Aptos Times: September 1, 2021

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September 1, 2021 • Vol 30 No. 17

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Mount Madonna Students Win EPA Recognition

Fifth graders at Mount Madonna School have won the 2021 President’s Environmental Youth Award for their project “SOS: Save Our Sharks – A Fintastic Tale,” one of two honorees in California.

Full Story page 9

COVID Indoor Mask Mandate Full Story page 6

Forest Projects Funded with $3M With SB 85 providing $536 million in early action funding for efforts to accelerate forest health, fire prevention and climate resiliency, Cal Fire has awarded $3.03 million for five projects in Santa Cruz County.

Dignity, Anthem Make Deal pg 7

The five forest health projects will be undertaken by the Resource Conservation District Santa Cruz County, a government agency based in Capitola working with partners in Aptos, Soquel, San Lorenzo Valley and Santa Cruz. ... continues on page 4

Human Race Fundraiser Bids Farewell

After 40 years, the Human Race Walk and Fun Run fundraiser for local nonprofits is retiring.

Full Story page 11

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No. 17

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Forest Projects Funded with $3M

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Community News COVID Indoor Mask Mandate, By Jondi Gumz Anthem, Dignity Reach Agreement: Deal Runs Through April 2025; Rates Dispute Left One Million Californians in Limbo, By Jondi Gumz • Santa Cruz Households Face Penalties For Using Too Much Water Afghanistan: Let’s Talk About It Mt. Madonna Students Win EPA Recognition: Project on Saving Sharks Found Microplastics in Every Ocean Water Sample Three Ways to Vote in Sept. 14 Governor Recall Human Race Fundraiser, Founded in 1982, Bids Farewell PG&E Survey in March: 810 Responses Shelter for Women Opening in Watsonville Georgia Acosta Recall Deadline Sept. 27 Will Labor Shortage Cripple Recovery?, By Jondi Gumz

California News 15 FAA: Requested SFO Flightpath Unsafe 18 Fishing Inland? What’s Safe to Eat?: CalEPA Updates Fish Consumption Guidelines

Monthly Horoscope • Page 26 – Virgo – Temple of Light, Temple of Day, By Risa D’Angeles Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28, 29

Featured Columnists 21 True Love Christian Music Festival: Blessings in Aptos, By Simon Cassar 23 ‘60 is the New 40’ — But Not for Pipeline Replacement, By Rebecca Gold Rubin 24 If a Student Gets COVID, All Students in the Class Will Be Notified, Q&A With Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, Superintendent, Pajaro Valley Unified School District 27 Home Care Deserves Attention, By Angela F. Williams, President and CEO, Easterseals 30 $8M for Roads / $267M Work Needed, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 25 – Bluebell — One in a Million

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COVER STORY Patrice Edwards Jondi Gumz

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contributing writers Jondi Gumz, Risa D’Angeles, Simon Cassar, Rebecca Gold Rubin, Michelle Rodriguez, Angela F. Williams, 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 Teri Huckobey, Brooke Valentine, Tara Carcamo office coordinator Cathe Race distribution Bill Pooley, James Hudson

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“Forest Projects” from page 1 Lisa Lurie, executive director of the local Resource Conservative District, said the agency will be permitting, and implementing these projects over the next three years.

Partners include State Parks, CalFire’s Soquel Demo Forest, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, San Lorenzo Valley Water District, UC Santa Cruz, and private landowners.

Lurie provided these descriptions of what will be done: Aptos Truck Trail/Buzzard Lagoon Road (up to 180 acres) his project will build off the previously completed Aptos Truck Trail/Buzzard Lagoon Road shaded fuel break, one of 35 priority projects in CalFire’s Community Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Report.

State Parks is the primary landowner, in partnership with CalFire’s Soquel Demo Forest (which encompasses 2,681 acres) and a private landowner.

The shaded fuel break follows the ridgetop roads protecting several rural communities in Santa Cruz County from the risk of wildland fires, but further steps are needed to improve the health of adjacent forests in the Aptos Creek watershed.

The proposed project will move into forested areas next to about 3.5 miles of the truck trail to reduce fuel loads and thin overstocked stands. Reducing stand density is expected to improve radial growth of individual trees resulting in greater long term, live-tree carbon storage.

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Fall Creek Truck Trail (up to 62 acres of 2,390 acres affected) his project will build upon previous shaded fuel break work along an important fire access road and resident evacuation route on State Parks land between the at-risk communities of Felton, Ben Lomond, and Bonny Doon.

Mixed conifer forest will be thinned to increase defensibility and reduce stand density to improve individual tree radial growth and live tree carbon storage along one mile of the truck trail.

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UC Santa Cruz Land Management Plan he 2,000-acre UC Santa Cruz campus is largely undeveloped “Wildland Urban Interface” land adjacent to the unincorporated town of Felton and the City of Santa Cruz.

Fire risk management plans exist for the developed portions of campus, but the remainder of the land the university owns has largely gone unmanaged since the campus opened in 1965. The result is high fuel loads and coastal ecosystem degradation.

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Looking north from Buzzard Lagoon Road, one can see recovering vegetation after CalFire’s prescribed fire work. This shows how diverse an understory can be.

The project will update the campus Land Management Plan, which will provide baseline information on existing conditions, detail specific actions for vegetation management to restore ecosystem health, and create clear priorities for forest health and fuel load reduction implementation on UCSC land that will tie in to regional forest health efforts and student research.

Sandhills Habitat Forest Health Enhancement (up to 30 acres of 6,000 acres affected) he Sandhills are a unique ecosystem found only on outcrops of Zayante soils―a poorly developed coarse sand soil that supports unique assemblages of plants and animals that include seven endemic plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.

Only about half of Sandhills remain undeveloped and the remaining habitat has been degraded in part due to exclusion of a natural fire regime. The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has a vested interest in eight Sandhills properties - four fee properties and four conservation easements.

The Land Trust has the primary goal of returning fire to the unique Sandhills landscape.

The eight Sandhills properties need varying levels of site preparation for prescribed burns. This includes understory/ brush management, ladder fuel removal, and selective thinning, allowing native Sandhill plants species to dominate space.

Due to sensitivity of the habitat, treatments will likely need to be implemented by hand crews with the possibility of using small, low-impact equipment where feasible. The first step is developing a

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fire management plan for the Sandhills properties that identifies and prioritizes the most beneficial areas and actions for habitat enhancement, then planning, permitting, and implementation.

San Lorenzo Valley Water District Post-Fire Recovery (up to 182 acres) LVWD has prepared and adopted a vegetation and fuels management plan and has identified a suite of projects designed to improve forest health and increase fire resiliency.

The CZU fire burned 1,838 acres of the 2,000 acres owned by the water district. In parts of land west of Boulder Creek, the Clear Creek subwatershed suffered high severity fire, particularly on the upper slopes and ridgelines to the north of the creek.

The upper portions of the Foreman and Silver Creek subwatersheds also experienced high severity fire, particularly on the south facing slopes and ridgelines associated with those drainages. The areas of very high to moderate burn severity were previously forest land and are some of the highest priorities for reforestation.

Scorched redwood trees on SLVWD lands will likely naturally re-sprout. Stands of Douglas fir and other conifer forests that experienced higher burn severity are included for reforestation.

Successful and feasible reforestation will depend upon site class, slope, and planting crew access. Site preparation for planting may include removal or chipping of dead and dying trees burned by the CZU Lightning Complex fire to clear space for seedlings and seeds.

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COVER STORY About 12 acres of eucalyptus is on water district land, and it’s known to increase fire hazard, particularly where growing in close proximity to each other and where shed bark and foliage has accumulated beneath established trees and stands.

Some eucalyptus were top-killed during the CZU lightning fire.

Removal of eucalyptus and reforesting with native trees and species will improve forest health and increase fire resiliency.

A total of 170 acres in the burned area and 12 acres of eucalyptus trees are proposed for reforestation over the next several years.

Scheduling will depend on native wildlife needs and ideal weather conditions. For information contact Matt Abernathy at mabernathy@rcdsantacruz.org.

Within the next month, Cal Fire expects to award up to an additional $123 million for Fire Prevention projects and $2.3 million for Forest Health Research projects.

Many of the Forest Health grants were made available through California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars toward achieving the state’s climate change goals while boosting the economy and improving public health and the environment. n ••• Cover Image: Oak trees have been thinned, reducing ladder fuels in the shaded fuel break along Aptos Creek Truck Trail. See where the treatment stopped. The goal and function of a shaded fuel break to alter a fire’s behavior and provide a strategic location to not only fight fire but also use as an access route.

The treatment focuses on ridgetops, trails, and roads. Typically, shaded fuel breaks are between 10 and 100 feet off of a line. The shaded fuel break is the first phase, with treatment further out into the landscape to follow, to make the forest healthier.

The shaded fuel break treatment performed by CalFire started in the Soquel Demonstration State Forest. This picture along Hihn’s Mill Road provides an example of how additional treatment can improve the health of the forest. By removing smaller diameter woody vegetation, it’s possible to increase the vigor of mature standing trees. All vegetation in an area compete for the same nutrients. Reducing the density to mimic historic forest conditions can reduce this competition, resulting in healthier wildlife habitat, greater carbon sequestration through mature trees and root structures, promoting a diverse understory, and greatly reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

COVID Indoor Mask Mandate

By Jondi Gumz

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ith COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increasing due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the Santa Cruz County Health Officer has issued an order, effective Aug. 20 at 11:59 p.m., requiring all individuals to wear a face covering indoors regardless of vaccination status.

“While vaccination remains the best and most effective tool in preventing COVID-19, the Delta variant spreads quickly among the unvaccinated and may even be passed between vaccinated persons, although their symptoms are usually mild, said Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel. “Face coverings will provide added protection until everyone is able to be vaccinated, especially children.”

The order will sunset once community transmission levels return to “moderate” (Yellow level), as determined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See covid.cdc.gov/covid-datatracker/#county-view.

As of Aug. 25, the county reported

A sign at New Leaf Community Market Santa Cruz

763 active COVID cases, an increase of 64 percent in the past 14 days, with many more cases in Ben Lomond and

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Boulder Creek. The case counts are updated on Monday and Thursday.

There were 12 COVID hospitalizations,

including three people in intensive care, according to the state, which updates those numbers daily.

On Monday, federal regulators granted full approval to the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which means the fact sheet people get will no longer describe the vaccine as experimental.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted the Pfizer vaccine emergency use authorization in December after a clinical trial of 44,000 people 16 and older were followed for a median of two months after their second shot. Half of the people in the clinical trial got the shots, and half got a placebo, the FDA said, with the vaccine 91 percent effective.

To get full approval, Pfizer followed 12,000 people for at least six months, the FDA said, and more studies will be required to assess the risk of heart damage, where higher risk was observed in males under age 40, with the highest risk for those age 12 to 17.

“COVID Update” page 8

COMMUNITY NEWS

Anthem, Dignity Reach Agreement

Deal Runs Through April 2025; Rates Dispute Left One Million Californians in Limbo

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By Jondi Gumz

n Aug. 16, a battle between two health care giants over costs that left a million Californians scrambling for doctors — many in Santa Cruz County — ended peacefully with a multiyear agreement.

The agreement is retroactive to July 15, 2021, and expires April 30, 2025, giving some peace of mind to people paying for an Anthem health plan to see Dignity Health doctors and get treatment at Dignity Health Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz at lower “in network” rates.

Without an agreement, people paying premiums to Anthem would have had to pay higher “out of network” rates to keep seeing their doctor and access Dominican Hospital. Some had procedures cancelled; others put off doctor visits, a stressful (and not very healthy) situation for all involved.

Anthem, which is for-profit, and Dignity Health, part of the nonprofit CommonSpirit, were negotiating reimbursements to be paid to doctors and hospitals.

Anthem blamed Dignity Health, releasing a statement that Dignity rates were “almost 30 percent more expensive than other health systems,” and that “giving in” would mean higher out-ofpocket costs and premiums.

Dignity Health disputed the claim by citing a RAND study focused on 2016 to 2018 found eight other hospital systems in California have higher rates than Dignity Health.

The RAND study reported inpatient and outpatient rates combined at

Dominican Hospital were 409 percent of Medicare rates, Stanford, 363 percent, Sutter Coast Hospital, 427 percent, and Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, 461 percent.

Dignity Health also posted that Anthem exceeded Wall Street expectations when its first-quarter profit was a record $1.7 billion.

It’s hard to tell if one side gave in because neither side provided details.

Anthem’s announcement mentioned “affordability” for consumers.

“While we understand this wasn’t easy for consumers, it was necessary for us to stand firm as part of our efforts to help slow the sharp rise in health care costs,” said John Pickett, Anthem’s regional vice president of provider solutions, in a post online.

“We value our relationships with providers, which are important to creating choices for our consumers and fulfilling our mission of improving lives and communities.

Our members remained our No.1 priority as we worked hard and in good faith to find common ground and reach an agreement with Dignity that helps protect affordability.”

In a statement, Dr. Robert Quinn, CEO of the Dignity Health Medical Foundation in Santa Cruz, called it “a win for our patients.”

In a statement posted at KeepDignity Health.org, Dignity said, “We know these negotiations were stressful for our patients, our medical staffs, the communities we

Santa Cruz Households Face Penalties For Using Too Much Water

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ithout significant rain this fall to bolster Loch Lomond, the city of Santa Cruz’s only drinking water reservoir, Loch Lomond, which is at 60% capacity, a “Stage 2 water shortage” may be declared in the next six months, financially penalizing customers using more than their allocated amount.

Since May 1, Santa Cruz has been in a “Stage 1 water shortage warning,” which allocates each Santa Cruz household about

42 gallons per person per day. Average use statewide is 80-100 gallons.

In July, one-third of single-family and one-fifth of multi-family customers in Santa Cruz exceeded their water budget, according to the Santa Cruz Water Department.

The department recommends customers sign up for WaterSmart at https:// santacruz.watersmart.com

serve, and our own team. We sincerely appreciate patients’ understanding during the negotiations.”

Dignity Health acknowledged “a brief out-of-network period,” noting “the new agreement is retroactive to July 15, the date the previous contract expired, and any care

received since July 15 will be considered in-network. In anticipation of reaching an agreement, we held Anthem claims, so patients should not experience any impact on their bills.”

“Deal Done” page 10

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“Water Penalties” page 9

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Afghanistan: Let’s Talk About It F or those who have served in the U.S. military, especially those who served and sacrificed in Operation Enduring Freedom, last week’s takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and the scramble to evacuate American citizens and Afghan partners may bring about many emotions.

Many veterans may question the meaning of their service or

whether it was worth their sacrifice, according to the U.S. Veterans Administration, which posted this list of resources: • Veterans Crisis Line — If you are having thoughts of suicide, call 1-800-273-8255, then PRESS 1 or visit http://www. veteranscrisisline.net/ For emergency mental ° health care, you can go to your local VA medical center

“COVID Update” from page 6 The Pfizer vaccine will now be marketed as “Comirnaty.”

FDA Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock, in the announcement of the approval, said, “We recognize for some, the FDA approval may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated.

Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.” With the mask mandate, Santa Cruz County joins San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties, which had already ordered face coverings indoors to stop the spread.

All businesses and governmental entities must require employees to wear masks and post signage that is clearly visible and easy-to-read at all entry points for indoor settings informing the public of the mask requirement.

Those at home or working in a closed room or office alone or with members of their household do not have to wear a mask, and masks are not required during indoor activities such as eating, drinking, swimming, showering in a fitness facility, or obtaining medical or cosmetic services.

Signs are available in Public Health’s Signs/Media Library. https://tinyurl. com/schealth-media (Original URL: www.santacruzhealth.org/ HSAHome/HSADivisions/Public Health/CommunicableDiseaseControl/CoronavirusHome/ PublicInformation/Signs MediaLibrary.aspx) Testing in Schools n Aug. 20, Dr. Faris Sabbah, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools, noted the indoor masking mandate is similar to guidelines already in effect in schools statewide as a preventive measure.

He explained, “As anticipated, some local schools have identified isolated cases of COVID-19 among students and staff, prompting our notification and exposure

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protocols. To allow students who were exposed to continue to attend school, we are required to test them twice a week.

We continue to work on ramping up our testing capacity countywide, distributing testing kits, and training staff. This is not just about protecting our students, it’s also about protecting their family members and others they come in contact with.”

He added, “There is currently no evidence of in-school transmission, meaning these cases appear to have been acquired in the community and brought to schools.

The lack of in-school transmission is another reassuring signal of the efficacy of masking, vaccination, and other safety protocols. However, given the infectiousness of the widespread Delta variant and the lack of vaccine eligibility among our younger students and a portion of our community, we anticipate positive cases to continue to manifest in our schools.”

Students age 12 and older are eligible for vaccines; younger children are not eligible as yet.

As for testing, Sabbah said, “We are also testing all unvaccinated school employees at least weekly in compliance with the recent statewide order.”

Surveillance testing is available at no charge to all Santa Cruz County teachers and support staff through a partnership with Valencia Labs.

Recently, the County Office of Education launched a central testing location available to all Santa Cruz County school staff at its office on Encinal Street in Santa Cruz.

Several more testing sites are operating at local districts, and Sabbah said soon on-site testing for teachers and support staff at most schools throughout Santa Cruz County.

Central Fire Policy n Aug. 17th, 2021, the Central Fire District Board of Directors gave this order: “Mandate that all personnel be vaccinated against COVID-19 with qualified exceptions, accounting for the sincere

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“Let’s Talk” page 10

religious beliefs and legitimate significant medical contraindications.”

Fire Chief John Walbridge, indicated this policy is very similar to the State’s Public Health Officer Order of August 5, 2021, requirement for health care workers.

He also cited local case rates increasing over the past two weeks and an expectation of more hospitalizations.

Currently, most Central firefighters are already vaccinated, according to Sarah Melton, the district’s administrative assistant, adding that for the remaining personnel, the policy implementation date has not been set yet.

How to Find Testing ecause the Delta variant is so much more contagious than the initial virus, Santa Cruz County Public Health reminds everyone to get tested if they feel sick. Free testing sites are available at www.santacruz health.org/coronavirus under the “Get Tested” button.

The Delta variant spreads easily from person to person particularly indoors so the vast majority of new cases are considered to have no clear source of exposure, which limits the effectiveness of contact tracing.

Anyone with symptoms, such as sniffles or eye irritation, is urged get tested and self-isolate for 10 days.

Unvaccinated individuals with a known exposure should get tested and selfquarantine, following guidance from the California Department of Public Health. If they test positive, they should self-isolate for 14 days.

Unvaccinated children with household exposures should quarantine for 14 days and refrain from attending school during their quarantine period.

Vaccinated individuals who are exposed but have no symptoms do not need to quarantine but should get tested 3-5 days after their last exposure and monitor for symptoms 14 days following their last exposure. They should wear a mask and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces for the 14-day period.

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If they develop symptoms or test positive, they should self-isolate and contact their healthcare provider.

The state reported 64,500 deaths, a number that has been climbing steadily, but the number of fatalities in Santa Cruz County is unchanged at 209.

About 67 percent of the county’s population eligible for vaccine have had one dose; 59.5 percent are fully vaccinated.

Booster shots have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for individuals who have had an organ transplant and received either the Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccine. n •••

COVID Cases by Town

As of August 23 Aptos: 948 • Ben Lomond: 180 Boulder Creek: 180 • Capitola: 525 Felton: 203 • Freedom: 1,037 Santa Cruz: 4,612 • Scotts Valley: 539 Soquel: 430 • Watsonville: 8,478 Unincorporated: 299 Under investigation: 313 Total: 17,792 Source: Santa Cruz County Public Health

COMMUNITY NEWS

Mt. Madonna Students Win EPA Recognition

Project on Saving Sharks Found Microplastics in Every Ocean Water Sample

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ifth graders at Mount Madonna School have won the 2021 President’s Environmental Youth Award for their project “SOS: Save Our Sharks – A Fintastic Tale,” one of two honorees in California.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the winners on Aug. 16, recognizing student creativity, innovation, and leadership in addressing difficult environmental challenges.

The fifth graders taught by Jessica Cambell in 2019-2020 embarked on a yearlong campaign. They created an educational movie to show how people’s choices impact sharks and the marine ecosystem, raised funds for shark conservation, wrote letters to elected representatives to support a shark fin trade ban, and cleaned up local beaches.

“I cannot tell you how special it is to me that these students’ hard work is being honored at a national level,” said Cambell.

“They are passionate about great white sharks and making a difference. My students continually inspire me as they find their voice to create positive change within the world.”

Her students are now seventh graders.

This is the fourth time Mount Madonna School’s fifth graders have received this national environmental honor.

“With as many as 71% of all sharks and rays fished out in the last 50 years, sharks are in deep trouble,” commented David McGuire, executive director of Shark Stewards. “We applaud the youth of Mount Madonna School for their efforts to educate and stop overfishing of sharks. It is an incredible honor for Shark Stewards

“Water Penalties” from page 7 WaterSmart, an online water use tracking tool, provides alerts of unusual

Mount Madonna School students receive the President’s Environmental Youth Award They worked with researchers to be associated with this class. Their S.O.S: Save Our Sharks movie and this award from the NOAA Monterey Bay National will help the kids and other nonprofit asso- Marine Sanctuary to conduct water ciations, such as Plastic Pollution Coalition testing, a litter survey and beach cleanup and Shark Allies, to spread the word and in Santa Cruz, and discovered microplastic fiber in every drop of ocean water save our sharks.”

Students collaborated with several they sampled.

This was an eye-opening experience conservation groups to build support for a Florida law banning the sale and trade for the fifth graders, one that stick with of shark fins; create educational mate- them for the rest of their lives.

“One thing I have come to realize is rials to share with other students; and to encourage local restaurants to reduce that we use way too much plastic at home, single-use plastic by offering compostable alternatives.

in our communities and everywhere,” one said. “I was shocked to find plastic fibers in the water samples, but at the same time I know we can work together and find an alternative to the current plastic material.”

Mount Madonna School fifth graders received the same national award in 2019 for their work to protect humpback whales, in 2017 for their work to protect Western Snowy plovers; and in 2015 for their work to protect endangered sea turtles.

The other California honoree was Hiya Shah, an 11th grader whose project, “Maji-Water Education and Security” was inspired by the discovery of perfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS were found in some of Pleasanton’s groundwater wells and in her high school drinking water fountains.

She built a smartphone app called Maji to provide real-time information on water quality. Hiya also designed a bioinspired PFAS removal and filtration system, created an outreach campaign and a fulllength documentary.

White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory said, “It is humbling and inspiring to see the impact these educators and students are having on their communities and our planet.” n ••• To read about the winning projects, visit: https://www.epa.gov/education/presidentsenvironmental-youth-award-peya-winners and https://www.epa.gov/education/presidentialinnovation-award-environmental-educators.

usage and recommendations for saving water and has been in use in the Soquel Creek Water District since December. So far, only 30% in Santa Cruz have done signed up.

Santa Cruz, which depends on rainfall for all of its water supply, got just half of its average rainfall this year. When full, Loch Lomond holds one year’s water supply for Santa Cruz water customers and is the city’s sole “water insurance policy” in a drought.

“In the eight years I have been with the City, we have only had one ‘normal’ year of rainfall,” Water Director Rosemary Menard said. “A sustainable water supply is something that must occur for us to have a water system that will meet our community’s needs into the future.” n

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Three Ways to Vote in Sept. 14 Governor Recall A) Use the Ballot Mailed to You

1. Mark it by filling in the oval to the left of your choices.

2 Insert the completed ballot in the postage paid ballot envelope provided.

3. In your own handwriting, sign the ballot envelope. Print your name, address, and a way to contact you.

4. Return your ballot: • Drop it off at one of the 24/7 ballot drop boxes, Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections office, Room 310, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz Watsonville, 275 Main St. Room 400, Watsonville.

• Deliver your ballot to the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections office, Room 310, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, or the City Clerk for Capitola, 420 Capitola Ave., Capitola, Santa Cruz, 809 Center St. Room 9, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, 1 Civic Center Drive, Scotts Valley, or Watsonville, 275 Main St. Room 400, Watsonville.

• Drop off your ballot at any inperson voting locations open Sept. 11 to Sept. 14.

• Mail your ballot so it is postmarked on or before Election Day, Sept.14. Delivery can take 3 to 7 days.

“Deal Done” from page 7 According to Dominican Hospital President Dr. Nanette Mickiewicz, “The Dominican Hospital team communicated regularly with patients and community members who were concerned about their coverage, and we submitted continuity of care paperwork to minimize any disruption in care.”

During the negotiations, Dominican Hospital’s emergency department “continued to care for patients,” she added.

Nonetheless, patients paying for the Anthem plan for their Dignity doctors were distraught.

“Let’s Talk” from page 8 • VA Mental Health Services Guide — This guide will help you sign up and access mental health services.

• MakeTheConnection.net — information, resources, and Veteran to Veteran videos for challenging life events and experiences with mental health issues.

• RallyPoint — Talk to other Veterans online. Discuss: What are your feelings as the Taliban reclaim Afghanistan after 20 years of US involvement?

B) Vote In Person: Aug. 16 to Sept. 10

You may vote in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at these locations: • Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections, 701 Ocean Street Room 310, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 • 831-454-2060 • Watsonville City Clerk’s Office, 275 Main Street Room 400, Watsonville, CA 95076 • 831- 768-3040 • Vote Mobile — schedule at votescount.us, updated daily At these locations, you can: • Obtain a replacement ballot • Register and vote on the same day • Vote an accessible ballot on the tablet • Vote a Spanish ballot on the tablet • Drop off voted ballot • Any other voter services Public health protocols will be followed which may include: mask wearing, hand sanitizing, physical distancing & disinfecting services. If you are sick, stay home.

C) Vote In Person: Sept 11 to Sept. 14

Locations include Resurrection Church in Aptos. For more voting locations see www.votescount.us.

Voting hours: • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11-12, • 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13 • 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14

A Vote Mobile Kiosk at the Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market on August 18

One woman said her choices were to “abandon all of my doctors and history including our specialty care at UC San Francisco and move medical groups, wait

it out and hope for the best, or change my insurance during open enrollment,” with Kaiser Permanente under consideration.

One had foot surgery cancelled.

One with heart problems put off seeing the cardiologist.

Another who had to change doctors five years ago due to a job change in the family said the prospect of changing again created “unneeded stress in already trying times.” She felt Dignity should get “decent rates to help them offset all of their losses” for caring for patients with COVID-19, and she too is “starting to look much harder” at Kaiser Permanente. n ••• To view the RAND study, see https:// www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR4394. html

• Download VA’s self-help apps — Tools to help deal with common reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You can also track your symptoms over time.

• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) — Request a Peer Mentor • VA Women Veterans Call Center — Call or text 1-855-829-6636 (M-F 8AM - 10PM & SAT 8AM - 6:30PM ET) • VA Caregiver Support Line — Call 1-855-260-3274 (M-F 8AM - 10PM & SAT 8AM - 5PM ET)

• Together We Served — Find your battle buddies through unit pages • George W . Bush Institute — Need help or want to talk? Check In or call:1-630-522-4904 or email: checkin@veteranwellnessalliance. org • Elizabeth Dole Foundation Hidden Heroes — Join the Community • American Red Cross Military Veteran Caregiver Network — Peer Support and Mentoring • Team Red, White & Blue — Hundreds

of events weekly. Find a chapter in your area.

• Student Veterans of America — Find a campus chapter to connect with.

• Team Rubicon — Find a local support squad. n For more information, see: https://tinyurl. com/afghanistan-lets-talk (Full URL: https://www.va.gov/ northern-california-health-care/stories/ afghanistan-lets-talk-aboutit/?fbclid=IwAR229md-4K3QtIAyLAtGTwOTkShLHUIqLEq2E-3L8PL0pFJYfGeagch8wE)

One woman said her choices were to “abandon all of my doctors and history including our specialty care at UC San Francisco and move medical groups, wait it out and hope for the best, or change my insurance during open enrollment ...”

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

COMMUNITY NEWS

Human Race Fundraiser, Founded in 1982, Bids Farewell A fter 40 years, the Human Race Walk and Fun Run fundraiser for local nonprofits is retiring.

Sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, it was the longest running Human Race and one of the last two Human Race events in the nation.

In the last ten years, the Human Race raised $2.5 million for more than 250 local groups and close to $6 million since it began in 1982.

“This wasn’t an easy decision because so many people have grown up with this event, and like me, they look forward to it every year,” said Karen Delaney, executive director of the Volunteer Center.

“At the end of the day, our duty is to offer local activists, agencies and donors the best and most efficient way to raise funds collaboratively, and we are proud to be a founding partner in Santa Cruz Gives and continue the tradition of joyful, easy ways to give.”

Eager participants at the starting line of the Human Race.

Like the Human Race, Santa Cruz Gives is a crowd-sourced community fundraiser, but without the overhead costs of

a large event, so more of the money raised goes to create good.

Founded in 2015 by the GoodTimes

and the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, the holiday fundraiser brought in more than $700,000 last year.

To accommodate nonprofits that relied on the Human Race, Santa Cruz Gives will double the number of participating agencies to 80.

The Volunteer Center encourages Human Race nonprofits to submit a proposal to join Santa Cruz Gives before the Sept. 7 deadline.

The Human Race was the first local collaborative, online, county-wide and crowd-sourced fundraiser.

Every one of these breakthroughs is common now, but in 1982, when the Volunteer Center had Metro buses bring people from Watsonville to the starting line in Santa Cruz, or in 1995, when the Volunteer Center launched the first website for the race, a decade before GoFundMe or Kickstarter, these were huge innovations.

“Human Race” page 13

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

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CALIFORNIA NEWS

PG&E Survey in March: 810 Responses P G&E offered its customers a survey in March, asking “Have You Thought About Hardening Your Home?” along with this statement: “2020 was the largest wildfire season in California’s modern history. Five of the six largest wildfires in California history occurred in 2020. In areas of our service territory where wildfire risk has grown significantly, a single ember can destroy a building from more than a mile away. To improve your property’s chances of withstanding a nearby wildfire, it is important to consider hardening your home in advance of severe weather. Which of the below steps have you taken to harden your home?”

“Human Race” from page 11 “If you have ever been to a Human Race, you will understand the pride in bringing together so many diverse groups, causes and people to unite in a single fundraising event in a spirit of fun, cooperation and love for all of our community,” said Delaney. “There is no event like it.”

Nonprofits, schools, faith groups, businesses, families and canine friends joined together once a year for causes they care about, from arts to mental health and from the environment to youth sports.

Here is a breakdown of those 810 responses: • Covered vent openings with metal mesh: 22% • Sealed gaps using weather stripping around openings like garage doors: 17% • Installed garden hoses to reach every part of your home: 16% • Replaced missing tiles and shingles with ignition-resistant materials: 15% • Cleared flammable debris from rain gutters: 5% • None of the above: 7% • More than one of the above: 17% n

“It’s a demonstration of how working together across our differences helps us all succeed,” Delaney said.

Last year, the Human Race — pivoting to a virtual event due to COVID-19 precautions — raised $130,000, down from $237,000 the year before.

“While we are proud of how much good we have done with the Human Race over 40 years, we are ready to embrace the next leap forward to come together for good in new ways,” said Delaney. n To apply for Santa Cruz Gives, see www. santacruzgives.org.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Shelter for Women Opening in Watsonville T

free and open to the public, 4-7pm!

Exhibitor Booths Still Available Register at www.santacruzchamber.org

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

een Challenge Monterey Bay and Pajaro Rescue Mission will host a grand opening for their newest shelter, Grace Harbor Women’s Center, Thursday, Sept. 9, at 55 Brennan St., Watsonville. The shelter offers 50 beds for women with drug and/or alcohol addiction participating in the Teen Challenge long-term residential program, plus 42 beds for homeless and at-risk women and women with children on a day-to-day basis. Services and the program are free.

The open house will be 6–7 p.m. and the dedication 7–8 p.m. RSVPs are requested at https://teenchallengemb.org, but not required.

The shelter, built in response to the increase in at-risk women and children and emergency homelessness, is in the heart of downtown Watsonville, near essential services. A faith-based nonprofit, Teen Challenge focuses on not only recovery from life-controlling issues but also access to edu- Steffanie Hubbard Outreach Coordinator cation and employable work skills to earn a livable wage without welfare.

Teen Challenge Monterey Bay reports the recovery success rate for program graduates is 78-85 percent. Graduates are more likely to stay sober, have a higher level of employment, and fewer mental health challenges, legal consequences and

family problems because they learn a new way of living, the nonprofit reports.

“Lots of women need help, but they aren’t willing or able to give up their kids,” said Teen Challenge Monterey Bay Executive Director Mike Borden. “We have the opportunity to not only bring in single women, but we can serve women with children. Grace Harbor will accept women into the shelter with kids and into the program with their kids during the 3rd & 4th phase. It will be a safe haven for women and women with children.”

Part of the 20,000-square-foot space will become home to the Lighthouse Treasures Shoppe, the Rustic Table Restaurant, and the Watsonville clinic of the Pregnancy Resource Center of Santa Cruz County.

A ribbon-cutting with the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 23.

Teen Challenge Monterey Bay receives no government funding, but is supported by donors, work projects and ventures such as the Rustic Table Restaurant and the Lighthouse Treasures Shoppe, making it possible for everyone entering the program to do so for free.​ “Shelter” page 18

COMMUNITY NEWS

SEPTEMBER

15-19

Georgia Acosta Recall Deadline Sept. 27 A n effort to recall Georgia Acosta as the Trustee Area II representative on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board of trustees began in May. To get the recall on the ballot, supporters must collect 2,148 signatures from registered voters in Trustee Area II by Sept. 27.

The recall effort began after the board voted to fire SuperGeorgia Acosta intendent Michelle Rodriguez in January 2021. Responding to public outcry, the board voted five days later to reinstate Rodriguez, who remains in charge of the largest school

district in Santa Cruz County with nearly 20,000 students. Acosta was board president at the time of both votes; board members voted to replace her with Jennifer Holm.

Acosta was first elected to the sevenmember board in 2016. She got 3,023 votes to 2,075 for Lupe Rivas.

Ballotpedia reports: Of 58 recall efforts against 144 school board members in 2021, 79 are under way, seven kept their position after a vote, one lost the seat in a vote, two resigned, seven votes are scheduled, and 54 did not go to a vote.

To see the argument against Acosta, visit http://www.restoretrustpvusd.com To see the recall petition and Acosta’s response, visit http://www.votescount.us

CALIFORNIA NEWS

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FAA: Requested SFO Flightpath Unsafe

T

he Federal Aviation Administration has rejected a recommendation by the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals to create a new NextGen procedure for arrivals into SFO from the south using the BIG SUR arrival flight path, posting that after analyzing the request, it “did not meet safety criteria.”

On July 23, U.S. Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), and Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo) released a joint statement, saying, “On behalf of so many of our constituents, we are extremely disappointed with the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision.”

The three congressional representatives had been deluged by complaints about noise from airplanes flying over their districts on their way to airports in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

They wrote, “The Select Committee worked tirelessly for nine months from May 25th to Nov. 17, 2016, and held thirteen public meetings throughout our three Congressional Districts with over 3, 500 constituents participating in the meetings to develop the SERFR/BIG SUR consensus recommendations which we transmitted to the FAA on Dec. 2, 2016. It has taken the FAA 55 months to respond in full to the recommendations. There is no excuse for why it has taken this long, despite our best efforts to engage

directly with multiple FAA administrators spanning three sdministrations.”

They added,“We thank our constituents who engaged in this long and arduous process, and we are grateful to the local governments who invested in the regional Airport Roundtables that made these workshops possible. We also appreciate the commitment made by the FAA at the workshops to remain engaged with the Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and SFO Roundtables. Our constituents’ participation brought the FAA to the table for a dialogue on airplane noise reduction, and we are committed to supporting their continuing efforts.”

On July 20-21, the FAA hosted virtual public information workshops on the challenges and constraints of the airspace, describing it as “some of the busiest and most complex” in the U.S. A total of 413 attended via Zoom, and 42,862 accessed the workshops via Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube.

For information, see https://www.faa. gov/air_traffic/community_involvement/ norcal_ew/ The FAA posted 12 pages on flight procedures with maps explaining changes made and those rejected: Redesign of the SFO airspace, which took effect in August 2018.

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“Flightpath” page 21

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

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Will Labor Shortage Cripple Recovery?

H

By Jondi Gumz

ave you noticed the labor shortage in Santa Cruz County?

Unemployment is at 6.6 percent — the lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in March 2020.

Analysts say the pandemic, which forced schools into online learning for students staying at home, made it especially hard for working mothers to go back to work. Some moms may not want to risk exposure to the Delta variant, which spreads more easily than the initial coronavirus.

In August, The New York Times talked with restaurant owners and managers who said they faced higher costs and difficulty finding cooks and wait staff because of the $300-a-week COVID boost in federal unemployment. That ends on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

However, workers in kitchens and bartenders told the Times about working 80 hours a week, being underpaid, underappreciated and even sexual harassed by customers.

Local employers have jobs they haven’t been able to fill.

That’s why Ella’s at the Airport in Watsonville hasn’t started a Sunday brunch – not enough people on staff.

That’s why Wild Roots Market in Felton posted a sign about openings for a cook and a deli clerk.

Ella’s at the Airport in Watsonville is hiring.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

“We will hire staff as soon as they become available,” the notice said.

Meanwhile, the deli is not able to serve hot bar food for lunch or dinner and service ends at 7 p.m.

Dr. Duncan McCollum, a chiropractor, is looking someone to join his office staff in Brown Ranch Marketplace in Capitola.

In the same shopping center, Roux Dat restaurant is hiring. So is Paradise Tanning, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Spirit Halloween, which opened at the Capitola Mall in the former Sears space, is hiring.

“Labor Shortage” page 23

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

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

CALIFORNIA NEWS

Fishing Inland? What’s Safe to Eat?

CalEPA Updates Fish Consumption Guidelines

N

ew advice on eating sport fish caught from lakes and reservoirs in the state to limit exposure to toxins has been posted by the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The new advisory covers 14 fish species — including brown trout, channel catfish, crappie, black bass and rainbow trout — twice the number covered in the original 2013 advisory.

The Statewide Advisory for Eating Fish from California’s Lakes and Reservoirs without Site-Specific Advice reflects the latest data on mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls known as PCBs that accumulate in fish and can pose a health risk to people eating them. Mercury can harm the brain and nervous system. PCBs can cause cancer.

Some species women should not eat;

others can be eaten, but no more than one or two servings.

The recommendations for women are different than those for men.

Women age 18–49 / Children 1–17 Should not eat: Black bass species, brown trout over 16 inches, catfish species, common carp, goldfish, Sacramento pikeminnow (any size), Sacramento sucker, or striped bass May eat: 1 total serving per week of brown trout 16 inches or less, bullhead species, crappie species, or sunfish species, Or 2 total servings per week of inland silverside, rainbow trout, or threadfin shad Women 50 and older / Men 18 and older Should not eat: Sacramento pikeminnow over 16 inches May eat: 1 total serving per week of black bass species, brown trout over 16 inches, catfish species, common carp, goldfish, Sacramento pikeminnow 16

inches or less, Sacramento sucker, or striped bass, Or 2 total servings per week of bullhead species, crappie species, or sunfish species, Or 3 total servings per week of brown trout 16 inches or less, Or 4 total servings per week of inland silverside, rainbow trout, or threadfin shad.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are excellent sources of protein,” said Dr. Lauren Zeise, director of CalEPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, referring to omega-3 fatty acids. “We are thrilled to provide Californians with these updated guidelines so they can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the wellknown health benefits of fish consumption.”

The agency reports chemical contaminant levels in fish do not change much over time; the advisory remains in effect until an update is issued.

“Shelter” from page 14

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Many students who finish the program, stay connected in one form or another, such as Steffanie, who is on staff and offers participants compassion.

Grace Harbor Women’s Center expects to serve 103,000 free meals per year, provide beds and showers, clean clothes, bus passes, work and life skills,

More tips to eat fish safely: Eat species that are lower in mercury and other harmful chemical, eat a variety of fish, eat smaller (younger) fish of legal size, eat only the skinless fillet (not the skin), and thoroughly cook the fish, allowing the juice to drain away.

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment offers advice on fish consumption that apply to more than 100 bodies of water in California, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, bays and coastal areas.

Advisories were issued in 2020 for Pinto Lake due to algal bloom and in 2018 for Elkhorn Slough State Marine Conservation Area because of mercury and PCBs. For details, see https://oehha.ca.gov/ fish/advisories. n ••• The California Department of Public Health monitors biotoxins in shellfish and issues warnings, quarantines and health advisories regarding the harvest and safe consumption of shellfish. training, educational support, and case management. Food boxes will be provided to families in transition.

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True Love Christian Music Festival: Blessings in Aptos

By Simon Cassar Editor’s Note: On Aug. 14, the first True Love Christian Music Festival took place at Aptos Village Park, attracting between 300 and 400 people to hear eight church bands, according to organizer Simon Cassar of Corralitos. He shares blessings he saw that day, as do some of the participants.

••• imple put, it was joy, the same joy we will be praising Jesus Christ in heaven with for all eternity.

Four new Christians wanting to spend all eternity with Jesus Christ and His True Love.

S

“Flightpath” from page 15 The NITE/HUSH procedure for departures from 1-5 a.m. to reduce noise, with implementation pending.

The decision to keep arriving aircraft at SFO spaced five natural miles, because greater spacing that would delay flights.

The “Down the Bay” procedure flying over fewer homes would be used “when it is safe to do so.”

An arrival procedure for oceanic flights to San Francisco and Oakland to reduce noise in Woodside, adopted in April 2019.

An arrival procedure for San Jose,

KLOVE radio doing 72 slots to advertise events. Praise God …

KSQD Faith Matters doing a radio show on the event.

Three pallets of non-perishable food donated by Second Harvest Food Bank distributed to Teen Challenge (addiction treatment) and other ministries.

We calculate that we should buy between 100 to 300 Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. We prayed and bought 300 but we were wrong, we needed only 299!

Seeing a beautiful elderly couple

dancing in the park. That was precious.

You don’t think all those youngling Teen Challenge men and women did not see that?

All the bands were beyond awesome and John Grassadonia blessing our socks off and bringing the Holy Spirit into the event. Celebrate Recovery and how they were sharing and enjoying sharing their beloved music.

Kal Hamrah playing his trumpet with Ave Maria …

“Christian Music Festival” page 22

Reeve and Jessalyn Lively and Gage Coahran (sitting) share their music at the festival in Aptos.

adopted in June 2021, relocating a way point to provide more space between arrivals to SFO and SJC. Replicating the “tip toe” visual approach to SFO skimming the edge of the bay and landing at Runway 28L for aircraft equipped to fly required navigation procedures, exploring ways to implement.

Keeping an arrival from the north to Oakland, despite a request to move the route east over less populated areas. n ••• For details: https://www.faa.gov/air_ traffic/community_involvement/norcal_ew/ media/boards_norcal_workshop.pdf

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

“Christian Music Festival” from page 21

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Dunamis Rhema blessing our socks off once we put them back on from John Grassadonia’s band …

Teen Choir, how beautiful and all the awesome encouraging testimonies.

Tom, Dave and Matt gave awesome examples of True Love. An absolute beautiful message by Dave Campbell on True Love … simply lovely … Matt was amazing and moving to the point of wanting to love Jesus all your life...and Tom was caring, deep and lovely. Did not everyone feel the Holy Spirit from these absolute amazing pastors? You don’t think all those younguns did not hear those awesome messages on True Love.

Isaiah playing we love you Lord at the end with everyone joining in.

Seeing John Dequins, old friend, now a Christian, coming to the event and saying: This is like a wonderful family reunion of churches.

Seeing all the Teen Challenge folks getting so, so, so blessed Isaiah Guzman giving up his precious time to play his beautiful music so a Teen Challenge young man could share his testimony and play an awesome song he wrote.

Seeing a couple come a long way to the event and struggling to get her wheelchair across the lawn. Another beautiful Christian helped her and pushed her wheelchair to the chairs.

When one speaker said, “God would have us put on this festival even if just one person came. That is the God we serve.”

Then a person yelled out, “That is me!”

My personal blessing was building all these awesome friendships from incredible blessed churches. People I feel I have known all my life and are now my best of best friends. That was my best.

Got the Aptos Village Park due to Resurrection Church and Twin Lakes offering their parking lots.

Monte Vista Christian School donated their precious time and vans to transport all these wonderful people.

Allen Beele’s beautiful loving heart to want to please everyone with his joyful awesome music and amazing talent.

ReGeneration with Reeve, wife and band praising God through True Love

Blessed to Participate

Roland Frank: Loved the band from Cathedral of Faith Matt Valencia, pastor of ReGeneration in Scotts Valley: Thank you for taking this step of faith and leading and serving so well. It was a blessing to be a part of this.

Dave Campbell, pastor of Calvary Chapel of Capitola: A true blessing seeing the team’s passion and joy for serving the Lord! It was contagious and inspirational. It was a blessing getting to pray with people who wanted prayer at the prayer tent. It was a blessing seeing Matt give up his really nice little bible to the young man that needed one who I believe may have just gotten saved.

Drew Cunningham, pastor at Santa Cruz Baptist Church: Thank you for being faithful to what God called you to do in planning and implementing the festival on Saturday. God is glorified when we obey Him! My perception of salvation is the story of hell being a wide river where everyone is floating down aimlessly toward their destruction. The few that are called swim to the shoreline and begin to walk the crooked path towards the narrow gate. God showed me that all nations shall bend a knee. You made that a reality by pursuing your vision.

Kallen Hamrah: True Christians (more than one) supported your vision. God is smiling on you as I write this reply. Our paths may be different, but our love for Jesus is the same.

John Grassadonia: All of us stood up for the Lord, praising Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our voices were radiating into the streets of Aptos with the message of love and hope in our Lord and for our world. n

worship and seeing everyone raising hands glorifying God Almighty.

Seeing Santa Cruz Baptist Church pastor Drew come out to give a sermon on True Love but denying himself due to time constraints and giving his slot so Pastor Dave could share on True Love.

Getting blessed again with Glorious Ruins band.

Joyfully crying when hearing the classical song Ave Maria and so beautifully sung. My ears are still ringing with joy …

Concerned the elderly were too close to the massive speakers, I asked one lady, “Can I help you move to a seat further back?” She said, “Oh no dear, being so close I can finally hear beautiful music.”

She was almost deaf, blessed by the massive speakers pouring out wonderful gifted music.

A group from Watsonville practicing before they were to go on stage, so heartfelt it made me cry.

Seeing God’s immense creativity in all His colorful music coming together in one brief moment in time. n

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

Attendees at the True Love Christian Music Festival heard testimonies along with heartfelt music from eight different churches.

FEATURED COLUMNIST

‘60 is the New 40’ — But Not for Pipeline Replacement

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o provide the community with high-quality, clean water day-in and day-out, the Soquel Creek Water District takes great care in maintaining its infrastructure. The elements of this infrastructure include pump stations to wells, water meters to storage tanks, our buildings to electrical facilities, and more.

Inspection, maintenance, and repair of these items is one of the core functions of the District’s operation, and all of those items are critical to how we accomplish our mission.

Another critical link in the infrastructural system that we must constantly keep in great working order is the network of water pipelines throughout our service area. Without them, we would not be able to deliver water to you!

“Labor Shortage” from page 17 Many new positions with pay topping $35 an hour were posted in the past week on Indeed.com.

Pacific Collegiate Charter School in Santa Cruz needs a development director; pay starts at $68,289.

Housing Matters, a nonprofit in Santa Cruz, is looking for an individual giving officer; pay starts at $81,120.

County Supervisor Manu Koenig has an opening for an analyst; pay starts at $7,049 a month, topping $84,000 a year.

Monterey County is looking for a communications officer, pay starts at $10,128 a month, topping $120,000 a year.

In Watsonville, GraniteRock, CalGiant, Nordic Naturals, and Martinelli all have manager jobs open.

Teamsters Local 853 hosted an in-person job job fair July 10 in San Jose, the first since the pandemic began, with 15 employers wanting to fill 150 “good union jobs” as drivers and in manufacturing and warehousing. Another in-person job fair is scheduled for Aug. 28 in Oakland in the Teamsters’ parking lot, offering 200 “high-paying union jobs” in the same categories as before.

For Ken Whiting, president of Whiting’s Food Concessions, which operates at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the labor shortage is real.

By Rebecca Gold Rubin

One particular pipeline replacement project is anticipated to be completed later this fall — the Soquel Drive cast iron main replacement. For 60 years, the corrosive soils in the area have been literally eating away at the cast iron pipeline, leading to increasingly frequent cracks and breaks — most of which have been catastrophic, dangerous, water-wasting, and very expensive to repair.

Although it may be true for humans, the adage “60 is the new 40” is not at all the case for old-technology cast iron pipelines.

In fact, this particular set of pressurized pipelines has reached the end of its useful life — to be reborn as a brand-new water main to better serve the community.

The replacement project began in October of 2020, with the goal of replacing 9,000 feet — about 1.7 miles — of the old, corroded pipeline with a new, up-to-date water main. The new pipeline is made of PVC — not the PVC pipes you might use for your home irrigation, but much stronger industrial-strength C900 PVC.

This is the thickest-walled, most durable PVC pipeline manufactured today, and it can have a useful lifetime of 70 years or more, while averting many of the aging issues common to cast iron pipes.

“Pipeline” page 25

Back to School

He posted on LinkedIn a sign in a store window saying, “The whole world is short staffed. Be kind to those who showed up.” n ••• Santa Cruz County Jobs Report posted Aug. 20 July unemployment 6.6%

July 2021 Change from a year ago

Leisure & hospitality 10,700 Up 700 Manufacturing 7,000 Up 600 Other services 4,900 Up 500 Private education & health 17,100 Up 400 Trade/transportation/ 15,800 Up 200 ACROSS utilities 1. *____ mater Professional/business 10,500 Up 200 5. *Graduate degree, acr. services 8. Opposite of stereo 12. Defense ditch Construction 4,700 Up 200 13. Fishing rod Information 600 Up 100 attachment Financial 3,100 Down 100 14. More sure 15. One’s final notice Government 17,100 Down 2,000 16. Dutch cheese Farm 12,600 Up 1,400 17. Golfer’s traction aid Nonfarm 91,800 Up 800 18. *Half-year terms Total 104,400 Up 2,200 20. At the summit of 21. Water nymph Labor force 135,100 Up .3% 22. Actor ____ Employed* 126,100 Up 4.7% Mahershala Unemployed 9,000 Down 37% 23. Be a busybody Count is on the 12 of the month 26. Metrical foot in poetry 30. Earlier in time, archaic * Includes commuting to jobs outside county Source: California Employment Development Department

31. Become bony 34. Shakespeare’s tragic monarch 35. Labanotation founder 37. Theodor Geisel, ____ Dr. Seuss 38. Threshold 39. Relating to the ear 40. Weather advisories, e.g.

42. + or - atom 43. Widely esteemed 45. Most mature, as in fruit 47. Indian dish 48. Dashboard window 50. Female sheep, pl.

52. *”The Breakfast Club” punishment 56. Flower holders 57. Singles 58. High school breakout

59. Acoustic output 60. Overwhelming defeat 61. *Gym class test?

62. Catchall abbr.

63. *Geography class staple 64. Not talker?

11. Table scrap 13. Laces again 14. Milan’s La ____ 19. Manicurist’s office 22. Is it ____ wonder?

23. Hard on outside, juicy on inside 24. One of the Muses 25. Payment option DOWN 1. ____ of cookie fame 26. From a great distance 27. Chill-inducing 2. Stud site 28. Type of palm tree, pl.

3. Cripple 29. Council of _____, city 4. *Go to class in Italy 5. Mythological princess 32. *Back-to-School retail of Colchis event 6. TV cooking show pioneer James ____ 33. WWII general who became President 7. Contributions to the 36. *Faculty member poor 38. “Peace” with fingers 8. *Kind of choice 9. Black and white treat 40. TV classic “____ in the Family” 10. Less than average tide

41. Superlative of true 44. Lowest male singing voice 46. Small bomb 48. Christopher Columbus’ birthplace 49. Consumed (2 words) 50. Small ladies’ handbag 51. What one does at the altar 52. *College freshman’s new digs 53. International Civil Aviation Organization 54. Half as much as twice 55. ____-do-well 56. Every American’s uncle?

© Statepoint Media

Answers on 25 »

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

FEATURED COLUMNIST

If a Student Gets COVID, All Students in the Class Will Be Notified Can I go to at-home learning until I get my vaccine? ou may register to attend Virtual Academy if you prefer not to attend school in-person. Your parent/guardian may complete the waitlist form at virtualacademy.pvusd.net.

Y

Can I enroll in Virtual Academy for one semester and in-person school for the second semester? ou can return back to your home school after the first semester as long as there is still space available at your current grade level.

If there is no space at your home school, you may be placed at another school closest to your home for the remainder of the school year.

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Will PVUSD be providing masks for staff at all school sites? ll staff have access to disposable masks, cloth face coverings and face shields. If you are an unvaccinated staff member, you may also request KN95 masks through the vaccination information request form provided to you in July.

You may also request additional personal protective equipment through your site administrator/supervisor.

A

Will students be able to go on field trips this year? or the 2021-2022 school year, there are no longer State restrictions on field trips. Students will be able to attend field trips dependent on availability of bussing transportation.

F

Will they ensure that all classrooms have air purifiers to improve air circulation for the students’ safety?

VUSD evaluated the air quality of every room in every facility. To improve the air quality in the classrooms and buildings, PVUSD invested over $2 million.

Each HVAC system was upgraded to MERV-13 filters or the highest filtration level for that system. In addition, repairs were done to windows and furnaces to improve air flow and quality. You can find more information on the status of specific rooms at https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1HGvbxZxmwH9Bveb62kBRQuxe r7HbzEr3/view.

As an added layer of protection, we

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

have ensured that all classrooms and common areas have HEPA filters since our return to in-person in the spring of 2021.

For the 20212022 school year, each classroom will continue to have the same HEPA air filter.

Who is notified in the event of a positive case of COVID-19? n the event of a positive case, the school nurse, health care assistant, district COVID-19 nurse and site principal work with County Public Health to provide notification within one school day.

A close contact is defined within 6 feet of a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 for a cumulative 15 minutes over a 24-hour period, regardless of face coverings. Out of an abundance of caution, PVUSD has determined that we will expand notification and inform all students in the classes of the affected student or staff member.

Following CalOSHA requirements, all employees at that work location will also receive the notification within one school day.

Due to privacy requirements, the name of the individual with the COVID-19 positive result will not be disclosed.

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Can you provide clarity on the quarantine protocols if a teacher, school staff member or student is exposed to the virus or tests positive? Who additionally would need to quarantine? ollowing CDPH Guidelines, PVUSD has developed a Standard Operating Procedure that can be found at the following on our “Welcome Back to the 2021-2022” website at https://tinyurl.com/yejazqet.

Here are the quarantine procedures: Vaccinated regardless of face coverings: No quarantine (may come to school).

Recommend test immediately after exposure. If the initial test is negative, and exposed staff remains asymptomatic, testing is recommended again 5-7 days after exposure. If symptoms develop, isolate and test for COVID-19. If positive test, isolate 10 days from symptom onset (or from date of test). If positive, contact trace for additional exposures starting 2 days before symptom onset.

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

Unvaccinated wearing face coverings: May participate in Modified 10-day Quarantine and continue to attend school if they: remain asymptomatic, test twice weekly, quarantine for all extracurricular school and community activities.

Quarantine can end after day 7 if a diagnostic specimen is collected after day 5 and tests negative. Self-monitor symptoms* through Day 14 from exposure date. If positive test or symptomatic, isolate 10 days from symptom onset (or from date of test). If positive, contact trace for additional exposures starting 2 days before symptom onset.

Unvaccinated not wearing face coverings: Quarantine (exclude from school) for 10 days from exposure date.

Recommend test immediately after exposure. If the initial test is negative, and exposed staff remains asymptomatic, testing is recommended again 5-7 days after exposure. Quarantine can end after day 10 without testing; OR quarantine can end after day 7 if a diagnostic specimen is collected after day 5 and tests negative. If asymptomatic and no test is completed, release from quarantine after Day 10 from exposure date. Self-monitor symptoms* through Day 14 from exposure date, wear face covering, wash hands, avoid crowds. *COVID-19 symptoms: Fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea If testing is refused, modified quarantine is not allowed.

Will students in 12th grade for 21-22 School year be able to request a waiver that grants them a high school diploma for meeting the 130 California minimum credit requirements? And if so, will students have to “earn” this, as they did last year through the earned credit reduction process? he 2020-21 district waivers were a proactive response to giving our 12th

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graders another opportunity to be on track for graduation. The plan was presented to the Board and approved for one year.

Since that time the State has passed legislation, AB 104, that provides guidance on students who may be behind academically. The legislation passed is very similar to what PVUSD had already passed.

The two major pieces to highlight that PVUSD will be following in accordance are: 1) Students (9-12) who were enrolled in high school during the 2020–21 school year can apply to the school to change the letter grade for a course they received a D or F into a Pass or No Pass grade on the pupil’s transcript.

This form can be found on the district or high school websites. While the law only provided for school districts to have to keep this opportunity open for 15 days from date of post, we understand that families and students are just returning and will need an opportunity to learn more and be able to submit for the changes.

Our district deadline for the grade changes will therefore be Sept. 1. Counselors are prepared to accept the forms and will begin updating records in September.

2) Our current 12th graders, Class of 2021-22, will be provided an exemption from any requirements that are in addition to the Statewide coursework requirements.

Counselors are already meeting and actively engaged in planning to meet and guide students through this process.

“PVUSD Q&A” page 26

SCCAS Featured Pet

“Pipeline” from page 23

The 8-inch cast-iron water main on Soquel Drive, frequently cracking at 60 years old, is being replaced by a 12-inch industrial-strength PVC pipeline.

Why is Soquel Drive in Aptos torn up? Because Soquel Creek Water District is replacing a 60-yearold cast iron main that has been prone to cracks and breaks due to age. its “backbone” to distribute reliable water to our community for decades to come.

District staff are justifiably proud of this complex project and the amount of people and agencies it takes to build a project of this nature.

At the District level, our Engineering department designed the pipeline, handles the project management and inspections and our Operations department coordinates the water shutoff notices, safely decommissions the old main and conducts the flushing of the new main.

Our contractor, Pacific Underground Construction, provides the labor, equipment, and expertise to build the infrastructure.

The County Sanitation department makes sure we can flush the new watermains into their system without overwhelming the sewer system. The County Encroachment department manages our impacts to traffic.

Not to mention all the coordinating with other utilities (PG&E, AT&T, Comcast, Cabrillo, sewer) for design and conflicts in the field and emergency response, when needed. It takes a village. Thank you to our customers for being patient with water outages, construction noise, and traffic delays.

Our staff does an amazing job of maintaining the entire infrastructure of the water system. It’s a job that’s always ongoing, one that is crucial to the system’s resilience and reliability. And we know how important it is to you – in our most recent community survey last year, 91% of respondents supported investment in our water infrastructure to ensure a safe, reliable water supply. We take that very seriously.

So, for us, infrastructure maintenance, repair, and replacement are not just tasks to be completed – they are fundamental responsibilities. We strive to ensure we are meeting those responsibilities by maintaining a system that our customers can depend on to get their water every day.

For a look at a map and information on this and other District projects, visit soquelcreekwater.org/CIP. n

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Bluebell — One in a Million

luebell (A283346) came to the shelter as a stray, so we don’t know much about her history, but it seems almost irrelevant because she has shown herself to be nothing but wiggles, smiles, and pure joy. She is currently living with a senior male pittie and has met tons of dogs on her outings with her foster family and has done beautifully with all.

She is the same with humans; loves everyone she meets and will go out of her way to make friends of all ages.

Bluebell is easy going, housetrained, loves car rides, great on outings of all kinds (breweries, errands, restaurants) and just generally a happy go lucky girl. She has been doing very well getting acclimated to being left home alone (with her foster brother) for extended periods when necessary but would really rather have people around or be taken along. Bluebell does seem a bit too interested in small animals to be a candidate for a home with cats (rabbits, etc.).

We think Bluebell may have an old knee injury but that doesn’t slow her down … she happily jumps on and off of couches and beds and in and out of the car. We think she is part bull dog/pitbull.

Bluebell is ready to find her forever home and we know the perfect family is out there!

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

crossword on 23 »

According to Brice Dahlmeier, the District’s associate engineer overseeing this main replacement, “Many of these old pipes were put in the ground prior to the formation of the district in the 1960s and were not sized to provide adequate flows for fire protection. This main replacement project increases the watermain size from an 8” pipe to a 12” pipe, which will help increase the available flows from hydrants all along this corridor. These larger pipes also help with reducing energy costs, as our well pumps don’t have to work as hard to push water through a small pipe. While these energy savings are small, they add up over decades.”

For the last year, the work has been taking place along Soquel Drive from Cabrillo College to State Park Drive, including work on many of the streets connecting to Soquel Drive along the pipeline corridor.

Locals know this stretch of roadway is quite busy with many commercial, retail, and residential buildings, and lots of steady traffic. Crews utilized extensive, carefully planned traffic control measures, and also engaged in some night work in one spot to minimize traffic impacts.

In addition to the pipes, four new underground vaults have been installed, containing pressure-regulating valves.

Each of those vaults is about 8’ x 8’ x 14’ and weighs 60,000 pounds. People driving by may have seen the crane-assisted installation of these massive components. Our service area has quite a bit of change in elevation between our water storage tanks in the hills, down to the ocean. These pressure-regulating valves allow us to reduce pressure in the lower elevations, which protects our distribution system as well as our customers’ plumbing.

This project follows a similar project completed in 2014, which replaced failing cast iron pipe along Soquel Drive from 41st Avenue to Cabrillo College.

With the completion of this current project, the District is making progress on

Back to School © Statepoint Media

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

Virgo – Temple of Light, Temple of Day Esoteric Astrology • September 2021 • By Risa D’Angeles

Under Virgo (Madonna, Divine Mother, Mother of the World) humanity is called to cultivate the virtues of cleanliness and purity. Purity of thought, words and action, Purity of foods and drink. Disciples are aware of this Virgo task, thus guarding their health daily with pure food and water. Virgo is the pregnant Madonna, holding and guarding within herself the holy child, the new reality for the new era, the Fifth (5th) Kingdom, that of the Soul of humanity (the First Initiation, called the Birth). Virgo calls humanity to this recognition. Virgo’s pure body guards & protects the holy child symbolic of the Light of the Soul.

Virgo calls humanity to be pure in thought, word and actions. Thought is to be golden, filled with intentions for Goodwill. When we entertain golden thoughts we build a temple within our bodies. Golden thoughts of Divinity become Divine. When pondering divine ideas, the mind gains the touch of divinity. A divine mind then conducts the alchemy of change for the body. The body becomes an abode of the Divine & it becomes a temple. We become as Gods.

Unorganized clay, like an unorganized mind is not useful.

An unorganized mind can fall prey to confusion, anger, cruelty and violence. The intentional activity of building light-filled thoughtforms with the mind is a constructive activity.

One must have an organized mind in order to build thoughtforms of Light. We can choose to have our personality (body, emotions, lower mind) become divine (or not). When thought is golden the mind transmits light. When light is transmitted, it is symbolically called the Day. Depending upon our thoughts we can build a temple of Light which then transmits divine love which becomes a service to humanity and the kingdoms.

This is the task Virgo offers us. When we do not accomplish these tasks, there is no light, no day. We melt into darkness. The choice – light or dark. This is an invitation for some, a temptation for others. It is good to construct the Temple of Light.

The Temple melts into the night. Then built into and called “the Day”. Om

ARIES

LEO

SAGITTARIUS

You become more dignified, more assured, cooperating more with research and investigation into the background of today’s world events. Desire for self-adulation shifts, becoming aspiration for others to be in the spotlight, so their gifts can also be seen and recognized. You will be more and more able to detect and diagnose situations and needs. A mystical and occult (they are different and both are needed) sense appears to pervade your thinking. You blend the two. You enter the Rain Cloud of Knowable Things.

You consider what your true feelings are about and toward your family. They can be extreme or they can be conflicted and perhaps somewhat suppressed. You are very loyal to the family you have chosen, to friends especially. Notice if you are overworked and perhaps how overworked your environments are, too. Set about changing the atmosphere, milieu, all surroundings you find yourself in. You need a bit of liberation, while maintaining what’s traditional. Leos need architectural beauty.

As the days progress notice you becoming more aware, sympathetic, compassionate, receptive, affectionate and even more sensitive. The volume of your particular vibration is turned up. Anything not peaceful you turn away from. When deeply emotional, you study what sacrifice means. Sometimes you’re sorrowful and in grief. You consider reading and writing poetry. The dream world beckons. You walk through that door seeking to help others, unassuming and unrecognized. You become the Adept.

TAURUS

VIRGO

You become keen on, passionate and zealous for fairness and justice. You seek ways to communicate, compromise, conciliate and cooperate. You begin to speak the ways of Compassionate Communication (non-violent communication).

You attempt to refine and harmonize all desires in order to balance all interactions and relationships. You seek out bold and forceful people. Sometimes you’re impetuous. You wear red more. You’re recognized as a leader.

Your mind is stimulated to such a degree that sometimes you feel dizziness, a slight headache or perhaps heart palpitations. At times you could also experience anxiety. Stand in the Sun’s light allowing its rays to penetrate into your shoulders and the back of your neck. The Sun’s radiant light enters the body and goes directly to the spleen, which then distributes that light to all parts of the body, uplifting and vitalizing. Allow no criticism, conflicts or arguments. They diminish the light.

GEMINI

Usually found reading, writing or talking, your energy now focuses on activities that organize, order and categorize efficiently, effectively and practically. You become logical (and the aspiration to be pure and healthy outweighs usual food desires. I heard the question the other day, “What is comforted by comfort foods?” A good question indeed. Cooking and cleaning energetically become an industrious affair. Careful of cuts, scrapes and burns. And mosquitoes, gnats, ticks and chiggers. Cedar oil works.

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

You assess the present day-realities in our world, our country, your town or village and how people are being stripped of their freedoms. You begin to consider what living in a sustainable organized intentional community would be like. You wonder where they are or perhaps you ask could you help create one? You know success is achieved through collective cooperative action now. The old ways are no longer working. You use the word, cooperative, at home because you know our first community is family. You teach the family cooperation first. You then turn outward and teach the world.

AQUARIUS

You wake each morning trying to figure out how to gain Notice yourself in the days and weeks to come – notice further wealth, success and material resources so developments of persistence, perseverance, you can achieve a certain important envisioned steadiness, poise, stability and ambition. Along goal. Perhaps to build a home for mother, a with great practicality and responsibility to carry compound for the family or a village and comout actions in a professional and business-like munity for the “family called humanity.” You battle between manner. You work hard, over time, to gain position and reputation. using resources for self or for others. You have strong values Achieving success through long hours, dedication, questioning and have worked passionately for them. You battle for and and overcoming obstacles. All of these are sterling qualities to be defend your morals, ethics, choices, principles and beliefs. But recognized, applauded and exalted. Good job. Carry on. wait? Is someone being left out?

CANCER

You seek pleasure and entertainment, make room for children (and childish things), wonder where your childhood playthings went, remember what you left behind and perhaps weep a bit about their loss. Some Cancers speculate (gamble) strongly at this time and with an unusual intensity. The same for Cancer parents. They are known to ferociously protect their children and pets (greatly and especially needed now). There’s lots of drama (crying), playful energies, creative leadership.

Happiness is a choice.

PISCES SCORPIO

Being a Scorpio, sign of discipleship and also of the underworld, you are always under the influence of Pluto and Mars. These planets belong to you. You are also always experiencing the Nine Tests. Every day you experience and recognize them. Mars and Pluto always testing your endurance, attitudes and beliefs make Scorpios feel like they are both dying and regenerating (internally) each moment of time. This experience allows you to speak free, uncompromised and uncomplicated straight talk. Important now.

•••

Your intelligence along with curiosity become stronger. You seek adventure, something pioneering, a way of life reflecting your principles and beliefs. Publishing, religions, spiritual pursuits, mountaintops, horses, meadows, hills and valleys all expand your consciousness and motivation. You seek resources to see your visions for humanity come true. Seeing the state of the world today, you are inspired to teach and uplift humankind, especially the children. In time that dream will manifest. Be careful never to be critical and/or self-righteous. Love more, instead.

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

“PVUSD Q&A” from page 24 Students will still have to meet the statewide requirements and as we have in the past, we will remain committed to monitoring students’ progress and providing credit recovery during both semesters and during the winter break to assist students in meeting these required credits.

Classroom aides are needed especially in K-1 classrooms. Will the district consider hiring aides? ased on staff, parent and community input, the addition of instructional assistants to support TK-1 grade classrooms was included as part of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant plan approved in May 2021.

For the upcoming years, each elementary site will have two additional instructional assistants to support acceleration of our youngest students.

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Do you have any updates about the after-school program? he elementary and middle school sites that receive after-school grant funds are starting their after-school programs Aug. 23. These sites are Alianza, Amesti, Ann Soldo, Calabasas, Cesar Chavez, EA Hall, Freedom, Hall, Hyde, Lakeview, Landmark, MacQuiddy, Mintie White, Ohlone, Pajaro Middle, Radcliff, Rolling Hills, Starlight, and WCSA. PVHS and WHS credit recovery will start Sept. 13.

Aptos schools’ after-school program is District funded and is coordinated through the individual site. Transportation will start Sept. 13 for all sites.

Elementary and middle school afterschool programs serve students in grades 2-8, and high school programs serve students in grades 9-12 who are creditdeficient. Space is limited at each site, and after school administrators will work with site principals to develop student referral lists.

Priority enrollment will be for students who were referred to the Wellness Team last school year, Foster Youth, and students who attended Safe Spaces last school year.

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Students will still have to meet the statewide requirements and as we have in the past, we will remain committed to monitoring students’ progress and providing credit recovery during both semesters and during the winter break to assist students in meeting these required credits.

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Home Care Deserves Attention

By Angela F. Williams, President and CEO, Easterseals

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very day, millions of workers enter people’s homes to provide care to those with disabilities and the elderly. These “direct-care” workers assist individuals with bathing and dressing, cooking and eating, taking medication, and getting exercise. For the people they help, they are lifelines to health, independent living, and economic stability.

Yet our system for providing this care is in desperate need of repair. Medicaid serves approximately 4.8 million Americans with home- and community-based services, but there are still nearly 850,000 people on waiting lists. They often wait years for crucial support.

At the same time, direct-care workers have been underpaid for decades, causing instability in their own lives. This situation was untenable even before pandemicinduced social distancing kept these workers from fulfilling their jobs.

President Biden proposed a fix for the industry in his infrastructure plan, which would have added $400 billion in

federal spending for Medicaid’s home and community-based services program.

This would have provided a sorely needed boost to the caregiving economy.

Yet the president and a group of bipartisan senators dropped this aid from the “compromise” they reached and passed on infrastructure. That’s deeply disappointing. Lawmakers must do everything they can to work this aid back in as a separate bill. Funding home- and community-based care for the most vulnerable Americans shouldn’t be a partisan issue.

The demand for home- and community-based care will only grow in the years ahead, given that one in four Americans today are living with a disability, and the average age of the U.S. population continues to rise. According to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, the U.S. population age 74 and over is expected to increase by 48% in the next decade. And older Americans are increasingly cost-burdened. Among homeowners over age 79, just 3% owed

mortgage debt in 1989, compared to 27% by 2019.

It all adds up to a situation where more people need services but have fewer options.

The voting public recognizes this.

An April poll from Morning Consult and Politico found 76 percent of Americans support new funding to improve caregiving for people with disabilities and the elderly. And yet, some of our political leaders don’t seem to see the need.

Perhaps they don’t understand that care workers enable people to continue living in their own homes — or how important this is. Aid recipients prefer to be cared for in their own homes and communities, and the law obliges public agencies to do so whenever possible.

Care workers themselves also need help. Though entrusted with their clients’ wellbeing, direct-care workers make $11 an hour on average. Approximately 15% live in poverty. It’s no wonder there is 50% turnover every year among direct-care workers.

The low wages also exacerbate gender and racial inequality, as women of color dominate the ranks of direct-care workers.

And when we fail to support direct care, the burden of looking after family members typically falls to women, taking them out of the workforce.

Home- and community-based care makes it possible for millions of families to thrive. But without new expenditures, both the workers who provide these services, and the individuals and families who rely on them, will not. Our lawmakers need to make this investment now, assuring a sustainable system of services and support for our most vulnerable citizens, their families, and the professionals who care for them. n ••• Angela F. Williams is the president and CEO of Easterseals, the 102-year-old nonprofit provider of services and advocacy for people with disabilities of all ages, including veterans and seniors. She was hired in 2018, the first Black woman in this post. This piece originally ran in the International Business Times.

We Specialize in Bundles of Joy! At Watsonville Community Hospital, you can deliver your baby in restful surroundings, close to home, with privacy and comfort – as well as the security of knowing that you and your baby are in experienced hands.

We are a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital focused on helping new moms successfully breastfeed and/or safely prepare and use formula.

• Spacious and comfortable private suites, with private bathrooms and showers • Attentive, bilingual staff, including physicians, perinatal nurses, certified nurse midwives, lactation consultants, educators, and other specially trained medical professionals • Obstetric, newborn and pediatric care specialists available 24/7 • Intermediate intensive care onsite • Families welcome to visit • Free virtual prenatal classes (in English and Spanish) and support group • In-network for Kaiser Permanente members, as well as other health insurance plans COVID-19 safety precautions in place for your protection.

For more information about our Maternity Services, please call (831) 763-6019.

Watsonville Community Hospital | 75 Nielson Street, Watsonville, CA | (831) 724-4741 | WatsonvilleHospital.com

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

COMMUNITY CALENDAR SHARE YOUR PASSION AT COUNTY FAIR It’s time to share your passion by entering what you create into the 2021 Santa Cruz County Fair, Sept. 15-19 at the county Fairgrounds on Highway 152 east of Watsonville.

Entry categories include: Collections and Hobbies, Fine Arts, Photography, Legos, Canned Goods, Flowers, Quilts and many others. In many departments, online entries are due Aug. 26, and walk-in entries can be made Aug. 28-29. Walk-in registration for digital animation is Aug. 29 and for baked goods is Sept. 11.

Registration for potted plants and youth container gardens is Sept. 13. To learn how to enter and by when, visit santacruzcountyfair.com and click on 2021 Entry Guides.

SCULPTURE IS: IN THE GARDEN 2021 On display thru Oct. 31 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sierra Azul Nursery and Garden, 2660 East Lake Ave., Watsonville Sculpture IS: In the Garden 2021, is the 15th sculpture exhibit in partnership with Sierra Azul Nursery and Garden.

The jurors, Susana Arias and Jeff Rosendale, selected more than 100 sculptures created by 42 artists and collaborators.

Visit the stunning two-acre demonstration garden, relax under the umbrellas, and spend an afternoon enjoying the outdoor exhibit.

Admission is free.

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 9 a.m.-Noon on the following Fridays: Sept. 10 • Sept. 24 Food hotline: 831-662-0991.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES 10-week Online Session, Begins Sept. 13 Registration is now open for fall Italian language classes.

Learn the language of “la dolce vita” with instructors who are native speakers. Whether you are new to the Italian language, totally fluent, or everything in between, the classes the Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz is offering — beginning, intermediate, advanced, conversation — are for you.

The online 10-week session begins the week of Sept.

13, so register to secure your spot. If classes fill, a wait list will be created.

The price ranges from $175 to $225 for 10 weeks. To register see: https://bit.ly/Dante-Classes. For more information email: dantesantacruz1265@gmail.com EL PAJARO KITCHEN ENTREPRENEUR TRAINING El Pajrao Community Development Corp., which has a commercial kitchen in Watsonville for food entrepreneurs, will offer online training for free, with a focus on Spanish-speaking start-ups. The dates: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 at 6 p.m., Orientation of the Entrepreneur Program.

To register, go to https://tinyurl.com/el-pajaro-cooking.

Have a virtual or live event you want to promote?

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

ONGOING EVENTS First and Third Monday Each Month SENIOR LIFE ONLINE 4 p.m., Online Meeting Join a local group of senior citizens for “Senior Life Online,” a free online (Zoom) program featuring a presentation by a local expert. View the full schedule at scottsvalleyseniorlife.org/currentactivities/.

To participate, you need an Internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone.

A one-time preregistration is required at https:// tinyurl.com/SVSLA-5. Questions? Call George at (831) 334-7763.

Senior Life Online is sponsored by Scotts Valley Senior Life Association (SVSLA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to promote healthy living for senior citizens.

Information is at http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org.

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.

Rosales Salinas, author of La Llorona, published by Birch Bench Press. Her work explores themes of sisterhood, assimilation culture, faith, loss, dating, marriage, motherhood, and womanhood.

She will read from her collection of poetry and prose. The evening will include vocalist Elvia Belinda Cabrera, visual artist Jaime Sanchez, poet & filmmaker Elizabeth Gomez, poet & writer Dr. Victoria Bañales, and writer & educator Martin Garcia.

Tickets are $10-$20 on EventBrite.com (https://tinyurl.com/ la-llorona-reading). Proceeds will go to the Rosales Sisters’ Scholarship fund benefitting first generation and immigrant students of the Central Coast.

Fridays MIDTOWN FRIDAYS Ongoing thru Oct. 29, 1111 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz (next to the fire station) Event Santa Cruz is hosting a Friday festival through the end of October. Called “Midtown Fridays,” the event will Friday August 27 have a featured musical act plus food, artists, vendors, thru Sunday August 29 and more.

10TH ANNUAL KIKULU KIA NZA DANCE & DRUM Admission is free.

CONFERENCE 2 p.m. Fri thru 9 p.m. Sun, Tannery World Dance & Cultural Saturdays ECOLOGICAL RESERVE TOURS AT ELKHORN SLOUGH Center, 1060 River St., Suite 110, Santa Cruz Experience master dancers and drummers from Tours start at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.,1700 Elkhorn Road, traditions of the world: Congo, Senegal, Haiti, Watsonville Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday Guinea, Cuba, and Mali, at the Tannery World Volunteers lead walks highlighting the natural Dance and Cultural Center. All levels and ages are NAMI RECOVERY SUPPORT history of the Elkhorn Slough. Capacity is limited welcome.

Mon/Wed 1-2:30 p.m., Fri 6-7:30 p.m., confidential Zoom due to physical distancing requirements, and Individual classes cost $20 and can be paid at the meetings. door; $10 per class for children 13-17, free for children National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County individuals must sign up on a first-come, first12 and under. Day passes are available. offers the “Connection Recovery Support Group,” a free, served basis.

Groups of six or more should call ahead at (831) Visit https://tinyurl.com/kikuyu-kia-nza-dance-drum for peer-led support group for any adult 18 or older who detailed schedule. has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition 728-2822 or visit https://www.elkhornslough.org/ group-reservation/ to reserve a tour. (no diagnosis required).

Groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there. For more information, visit http://www.elkhornslough.org/ Saturday August 28 esnerr/tours/ It’s confidential and drop-in friendly.

EL CAMINO BELL REMOVAL CEREMONY To attend, complete the registration form. You will 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Live Stream on Facebook by Amah Mutsun immediately get an email with the Zoom link. You One Saturday Each Month The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band will host a ceremony to will need to do this only once, and will be able to use COOKING WITH GREY BEARS remove the last standing “El Camino Real” mission bell the same link for all groups in the future. Register at: 11 a.m. Online Class marker in downtown Santa Cruz. https://tinyurl.com/nami-zoom-register.

Cooking with Grey Bears next few classes will be online Attendees will hear from California Indian leaders and If you are unable to register, do not have an email only. scholars about the true history of the California Mission address, or have other questions, call the office at Upcoming classes: Sept. 18 and Oct. 23 system.

(831)-824-0406 or email anastasia@namiscc.org.

Use this Zoom link to participate in your home at time of class: At 3 p.m., there will be a 1-mile procession to reach View previous sessions at https://www.namiscc.org/ https://us02web.zoom.us/j/92906805068. the bell removal ceremony location. Shuttle service will be available for those who need a lift. The bell removal Tuesdays First Sunday Every Month ceremony will conclude at 5 p.m. Outdoor event is open FARMERS’ MARKET AT RAMSAY PARK WESTSIDE MARKETPLACE to all; masks are required.

2–6 p.m., Ramsay Park, Watsonville 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Old Wrigley Building Parking Lot, 2801 The event will be live-streamed on Facebook at: https:// El Mercado is a new farmers’ market hosted by ComMission Street, Santa Cruz 95060 facebook.com/removethebells munity Health Trust of Pajaro Valley.

The Westside Marketplace is an exciting monthly market There will be healthy locally grown produce, a veggie where local art, handmade and vintage shopping meet 13TH ANNUAL TESTICLE FESTIVAL Rx redemption site, cooking demonstrations and delicious food! This collaboration between Food Trucks A 3-7 p.m., Estrada Deer Camp, 140 Hazel Dell Rd, Watsonville wellness screenings.

Go Go and the SCM Makers Market presents a great mix of The Testicle Festival, put on by the Young Farmers Sponsors include Lakeside Organic, Salud Para La Gente creators of all kinds! There is also live music at each event! and Ranchers Committee of Rain dates are scheduled for the following Sundays. and Kaiser Permanente. Visit pvhealthtrust.org/elmercado for the Santa Cruz County Farm The Market is free to attend and is 100% local! more info.

Bureau, will feature the “No All local and state health guidelines will be followed. Respect!” band, known for a wide First Tuesdays Of The Month Please wear your mask, maintain social distance while range of songs from rock n’ roll to you shop and stay home if you don’t feel well. Hand FIRST TUESDAYS FREE Latin. sanitizing stations will be available.

Local chef Loretta Estrada will 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, 1156 High St, For more information, go to the event page: https://www. prepare Rocky Mountain oysters; firefighter Santa Cruz facebook.com/events/170470481551895; Food Trucks A Go Derek Witmer will barbeque chicken. The price, which Community Day at the UCSC Arboretum means free Go: https://www.foodtrucksagogo.com/; or SCM Makers Market includes the Rocky Mountain oysters and chicken admission on the first Tuesday of every month 9 a.m-5 https://scmmakersmarket.com/ for a list of all of the vendors. barbeque dinner, is $50 for adults, $20 for children p.m.

5-12 and free for children under 5. There will be a raffle, Guests are invited to explore the biodiversity of the gardens, live and silent auction and horseshoe contest for adults enjoy bird watching or relax on a bench in the shade.

DATED EVENTS and children. https://arboretum.ucsc.edu Friday August 27 The popular “It’s All in the Sauce” Contest will take place. Attendees can vote on their favorite accompaThird Thursday Each Month BOOK READING FUNDRAISER niment for Rocky Mountain oysters.

PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT VIA ZOOM 6-8 p.m., Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery, 27 Sudden St., For information, visit www.Agri-Culture.us, or buy tickets Watsonville 6 to 7:30 p.m., virtual meeting on www.eventbrite.com (search for “Testicle Festival” in Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery will host a reading and BirchBark Foundation’s Pet Loss and Grief Support Watsonville). fundraiser with Watsonville-born poet and writer, Olga Zoom group offers a free support group, moderated

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

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Thursday September 16

DATED EVENTS (cont.)

RECALL REGISTER DEADLINE The deadline to register for the Sept. 14 governor recall vote is Aug. 30. Visit votescount.us to do so.

If you miss that deadline you must use same-day registration, register in person Sept. 14 at the county Election office or a voting center, and your ballot will be conditional until the voter registration is processed.

To find your polling place, see https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place/

CLASS OF 1976 REUNION TICKETS Reunion on October 16, 3-6 p.m., Bargetto’s Winery, 3535 N. Main St., Soquel The Watsonville High School Class of 1976 will gather for its 45th reunion in October, but limited tickets are only available thru Sept. 16.

The price, with the meal catered by Carmona’s, is $70 per person. Only 100 tickets are available.

Info: Email kimvest@yahoo.com, suzgalla@aol.com, or call 831-722-3268. Checks can be mailed to WHS Class of 1976, care of Susan Radin Gallagher, 11 Rialto Drive, Watsonville.

Tuesday August 31

Monday September 17

Monday August 30

SKIRT STEAK FUNDRAISER 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 75 Sakata Lane, Watsonville Cal Giant Foundation is sponsoring a grilled skirt steak fundraiser, with proceeds to support local nonprofits.

The meal, which costs $20, includes salad, garlic bread, fresh berries and dessert. Order at foundation@ calgiant.com or call 831-728-1773.

Pre-pay via Venmo, PayPal, or with credit card, cash or check.

Friday September 3 thru Monday September 6

BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR Friday September 17 7 p.m., Rio Theatre, Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road on the heels of the festival in Alberta, making stops in 550 communities and 40+ countries, including the Rio Theatre. Award-winners and audience favorites are among the films selected from more than 400 entries.

This event will require proof of Covid-19 vaccination or negative test within 72 hours of attending and masks worn unless eating or drinking. Check RioTheatre.com for updates as protocols are subject to change.

For list of films visit https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2021/9/17/banff-centre-mountain-film-festival-world-tour ••• CORAL PROGRAM ACCOMPLICE — The Passport: 2020, USA, 8 minutes. Hannah Bergemann and Veronique Sandler travel to the high Himalayas near Ladakh, India to explore remote mountain ranges.

Mount Logan: 2020, France, 13 minutes. 48 days of adventure, 250km of ski touring, 3800m of ascent up Mt. Logan, a first descent down the East Ridge and a 400km river trip back to the sea for three adventurers.

Cholitas (Tour Edit) (photo): 2019, Spain, 53 minutes. Five Indigenous Bolivian women embark on a unique expedition as a symbol of liberation and empowerment. Their goal: The highest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua.

Pathfinder — Life Beyond Fear: 2019, Norway, 10 minutes. Six slackliners deep in the Norwegian mountains attempt walking a highline elevated in the vastness between two colossal cliffs.

Ten Thousand Bolts: 2020, USA, 18 minutes. Coarse language. A portrait of Toni Arbones, a professional rock climber who has helped turn Siurana, Spain, into one of Europe’s most popular rock climbing areas.

K2 — The Impossible Descent (Tour Edit): 2020, Austria, 23 minutes. Coarse language. On July 22, 2018, Polish ski-mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel makes “the impossible descent” of K2

MONTEREY COUNTY FAIR CONCERTS 7:30 p.m. Fri-Sun / 4 p.m. Mon., Monterey County Fair & Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road The 86th Annual Monterey County Fair returns and announces live music concerts at the Payton Stage: Left of Center — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3 Journey Revisited — 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4 The Money Band — 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5 Samz School of Rock — 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 6 ••• This year’s fair theme is “Fair Fun in 2021.” Acts include magician Frank Thurston, Stilt Circus, Kevin K, 5-9 p.m. nightly; and Racing Pigs and Pedal Tractors daily.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. Adult and seniors, $10; children 6-11 $5; kids 5 and under are free.

See https://tickets.montereycountyfair.com/p/tickets.

Seniors 62 and up, military and veterans with IDs get in free noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2. To RSVP, go to www.montereycountyfair.com.

Parking on the fairgrounds through Gate 8 is $20 or at the Monterey Pines Golf Course Driving Range, $15. Parking tickets must be purchased in advance. by erosion, surface fault rupture, torrential rains, coastal cliff landslides, and settlement of Tuesday September 7 uncompacted fills.

DEADLINE FOR MI CASA ES TU CASA Syndor, a veteran of dozens of landslides in Santa Email forms to hedwig@pvarts.org Cruz County over the past 40 years, is the author of a Mi Casa es Tu Casa is Pajaro Valley Arts’ annual exhibit 142-page book on the 1987 Loma Prieta earthquake. inspired by Día de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead, a traditional He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, holiday in Mexico remembering those who have passed away. a Life Member of the California Academy of Sciences, This year’s theme is History, commemorating the Mexican Pandemic, which began 500 years ago (1521- the Seismological Society of America, the Association 1600), Loss, those who died during the 2020 pandemic of Engineering Geologists, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. & Healing, La Cultura Cura.

Exhibit dates: Oct. 27 – Dec. 12, with an opening The talk is free and parking is free. reception 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7.

For information, visit www.facebook.com/cabrillohostlionsclub, You can participate by building an altar, installation or call Jeannie Collins at: (831) 428-3135. or other art medium and celebrate these remembrances.

Email entry form to hedwig@pvarts.org by Sept. 7.

Saturday September 11 To enter, download the entry form at https://tinyurl.

Sunday September 12 com/mi-casa-es-tu-casa-entry (Full URL: https://files. constantcontact.com/732194dc001/d7736cad-30c1-4d44CAPITOLA ART & WINE FESTIVAL RETURNS! 98b8-62c4fbc6f1fc.pdf?rdr=true) Carrie Arnone, CEO at the Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce, made this announcement in August: Thursday September 9 “It’s true. September is festival time and we could not be NATURAL HAZARDS SEMINAR more excited about it!

6:30 p.m., Cabrillo Host Lions Club, 100 Aptos Creek Road Full details to come, but for now ... mark your calendar Robert Hadley Sydnor, a senior engineering geologist for the 38th Annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival, Sept 11 retired from the California Geological Survey, will speak & 12, 2021...we’re coming for you! on “Natural Hazards in the Santa Cruz County region, We’ve got a lot to do in the coming weeks, including and how citizens can effectively prepare.” The talk will lining up our crew of awesome volunteers. Take part in include many photographs. a treasured community event, make some new friends, Natural hazards include: Landslides, debris and have fun doing it! Give us a call at 831-475-6522 flows, earthquake shaking, wildfires followed ... we love our volunteers! Festival website will be

BANFF FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR 7 p.m., Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour brings outdoor adventure to the big screen at the Rio Theatre.

Expect remote vistas, topical environmental issues, and adrenaline-packed action sports. Reserve your tickets.

For a list of films (check film ratings first; some are subtitled) visit https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2021/9/17/banffcentre-mountain-film-festival-world-tour

Saturday September 25 Saturday September 26

CAPITOLA BEACH FESTIVAL SCHEDULE Saturday Little Wharf 3 MILER Fun Run 8 – 11 AM Must preregister. Shuttles available.

Sand Sculpture Contest 8 AM – Noon; Registration online or on Capitola Beach at 8 AM. Trophy judging at 12:30 PM. Award at 1 PM Children’s Art 11 AM – 2 PM Sign up at Esplanade Park. Children pre-school age and above can create their own masterpiece atop the seawall on the Esplanade. Art chalk provided.

Music at the Beach 4 – 6 PM Houserockers sponsored by Strock Real Estate. Music and dancing in Esplanade Park.

Lighted Nautical Parade on Soquel Creek approximately 7 – 8 pm View a parade of lighted barges will travel down Soquel Creek to the Lagoon — no access to the trestle allowed.

Sunday Fishing Derby 7 – 11:30 AM updated soon with wineries, artists, food trucks, and Registration begins at 7 AM entertainment! near the end of the Capitola Wharf. Bring your own Stay tuned!” fishing poles. Open to all ages. Final tally at 11 AM. Tuesday September 14 Horseshoes on the Sand 7 AM - Finish CAPITOLA SOROPTIMIST MONTHLY MEETING Doubles tournament at Capitola Beach in front of Zelda’s Restaurant. Teams will be chosen by drawing names from a hat.

4-5:30 p.m., Olive Garden, 3400 Clares St., Capitola Must pre-register or call (831) 419-6399. Check-in time 7 - 8 am.

Soroptimist International of Capitola by-the-Sea’s Chalk Art on the Seawall 10 AM -1 PM meeting is free and open to the public.

Sign up at Esplanade Park. Children pre-school age and Members will present fundraising ideas to replace above can create their own masterpiece atop the seawall on the projects canceled or reduced due to the pandemic.

Esplanade. Art chalk provided.

Members will vote, and prizes will be awarded to the Rowboat Races 1 PM - Finish winners.

Registration at the pathway by the Stockton Bridge from Noon Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea is until 1 PM. Timed heats on Soquel Creek with two people per boat – boats supplied. a global volunteer organization providing women and girls with access to education and training they need to Registration is at: Capitolabeachfestival.com achieve economic empowerment.

Saturday September 25 For information, see www.facebook.com/sicapitola or www.

Sunday September 26 best4women.org or email info@best4women.org.

SAN BENITO OPEN STUDIOS Wednesday September 15 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Various Locations. thru Sunday September 19 After a year’s hiatus, the San Benito County Art Council presents the 2021 Open Studios Art Tour. Look for SANTA CRUZ COUNTY FAIR ceramic pieces, paintings, photography, handmade Opens Noon Wed.-Fri. / 10 a.m. Sat. & Sun., Santa Cruz jewelry and hand-painted ostrich eggs.

County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville A preview exhibition can be seen at the Annex, 217 Fifth St., For information about fair entry guides and education Hollister, on Sept. 3, 10 & 17 from 5-7 p.m. and Sept. 4, days see https://www.santacruzcountyfair.com/ To volunteer, go online at https://www.santacruzcoun- 11 & 18 from noon-4 p.m. Info: info@sanbenitoarts.org or 831-637-2787. n tyfair.com/fair-time/general-info/volunteer

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

FEATURED COLUMNIST

$8M for Roads / $267M Work Needed

O

ne of the most common service requests we receive is on the condition of a road or road repair.

Often, we are asked, “Where do my taxes go?” “Why are the roads in the condition they are in?” After all, many residents pay thousands every year in property taxes and want to know why those funds aren’t being used to repair roads (or repair more roads).

Here is an overview of our local roads, costs to maintain them, current conditions and where your taxes go.

How large is the road network? irst, it’s important to understand the size and scope of the road network that County maintains. There are approximately 600 centerline miles in the unincorporated county.

Centerline miles represent the total length of a given road from its starting point to its end point. Just to put it in perspective, this is about the same distance as driving from Watsonville to Vancouver, Canada.

What are the current conditions of our roads? oads have different designations such as arterials, collectors and local roads. An example of an arterial road would be Soquel Drive or Freedom Boulevard.

Collectors would include Sumner or Clubhouse and local roads are the roads you most likely live on (residential roads).

Most roads are local roads (comprising over half of the total centerline miles in the road network). Our district, the 2nd District, has 30 percent (the largest number) of centerline miles in the unincorporated county.

The Pavement Condition Index (PCI) measures the condition of a road. Think of it as a test score on a scale of 0-100. Generally speaking, anything over 70 is a road in good condition.

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R

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

A road between 45-65 is in fair condition and below 45 is in poor condition.

For arterials in the unincorporated county, the PCI is 64. The PCI for collectors is 54 while the PCI for local/residential roads is 40.

What does it cost to maintain or repair the roads? hile construction costs are constantly fluctuating, one thing that is constant is that it’s much cheaper to maintain a road in good condition than to repair and rebuild a road in poor condition.

According to Public Works, here are the costs per mile for doing road work on a road in good, fair, poor and failed condition.

For a road in good condition, to do a single layer seal with no dig-outs, it costs approximately $141,000 per/mile. For a road in fair condition (with a PCI in the 50-70 range for example), it would cost about $352,000 per/mile for a multilayer seal with dig-out work. This is the average range for our arterial roads.

For a road in poor condition, $563,000 per/mile and includes a full overlay and dig-outs. Many of our local roads and some of our collectors fall into this category.

For a road in failed condition, which includes many roads in the rural areas (including the Aptos hills) as well as some of the agricultural areas in Corralitos and some local/residential roads the cost for full reconstruction is close to $1.1 million per/mile.

Where do my taxes go? he county has a different funding structure than cities.

Over half of all county revenues come from the state and federal government.

These funds are generally pass-through funds to provide mandated services such as health programs or jail programs. These funds are restricted and generally can’t be used for local road repairs.

Approximately 22 percent of the county revenue comes from local taxes.

These taxes include property taxes, vehicle

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

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Local Local Local

County of Santa Cruz Public Works

Brodin Lane off Hames Road in Corralitos, before sealing (left) and after sealing.

Measure D is anticipated to bring in license fees, taxes paid at local hotels and sales taxes. And while property taxes make about $2.7 million in funding countywide. up about half of that 22 percent, only 13 While SB 1 gas tax funding is currently cents of every property tax dollar goes to being used for major storm damage repairs, the County. This means, for every dollar of at its peak in a few years it’s estimated to property tax you pay, only 13 cents goes to bring in about $4 million in new money to the County for services. the entire unincorporated area.

So where does the rest of your Additionally, the County averages at property tax go to? The largest share, about least $1 million/year in state and federal 57 percent goes to schools while another 18 grant funding and more funds come from a percent goes to local special districts, cities refuse vehicle impact fee and more. and the libraries.

Overall, it’s estimated about $8 million Why does such a small amount stay with per year on average will be brought in for the county? The distribution is determined the 600 centerline miles of road. According based on what our county was collecting to Public Works, there are currently about the year before Prop. 13 was passed in 1978. $267 million in needs for the local roads, This means that some counties, such as which will grow as some road conditions Santa Clara and San Mateo, keep between 2 are worsening. and 4 times what we can keep.

If you have a pothole or non-emerWhat about Measure D gency road issue you can submit service and SB 1 funding? requests through the County’s free mobile or our district, Measure D funding app, My Santa Cruz County, available on (depending upon how sales taxes do the app store or Google Play, online via the in a given year) brings in approximately Public Works Department’s website (found $900,000/year for local roads. This is a via www.santacruzcounty.us) or by calling significant infusion that wasn’t available 454-2160. n before Measure D passed in 2016.

••• As you can see from the repair costs, As always, if you have any questions about it’s hard to do reconstruction on failed this or any other issue please feel free to contact roads but Measure D does help improve me at 454-2200. roads that are at-risk or in poor condition.

For the 2019 pavement management Since the passage of Measure D, a report with road conditions listed alphabetically number of roads in La Selva, Rio Del Mar, visit https://tinyurl.com/SC-county-roads Seacliff and most recently in Pleasant (Full URL: https://www.dpw.co.santaValley/Corralitos were improved via cruz.ca.us/Portals/19/pdfs/Roads/2019%20 Measure D funding.

Pavement%20Management%20Report.pdf)

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www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / September 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

New collections from Betsey Johnson, Kate Spade, and more ...

(831) 688-1516 EyeShapes@sbcglobal.net

Hours: Tues.–Fri. 10-5 | Sat. by Appointment Deer Park Marketplace #37 | Rio Del Mar/Hwy 1 Aptos | Above Deluxe Foods | www.EyeShapesAptos.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 / Contractor Advertising 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