation. Condition 3g. demanded that a fee-for-service be negotiated for emergency services, and take into consideration “costs that occur off the property as a result of its public use.” Again, not in the Proclamation.
Condition 9 was that “There should be no specific reference to plant communities not specifically listed as endangered on Federal or California state endangered species lists.” The Proclamation specifically names several such plant communities. Will the Supervisors push BLM to live up to the conditions their Resolution demanded? We think they are honor-bound to do that, and that it is very much in the community’s interest.
Sempervirens Fund and other organizations that backed the monument campaign have an ethical obligation to try to reduce the negative impacts of that designation. Ironically, we who fought this designation on the grounds that Coast Dairies was already fully protected and that greatly increased visitation would bring only negative consequences, must nevertheless work hard to try to make the best of this by participating in the management plan process, overseeing BLM’s plan implementation, and by volunteering as docents on the property itself. It will be about three more years before you can hike, ride your bike or horse, or walk your dog on San Vicente Redwoods, the 8,500-acre property that stretches from Empire Grade nearly to Davenport. That was the word at the January RBDA meeting from Bryan Largay, the Conservation Director at the Santa Cruz Land Trust, which has been developing a public access plan for the property for about three years . Earlier, the Land Trust had been hoping to have one or more trails open by 2016, but detailed studies of the flora, fauna, geology and other critical matters have not only pushed the timeline back, but added to the projected overall costs of trail construction to protect against erosion and impacts on such things as mountain lion denning and roaming. Some of those costs have been underwritten by a $500,000 donation earlier this year from Santa Cruz Bicycles, the world-renowned mountain bike manufacturer, and a matching grant from an anonymous donor. Mountain bikers are eager for more local trails, including on Cotoni-Coast Dairies and Pogonip. Those whose job is to reduce bikers’ impact on land, plants and animals, and other recreational users (hikers and equestrians) are very aware that a small subset of bikers will strike out on their own if legal, managed and monitored trails aren’t provided (or even if they are).
To that end, the Land Trust has worked with its conservation partners in San Vicente, Sempervirens Fund and Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), who will fund it, and with County Parks and the County Sheriff, to implement a patrol program on San Vicente. Largay said current plans call for 38 miles of trails. Trail design will separate hikers, equestrians and bikers as appropriate to try to eliminate problems. Some of the old logging roads will be made into trails. When it owned this property CEMEX logged it extensively. Projected costs have been rising because of the neglected state of those roads.
Eventually, of course, the San Vicente trails will link up on the southern end to Cotoni-Coast Dairies, which separates it from Cement Plant Road in Davenport. In the beginning, the plan calls for a short dog-walking trail paralleling Empire Grade, and loop trails going down into the property. Largay said there will be a free 25-car parking lot off Empire which will be locked at night, and will be expanded when and if needed to ensure people don’t park on Empire or on nearby private roads. In response to a question at the January RBDA meeting, he said there definitely will not be access to the property from Bonny Doon Road.
San Vicente Trails may make up some of the budget shortfall for Cotoni-Coast Dairies, but it can’t make up for a serious deficit. Historically, conservation organizations have been willing to donate funds for programs and facilities, but not for operational budgets.
Adding to our concerns are more studies that show that top predators—mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, etc.—shy away from areas frequented by humans, even people just hiking through. Cotoni-Coast Dairies is a significant territory for those predators.
Undoubtedly BLM will proceed slowly, and, we hope, thoughtfully and carefully, in opening trails. It will take several years, perhaps 10 or more, for them to fully develop a visitor center (most likely at the Davenport cement plant site), parking lots and other facilities. Everyone acknowledges that successful stewardship will require the development of a dedicated volunteer cadre; BLM itself has only four rangers right now for the 278,000 Central Coast acres it manages.
It remains a mystery where the money will be found to meet the additional costs for local emergency services and law enforcement, and there seems no way to cope with increased traffic on Highway 1/Mission St., and feeder roads like Highways 17, 92 and 84, and even Felton Empire and Empire Grade. Along with the near-term prospect of opening San Vicente Redwoods to the public, we fear that Davenport, in particular, Bonny Doon and even Santa Cruz may become much busier than many of us will like. To follow this issue as it develops, and share your thoughts, go to friendsofthenorthcoast.org , and join the Facebook group Friends of the North Coast
~ KZSC’S NEW NEWS. The Monterey Bay Area News coverage scene has changed. UCSC students at KZSC have been creating and broadcasting weekly news every Thursday morning from 8:00-8:10 am. They work hard and wisely on gathering and checking sources…and the enthusiasm is unbeatable. Tune in Thursdays 8 am to KZSC 88.1 fm or online at KZSC.org.
More Views from Australia
Public transportation in and around Sydney is a delight. This is no indictment of Santa Cruz, whose small town size, relative isolation and funding sources make public transportation a challenge. In Australia, public transportation, similar to education, is state, not locally funded. This ensures that trains serve all towns and counties and school districts receive essentially the same state funds, whether they are affluent or working class. Public transportation is widely used and user friendly. All ages and social classes travel by bus and train, both of which are spotless, comfortable and clearly marked. If you are over 60, retired and a resident, your senior card allows you to travel up to distances of 100 miles in all directions for a maximum of $2.50 and all school buses are free.
I travelled by train from Central Station in Sydney to the Blue Mountains at Katoomba to visit my sister. These are not bullet trains but fast enough. The trip of two hours passed by the many small, historic train stations, each immaculately maintained and punctuated with lovingly tended islands of landscaping. Apparently the stations vie with each other to present the best landscaping. As a non-resident, my fare was $6 each way.
Despite the wide availability of excellent public transportation and gas at over $6 a gallon, car traffic is a nightmare in and around Sydney. My hunch is that this will hold true for the future of Santa Cruz, irrespective of the push for non-car forms of transportation. The assumption on the part of Santa Cruz city planners, city council and transportation activists that providing bike lanes, sidewalks, the rail trail and eradicating on street parking as well as reduced required parking for new dense developments will result in people getting out of and getting rid of their cars is in my view a pipe dream or a sop to development interests.
One last reflection: on a 10K hike along the headlands of the many northern Sydney beaches from Collaroy to Manly, I was struck by the huge swaths of open public land punctuated by perhaps a small children’s playground. One or two people even on a Sunday. Space to throw a ball or spread out a blanket and have a picnic. This within a metropolitan area of 5 million people. I could hear echos of Santa Cruz park planners intoning that the space is “under-utilized” and should be “activated.” I was also struck by the respect for pedestrians. On reaching our destination and heading for the bus to catch home I observed the clear signs alerting bike riders to dismount and walk in pedestrian crossings and signs that prohibited bikes on frequently used promenades. The signs were respected.
Gillian Greensite is a long time local activist, a member of Save Our Big Trees and the Santa Cruz chapter of IDA, International Dark Sky Association http://darksky.org Plus she’s an avid ocean swimmer, hiker and lover of all things wild).
March 5,2015
Oh, What a Night, late February Back in ’17!
The bomb blast you may have felt last week came during the ninth hour (10:20pm) of the Santa Cruz City Council meeting of February 24th. 2017 During a lengthy discussion about whether Santa Cruz should have both a sanctuary city resolution and an ordinance provision, several community members asserted at the public podium that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has a desk inside the Santa Cruz Police Department. When the conversation came back to the council, Vice-mayor David Terazzas said people should be careful in making accusations about the police. Councilmember Sandy Brown chimed in that she had an email from Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold corroborating the existence of HSI’s physical presence within one of our city’s public safety facilities. With that, Police Chief Kevin Vogel spoke up. Yes, in fact “an agent (from HSI-ICE) has had a desk at SCPD” since 2009, he said. Vogel followed up that comment with, “my intention is to serve the DHS (Department of Homeland Security, HSI’s parent organization) agent with an eviction.”
Move him out of the facility in other words?
It is a question that still looms over an otherwise productive and sensitive discussion—over 250 showed up—that placed the protecting of our local immigrant community at the top of the city council’s evening agenda. It is important to state here that both the resolution and a toothier ordinance fashioned on the city of Santa Ana’s law were both passed by the council. (see the New York Times editorial on the Santa Ana ordinance here)
When asked if our ordinance is as strong as it could be, city attorney Tony Condotti said, “I don’t’ think this is the strongest policy statement from among the ones I’ve seen…it’s a measured policy statement in my view.”
Other questions that remain:
How could SCPD not know earlier about the entire scope of the DHS-HSI-ICE operation that was carried out in the early morning hours of February 13th? Why has Department Of Homeland Security (DHS) not yet provided SCPD with a list of immigrants who were detained that day? And that’s after being prodded several times by our Deputy-chief of Police, Dan Flippo? “It is upsetting that HSI has not been forthcoming,” Flippo stated. And of course, a question that does not go away: How is it that Santa Cruz County Sherriff, Jim Hart opted NOT to provide county resources to DHS after his officers attended an initial pre-planning meeting for this operation?
What also needs to be pointed out here is that it is rare, and somewhat heartening, to see a local police chief, and deputy chief, so sincerely take professional responsibility for a federal operation gone wrong. Vogel and Flippo, while acting as a Santa Cruz David, stridently and forcefully went after Goliath, the Department of Homeland Security. The Washington Post reported on February 23rd that Chief Vogel said, “We cannot cooperate with a law enforcement agency we cannot trust.”
SCPD’s verbal pushback, and the police hierarchy’s stated concern in carrying out our city’s sanctuary resolution and ordinance, remain as a positive outcome to an otherwise sordid affair. There is much more to this story and I hope our local media will be reporting it. I urge readers of BrattonOnline to check out UCSC’s City on a Hill last week. Their coverage is exemplary and the newspaper’s cover picture incorporates Spanish and English over a picture taken inside the city council chambers during the sanctuary discussion. The picture deserves a journalism award!
Snapshots and Take-Aways
Wells Fargo bank holds over $20 million of Santa Cruz City money at any given time. It handles our city’s payroll. Wells is helping finance the “Dakota Access Pipeline” (DAPL). Cities from Seattle to Santa Monica are divesting from Wells Fargo. Should Santa Cruz also pull out? How difficult would it be for us to divest? Are there other banking services available, local ones to be specific? Let the city council know how you feel: citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com mailto:citycouncil@cityofsantacruz.com
The PDC retreat this past Saturday was energizing and encouraging. Twenty-five of us sat around a rectangular table at SEIU’s union hall on Mission Street and discussed a community-centered agenda beginning with continued support of sanctuary city protections for immigrants, support for statewide issues like single-payer (universal) healthcare, allying the club with younger voters by supporting their issues (affordable housing, free college tuition), not only registering voters but empowering them too, and also to continue searching for good candidates to run on local city councils and school boards throughout the county. It appears like the political health of the PDC is better than ever!
On the heels of the PDC retreat came the Campaign for Sensible Transportation’s overt facilitated discussion of “parking demand management.” While a not so covert conversation was also being waged on how can the community can decouple and sideline the SC city manager office’s apparent dream of building a $33-$37 million five-story parking garage-library. It’s envisioned on the site of where the Farmer’s Market now sits at Cedar Street bounded by Cathcart and Lincoln downtown. Brodie Hamilton was the featured speaker. Hamilton directed Stanford University’s successful demand management program that he says saved over $100 million in avoided costs for parking lot construction. Seems like he thinks we can do the same here.
The significance of his presentation was perhaps reflected by who actually attended: Planning commissioner, Mark Mesiti-Miller; Metro’s bus driver union president, Eduardo Montesino; former SC city parking czar, Matt Farrell; UCSC’s current Transportation and Parking Services Director, Larry Pageler; former Brand New City Council candidate Steve Schnaar; UCSC professor emeritus, Peter Scott; elections consultant and former mayor Bruce Van Allen; former SC councilmember Ed Porter; and housing and transportation visionary, Ron Swenson. (Wow, looking back that’s a lot of male energy in one room…)
The media even showed up to the SCPD Community room to cover the event. I saw Kara Guzman reported the story in last Sunday’s Santa Cruz Sentinel, while the Good Times’Jake Pierce will likely come out with his own piece this week. Although Guzman quotes deputy city manager Scott Collins (who was not in the room) as contending that the garage-library project is “largely conceptual,” the very large elephant that is now sitting behind city hall’s currently closed doors is that others inside the city manager’s office actually see this project as some sort of done deal. If it’s not, it’s at least near the top of city manager, Martin Bernal’s project priority list. It’s refreshing to hear that Collins believes it’s “conceptual.”
The indefatigable, Rick Longinotti was really to blame for this local-vocal pushback on the project. He wants to reward residents who bike, bus, and walk more, and leave the current downtown parking spaces for residents who opt to bring their car. He would also call for rewarding those city employees who choose not to drive downtown with bus passes as part of their paycheck. The employees at Stanford saved over $1000 each per year by carpooling, busing, and taking the train instead of driving to campus. Longinotti thinks there’s already enough parking spaces, but would still support the city undertaking a “parking demand management study” before investing so much money in another garage.
Mayor Cynthia Chase Put Aside $10,000 to Fund a Community Conversation
Mayor Chase wants to talk about housing this year, in all of its myriad forms—rental, market-driven, houseless-homeless, and the hundreds of NEW students the UC administration continues to invite onto “the Hill,” thus forcing juniors and seniors to look for housing in town. I say great, let’s talk and plan, but at the end of this discussion, let’s invest our scarce dollars into the people who live here now, not the vacation renters and second-home folks who might just be finding out about Santa Cruz for the first time.
Leftovers
Can’t wait to get to more Bernie-issues on this council gig…the tough policy ones like the “Fight for $15,” assisting students in obtaining free public college tuition, a just-cause eviction ordinance, raising the hotel tax to help fund our housing trust fund and a 24/7 homeless shelter, and how about rent control and ranked-choice voting too? This week we will hopefully be taking on Wall Street and a Banks, aka Wells Fargo.
And this just in…
A friend texts: “The Pope drives a Leaf (Nissan), how are you liking your Bolt?” Lovin’ it! Goes over 200 miles. We can finally get up and back to see the in-laws in Berkeley on a single charge.
~Bernie Quote of the Week: “I am going to do my best to try to create a country in which children are not living in poverty, in which kids can go to college, which old people have healthcare. Will I succeed? I can’t guarantee you that, but I can tell you that from a human point of view it is better to show up than give up.”
(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).
WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO BE INFORMED ABOUT…LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROCEEDINGS?
Last week seemed to be full of various County government meetings. Citizens who are concerned about what is going on and want to become educated have to work very hard to get information. While the standard answer from government staff is “you can look that up on our website”, I have found that I learn much more by attending meetings and hear what gets said but not necessarily reported in minutes.
I appreciate that Community Television records and broadcasts the County Board of Supervisor meetings and many others, but many Commission (e.g., Water Advisory, Housing Advisory, Historic Resources Advisory) meetings are not recorded. It would be good for the public if they were. Ask your local elected officials to do so, in the name of government transparency.
Take advantage of this good resource…maybe someday the County Board of Supervisors and the Regional Transportation Commission will accommodate the working class and students who cannot currently attend their 9am weekday meetings.
A LONG DAY ON THE FIFTH FLOOR AT 701 OCEAN STREET
The February 28 County Board of Supervisor meeting was a long one. Why were two critical matters placed on the agenda for the same day? The Cannabis Cultivation and Licensing Environmental Impact Report Noticing brought a room full of people with many good questions and ideas. Cannabis Enforcement Officer Mr. Dan Peterson also presented a great deal of information.
Unfortunately, it seems the District 2 ban on outdoor growing on less than 5 acre parcels is still on the books….all because County Administrative Officer Ms. Susan Mauriello doesn’t like the smell in her backyard. Doesn’t that place residents in District 2 at an unfair economic disadvantage by forcing them to pay higher electric bills for lighting and ventillation to grow their medicine? I think so, not to mention the fire hazard from over-loaded electrical circuits. My neighborhood had to evacuate in the middle of the night three years ago due to a fire for that very reason.
Maybe Ms. Mariello will have that same pleasure and see the errors of her ways…..
SMOKE AND MIRRORS…A DISMAL COUNTY BUDGET REPORT
The $711 million Mid-Year Budget Report was scheduled for the last item of the day. I could not stay later than 3pm…and the staff presentations were still going. What I heard worries me greatly.
The County is operating at $8.1 MILLION DEFICIT. What happened to that balanced budget promised last June? But hang on, there’s more:
An additional $4.5 million is needed to bring reserves up to the desired level of 10% by FY 2020-21.
Project that PERS costs will continue to rise by over 12% by FY 2018-19 resulting in increased costs of $5 million.
GENERAL FUNDS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OR MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIRS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE. (read that one twice to let the true meaning sink in)
Funding needs for road improvements will be significant.
Cheery, isn’t it?
Hang on, there is more….
Directors of Public Works, Sheriff, County Fire, Human Services and Health Services each made presentations of “Emerging Issues”. I could only stay to hear Public Works and the first half of the Sheriff reports. Take a deep breath and read on….
County Public Works Director Mr. John Presleigh reported the current estimate for repairing the damaged County roads and bridges is $40 million and climbing. He hopes to get State and Federal money to help pay that bill but the County will still need $5-$9 million for matching funds. Now, let me repeat the note from above:
“GENERAL FUNDS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OR MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIRS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE.”
Mr. Presleigh stated that to save money, engineering staff will do much of the repair designs in-house. That is good…all those consultants and outside contractors the County hires are very expensive. Mr. Presleigh also said his department plans to increase County Service Area 9 (CSA) taxes on all county property tax bills to get more money for road repairs. He said that the County will conduct a poll (probably done by an expensive consultant) of the three general county areas to see just how much additional tax money people would be willing to pay.
The Board of Supervisors seemed to think this is a good idea, and urged Mr. Presleigh to take action quickly, before people get used to the damaged roads and forget what distress the storms brought them. Supervisor Ryan Coonerty said, “Let’s borrow now, before the interest rates go up.” Maybe he did not understand that the Mid-Year Budget Report states the County is operating at $8.1 MILLION deficit?
So much for a balanced budget and living within one’s means…. But County Administrative Officer (CAO) Ms. Susan Mauriello’s report promises a balanced budget by May…just in time for her retirement and hefty pension.
KUDOS TO RTC COMMISSIONER MR. RANDY JOHNSON
It was refreshing to hear Regional Transportation Commissioner (RTC) Mr. Randy Johnson (Scotts Valley) question the effectiveness of an additional $70,000 consultant to go door-to-door in select areas of Watsonville and Branciforte to ask why people do not take the bus or bicycle. “How will you measure the success of this survey?” he asked. RTC staff (Ms. Blakeslee) answered: take another survey. Wow. Commissioner Mr. Oscar Rios (Watsonville) pointed out that residents of Watsonville have the highest per capita bus ridership in the County already. Mr. Johnson recommended enlisting the help of community volunteers who are passionate about reducing greenhouse gasses (quite a few of them were in the audience) to do the door-to-door surveys. The Commission voted to approve the additional $70,000 for the project, with Commissioner Johnson voting “no”.
KUDOS AGAIN TO COMMISSIONER JOHNSON
The next item on the agenda was a different RTC staff member (Ms. Dykaar) asking for an additional $500,000 to hire a consultant to incorporate the public input from the recent online “Unified Transportation Corridor” survey for the County. It seems that the 3,300 responses presented information that now legally must be reflected in the Transportation Plan, and update a couple of studies because they are now out of date.
Again, Commissioner Johnson asked “Why do we have to spend more money studying this? Now that Measure D has passed, my constituents are asking when will Highway One get widened? It seems like there is all kinds of money from the State to study projects but NO money available to actually get anything done.”
Ms. Dykaar reported that she had already sent out invitations to consultants for the survey compilation work, but at a lower budget amount. No consultants were interested in the job because it wasn’t enough money…she needed half a million to get a consultant to do the work.
Once again, the Commission approved the $500,000 additional funding, with Commissioner Johnson voting “No”. I am glad someone is paying attention. Now, tell me about that Measure D Oversight Committee? Will we have to hire a consultant to select those five people? Hmmm…..
RTC DIRECTOR HAS PREDICTIONS REGARDING IMPACTS OF WHITE HOUSE TWEETS
Mr. George Donderos, Director of the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) had a dismal report with information from the profession regarding federal funding for transportation.
At best case, the funding will be flat, but probably will decrease due to congressional emphasis to increase the Defense Budget while not increasing the total federal budget. Currently, half of the federal funding to the National Highway Trust Fund comes from the general budget. “In 2020, Congress must act to provide an equivalent of doubling the gas tax just to stay at current funding levels.” Last year, Congress lowered the gas tax rate.
Here are the implications for our region:
Expect funding for bridge replacements, highway maintenance, and freight movement.
Potential cuts to transit, and programs considered “non-essential” such as bike & pedestrian.
Shift in decision-making to the states (Governors, not necessarily CalTrans, or regions).
Expect little for congestion relief for interchanges or other improvements.
THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF THE TAX EXEMPT STATUS OF MUNICIPAL BONDS
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANACING OPTIONS AND INCREASES COSTS. (legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Paul Ryan)
Here are some Issues:
“1. Acknowledgement by many that tolling will not replace the need for traditional revenues for maintenance and improvement of existing facilities, nor is it an option in rural areas.
Current law does not allow tolling on existing facilities.
A significant concern is that many polticians see “increased financing” opportunities as equivalent to increased funding. It is not, and there remains a significant need for increased revenues.
TIGER grants (competitive transportation grants) will likely be stricken; transit reduced; and bike, pedestrian, and Safe Routes to School funding will potentially be in jeopardy.”
How cheery. Mr. Donderos encouraged all Commissioners to lend support to SB1 that, if approved would allocate millions to fund local roads and Metro. You can track transportation-related bills in the state legislature on a website: www.calcog.org . Click on the “Bill Tracker” and hope for the best.
LAFCO MEETING….CONSOLIDATING APTOS/LA SELVA AND CENTRAL FIRE DISTRICTS AND…..
The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) met to discuss that agency’s budget. I was surprised to learn that they must, along with any non-county agency, pay rent to the county for space. The Commissioners also discussed the proposal to consolidate the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District with the Central Fire Protection District. Interestingly, Aptos and Corralitos divisions of the County Fire Department, those wonderful well-trained volunteers that respond 24/7 to medical calls and fires in the rural areas of the County, were also added into the consolidation proposal.
However, somehow County Fire Chief Ian Larkin was never invited to attend any of the ad hoc committee meetings to discuss the consolidation proposal. Hmmm…
Commissioner Zach Fiend (whose supervisorial district includes Corralitos and Aptos) admitted that he had not instructed LAFCO Director Mr. Pat McCormick to invite Chief Larkin to join the discussion about including County Fire in the consolidation. “We have the other two fire agencies that are motivated to take action now, and I was advised that adding County Fire into the discussion would just slow things down.”
But wait a minute, don’t you think the County Fire Chief needs to have some input on matters of consolidation that would take away the areas that provide some of the highest tax money to financially support County Fire Department’s budget? I do, and I live in rural Aptos. If you do, too, maybe Supervisor Zach Friend would love to hear your thoughts about this matter:
Stay tuned next week for news on the County’s irresponsible plan to spend $2 MILLION on Aptos Village’s Soquel Drive/Trout Gulch Road intersection, moving the westbound bus stop for Aptos Village Project developer Barry Swenson Builder, and adding dedicated turn lanes for Aptos Village Project developer Joe Appenrodt’s Bay Fed/Starbucks shopping center.
Is the 1928 historic Aptos Creek Bridge safe? The last time it was inspected (2013), the report advised careful monitoring (and possible closure) during heavy storm events. Hmmm…… Did you see any bridge inspectors there? I didn’t. No word yet from the Public Works Department if any inspections have occurred since 2013. Is it safe for construction trucks and heavy equipment???
What about the integrity of the buried gas lines on the other end of the Aptos Village area, near the trestle abutment? Given the dramatic road shoulder failures on both sides of Soquel Drive, should the area be re-named to “Isthmus of Aptos”?
Will Valencia Road ever get funded for repair so Valencia Elementary School can re-open?
Tell me again why the County would rather spend $2 million to help Aptos Village Project developers instead of Valencia Elementary School’s 600+ students, families and staff and the 140 households in adjacent Rolling Green Estates and Aptos School Road?
Is there a consultant in the house?
~WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
Cheers, Becky Steinbruner (Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes).
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that time is an illusion. Apparently, though, Einstein did believe in a more conventional understanding of “space.” That is the way I construe his reluctance to accept what he called “spooky action at a distance.” This phenomenon, predicted by quantum physics, and largely proven, is defined by the fact that two particles, widely separated in space, can be shown to affect each other, instantaneously, despite the distance separating them, and despite the limits on communication supposedly imposed by the speed of light.
If I am correctly understanding the implications of that “spooky action at a distance” thing, it would seem largely to negate our common sense understanding of what “space” must be, since geographic separation (the “space” between us) would not interrupt an immediate exchange of information between two widely-separated particles, or “things.”
My friend Mr. Dylan puts it this way: “Something is happening here, but [we] don’t know what it is.” We are all playing the role of a materialist “Mr. Jones,” as we find out more about the World of Nature. What we are finding out is that we actually live in a world that is a something quite different from what we have assumed to be the case”.
Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals 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. Check out DeCinzo’s idea of our housing problem a page or two below.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s ” What Smell “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.
RUSSIAN SYNCHCHRONIZED SKATING. I’m not a big ice skating fan but this teamwork is beautiful.
JEWEL THEATRE’S “The Dance of Death” a play by August Strindberg plays March 16-April 9 at the Colligan Theatre over in the Tannery Arts Center. Wikipedia says it has black humor. It’s about a soured marriage and reviews have almost always said it has overtones of George and Martha in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”. Tickets and more information here!
SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. “The Greatest Music You’ve Never Heard” is the title of their next concert happening Saturday March 11th at 7:30 pm; and Sunday March 12th at 3:00 pm. That means Rarely Performed Chamber Works by Jaun Crisóstomo Arriaga, Aaron Copland, William Grant Still, and others. The concert will be performed by Ivan Rosenblum, Concert director and piano; James Pytko, clarinet; Shannon Delaney and Rachel Magnus Hartman, violins; Arlyn Knapic, viola; AudeCastagna, cello. Their press release says, “Rarely performed?” We know what you’re thinking: surely there are good reasons for that! Our program judiciously avoids those unworthies in favor of first-rate, seldom-performed pieces that deserve wider exposure. We explore why even excellent music is sometimes under- programmed and under-appreciated. For example, Arriaga, the “Spanish Mozart,” who died at age 20, didn’t have time to amass enough compositions to insure a lasting reputation. Even though Aaron Copland is well-known, his Sextet is not, because it’s written in a less popular style than Appalachian Spring. Some composers, for sociological or historical reasons, never received their full due. Such was the fate of Afro-American composer William Grant Still, whose lively dance Dance Suite will be performed. By exploring the twists and turns of “rarely performed” repertoire, we discovered the intriguing Zemlinsky Trio and opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s instrumental Trio. With its 18th-20th century varied repertoire and diverse instrumentation, this concert is not to be missed. You might not get another opportunity to hear these pieces for quite some time! Once again…it’s Saturday March 11th at 7:30 pm; Sunday March 12th at 3:00 pm at Christ Lutheran Church in Aptos off Freedom Blvd. near the old run down CHP headquarters.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Find out if Hugh Jackman’s last Wolverine movie LOGAN is a worthy send-off, and join the countdown to publication day for my next book, this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). Also, fasten your seatbelts for the Return of the Oscar Barbies — 2017 edition!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
LOGAN. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart lower themselves considerably by playing the lead roles in this last of the Wolverine series. I’ve tried hard and failed to stop thinking that this is exactly the kind of film I’ll bet that Donald Trump likes. Even though the Wolverine (Jackman) is a comic book character and the special effects are just about 90% of the picture, the cruelty, killing, blood, evil, are all so typical of today’s biggest boxoffice hits, it’s too over the top for me. No plot, no emotions, no humanity…just more blood and more killing. Even the ending when Wolverine is in a stone covered grave I kept worrying and watching to see if some of the stones didn’t start shaking, meaning we’ll be tortured by an even worse Wolverine # 10. Yes Jackman has played the part nine times!!! Go if you like Donald Trump type movies.
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. Casey Affleck single handidly sustains this deep, emotional film. It’s on the way to several awards and should win them all. It’s an intelligent, beautifically acted in depth portrait of people going through trauma and relationships. Along with Affleck there’s Michelle Williams, Gretchen Mol, even Mathew Broderick in a bit part and especially the 16 year old Lucas Hedges. It’s a cold and unrelenting film that demands your attention.
THE SALESMAN. This great film won the OSCAR for best Foreign language film. It’s from Iran …and it’s a winner anyway. Subtle, subtitled, human, complex…it’s a story about a young couple who are acting in a staged version of Death Of A Salesman. A secret tragedy happens and the plot handles the truth about it very slowly and very beautifully. You could call it searing, emotionally draining, and a lot more. Go see it quickly.
MOONLIGHT. Best Oscar film 2017!!! For starters, Moonlight has a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s not just me who really not only enjoyed this tale of drugs, gangs, and love, but people who like deep, serious films loved it too. Set in Miami, this sharp, delicate, brilliant story of a Black man’s life is told in three parts. It’s best not to read too much about the plot and just watch with wonder as it unfolds. You’ve never seen a film like this one. Yes, It’s back again…many nominations and Sunday’s winning an Oscar did it!!
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. James Baldwin began writing a book in 1979 and this documentary uses the 30 pages his finished as continutity between the 6 chapters in the film. The links are stories of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evans. It’s Baldwin working for unity and equality and we all need to see this film. It’s a lesson in humanity, and probably no Republicans or any of the 22, 438 Santa Cruz Trump voters will see this important film. It’s narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and got a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes. Please see it!!!
A UNITED KINGDOM. “Based on a ture story” has almost become a law for movies lately…but this one really is. And It’s an excellent film. There’s a bunch of Black & White themed films out there now and that’s a good thing. This “historical” film about the King of Botswana land falling in love with and marrying a white Brit. woman is still deeper and more meaningful than most of the rest. (“Loving”, etc.) Recent award winner David Oyelowo and the brilliant Rosamund Pike star of Gone Girl (one of my favorite actors) grab hold of every scene and make you believe it. More than that you (we) become completely involved with the story. Somehow you’ll begin to wonder just how far you’d go in this “mixed marriage” thing. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85%.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected o make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
LION. A true story of a little 5 year old boy getting lost in India. At last we get to see Dev Patel portray somebody serious and he does an excellent job. It’s a very cornball plot that you can guess every turn and twist, but still just because it’s India you do stay tuned in all the way through. Rooney Mara is his girlfriend for part of the plot and Nicole Kidman is the Australian wife who adopts him. It’s 100% feelgood and there are much better films out and around now, but it does have a certain charm.
HIDDEN FIGURES. A syrupy, Hollywoody much- altered story of three Black American women who did spectacular mathematical and technical work at NASA while fighting against a lot of racial and female prejudice. All to launch John Glenn into orbit. It’s both a cute and painful story at the same time. It’s a contender and still lacks something that could have made it a classic. It almost outdrew Star Wars on opening weekend!
LA LA LAND. It all depends on how much you remember the glorious and very bright and brilliant days of the Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Betty Grable, even Barbara Striesand, Judy Garland, and especially Ginger Rogers musicals. La La Land works very hard to convince us that the world hasn’t changed since those days and tries earnestly to recreate the innocence, and obvious genius of those performers. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone make La La Land fun and happy to a degree, but it’s not the same. The music and songs aren’t anywhere near as good and the photography of today’s LA doesn’t add much either, besides that Stone and Gosling are not professional dancers or singers like all of above. It’s like having Eddie Redmayne play Tarzan.
SPLIT. M. Night Shyamalan makes some pretty weird and frequently awful movies. But Split has James McAvoy playing a very disturbed guy with 23 distinct and split personalities (and most of them are very crazy). He’s lured and locked up 3 teen aged girls and it’s scary and more or less predictable after that, but you’ll stay glued to the screen and your seat…go for it …if you like scary stuff. Not anywhere near as a good as Hitchcock, but he tries. (Shyamalan even makes a secret cameo appearance like Hitch always did).
OSCAR SHORTS. LIVE ACTION. There s five of them. 100 % on R. Tomatoes.They range from really, really soapy cornball love story to a really, really, soapy, cornball car attendents secret dancing between parking cars. One is very heavy and serious about a guy being questioned about his loyalty, and you’ll question yours too after seeing it. All in all nit my favorite year for Live action shorts. All foreign, all subtitled.
OSCAR SHORTS, ANIMATION. There’s five of these animated shorts too. They range from a sickingly slick, cutesy Pixar baby sandpiper confection to an adults only “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” 35 minute graphic saga that is brilliant. Don’t take the kids to any of these shorts they simply aren’t worth it. But see Pear Cider if you can.
THE GREAT WALL. Matt Damon heads this almost all Chinese cast in a huge special effects battle against thousands of 20 foot man killing, organized, queen – led Iguanas during the 12 century. Damon’s accent goes from Ireland to Massachusetts (his birthplace). Damon can and has done some fine acting in the past but he’s lost in this computer generated, darkly filmed big, big box office success (in China). 36 on Rotten Tomatoes.
JOHN WICK Chapter 2. Keanu Reeves is back as the star of this sequel. That should be warning enough. One of the most splatteringly bloodiest films I’ve seen in years. Seems like all American made big studio films are violent nowadays, but this one is more than that. They justify the plot by adding sworn Mafia type family oaths , scenes in Rome, and just blood and more blood and as I said, most of it gets splattered on walls… a lot. However. I’m more than willing to entertain the possibility that it’s a generational thing. Most of my younger friends love it…and Rotten Tomatoes gives it 90%!! It’s in “THE SAME VEIN” as Logan and Jack Reacher movies.
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 March 7 Newton and Helen Harrison talk about their book, “The Time of The Force Majeure”. Tony Russomano follows talking about the structure of the Democratic Party in California. Patrice Vecchione returns March 14 to talk about her one-woman show “Dressed and Undressed” happening March 17 & 18, then somebody from the Sanctuary Santa Cruz group will give us new details. Espressivo conductor and artistic director Michel Singher talks about their March 30 concert on March 21 followed by Chip from The Downtown Association of Santa Cruz.Roy Malan discusses the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert happening April 9. John Aird follows with an overview of UCSC growth, water, and our tourist driven wharf plans. On April 4 Linda Burman-Hall returns to talk about The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s spring concerts. 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
There are no words, this is pure joy 🙂
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. “MARCH”
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade”, Charles Dickens
“Indoors or out, no one relaxes In March, that month of wind and taxes, The wind will presently disappear, The taxes last us all the year”. ~Ogden Nash
“March brings breezes loud and shrill, Stirs the dancing daffodil”. ~Sara Coleridge
“Don’t ever become a pessimist… a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun, and neither can stop the march of events”. ~Robert A. Heinlein
“By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again. Not that year. Winter hung in there, like an invalid refusing to die. Day after grey day the ice stayed hard; the world remained unfriendly and cold.” ~Neil Gaiman
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Santa Cruz, CA 95060
FRONT AND SOQUEL STREETS January 1959. The lower left corner is now the CVS/Trader Joe’s parking lot also known as Riverwalk Plaza. How many Santa Cruzans have ever said or even used the term Riverwalk Plaza?? And in the upper center where the gas station was, sits the infamous Wells Fargo Home Mortgage building.
COSSACK DANCE. This is brand new to You Tube. It went online Feb 27, 2017.
Amazing Voice!Judges stopped her because they couldn’t believe it’s her real voice!English Subtitles
You have not seen anything like this! Incredibly beautiful sight!
PLAN WHAT NEW GARAGE & LIBRARY? There’s a workshop this Saturday March 4th in the Police Community room at 11 a.m to hear experts tell why and how we can easily do without a new FIVE (5) story parking garage that the City wants to build on Cedar Street between Lincoln and Cathcart streets. Go here to read The Campaign For Sensible Transportation’s views and news about it. http://sensibletransportation.org
Part of that plan is to build a new Public Library on the first floor of that 5 floor parking garage. The Santa Cruz Public Library just (2/14) put an anouncement online…
“HELP DESIGN THE NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY” They are looking for seven(7) folks to meet regularly to plot and plan this new library. They want to create a Downtown Library Advisory Committee Read about it here on their website… Aren’t they jumping the gun just a bit?
SANTA CRUZ SHOULD WITHDRAW ALL CONNECTIONS AND JOB ORDERS WITH GRANITE CONSTRUCTION.
Like conscientious cities and institutions everywhere are doing with Wells Fargo …The City and County of Santa Cruz should cancel, stop and cease any and all dealings with Granite Construction unless and until Granite ends any plans cooperating with TRUMP and his plan to build the wall. Granite has been an involved part of the county community for decades
and
ANOTHER POINT!!! Even if this wall idea becomes closer to reality why wouldn’t it be better to build a FENCE? Aside from the fact that a fence would be cheaper, doesn’t it make better sense to be able to see what’s on the other side? Sure, cameras & expensive tech gizmos would give some screening opportunities over the top of the wall, a fence would provide 100% vision of any action on the other side. And of course I’m as opposed to a fence as I am to a wall but just in case….read the Granite construction article here…
And on the internet I found, “OK Santa Cruzans, time to make a phone call or send a letter. James Roberts, the president of Granite Construction (headquartered in Watsonville) has announced that they are bidding on the WALL. This is unacceptable on so many levels. Please call 831-724-1011 or write to 585 W. Beach St., Watsonville, CA 95076. Build bridges, not walls!”
SANTA CRUZ SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES RAID MONTEREY COUNTY POT GROW. Why??? Ralph Davila sent this link to this week’s Monterey County Weekly and asks “Can’t figure out why Judge in Santa Cruz County would issue a warrant in Monterey County & why Santa Cruz County Sheriffs would have any jurisdiction in Monterey?” The article tells about how our County Sheriff’s raided a well known Monterey Pot growing facility and how attorney Ben Rice was involved and the possibility that some former Santa Cruz Deputy quit the force and is now growing pot and maybe this was a grudge raid by his former cop friends…read it and think again about the role our police play in so many areas.
SMART PHONES, TEXTING THE LAW AND HAMBURGERS!!! I can’t be the only one who wonders why, if “texting” while driving is illegal because it takes our attention away from the road and traffic threats why then hasn’t eating hamburgers and tacos and eating all drive-thru food been made just as illegal?? Munching a hamburger, managing those fries, sipping that cola, and avoiding pedestrians all at the same time has to be as absorbing and tricky as any “texting”.
READING ORWELL’S 1984. Hopefully you’ve heard and read about a bunch of us locals reading the complete George Orwells “1984” at Bookshop Santa Cruz this Thursday March 2nd, starting at 10 am. As of Monday noon Feb 27 here’s the lineup, in case you want to miss or hit your favorite readers
SPECIAL NOTE…some readers are not reading in their official capacity, titles provided for identification only!!!
10:00 – Steve Kettmann, Wellstone Center in the Redwoods
10:20 – Rabbi Paula Marcus, Rabbi Temple Beth El
10:40 – Alisun Thompson, Santa Cruz City Schools Board Member
11:00 – John Sandidge, KZSC Host
11:20 – Amy Ettinger, Author
11:40 – Elizabeth McKenzie, Author
12:00 – Ryan Coonerty, Santa Cruz County Supervisor
7:00 – Mike Ryan, Santa Cruz Shakespeare Artistic Director
7:20 – Michael Mehr, Immigration Attorney
7:40 – Lisa Jensen, Author
8:00 – Susan Freeman, Poet & Educator
8:20 – Wallace Baine, Santa Cruz Sentinel Arts Editor
8:40 – Katherine Farrell, UCSC Student
THE VIEW FROM AUSTRALIA
Sometimes it is instructive to see how an issue is handled in another country in order to evaluate how it is handled in one’s own. Conditions vary and comparisons approximate but normalcy may be more a matter of familiarity rather than wise policy.
I am currently visiting friends and family in Australia where I grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney, an area of stunning natural beauty. Similar to Santa Cruz, escalating property values have resulted in a class shift from working class to well-off, except for the working class old-timers who bought their house 40 to 60 years ago. Dissimilar to Santa Cruz, the northern beaches are not marketed as a tourist destination by either local government or business interests. There are no hotels. While vacation rentals and Airbnb do exist, the numbers are relatively small and impacts minor. And while there is no equivalent Silicon Valley nor UCSC pressure to fuel the housing inferno, the market here is hot and everybody would love to live on the northern beaches. Pressure on housing supply has led to greater density with the state government requiring local communities to shoulder their share of new construction similar to California and Santa Cruz. However the scale and siting of the new housing is a far cry from what we are having forced upon us in Santa Cruz. New apartment buildings here are small in scale, perhaps 4 to 8 separate units, mostly two stories although there might be an additional ground floor retail in areas where such development already exists. There is no equivalent massive, out of scale, 100 unit plus retail development such as is being constructed at 555 Pacific Avenue nor the large multi-unit developments springing up in the middle of single family homes on the eastside.
The human-scale, low-rise shopping centers of the various beach towns strung like pearls along the 20 miles of coastline north of Sydney are not being threatened with tear-down and replacement by 85 foot high retail and market-rate housing, erasing the familiar small town feel of Front St., Pacific Avenue, Soquel, Water, Ocean and Mission Streets. And while expensive boutiques and coffee shops have replaced some of the fish and chips and pie shops in the town I grew up in, the town still retains a similar size and scale. It seems local government here makes land-use decisions in the best interests of those who are residents, not future residents, tourists, “stakeholders” or special interests. People are shocked when I describe the changes planned for the century old iconic Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.
A good example of the difference I’m describing is reflected in the recently unveiled Parks Master Plan for the city of Santa Cruz. Despite the fact that for residents, the overwhelmingly most popular usage of open space and parks was recorded for hiking and walking ( 38%) followed by swimming, with mountain biking way down at 9%, by some sleight of hand or favoritism or catering to special interests, the debate at council was over whether to construct new downhill thrill rides in Pogonip and De Laveaga for mountain bikes. How did that happen? Council member Richelle Noroyan understood that there might well be significant impacts on habitat and wild animals but no-one questioned how a low level usage rose to the top of concern. Mountain bikers have taken over Santa Cruz open space, displacing hikers and walkers wherever they go. By contrast, in the national parks and open space in Australia and wherever I’ve hiked since I’ve been here, you see no mountain bike erosion and no mountain bikes on single track hiking trails. They are limited to fire trails and they stay on fire trails. Even there they are expected to give way to walkers and dismount when a group approaches. Rangers do their job but in general people respect the laws. There seems a commonsense view that everybody has a right to enjoy the open space with no one activity dominating and destroying the experience for others. Similarly with the stunningly beautiful golden sand beaches. No dogs are allowed on beaches and you don’t see dogs on beaches. Signs are clear and the rangers do their job. No frenetic bird chasing, dog poop or incessant barking to transform the serenity of a beach into a single-use activity displacing seniors, the frail, small children and birds. Aussies love their dogs as much as Santa Cruzans. They go to dog parks for off leash fun and walk them on leashes elsewhere. No dogs in restaurants, parks, open space, beaches, theaters or art gallery openings.
At this point or before, someone is wondering why don’t I stay in Australia? Or is considering offering me a one-way plane ticket, SFO to SYD. I draw comparisons to puncture our tendency to view the changes that are being imposed on Santa Cruz as “inevitable” and in our self-interest. They are neither. Much work lies ahead.
~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).
“Tale of Three Cities: One Armed, One Hiding, and the Third Just Plain Angry” 2/27/17
About a dozen journalists, five police officers including the Chief, Kevin Vogel and his two deputy chiefs—Rick Martinez and Dan Flippo, along with three city councilmembers and one mayor Cynthia Chase were present inside the Police Community room on Center Street last Thursday morning (2/23) to hear about what went down, and what went wrong, in Santa Cruz during the February 13th DHS—Department of Homeland Security—raid. It was a press conference for the ages.
The press actually showed up and the police spokesperson on this day was Deputy-chief Flippo. He expressed a full-throated, “We would never have participated had we known it contained an immigration enforcement operation.” While Chief Vogel, Flippo, and Mayor Chase were issuing their statements, a group of about twenty-five huddled around the ornate police plaza fountain outside and exchanged text messages while listening on speaker phone and trying to follow the blue-line mea culpa happening inside.
The night before I had received a cell phone call while attending my daughter’s CCS soccer match vs. the Menlo School from Atherton. (Had to fit that into this column somehow.) The game was being played on the plastic turf of Santa Cruz High. The call was from a stunned-sounding Deputy-chief, Rick Martinez. He outlined for me how Homeland Security had acted “outside the scope of their operation” on that certain Monday morning terrorist hunt. DHS arrested a dozen alleged gang members, but they also detained several other residents they claimed were undocumented. The latter part of this action disgusted him he said. It flies in the face of the Santa Cruz City Council’s recently passed Sanctuary City Resolution he stated. It’s against our community values he said. Wow, I thought.
It seems DHS has been duplicitous with SCPD. Under a supposed cooperation agreement with local police they should have been hunting down known gang members who the DHS said were planning to possibly commit murders in our community. But DHS went further. Without communicating with SCPD they turned the operation into an old-fashioned La Migra raid, something this town experienced often in the 1980’s and 90’s when ICE, then called the INS, raided neighborhoods at odd hours and hauled away fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers in order to deport those who did not have their “papers.” But remember, the deputy-chief reminded me, FEMA falls under DHS, and we also need to work with them in investigating terrorist acts and underage sex crimes. Finally, he said he had been so incensed over the DHS actions that he contacted our US Rep., Jimmy Panetta and one of our US Senators, Kamala Harris. And by the way, there would be a press conference the following day at 11am, he said. I hung up the phone and my daughter’s team was already losing, 3-0.
So, on Thursday morning, at the press conference Chief Kevin Vogel was up first. “And I say with tremendous concern…Homeland Security acted outside the scope of this activity” when they detained at least 10 Santa Cruz residents.
“The only reason SCPD involved itself with DHS,” Vogel said,”was to arrest violent gang members” that were threatening our community. “We did not know there was an immigration component,” he said. “Had I known immigration status was part of this, I would not have participated.” Next speaker was Deputy-chief, Dan Flippo who came across as honest and contrite, even if a bit baffled by the outcome.
Flippo’s job was to outline what took place that entire day, February 13th. It began around 4am he said, and for the Santa Cruz Police Department, it ended at 9:16am. “We understood going in we were going after criminal gang members.” Then, around 2pm, Flippo hears there are “identification checks” being done on the eastside of Santa Cruz on Market Street, and wonders who that might be.
It’s HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, another branch of DHS along with ICE–Immigration and Customs Enforcement too. (Aah, so many acronyms in this story…thank goodness for Google!) Six of the 10 who were detained outside the “scope of the operation” were transported to San Francisco, Flippo stated, where they were processed. Five were released and forced to wear ankle bracelets upon returning to Santa Cruz he said.
Our community was now feeling the full force of a post-911 created federal government agency birthed from terrorist activity on the home soil, and it was anything but pleasant.
Batting in the press conference clean-up spot today was Mayor Cynthia Chase. She said she was “Deeply disturbed and upset.” She called the DHS raid,”outrageous.” And I concur as we all may be wondering if this is a run-up to an even larger scale DHS engagement. Chase went on to say that there is “no question, this action has torn the city apart.” She also said the council would discuss this issue at the 7pm session of the Santa Cruz city council next Tuesday night, February 28th. (See next week’s column for an update.) “We are a community that protects its members,” the mayor stated reassuringly.
Note to self: there were also about 6 or 7 others on the periphery of the tight press gathering inside the Police Community Room who I did not recognize (plain clothes police? friends of police? Family members of someone?).
Chief Vogel came back to the press conference podium one more time after the mayor was done to talk about changes he said that are now on the horizon. “We’ve been working on our Police Policy Manual,” he remarked. And indeed, he has. One of the suggested manual changes even strikes out the word “alien” and substitutes “undocumented immigrant.” Hurray!
“We will be presenting that policy to the council at its next meeting.” Before taking questions from the assembled journalists Vogel added, “We look forward to supporting a stronger Sanctuary City policy…and we will not collaborate with agencies we cannot trust.” See you at the meeting Chief. Seems like unprecedented stuff from my perspective.
~(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).
RANCHO DEL MAR FACELIFT
More than 300 people attended the Rancho del Mar informational meeting last Thursday at the Seascape Golf Club, hosted by property owner Terramar Retail Center (TRC). I was not able to attend, but spoke with a few who did. Everyone felt disappointed. The main issue of a theater returning to the Center was side-stepped. Finally, after persistent questions on the issue, Mr. Bruce Walton, TRC rep., said that he is “looking into” one possibility, but that Safeway does not want a performing arts center in the complex. Many wondered why Safeway has so much power in deciding what tenants and uses will be allowed? Sadly, it appears that the Rancho del Mar Center will just have a new facade and coat of paint, with no electrical upgrades, charging stations for electric cars, or even new landscaping. Nope, no pervious paving for stormwater runoff and groundwater recharge. Nope, no new trees. I wonder if the folks at Fleet Feet know they will still not have air conditioning? Will local contractors be hired to do the remodel work? Mr. Walton would not say. One resident asked if Barry Swenson Builder will be doing the work? “We’ve been talking with them,” replied Mr. Walton. Hmmm………
GREEN LIGHT, GO!
Aptos Village traffic.
About 50 residents of the Redwood/Cathedral Drive area of Aptos attended the meeting at the Community Foundation last week to learn how the impending Aptos Village Traffic Improvement Project Phase I construction will affect their emergency response and access. Organized by Supervisor Zach Friend in response to a citizen petition (now, isn’t that remarkable?), the meeting included County Department of Public Works Mr. Esenwein, Aptos/ La Selva Fire Chief Jones, and County Sheriff Sgt. Demick as presenters.
The work could begin as early as March 6, weather permitting, and operate for 80 days. We were all relieved to learn that earlier information from Public Works Traffic Engineer Mr. Jack Sohriakoff stating that the Trout Gulch/Soquel Drive intersection could be closed for 48 hours has been changed to maintain one lane open at all times. It will still be a congested mess…remember three years ago when the sewer pipes were replaced? Yikes.
One resident pointed out to Mr. Esenwein, Public Works Department rep. (who did not seem familiar with the Project or the neighborhood) that now, drivers will allow others from the Cathedral Drive and Aptos Post Office area to enter the congested flow of traffic, because everyone will eventually have to stop at the Trout Gulch/Soquel Drive intersection. But when the traffic light goes in, drivers will most likely not behave so courteously in the mad dash to “make the light!” Mr. Esenwein had no answer.
Aptos/La Selva Fire Chief Jon Jones said “I think the traffic on Trout Gulch will be easily managed. I do not think there will be any problem with traffic and the Aptos Village Project. I meet with the developer weekly.” Hmmm….
Here is the source those who live in the area will need to check for information…and maybe a sign or two at the construction area as well: http://aptosvillageimprovement.blogspot.com
I was unable to sign up for the posts and comments…maybe you will have better luck.
The Phase I Project includes moving the westbound Metro bus stop to accommodate Barry Swenson Builder, Pete Testorff and Joe Appenrodt, all developers of the Aptos Village Project. Their new main entrance to the Project from Soquel Drive is proposed to enter where the bus stop is currently located. The new location does not appear to meet all requirements for bus bay turnout specifications, and will move to an area with no parking for bus commuters. Does this make any sense to you? Not me.
Also included in the work is replacing the railroad crossing, 200′ of track and ballast, a new 25′ rail signal light, crossing arms, a new traffic light, and adding turn lanes on Soquel Drive to accommodate Joe Appenrodt’s Center where Bay Federal Credit Union and Starbuck’s live.
There is no Development Agreement between the County and the Aptos Village Project developers that clearly spells out who will pay for what in all this…but, according to Mr. Sohriakoff, the County traffic engineer, there are some “unwritten agreements”. The total Phase I work will cost about $2 MILLION. Hmmm……
DOES IT REALLY MAKE SENSE TO YOU TO SPEND $2 MILLION IN OUR PUBLIC TAX MONEY TO HELP THE APTOS VILLAGE PROJECT DEVELOPERS WHEN THERE IS NO MONEY TO REPAIR VALENCIA ROAD FOR THE VALENCIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO RE-OPEN?
SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT BOARD MEETING WAS STANDING-ROOM ONLY
Last week’s District Board meeting was well-attended by residents who live near the District office, the proposed site for the PureWater Soquel wastewater treatment plant. Those folks are upset with the District’s somewhat deceitful manner in pushing through a treatment plant in their residential neighborhood without being forthcoming about what other locations have been considered for this industrial land use.
Take a look at the large banners on Soquel Drive near the District offices. Read more about it at:
Other members of the audience spoke about the problems of the PureWater Soquel project itself, which would inject 3.1 million gallons of treated sewage water per day into the groundwater supply for the entire mid-county area. I spoke about attending the District’s Supplemental Supply Committee meeting and hearing the Carollo Engineering team talk about NDMA being present in water disinfected by the proposed advanced tertiary treatment process, citing studies done for Oxnard’s similarly-proposed project..
I WONDERED: WHAT IS NDMA? N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a liver toxin and suspected human carcinogen. Reverse-osmosis, the main disinfecting process proposed in the PureWater Soquel project, only removes 50% of it. Ultra-violet light (UV), the other proposed disinfection process, breaks apart some of the nitrogen bonds, but some still persists. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Nitrosodimethylamine
The Carollo Engineers felt it was not a problem that NDMA persisted through the complete advanced tertiary sewage treatment process, because the levels were below the State health limits. But what about the Professional Advisory Group comments to the legislators on this issue, in their report to evaluate the direct use of this treated sewage water (known as Direct Potable Re-use or DPR)? That group stated that there is insufficient information regarding the long term effects of low-dose and trace levels over time on various segments of the population, especially children, fetuses, and the elderly.
Regardless, Soquel Creek Water District is moving full steam ahead on their “preferred project”, and is contracting Carollo Engineering to conduct a contaminant study of Santa Cruz sewage water this summer. Are they not going to wait for the PureWater Soquel Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate all alternatives???
WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE ONE CALL. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
THANK THE SOQUEL CREEK WATER DISTRICT BOARD FOR CORRECTING THEIR POLICY
That’s the policy regarding written submittals by the public to the Board. Recently, the Board adopted the policy that any written material submitted after 4pm Wednesday before their Tuesday Board meeting would not be included in the meeting packet or considered by the Board. That was ridiculous because the meeting agendas are not made public until the Friday before the Tuesday meeting. Happily, the Board seemed to realize that the public cannot comment on invisible agendas, so they voted last week to change the deadline for written comment to 9am Monday before the Tuesday meeting. That makes sense….thank you.
THANKS FOR THE POLO GROUNDS TREATMENT PLANT TOUR! Soquel Creek Water District staff provided a free tour of the new Polo Grounds Well and Chlorine Treatment Plant for the public last week. I now understand the four service area schematics, and appreciate the thorough explanation of the process to pump and treat water. I found the display boxes of soil materials from previous well drilling samples especially interesting…sudden layers of coarse gravels at 380′ below sea level.
I also thought it was interesting that the new Granite Way well soils were pretty much clay all the way to 625′, when the drilling stopped because there was no water-bearing material. “The well drillers were bummed,” said the staff person. Apparently, that well will not be a big producer afterall.
Do you think that will bother Barry Swenson Builder or limit the Aptos Village Project’s proposed 38 acre-feet/year new water demand on the critically-over-pumped aquifer? The District’s current Water Demand Offset (WDO) policy only allows for 4 acre-feet/ year in new demand, due to the over-pumping problem and sea water moving in to irreversibly destroy the area’s water supply.
YOU CAN ALSO TELL THE MIDCOUNTY GROUNDWATER AGENCY BOARD DIRECTLY at the March 16 meeting, 7pm-9pm at Simpkins Swim Center (979 17th Avenue), with informal drop-in discussion available 6pm-7pm. Do you own your own well and live in the area between La Selva Beach, Corralitos Summit and Live Oak? Meters and taxes are most likely coming your way. Get involved now. Here is a link to the private well owner page on the Mid County Groundwater Agency website: http://www.midcountygroundwater.org/node/99
DO YOU THINK THE SANTA CRUZ POLICE KNEW THEY WERE HELPING FUTURE DEPORTATION EFFORTS?
After helping Homeland Security agents raid multiple neighborhoods on the premise of capturing gang members, Santa Cruz City Police were told by residents of those areas that immigration police returned and deported 10 residents who were not gang members. The next day, news agents reported that the Department of Homeland Security plans to enlist the help of local law enforcement more in conducting future statewide deportation raids. Under program 287(g), part of the 1996 approval of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, the Department of Homeland Security can demand cooperation of local law enforcement if officers have been trained and there is an agreement.
It seems that Santa Cruz City Police must have met those criteria…so what might happen in the future?
Current state Senate Bill 54, authored by Senate leader Kevin de Leon, would prevent agencies from collecting information on people’s legal status or from responding to certain requests from federal agents for information such as phone numbers, work adresses or release dates. That would strengthen the 2013 California Trust Act, which prevents jails from keeping someone in custody for immigration authorities after they are eligible for release. Contact your state Senator, City Council members and County Supervisors now…before yet another Executive Order gets tweeted. Am I dreaming or is that the Gestapo marching into town? Maybe it’s just the Santa Cruz City Police in their Bearcat……
HELP SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FLY AWAY….
Every winter, beautiful Monarch butterflies come to town to roost in protected groves of trees. Natural Bridges State Park is the best-known spot, but there are others, such as DeLaveaga Park. These beauties are in trouble for quite a few reasons, but you can help them by tracking migration and milkweed food sources at this site: www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org
This will give scientists at the Xerces Society, National Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Game, and other state biologists information about the western migration and food status of the lovely Monarch butterfly. In these times, we all need to look up, take a deep breath, and count our blessings…and remember to
~MAKE ONE CALL. WRITE ONE LETTER. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Cheers, Becky Steinbruner (Becky Steinbruner is a 30+ year resident of Aptos. She has fought for water, fire, emergency preparedness, and for road repair. She ran for Second District County Supervisor in 2016 on a shoestring and got nearly 20% of the votes).
Here is a quote from a column that was published online in the February 18, 2017 edition of The New York Times. I snagged this quote from Amor Mundi, the weekly blog of the Hannah Arendt Center: Fascists the world over have gained popularity by calling forth the idea that the world is rotten to the core. In The Origins of Totalitarianism, Hannah Arendt described how fascism invites people to “throw off the mask of hypocrisy” and adopt the worldview that there is no right and wrong, only winners and losers … In the last decade and a half, post-Communist autocrats like Vladimir V. Putin and Viktor Orban have adopted this cynical posture. They seem convinced that the entire world is driven solely by greed and hunger for power, and only the Western democracies continue to insist, hypocritically, that their politics are based on values and principles….
This month, Mr. Trump … was asked about his admiration for Mr. Putin, whom the host Bill O’Reilly called “a killer.” “You got a lot of killers,” responded Mr. Trump. “What, you think our country’s so innocent?” To an American ear, Mr. Trump’s statement was jarring — not because Americans believe their country to be “innocent” but because they have always relied on a sort of aspirational hypocrisy to understand the country. No American politician in living memory has advanced the idea that the entire world, including the United States, was rotten to the core.
These observations come from Masha Gessen, who writes for The Times on LGBT and Russian issues. What she says should make us think.
Historically, Americans have been willing to believe the very best of themselves, because Americans have always credited themselves with good intentions. Mistakes may have been made, but, we have always told ourselves, we are trying to do good. The idea that our good intentions are what really count can very easily be characterized as “hypocrisy,” and many would say that hypocrisy is hypocrisy, whether “aspirational” or not. Before we adopt that position, let’s pause for just a moment.
When “we, the people” no longer believe that we are (or even can be) “good,” we turn over governance to those who are beyond any pretense of trying to do good. We abandon our government to the authoritarians, and the despots, and the “killers.”
To the degree that we believe that our entire politics is “deplorable,” that it is “rotten to the core,” we abandon the possibility of genuine self-government.
That is exactly how a free democracy turns to totalitarianism. Let’s not go there!
~Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney for indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. You can read and subscribe to his blog at www.gapatton.net )
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo (now residing in Cuba) looks at our county timber management see below.
EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. See Eagan’s “Clean Sweeping Cabinet” 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. It‘s about simple things like “What is True” and things like that.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Now that we’re all living in an Orwellian nightmare, the good folks at Bookshop Santa Cruz, the Wellstone Center, and Wallace Baine are staging a public reading of “1984” at the Bookshop on Thursday, March 2, from 10 am until the book is done. Read all about it this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
A UNITED KINGDOM. “Based on a true story” has almost become a law for movies lately…but this one really is. And It’s an excellent film. There’s a bunch of Black & White themed films out there now and that’s a good thing. This “historical” film about the King of Botswana land falling in love with and marrying a white Brit. woman is still deeper and more meaningful than most of the rest. (“Loving”, etc.) Recent award winner David Oyelowo and the brilliant Rosamund Pike star of Gone Girl (one of my favorite actors) grab hold of every scene and make you believe it. More than that you (we) become completely involved with the story. Somehow you’ll begin to wonder just how far you’d go in this “mixed marriage” thing. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85%.
GET OUT. Rotten Tomatoes gives this one an amazing 99%. Plus, it’s a huge box office hit !!! That’s surprising to everybody because it’s a low budget semi horror-comedy, black and white theme film. Probably released in February because that’s when they release films that aren’t expected o make much money. Catherine Keener is about the only actor whose name any of us might know. It’s a white girl brings home a black boyfriend topic. Only it goes into zones and situations that will amaze and get you laughing!! Wild, inventive, new, fine acting, twisted…you’ll love it.
COMING ATTRACTION…Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” Following their hit run on Broadway, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart return to the West End stage in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land, recorded live in 2016 from Wyndham’s Theatre, London. One summer’s evening, two ageing writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst’s stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated, and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men. Also starring Owen Teale and Damien Molony, don’t miss this glorious revival of Pinter’s comic classic. The broadcast will be followed by an exclusive Q&A with the cast and director Sean Mathias. Sunday, March 5 at 11 am. And Tuesday March 7 at 7 p.m. at the Del Mar Theatre
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. Casey Affleck single handidly sustains this deep, emotional film. It’s on the way to several awards and should win them all. It’s an intelligent, beautifically acted in depth portrait of people going through trauma and relationships. Along with Affleck there’s Michelle Williams, Gretchen Mol, even Mathew Broderick in a bit part and especially the 16 year old Lucas Hedges. It’s a cold and unrelenting film that demands your attention.
THE SALESMAN. This great film won the OSCAR for best Foreign language film. It’s from Iran …and it’s a winner anyway. Subtle, subtitled, human, complex…it’s a story about a young couple who are acting in a staged version of Death Of A Salesman. A secret tragedy happens and the plot handles the truth about it very slowly and very beautifully. You could call it searing, emotionally draining, and a lot more. Go see it quickly.
MOONLIGHT. Best Oscar film 2017!!! For starters, Moonlight has a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s not just me who really not only enjoyed this tale of drugs, gangs, and love, but people who like deep, serious films loved it too. Set in Miami, this sharp, delicate, brilliant story of a Black man’s life is told in three parts. It’s best not to read too much about the plot and just watch with wonder as it unfolds. You’ve never seen a film like this one. Yes, It’s back again…many nominations and Sunday’s winning an Oscar did it!!
I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. James Baldwin began writing a book in 1979 and this documentary uses the 30 pages his finished as continutity between the 6 chapters in the film. The links are stories of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evans. It’s Baldwin working for unity and equality and we all need to see this film. It’s a lesson in humanity, and probably no Republicans or any of the 22, 438 Santa Cruz Trump voters will see this important film. It’s narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and got a 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes. Please see it!!!
LION. A true story of a little 5 year old boy getting lost in India. At last we get to see Dev Patel portray somebody serious and he does an excellent job. It’s a very cornball plot that you can guess every turn and twist, but still just because it’s India you do stay tuned in all the way through. Rooney Mara is his girlfriend for part of the plot and Nicole Kidman is the Australian wife who adopts him. It’s 100% feelgood and there are much better films out and around now, but it does have a certain charm.
HIDDEN FIGURES. A syrupy, Hollywoody much- altered story of three Black American women who did spectacular mathematical and technical work at NASA while fighting against a lot of racial and female prejudice. All to launch John Glenn into orbit. It’s both a cute and painful story at the same time. It’s a contender and still lacks something that could have made it a classic. It almost outdrew Star Wars on opening weekend!
LA LA LAND. It all depends on how much you remember the glorious and very bright and brilliant days of the Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Betty Grable, even Barbara Striesand, Judy Garland, and especially Ginger Rogers musicals. La La Land works very hard to convince us that the world hasn’t changed since those days and tries earnestly to recreate the innocence, and obvious genius of those performers. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone make La La Land fun and happy to a degree, but it’s not the same. The music and songs aren’t anywhere near as good and the photography of today’s LA doesn’t add much either, besides that Stone and Gosling are not professional dancers or singers like all of above. It’s like having Eddie Redmayne play Tarzan.
SPLIT. M. Night Shyamalan makes some pretty weird and frequently awful movies. But Split has James McAvoy playing a very disturbed guy with 23 distinct and split personalities (and most of them are very crazy). He’s lured and locked up 3 teen aged girls and it’s scary and more or less predictable after that, but you’ll stay glued to the screen and your seat…go for it …if you like scary stuff. Not anywhere near as a good as Hitchcock, but he tries. (Shyamalan even makes a secret cameo appearance like Hitch always did).
OSCAR SHORTS. LIVE ACTION. There s five of them. 100 % on R. Tomatoes.They range from really, really soapy cornball love story to a really, really, soapy, cornball car attendents secret dancing between parking cars. One is very heavy and serious about a guy being questioned about his loyalty, and you’ll question yours too after seeing it. All in all nit my favorite year for Live action shorts. All foreign, all subtitled.
OSCAR SHORTS, ANIMATION. There’s five of these animated shorts too. They range from a sickingly slick, cutesy Pixar baby sandpiper confection to an adults only “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” 35 minute graphic saga that is brilliant. Don’t take the kids to any of these shorts they simply aren’t worth it. But see Pear Cider if you can.
THE GREAT WALL. Matt Damon heads this almost all Chinese cast in a huge special effects battle against thousands of 20 foot man killing, organized, queen – led Iguanas during the 12 century. Damon’s accent goes from Ireland to Massachusetts (his birthplace). Damon can and has done some fine acting in the past but he’s lost in this computer generated, darkly filmed big, big box office success (in China). 36 on Rotten Tomatoes.
JOHN WICK Chapter 2. Keanu Reeves is back as the star of this sequel. That should be warning enough. One of the most splatteringly bloodiest films I’ve seen in years. Seems like all American made big studio films are violent nowadays, but this one is more than that. They justify the plot by adding sworn Mafia type family oaths , scenes in Rome, and just blood and more blood and as I said, most of it gets splattered on walls… a lot. However. I’m more than willing to entertain the possibility that it’s a generational thing. Most of my younger friends love it…and Rotten Tomatoes gives it 90%!!
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. Robert Stoll from the Santa Cruz Bonsai Club guests on February 28 talking about the ancient art of making bonsai. Then Cynthia Berger and Zav Hershfield talk about the Santa Cruz Tenants Association. On March 7 Newton and Helen Harrison talk about their book, ” The Time of The Force Majeure”. Tony Russomano follows talking about the structure of the Democratic Party in California. Patrice Vecchione returns March 14 to talk about her one-woman show “Dressed and Undressed” happening March 17 & 18. Espressivo conductor and artistic director Michel Singher talks about their March 30 concert on March 21 followed by Chip from The Downtown Association of Santa Cruz.Roy Malan discusses the Hidden Valley String Orchestra concert happening April 9. John Aird follows with an overview of UCSC growth, water, and our tourist driven wharf plans. On April 4 Linda Burman-Hall returns to talk about The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival’s spring concerts. 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
Ninja Rebel Wilson!
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. “DICTATORS”
“Dictators can fix up their entire families in good jobs, in or around government, and often do. In democracies, such a practice is frowned upon. Privileged access to the corridors of power through family connections and a kind of old boys’ network is also deemed an abuse of power, and so it is”. Jimmy Reid
“Italy in the 1920s, Germany in the ’30s, East Germany in the ’50s, Czechoslovakia in the ’60s, the Latin American dictatorships in the ’70s, China in the ’80s and ’90s – all dictatorships and would-be dictators target newspapers and journalists”, Naomi Wolf
“All dictators, the rich and famous, to the lowest security guard who holds a gun, easily forget that power is transitory”, F. Sionil Jose
“Dictators never invent their own opportunities”, R. Buckminster Fuller
“Dictators must have enemies. They must have internal enemies to justify their secret police and external enemies to justify their military forces”, Richard Perle
Speaking of quotes…..
Donald Trump retweeted a quote from Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini In February 2016.The Republican President shared the saying made famous by the founder of the fascist movement with his 6.4 million followers. “@ilduce2016: ‘It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep,’ – @realDonaldTrump #MakeAmericaGreatAgain,” the tweet said.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
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