THE FAMED AND DOOMED SWANTON HOUSE. You could drive your horse and buggy right off the “street” and inside through the center door. This great structure stood about where our present post office is today. Albion Swanton built it and, according to John Chase’s Santa Cruz Architecture book it burned down on May 30,1887. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

DATELINE October 6, 2014
DATELINE October 13, 2014

A DOUBLE COLUMN THIS WEEK. Due to crappy internet problems Gunilla never got last week’s column. So we’re combining last week’s and this weeks. I know, I know, but whaddya gonna do???

BODEGA BAY 50 YEARS LATER. 50 years ago in 1964 a bunch of us defeated PG&E’s proposed Nuclear Power plant at Bodega Bay. It was my first real land use environmental battle and we fought it for about three years. The Sonoma County Museum is creating an exhibit titled “HOLE IN THE HEAD” The Battle for Bodega Bayand the Birth of The Environmantal Battle”. It opens Saturday November 1, 2014 and runs through February 9, 2015. What’s really great is that I’ve been invited to a pre-opening get together of a small bunch of us who started and finished that battle. Some of those folks I haven’t seen in those 50 years. Dave Pesonen led the battle and with incredible intelligence was able to keep all the different anti- nuclear groups united until we won.I brought Pesonen and others down to Santa Cruz to help organize and strategize PG&E’s same plot to build a Nuclear Power Plant in Davenport…we won that one too!!! The Museum states… “The exhibition chronicles the story of the nuclear power plant, proposed for construction at Bodega Head in 1958 and its defeat by members of the local community in 1964. Stories will focus on the lives of the individuals involved in the struggle against PG&E and the arguments made against the plant on one of California’s most pristine coastal areas. This project not only honors the region’s earliest environmental activists but shows their enduring legacy for our region. The project will include an in-gallery exhibition featuring text, photographs, artifacts and multimedia—mostly in the form of edited video interviews. The interviews will include new video collected for this project, as well as edited segments from a rich collection of existing video histories in SCM’s collection.” Check out the museum’s exhibit website.

NO ON DAVID TERRAZAS. I like Terazzas, everybody likes Terrazas…he’s a nice guy. Family Man, works over the hill and why in hell was he on the City Council? What did he ever take a strong stand on, what did he ever introduce, when was he ever strong enough to be on the minority side? When did he ever disagree with Cynthia Mathews or Hilary Bryant? MORE IMPORTANT here are a few of his votes when he voted against the ACLU, against the homeless, against Morgani playing on Pacific Avenue, and more.

On Jan. 28, 2014 He voted against The Bike Church receiving abandoned bicycles. On Feb 11 he voted against the working public being able to speak to the City Council at 7pm and changed it to 5 p.m. On Dec.2013 he voted to make expensive permits mandatory for groups/events of only 50 instead of 100. That means marches, gatherings, protests, etc. On Dec. 3, 2013 he voted to strengthen our so called City Park Safety Initiatives making it a civil rights issue against our homeless.. There’s more about Terrazas’ voting record and I’ll report more in the next week. Stuff he voted for like opposing the ACLU re the curfew on Cowell’s Beach, how the council can use “Closed Sessions” etc. He’s just too busy on his day job, relys too heavily on City Staff and Cynthia Mathews. Vote no on David Terrazas.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & BUSINESS COUNCIL DID SOMETHING GOOD!!! Don’t tell anyone where you got this but for once the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Cruz Business Council did a positive thing. They got Larry Pearson and Hillary Bryant to interview each of the Santa Cruz City Council Candidates on TV!!! Now Larry’s no Charlie Rose (and he’s nervous, but he makes good cookies) and Hillary Bryant is Hillary Bryant but at least we get to see how the wanna-bees perform on camera. These are long interviews (24-38) minutes each. They are all solo interviews. And as of Monday Oct. 13 Cynthia Chase had the most views (61) and David Terrazas had the fewest (26) take a look, think about these candidates. The camera work is about non-existent, the questions are sort of jerky, but you’ll get a feel of the quality and brains behind our to-be-chosen-few. It’s all on You Tube. As you probably know by now, I’m definitely voting for Leonie Sherman and Bruce Van Allen…ONLY!

WHARF WARNING. Now that the city and related developers have had their big 100^th anniversary celebration we have to be very aware that those same powers are working very hard to develop our municpal wharf into another San Francisco Fisherman’s Tourist Wharf. We’ll see Swenson’s Wax Museum, Appenrodt’s Apple Toss, Canfield’s Bilk Bottle, Dunn’s Whack-a-Fish, Schwartz’s Diving Bell, Brooks Ball Batter and similar attractions. The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports…”Amid centennial celebrations this year for the wharf, the city will also complete a nearly $1 million,18-month study (funded largely by a federal grant) to evaluate new uses and capital costs for upgrading the half-mile-long wharf. The city expects to have a Wharf Master Plan laying out a comprehensive development strategy after the study wraps up”. Remember that’s ONE MILLION just for a study…let’s have a contest to guess what the legitimate total cost will be, how many tourist bucks will it generate, and what will it cost in maintenance just to keep it operational?

BOARDWALK GARBAGE RATES??? Obviously just another rumor, but one intrepid BrattonOnline reader who has (or had) access to such things says that the Boardwalk and especially the La Bahia (owned by The Boardwalk) pays cheaper garbage rates than any of the other commercial operations in the city. Of course I’ll be happy to print all the proof and/or retractions on this one.

THOMAS PYNCHON IN THE MOVIES???

When Thomas Pynchon lived here and I got to meet him and chat I had no idea just how “reclusive” he was…or is. Pynchon and a good friend of mine became friends and my friend keeps me informed about Pynchon’s comings and goings (mostly goings). Here’s the latest news from the New York Times, Sept. 29 …

PYNCHON’S CAMEO, AND OTHER SURREALITIES

PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON films PYNCHON’S “INHERENT VICE” BOOK

By Logan Hill Sept. 26, 2014

Halfway through a long lunch at Tavern on the Green on a sunny September day, the trim, tanned filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, dressed in a Southern California beach bum’s uniform — Quiksilver shorts, faded blue T-shirt, crumpled white bucket hat — went silent. Mr. Anderson, 44, had been asked a simple question: Does Thomas Pynchon, the reclusive author of “Gravity’s Rainbow,” “Mason & Dixon” and “The Crying of Lot 49,” make an on-screen cameo in Mr. Anderson’s “Inherent Vice,” the first movie adapted from one of the writer’s celebrated novels? Surely Mr. Pynchon, 77, would be tempted by such an inside joke? Told that other sources had confirmed a cameo, Mr. Anderson stared intently into his salad and poked around with his fork, either looking for an answer among the summer beets, fighting back a grin or both.

The mystery of Mr. Pynchon’s cameo is trivial. But that doesn’t make it any less fun to pursue — and the same could be said of the mysteries in “Inherent Vice,” which exist more to propel Joaquin Phoenix into wild, gag-filled scenarios than to deliver whodunit satisfaction.

Continue reading the main story Like the novel, the film is set in 1970 in the fictional Gordita Beach, Calif., among paranoid burnouts, white-supremacist bikers, black-power ex-cons, and hippies turned toothless heroin addicts”. BrattonOnline sez…I edited that article a lot, so try to link to it. Then we can wonder if Gordita Beach is really partly Santa Cruz, or was it Manhattan Beach? He lived in both locales.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. (Week of October 13-17) Gary talks about Bike lanes on Western Drive and the resultant loss of street parking, and the City Council’s decision. There’s a 5 story building proposed for 1482 Freedom Boulevard and the lack of water problem. On Thursday Oct. 16 there’s a Santa Cruz Water Supply Convention at the Civic (11am-9pm) he says we should all be there…IF you use water. Cal Am and it’s privately owned status are above the law, Gary says, read all about that issue. He closes giving details on what Sustainable Communities means…”Sustainable Communities” is a phrase that actually has a legal reference, in California. As part of California’s effort to address global warming, state law was modified to try to encourage land use planning that would reduce vehicle miles traveled, or VMT. The plans that are supposed to accomplish this goal are called “Sustainable Communities Strategies.”

As a kind of follow-up, I am providing interested listeners and readers with a link to a “Catalogue” of “Sustainable Community Indicators.” The Catalog helps communities identify indicators that can measure progress toward their sustainability objectives. The indicators focus on the relationships among land use, housing, transportation, human health, and the environment. The Catalogue was developed by a team of researchers, which evaluated over 100 community indicator initiatives across the United States. The team identified over 1,000 examples of indicators being used to measure community progress towards the Partnership for Sustainable Community’s Livability Principles.Here’s that link..The Sustainable Community Indicator Catalog

(The Week of October 6-10) Gary kicked off the week with some news about Marina and Monterey County’s water problems. Then he talks about the Santa Cruz City Council and their study session on Accessory Dwelling Units. He adds the problem that the UCSC student population causes by their adding more students and closing down some student housing for renovation. There’s a dispute over turning highway 156 into a toll road and the Transportation Agency role in it. More than that Monterey County has a “Rooster Ordinance”!!! You wouldn’t believe me if I wrote about it here, so read Gary’s report…it’s serious. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s \. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo gives us a “heads up” warning about Halloween scroll to page six.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Tim has another idea about Security at the White House, It’s about three pages down

SANTA CRUZ CHAMBER PLAYERS. Their first concert of the 2014-15 season is titled

“Too Intimate to be Expressed in Public”

“The No-Holds-Barred Emotions of Dvor(ák, Shostakovich, and César Franck”. Roy Malan, artistic director and violin Susan Freier, violin; Polly Malan, viola; Stephen Harrison, cello; Ian Scarfe, piano. They’ll be playing Four Romantic Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 75 by Antonín Dvor(ák. Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67 by Dymtri Shostakovich and Quintet for Piano and Strings in F minor by César Franck. It’s Saturday October 18 at 8pm and Sunday October 19 at 3pm atChrist Lutheran Church, 10707 Soquel Dr., Aptos. Advance single tickets for all SC Chamber Players’ concerts are available at www.scchamberplayers.org Single tickets are also available at the door 1/2 hr. prior to each performance CUSTOMER INFO: 425-3149 or www.scchamberplayers.org

DEL MAR THEATRE’S NEW SEATS!!! Those 300 new seats in the main auditorium of the Del Mar Theatre are absolutely amazing. They cut the 500 old style seats down to house only 300 of the new (not reclining) “leather” comfy seats. When pressed, Jim and Paul (Del Mar owners) said the new seats cost between $300-$500 per!!!

SHAKESPEARE LIVE ON SCREEN. There’s a new (??) live telecast Shakespeare series direct from London’s Globe Theatre…again limited to one screening only.

Henry V October 14th Del Mar
Taming Of The Shrew October 28th Del Mar
The Tempest November 4th Del Mar

Two screenings are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and ONE SHOWING ONLY. click here for a detailed link, and a connection to the Globe.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), Open Studios heads into its last weekend, Alias Hook receives high marks from the School Library Journal, and coal miners and gay activists make strange, but effective political allies in the exuberant film, Pride.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE RADIO PROGRAM
KZSC 88.1 FM or live online at
www.KZSC.ORG TUESDAYS 7-8 P.M.

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 sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. October 14 has Michael Alman telling us about his Life Raft Tutoring program followed by Sandy Ferguson and Jeff Gallagher from The Santa Cruz Chamber Players talking all about their newest season. On October 21^st Ted Benhari and Tom Hearn from the Rural Bonny Doon Association talk about North Coast area issues. Oct. 28 has Tim Kelly and Judy Johnson from the Community Of Artists discuss their Felix Kulpa Gallery Show then California State Assemblyman Mark Stone brings us up to date on Sacramento politics. On Nov.4^th Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold returns to assist with our bi-annual KZSC Pledge Drive. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES (two week’s worth) …SPECIAL DROUGHT QUOTES. “It’s so dry the trees are bribing the dogs”, Charles Martin. “Drought is the best thing that ever happened to my lawn. And my beard”, Jarod Kintz. “Love is a cloudless sky, and I’m having the longest drought of my life?” also Jarod Kintz. “Any party which takes credit for the rain must not be surprised if its opponents blame it for the drought“, Dwight Morrow. “Our fish, our recreation, our irrigation and all our uses of the Missouri River are threatened if the drought continues and the Corps of Engineers decisions aren’t changed”, Mike Rounds.

CORNER OF FRONT STREET AND SOQUEL AVENUE on JANUARY 9, 1957. This is now entirely the CVS/Trader Joes parking lot aka Riverwalk Plaza. The photo includes a view on the right of where Home Mortage sits. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

DATELINE… September 29, 2014

DON’T TRUST THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND. The September issue of The Highlander (a monthly publication of the Rural Bonny Doon Association) had an article involving just a few of the problems involved with preservation of our North Coast lands. This is a complex issue, and if you care about, or are involved with land preservation you should read this…it involves some of our most active environmentalists being sued by TPL.

“As we reported in the May Highlander, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which owned the vast Coast Dairies property from 1998 until its recent transfer to the federal Bureau of Land Management, was rebuffed in its suit to recoup over $200,000 in attorney fees that it claimed to have spent fighting a lawsuit brought by the Rural Bonny Doon Association RBDA and SOAL (Save Our Agricultural Lands). The suit involved 2 parts, one over whether TPL needed to obtain a Coastal Development Permit from the Coastal Commission to subdivide the property, and the second whether it needed to comply with the Subdivision Map Act, which allows for public input into the subdivision process.

The RBDA and SOAL felt that certain restrictions on activities and uses of Coast Dairies were not written with strong and precise enough language to adequately protect the conservation of the property. Apparently TPL was so enraged by small, local upstarts questioning its motives and judgment, and forcing it to abide by the law, that it wanted to punish SOAL and the RBDA as an example to anyone who might try to take them to task in the future. Towards this end, they decided to sue SOAL and the RBDA for legal costs.

Santa Cruz Superior Court Judge Rebecca Connolly wasn’t buying into their lawsuit, writing in her order denying TPL’s reimbursement request that, “The record supports that Petitioners’ [i.e., the RBDA, SOAL et al] actions was not brought to prevent the transfer of the Coast Dairies property to the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”); rather, it was brought to assure compliance with the approval processes under the Coastal and Subdivision Map Acts prior to such a land transfer, in order to obtain protective conditions on that transfer which would better serve and benefit the public.” She went on to write that “…there is a concern that an award of attorneys’ fees in this case could have a chilling effect on other environmental actions brought to require both public and private interest projects to comply with acts and ordinances, such as the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), in order to assure that all appropriate environmental concerns are addressed.”

TPL eventually applied for the Coastal Development Permit, contending that it did so not as a result of legal pressure from SOAL and the RBDA, but voluntarily, so technically it “won” the lawsuit.

However, the part of the suit dealing with compliance with the Subdivision Map Act was in the process of going to the State Court of Appeal. In early August, SOAL, the RBDA, and some Davenport residents who were co-plaintiffs agreed to drop the appeal of the Subdivision Map Act part of the suit if TPL dropped its appeal of the denial of attorney’s fees. They agreed, so all legal battles between SOAL and the RBDA and TPL are now over. However, it should be noted that TPL has still not taken a very important step required by the Coastal Permit. Specifically, it has not recorded the legal easement as it promised. That easement is necessary to protect the agricultural parcels it still owns, and ensures that TPL gives up a broad range of development rights on those parcels.

What remains is the bad feeling that TPL, a formerly respected organization, whom we once considered allies in trying to preserve ecologically significant properties, turned out to be little different in their tactics than arrogant bullies like a large corporation that uses its wealth and power to intimidate and bowl over anyone who challenges it. We hope that anyone who may be considering a donation to TPL will instead support one of the other conservation organizations, such as the Santa Cruz County Land Trust, which respects the motives and concerns of like-minded individuals and groups.

Finally, we must give a shout-out to our attorneys, the highly respected law firm of Wittwer/Parkin, probably the pre-eminent land use and environmental legal firm in Santa Cruz County, who put in many pro bono hours, and thousands of dollars in largely unreimbursed legal fees, in a noble and selfless effort to ensure that the magnificent Coast Dairies property and related agricultural parcels are truly protected in perpetuity by iron-clad legal language to preserve them from exploitation, degradation, development and improper uses.

STAYING AWAY FROM BICYCLE OWNERS. So far it hasn’t been easy to keep three feet away from anybody who owns a bicycle…but we’ll get used to it, I’m sure. And besides it smells better!!!

BRUCE VAN ALLEN CORRECT PARTY TIME & DATE. (Fred Geiger alerted me to the fact that I got the time of Bruce’s event wrong last week) It should read…”Please join Bruce Van Allen on Sunday, October 5th, from 1:30 to 3 pm, in Abbott Square on Cooper Street by Lulu’s and MAH for a campaign rally with fun, entertainment, games, and of course, Bruce! Van Allen says he is very excited that CA State Senator Bill Monning will be the special guest, at that G.O.T.V. (Get out the vote) Rally on October 5th! This event will also be a great opportunity for folks to register to vote in the November elections”.

GREENSITE ON ACCESSORY DWELLINGS. Gillian Greensite sends the following…

CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADU)
TUESDAY OCTOBER 7^TH

Despite clear Council direction to the Planning Commission that it not include a reconsideration of the “owner occupancy rule” for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s)(the requirement that one of the dwellings be occupied by an owner) the Commission voted to do just that. Not surprising since all commissioners are architects, work for architects, run consulting engineering businesses or are housing executives.

ADU’s are not “affordable” housing. A recent Nation article on the crisis of affordable housing in San Francisco concluded: “only public housing and strictly-controlled rents can protect affordability.” We can’t build ourselves into affordability. ADU’s are market-rate rentals for individuals whose incomes are high enough to afford to rent an ADU rather than an apartment or a room in a house.

The current Santa Cruz city ADU Ordinance went through many public hearings and revisions to respond to neighborhood concerns, resulting in size limits, set-backs, off-street parking, notification to adjoining neighbors and the requirement that one of the dwellings be occupied by a property owner. All cities include this requirement.

The recommendation to strike these and the owner-occupancy requirement will have a significant impact on all Santa Cruz neighborhoods given that 54% of properties are non-owner occupied. Why wouldn’t an absentee landlord build a second unit? The profits are high given UCSC and Silicon Valley housing demands. Do we value our neighborhoods or is it just real estate? (Gillian Greensite is a long-time observer and critic of UCSC growth as it relates to real estate speculation leading to infilling our neighborhoods and ever-rising rents).

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks about CSUMB (California State University of Monterey Bay)buying The Steinbeck Center in Salinas to use as a downtown campus!!! Then he talks about Supervisor John Leopold and the sustainable Santa Cruz County process, and how the supes will vote on it October 28, 2014. To quote Gary on his Thursday broadcast, “It is not clear that the regional desalination plant being promoted by California American Water Company will ever be built. There are many environmental and other questions. But if the plant is built, it will cost a lot of money. Estimates are on the order of $400 million dollars. If the plant goes ahead, with this price tag, water customers on the Monterey Peninsula are going to pay. Typically, large public works projects are funded by bonds, which means that whoever is doing the project borrows the money needed, and then the customers pay back the money over time, including both principal and interest. Anyone familiar with a home mortgage knows how this goes. The higher the interest rate, the more you pay. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo deals with the wildlife issue read downwards about a foot and a half!!!

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Check out a different view of PAYING AT THE PUMP see Eagan’s take a few pages below.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Pssst—hey, kids! Don’t be alarmed if things are kind of quiet this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). I’m toiling away at a top-secret book-related project, the nature of which is soon to be divulged (I hope)—so please stay tuned!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

SHAKESPEARE LIVE ON SCREEN. See The Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of The Two Gentlemen from Verona at the Del Mar Theatre only on Thursday Oct 2 at 7:30 and repeated just once on Sunday at 11 am. Then there’s also a new (??)live telecast series from London’s Globe Theatre

Twelfth Night October 7th Del Mar
Henry V October 14th Del Mar
Taming Of The Shrew October 28th Del Mar
The Tempest November 4th Del Mar

All screenings are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and ONE SHOWING ONLY. click here for a detailed link, and a connection to the Globe.

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 sometimes old programs are archived… se next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Susan Lysik and Susan Pappas talk about Lysik’s photo exhibit Toy Cameras, Old and New at The True Olive Connection on Sept. 30, she’s followed by world expert on King Lear, UCSC’s Michael Warren telling secrets about the play. On October 7, Jessica Bailey the exec. dir of UCSC’s Arboretum talks about their latest plots and plans. Then Sandy Lydon historian, author and “coastal tour guide”, talks about historical droughts and floods. October 14 has Michael Alman telling us about his Life Raft Tutoring program. Then Sandy Ferguson and Michael Stamp from The Santa Cruz Chamber Players talk all about their newest season. On October 21st Ted Benhari and Tom Hearn from the Rural Bonny Doon Association talk about area issues. Oct. 28 has Tim Kelly and Judy Johnson from the Community Of Artists discussing their Felix Kulpa Gallery Show then California State Assemblyman Mark Stone brings us up to date on Sacramento politics. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES. “All the good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow“, Grant Wood.”The Sexual drive is nothing but the motor memory of previously experienced pleasure”, Wilheim Reich. “If it is not erotic, it is not interesting”, Fernando Arrabal.

END OF THE LINE. Horsecar #1 at Soquel May 1890. This horsecar line went from Ocean Street to Arana Gulch (2 miles). That’s the Netherton and Williams Saloon in the background. That’s Ed Ely at the reins. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

DATELINE…. SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

ENDORSEMENT FEVER. With the Santa Cruz City Council race heating up and especially with the mail in ballot looming closer each day (3 weeks from now!!!) we see the scramble for organization endorsements really getting wilder. Por ejemplo The Sierra Club Santa Cruz County Group surprised everyone and went with just two endorsements Leonie Sherman and Bruce Van Allen. After Fred Keeley’s screwing around (manipulating) with the Sierra board most folks figured they’d endorse more growth/business type candidates. Larger surprises came from the GLBT Alliance of Santa Cruz County. The organization endorsed Cynthia Chase, David Terrazas and Bruce Van Allen. Merrie Schaller co-chair of GLBT did end up endorsing Leonie. According to rumors (and hear-say) their board and steering committee recommended endorsing Leonie Sherman, a strong woman candidate. Those rumors also said that a bunch of people like Carol Fuller, Darrell & Karen Darling joined GLBT at the last legal moment just to stuff the ballot for their candidates, Chase and Terrazas. Fuller and the Darlings used to do that same thing in other political groups, but those groups changed their voting rights laws. Leonie’s next parties are Tuesday, September 30 (6 pm till 7:30) at 118 Miles Street (off of King Street) at the home of David Foster and Saturday, October 4 (4 pm till 5) at 1520 Escalona Drive at the home of Celia and Peter Scott. Bruce Van Allen’s campaign announces…Please join Bruce Van Allen on Sunday, October 5th, from 3 to 5 pm, in Abbott Square on Cooper Street by Lulu’s and MAH for a campaign rally with fun, entertainment, games, and of course, Bruce! Van Allen says he is very excited that CA State Senator Bill Monning will be the special guest, at that G.O.T.V. (Get out the vote) Rally on October 5th! This event will also be a great opportunity for folks to register to vote in the November elections.

AMUSEMENT PARKS FROM HELL. Jodi Frediani found this shocker. Click here, it’s worth it.

ARANA GULCH, A GROWING PROBLEM. Jean Brocklebank brings us up to date with the city approved further ruination of the Arana Gulch greenbelt.

“Another surprise for most readers will be that our greenbelt is getting not one but two destructive paved routes for bicyclists. It is called the Arana Meadow Trail (named for what it destroys). It runs from the Agnes Street entrance into the Arana Gulch Greenbelt and will intersect with the Broadway Brommer (BB) paving in a wide triangle of remnant “critical habitat” of the endangered SC tarplant. Because there simply cannot be enough damage to Arana Gulch in the minds of City bureaucrats, work on the second paved route has begun while the BB work continues at a snails pace, with another 30′ wide construction corridor for big earth moving equipment, disrupting visitors and wildlife alike. Upon seeing the new construction work, one visitor to AG recently said, eyes wide in hope, “This one will be less wide, right?” She was shocked to learn that it will be another 8 foot wide paved route. Go HERE to see pictures”.

PADDLING THE SAN LORENZO…A BAD IDEA. From the Friends of the San Lorenzo River Wildlife website…

The Friends of SLR Wildlife seeks to protect riverine wildlife habitat and the species therein from disturbances that jeopardize them, with a special focus on avian species The San Lorenzo River (SLR) is a living river. It is alive with a myriad of species (avian, piscine, and the aquatic critters that birds and fish depend on for food). The river is host to birds year round. It is their home, offering resting, nesting and feeding. It is part of the Pacific Flyway of migratory birds. The SLRiver offers migratory birds respite and food during their journeys of thousands of miles. The Audubon Society lists “habitat loss, water shortages due to diversion for agriculture and development, and diminishing food sources as major reasons migratory bird numbers have plummeted over the years”. Recently the Coastal Watershed Council (CWC) has initiated a campaign to open the Lower San Lorenzo River to water sports equipment, including kayaks and stand-up paddle boards, an activity which is currently banned by the City of Santa Cruz. CWC has received Special Events Permits from the City Manager’s Office for a series of seven Paddle Events, ostensibly to learn about the effects of paddling on the San Lorenzo. CWC is lobbying the City to rescind its ban on water sports equipment.

Prohibition of any recreational activity that can negatively impact river wildlife.
Prohibition of any single-use recreational activity on or near the river that may exclude other recreational uses such as bird watching, bird photography, painting, or quiet enjoyment and appreciation of this public natural area/open space. Two of the FOSLW objectives are

1. The City cancels all further special use permits for Coastal Watershed Council sponsored paddling events.

2. The City Department of Parks and Recreation retains its regulation of water sports equipment on the lower river.

FORT ORD COMIC BOOK. Watch Michael Houlemard take you on a comic book tour of what’s happening at good old Fort Ord. Artist Andy Warner drew it on September 10. The Sentinel re-printed the Monterey Herald article last Saturday. The link was hard to open, this one might work better. Check it out, it’s important to our bay area.

Impossible City: The Afterlife of an Army Base

PATTON’S PROGRAM. The future of Gonzales and the meaning of”Sphere of Influence”. Tuesday has the Santa Cruz City Council deals with the water rate issue, expanding the crematorium on Ocean Street and a development agreement on the La Bahia. Monterey County hears a presentation on “fracking” and Gary isn’t sure of the outcome of this one. He discuss the possible major development of Monterey County’s Ferrini Ranch. Then he talks about the People’s Climate March I NYC. He says, “The fact that we have just witnessed such an outpouring of citizen action on what may be one of the greatest challenges that we have ever faced (“We have met the enemy and he is us.”), leads me to talk today about activism closer to home. I often say that the “unhidden agenda” of this Land Use Report is to inspire public involvement in the land use policy and project decisions that will so profoundly affect our future. The best way for any individual to do that is to get involved with one or more groups that have organized to have an impact on the public decision making process. In Monterey County, LandWatch Monterey County is such a group. So is the Carmel Valley Association. So is Keep Fort Ord Wild. In Santa Cruz County, the Sierra Club, the California Native Plant Society, and NOPOC (Neighbors Organized to Protect Our Community) are groups organized to have an impact. The “Land Use Links” you can find in today’s transcript will give you lots of ideas for how you can get engaged. I say, go to it! Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s \. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

CLASSICAL DeCINZO. Classy DeCinzo predicted our downtown parking problem early on. Read about 3 pages downward.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Look below a few pages and see Tim’s version of “WHACK A MOLE” only Tim Eagan would….etc., etc.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “How could the great, turn-of-the-(20th) century American illustrator Howard Pyle have envisioned the characters from my novel, Alias Hook, so completely? See the amazing evidence this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com).” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . Debbie Diersch and Jonathan Pilch from the Wetlands Foundation relate new wetlands ideas and Scott Roseman, owner of New Leaf Community Markets is on the second half hour on Sept. 23. Susan Lysik talks about her photo exhibit Toy Cameras, Old and New on Sept. 30, she’s followed by world expert on King Lear, UCSC’s Michael Warren telling secrets about the play. On October 7 Jessica Bailey the exec. dir of UCSC’s Arboretum talks about their latest plots and plans. She’s followed by our 29^th District Assemblyman Mark Stone discussing new Sacramento news. October 14 has Michael Alman telling us about his Life Raft Tutoring program. Then Sandy Ferguson and Michael Stamp from The Santa Cruz Chamber Players talk all about their newest season. On October 21^st Ted Benhari and Tom Hearn from the Rural Bonny Doon Association talk about area issues. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 8 years here’s a chronological list of just last year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”, Eleanor Roosevelt. “We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together and if we are to live together we have to talk.”, Eleanor Roosevelt. “If the use of leisure time is confined to looking at TV for a few extra hours every day, we will deteriorate as a people”, Eleanor Roosevelt. “The arts in every field — music, drama, sculpture, painting — we can learn to appreciate and enjoy. We need not be artists, but we should be able to appreciate the work of artists“, Eleanor Roosevelt.

OUR TOWN CLOCK’S ORIGINAL POSITION ON JULY 27, 1964. This shows the removal of the clock from high atop the International Order of Odd Fellows Building on Pacific Avenue. It went from here to sit in Harvey West Park for 10 years before Gene Corridon with financial help and guidance from Bob Darrow, got it re-situated in 1975. Check out the more formal and detailed history here… photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

DATELINE: September 15, 2014

LA BAHIA EMAILS. Here’s a sampling of some La Bahia emails BrattonOnline received this week.

” The atmosphere at the City Council meeting was almost giddy with high-fives and celebratory congrats, even before the vote. The house was packed with Canfield/French supporters. The chambers were loaded with city bureaucrats and newly resuscitated French supporters from Pasatiempo. Ryan Coonerty was glorying in what he must think is his reputation resuscitation after his La Bahia debacle before the Coastal Commission. It was a horror show. Geoff Dunn, George Ow, and Kim Stoner were in the back grinning from ear-to-ear, positively drunk with excitement. I guess we’re the fools. Of course, Chase and Noroyan were at their sycophantic best, prostrating themselves before the current council with their support for demolition. Canfield has now been officially crowned

ANOTHER EMAIL…“The editorial cartoon in this morning’s (Sept 13) Senile referred to Soquel Creek Water. And the point it makes reminded me of the following excerpt from the final EIR for the La Bahia. Water was an insignificant issue, and the reason:

Impact 4.4-1 Water Supply. The proposed hotel project will result in an increased demand for water supply in a system that, under existing conditions, has adequate supplies during normal years, but inadequate supplies during dry years. The additional demand during dry years would not be of a magnitude to affect the level of curtailment that might be in effect”. Can you imagine any project that would fail to qualify on “water grounds”?

STILL ANOTHER EMAIL…George Ow, Chris Ferrante (last La Bahia battle), Richelle Noroyan, Cynthia Chase, all spoke in favor of the scrape-off. All of the City’s department heads were there, Bill Tyselling, Chip Dip, and many of the Chamber of Commerce types. Ron Pomerantz spoke for modifications to the plan and for the unions, Ross Gibson criticized the design as not really meeting the Spanish Colonial revival standard, Gillian Greensite spoke to the demolition by neglect aspects. Geoff Dunn said nothing as is his usual method‹but he was behind the scenes pulling strings and getting his buddies to sign the anti-Ross letter that was part of the packet and signed by Sandy Lydon, George Ow, Joan Martin, Nikki Silva and Charles Prentiss (shocker for me) and a few others on the “B” team. The letter was a case of public pillory, a sad and shameful attempt to trash Ross’s research credentials. I guess they are all on Ow’s payroll in one way or another. Totally unneeded as most of the time Ross is his own worst enemy in terms of documenting his sources. It was cruel and mean. Cynthia Mathews even sent the letter to Researchers Anonymous before the meeting hoping she would get them on board to trash Ross. Disgusting”.

ANOTHER LABAHIA EMAIL…”Right now I’m so disgusted w/our city government and their complicity w/developers, I could puke! We are powerless and they know it. The Council nods their heads, look concerned, but they do nothing in the public interest that isn’t run by the business establishment. Micah Posner is a cipher-his sole concern about LA Bahia is making sure that there enough bicycles for tourists. A small mind at work. He’s not intelligent enough to get it! Chase and Noroyan are hustling for votes and what a better venue than the LA Bahia hearing? Lots of voters and TV coverage. The message they are conveying to the Council members is that I’m one of you and I’ll support your agenda, oh, & BTW, spread the word to your supporters–vote for me and I’ll do what I’m told”.

LA BAHIA & THE CITY COUNCIL. Gillian Greensite spoke against our City Council’s planned plot to destroy the historic La Bahia and again cave in to Mayor Lynn Robinson’s husband’s employer The Boardwalk/Charlie Canfield/Seaside Corporation. We can only assume that The Municipal Wharf and its historical value will be sold in the same way. I asked Gillian to tell us her reactions. She wrote…”City council members all jockeyed for the lead in support of the demolition of La Bahia to make way for its upscale mega replacement. Not even a nod in the direction of historian Ross Gibson, whose tireless defense of this historic building is matched only by his meticulous documentation. Not a word of regret for the community’s inability to protect and preserve its history. Not a murmur of censure for the Seaside Company’s deliberate neglect which advertized La Bahia as an eyesore. Not a word of concern for the EIR-determined “significant-level” traffic impact from the project. Nothing but gushing praise.

Traffic is a huge concern when local politicians discuss climate change and global warming but is of little concern when they discuss new developments that impact neighborhoods. My question about traffic impact, given that the current roundabout is gridlocked on peak summer weekends, was ignored. Within the next few weeks they plan to build a second roundabout at the wharf entrance without assessing the impact of the first.

The same holds true for water. In response to a community member’s comment about the impact on water from such a large-scale development, councilmember Posner dismissed it with reference to new water supplies and conservation. Along with “revitalization” aka “gentrification” of the beach front, tourist dollars were top dog, despite a recent $6 million tax rebate of city monies for the potential Seaside Co. hotel, for the soon to be built Hyatt on Broadway and for the Marriott. Santa Cruz has long been a tourist destination. What’s new is the imbalance between those who live and work here within the limits of available resources and the impact on both from the development/tourist industry, amply supplied with promotional dollars. The Sentinel used to celebrate the end of the tourism season and the return of the town to locals. Now it’s year-round tourism that’s celebrated. The argument that we need ever increasing tourist dollars to thrive as a city is contradicted by the lavish expenditure by the city on new senior management staff, all in the spin business.

Probably the biggest symbol of this imbalance will be the upcoming struggle over the Wharf Master Plan, a mega tourist upscale development which could potentially wipe out another part of Santa Cruz history. With the Coastal Commission and Congressperson Sam Farr gushing over the plan, sensible suggestions from those who love and frequent our Municipal Wharf will need to be expressed and heard. If you’re keen to work on this issue contact gumtree@pacbell.net

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary’s KUSP clips cover the Board of Supervisors legalizing ofcannibus, and property rights in Santa Cruz County.Then he mentions that Bruce McPherson will be talking about a $7.12 billion dollar water bond. He also talks about the lead pollution that the Santa Cruz Gun Club facility has been causing for decades. On Thursday he covers the raising of water rates for the next 5 years in Santa Cruz City, and also in Live Oak,Pasatiempo and Capitola. He ends on Friday discussing the dissolving of the Lompico Water District, which doesn’t happen very often. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

CLASSICAL DeCINZO. DeCinzo gives the United States Post Office a new idea see downwards.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Tim Eagan gives us a preview of “the arms race”, which means using arms against a race. See below a few pages.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), big thanks to the 300+ (and counting!) pirate fans who entered our Here There Be Pirates Blog Hop and Book Giveaway. Winners to be announced soon, so stay tuned!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE RADIO PROGRAM

KZSC 88.1 FM or live online at

www.KZSC.ORG TUESDAYS 7-8 P.M.

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 sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Rose Sellery and Tina Brown discuss this years Fashion Art Show after which Shelley Phillips describes The Community Music School programs on September 16. Debbie Diersch and Jonathan Pilch from the Wetlands Foundation relate new wetlands ideas and Scott Roseman, owner of New Leaf Community Markets is on the second half hour on Sept. 23. Susan Lysik talks about her photo exhibit Toy Cameras, Old and New on Sept. 30, she’s followed by world expert on King Lear, UCSC’s Michael Warren telling secrets about the play. On October 7 Jessica Bailey the exec. dir of UCSC’s Arboretum talks about their latest plots and plans. She’s followed by our 29^th District Assemblyman Mark Stone discussing new Sacramento news. October 14 has Michael Alman telling us about his Life Raft Tutoring program. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES. “If you lose a son you can always get another, but there’s only one Maltese Falcon“, Gutman in The Maltese Falcon. ” The fabled musk deer searches the world over for the source of the scent which comes from itself”, Ramakrishna. “Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness”, Samuel Beckett/

SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL NEWSBOY CARRIERS. Back in the day when school boys could get part time jobs. This was June 9, 1956. It doesn’t take long to count the girl deliverers. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

DATELINE September 8, 2014

THE NEW YORKER AND SANTA CRUZ. It’ll be old news by the time you read this but the September 8 issue of The New Yorker has fascinating stuff involving our town. In an article by David Kushner titled THE MASKED AVENGERS he interviews and relates the wild life of Christopher Doyon who lived and led an activist career here in Santa Cruz in 2010. Kushner tells about Santa Cruz’s Peace Camp, the anti homeless laws, and the role he played in those sit/sleep ins at the County Building. Hetalks about attorney Ed Frey, and about Robert Norse. The Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company was Doyon’s Santa Cruz office for a while. The article is really about world wide hacking and the complex lack of rules, principles, and goals that keep it going and winning, and failing. There’s a story about how they shut down Santa Cruz County’s website for a brief while then returned it as a protest against our anti-homeless laws. Of course our laws were never changed. Read the story, send me your imprerssions.

GARY PATTON ON THE LA BAHIA HOTEL. I’m writing this Monday September 8 and it’ll be way to late by the time this gets online but…. Gary says in this week’s KUSP broadcasts

An historic structure at 215 Beach Street in the City of Santa Cruz will go on trial for its life tomorrow evening. That is when the Santa Cruz City Council will consider an application to demolish most of the La Bahia Hotel, to alter what isn’t demolished, and to turn a structure that is currently providing low income rental housing into a hotel serving high-end visitors.

The current application is the latest of several attempts by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Company to build a new, upscale hotel at 215 Beach Street. Many believe that tearing down the current structure, and replacing it would be a very good thing for the City. Others strongly believe that the current, historic structure is just the right scale for the City and the Beach Area, and should be restored to its former glory. I encourage listeners to join the debate. But be advised: after tomorrow it will be too late. The La Bahia item will be heard at 7:00 o’clock tomorrow evening (Tuesday Sept. 9) A link to the Council Agenda can be found at kusp.org/land use. Track down Item #1 on the evening agenda, and you will be able to peruse twenty-seven different documents relating to this application. From the point of view of the opponents, La Bahia is fighting for its life tomorrow evening. From the supporters’ perspective, an old and aging eyesore may finally be eliminated. I invite you to weigh in on what will be very consequential decision”. BrattonOnline says, Just for the record , and I’m writing this on Monday Sept.8, I’m betting the Santa Cruz City Council (with the small possible exception of Micah Posner) will go totally for destroying the La Bahia. That’s why we really need a new and environmentally oriented City Council.

GOOD TIMES WERE NOT HAD BY ALL.Stephen Kessler long time Santa Cruz newspaper person, has written some Sentinel pieces lately about why we should dump the La Bahia and why we should re-create (manicure) Lighthouse Field. The Sentinel didn’t print this piece on The Santa Cruz Weekly (Metro) and Good Times. Stephen said we could print it here.

How Good Times won the Santa Cruz news wars

Stephen Kessler

The recent purchase of the Santa Cruz Good Times by Santa Cruz Weekly owner Dan Pulcrano was a watershed moment in local media history. Pulcrano had started Metro Santa Cruz in the early 1990s as an offshoot of his flagship Metro in San José, had changed its name to the Santa Cruz Weekly a few years ago and, unable to beat Good Times in the marketplace, bought the more successful paper.

It was smart branding to call the new paper Good Times, comforting advertisers that nothing would change, when except for the name it would gradually morph into a Metro paper, which it already has. But as some bard or other once said, What’s in a name? The brand Good Times is worth its weight in air (“Lighter than Air” was Jay Shore’s original marketing slogan) and the air of advertising is what newspapers breathe if they want to live.

By calling his newspaper Good Times while folding the Weekly discretely into it, Pulcrano made an astute business decision. He is a journalist but also an aggressive entrepreneur who is out to win. As the historical and undisputed king of local weeklies, Good Times has won the newspaper wars by absorbing the Weekly into its fluffy pages, thus freeing the latter of any gravity it may once have had.

The notion of an alternative newspaper is passé, a relic of the 1970s and 80s, and Good Times, reader friendly as it is, is no alternative newspaper unearthing corruption and exposing scandals, but basically, per tradition, a vehicle for advertising.

The Metro company is building a better Good Times, no doubt about it. But if the only way to beat Good Times is to become them, it raises the question of why you are in the business in the first place. Metro Santa Cruz first presented itself as “the intelligent alternative,” and when that didn’t fly, and week after week, year after year, the Good Times kept eating its lunch, Metro surrendered.

Now that this has enabled Metro to corner the market, will the editorial team do anything unexpected, out of the ordinary, imaginative, challenging—or will they play it safe with a formula that has seldom alarmed the commercial or political powers that be? Will they secretly, slowly, stealthily turn the paper into a sneakily progressive and creative weekly, or will lifestyle prevail?

Not that there’s anything wrong with life or style, but there is a readership that values a sharper edge, that appreciates wit and imagination as much as or more than information, and they are not being served. Maybe that’s what literary journals and upstart zines are for, way off in the dark corners of the culture. But for a while there when I was in the arena (dating back to 1972) it seemed possible to infiltrate the news with poetry, with scathing satire (DeCinzo in the Sentinel has become the only local journalist with any bite), with investigations, with original thinking, analysis and opinion.

Not anymore.

Most people now look to newspapers for information, in the case of Good Times information about entertainment, but not to be entertained by the paper itself, much less surprised or disturbed by what they find in it. For real good times they go to their portable devices, or to live events—or they write their own blogs and upload them into the ether—not to some printed pages where the ads are the main attraction. (Stephen Kessler is the former editor and publisher of The Sun (1986-1989), one of many unsuccessful newsweeklies defeated in the marketplace by Good Times.)

PSA’S STILL NEEDED. “PSA” That’s Public Service Announcements and KZSC sure could use them. These announcements are read several times (for free) every day on all radio stations. All you have to do is follow the FCC rules on how to write PSA’s. Many folks sent a bunch to me…nope, they all have to go to the Public Service Director at any/all stations. They are then read-edited-re-typed and put into our PSA notebooks. For your PSA to get read on KZSC go to the website www.KZSC.org then, on the far right side of the banner click on “contact” that’ll give you the PSA instructions.(http://www.kzsc.org/contact/psa/guidelines) You’ll be glad you did. So will we, actually.

ARANA GULCH UPDATE. Jean Brocklebank leader of the Friends of Arana Gulch

keeps very close tabs on what and how the city is handling the environmental development of Arana Gulch into the Broadway Brommer bicycle overpass. I’ve asked her to keep us informed. This is the second of her updates. Be sure to click on her links to see exactly what’ she’s talking about.

WATER WASTE

Let’s start with wasting water first, shall we? While the rest of us are conserving as best as we can during this drought, the Broadway Brommer (BB) project is consuming our savings. Sure, there is nothing inherently wrong with a water truck on a construction site, but the contractor doing the BB work in dry, dusty conditions was warned – twice – about its leaking water truck. The huge water truck is filled from the fire hydrant located at the harbor entrance to Arana Gulch. The first water waste warning was on 9/1, when the truck sat overnight in the harbor’s boat storage yard, leaking from two places. The second warning was on 9/5, as the truck sat above the work at Arana Creek, leaking from a faucet. Pictures and video are available HERE.

COST OVERRUNS

Next up is more on BB project cost overruns. My request of Public Works for a listing, to date, of all change orders and costs thereof resulted in zilch. The Public Works Director said they don’t have information to date compiled as yet (pardon my skepticism) and when the project is complete the change orders and the cost information will be finalized and settled before the contract is closed out. According to the Santa Cruz City Engineer change orders for BB “are within the normal range for a project of this magnitude and complexity.” Yeah, right. I still predict that the 5% contingency fund — that Chris Schneiter assured the Santa Cruz City Council he was comfortable with — will be at least 10% by the time this poorly designed project is complete. And it won’t be the fault of the contractor, leaking water truck aside. Go HERE to see more change order (aka cost overrun) predictions.

TARPLANT SEASON 2014

What about the endangered tarplant this year? Not good news. While the City has been spending millions for years to get a bike short cut across the greenbelt, the tarplant continues on its downhill slide to extinction. Only four individual plants were discovered this year (three of them by Friends of Arana Gulch, one by the City’s botanist). Two of them came in under two inches tall and are already goners, contributing no seed for next year. The other two are small with flowers and being carefully watched by FOAG (Friends of Arana Gulch). I have named one of those two living plants Martha, in reference to the last living passenger pigeon (of originally billions) which died in 1914 in a zoo. That Martha is stuffed and on display at the Smithsonian. How do we commemorate the last Santa Cruz tarplant unique to Arana Gulch? Go HERE to see the season’s four plants.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary tells us that the La Bahia Hotel will go on trial for its life Tuesday night (9/09/14) when the Santa Cruz City Council will decide to demolish it or not. (See above) Then he talks about the new groundwater law and the Water Supply Advisory Committee. He follows on Wednesday with news of the Cemex property in Davenport and plans for public access.He ends the week telling of a Convention event at the Civic (maybe in October) held by the Water Supply Advisory Committee and how you can get your ideas heard by that group. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Professor Eagan details the difference between “dynamic” and “Dynamite”. See below a few pages.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “Ahoy, me hearties! Let’s play pirates this week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com), as I join the Here There Be Pirates Blog Hop. Find out about ” Talk like a Pirate day” (Sept. 19) and how to win genuine pirate loot (free books!) without firing a single shot!” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Melanie Sobel from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter guests on Sept. 9 talking about their programs and plans. She’s followed by attorney Bill Parkin discussing many land use issues in our county. Rose Sellery and Tina Brown discuss this years Fashion Art Show after which Shelley Phillips describes The Community Music School programs on September 16. Debbie Diersch and Jonathan Pilch from the Wetlands Foundation relate new wetlands ideas and Scott Roseman, owner of New Leaf Community Markets is on the second half hour on Sept. 23. Susan Lysik talks about her photo exhibit Toy Cameras, Old and New on Sept. 30, she’s followed by world expert on King Lear, UCSC’s Michael Warren telling secrets about the play. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just last year’s podcasts. Click here http://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES. ” Work is our sanity, our self respect, our salvation. So far from being a curse, work is our greatest blessing”, Henry Ford. “At least talk to each other. To communicate is the beginning of understanding”, AT & T advertisement. “To forget a friend is sad. Not everyone has a friend”, Antoine De Saint–Exupery.

PACIFIC AVENUE & COOPER STREET. That would now be Cinema 9 , Palace Art & Office Supply and Peet’s Coffee + Tea on the left. Pacific Wave is on the right where it says County Bank. Any and all car experts should respond asap and tell us what year this was taken…please??? photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

DATELINE September 1^st, 2014

PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE. That was the topic at the last Community Water Coalition last week. Matter of fact, that’s the largest question circulating around the entire “water versus growth” or “growth versus water” groups in the city and the county. Do we blindly welcome hotels, UCSC growth, and any other water users to move here before we even ensure we have enough water for ourselves? As Gary Patton, attorney for CWC put it, “In short, the City needs to amend the General Plan to make future growth dependent on available water, as opposed to doing the opposite and making water accommodate future growth”. Patton continued“Growth” is not “inevitable,” and whatever current plans may say, the amount of future growth that will be sustained by any community is going to be based on what that community decides to allow. Current plans can always change. In 1978, the current growth plans in Santa Cruz County forecast future growth that would have resulted in a County population of 500,000 in the year 2000. But the community changed those plans, and the County’s population in the 2000 census was about 250,000. Decisions by the community cut the planned for growth in half”.

Ask those City Council candidates about their votes on growth, ask them about how they would have voted on de-sal. See if you can get any real answer at all, and not just some political monologue.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary gives details on EIR’s and how e need to pay attention to them. Monterey has a huge (3000 acres) development in their future, and the EIR is available. The Marina Coast Strategic Plan deals with the future of Fort Ord. Then he talks about Toadal Fitness and their plans to move into 2931 Mission Street.Thursday (9/4) there’s a Counth Transportation Commission meeting about the Passenger Rail Study, and an intra-county rail service. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents indivuduals and community groups on land use and environmenatl issues. The opions expressed are Mr. Patton’s \. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DeCINZO. The who’s who of our street scene…see below.

EAGAN’S DEEP COVER. Hamas and Israel….maybe, just maybe??? Scroll down.

LISA JENSEN LINKS. Didn’t hear anything from Lisa Jensen this week but I’ll be she’s reviewing FRANK the wild and creative film about the guy who wears a huge fake head and fronts a punk band. I’ll also bet she liked it. Then she talks about her recent podcast too. Go to her page and find out. Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com). Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer, (live only or sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. . Sept. 2 we have Julie James and Susan Myer Silton from The Jewel Theatre Company talking about G.B. Shaw’s play “Saint Joan” opening 9/04. Then therapist Alexandra Kennedy talks about her new book “Honoring Grief“. Melanie Sobel from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter guests on Sept. 9 talking about their programs and plans. She’s followed by attorney Bill Parkin discussing many land use issues in our county.Rose Sellery and Tina Brown discuss this years Fashion Art Show then Shelley Phillips describes The Community Music School programs on September 16. Debbie Diersch and Jonathan Pilch from the Wetlands Foundation relate new wetlands ideas and Scott Roseman owner of New Leaf Community Markets is on the second half hour on Sept. 23. Susan Lysik talks about her photo exhibit Toy Cameras Old and New on Sept. 30. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always at bratton@cruzio.com

UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, 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. Hear them all!!!

QUOTES. “Only the hand that erases can write the true thing”, Meister Eckhart. “Light is my obsession. I feel it as an elemental source of power, like a cosmic coal…Movies are made of light”, Dennis Hopper. “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here”, Desiderata, 1693.

DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ. Circa 1875. Those are the horsecar tracks going right down the middle of a very wide Pacific Avenue. The publicly owned horsecars would take folks down to the beach…of course that idea had to be stopped – by some other city council I’ll bet. Yes, that’s a fire on the left and I can’t find an exact date or location when it happened. photo credit: Covello & Covello Historical photo collection. Additional information always welcome: email bruce@brattononline.com

Dateline August 25, 2014

SANTA CRUZ CITY COUNCIL…BACKGROUND. Once upon a time our City Council listened to the citizens. There were all colors and stripes of people’s action groups and the City and County responded in kind. Then people like Scott Kennedy, Mike Rotkin and Cynthia Mathews took over the City Council. These folks and people like Neal Coonerty, Ryan Coonerty and others followed. They all claimed and claim they knew what’s best for us. They claimed they had more facts and information and we citizens couldn’t possibly understand all the issues that they would decide for us. Issues back a few years like expanding The Dream Inn, and lately The De-Sal Water problem were part of their “TRUST US” attitude. They cater and bow down before any developers…like hoping that Starbucks will build a 3 story building on our most visible corner. Do we see the Council reaching out to any other locally owned coffee business and giving them huge tax and fee breaks? There’s no helping Verve, Lulu’s, The Coffee Roasting Company or any others build a truly great looking structure. Another Starbucks…why? Nowadays we have Lynn Robinson’s City Council (with Cynthia Mathews in the control seat) working hard to stop the San Francisco Mime Troupe from performing here, we have The Great Morgani playing all over California and creating super new outfits and still he waits to hear from the city Council if he can play on our Pacific Avenue…it’s been months. And as any tourist or local will be happy to tell you, that same City Council somehow can’t stop motorcycles from roaring and ruining our downtown experience. ONE MORE TIME…we need new and better and more intelligent thinking on our city council.

BOARDWALK & WATER USAGE & INJURIES??? Wouldn’t it be great to get official assurance that the boardwalk with its many water based rides has been certified by some City Official and can tell us that they are genuinely cutting back on their wild and crazy water wastage, or at least turning off the water rides during the drought??? Remember too, how we used to read about all the Boardwalk injuries that required treatment at Dominican? If you have any Doctor or nurse friends who work in Emergency rooms around the area, ask them about how the injuries never quite make it into the Sentinel anymore!!!

KATHY BISBEE TO LEAVE THE AREA!!! Kathy Bisbee made a long and important number of changes to Santa Cruz…and now she’s moving. Once upon a time she worked for John Robbins the ice cream heir, then she was with CALPIRG. I met her when she was directing SCAN (Santa Cruz Action Network) We worked together when she was Cruzio’s marketing director. Then she went with both Santa Cruz Community Television and Community Media Access Partnership (CMAP) in Gilroy.She recently accepted a job in Brookline/Boston as executive director at a community media center there She’s going to be around Santa Cruz and Gilroy until October and then we can start missing her fulltime.

SANDY BROWN TO RETURN TO AREA!!! Sandy’s a co-owner of Swanton Berry Farm and was an assistant professor of Public Affairs at the University of San Francisco. She’s a farm labor consultant and was heavily involved in all our local politics. Back in the day. She’s returning….you’ll hear more.

JON SAGEN. Jon Sagen died last week, he was Melody Sharp’s husband among other things. He was one of my rare links to my life before Santa Cruz. Jon worked for Frank Werber. Werber was the guy behind the Kingston Trio, and worked at the Hungry I , helping out such stars as Mort Sahl and Tom Lehrer. My “Goodtime Washboard 3” recorded some stuff in Werber’s studios. I was the voice behind Papa Cribari wines and recorded there and Jon Sagen and I became good friends. He was a master at organizing, communicating and making friends everywhere. We’ll miss him.

LEONIE SHERMAN FUNDRAISERS. This Thursday (Aug. 28) 6 p.m. at the Tannery ArtBar. Tom Noddy will make bubble magic and the hot street band Eight Dice Cloth will play. Then on Saturday, Sept. 6^th. Leonie will be at Staff of Life at 4 p.m. The Coffee Zombie Collective will play and there’ll be delicious food and another chance to ask and tell Leonie important things.

PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary talks more about how and when to get involved with land use issues, and about a new “private road” policy in Monterey County. The Soquel Creek Water District has a special meeting Tuesday 8/26 to talk about having their own De-Sal water plant.He speaks about the “Community Advisory Group” and widening Highway 156. He refers to the problem of Fracking” and groundwater. Capitola’s General Plan is going to be amended, and that affects all kinds of development. Read the complete scripts of the above at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse . Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor (20 years) and an attorney who represents individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinons expressed are Mr. Patton’s \. Gary has his own website, Two Worlds/365” – www.gapatton.net

SANDY LYDON’S SECRETS. Historian and author Sandy Lydon creates great newsletters. This Summer-Fall 2014 issue of Central Coast Secrets contains surprising coverage of our earlier great droughts. Like the Drought of Lynchings, The Drought of Screaming Horses, PLUS he talks about celebrating the anniversary of our local great quake of 1989. (just a bit before our latest Napa shaker and which is now named When The Barrels Lost their Bungs). Go here to join Sandy and friends and their coastal adventures.