Aptos Times: May 1, 2021

Family Owned For Over 30 Years • Aptos, La Selva Beach, Corralitos, Freedom & Watsonville

Times Publishing Group, Inc.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com

May 1 2021 • Vol 30 No. 9

Bidding For Homes: Up To $200,000 Over Asking

Home prices are going crazy in Santa Cruz County as would-be buyers bid $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 over the asking price.

Full Story page 7

CASA Plans May 15 Virtual Human Race Full Story page 6

Inside a Bizarre 5-0 Football Season

By Sawyer Jordan This school year has been a roller coaster ride for the Aptos High School football team.

When school originally went into lockdown in March of 2020, we decided as a team to do online Zoom workouts. Led by Coach Randy Blankenship, we trained

all throughout the summer. Beginning at 8 a.m., we would work out for about an hour each morning.

These workouts were different every time, sometimes sets of pushups, sit-ups and squats. Sometimes it would be 2-3 sets of 10 different exercises. ... continues on page 4

HOME BUYING FRUSTRATIONS? J IM F URLONG.COM

Residential lot for sale in Rio Del Mar could be the answer.

434 Loma Prieta Drive. BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM HOME!

REALTOR

DRE #01897214

831.212.9648

Pajaro Valley: Acosta Recall Movement

A committee formed to recall former school board president Georgia Acosta from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board aims to file the official notice in a week or two, campaign manager Carol Turley said Tuesday.

Full Story page 9

BRENT GARVEY PAINTING The Repaint Specialists Serving Santa Cruz Since 1989

License #681095

831.688.6913 | www.brentgarveypainting.com

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER Times Publishing Group, Inc. 9601 Soquel Drive Aptos, CA 95003 Inc.

2 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

No. 9

Volume 30

14

18

31

Table of Contents

11

Cover

Inside a Bizarre 5-0 Football Season, By Sawyer Jordan

6 7

8 9 11 14 16 17 19 20 21 23

Community News ‘Heels Up, Hearts Out’: CASA Plans May 15 Virtual Human Race, By June Smith Bidding For Homes: Up To $200,000 Over Asking, By Jondi Gumz • Erika Zavaleta Gets State Appointment • Cruzio Hiring • Commuters Rewards To Bike, Carpool • Val Miranda to Head PV Arts • Santa Cruz County Jobs SBA Opens Restaurant Aid Window: Masks Not Needed for Some; Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Cleared, By Jondi Gumz Pajaro Valley: Acosta Recall Movement, By Jondi Gumz Cabrillo College: The Name Had to Be Neutral, By Jondi Gumz More Hope at Hopes Closet, Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz Amah Mutsun Has A New Leader: Raymond Hitchcock Aims to Protect Sacred Sites, Mentor Youth Banuelos, Gallucci Leave Santa Cruz County Bank Board Moveable Murals Celebration: May 4 Student Views: Should Cabrillo College Change Its Name?

Career Track: Pajaro Valley Students See Benefits in Technical Education Who Founded Mother’s Day?

California News 17 Governor Recall: 1.6 Million Say Yes

Letters to the Editor 22 Coastal Agency: Live Oak Permit Parking Violates State Law • Rodriguez on Derek Chauvin Verdict • City Leaders on Chauvin Verdict

Monthly Horoscope • Page 26 – May Day & Festivals in the Month of May, By Risa D’Angeles Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28, 29

Featured Columnists 18 Rio del Mar Aptos: Before 1947, Photo Essay by Carolyn Swift 24 PVUSD: Full-time In-Person Classes Start in Summer School, Q&A With Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, Superintendent, Pajaro Valley Unified School District 25 Soquel Creek Water District Unveils New Website, By Rebecca Gold Rubin 27 Now Open: Invitation To Experience, By Ron Kustek 30 Serving on County and Regional Commissions, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 31 – Coffee Cake Is Doing Well After a Rough Day

www.tpgonlinedaily.com

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 3

COVER STORY Patrice Edwards Jondi Gumz

publisher editor

contributing writers Sawyer Jordan, June Smith, Jondi Gumz, Risa D’Angeles, Carolyn Swift, Michelle Rodriguez, Rebecca Gold Rubin, Ron Kustek, Zach Friend layout Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson graphic artists Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson photography Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson, Brad King website Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti production coordinator Camisa Composti media consultants Don Beaumont, Teri Huckobey, Brooke Valentine office coordinator Cathe Race distribution Bill Pooley, James Hudson

Times Publishing Group, Inc. 9601 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003 The Times Publishing Group, Inc., publishers of the Aptos Times, a bi-monthly publication, the Capitola Times and Scotts Valley Times, each printed monthly, Coastal Weddings Magazine, Coastal Home and Garden Magazine, Aptos’ Fourth of July Parade Official Program Guide and Capitola’s Begonia Festival Official Program Guide, is owned by Patrice Edwards.

Entire contents ©2021. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form is prohibited without the publisher’s written permission

“Mariner’s Football” from page 1 Other times we would see who could get more sets done in a 20-minute period.

Every day was different. On top of that, we were encouraged to train individually another hour or two each day.

At the beginning of the year, our coaches got even more creative; we sometimes used paint buckets, brooms, anything really that had weight on it. Challenging daily Zoom workouts became our new normal.

On July 6, we were allowed to begin inperson practice to prepare for a September game, but sadly, both in-person practices and games were postponed due to the pandemic. In September, we came back again for in-person practices to prepare for a game in November. Again, our season was postponed.

To follow the health guidelines, we couldn’t even touch a football on the field or we would get in trouble. Eventually, these in-person practices were once again cancelled. We started practices once again around November. Our season was set to begin in January, and we were really looking forward to it. We were all pretty frustrated when it was postponed again.

The roller coaster continued.

January came around, and after winter break we began in-person practices...again.

It was a great day in February when we got the thumbs up from the school to practice in football pads. Then we knew it was real.

This meant we were really going to have a football season!

Our shortened season kicked off with a team scrimmage.

For the next game we traveled to Watsonville to play Monte Vista Christian.

Senior Night Photo 2021: This group of seniors left a legacy of hard work and determination that will carry on for years to come.

PHONE: (831) 688-7549 FAX: (831) 688-7551 GENERAL E-MAIL: info@cyber-times.com Patrice Edwards: patrice@cyber-times.com Publisher’s Assistant: assistant@cyber-times.com Editor: info@cyber-times.com Calendar Listings: www.tpgonlinedaily.com Graphics Department: graphics@cyber-times.com Billing Inquiries: cathe@cyber-times.com Classified Sales: sales@cyber-times.com Production: production@cyber-times.com CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.tpgonlinedaily.com mission statement We at the Times Publishing Group, Inc. are dedicated to providing a voice for the individuals and organizations in our community while highlighting the outstanding accomplishments of our local businesses. We seek to promote healthy family values through our coverage of youth activities, school news, senior events, community groups and entertainment

Cover Mother’s Day graphic courtesy of freevector.com

4 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

There was so much hype for playing our first game at Monte Vista, because after practicing and working for over eight months to play football, we finally got to run and hit on the field again.

We took two different buses to Monte Vista, one bus was for the seniors and one bus was for the lower classmen. I was put on the senior bus because there wasn’t enough room on the other bus, but some of us played music and others were focusing and calming themselves for the game. It was a good game and really helped our whole team come together.

Our second game was against the Soquel Knights at our home stadium.

We were also hyped for Soquel because there was a lot of talk coming from both schools. It was exciting to be back on our home field not only to play football but to also play on our brand new turf field, and it felt awesome to run out of the Aptos entrance again. It was also great to see parents and fans because we were not too sure if we would get people in the stands this year.

I remember how it was to run out on the field, going full speed, sprinting out to our sidelines while the crowd cheered for us. If someone asked me what happened on the first play, I couldn’t remember because of how much we just wanted to go out and play. Although we had a slow start, the game really took off during the second half and we ended up winning, 49-6.

Unfortunately, our third game was canceled.

Our next game was back at home against Watsonville High. Watsonville was a good game, we played our hardest with another winning result.

To end this bizarre season, we played our final game at Santa Cruz High School.

COVER STORY

The Mariners thank their home crowd after a big win against SCCAL rival Soquel.

This was our craziest game by far, because on that day the buses and refs were scheduled for the wrong day, so we had to get our own rides to Santa Cruz and had some of the coaches become refs for the JV and Varsity game as a last-minute decision.

Although it felt like it might never happen and it was shorter than normal, we had a fun, successful season.

The best photo we have of our team is when we all got together and took a huge team picture with Coach B on the field after the last game. We were all laughing and yelling, jumping on each other, and I think it captured all the release we had bottled up after such a long season of being told we would play, and then having it taken away, multiple times.

Coach B jumping in on the pile at the end made it even sweeter.

Our coaches really hung in there with us through all of the ups and downs. We practiced year round to get here and they worked right alongside us. This was a season where every member of the team got to play at one point or another.

Although none of us would have planned it this way, I’m grateful we finally had a football season ... and I’m not gonna lie, it was great to go 5-0. It was a really good way for our seniors to finish their final high school football season. We have a lot of very talented players among our seniors and they will be missed. We overcame challenge after challenge to get here and next year’s team will be even stronger for it.

As a final thought, our team would like to thank our family, friends, coaches and faithful fans for supporting us throughout this crazy season. Thank you to Mr. Fox and Ms. Pughe for all the support and drive to make our football season possible! Thank you parents for your support and guidance.

We couldn’t have succeeded without you! n ••• Sawyer Jordan is a junior lineman for the Aptos High Mariners who transferred from Pitman High in Turlock ••• Photos by Denise Russo Photography Cover Photo: Mariners football coach Randy Blankenship dives into team huddle after the last game of the season at Santa Cruz High as the team said goodbye to seniors.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 5

6 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

COMMUNITY NEWS

‘Heels Up, Hearts Out’

CASA Plans May 15 Virtual Human Race

By June Smith

W

ith the Human Race on pause this year, CASA, along with the Friends of CASA is holding their own virtual walk with a hybrid option on May 15. Walk or run at any time or sign up for a socially distant walk time on May 15 at Elkhorn Slough from 9 a.m. until noon. CASA will notify inperson walkers of their scheduled walk time by May 3. Registration is free and all proceeds support foster children in Santa Cruz County. To register or donate visit www.casaofsantacruz.org In a letter to supporters, Executive Director Lynne Petrovic and Development Director Magi Diego provided updates on how the staff has supported our community’s children.

The 2021 Quarterly Update included some incredible news. There is no longer a waitlist and CASA staff is proudly able to offer an Advocate to every child who becomes a dependent of the court in Santa Cruz County. Each referred child is thoughtfully matched with an Advocate within days.

Magi Diego, CASA’s Development and Communications Director says, “The organization was able to apply for and secure two PPP (Payroll Protection Program) loans in 2020 and 2021 as part of the federal stimulus to help keep us afloat. These totaled under $200,000.”

Magi Diego Diego, who came from the tech marketing world after becoming an Advocate for a 12-year-old girl has an MBA from Santa Clara University and an undergraduate degree from UC Davis.

Kids visit a horse with their CASA advocate.

Here is her story: ••• What made you decide to become an advocate? n 2019, as a senior marketing director at Symantec, I found out the company was being purchased and knew I would be losing my job when the acquisition went through.

I would be an empty-nester soon, so it felt like a good time to grow more connected to the community. I had heard about CASA and realized this was a great way to give back with my strengths as a parent.

Did you want a child of a certain age? was open to being matched with any child, however, thought I would be a good fit for a pre-teen or young teenage girl.

I had a rough time in middle school and understand it is a crucial time in a kid’s life as they become more independent. I felt like I had a lot to offer a girl of that age.

How long have you been with this child and what kind of things do you do together? was matched in October of 2019. PreCOVID I picked her up from school once a week to go to the beach, the harbor, or a park and get a snack.

Sometimes we would go to the movies or do an art project or see a show, so I got to know her quite well. In March of 2020, our regular visits stopped and we started communicating over text message.

Have there been any problems with the birth parents? o. I build a relationship with the birth parents and worked with her social worker, attorney, and therapist to assure that she has a safe, stable, and happy environment.

I

I I

N

“CASA Advocate” page 9

COMMUNITY NEWS

Bidding For Homes: Up To $200,000 Over Asking

H

By Jondi Gumz

ome prices are going crazy in Santa Cruz County, according to Gary Gangnes of Real Options Realty in Aptos, as wouldbe buyers bid $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000 over the asking price.

In March, the median price for single-family homes — the midpoint of what sold — set a new record: $1,125,000.

Gangnes said overbidding locally reached the highest percentages ever: • 41% of the homes sold for more than $50,000 over asking price.

• 26% of the homes sold for more than $100,000 over asking price.

• 12% of the homes sold for more than $200,000 over asking price.

In Aptos, sale prices are 109 percent of the list price, according to Paul Bailey, co-owner of Bailey Properties.

The median home price in Santa Cruz County crossed the $1 million mark in September before the holiday surge in COVID-19 cases and hasn’t looked back.

The number of homes available for sale topped 500 in the summer of 2018 and 2019, then during the pandemic of 2020, fell far below that.

As of the first week of April, there were 283 listings, an all-time low for that month, according to Gangnes, reporting that over the

past 25 years, that week saw an average of 721 listings.

Only 175 of the 283 listings are active, as the other 108 are under contract with a buyer, he said.

“Compare 175 active listings to 147 closed sales in March, and the intense supply and demand relationship is clear,” he said.

Compare this March to March a year ago, when there were 102 sales — again, a sign of intense demand.

Overbids Are Persisting 1,540-square-foot home on Redwood Drive listed for $789,000 sold on April 27 for $887,500.

A

“Overbidding” page 10

Photo Courtesy of Bailey Properties

Asking price for this 4-bed, 4-bath, 3,272-sq.ft. home at 135 Seabreeze Place is $1.95M.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Erika Zavaleta Gets State Appointment ov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to the California Fish and Game Commission.

Zavaleta will be one of five members of the commission, which sets policies and regulations implemented and enforced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. This position requires Senate confirmation.

A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, Zavaleta is a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and Erika Zavaleta the Ecological Society of America. She directs the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program mentoring future leaders in ecology at UCSC and the Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities (CAMINO), a program to increase student access to research-based field courses and internships at UCSC. Her research focuses on terrestrial ecosystems and plant communities, links between biodiversity and human well-being, and the implications of interacting global and regional environmental changes. She coauthored the award-winning textbook Ecosystems of California.

Zavaleta earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology and a doctorate in biological sciences at Stanford University.

She joined UCSC in 2003.

“Historically, there has not been strong science or diversity representation on the commission, and Erika’s appointment represents a

G

marked change in the composition of the commission,” said Mark Carr, UCSC professor and chair of ecology and evolutionary biology.

••• Cruzio Hiring ruzio Internet in downtown Santa Cruz expects to hire up to 20 field technicians and technical service representatives this year.

The Equal Access Santa Cruz project has connected more than 200 students and their families during the pandemic and more are expected to connect in 2021. The project has expanded to more school districts, low-income housing units, UC Santa Cruz student programs, and senior living facilities.

Cruzio seeks entrylevel applicants with an interest in gaining installation, technical, and customer service skills and is scheduling appointments for a Zoom Interview Hiring Fair. Email cruzio. com/careers with times you are available for a Zoom interview.

••• Commuters Rewards To Bike, Carpool he GO Santa Cruz program, which has 1,100 people getting to work downtown via walking, biking, carpooling, skateboarding or riding the bus to win prizes, is expanding countywide.

The program, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, is free. It’s partly funded by voter-approved Measure D to improve the county’s transportation network.

To sign up, visit https://my.cruz511.org and join the GO Santa Cruz County network.

C

T

To earn points that can be redeemed for electronic gift cards, log in. Participants also can enter for chances to win in quarterly drawings.

Participating employees and employers can participate in a series of free online educational workshops on topics such as urban cycling, eBikes and bike commuting basics.

The countywide expansion came in connection with Earth Day. The GO Santa Cruz pilot program, launched in 2019 by the City of Santa Cruz, reports workers have logged 23,000 alternative trips and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 26.9 metric tons.

••• Val Miranda to Head PV Arts ajaro Valley Arts Board of Directors announces Valéria “Val” Miranda as the new executive director, succeeding Linda Martin in the part-time position.

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she has a master’s degree in sustainable management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, worked as a consultant since 2008 and has been the executive director at the Santa Cruz Art League since 2016.

Her artistic practice is in dance and visual arts.

She has lived in Santa Cruz County since 2001. A board Valeria Miranda member with the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County, she was the director of education at the San Jose Museum of Art and at the Monterey Museum of Art.

P

Her experience includes fundraising, curatorial practices, program development, management, and evaluation, and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Miranda has worked in and with arts organizations since 1992. She is passionate about the power of the arts and culture to change individuals, communities, and society.

While this last year was lost to many, Pajaro Valley Arts turned the negatives of the pandemic into a positive movement for change and growth.

••• Santa Cruz County Jobs March Unemployment 8.1%

Change from Sector March 2021 a year ago Government 19,100 Down 3,700 Leisure & Hospitality 8,300 Down 5,300 Pvt. Ed. & Health 16,600 Down 1,400 Manufacturing 7,000 Unchanged Other Services 4,400 Down 800 Trade/Transportation/ Utilities 16,200 Down 300 Prof. & Biz. Services 10,500 Down 300 Information 500 Down 200 Construction 4,400 Down 100 Financial 3,100 Down 100 Nonfarm 90,100 Down 12,200 Farm 5,700 Up 1,100 Total 95,800 Down 11,100 Labor Force 129,800 Down 7% Employment* 119,200 Down 8% Unemployment 10,600 Up 3% *Includes commuting to jobs outside county Count is on the 12th of the month.

Sources: California Employment Development Department n

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 7

COMMUNITY NEWS

SBA Opens Restaurant Aid Window

Masks Not Needed for Some; Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Cleared

By Jondi Gumz

W

ith 15,617 recovered COVID-19 cases and 240,000 vaccinations, the pandemic outlook in Santa Cruz County is improving, but a slight uptick in cases means the move into the less restrictive Yellow Tier will be postponed.

The county, one of 41 in the Orange Tier, reports 204 deaths, only 147 active cases, and 131,000 negative test results.

The move to the Yellow Tier expected on April 28 did not happen.

The reason is the county’s adjusted case rate went up from 1.4 cases per day per 100,000 people to 2.1 cases per day, and it has to be below 2 to qualify.

Test positivity was .8 percent, below the 2 percent the Yellow Tier requires.

Until the numbers are reviewed next Tuesday, gyms, saunas, dance and yoga studios, wineries, breweries and bowling alleys must operate at 25 percent capacity.

Live-audience events staged outdoors are capped at 33 percent capacity.

The Aptos Chamber of Commerce announced on its website that it won’t organize the 4th of July parade or the party at Aptos Village Park this year, but the Brookdale Lodge has already restarted live music outdoors. Coming in June and July: Outdoor musicals presented

by Cabrillo Stage in Aptos.

To help food businesses struggling with shutdowns and capacity limits, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced registration for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund begins Friday, April 30, at tinyurl.com/dine-vital-award/ with applications open online at 9 a.m. Monday, May 3.

(Full URL: https://restaurants.sba.gov/requests /borrower/login/?next=/%3Futm_medium%3Demail %26utm_source%3Dgovdelivery) The online application will remain

open until the $28.6 billion allocated

by Congress and approved by the president is gone.

This will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Funds must be used for allowable expenses by March 11, 2023.

Although new COVID cases are way down, the local economy hasn’t recovered due to regulatory restrictions -- unemployment in March was 8.1 percent and more than 5,000 jobs in the hospitality sector had yet to return.

To help restaurants, hard hit by the rules, the Capitola City Council agreed to extend permission for temporary outdoor dining through Sept. 7. Most restaurants in Capitola Village had invested in outdoor dining as a survival tactic when indoor seating was prohibited.

J&J Vaccine Cleared n April 23, federal regulators ended the 10-day pause on the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, begun after 6.8 million doses to investigate after six women under age 50 had blood clots in the brain and one died.

A new warning on the label will warn about this uncommon, but potentially deadly, effect.

Dr. Gail Newel, Santa Cruz County health officer, agreed with eight health officers in the Bay Area agreed that the risk of developing the rare clotting disorder is extremely low. They issued a press release comparing the risk of dying from COVID-19 if you have a confirmed case as 1 in 56 to the risk of injury from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as 7 cases per million doses among women between 18 and 49 and 2 cases per million doses overall.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has two advantages over the others – one shot is needed instead of two and it can be refrigerated, not requiring extremely cold storage.

Johnson & Johnson supplied only 4 percent of the California’s vaccines, and Santa Cruz County responded to the pause by substituting the two-shot vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

Vaccine Reward: No Mask Outdoors n April 27, the federal Centers for Disease Control issued new guide-

O Plenty of Free Customer Parking

Wilder Associates Inc.

Village Liquors

Property Management Specialists

For All Your Beverage Needs

662-0291

688-5691

Kumon Math & Reading Center

Joy of Movement Pilates & Gyrotonic®

Learning for the Long Run

More Zest for Life

508-8200

688-8077

Warmboard Radiant Subfloor

Epicenter Cycling

Trek Bicycles for All Types of Riders

Simply Smarter Radiant Heat

662-8100

685-9275

Dentistry for Animals Dr. Judy Force, DVM

768-7148

8 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

O

lines on wearing masks to prevent COVID spread, saying fully vaccinated people can skip the mask outdoors — unless they’re in a big crowd.

President Joe Biden remarked on the change, saying it’s a new reason to get vaccinated. He told the Associated Press, “If you’re vaccinated, you can do more things.”

A week ago, Pajaro Valley schools welcomed back to school all students who wanted in-person instruction on campus — a huge change after the pandemic shuttered schools a year ago.

Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, superintendent of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, and her fellow superintendents sent an April 21 letter to parents, noting “a report published by the CDC found inperson instruction does not pose a major risk of COVID-19 to children as long as they continue to wear face coverings and maintain adequate physical distance between themselves and others.”

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education is teaming up with Salud Para La Gente, Safeway, Dignity Health, Dominican Hospital and county Public Health to provide vaccine clinics for students age 16-18.

Clinics this week have Pfizer vaccine, enough for 1,800 students. If vaccine for students age 12 to 15 gets approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education will work on vaccine clinics for them.

The vaccine is free and voluntary.

Parental consent is required, with families being notified via email.

The superintendents’ letter states: “We are committed to ensure that all families and students have access to vaccination regardless of income level, ZIP code, immigration status and /or whether have health insurance or not.”

They expressed optimism that the pandemic would continue to subside as more people get vaccinated and encouraged families to keep wearing masks, physical distancing and following quarantine and isolation protocols if exposed or infected to prevent the virus from spreading.

(The letter also provided eight resources, in wake of the guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin, who is white, in the murder of George Floyd, who was black, for conversations about race.)

“COVID Update” page 10

COMMUNITY NEWS

PVUSD: Acosta Recall Movement

A

By Jondi Gumz

committee formed to recall former school board president Georgia Acosta from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board aims to file the official notice in a week or two, campaign manager Carol Turley said Tuesday.

A Watsonville Georgia Acosta native, she lives in the district represented by Acosta and is the recall campaign manager.

Seven people have been meeting for the last two months, according to Jane Barr, who served on the school board and is an advisor to the committee.

The campaign issues are on the committee’s website, www.restoretrustpvusd. com/ The group alleges Acosta: • Skipped 26 board meetings • Accepted monthly stipend and health insurance ($6,000).

• Emailed confidential board documents • Won’t meet with the superintendent • Won’t face the public • Retained an attorney to advise her for $16,000 • Attempted to silence the public • Has not apologized.

Their conclusion: Georgia needs to go.

“I live in that trustee district and right now I don’t have any representation,” said Turley, a Watsonville High School alum, like her two daughters, and a school volunteer before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Termination he last straw was in January when Acosta, an ag businesswoman who was president of the school board, persuaded fellow board members to terminate Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez, who was

T

“CASA Advocate” from page 6 Is this your 1st child, and will you take another one afterward? his was my first CASA kid and, I would love to be matched with another youth.

Do you have children of your own? have two kids, one at UC Santa Barbara, and one at UC Davis.

I am now an empty-nester!

••• ASA’S summer training dates are from July 19 — Aug. 18 on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. Class size is limited to 15 people. Zoom court

T I

C

quickly reinstated by apologizing trustees, who then voted 4-2 in March to censure Acosta, a symbolic action showing their condemnation.

Kim De Serpa, Maria Orozco, Jennifer Schacher and Jennifer Holm voted yes; Acosta and Oscar Soto voted no, and Daniel Dodge Jr. abstained.

Barr said what led to Rodriguez’ temporary ouster was an interim financial report.

According to Barr, the report for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education showed the Pajaro Valley district would be in the red three years out, an early warning sign for financial difficulties. However, additional funds were due that put the district in the black for the third year – no financial woes – and the updated interim report was approved by the county Office of Education a day or two later.

Acosta “used that to get rid of the superintendent,” Barr said. “She caused chaos.”

Barr and Turley said the district was billed $16,000 in fees for an attorney Acosta hired to advise her.

Aptos Times left messages via email and phone for Acosta; one phone line said her voice mail was full and no longer taking messages. As of deadline Wednesday, she did not respond.

How Recall Started urley, who as a Watsonville Rotary member helped bring Cruzio Internet to Pajaro Valley students living at the Buena Vista Migrant Camp, said her recall involvement started with a phone call from her friend Leslie, asking if she knew what was happening with the school board and the superintendent.

Turley tuned into the board meetings hosted online via Zoom due to the pandemic.

T

observation dates are on Aug. 24 or 26 at 8:30 a.m. and the graduation date is Aug. 26.

A CASA advocate increases the wellbeing of a child in foster care, addressing mental, physical, and educational needs.

They work to ensure the child’s safety while in foster care and help keep them connected to their culture and cultural identity. CASA volunteers advocate keeping families connected and together when safe and possible. n CASA of Santa Cruz County www.casaofsantacruz.org 813 Freedom Blvd. Watsonville (831) 761-2956

Her reaction: Somebody ought to do something.

But nobody did. So she reached out to the people who had commented at the board meeting who felt the way she did.

“We put together a little group,” she said.

One member skilled at web design created an eye-catching red-and-black website with a close-up photo of Acosta’s eyeglasses, detailing the group’s allegations and asking for financial pledges.

2,150 Voters ajaro Valley school board members are elected by district, and the district Acosta represents has about 8,600 voters.

The first step is to write a statement of charges and gather 20 valid district voter signatures, turning this into the Santa Cruz County Elections Department.

There is no deadline to do this, but once the notice of intent to recall is filed, the group will have 90 days to get valid signatures from about 2,150 voters; Turley said she’s aiming for 2,500. The elections office will have 10 days to determine if there are enough valid signatures. If there are, there will be a recall election.

Barr said the recall group made its case to the Cesar Chavez Democratic Club and got a pledge of $5,000.

Asked about running a campaign during a pandemic, Turley called it “a wrinkle,” adding, “I got my second vaccine.”

She expects there will be campaigning outside grocery stores, such as Staff of Life Natural Foods, Safeway and Nob Hill.

Asked if Acosta’s district is one of the

P

parts of the Pajaro Valley school district lacking Internet access for voter emails, but Turley said, “For the most part, everybody has charter available.”

State and local ballot measure advertisements are required to contain disclosures including the phrase “Ad paid for by” followed by the committee name as well as naming top contributors, according to the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Cost recall election is costly because it’s a special election billed entirely to the voters of the district.

“It will cost tens of thousands of dollars,” Barr predicted.

Asked if the expense is worth it, Turley said, “We wrestled with that. I brought it up to the team several times. Can we just neutralize her? Our determination was she’s dangerous for district and bad for kids. We can’t wait three years.”

Piggy-backing onto another ballot measure would cut costs, but this campaign comes too late to get on the Newsom recall ballot.

Turley, who monitors school board meetings, said Acosta’s legal bill hasn’t been paid by the board and Acosta hasn’t been seen on screen during recent sessions, including one in which top students were honored.

“She could do the right thing and step down,” Turley said. “We’re hopeful.” n

A

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 9

“Overbidding” from page 7 What’s driving the demand?

Bailey said it’s the work-at-home trend created by the COVID-19 pandemic attracted people who work in tech and are attracted to Aptos by the schools, the neighborhoods and the beach.

He’s representing the seller of 135 Seabreeze, on the Seascape Golf Course, asking $1.95 million.

One potential buyer who works in tech has sold his home and is moving to Aptos to enroll his daughter in school. Another works in tech and is eyeing Rio Del Mar Elementary for his 4-year-old son.

Bailey sees Aptos displacing Scotts Valley and Westside Santa Cruz as the hot areas in the county.

“I think Aptos is going to become Los Gatos on the coast,” he said.

Personal Appeal his explains why the Rintoul family, a couple with two children, mailed a letter to homeowners in Scotts Valley

T

saying they are looking for a home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms in Santa Cruz, Soquel, Capitola or Scotts Valley.

“We thought we’d reach out to homeowners directly … since we aren’t seeing much on the MLS,” they wrote.

Their agent, Chris Simone, said, “It hasn’t worked yet,” but he’s still working with the family and will take calls at (408) 772-7113.

As Gangnes sees it, “a convergence of extraordinary influences” is boosting prices to record levels but these conditions are temporary: • The record low mortgage rate was broken 17 times during the pandemic, as the Fed heavily purchased mortgage bonds; rates have increased in 2021.

• Santa Cruz, Monterey and Contra Costa counties have had an influx of work-at-home tech employees exiting San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

• National news of sharply rising prices motivate buyers to action.

Not enough people are listing their homes for sale to take advantage of this demand in the market.

Gangnes has several explanations: Some people are fearful of letting the public in their home due to concern about COVID-19 spread, people who would sell worry they wouldn’t find a replacement home locally to buy, and people who could move out of state are choosing to stay put during the pandemic.

One metric to track demand is the Unsold Inventory Index, listings divided by sales. Prices can increase when the index is below six months.

In March, the index was 1.9 months — and the pressure has been building.

Gangnes said the index has been below two months for six of the last seven months, which is very unusual because in the past, there was never a time with two consecutive months below 2.0.

“The Unsold Inventory Index is telling the story of the extreme difficulty wouldbe-buyers have been facing,” he said.

Underlying Conditions Yes: 158 • No: 46

“COVID Update” from page 8 No School Transmission am Rolens, spokesman for Santa Cruz City Schools (which includes Soquel High) and a Gault parent, reported in his first weekly video news update on Facebook “the steadily improving picture of the pandemic locally,” with half of the county’s eligible population has received one shot, and more than a third fully vaccinated.

Even with elementary students back on campus five days a week, there have been zero cases of on-campus spread in Santa Cruz City Schools, he said, noting exposures and cases are tracked on the district website.

New air filtration systems have been installed at schools in preparation for the fall semester, he added.

“We haven’t all had the same year,” he said, noting some are carrying heavier loads of trauma and offering his willingness to serve as a resource via email.

Cabrillo College will host a virtual commencement ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday, May 21 to honor graduates. The community at large is invited, and graduates are welcome to celebrate on social media.

The state will allow overnight camps starting June 1.

Gov. Newsom, who is being subjected to recall, aims to fully reopen the state June 15, allowing conventions to resume with attendance capped 5,000.

The place to look for a vaccine is the state system at www.MyTurn.ca.gov.

Most health providers are on this platform, making it easier to track California’s vaccination progress.

But federally qualified health care

For would-be buyers losing out because their bid wasn’t accepted, they may buy a condo or townhome instead.

In August, before the UC Santa Cruz quarter began, the median price for condo and townhomes topped $750,000, and sales peaked at 60.

The median price remains fairly high — $640,000 in March, compared to $595,750 a year ago, with 55 sales, up from 30 a year ago.

And fewer people are selling condos and townhomes.

As of the first week of April, there were 55 listings compared to 104 in the first week of March 2020, before the pandemic, Gangnes reported.

Of those listings, 26 are under contract with a buyer, leaving only 29 active.

The trends Gangnes sees are also being seen in coastal California, according to the California Associatoin of Realtors. n ••• To view the local statistics, go to www. realoptions.com

S

Gender Male: 100 • Female: 104

centers such as Salud Para La Gente and Santa Cruz Community Health are not using MyTurn, so to get an appointment there, go to santacruzhealth.org, click on vaccines and follow the directions.

Another source, supported by the federal Centers for Disease Control, is www.vaccinefinder.org.

Santa Cruz County health officials have prioritized equity, allocating 60 percent of its doses for the greater Watsonville area and its Latinx community, which has seen the most cases.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has a campaign in Spanish to encourage educators, childcare workers and farmworkers get the vaccine. The information phone line is 831-466-5906.

The Toll OVID-19 has claimed the lives of 60,000 Californians.

Deaths in Santa Cruz County have leveled off at 204, with 50 percent of deaths at nursing homes and assisted living facil-

C

10 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

ities, a percentage that was higher early in the pandemic.

Locally, 79 percent of those who died were age 70 or older and 77 percent had other health conditions – those percentages have remained stable.

A year after the pandemic began, with 27 million vaccine does administered and case rates plummeting, 38 counties are in the Red Tier and 38 in the Orange Tier.

On Wednesday, Santa Cruz County reported only four people hospitalized with COVID, none in intensive care.

•••

County COVID Deaths 204

As of April 28 Age 90 and up: 56 • 80 to 89: 62 • 70 to 79: 43 60 to 69: 27 • 50 to 59: 5 • 40 to 49: 7 30 to 39: 4 Race/Ethnicity White: 114 • Latinx: 73 • Asian: 15 Black: 1 • Amer. Indian/Alaskan Native: 1

Skilled Nursing/Residential Care Santa Cruz Post Acute: 20 Watsonville Post Acute: 18 Pacific Coast Manor: 14 Hearts & Hands Post Acute: 8 Sunshine Villa: 7 • Aegis: 4 Maple House 1: 4 Valley Convalescent: 4 Watsonville Nursing Center: 4 Montecito Manor: 3 • De Un Amor: 2 Dominican Oaks: 2 • Driftwood: 2 Hanover House: 2 • Maple House II: 2 Rachelle’s Home 1: 2 • La Posada: 1 Paradise Villa: 1 Rachelle’s Home II: 1 Valley Haven: 1 • Westwind: 1 Total: 103 Not at a facility: 101 COVID Cases by Town Aptos: 804 • Ben Lomond: 119 Boulder Creek: 148 • Capitola: 459 Felton: 154 • Freedom: 988 Santa Cruz: 3,915 • Scotts Valley: 436 Soquel: 352 • Watsonville: 8,059 Unincorporated: 254 Under investigation: 280 Total: 15,968 Source: Santa Cruz County Public Health ••• Editor’s Note: Would you like to share your family’s COVID-19 story? Email Jondi Gumz at info@cyber-times.com or call 831688-7549 x17.

For details on what can open in the Orange Tier, see https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Cabrillo College: The Name Had to Be Neutral

I

By Jondi Gumz

n 1954, Santa Cruz County voters were not inclined to support tax measures for education — even though all high school graduates had to leave the county to pursue a bachelor’s degree. When a bond measure to create a junior college went to voters, 70 percent said no.

So how did Santa Cruz County get a community college? Why is that college named for navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a name today’s faculty and students find objectionable because of his activities in the new world? Who vetted the name?

Sandy Lydon, who taught history at Cabrillo for more than 40 years, recounted what happened for the Sandy Lydon college’s Name Exploration Committee on April 15, a talk that is recorded on YouTube.com.

“This was a higher education desert,” he said.

Here is the history he shared:

In 1948, with World War II over, the U.S. military had surplus bases, such as Camp McQuaid on San Andreas Road in Aptos. Elsewhere, those bases were being converted to junior colleges.

Education superintendent Thomas MacQuiddy, enthusiastic about a 400-acre oceanfront property available for one dollar, formed a coalition from the three high schools in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz and Watsonville to support the idea.

The state objected because the site wasn’t near a transportation corridor. And the county Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 against it, due to concerns about taxes.

Monterey Bay Academy, a private prep school, got the property.

The county was split because people in the north and south had different interests.

Watsonville was an agricultural town with farms and ranches. About 200 high school grads a year went to Hartnell College in Salinas.

Santa Cruz was a manufacturing area, the Wrigley plant was the new place to work, and city leaders wanted to attract

A slide from Sandy Lydon’s presentation about the naming of Cabrillo College, featuring the original Governing Board. a University of California campus, but without a junior college, that would be difficult.

So, they rallied support for a junior college bond measure in 1958, winning with a 66 percent yes vote.

There were two very important condi-

tions: The name of this junior college had to be neutral — nothing to do with Pajaro Valley, nothing to do with Santa Cruz — and the location had to be midway between Santa Cruz and Watsonville.

“Neutral Name” page 13

Make peace of mind part of your birth plan.

Choosing the right foods. Deciding on a safe exercise routine. Creating a birth plan.

As a mom-to-be, you have a lot of decisions to make. Fortunately, Dignity Health – Dominican Hospital’s Family Birth Center has a whole team of specialists ready to safely guide you throughout your journey—from the support of our midwives to the added security of the only Level III NICU in the Monterey Bay area standing by. We even have live virtual classes to help you prepare for the big day. Learn more about how we’re safely delivering humankindness at DignityHealth.org/DominicanBirthCenter.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 11

FEATURED BUSINESS

Since 1926 Instruments / Accessories / Sheet Music Sales / Rentals / Lessons 7960J Soquel Dr. 831-724-4798 Aptos, CA 95003

musicstoreguy@earthlink.net

SERVICES SERVICES

FITNESS & TRAINING

RETAIL

RESTAURANTS

Dance with us!

(831)684-1800

www.studioe-dance.com

7970 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003

Since 1926 Instruments / Accessories / Sheet Music Sales / Rentals / Lessons 831-724-4798

musicstoreguy@earthlink.net

Caledonia A DAY OF BEAUTY Suite C

Conveniently located off Highway 1 and just outside Aptos Village, the Aptos Village Square hosts a number of local Aptos businesses.

12 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

7960J Soquel Dr. Aptos, CA 95003

Our focus is on you and giving the best experience possible to help you achieve your goals.

(831) 662-0886

7960 Soquel Drive, Ste. I, Aptos

www.fleetfeetaptos.com

7960 Soquel Drive Aptos, CA 95003

your comeback!

“Neutral Name” from page 11

The name Cabrillo was chosen unanimously by the trustees Carl Conelly, Albert “Bud” Rice, Keith Shaffer, Margaret Blaisdell, Harold Hyde, Joe Chamberlain and Arthur Hubbard. Two 6 WEEK CHALLENGE! days later, Frank Orr, editor of the RegisterPajaronian, wrote an editorial, “A Fitting Name.”

The vote came on the heels of Legislature in 1957 declaring Highway 1 to be “Cabrillo Highway.”

Signs reminded locals of this.

As the first European navigator to make landfall in San Diego, Cabrillo was “a southern California guy,” Lydon said.

“They had no clue up here at the time who he might have been … if the Legislature had vetted him.”

At the time, Cabrillo was embraced by the Portuguese community for his navigation heroics. Information conHe added that the people who chose Matt Wetstein, Cabrillo’s president/ firming his Spanish heritage had not superintendent, asked why not choose the name Cabrillo “didn’t know who come to light. he was in 1959, in fact, historians didn’t Loma Prieta as the name?

Wally Trabing, then a reporter with It means “Dark Mountain” and it’s in know who he was … Harry Kelsey’s the Santa Cruz Sentinel, listed possible Santa Clara County, Lydon said. book in the 80s, we’ve learned more, names for the junior college at the end As far as changing the name, Lydon absolutely.” of one article: Cabrillo, Begonia, Loma said, “It’s perfectly appropriate to ask Lydon, who has written two books on Prieta, MidCounty and Santa Cruz him to come down and re-audition.” immigration of the Chinese and Japanese County.

After that, “he planted the name GET READY FOR Cabrillo in various articles with quotes GET READY FOR around it,” said Lydon, who interviewed WITH six of the original trustees, plus adminWITH THE istrators and students. “It had no official THE name.”

6 WEEKCHALLENGE! CHALLENGE! 6 WEEK According to a report in the Sentinel on March 2, 1959, the name Cabrillo was chosen unanimously by the trustees Carl Conelly, Albert “Bud” Rice, Keith Shaffer, Margaret Blaisdell, Harold Hyde, Joe Chamberlain and In-club At-homewith with a Coach In-clubwith withaaCoach Coach At-home a Coach Arthur Hubbard. (Conelly was active in San Lorenzo Valley, Chamberlain wasIn-club with a Coach At-home with a Coach a cattle rancher, Hubbard was a comIt’s time to get off the couch! Make your comeback puter guy working at the new Lockheed today with a Curves coach by your side!

Martin plant.)

Sign up for the Curves 6 Week Call Us Today!

Challenge you’ll get: Sign up for the Curves 6andWeek Two days later, Frank Orr, editor of FREE RESISTANCE Street Address ONLY T STARTED! BAND * to0000 get off the couch!

Make your comeback the Register-Pajaronian, wrote an edi- It’s time Challenge and you’ll get: $X.XX City, State A DAY! 00 0000 0000with a Curves today coach by your side! torial, “A Fitting Name.” in-club or virtual ✓ COACHING COACHING ress To start classes in September — CALL Sign up for the Curves 6 Week a NOW TO GET STARTED! Real access Strength forto Real Women and you’ll Challenge MyCurves Onget: Demand in-club or virtual ✓ WORKOUT short six months away — the first pres-* Street Address ✓ COACHING in-club or virtual Franchise opportunities available.ONLY For more information: Curves.com/BuyCurves and Curves ✓ WORKOUT access to MyCurves On Demand Franchise opportunities available.Club For more information: Curves.com/BuyCurves 0000 ident, Bob Swenson discovered vacant City, State 0000 and Curves Club GETWORKOUT READY FOR $X.XX* for home workouts included for homeincluded workouts ✓ EQUIPMENT ✓ EQUIPMENT access MyCurves A to DAY! building at Watsonville High School 00 0000 0000 ✓ TRAINING PLAN for all fitness levels 000 On Demand CHART for tracking progress PLAN forand all✓fitness levels ✓ TRAINING available because it didn’t meet earthWITHCurves Club quake safety standards.

CHART for tracking progress ✓ THE Cabrillo College opened with 400 EQUIPMENT 6 WEEK CHALLENGE! Franchise opportunities available. For more information: Curves.com/BuyCurves included for home freshmen in September 1959. workouts Next year, in 1960, bond measure $6.6 million bond measure, the largest in TRAINING PLAN county history, was approved by 80% of for all fitness the voters.

ONLY levels opportunities available.

Forwas more information: Curves.com/BuyCurves In-club with a Coach At-home a Coach $3with “The percentage vote aston.78 Curves * CHART toishing new members, who sign up for a 6-week Curves Fitness membership, payable up front in full at the time of signing.

6-week Fitness A with for a county that couldn’t hardly In-club with a Coachfor At-home a Coach DA tracking ere the membership is purchased. Offer excludes CurvesSmart® and Curves Nutrition Program.

Valid at participating locations only. Cannot be Y ! agree on anything ever,” Lydon said. combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value. progress Cabrillo Civic ©Club ofAll Rights Santa Take controlOwned of your health fitness with 2021 Curves.

Reserved Locally andand Operated Curves in-club or at-home! Get up and get moving!

Cruz, a group celebrating Portuguese 7000 Soquel Dr. Aptos, CA 95003 Call Us Today! heritage, commissioned a sculpture of It’s time to get off(831) the couch!

Make your comeback 688-2348 FREE 831.688.2348 today with a CurvesRESISTANCE coach by your side!

Cabrillo that arrived in time for the 1966 BAND 7000 Soquel Dr. Aptos aptoscurves@gmail.com AptosCurves@gmail.com Sign up for the Curves 6 Week graduation.

CALL NOW TO GET STARTED! Challenge and you’ll get: www.facebook.com/CurvesAptos ONLY The figure is bearded, a serious Street Address * $X.XX Real Strength for Real Women look in his eyes, with Cabrilho — the City, State 0000 DAY! 00 0000 0000Franchise opportunities A available. For more information: Curves.com/BuyCurves Portuguese version of his name — on *Offer expires 12/31/21. Available to new members, who sign up for a 6-week Curves Fitness membership, payable up front in his belt. The sculpture and plaque are full at the time of signing. 6-week Curves Fitness membership valid only at the club where the membership is purchased. Offer on campus in the Swenson Library but excludes CurvesSmart® and Curves Nutrition Program. Valid at opportunities available. For more information: Curves.com/BuyCurves didn’t get much attention, as Lydon Franchise participating locations only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value. recalls. © 2021 Curves. All Rights Reserved

WITH THE

to the West Coast, told of his visit to Tiananmen Square, where protesters were massacred in 1989. He wondered why Mao Zedong, a Marxist who freed China from colonialism then persecuted thousands, still has his name on buildings.

The answer he got: Mao was 80 percent not so good but 20 percent good, and people in China understand that.

As for the anti-Asian violence taking place throughout the country, Lydon said that is a part of Santa Cruz Country history, too, a story he shares in his book, “Chinese Gold.” n ••• The next in the series on changing the name of Cabrillo College: April 29: Student essays and art, 6 p.m.

To view Sandy Lydon’s talk, visit https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdqEVeeGI_w

! back your comeb yourcome At-home withack! a Coach

ith a Coach

IN -CLUB AT-HOME

me to get off the couch! Make your comeback today with a Curves coach by your side!

CALL NOW TO GET STARTED!

ONLY $X.XX A DAY!

*

✓ COACHING in-club or virtual ✓ WORKOUT access to MyCurves On Demand and Curves Club

When you sign up for an In-Club & At-Home Membership!

✓ EQUIPMENT included for home workouts ✓ TRAINING PLAN for all fitness levels ✓ CHART for tracking progress

your comeback!

*Enrollment fee due up front and varies by location. Offer based on first visit enrollment for a 12-month recurring billing fitness membership. Resistance band included with first month charge. Sales tax will be added and varies by location. Open to new and existing customers. Valid at participating locations only. Cannot be combined with any

offer or discount. cash value. Offer expires 12/31/21.

Club instructions: 2021Hybrid *Offer expires 12/31/21. Available to newother members, who sign upNo for a 6-week Curves Fitness membership, payableSelect up front in full at the time of signing. 6-week Curves Fitness membership valid only at the club where the membership is purchased. Offer excludes CurvesSmart® and Curves Nutrition Program. Valid at participating locations only. Cannot be © 2021 Curves. All Rights Reserved combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value.

© 2021 Curves. All Rights Reserved

IN -CLUB NO MORE AT-HOME EXCUSES!

*Offer expires 12/31/21. Available to new members, who sign up for a 6-week Curves Fitness membership, payable up front in full at the time of signing. 6-week Curves Fitness membership valid only at the club where the membership is purchased. Offer excludes CurvesSmart® and Curves Nutrition Program. Valid at participating locations only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value. © 2021 Curves. All Rights Reserved

*

VALUED AT $30

When you sign up for an In-Club & At-Home Membership!

Combining an in-club Curves membership and MyCurves On Demand means you’ll get:

✓ COACHING in-club or virtual ✓ WORKOUT access to MyCurves On Demand and Curves Club

✓ EQUIPMENT included for home workouts ✓ EXERCISE SCIENCE with 28 years of research ✓ FUN, FAST, SAFE 30min total body workout

✓ COACHING in-club or virtual ✓ WORKOUT access to MyCurves On Demand and Curves Club ✓ EQUIPMENT included for home workouts ✓ TRAINING PLAN for all fitness levels ✓ CHART for tracking progress

*Enrollment fee due up front and varies by location. Offer based on first visit enrollment for a 12-month recurring billing fitness membership. Resistance band included with first month charge. Sales tax will be added and varies by location. Open to new and existing customers. Valid at participating locations only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value. Offer expires 12/31/21. Club instructions: Select 2021Hybrid © 2021 Curves. All Rights Reserved

*Offer expires 12/31/21. Available to new members, who sign up for a 6-week Curves Fitness membership, payable up front in full at the time of signing. 6-week Curves Fitness membership valid only at the club where the membership is purchased. Offer excludes CurvesSmart® and Curves Nutrition Program. Valid at participating locations only. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value. © 2021 Curves. All Rights Reserved

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 13

14 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

COMMUNITY NEWS

More Hope at Hopes Closet

F

Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz

or Jelli Beanz, a children’s resale shop popular for 14 years with parents in the know, the pandemic was devastating.

Founder Stephanie Hendersen didn’t have enough sales to survive. That would have meant shutting down Hopes Closet, her nonprofit: Providing at no charge bundles of clothing, books and toys to 300 children a month.

Hendersen, who lives in Aptos, found a way to keep that operation going and give parents a place to shop for affordable clothes, books toys for their children.

Her solution: Close the no-longer-profitable JelliBeanz and reopen as the nonprofit Hopes Closet.

At the storefront, 2555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, across from the flea market site, customers will see a bright and freshly painted shop, with racks organized by size, gently used, everything washed and clean, some with tags still on.

Kids tops and shorts are priced at $4 each. Shoes that would sell for $15-$30 in a department store are $8.

Hendersen said the prices are lower than when she was trying to make a profit and she thanked her landlord for giving her a break on rent for the first year.

Parents can keep a watchful eye on their kids playing in an enclosed area, and there’s a display of 25-cent toys where kids might make their own selection.

“My daughter grew up here,” said Donna Odryna, board president for Hopes Closet, who help Hendersen incorporate the nonprofit part of her venture 10 years ago.

Behind the scenes, volunteers make magic happen.

Bags and bags of clothing are donated at the rollup door. The pantry-size room fills up fast.

Volunteers wearing Hopes Closet aprons sort through everything, to see what is suitable for children in need and what could be sold in shop to buy items that haven’t been donated — like boys jeans size 14-16. There’s never enough of those.

Once everything is sorted, it is organized into bins for boys and girls and by size. Books and toys are organized by age as well so to make it easier for volunteers to assemble their “bundles of joy.”

The bundle, which includes fresh changes of clothing for a week plus books and toys, is a blessing for foster families who welcome children into their home at short notice. And any other family with children in need.

Volunteers work hard to match up what’s in the bundle with the child, so a notation indicating “likes Minnie Mouse” will prompt a search.

One little girl “was all excited” to see Minnie Mouse in her bundle, said volunteer Ruth Cuzick.

“Hopes Closet” page 21

Stephanie Hendersen, founder of Hopes Closet children’s clothing bank (second from right), with volunteers Chris Roades, seated, Ruth Cuzick and Linda Wells in the sorting area where “bundles of joy” are assembled to give children in need clothes for a week, plus books and toys.

Tea with Teachers:

Elementary School Panel First - Fifth Grades Thursday, May 13 / 4:30 – 5:30pm RSVP to admissions@mountmadonnaschool.org for the Zoom link

Independent, nonprofit school CAIS & WASC accredited Nonsectarian Bus transportation Take a virtual campus tour:

408-847-2717 / MountMadonnaSchool.org

We’re fans of responsibly-raised meats, sustainable seafood, and California wines, and we know you are, too.

Shop with us and share our commitment to the beautiful Central Coast.

10% of profits go back to the community

EARN REWARDS WHILE YOU SHOP

LOCALLY GROWN & ORGANIC

SHOP SAFELY FROM HOME

Sign up at newleaf.com/neighbor and earn points on every purchase.

Strawberries, artichokes, and asparagus are arriving now!

For contactless delivery or curbside pickup, start your order at newleaf.com/instacart.

Half Moon Bay • Downtown Santa Cruz Westside Santa Cruz • Capitola • Aptos

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 15

COMMUNITY NEWS

Amah Mutsun Has A New Leader

Raymond Hitchcock Aims to Protect Sacred Sites, Mentor Youth

T

he new executive director of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust is Raymond Hitchcock, who came from Wilton Rancheria, where he was tribal chairman and CEO. Hitchcock is the first Native in this post, succeeding EkOngKar Singh Khalsa.

“He understands firsthand the challenges Native people face every day,” Valentine Lopez, president and chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, said of Hitchcock.

Lopez said Hitchcock led Wilton Rancheria through the federal process to put land into Trust for the Tribe after being landless for almost 60 years, enhanced internal tribal capacity, and led the effort to permit, fund, and start construction of a $600 million gaming facility in Elk Grove while successfully running a local countertop business.

“His strength has been his ability to build and maintain effective relationships within his community, and we know he

removal from their lands by the will do this here, while carSpanish. The goal is to redisrying out our many programs cover Mutsun history, culture and projects,” Lopez said. and identity and to share this Amah Mutsun Land Trust, information with the Tribe and established in 2014, holds a the general public.

96-acre conservation easement In Wilton, Hitchcock was near Año Nuevo State Park, the leader and spokesman for a cultural easement at Midthe Tribe and dealt with everyPeninsula Regional Open Raymond Hitchcock thing from expanding tribal Space District’s Mt. Umunhum and works closely with California’s resources and managing nine departments Department of Parks and Recreation at and a staff of 27 to lobbying the State LegQuiroste Valley, a designated California islature and Congress to award the Tribe 36 acres in 2017, its first property since 1958.

State Cultural Preserve.

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust also He served on the executive board of the manages native plant gardens at San Juan California Nations Indian Gaming AssoBautista State Park, Castle Rock State Park, ciation, was appointed by Gov. Newsom to UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, and at Pie the Tribal Nations Grant Fund, and served on the California Department of Social Ranch on the Santa Cruz coast.

The Land Trust is committed to Service’s Tribal Advisory Committee on working with university scholars and Indian child welfare issues.

Groundbreaking on the casino and others to better understand Mutsun history, culture, traditions, and ceremonies 300+room hotel complex with a ballroom, spa that were lost starting with the brutal and meeting facilities, was March 9, with the

Refi Your Auto Loan We have financing that can help your budget! Refinance your auto loan from another financial institution and enjoy more money in your pocket with no payments for 90 days.

Take that Spring road trip, stash the cash, or pay down other debt – the choice is yours!

Visit a branch or apply online at www.bayfed.com.

831.479.6000 • www.bayfed.com • 888.4BAYFED * $1,068 is the difference between the amount paid in interest between Bay Federal Credit Union’s lowest auto loan rate of 2.49% APR compared to 3.84% APR for the California Bay Area market average over the life of a $25,000 auto loan for 72 months. This example is based on a credit score of 730+ and includes a 0.25% rate reduction for setting up automatic payments when the loan is funded. Rate comparison provided by Informa Financial Services as of April 2, 2021. Actual savings may vary. First payment deferred for 90 days. Interest will continue to accrue from date of loan disbursement and becomes due once payments begin. Offer available on the refinance of a 2011 or newer vehicle currently financed at another financial institution. Refinances of current Bay Federal loans and purchase transactions are not eligible for this offer. Minimum loan amount is $10,000. All loans subject to credit approval with credit score (Experian FICO V9 Auto Score) of 640+ and income verification per Bay Federal Credit Union lending requirements. Your final APR may be higher depending upon the age of the vehicle. Bay Federal Credit Union membership required at the time of closing. Loan must be funded now through June 30, 2021 in order to qualify for this offer. This offer is subject to change without notice. For more information, visit any Bay Federal Credit Union branch or call us at 831.479.6000 or toll-free at 888.4BAYFED, option 3.

Federally Insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender.

16 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

project estimated to create 1,600 jobs during construction and 1,750 full-time job when it opens, according to Casino News Daily.

Hitchcock, who began his new job April 19, is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of Indian people and believes this can be accomplished through hard work, determination, and persistence.

He said he is “humbled and honored to be offered this opportunity” to work for Amah Mutsun Land Trust and “to create opportunities for tribal youth to protect and restore the places most sacred to the Mutsun people. I will do everything in my power to ensure that these places are protected and accessible to the Mutsun Tribe, and other Tribes, while working hard to expand and enhance AMLT’s flagship program, the Native Stewardship Corps, which employs Native youth.”

He added, “I am also very excited to mentor our Native youth so they become the next generation of land trust leaders.” n

Save up

to

1,068! *

$

CALIFORNIA NEWS

Governor Recall: 1.6 Million Say Yes O n April 23, Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber announced the threshold of verified signatures reported by counties has been met for the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The valid signatures in the 10th report filed by activist Orrin Heatlie total 1,626,042, exceeding the 1,495,709 signatures required.

“This now triggers the next phase of the recall process, a 30-business-day period in which voters Gavin Newsom may submit written requests to county Registrars of Voters to remove their names from the recall petition,” Weber said. “A recall election will be held unless a sufficient number of signatures are withdrawn.”

Any voter who signed the recall petition may provide a written request to

their county elections official to have their signature removed before June 8.

The request must include: Voter’s name, residence address (at time of signing the recall petition) and voter’s signature.

The Santa Cruz County elections official is County Clerk Tricia Webber.

In Santa Cruz County, 6,378 signatures were validated, and 1,254 invalidated.

If after this period the recall election still has a sufficient number of signatures, the Department of Finance will have 30 business days to estimate the cost of the recall election. Following that, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee will have 30 calendar days to review and comment on those estimates before the Lieutenant Governor sets the date for the recall election. n ••• Tenth Report: https://elections.cdn.sos. ca.gov/recalls/newsom-heatlie-tenth.pdf Recall FAQs: https://elections.cdn.sos. ca.gov/recalls/newsom-faqs.pdf

COMMUNITY NEWS Banuelos, Gallucci Leave Santa Cruz County Bank Board

O

n April 13, Santa Cruz County Bank announced the retirement of founding director Tila Banuelos and founding chairman George Gallucci from the board as of May 26, when the annual shareholders’ meeting takes place.

They held those roles starting in 2004.

Since then, Santa Cruz County Bank has grown to assets of $1.4 billion and ranked in the Top 100 Community Banks by S&P Global for six consecutive years.

Banuelos is president and CEO of Mas Mac, Inc., which owns three MacDonald’s franchises in Watsonville. She has been honored by community and national organizations for her business leadership and community engagement. She spent 32 years at Bank of America rising to vice president and manager.

“I am so proud of our employees, the great success of our Bank, and how we’ve worked together in meeting the challenges of growth and current times,” Banuelos said. “Now it’s time for the next chapter of my life: family, church, and good friends.”

Gallucci is a retired registered investment advisor who spent 22 years at Scharf Investments, stepping down in 2013.

Tila Banuelos

George Gallucci

Before that, he worked at County Bank and Trust in Santa Cruz, and its successor, Pacific Western Bank, from 1968-1990.

“The success enjoyed by the bank is largely the result of the management team and their commitment to the bank and the community,” Gallucci said. “I thank each and every one for their contributions. I leave the board of directors with the confidence that it is in good hands to perpetuate the success we have established.”

Chairman William J. Hansen thanked both for their service, business referrals and lasting contributions, saying, “Their involvement from the beginning has been instrumental in the success of Santa Cruz County Bank.” n

“Dependable Service, Affordable Quality”

SPECIALIZING IN

SPRING SPECIAL

Residential Repaints & If we paint your interior and/or Custom Homes exterior by May 31, 2021 Homeowners Associations we will buy the paint.

Property Managers

ORTHODONTICS NANCY M. LEUNG, D.D.S., M.S.

Specialist in Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics

Now Accepting New Patients!

Initial Exam Complimentary Aptos Office

9515 Soquel Drive, Ste: 103 Aptos, CA 95003 831-685-2800

Conveniently located next to Aptos Junior High

Also in Watsonville 56 Penny Lane, Ste: B Watsonville, CA 95076 831-722-5022

www.SmileCrewOrtho.com

Offers Retirement Pastures • 8.5 acres of flat, beautiful pastureland • Shelters available • Maximum 10 horses • Quiet Setting Inquire at Pmrhorses@PregnantMareRescue.org

408.540.8568

PregnantMareRescue.org

Ein 26-0484620

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 17

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Pictures From the Past

Rio del Mar Aptos: Before 1947

W

Photo Essay by Carolyn Swift

ith a sleek graceful central arch and red-tiled roof, the Rio del Mar Golf and Country Club entrance conveyed the plans of developers who had hopes of appealing to wealthy appeal to home buyers with refined tastes.

Like other expansions at such places as Capitola, Seacliff, and Rob Roy (La Selva) the Great Depression dashed the expectations of many of these investors.

This archway was demolished during construction of Highway 1 in 1947, and it would be years before Rio del Mar was fully built as a community. n

D I D YO U K N O W?

BIG O and TIRES IS OPEN here to serve the community.

We have 18 storage tanks* to meet our community’s drinking water and fire protection needs.

Locally Ownedd! and Operate

*can store up to 7.5 million gallons

ommunity for serving The c years over 30

Best Prices On Michelin & BF Goodrich Tires

Best Prices On Michelin & BF Goodrich Tires TODAY! E OT E ASK FOR A QU

LOWEST

PRICES ON NAME BRANDS www.bigotires.com

Your Community Partner for Reliable Water 18 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Attractive financing options available! On approval, ask for details of different plans.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Moveable Murals Celebration: May 4 P ajaro Valley Arts, the City of Watsonville, the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust and artists will celebrate at 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 4, at 250 Main St., Watsonville, the installation of the newest Moveable Murals: An Act of Love: Mask Wearing During the Pandemic, funded by the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley CARES Act grant. Wear your favorite mask.

This community-based project includes a digital rendering of the piece Wear Together by Watsonville artist Erik Davison; two photo collages designed

by Karen Lemon, digitized by Hedwig Heerschop, of photographs submitted by the community; and four handpainted murals called Flying Together

by Watsonville artist Jaime Sanchez.

Photographic images were submitted by: Genevieve Daly, Kimberly DeLucia, Brianna Flores, Linda Martin, Karen Lemon, Marianne Nagel, Joey Ontiveros, and Graciela Vega.

The final designs were submitted to, supported, and approved by the City of Watsonville Parks Commission.

The photo collages and image by Erik Davison were printed on large vinyl banners by Safari Signs. Operational funding was provided by Arts Council Santa Cruz and the City of Watsonville.

The City of Watsonville installation team included Grant Adams, Miguel Navarrete, and Rex Rackley.

Artist Erik Davison’s piece, Wear Together, is part of Movable Murals.

Movable Murals, providing a venue for artists and community groups to showcase large-scale artwork in a public setting, are rotated annually. n

Artist Jaime Sanchez shows off “Flying Together” for the new Movable Murals installation in Watsonville.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 19

COMMUNITY NEWS

Student Views: Should Cabrillo College Change Its Name?

D r. Adela Najarro, who teaches English 2 in the Puente Learning Communities at Cabrillo College, introduces student essays on the topic, “Should Cabrillo College Change Its Name?”

In “Composition & Critical Thinking,” known as English 2, students wrote persuasive essays expressing their point of view about renaming Cabrillo College. Students argued both sides of the question after reviewing the issue through sources on the Cabrillo College Dr. Adela Najarro website and after conducting research at the Cabrillo College library databases.

Students volunteered to share their perspectives on this document and at the Cabrillo College name change exploration event April 22 on Zoom and recorded on YouTube. To read these essays, visit tinyurl. com/cabrillo-student-name-essays.

(Full URL: https://docs.google.com/ document/d/13Vz_Nb3VN90P3L9YZzGP DSyaHsTmHddw-MF0StY-8I4/edit) ••• Juan Cortez abrillo College should change its name to remove the college from any negative allegations and connections that are being associated with Juan Cabrillo.

Some may disagree with changing the name and see no point in changing it as it could cost lots of money and that history happened in the past and we can’t change that.

Although this is true the world is trying to bring inequality and destroy the hatred that is dividing us more and more.

Although we could use Juan Cabrillo as a lesson to remind us of what we shouldn’t do, it may seem like we are honoring the dark side of Juan Cabrillo for having a college named after him. Instead, we should honor the victims affected by Juan Cabrillo.

••• Denise Salmeron hat is in a name? What makes up a name and what is the story behind it? Cabrillo College got its name from Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who was believed to be a slave owner.

Some might say that changing the name would be the best thing to do and

C

W

others believe that keeping the name but teaching the students about the name would be better.

What people are forgetting is that we can do both by changing the name and teaching the students about why they decided to change the name.

This topic is controversial because some people would prefer to keep the name of Cabrillo College and teach the students where the name came from and who that person was.

On the other hand, other people would prefer to change the name altogether since it would disrespect the different ethnic groups that attend Cabrillo college.

The people who prefer to keep the name and teach the students about it are not in favor of having Cabrillo spend tons of money that could go to sports, classes, or programs on the name change of Cabrillo.

Thus, some people might say that keeping the name and explaining the history would be the best.

In the process of keeping the name the same we are disrespecting the students from foreign countries. Keeping the name the same and teaching the students about where the name came from and who that person was is not enough. Yes, keeping the name the same would require Cabrillo to spend a good amount of money but for those who want to change it we can start a fundraiser.

Starting a fundraiser would benefit Cabrillo so they will not be taking it out of the budget and that money can go to a club or other school activities. In addition, the fundraiser would explain why people want to change the name of Cabrillo. Changing the name while also teaching future and current Cabrillo College students would be the best solution.

Seeing that some people prefer to keep the name and others to change it.

My solution would work in favor of both parties.

••• Ariana Santillan-Leon inding a means to pay for the school’s name change could prove challenging.

Should taxpayer’s money be used to change Cabrillo’s name?

Those who support Cabrillo College may not be happy about how their hardearned money is being used or they could not support the cause as a whole. In addition to the struggle of finding a means to pay for the name change, finding a way

F

20 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

around the issue of using taxpayer’s money through an event such as a fundraiser and the current Covid pandemic could present another challenge.

With the precautions being taken to avoid the rapid spread of the Covid 19 virus, the number of participants would be limited and attendance to possible events would be minimal, ultimately damaging the outcome of any fundraiser.

In addition to the challenge with expenses, the reputation of Cabrillo could be lost since the school will seem unfamiliar to many due to the new name.

••• Fernanda Torres Calderon hat are the effects of changing Cabrillo College’s name? What are the effects if we keep the name? If we keep the name, are we contributing to the world in a more positive way than if we were to change it?

There is power in naming things; Cabrillo College’s name affects everybody that interacts with it and sure keeping the name has some good excuses but if we change it we not only make a positive impact for a brighter future but we also honor people who were affected by the European conquest.

The name of Cabrillo College is a representation of the human experience but in a negative way that carries the legacy of inhumane acts that were part of the conquest of the native people that lived in the Bay Area. Growing up hearing about Cabrillo College as a great opportunity to get affordable higher education I never took into consideration where the name came from until now.

The name is something every student uses and it should be changed to represent the students who go there, to represent the path we want to take, to represent who we are as human beings. Changing the name will allow us to honor indigenous protocols and if we keep the name we will continue to honor the colonizers.

The college name shouldn’t be represented by a man who was part of mass genocide because before everything was renamed by the Spanish, the land had been named by the Native Peoples. For the sake of a brighter future, I know that a name with good values is one that makes a big positive impact when people use it.

All things considered, renaming the only community college in Santa Cruz County will allow us to honor the past

W

indigenous people who suffer because of men like Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

He committed horrific crimes, however, he is not all at fault for everything he is because we have continued honoring his name and his legacy. As a society we must make the change we want to see in the world and seeing white supremest monuments or buildings named after white supremacist, it is a constant reminder to people of color of the violence and genocide that built California.

We must educate not only ourselves but teach others of past wrongs so we don’t repeat or continue things such as the oppression of people of color.

••• Ariana Perez or most people, when one thinks about Cabrillo college, the first thing that comes to mind would probably be that it’s a local community college in Aptos instead of automatically thinking about Cabrillo as in Juan Cabrillo as in the Spanish colonizer who enslaved indigenous people.

If we were to keep the Cabrillo name, the money instead could be used for funding programs or assistance for indigenous and other minority students here at Cabrillo as well as making a statement to POC students that this school does not support the beliefs and actions of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

However, it would be nice to have a name change so everyone could be happy realistically, the price is not worth it.

Renaming Cabrillo College will cost too much. Therefore we should not rename the school but instead spend those funds on ways to support our indigenous and other minority students.

Many favor the name change due to Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s brutality towards others, his involvement in the slave trade, and the lasting adverse effects on its victims. Some think keeping the name is insulting, knowing the brutal history that resonates within it, and believe such a person shouldn’t be glorified.

I think that Cabrillo College should not change its name. Although Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo participated in many horrible actions against indigenous communities and disgraced the school’s name, the millions it would take to change its name could be much better used. If we were to change the name, it’d imply an attempt to erase what once was.

F

“Testimonials” page 23

COMMUNITY NEWS

Career Track

Pajaro Valley Students See Benefits in Technical Education Colby Galassi Watsonville High School olby is a third-year agriculture science student and FFA member. She is on track to be a program completor in the Sustainable Agriculture Pathway and is a well rounded student.

As a freshman Colby decided she was interested in learning more about agriculture so she signed up for Agriculture Biology and chose to continue in the pathway.

In biology she learned about the importance of working together and completing all of the hands-on labs.

In Ag Chemistry she focused on how Colby Galassi to create and utilize sketchnotes to help understand notes later and is building upon these skills in her current Sustainable Agriculture class.

She is a top student and is able to show her growth in knowledge through her notebooks. She says the hands-on learning in her Agriculture Science classes has encouraged and inspired her to become an agriculture teacher herself.

She hopes to inspire other students to fall in love with agriculture and science through her own teaching one day.

C

Carlos Zamora-Campos Pajaro Valley High School his is my first computer-related class; I decided to give it a try and I think that was the best decision.

T

“Hopes Closet” from page 14 Toys that arrive with wear and tear get tender loving care, like the Barbie and Ken dolls that look like new. Some volunteers sew or crochet clothes by hand to give dolls new outfits.

“Once the needs are met, we send things out front, but we have this flow to make sure kids with needs are receiving,” said Hendersen.

The shop has a couple of train tables on sale..

That’s the kind of donation put up for sale, Hendersen said, because families with a child in need usually don’t have room for a large toy — a sale could fund a new pair of shoes, always needed as children grow.

Programming 1 has been, so far, my favorite class ever, and no matter how challenging the topic is, Ms. Blanchette always finds a way to make it look like the easiest thing in the world.

We have special guests; something I really do appreciate and thanks to them we Carlos Zamora-Campos discovered a whole world of possibilities that programming opens to us.

Before this class I wasn’t really sure if I really wanted to go to college, now I really want to go and I’m going to try engineering. I can say that this class has changed my life.

Fernando Rodriguez-Garcia Pajaro Valley High School have learned so much from this pathway, in IT Essentials I learned about computer technology, how computers work, how to build and take apart computers, as well as how to fix computers. I learned about networking, how computers link together to allow them to operate interactively.

In IT Essentials Fernando Rodriguez-Garcia I also learned about security, how unauthorized access to computers, networks, and other data can occur and how to prevent it from happening.

I have learned so much from Pro-

I

In fact, shoes are the reason Hendersen started Hopes Closet. A teacher friend told her that a student had stopped coming to school because that child didn’t have a pair of shoes.

Hendersen gave her a pair of shoes, the child went back to school, and Hendersen had her mission in life.

She started a tradition in October called “Socktober” to get more new socks for children in need as the weather turns cool.

Since Hopes Closet was incorporated as a nonprofit, more than 20,000 “bundles of joy” have gone to children in need.

However, the need is greater.

“We have a wait list,” said Hendersen.

“We never get enough of certain sizes.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting retail stores and then fears that

“This class changed my life”

— Carlos Zamora-Campos

gramming 1; how to create programs using control structures, procedures, functions, parameters, variables, error recovery, and recursion. It taught me to feel proud of the work I do.

I learned to pay extremely close attention to the code I write to prevent issues. In Programming 1, I was intrigued to create something by writing code. I am fascinated by how interesting and enjoyable it is to learn programming.

In the future I plan to pursue a career as a data acientist.

faction I feel when I finish a project. I plan to pursue a career related to this pathway like computer science or something with computers and technology.

I love programming and hope I can make a living off doing what I enjoy and am also good at. Careers around computers and technology usually pay well so that is another benefit.

Freddie Lopez Pajaro Valley High School took coding in middle school and now Programming 1. I have learned that coding is very fun and time-consuming.

Programming is like a puzzle where there’s a lot of trial and error.

I think the puzzles are what has hooked me into liking coding and programming so much.

Something that Freddie Lopez intrigues me is when I learn something new and then see what my code has developed with what I learned.

The pathway is fun and so is the satis-

Miguel Bolanos-Romero Pajaro Valley High School have learned a lot in IT essentials and Programming 1 and have enjoyed every second of it because it is fun and there is always a solution.

Thus far in the pathway I have learned how to use many different functions throughout the coding process. Also, I have learned how to take a computer apart and put it back together and what each part does to make a computer work.

What has intrigued me the most is the hands on computer work such as IT Essentials which was so fun especially writing code and seeing it executed felt so rewarding in the end. In the future, I would like to pursue this as my career in the future. I have other interests such as a trade school where I can go and learn more skills.

Both IT Essentials and Programming 1 have taught me so many other benefits such as teamwork, social skills and overall it has been such an amazing experience. n

the contagious virus lingered on surfaces, later found to be untrue, sales at JelliBeanz plummeted.

Hendersen closed for three months, and her college student employees made no money. Even the Payroll Protection Program forgivable loan wasn’t enough to recover.

The change took just three weeks from the closure of JelliBeanz to the opening of Hopes Closet shop.

With the shift to nonprofit operation, plans are to build up the volunteer crew so paid employees will no longer be needed. Kids are still outgrowing their clothes, books and toys — and families are donating their stuff, knowing it will do good elsewhere.

With the change well underway,

Hendersen is leaving to work in the medical field. The board has posted her job as executive director.

“I’m very, very grateful,” she said.

“The resource we worked so hard to create will continue.” n To volunteer, email info@hopeclosetsc. com or call 831-462-6700.

Hopes Closet Shop is located at 2555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, across from the flea market site.

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: http:// www.hopesclosetsc.com/ ••• Cover Photo: Jackie Crossley, a social worker and a member of the board of Hopes Closet, eyes the selection at the nonprofit, which she discovered through a client.

I

I

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 21

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Coastal Agency: Live Oak Permit Parking Violates State Law Editor’s Note: Santa Cruz County Public Works applied for permission to expand the summer Live Oak permit parking program to other coastal areas such as Opal Cliffs and Aptos. Here is the April 12 letter Susan Craig, California Coastal Commission Central Coast District Manager, sent to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, recommending the Live Oak parking program be halted.

••• e understand that you will review and consider changes to the Live Oak Permit Parking Program at your meeting on April 13, 2021, and that you will also consider authorizing the County Department of Public Works to initiate the program for this year.

We have seen much attributed to us regarding the program that is inaccurate, including in County materials prepared related to this program, and we would encourage you to disregard any such attributed positions. Instead, we would like to provide the following comments for your consideration as you consider the program.

As an initial matter, we note that we very much appreciate DPW staff’s efforts to coordinate with us on this program. They have taken considerable time over the last few years to work with us in an effort to address existing violations associated with the program; to understand the Commission’s mission and objectives in regards to the program, including in relation to Coastal Act and Santa Cruz County Local Coastal Program compliance;

and to attempt to address issues and concerns that we have identified.

At the same time, and as we have communicated to your staff, the program (including the permitted program, the program as it has been operated in recent years with unpermitted changes, and the proposed modified 2021 program) raises significant issues with respect to Coastal Act and Local Coastal Program requirements related to protecting and maximizing public access and recreational opportunities, particularly free and lower-cost opportunities, and we do not support the permitted program, the unpermitted version that has been implemented in recent years, or the proposed modified program for 2021. Rather, in our view, the facts suggest that the program should be discontinued entirely.

At a very basic level parking fees inherently create an impediment to public access, and they can deter or make it prohibitively expensive for the public to visit and appreciate the coastline and all it has to offer. Such fees can also disproportionately adversely affect those least able to afford them, amplifying concerns about whether our beaches and shoreline areas can be accessed by all as is required under both the Coastal Act and Local Coastal Plan.

And in coastal Live Oak, where almost all visitor parking is provided on-street because the area lacks large parking facilities, those impacts are only exacerbated when visitors

not fortunate enough to live there are forced to pay parking fees to park along public streets in order to recreate at the beach and along the shoreline. And now, the proposed transition to a smartphone app-based system only further reduces accessibility for those without smartphones or data, and/or without an efficient means to even purchase parking passes.

In short, we do not support any version of the program that includes parking fees for public parking on public streets in Live Oak. In addition, and as we have consistently discussed with County staff, please note that the program has been operating for many years with a series of unpermitted changes to it, including most notably an expansion of the program area.

We do not support operation of the program inconsistent with the underlying coastal development permit; and we do not support making changes to it (as you are currently being asked to do) without a proper Coastal Development Permit amendment application and appeal process.

Please also be aware that continued operation of the program inconsistent with the underlying Coastal Development Permit (whether it is modified as is being recommended or it stays the same as in recent years) represents a knowing and intentional violation of the Coastal Development Permit, the Coastal Act, and the Local Coastal Plan, to which the Coastal Act includes a series of remedies (including administrative fines and

other penalties to rectify both past violations as well as new and prospective violations).

Any changes to the program that you may make outside of the Coastal Development Permit process as you are being asked to do here (e.g., geographical expansion, operating time modifications, fee changes, app-based interface, etc.) are not recognized or authorized by the underlying Coastal Development Permit.

In short, the program has been in violation for many years, and many of those violations remain in effect today. Resolution of such violations should be the County’s priority (and should, at the least, precede any proposed new changes to the program).

Moreover, the County is currently liable under the enforcement provisions of the Coastal Act for unpermitted impacts to coastal resources, including impacts to public recreational access, both in the past and moving forward.

In that context, we note that although the program has been in operation for nearly 40 years, it has not met its original goals of better structuring on-street parking or relieving traffic congestion in coastal Live Oak as intended.

On this observation, we respectfully disagree with the representations by DPW staff to the contrary, including in the staff report for this item.

Rodriguez on Derek Chauvin Verdict Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, superintendent of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, sent this letter to the community April 21: esterday’s three guilty verdicts of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis

police officer, in the death of George Floyd sent a spark of hope across our Nation and touched communities like ours working to address racial inequities and systemic oppression.

We at Pajaro Valley Unified School

District are a caring educational community willing to have courageous dialogue. In June of 2020, as we collectively experienced the death of George Floyd, we communicated our commitment to address root causes of injustice and inequity. I would like to take this emotional and historical moment to reiterate that PVUSD stands firmly by that commitment as evidenced by inclusive engagement and programming practices.

This experience is an opportunity for us to evaluate our collective systems to ensure they include an ongoing commitment to racial equity and justice. We as a society can only evolve if we reimagine our processes and reinvent our systems so they authentically serve all.

We know that compassion, connection, and empathy are central to the wellbeing of our students, families, staff, and one another.

Please reach out to members of our educational community if you need support as you reflect during this emotional experience. You can also access our social emotional support page for additional resources available at our schools and in the community.

Thank you for all that each of you brings to our District to keep the kind and compassionate essence that characterizes us.

Thank you for understanding that it is our diversity and our differences that makes us

a strong, unified community dedicated to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices and policies.

••• City Leaders on Chauvin Verdict apitola Mayor Yvette Brooks emailed this statement Tuesday on the verdict against Derek Chauvin, found guilty of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, while arresting him last year: Capitola Mayor Yvette Brooks, Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra, Santa Cruz Mayor Donna Meyers and Scotts Valley Mayor Derek Timm, stand in unity with the family of George Floyd. We ask that our community join TOGETHER as we move toward justice and healing.

The heartbreaking murder of George Floyd and many other people of color has highlighted the systemic problem of racism throughout our Country. We are by no means close to ending the hundreds of years of injustices put on the shoulders of people of color.

As leaders in Santa Cruz County we have the responsibility to implement and encourage change in our region. We stand with all communities of color, including the very ones we represent here in our diverse county.

We urge our community to come together today and everyday in peaceful solidarity. n

W

Y

Best of Senior Home Care

Now Hiring Caregivers Competitive Pay Flexible Schedules Training Programs Experience Preferred

100

$

hiring bonus for new employees

HCO# 444700020

Apply at www.LifespanCare.com ∙ 831-469-4900

22 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

“Coastal Agency” page 26

C

COMMUNITY NEWS

Who Founded Mother’s Day? D C id you know that the woman who organized the first Mother’s Day celebration in the United States objected to the holiday being commercialized? Here is the story, courtesy of History.com: Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. In the United States, Mother’s Day 2021 will occur on Sunday, May 9.

The American incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914.

Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar.

While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day traditionally involves presenting moms with flowers, cards and other gifts.

“Testimonials” from page 20 In reality, Juan Cabrillo still committed these horrible actions, and changing the name wouldn’t change that. It just would make more sense to keep the name and use the money it would’ve taken to change the name for better opportunities for the Cabrillo staff and students.

Instead, the money could help something that will benefit the Latinx, African American, and indigenous communities.

This will give them support and show them they are influential and respected.

••• Cesar E. Rivera Zamora hroughout history, there have been so many name changes of a historical figure or landmark, and sometimes they even tear that figure down to forget all the awful things that that person has done.

Because of all the dreadful things that a person had done in the past, no one really wants to go/attend somewhere with their name, and it’s no wonder why some colleges and universities are changing their names.

Cabrillo College is planning on changing its name, and it shouldn’t be a surprise why they want to do so. This has been discussed with students and staff; there has even been a meeting debating if we should change the name or not.

Changing the name would be better because it will allow all students to feel comfortable on this campus.

Some who would oppose changing Cabrillo’s name would probably say, “I don’t see the point of changing Cabrillo’s

T

History of Mother’s Day elebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church” — the main church in the vicinity of their home — for a special service.

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation.

This custom eventually faded in

name,” or “There is way too much money on the line to just change a name.” Looking at their points, that is true. We could use all of that money and help out or even make new beneficial programs that can significantly support Cabrillo.

After all, it is just a name that most people wouldn’t care about. The name is just there to let people know where they are going and where they are attending college. That shouldn’t be a big deal. After all, there are plenty of other schools/colleges named after someone. Their points do seem logical, but a lot of people still want to change them.

Doing a deep dive of Juan Cabrillo, you realize that what he did back then was wrong and awful. More and more people at Cabrillo are starting to realize this, and they do not stand for what he has done. It may have been something in the past, but that still doesn’t matter. What he did back then was wrong and cruel, and that’s just facts.

When I heard if we should change Cabrillo’s name, I didn’t see the point because there was way too much money just to change a name. Even when I thought about it, I didn’t see a point in changing the name, then later on, as soon as I began to research Cabrillo with my class, that completely changed my perspective.

Why would we have this man’s name on a college, especially one where it’s open to the public. Juan Cabrillo was not a very good person. I was shocked that we still haven’t changed the name after all these years.

popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with Mom often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent.

Ann Reeves Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe he origins of Mother’s Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local Julia Ward Howe women how to properly care for their children.

These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Another precursor to Mother’s Day came from the abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2.

Other early Mother’s Day pioneers include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist who inspired a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the 1870s.

The name should have been changed years ago, but thankfully we are doing it now. If people want to feel comfortable here at Cabrillo, a name change should happen, but we should also keep a bit of Cabrillo somewhere because history should not be forgotten, and that should be a reminder not to go back to how things once were.

••• Caitlyn Schlaman he flurry of name changes and statue removal comes as America becomes more aware of its history and the atrocities that went with that history.

The naming of places and commemoration of people, who in the past have built cities and created societies, but also have committed terrible acts against other communities, is common in America. America was built on stolen land, followed by a long history of genocide and pillaging.

However, the ideals that followed these terrible people are unchanging, yet their legacies are damaging.

Cabrillo’s name holds a long-held ideal: exploration and achievement. But his legacy of raping and pillaging the communities he finds is one that Cabrillo College should not have.

Yet, Cabrillo College should not change its name because of the high costs of changing the name and the shallow action of only changing the name. There are better ways to heal the history of Cabrillo’s legacy and honor those hurt by his conquests, and also ways to separate Cabrillo College from Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System states, as of Fall 2019, the majority of Cabrillo College’s enrolled students are Hispanic or Latino. And yet, Cabrillo bears the name of a conquistador, who hurt a lot of natives.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the conquistador Cabrillo College is named after, is a terrible person in our morally different society’s eyes. He did many terrible things, as he was a conquistador and a murderer, but he was the first European to sight California.

Cabrillo College’s namesake should be viewed as more of a name in the spirit of that discovery and intrigue rather than to commemorate Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s conquests. Even so, the legacy of Cabrillo’s name is still there, and those hurt from his conquests still live on.

Rather than spend millions of dollars on changing the name, there should be a scholarship or fund set up to help Native American people who attend Cabrillo College, whether they are descended from tribes in South America or those hurt by the conquests of different countries in California.

The essential thing should be showcasing all parts of California’s history, rather than eliminating one or the other.

Alongside the scholarship, the college should create a commemorative statue to the natives hurt by the conquistadors and explain California’s long history.

This way, both sides of history are shown, but the legacy and celebration of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo are not at the forefront. n

T

T

“Mother’s Day” page 27

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 23

FEATURED COLUMNIST

PVUSD: Full-time In-Person Classes Start in Summer School

Will high school seniors who met the requirements for the Seal of Biliteracy be honored this year in a virtual ceremony? es, we will be celebrating our hardworking recipients of the Seal of Biliteracy at a virtual ceremony on May 25.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. and will highlight the benefits of multilingualism and the significance of the Seal itself. Once we process the applications, we will be sending out invitations to the recipients.

Y

What exactly are the new student ID tags for? What kind of data/information will they be collecting/storing/tracking? Who has access to this data? And what kind of security measures are being put in place to ensure that personal information about our children cannot be leaked or hacked? As far as I’m concerned, collecting any medical data about my child (temperature, possible “symptoms”) and then storing that information in a school/district database verges on crossing the line regarding HIPAA laws. he purpose of using a Student ID card is to allow sites to quickly and efficiently get students to the classroom while at the same time following safety protocols to minimize potential exposures to Covid-19.

The Student ID tags contain the student’s name, grade, school site, Student ID number, and a barcode for that Student ID number.

The Student ID barcode is scanned after their temperature is taken and before the student goes to class. The information that is gathered at that time is: 1) the name of the student 2) their student ID number 3) whether the student is cleared to go to class This data is stored in a secure database that is only accessible by site administration, school nurses and a small number of district administrators. Neither the temperature nor any possible symptoms are collected when students are scanned.

If a student has a temperature, has indicated that they are feeling sick, or has indicated that they have possibly been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, the student will be brought to the health office and will be evaluated by the school nurse or health technician.

T

When are we going back to in person full-time like every other district is? e will be providing full day, full-time in person learning beginning in Summer School and continuing onto the 2021-2022 school year.

W

Q&A With Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, Superintendent, Pajaro Valley Unified School District

Newson states California will be “opened” on June 15, why will PVUSD not commit to in-person learning for next year? My child’s class has more than 20 students, therefore, only allowed to go 2 days a week. If this is the case next year, I want to make arrangements to find other options out of PVUSD. VUSD has committed to full day in-person learning for the upcoming school year. The commitment was first noted in the letter to the community on March 24.

P

Can you please explain to me the logic behind sending kids to school for only two and a half hours for 4 days a week vs. their normal bell schedule times? I want to know what makes the difference of sending them half day instead of a whole day is? If it is because the teachers are still having to teach the kids who opted not to return to in-class learning, then why don’t you having them being enrolled in the distant learning academy instead, since we set aside distance learning teachers strictly for that type of learning and which then would allow for the teachers to teach their normal class every day.

VUSD quickly made the shift from all students receiving two days of afternoon in-person learning to all students receiving four days of afternoon in-person learning, after the physical distancing requirement was reduced from six to three feet.

For the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year, PVUSD believes that, due to current facilities, staffing and transportation restrictions, we are providing in-person learning to the fullest extent possible for the last nine weeks of this school year.

Currently, approximately 40% of our families wish to finish the rest of the school year in distance learning only. This requires PVUSD to maintain a significant number of staff to serve those students and families.

For the 2021-2022 school year, we do not anticipate families will have the option for distance learning apart from our Virtual Academy. For the remainder of this year, we are legally required to continue to provide distance learning to families who wish to remain in distance learning.

PVUSD Virtual Academy is an excellent option for some families but cannot provide the instructional support needed to serve over 6,000 students (approximately 250 teachers). In addition, PVUSD transports 5,500 students daily to the school sites. Given the current requirement

P

24 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

of 50% capacity on the buses, we are working with local agencies to increase our capacity to transport students to our school sites.

These changes will allow us to refocus our resources and hire additional staff to enable us to provide full time, full day, in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year.

For students opting in for in person learning, will parents still have to call them in as sick or for doctor’s appointments? es, please continue to notify the school office if your child will be missing afternoon instruction.

Teachers are planning for students to be there so they can help to maximize learning during this established time. This will also help to maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for all students.

Y

What are parents supposed to do about having less than 30 minutes to feed students and get them to class in the afternoon? ost sites begin afternoon instruction at or after 1 p.m. which provides students with an hour to eat lunch and travel to their school site. For the five sites that have an early start of 12:35 p.m., the morning schedule has been modified to end at 11:30 a.m. or 11:45 a.m. based on bus pick-up schedules.

If an individual student needs additional time, the parent can work with the teacher to allow the student to leave distance learning with enough time to allow for the transition to in-person instruction.

M

I am the parent of a 1st grader. My daughter has been looking forward to seeing friends in person and playing on the playground at school. However, when she returned to school last week, she was told students were not allowed to play on the playground. I am confused, because I have heard from parents at other PVUSD schools that they have organized zones on the playground that the classes rotate through, and that they have 15 minutes of play per day. I am confused as to why the 1st graders at our school are not allowed to play on the playground, especially given that parks and playgrounds around Watsonville are open.

Can you please clarify? eer to peer interactions and play are important for mental, physical health as well as academics. Elementary sites have been asked to create playground or outdoor schedules during that time and organize their

P

playgrounds in zones as they teach students games and how to engage in a safe return to play behaviors using equipment and the playground structures.

These zones limit group size of students.

The playground structures are being disinfected each day and students are washing their hands after each use to ensure the safety of the students.

Please connect with your school’s principal if you have additional questions regarding the use of the playgrounds.

With the new information coming from the state allowing for greater flexibility with state testing and the possibility of using other standard aligned assessments, will PVUSD be able to use the MAP assessment in lieu of the SBAC this year? It would be great to minimize the amount of instructional time taken up with state testing with the already limited amount of time available.

Yes, the District will be using the NWEA-MAP Growth assessments in lieu of SBAC assessments for the 2020-21 school year. The NWEA-MAP tests will be administered remotely this spring as done earlier this school year.

Testing will be scheduled during morning distance learning sessions so as not to take away from in-person instruction.

Arrangements will be made for students with unreliable Internet to be brought to school during the morning session in order to complete testing.

There is a lot of confusion amongst classified staff regarding in-person instruction. We were told it was optional, and now we’re told it’s required. Can we have clarification? s we are bringing more students back to in-person instruction through the staggered approach, more staff is being asked to return to the sites to support students.

As of next week, all students (preschool through age 22), will have the opportunity to be back on campus for inperson instruction.

Based on program and student need, instructional aides and behavior technicians have been contacted and notified that they need to report to their school sites to support in-person instruction.

Returning to work has not been optional for our instructional assistants or behavior technicians who are identified to support students and programs; although a 48-hour notice is required to report for in-person instruction. n

A

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Soquel Creek Water District Unveils New Website

T

he month of May means that the spring season is really in full swing!

It’s a time of new growth and rejuvenation — and for the Soquel Creek Water District, spring has brought a brandnew website that is streamlined, cleaner, easier to navigate, and designed to better serve our customers.

Launched in May, the new website has the same URL that you used for the old one: www.soquelcreekwater.org. But once you’re there, you’ll see an entirely new look-and-feel, countless major improvements, and more functionality.

The new website is hosted by CivicPlus, the leading provider of local government websites.

We’re thrilled to provide this new website, and for you to try it out!

One of the first things you may notice is a much more orderly layout and navigation.

The new site’s intuitive search functionality and navigation menus make it easy for you to locate whatever it is you may be looking for from the homepage — from the latest news and updates, Board meetings, and conservation tools, to our WaterSmart customer portal, construction information, our Pure Water Soquel project, and much more.

The new website’s dynamic design ensures you can easily navigate and interact with content from any desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet.

There’s new calendar functionality to help you stay informed about the scheduling of our public meetings, activities, community events, and other opportunities for engagement.

And, you can be sure that this site meets the highest data security standards.

The NotifyMe communication subscription feature allows you to sub-

scribe to receive notifications on only those topics that matter most to you — and you can choose to be notified by email or text message.

You’ll also see more self-service forms and documents, and a new Agenda Center allowing for the storing, sharing, and searching of public meetings and agendas.

I’m sure you’ll agree the new website is a great tool to increase our communications with you, and for you to be more engaged with the District. If you haven’t seen it yet, please be sure to visit www. soquelcreekwater.org soon!

I also want to take this opportunity to let you know that our 2020 Consumer Confidence/Annual Water Quality Report is now available — another reason to check out our new website!

This report presents the results of test data from all of our supply wells that pump groundwater from aquifers in two groundwater geologic formations — the Purisima and Aromas Red Sands Formations.

As water filters into the groundwater basin, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

During the past year, the District tested the groundwater for 181 different

By Rebecca Gold Rubin

constituents, including microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic chemical contaminants, and many others. All test samples are collected and reported in accordance with standards and requirements established by the US EPA and the California State Water Resources Control Board.

I’m happy to tell you that all the water quality tests showed that our water is in compliance with State and Federal drinking water health standards. n ••• If you’d like all the details of our water quality analysis, see the 2020 Consumer Confidence/ Annual Water Quality Report at www. soquelcreekwater.org/2020CCR

Fictional Mothers

ACROSS

1. Build a collection 6. Economic measure acronym 9. *Beverly Goldberg’s schmoopie 13. Use an ÉpÉe 14. Neither here ____ there 15. Tall ancient monument 16. Daisy-like bloom 17. Much of it about nothing?

18. Commotions 19. *She’s ‘Bow’ to Dre in TV sitcom “Blackish” 21. *Mother to Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth March in novel and movie 23. Before tac 24. Ripped 25. Part of Super Bowl entertainment, pl.

28. Homesteader’s measure 30. *”Game of Thrones” Lannister and mother to Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen 35. Douses 37. Adjutant 39. Article of faith 40. Genuflecting joint 41. *TV mother to Alexis and David, “friend” to Jocelyn Schitt 43. “Will be,” as sung by Doris Day 44. Perform in a play 46. Load sixteen tons, e.g.

47. Peacock’s pride 48. *Mowgli’s adoptive mother 50. Apartment 52. Skeleton in a lock 53. Part of a jousting outfit 55. Spelling competition 57. *Mother to Carlton in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”

60. “Well, I’m a-standin’ on a corner in ___, Arizona,” from the Eagles “Take it Easy” 64. Country’s LeAnn ____ 65. Hoover’s agency acronym 67. Piano practice piece, e.g.

68. Church song 69. What Usain Bolt did 70. Poisonous substance 71. *Wife to Papa, mother to Baby 72. Sum it up 73. Go on a buying spree

DOWN

1. Way, way off 2. ____ Verde National Park 3. Naysayer’s favorite prefix?

4. What bloodhound is after 5. Croatia’s neighbor

6. Nibble away 7. Affirmative action 8. Movie trailer, e.g.

9. Elementary particle 10. *Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett’s mother 11. Soothing lotion ingredient 12. Bell and Barker, e.g.

15. Christopher Kimball’s “Milk ____” 20. ____’s razor 22. Part of a circle 24. Tiresome 25. Questioner 26. *”Mamma Mia!” mamma 27. Do this or forever hold your peace 29. ‘80s band “Quiet ____” 31. Catch one’s breath 32. ____ a peak 33. Bone-chilling 34. Europe’s “boot” 36. Short for seconds

38. *She played Ricky Schroder’s stepmom on “Silver Spoons” 42. Defendant’s excuse 45. Religious belief 49. ____ Khan 51. Plural of #39 Across 54. Below, prefix 56. Impede 57. “Everywhere you want to be” credit card 58. Muslim holy man 59. Plural of velum 60. *Ellen, Scarlett’s mother in “Gone with the ____” 61. Like the best accommodations 62. War god in Norse mythology 63. Make one’s way 64. Dashboard acronym 66. *Kunis, Hahn and Bell as “____ Moms” © Statepoint Media

Answers on 31 »

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 25

May Day & Festivals in the Month of May Esoteric Astrology • May 2021 • By Risa D’Angeles

M

ay is both a beautiful and intelligent month, being under the two signs of Taurus (Art of Living, flowers) and Gemini (Mercury’s messages). The Taurus keynote is “Let Struggle within duality be undismayed” allowing harmony to emerge from conflicts and chaos. Gemini’s keynote is “let instability do it’s purifying work.”

Humanity learns through struggle and instability. They help each of us build a strong interactive personality, the vehicle that interacts with nature and the beauty of form and matter.

The beginning of May is May Day or Beltane. In between these two is Mother’s Day (May 9), the Ascension (May 13), Shavuot (May 16), the Sun entering Gemini (May 20), Pentecost and Saturn retrograde (May 23) and finally a lunar eclipse and the Gemini Festival of Goodwill (May 26). It’s quite a month of festivals (and May flowers).

May Day is a day of various celebrations, from ancient times to the present. It is the Festival of Flora (Roman Goddess of flowers). Floralia was a five-day Roman celebration. For the Druids, a new fire was lit on Beltane (May Day) signifying the life of the springtime sun. Cattle were driven through the fires for purification. In Catholicism, May is Mary’s month.

ARIES

On May 1st the Virgin Mary, the Queen of May is crowned with flowers.

At Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood, Mary’s Day (directed by Sister Corita) was celebrated yearly with parades, art, flowers, singing.

In earlier, simpler times, May baskets, containing sweets, breads, fruits and flowers, were given as gifts, left anonymously on doorsteps.

In India, May 1st is International Workers Day. In China it’s Labor Day, a public holiday. In England (and in America) there’s Morris Dancing and festivities around a Maypole (circle dance with ribbons).

May Day in earlier times celebrated fertility, early harvests fetes and community gatherings. In America, May Day is International Workers Day, Loyalty Day, and Rule of Law Day. May Day marks the end of the unfarmable winter months in the north. We also know Mayday as an international distress signal, an emergency code word, from the French venez m’aider, meaning ‘Come help me’. Sadly, the puritans frowned on May Day (celebrations).

We end the month with the Gemini Festival of Humanity. For more information each day and during the month of May, see Risa’s website — www.nightlightnews.org/Daily-Studies.

LEO

Be aware this month of defining your self-identity (a good You have a deep strength supporting and aiding you when thing) in terms of values and virtues, not everything seems strange, difficult, tedious just possessions. It’s good to focus on or restricted. This strength holds you in needs and financial capabilities. Realize safety and assurance that all needs will be possessions do not define identity or self as provided. Your accomplishments in the world valuable — a spiritual lens that needs continual refreshing are important, valuable and purposeful. But there’s one and remembering. What is the message here? You’re question. If you are unhappy, what do you wish you were valuable not only in money but in virtue, courage, strength doing instead? Where and why? and spirit. Tithe often.

VIRGO TAURUS

Attempt to express thoughts and feelings of love, appreciation, care and nurturance to those close to you. Consider ways of using resources for future investments, not necessarily the stock market. You must begin to tend to unfinished business, communications, finances, and responsibilities.

This may be difficult and will take discipline. Order and organization allow you to have the presence of mind to recognize your next endeavor, a service that answers to the present crisis and world need.

It’s possible you feel restrictions in your physical body coming from how you value and see yourself and perhaps in thinking of yourself as not creative. A new sense of internal structure is forming, providing you with a new perspective to bring forth what you would like to be.

It’s possible previous philosophical beliefs will change.

This leads to a liberation of values and a development of new virtues.

LIBRA

Take time to assess your care for friends, intimates, partnerGEMINI ships and environments. By participating with others and sharing resources, you’re creating Working quietly and in solitude (even if in the world), predeep and lasting connections (which releases paring to dream and remembering those Love) that provide comfort, nurture and regendreams, asking yourself serious questions and awaiting the revelatory answers is part eration. Relationships between you and others, in a state of of this month’s inner agenda. Simultane- separation, also must be assessed. What are they? Why the ously, something may appear that becomes a resource. separation? You have ignored them too long. What we reject It’s possibly a group you finally identify with. Each day remains intimately with us. Sadness is the result. Forgiveness search for what’s hidden, magic, mystical and spiritually frees us. valuable. Your values are becoming universal. ComSCORPIO munity beckons.

We live in very interesting times. It’s possible you’ve CANCER become (or want to) attracted to something You need to communicate more, share experiences, deep and mysterious. Simultaneously aspirations, hopes, wishes and dreams with you seek new experiences of safety and friends. You cannot keep yourself isolated. security, joint resources, and deep It is not healthy to do so. Who, beyond intimacy. You want to experience the Art of Living. These family, are your friends? They provide you are good. Do be aware though that if you attract what’s sad with challenges, yes. However, they are your true (beyond and moody, you too become sad and moody. Be awake and the biological) family. You must take authentic steps aware of various subtle levels of energy all around. Brood toward them. Also, garden as if your life depended upon it. upon them.

•••

SAGITTARIUS

You need freedom, a new level of harmony, a release from limitations, struggle and duality following you around. You’re waiting for a life change, resolution of conflict, and refinement of things financial. At work, tend carefully to those around you. Here is a little mantra that the New Group of World Servers recites at noon. Perhaps you will join us.

“I know O Lord of life and love about the need. Touch my heart anew with love, so I may love and give and do my part in a world in need.”

CAPRICORN

As everything of value centers around your domestic life, it’s important to realize that your goodness is about who and what you embrace, how you care, whom you include and nourish and what you create. Your goodness is not about what you deny, resist or exclude. Life is a great discipline.

We live on multiple levels simultaneously and within a great paradox. This is a seed thought to meditate, rely upon and hum like a mantra. Om Mani Padme Hum. The mantra of compassion.

AQUARIUS

Whenever in difficulty, pray, recite mantras, have gratitude.

Then live changes. As you feel grateful for home and family, you create closer contact (releasing love) with everyone else. Looking into your life, past, you realize what belief systems are defining your thoughts. From these choices and actions emerge. This is a mathematical equation. Your thoughts are the foundation of your life. Build your future with your creative imagination Walk around your neighborhood. Take architectural and gardening notes. Plant a little garden in pots.

Risa D’Angeles • www.nightlightnews.org • risagoodwill@gmail.com 26 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

PISCES

Tend to money carefully. Tell everyone they are of great value and worth. Know many will not understand.

Speak the words anyway. It may be you have one good day and several confused and disoriented days. Rest within the confusion. A new harmony will come forth. Create a journal of the perfect village, community, monastery with gardens, flowers, trees, cottages, schools, a little temple. Resources begin to be structured differently. A new rhythm of values emerges. All of this is valuable for future work.

“Coastal Agency” from page 22 Rather, the type and availability of on-street parking is virtually unchanged; the streets remain clogged with unpermitted private encroachments into the public right-of-way that serve to restrict and prohibit available public parking options; the same congestion from those looking for space to park is actually exacerbated by the program (as it requires trips to find and purchase permits on top of finding parking); and parking is not “organized and accessible,” as is being represented, on most Live Oak coastal streets. In short, the program does not come close to meeting its underlying objectives.

In addition, the program has not generated enough revenue to make meaningful on- street parking improvements. In fact, from the data that DPW has shared, at best it appears that the program has essentially generated enough revenue to solely run the program. And in most years, operational costs appear to exceed revenues, and thus the program appears to regularly lose money (and it operated at a nearly $100,000 deficit last year, which has not been uncommon).

It is also not clear that any acceptable version of the program would be able to generate enough revenue to both pay for itself and systematically improve public parking and public access going forward, which is described as a goal of a potentially modified program.

We therefore respectfully suggest that it is time for the County to consider whether continuing to operate the program makes financial sense, is in the public’s best interest, and can be found Coastal Act and Local Coastal Plan consistent. In our view, the answer to each of those questions is no, and we believe that the program should be discontinued.

This has been our consistent position regarding the program for decades, and we have shared this position repeatedly with County staff over the years, and any representations to the contrary should be disregarded. We do not support the Live Oak Permit Parking Program.

We understand that the County is looking for revenue sources, including to help fund maintenance and access enhancement projects at shoreline access areas, and we can appreciate that need. At the same time, it is clear to us that this program is not an appropriate vehicle for those purposes, and we believe there are other ways to accomplish such goals without unduly burdening coastal visitors via parking fees (including through the County’s recent Coastal Encroachment Policy, and potentially the County’s proposed armoring-related fee program to offset sand supply loss and public recreational access impacts due to shoreline armoring) under the County’s pending Local Coastal Plan hazards update).

We have and will continue to support these types of programs as a means to help reach common goals along the shoreline, including to improve public access opportunities, and we look forward to active collaboration as it effects coastal Live Oak moving forward.

It is clear to us that this program has reached a crossroads of sorts, and also that it has outlived any potential utility it may have once provided for meeting the County’s and the Commission’s goals for coastal Live Oak under the Coastal Act and the Local Coastal Plan. And for the above reasons, it is also clear to us that the most appropriate outcome is to discontinue the program entirely. We support you doing just that.

In any case, we hope that these comments prove useful in your deliberations, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter further. n

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Now Open: Invitation To Experience

E

ach business should always try to differentiate itself from the competition.

There are many ways business owners can be ‘different’ instead of just focusing on quality and price.

When many businesses owners are asked what makes them different, many respond with ‘we have the highest quality at the most affordable prices’.

But if every business is promoting quality and affordability, then by definition, there is no differentiation.

Quality and affordability are ‘givens’ to be in business and promoting the same ‘quality and affordability’ as everyone else puts you in a ‘sea of sameness’.

In a post-COVID world, we have the chance to ‘re-launch & re-position’ ourselves to be truly different! And remember that being ‘different’ should be based on what excites your target customers so that it impresses them (not you).

Regardless of the business you’re in, what matters to the most customers is their experience. The ‘experience’ is often a missed

“Mother’s Day” from page 23 The duo of Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering, meanwhile, both worked to organize a Mothers’ Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some have even called Hering “the father of Mothers’ Day.” Anna Jarvis he official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis.

Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.

After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia.

That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.

Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar.

Arguing that American holidays were biased

T

By Ron Kustek

opportunity to be better, special and different!

This allows you to a) satisfy your customers better for improved loyalty, b) establish a true point-of-difference that can’t be easily duplicated by your competition and c) get some ‘buzz’ that customers talk about and share on social media!

If you own a restaurant, brewpub, coffee shop or retail store, it’s most likely you’re already providing high-quality food, beverages and/or items at competitive prices.

But what do your customers experience the minute they exit their car or walk in your store? Are they welcomed with music outside or the enticing smell of food and beverages to cater to their mood? Is your parking lot clean and easy to navigate, free of litter or weeds? Is your entry open and welcoming or just a door that’s possibly dirty and difficult to open?

Once inside, does the lighting fit the mood you want your customers to feel?

Many businesses have bright and offensive lights that shine directly into the eyes of customers. What about the sounds inside — is

there music that your customers want to hear, or do they hear the banter of your staff, or the clang of plates and glasses being shuffled off tables?

Do you actually think your ‘table service’ is comforting, especially when you have customers walk up to a counter to order and/or have them wait in another line, being called by a number, to pick up their cooling food off a cold counter to then find their table? That’s worse than take-out!

Do you AND your staff greet your regulars by name, making eye-contact or asking how their recent vacation was, or how their kids are doing in school? If you have customers that are from out of town, do you know where they’re from, or why they chose to be in this area, or what they’re looking for or needing from your business? Do you thank them for visiting you even before they make a purchase?

And remember: ALL these areas to provide an impressive experience ALSO pertains to your website, not just your physical brick & mortar business!

Each of these small but important facets combine to form a customer experience, one that they will talk about to others. Think Disneyland. The prices are high, the crowds can be overwhelming, and the quality of food and

beverages isn’t that great. But it’s the ‘Disney Experience’ that they’re providing to the majority of customers who pay high prices and are smiling in the park and after they leave, still talking about it positively with their friends.

You now have a chance to re-position your business to past and new customers!!!

Take advantage of this opportunity!!!

Giving customers the most unique and best experience possible will set you apart from your competition and give you more loyal returning customers who provide the wordof-mouth that’s critical to every business’ success! n ••• Ron Kustek is a former senior marketing executive of The Cola-Cola Co., and entrepreneur who is currently teaching business at Cabrillo College. Contact him at RoKustek@ cabrillo.edu.

toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.

By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day Inte rnatio nal Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Anna Jarvis Wo o d r o w Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Commercialized Day nna Jarvis had originally conceived of Mother’s Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families.

Her version of the day involved wearing a white carnation as a badge and visiting one’s mother or attending church services.

But once Mother’s Day became a

national holiday, it was not long before florists, card companies and other merchants capitalized on its popularity.

While Jarvis had initially worked with the floral industry to help raise Mother’s Day’s profile, by 1920 she had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized.

She outwardly denounced the transformation and urged people to stop buying Mother’s Day flowers, cards and candies.

Jarvis eventually resorted to an open

campaign against Mother’s Day profiteers, speaking out against confectioners, florists and even charities.

She also launched countless lawsuits against groups that had used the name “Mother’s Day,” eventually spending most of her personal wealth in legal fees. By the time of her death in 1948 Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar. n

A

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 27

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MANY MUSEUMS FREE IN MAY Museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions are finally able to reopen their doors safely since the COVID-19 pandemic began a year ago.

For Museums Month in May, many local museums and galleries in Santa Cruz County are celebrating with free or reduced admission and community members are encouraged to revisit the places that connect and inspire children and adults alike. Now is the time to celebrate their return as gathering places, reflective spaces, and hubs of learning and creativity.

Research conducted by Martin Kriegel and Anne Hartmann shows when open at reduced capacity, museums and galleries present half the risk of infection via aerosol particles as a visit to a grocery store. Along with vaccination rates and recent decreases in active infections locally, that is great news for local museums.

Participating organizations include the Agricultural History Project, Capitola Historical Museum, Curated by the Sea, Museo Eduardo Carillo, Pajaro Valley Arts, Pajaro Valley Historical Association, Radius Gallery, R. Blitzer Gallery, San Benito Historical Society and Museum, San Lorenzo Valley Museum, Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center, Seymour Marine Discovery Center.

Learn more at santacruzmuseummonth.org.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES As COVID-19 vaccines become more available and people resume some of their favorite activities, the American Red Cross is reminding the public that the need for blood remains. Healthy individuals are encouraged to make a blood donation appointment at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive now.

But what about those who’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine — can they donate?

As long as donors are symptom-free, feeling well and can provide the vaccine manufacturer’s name, there’s no waiting period required after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. Find details at RedCrossBlood.org/Eligibility.

Donors, especially those with type O blood, are needed in May to help ensure blood products are available for patients into summer. Those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in May will be automatically entered for a chance to win a travel trailer camper that sleeps five, powered by Suburban Propane.

Those who give May 1-15 will receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card by email, courtesy of Suburban Propane.

••• Santa Cruz May 6: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 220 Elk St. May 7: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange #503, 1900 17th Ave. May 14: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Chaminade Resort and Spa, 1 Chaminade Lane Watsonville May 4: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley, 85 Nielson St.

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS Alzheimer’s Association is offering video and phone meetings for caregivers throughout the month: Second and Fourth Wednesdays Santa Cruz, 2-3:30 p.m. via phone — Facilitators: Jill Ginghofer and Laurie McVay.

Valley Arts & Jeff Rosendale of Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens invite your participation in the 15th annual Pajaro Valley Arts sculpture exhibition, taking place in the beautiful two-acre Sierra Azul Nursery demonstration gardens, 2660 East Lake Ave., Watsonville.

Submit online to Hedwig@pvarts.org.

Anglers are advised to check for updated information First and Third Wednesdays The show will be June 1 through Oct. 31 outdoors and Santa Cruz, 5:30-7 p.m. via video or phone — Facili- when planning a Pacific halibut fishing trip, as a season pieces submitted must be weatherproof (to be insured), closure could come at any time. Information such as tators: Francie Newfield and Kathleen McBurney. and of a scale suitable for outdoor display. Summer bag/possession limits and gear restrictions can be Second Saturdays coastal weather includes sunshine, fog, wind and rain. found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/ Scotts Valley, 10-11:30 a.m. via video or phone — Sculptures larger than 30” is encouraged. Pieces pacific-halibut Facilitator: Diana Hull.

Register by calling 800-272-3900 or email ymflores@alz.org. Public notice of any in-season change to regulations is made with bold negative and positive elements and pieces via the halibut hotline at (800) 662-9825 or groundfish hotline 5 to 6 feet tall show best in the garden.

••• There is a $30 participation fee for artists selected at (831) 649-2801.

Second Wednesdays and sales are subject to a commission, 30% for PVA Spanish, 7-8:30 p.m. via phone — Facilitator: Yuliana members, 45% for non-members.

‘STOP THE POLLUTION — WE FOUND THE Mendoza.

Register by calling 831-647-9890 or email ymflores@alz.org. SOLUTION’: MT. MADONNA CLEAN-UP CHALLENGE Questions: 831-722-3062.

Final Day: Saturday May 1 STUDENT STORY CONTEST DEADLINE Mount Madonna School’s fifth grade students have ONGOING EVENTS Stories Due Monday, May 31 organized a Clean-up Challenge, asking the community to help prevent waste from entering the oceans — where First and Third Monday Each Month The Palo Alto Humane Society invites 7th and 8th SENIOR LIFE ONLINE graders in Santa Cruz County to participate in a writing plastic kills an estimated 4 p.m., Online Meeting 100,000 marine creatures competition on the theme Join a local group of senior citizens for “Senior Life annually. of animals and people Online,” a free online (Zoom) program featuring a The rules for “Stop the helping each other. presentation by a local expert. Senior Life Online meets on Pollution — We Found the Stories can be fiction or Solution” are simple: Go outside and pick up trash, keep the first and third Monday of each month at 4 p.m. View the nonfiction and should illustrate a sense of kindness in track of your trash, enter the information in this Google schedule at scottsvalleyseniorlife.org/current-activities/. their characters.

May 3, Douglas Allen, Assistant District Attorney, form (https://forms.gle/5zkfMRwCWeCs648e9) and take The top prize is $500, with $200 each for two Santa Cruz County, on “How Senior Citizens can Protect a selfie with your trash. runner-ups. Winning stories will be published by Palo The more you enter, the more chances you have to win a Themselves from Scams” and May 17, Darshana Croskrey, Alto Humane Society and highlighted during the 2021 director of Scotts Valley Senior Center. prize (re-usable, of course!).

Creating Compassionate Communities campaign.

To participate, you need an Internet connection and a The challenge ends May 1.

Stories must be original and between 800 and 1,000 words. Competition guidelines — plus a submission form “We hope you will participate in our clean-up challenge computer, tablet or smartphone. A one-time preregistration is required at https://tinyurl.com/SVSLA-5.

— are at https://tinyurl.com/paloalto-humane-write-2021. and share our PSA video and posters far and wide Questions? Call George at (831) 334-7763.

Vandana Ravi won the inaugural contest in 2019 with so that people all over the world will be inspired to Senior Life Online is sponsored by Scotts Valley Senior go outside and help clean up trash,” said fifth grade a story about a lonely girl who came across a donkey Life Association (SVSLA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose students and teacher Jessica Cambell. who also needed a friend. The 2020 winner was “The mission is to promote healthy living for senior citizens.

Sun,” by Aaron Huang, depicting the life of a mother dog View a video about the project here: https://vimeo.

Information is at http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org. trapped in a puppy mill from the dog’s point of view. com/536452409

Have a virtual or live event you want to promote?

Send your information to info@cyber-times.com by May 7

CZU PERMITS MEETINGS The County of Santa Cruz Recovery Permit Center — along with the Office of Response, Recovery and Resiliency — will host two virtual public meetings on septic systems and water permits in the CZU Fire rebuilding process.

One is for property owners, the other is for professionals working on rebuilding projects.

The goal is to share detailed information about environmental health regulations and requirements that apply to rebuilding, as well as the steps for applying for and receiving septic and water system-related permits.

Property Owners — Saturday May 1: 10-11:309 a.m. • Join online via Teams at https://tinyurl. com/8ypfku2w Professionals — Tuesday May 4: 9-10:30 a.m. • Join online via Teams at https://tinyurl.com/czu-permitpros

SENIOR CENTER WITHOUT LIMITS This new program from Community Bridges brings enrichment activities like yoga, art, music, tai chi, cooking, tech and support groups to seniors age 60 and up in their homes at no cost. To participate, you need an internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone.

To participate, view the calendar at https://communitybridges.org/ SCWOL/ and find a class. That day and time, click on the link in the calendar to be connected. If you have a problem connecting, call Clara Munoz at (831) 458-3481.

SECOND HARVEST FOOD DISTRIBUTION Second Harvest Food Bank’s drive-through food distribution will continue operating at the county Fairgrounds throughout the summer with new hours beginning in May. Upcoming dates and times: Watsonville: Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds HALIBUT FISHERY OPENS MAY 1 Fridays, 9 a.m.-Noon The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announce May 7 • May 21 • June 4 • June 18 • July 9 • July 23 Aug. 6 • Aug. 20 • Sept. 10 • Sept. 24 the 2021 recreational Pacific halibut fishery will open Saturday, May 1 and remain open until Nov. 15, or until Food hotline: 831-662-0991.

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. The 2021 Pacific halibut quota for the California sport fishery is PVUSD, PVPSA and Kaiser Permanente offers support 39,260 pounds — about the same as 2020. groups for Pajaro Valley families at 3 p.m. on the fourth While Nov. 15 represents a longer season, the dates Thursday of the month. The next dates are: are not guaranteed and the season could close early. In May 20 and June 3. To register, email marisol.maciel@ 2020, the season closed Aug. 11, when the state’s limit pvpsa.org was reached early.

Anglers may be met at fishing sites by CDFW staff col- CALL FOR ARTISTS: lecting catch and fishing effort information, taking length 15TH ANNUAL PVA SCULPTURE EXHIBITION measurements in a safe and physically distanced manner Deadline to Apply is Monday May 3 to aid in quota tracking.

Curators Susana Arias and Hedwig Heerschop of Pajaro

28 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday NAMI RECOVERY SUPPORT 1-2:30 p.m., confidential Zoom meetings.

National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County offers the “Connection Recovery Support Group,” a free, peer-led support group for any adult 18 or older who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition (no diagnosis required).

You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others. Groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there. It’s confidential and drop-in friendly.

To attend, complete the registration form. You will immediately get an email with the Zoom link.

You will need to do this only once, and will be able to use the same link for all groups in the future.

Register at: https://tinyurl.com/nami-zoom-register (Full URL: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMld6trTgjEtOukidbv3qCQQTitZ92kXFf) If you are unable to register, do not have an email address, or have other questions, call the office at (831)-824-0406 or email anastasia@namiscc.org.

For a recording of the March 18 speaker or more information on support groups and classes, https://www.namiscc.org/ Every Third Thursdays PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT VIA ZOOM 6 to 7:30 p.m., virtual meeting BirchBark Foundation’s Pet Loss and Grief Support Zoom group offers a free support group, moderated by a licensed grief counseling therapist, on the third Thursday of each month.

Register at https://www.birchbarkfoundation.org/griefsupport or call 831-471-7255.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR ONGOING EVENTS

(cont.)

First Saturday of the Month AROMAS HILLS ARTISANS MONTHLY MEETING 1 p.m., Outdoors at Aromas Grange, 400 Rose Ave, Aromas On Friday, April 16, some members of Aromas Hills Artisans met at Sierra Azul’s beautiful demonstration garden in Watsonville for a “Paint Out.” This event is usually held on the third Friday of the month at various locations. Members decide at their monthly meeting where they will go to paint that month.

Aromas Hills Artisans was founded 20 years ago to bring together, support and encourage local artists working in many genres. The organization serves the tri-county area of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito. Interested artists and art supporters are welcome to join. aromashillsartisans.com First Sunday Every Month MONTHLY OUTDOOR MARKETPLACE IN SANTA CRUZ! 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Old Wrigley Building Parking Lot, RIO THEATRE PRESENTS: TOP DOG FILM FESTIVAL 2801 Mission Street, Santa Cruz 95060 Friday May 14 The Westside Marketplace is an exciting, new monthly market where local art, handmade and vintage shopping 7 p.m., Rio Theatre, Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz meet delicious food! This collaboration between Food Program available Online May 14–24 Trucks A Go Go and the SCM Makers Market presents a Rio Theatre will reopen for the first time since the COVID shutdown with Top Dog Film Festival, benefitting the great mix of creators of Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (if permitted). Celebrate the canine connection through this all kinds! There is also carefully-curated collection of heartwarming stories about dogs and their people. The festival live music at each event! is a hybrid event, with a grand opening in the theater and online showings Tickets for the live Anthony Arya, AJ Lee event are $16 and can be purchased at https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2021/5/14/topand Chad Bowen are dog-film-festival-santa-cruz. Seating limited due to COVID guidelines performing at the market The films can also be rented online for $16 for 48 hours during the 11-day period. $1 per purchase goes to on May 2!

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.

Rain dates are Visit https://www.riotheatre.com for more information scheduled for the Anthony Arya following Sundays.

Films Come hungry to sample an amazing array of food from MARK & MYA: Mark and Mya spent almost two years travelling around North America. the food vendors and shop local with 40 artists, makers DOG DATE AFTERNOON: To date the girl of his dreams, a germaphobe must win over the most important and vintage sellers at this new monthly event. loved one in her life … her dog.

The Market is free to attend and is 100% local — all WOLF CALL: John Ramer’s experiences working with captive wolves drives him to share his knowledge vendors are based in Santa Cruz County! with others in the hope that wild wolves might one day return to Colorado’s open lands.

All local and state health guidelines will be followed.

OLD DOG: (TOUR EDIT) New Zealand farmer Paul Sorenson has a unique connection with his colleagues Please wear your mask, maintain social distance while — a team of sheep dogs. you shop and stay home if you don’t feel well. Hand MUTUAL RESCUE: MIKE & ABBIE (photo above): The rugged coast of northern California helps a sanitizing stations will be available. despondent man and a shy shelter dog discover pure joy together through surfing.

For more information, go to the event page: https:// www.facebook.com/events/170470481551895; Food Trucks A Go Go: https://www.foodtrucksagogo.com/; or Guest speakers are Dr. Dilafruz Williams, professor and SCM Makers Market https://scmmakersmarket.com/ for co-founder of Leadership for Sustainability Education and May 15: Abbey Heald, a lecturer in UCSC’s literature department, will offer a provocative perspective. a list of all of the vendors.

Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Portland May 22: Franco Zefferelli’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” will State University, and Francisco Paco Estrada, program be screened. The film won an Academy Award for cinematogassociate at Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley.

DATED EVENTS raphy and earned Zefferelli a best director nomination.

Choose from Brunch Menu options at https://lifelab.

Friday April 30 org/spring-benefit/#menu ranging from $15 to $50 from All sessions are open to the public. Each Saturday Zoom session will begin at 10 a.m. To connect to the Zoom MEET PANETTA FOR LUNCH New Leaf Markets, Charlie Hong Kong, Companion meetings, contact saturdayshakespeare@gmail.com Bakery, and Steamers Lane Supply.

Limited quantities; 12:00-1:15 p.m., Aptos Chamber Online Luncheon In lieu of the usual $2 per session suggested contribution, order now to get your items before May 1.

The Aptos Chamber of Commerce lunch speaker on zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_63xWAVM-RdCIT6SAzh5nKA the group urges participants to send a donation to Santa Friday, April 30, will be Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley). The get-together is online.

Cruz Shakespeare at 500 Chestnut St., Suite #250, Santa Minimum donation: Chamber members, $10; general, $15 Saturday May 1 Cruz, CA 95060, or to https://www.santacruzshakespeare. thru Saturday May 22 RSVP at tinyurl.com/aptos-chamber-lunch-panetta org/donate/ (Full URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf PijhU- ROMEO & JULIET SATURDAY SHAKESPEARE 10 a.m., Saturday Shakespeare Club Zoom Session Wednesday May 5 MIYCvZ_zow4ilV3Ixf4YSJp3R9kx_ZPIvHS8VzDtyA/viewform) The Saturday Shakespeare Club is examining the tragic Thursday May 6 love story “Romeo and Juliet” throughout May. Saturday May 1 SIXTH ANNUAL GREEN TECH Santa Cruz Shakespeare Artistic Director Mike Ryan will be LIFE LAB BENEFIT 7 p.m. Each Day, Santa Cruz Works Zoom Seminars the speaker. In 2018, the local company presented “Romeo 11 a.m.-Noon, Zoom Brunch and Juliet” at Delaveaga Park, with Ryan as Friar Lawrence. Santa Cruz Works’ 6th Annual Green Tech event at 7 Life Lab’s 10th Annual Spring Benefit Brunch will take p.m. focuses on energy resilience. Register once on This is the second of five sessions. Remaining place 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 1, on Zoom. This EventBrite.com: https://tinyurl.com/eventbrite-6thsessions include: interactive virtual event highlights relationships cultigreen-tech May 8: Sean Keilen, professor of literature at UCSC vated through school garden education and the healing Cost is $15. Once you register, you will receive a Zoom and director of the school’s Shakespeare Workshop, will impact on students, families, and the community. provide his insights. link for both nights.

Schedule of events May 5 Energy Policy, Storage, Infrastructure • Congressman Jimmy Panetta — resilience!

• PNNL — Matthew Paiss on energy storage resilience and infrastructure.

• OurEnergy — Dustin Jolley on clean energy and microgrids.

• SupplyShift — Alex Gershenson on supply chain solutions for green companies.

• Sustainable Systems Research Foundation — Ronnie Lipschultz has policies for wicked energy issues.

• Mynt Systems — Derek Hansen on a new energy.

• Moss Landing Energy Storage — the largest energy storage facility in the world at Moss Landing in partnership with Tesla, Vistra, and PG&E. • Save Our Shores — Gail McNulty with a plan for saving the coastline.

May 6 Energy Solutions and Applications • Joby Aviation — Founder JoeBen Bevirt will discuss how advances in energy storage made air taxi service a reality.

• City of Santa Cruz — learn about city environmental policies and plans from Tiffany Wise-West.

• Ambient Photonics — Bates Marshall on an ambient light cell for indoors to change energy consumption.

• Concentric Power — microgrid developer • VeriCool — Darrell Jobe built his green company to solve package cooling and he provides jobs for people after incarceration.

• Piersica / Claudiu Bucur ushers in a new era of solid state batteries.

• Orange Charger — Nicholas Johnson has a cost-effective electric vehicle charging solutions that manage payments at multi-unit properties between drivers and owners.

• NuScale — Rudy Murgo.

Thursday May 6 REGIONAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT 9:30 a.m. to Noon, Online Event The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s 7th Annual Regional Economic Summit will take place online.

Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to the Gov. Newsome and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), will share what the state is doing to keep companies in California, insights into the current legislative session, implications for our region, and how the budget surplus is being used to provide relief to businesses affected by the pandemic.

Register at https://tinyurl.com/MBE-dee-dee-myers

Saturday May 15

WALK FOR CASA! 9 a.m.-Noon, Anywhere With the Human Race on pause this year, CASA of Santa Cruz County with the help of the Friends of CASA will host its own Walk for CASA! This event will be virtual, with a hybrid option on May 15.

Walk or run anywhere or any time or join with supporters for a socially distant walk at Elkhorn Slough, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Castroville, between 9 a.m. and noon May 15. Inperson walkers will be notified of your walk time on May 3.

All proceeds support CASA of Santa Cruz County’s mission to match each foster youth with a trained volunteer advocate within 20 days. COVID has been especially hard on foster youth, with increased isolation, challenges with education, and homelessness.

To register and/or donate: www.casaofsantacruz.org/ walkforcasa Contact Michelle Keenan at events@casaofsantacruz.org or call 831-761-2956. For more information. n

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 29

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Serving on County and Regional Commissions

E

ach year, the Board of Supervisors makes appointments of its members to local boards and commissions.

In addition to serving on the Board of Supervisors I also serve on your behalf in a number of other capacities on local and regional commissions.

Sometimes you may need help on specialty issues that are associated with these commissions so I wanted to give you an overview of these commissions and encourage you to reach out if you have constituent needs associated with any of them.

Criminal Justice Council — Chair he CJC works with school districts, nonprofits and others on intervention and prevention programs to reduce youth involvement in gangs.

From supporting educational e ff o r t s , nonprofit sporting leagues, conferences that provide viewpoints from those with lived experience, reviewing public safety agencies’ policies and more, the volunteer-based CJC works to improve outcomes and relationships with public safety and the broader community.

T

Flood Control and Water Conservation District: Zone 7 — Chair one 7 was formed for the primary purpose of improving the floodcarrying capacity of the Pajaro River, Salsipuedes and Corralitos Creek system within the Pajaro Valley floodplain.

Zone 7 capital projects are intended to limit the potential for flooding within the floodplain area. Much of the focus is on protecting (and rebuilding) the current levee system to protect life and property in the Pajaro Valley.

Z

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

Library Financing Authority — Chair ncluding members from the cities and county, this joint powers authority exists for the purpose of financing the acquisition, construction and improvement of public library facilities.

I

Local Agency Formation Commission — Board Member AFCO was created by state law in 1963 to regulate the boundaries of cities and special districts. LAFCO’s objectives are: encourage efficient service areas for services provided by cities, counties and special districts, to guide urban development away from prime agricultural lands and open space resources and to discourage urban sprawl.

L

Monterey Bay Air Resources District — Board Member he Air District is responsible for air monitoring, permitting, enforcement, long-range air quality planning and education related to air pollution as required by the California Clean Air Act and Federal Clean Air Act. The District also provides rebates for fireplace conversions (to cleaner burning options) and electric vehicle lease or purchases.

T

Oral Health Access Santa Cruz County Committee — Co-Chair his group of local health industry experts, community leaders, and education advocate improve the oral health of Santa Cruz County by creating data-driven strategies that increase access to care and education.

T

Regional Transportation Commission — Board Member he RTC sets priorities for the transportation network including

T

30 / May 1st 2021 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

highways, major roads, bus and paratransit and the rail corridor. The RTC pursues and allocates funding for all of these transportation elements and adopts policies to improve mobility, access and air quality.

Santa Cruz County Consolidated Redevelopment Successor Agency Oversight Board — Alternate he Santa Cruz County Consolidated Redevelopment Successor Agency Oversight Board oversees the activities of the five redevelopment successor agencies in Santa Cruz County.

T

Santa Cruz Mid-County Water Agency — Board Member he MGA is an 11-member board which oversees the groundwater management activities of the Mid-County Basin Area in Santa Cruz County. The basin management goals are: ensure water supply reliability for current and future beneficial uses, maintain water quality to meet current and

T

future beneficial uses and prevent adverse environmental impacts.

Santa Cruz County Sanitation District — Board Member he Sanitation District is responsible for the collection of wastewater within the district’s boundaries and environmental compliance.

T

National Association of Counties — Board of Directors he National Association of Counties serves as the primary advocacy organization for counties. They advocate county priorities in federal policymaking and allow for information sharing of model county polices and practices to optimize taxpayer resources and provide cost savings. n ••• As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts. If I can be of any help on these commissions or in my capacity on the Board of Supervisors please don’t hesitate to contact me at 454-2200.

T

Local News ...

Local Sports ...

Local Politics ...

SCCAS Featured Pet

Coffee Cake Is Doing Well After a Rough Day

H

crossword on 25 »

iya! I’m Coffee Cake (A280423), a small female Australian shepherd mix, and boy do I have a story! I came into the shelter after a good samaritan witnessed me being hit by a car! Scary right? I certainly thought so! It had me super spooked at first, but I’ve been trying to shake it off!

New people and quick movements still make me nervous, so I’m looking for a family with plenty of patience. It takes me some time to warm up, but when I do I form a very special bond!

I have come such a long way since arriving at the shelter, and I’ve even gotten close with a few staff members thanks to extra attention and a few yummy hot dogs. A calm demeanor, positive reinforcement, and lots of love will help me be my best self!

Will all of that said, other dogs aren’t really my thing! Like new humans, dogs make me nervous, and I get a little defensive. I’m fine passing my fellow canines on the street, but dog parks and dog beaches won’t be for me! I would prefer to be the only dog in my new home! I’m not really into cats or kids either. What can I say, I get startled easily!

So if you’re ready to help me build my confidence, and make that special bond, come down to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and meet me!

You can email Jill at jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us to set up an appointment.

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter to turn in your application. All adoptions require proof of home ownership or landlord approval. Please have this information prepared. If an animal is in Foster Care, please bring in your adoption application and schedule an appointment to meet the animal. Call 831-454-7200 x0 during business hours or visit www.scanimalshelter.org for more information! n ••• Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter: Santa Cruz Location (Public Entrance): 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062 Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Watsonville Location: CURRENTLY CLOSED 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076 SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us

Fictional Mothers © Statepoint Media

EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO SHAPE THEIR FUTURES WITH CONFIDENCE.

Kirby School is an independent college preparatory day school in Santa Cruz for grades 6-12.

Find a place to belong in our intellectually curious community. Join us at an upcoming virtual Admissions event to learn more about our exceptional college prep program and individualized instruction.

Visit kirby.org/register

KIRBY.ORG

425 Encinal Street | Santa Cruz, CA 95060

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / May 1st 2021 / 31

everything...so close to home.

Deluxe Foods of Aptos

Supporting the Aptos community for 40 years Mon. thru Sat. 8am to 9pm • Sun. 8am to 8pm Peet’s Coffee Available Mon. thru Fri 6am • Sat & Sun 7am

Senior Hours: Wed. 7:30a.m.- 8a.m.

783 Rio Del Mar Boulevard, Aptos, CA 95003 (Located inside Deer Park Marketplace)

(831) 688-7442 www.deluxefoodsofaptos.com

deer park c e n t e r

Highway 1 & Rio Del Mar Boulevard, Aptos

BANKS: Bank of America BUSINESS SERVICES: Anderson

& Company / HOA Management Employnet / Galapagos Travel PDM International

Peak Accounting Services / SAR Asset Mgmt. Inc. / Scurich Insurance Cecy Insurance Services FOOD & DRINK: Deer Park Wine & Spirits / Deluxe Foods

Panda Inn / Mangiamo Pizza & Wine Bar / Red Apple Cafe PERSONAL SERVICES: Agape Dance Academy / Brian Del Core, DDS / CVS Pharmacy

Del Mar Cleaners / Eye Shapes Opticians / Highlights for Hair J-Bella Nails / Klub Nico / Laser Hair Solutions / Royal Paw Spa / Santa Cruz Dance Supply