History Corner

The grand

hotel of Aptos

Clause Spreckels of San Francisco was one of the richest men in America because of his imagination and his energy. He was a whirlwind. When he purchased most of the Aptos Rancho from Rafael Castro in 1872, he had big plans for Aptos. He wanted to develop the sugar beet industry here. He wanted to build a railroad. He wanted to raise racehorses and build a racetrack. He wanted a summer house here. He built a 170- acre hunting preserve for his friends called the “Deer Park.” He extended the wharf for his shipping empire. But the thing that really put Aptos on the map was his grand hotel. Spreckels saw the tourism potential of the estuary and beach where Aptos Creek enters the Monterey Bay, so he made plans to build the finest summer resort in California. The Grand Opening Reception for the Aptos Hotel was held on May 22, 1875, concurrently with the formal opening of the Santa Cruz Narrow Gauge Rail Road from Santa Cruz to Aptos. The event included an Inauguration Banquet and Ball for Governor Pacheco. Rafael Castro was an honored guest. Music was furnished by a Santa Cruz quintet of violins and horns. Supper was served at midnight with three separate seatings. The revelers danced until 4:30 in the morning. Two weeks later, three trains from Santa Cruz brought over 1,000 people, plus another 500 by private conveyance, to the Dedication Picnic for the hotel. A capacious dance floor was erected, and music was supplied by a full quadrille band. Also,

John Hibble Aptos History Museum

swings and various games were provided. The great novelty of the occasion was the ride on the new railroad at 50 cents for the round trip from Santa Cruz. The hotel was situated above the creek and surrounded by hills, covered with shady trees, on three sides which sheltered it from winds. The hotel was an imposing two-story structure of 50-by-150 feet, with a basement. The hotel provided 50 rooms with views of the bay, or the forest and creek. The furniture in the reception area was elegantly carved black walnut. The furniture and woodwork in the rooms and halls were laurel and oak. All areas were carpeted. The first floor contained the ofces, reception rooms, and a parlor with two large, French, plate glass mirrors in carved and gilt black walnut frames (one of these mirrors still exists at Sand Rock Farm bed and breakfast). It also contained a grand piano, the main dining room, a children’s room, a large French range in the cook room and a dish room. The bakery, the wine room, meat and other storerooms, employee sleeping rooms and the employee dining room, were located in the basement. Joe Hickmein, formerly chief cook at Paso Robles Hot Springs, presided over the mammoth French range in the kitchen and Mr. Jerome Backus, formerly of the Lick House in San Francisco, was the steward in charge of the domestic afairs. The proprietor/lessee was Mr. H. F. Gasque. Modern amenities included gas lighting from a Union gas machine that furnished gas for 1,000 lights. Additionally, bathrooms and water closets were on each story at each end of the building. Outside the hotel building, there were five double cottages of four rooms each. Chinese reclining chairs were placed in cozy groups about the hill in front of the hotel. A lawn and flower gardens sloped away from the main building. Lamp posts were placed around the grounds for illumination at night. About 200 feet from the hotel, to the west, but in pleasant view, was the pavilion or clubhouse. Its dimensions were 75-by-115 feet and it housed two bowling alleys, a reading room, a billiard room, and two card rooms. During dances, the bowling alley was converted into a bar with all of the finest liquors. Additional buildings included a laundry, a three-story barn with 24 stalls and another two-story barn with 18 stalls. The barns provided excellent horses, buggies, rockaways and four-in-hands, with experienced drivers. A bathing house with 12 changing rooms was located at the beach with a surf boat for emergencies. In addition to hiking trails, there was a Deer Park for those who wished to hunt. A two-story private residence for Spreckels was located above the hotel site on today’s Bayview Court. When Spreckels built a larger house closer to the Coast Road, this residence became the caretaker’s house. An island was created between the hotel and the clubhouse by damming the chasm to make a small lagoon for breeding fancy stocks of fish. A footbridge spanned the lagoon and crossed to the island filled with a beautiful grove of trees. The island was christened Lovers Retreat, which is today’s Treasure Island Drive. The ➝ 21

G’day from Australia, the “birthplace” of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program! I’m here for the Helping Families Change Conference for Triple P researchers and practitioners, where I had the opportunity to present about our local and statewide eforts to obtain governmental recognition of Positive Parenting Awareness Month in January. It was thrilling to share our story with an international audience and hear how they were inspired by our creative, collective eforts to elevate the importance of positive parenting in Santa Cruz County and across California.

In turn, I’ve been inspired by several messages that have been emphasized throughout the conference by Professor Matt Sanders (creator of Triple P), researchers, and parent educators from around the world: Ma^Õklm*%)))]Zrl!,r^Zkl"h_ life are a critical period in a child’s development…and every subsequent *%)))]ZrlZk^ZelhbfihkmZgm' Ma^jnZebmrh_iZk^gmbg`Zg]

family relationships are crucial in every stage of a person’s life—even through adulthood. Ihlbmbo^iZk^gmbg`a^eilZ\ab^o^ multiple goals—including good physical, mental, behavioral, and This shows you value their thoughts, opinions, and feelings— even when they’re diferent from yours—which is essential to building a strong relationship based on trust. Having everyday casual conversations also helps children and youth develop important language skills, including the ability to listen, ask questions, learn new words, and express themselves. Provide engaging activities This could be anything from going to the park to enrolling children in preschool or recreational activities, to volunteering at an animal shelter, or participating in an environmental clean-up day. Safe, interesting activities keep children occupied (which can prevent challenging behaviors), and provide opportunities for children to practice communicating their thoughts and needs, cooperating with others, and showing compassion for other people and living things. Create teachable moments Encourage children and youth to be curious and ask questions, then use incidental teaching to involve them in the learning process. Ask if they have an opinion or think they can answer their own questions. Encourage them to share their thoughts, even if they don’t know the exact answer. This sends the message that we all learn by trial and error, and that it’s often more important to be curious, thoughtful, and open-minded than to be right. Give meaningful praise It’s true that praise can become inefective when it’s overused, too general, or given half-heartedly. But in Triple P, descriptive praise is a way for parents to acknowledge and encourage children’s eforts, improvements, and accomplishments. When it’s li^\bÕ\Zg]`^gnbg^%]^l\kbimbo^ praise helps builds children’s skills Zg]\hgÕ]^g\^Zlma^re^Zkgahp to be active, engaged, cooperative members of their families, peer groups, schools, and communities. Final Thoughts: Raising children mh[^\hf^\hgÕ]^gm%\ZiZ[e^% independent adults is one of the most important and rewarding, but often most undervalued, jobs in our society. And yet, as Matt Sanders says, “The future wellbeing of our communities depends on how well we raise our children.” While that might sound like a daunting responsibility, just remember there’s no such thing as a perfect parent, and no one should have to do this job alone. Just like children, all dads, moms, stepparents, grandparents, foster parents, and other caregivers need opportunities, skills, and recognition to develop their parenting “muscle.”

This monthly article provides tips for families raising children, based on the world-renowned Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, available to families in Santa Cruz County. If you have a question or idea for a future column, please email me at triplep@ Õklm.l\\'hk`' Nicole Young is the mother of two children, ages 16 and 19, who also manages Santa Cruz County’s Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, the world’s leading positive parenting program. Scientifically proven, Triple P is made available locally by First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency (Mental Health Services Act) and the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department. To find a Triple P parenting class or practitioner, visit http://triplep. first5scc.org, www.facebook.com/ triplepscc or contact First 5 Santa Cruz County at 465-2217 or triplep@first5scc.org. Kids need opportunities, skills & recognition ÕgZg\bZea^ZemaÈZg]ma^[^g^Õml of positive parenting are passed on to each generation. <abe]k^gZg]rhnmaZk^fhk^

likely to adopt healthy social and emotional behaviors when they have strong relationships with parents and other caring adults who communicate healthy beliefs and clear expectations. To create those strong relationships, children and youth need: *'Opportunities to actively participate in and feel a sense of belonging in their families, schools, and communities. 2. Skills that will help them navigate school, relationships, work, and life. ,'Recognition and praise for their eforts, improvements, and accomplishments. P^\ZgZeeÕg]fhf^gmlmh provide children and youth with opportunities, skills, and recognition, whether we’re a parent, teacher, neighbor, elected ofcial, or just a caring community member. So this month, instead of Zglp^kbg`Zli^\bÕ\jn^lmbhg%BÌf ofering a few positive parenting tips that anyone can use to provide opportunities, skills, and recognition for children and youth. Talk about things they’re interested in ASK

Nicole For The Gram PHO O BOOTH Open Air Photo Booth Rentals • Face Painting & Henna Tattoos Proudly Serving Santa Cruz County & Surrounding Areas www.forthegramphotobooth.com forthegramphotobooth@gmail.com 831.840.0097 Hablamos español

Changes to credit

score calculations

Afew months ago, we wrote an article about what factors are used to determine your FICO® “credit score,” a number ranging anywhere from 300 to 850. Achieving and maintaining a “good” or “excellent” credit score is imperative for anyone who wishes to borrow money at some point, as well as being able to possibly get a lower interest rate on certain types of loans which could save them hundreds or thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Credit scores are also often considered when looking at job applicants or potential renters. In January, the Fair Isaac Corporation, the company responsible for creating the FICO® score, announced it

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was tweaking its formula. With the changes, most would probably see a change in their credit score of 20 points or less. However, some could see a change of more than 20 points in either direction. We break down some of the changes below. What has changed? While Fair Isaac routinely updates their scoring methodology (usually about every five years or so), this time they are updating and planning on producing two numbers, FICO 10 and FICO 10T. FICO 10 will continue to be formulated with a “snapshot” at a point in time of balances, whereas FICO 10T (with the “T” standing for trended data) will be looking at a longer lookback period as well as analyzing how people have utilized debt over that

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MusicalMe.com ( ( 831 ) 438 - 3514 period. Have they been steadily paying it down? Have they been incurring new debt? What type of debt do they have? Average FICO scores under the old scoring model have continued to creep higher. This is in part due to the current state of the economy. People are employed and paying their bills on time as well as the fact that negative marks on credit reports often drop of after seven years or so. Now that we are 10-plus years out from the Great Recession, less borrowers have these negative marks. However, some borrowers who experience fluctuations in income may turn to revolving debt sources, like credit cards, to fill in the gaps. FICO 10T aims to look more closely at trends like this. The new FICO 10T score will allow lenders, in theory, to take a more holistic view of borrowers. For example, certain types of debt are likely to face more scrutiny under the new FICO 10T scoring method. In particular, personal loans, which have increased exponentially in usage since the Great Recession, as well as credit cards are two examples that may face more scrutiny. Let’s look at our hypothetical example of Bob. Bob currently has a mix of credit card debt and a personal loan that he took out two years ago to consolidate credit card debt he had at the time. Let’s also assume that Bob pays his bills on time and he recently applied for a new credit card. Under the old scoring system, lenders would see a snapshot of current balances on the credit cards and personal loan and see he makes on-time payments. There wouldn’t be much insight into “trends” though. Under the new FICO 10T, lenders would be able to have more insight into Bob’s balance histories. Have they been trending upwards or downwards over time? A possible lender utilizing the new FICO 10T, might flag Bob as a riskier borrower because they would be able to see trending history that he consolidated his credit card debt into a personal loan and then subsequently ran up his credit card balances again and applied for another credit card. What can you do? There isn’t a whole lot to do diferently with managing your credit score in light of this new scoring method. Just keep in mind that the potential usage of the FICO 10T score (probably starting in summer 2020 or possibly 2021), means that lenders may emphasize and scrutinize certain types of debt more than they used to and they may be looking closer at “trends” in your credit usage. Paying bills on time and keeping credit card balances low relative to their available credit line or paid of completely are still of paramount importance when managing your credit score. Other factors like age of credit history, recent credit inquires and the type of credit continue to factor in as well.

Gary E. Croxall, CFP® Registered Principal of LPL

Soren E. Croxall, CFP®, CFA Registered Representative of LPL Securities and Advisory Services ofered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial and Croxall Capital Planning do not provide tax or legal advice. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Making housing more affordable

Zach Friend Santa Cruz County Supervisor

With median home prices in the county currently hovering around $875,000, it’s easy to see why many in our community find the cost of living challenging. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that one would have to earn $35 per hour (or over $70,000 per year) to aford a twobedroom apartment in our county. Similar housing challenges are occurring throughout the state and, as a result, the most recent legislative cycle produced a number of housing bills aimed to streamline and stimulate housing production. What housing bills did the state pass? Over the last few legislative cycles, state lawmakers have focused on bills that remove barriers to housing production and encourage the production of accessory dwelling units (ADUs or granny flats) and multifamily housing close to job centers and transit.

On the ADU side, four new laws took efect in January. Assembly Bills 68, 587 and 881 along with Senate Bill 13 addressed a streamlining of ADU review times, reduced fees, lowered parking requirements in some instances, looked at owner-occupancy requirements and more. For example, ADUs are now exempt from parking requirements if they are within a half-mile walking distance from any transit stop. Additionally, ADU applications must be approved or denied within 60 days from the date an application is deemed complete and short-term rentals (less than 30 days - vacation rentals) are now prohibited by state law in ADUs (this provision already existed in our local code). Outside of ADUs, state legislation (such as Senate Bill 330) focused on accelerating housing production over the next five years by streamlining permitting and approval processes. For example, under this legislation, a maximum of five public hearings may be held for any housing development project that is consistent with standards in place at the time the application is deemed complete. After an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is certified, a decision to approve or deny a project must be made within 60-90 days depending upon the project’s size. What is being done at the local level? Locally, we’ve eliminated fees on smaller accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and significantly streamlined the process so much work can be done over the counter. The County has taken significant steps toward modernizing and improving afordable housing regulations (such as with bonus densities) to encourage the creation of afordable housing. New County policies encourage smaller unit sizes (which are often more afordable) and makes it easier for builders to construct more sustainable housing along urban transportation corridors. It also provides incentives for property owners wanting to build deedrestricted ADUs with a forgivable construction loan program. Additionally, the County has created regulations around vacation rentals to preserve current rental and owneroccupied housing stock. While this isn’t a comprehensive list of things the County has done it provides a general overview. Why does it matter to address these housing costs? The high housing costs have social, environmental and economic costs. High housing costs lead to displacement and even changes in community diversity as working families are forced to live further away from their jobs. According to a study done by McKinsey Global Institute, California’s housing shortage costs the state more than $140 billion per year in lost economic output, including lost construction investment as well as foregone consumption of goods and services. Given that Californians pay $50 billion more for housing than they are able to aford, the report concludes, there is a significant reduction in the ability to support our local businesses and economy.

Additionally, the job/housing imbalance - where people have to live further away from jobs to find afordable housing - has significant impacts on trafc and quality-of-life. It took years for our county to be faced with the housing issues we have today so there will be no quick or immediate fix. However, the state and County are working on ways to help improve afordable housing options. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to stop by my ofce hours in Aptos, Corralitos, Seascape or Watsonville or call at 454-2200.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

What’s up with the Republican party? We are living in a situation that one of the founders was referring to when he said: “you have a democracy if you can keep it.” The behavior of Trump and other ofcials of the Executive Branch is grievously out of control, as is that of certain amongst their civilian associates. It is high time for the other branches, the Congress and the Supreme Court, to exercise their powers of control to bring the Executive into line and appropriately penalize all persons abusing the law in this situation. If they fail to do so, we could be kissing our democracy goodbye.

Donald Trump has, in public, called the “Democrat” party the party of crime. First of, Donald, it’s the Democratic party, not the Democrat party. Get it right. Furthermore, if there are parties of crime in America, the Republican party is the largest among them. The list of possibly criminal, certainly loathsome, activities of Republicans has grown large over a long period. To mention only a few, disenfranchisement of the opposition, mainly minorities and especially blacks. A long history of gerrymandering voting districts to their advantage and often putting party interests ahead of those of the nation. Currently, while the Democratically controlled House has sent hundreds of bills to the Senate, well over 300 of them are just sitting on McConnell’s desk. While Trump is accusing others of lying, there is a written record of some 15,000-plus of his lies while in ofce. There are more issues, too numerous for this letter, many of which could well have ordinary people in prison for years.

Thomas Stumbaugh

Medicare for All hoax

Medicare for All sounds good and makes us all feel better. However, it lacks the infrastructure to accommodate all of the new participants. You can add 20, 30, 40 Million to health care but you need the staf and facilities for these people. None of the present plans account for this additional need. Secondly, we saw under the Afordable Care Act [ACA] that doctors and clinics turn away patients because ACA and Medicare pay so little that these doctors and clinics could not aford to treat them. Under Medicare for All, this situation will be even worse. ➝ 19