Aptos Times: August 1, 2022

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Have People Forgotten How to be Good Travelers?

By Christopher Elliott

Shelley Hunter says she had a meltdown before a recent flight from Reno to San Diego. The reason? She had forgotten one of the basic travel requirements: A picture ID. Full Story page 23

Fair Barns, Built in 1955, To Come Down Full Story page 8

Lost In Lavender

Local artist Maggie Renner Hellmann has always loved lavender.

When she heard about Trent and Linda McNair’s Noble Harvest Lavender Farm in Aptos, she visited and got permission to paint.

“It’s a little piece of heaven,” she said.

Hellmann paints vibrant and colorful oil paintings of Central California and Europe, mostly outside or

Greetings, Mariners!

“plein air,” and she also paints in her home studio in the Live Oak/Pleasure Point area.

She will be participating in Open Studios, produced

by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, again this fall, Oct. 8-9 and 15-16.

“I love meeting fellow art lovers and painters alike,” she said.

Her website is: www.MaggieHellmann.com. n

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Welcome to the 2022-23 school year! The Aptos High staff are ready for a great year of learning, growing, and connecting as we set S.A.I.L. together!

Ms. Pughe left me her captain logs and gave me a grand tour of the campus ...

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Volume 31

No. 15

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18

30

Table of Contents

4

Cover Lost In Lavender

4 5 6 7 8 12 14 17 22 27 31

Community News Bruce’s Law: Warning Of Pills with Deadly Fentanyl • Dominican Hospital’s Stroke Treatment Recognized Greetings, Mariners!

Experience Glorious Music: Candide, By Mindy Pedlar NovaVax Vaccine Approved for Unvaccinated, By Jondi Gumz Fair Barns, Built in 1955, To Come Down, By Jondi Gumz 48 Days at Sea: Mission Accomplished Positive Discipline’s Baila y Brunch, By Nora Yarena Jobs in Santa Cruz County Grand Jury: Do More to Reduce Wildfire Risk State Grant Funds Outdoor Equity in Live Oak: County Park Friends Awarded $656,361 over Four Years Local Musicians Salute John Sandidge: August 20-21, By Jondi Gumz

In Memoriam 11 Michael ‘Mike’ H. Coleman Monthly Horoscope • Page 26 – Leo — from the Heart of Matter, By Risa D’Angeles Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28, 29

16 18 19 20 23 30

Featured Columnists Joe Ortiz Memoir: Episodes & Recipes Toxic Plants In Home Gardens, By Tony Tomeo Mid-County Agency: $7.6 Million: Funding for elements of Groundwater Sustainability Plan, By Rebecca Gold Rubin The Myth of ‘Work/Life Balance’, By Sam Kabert, Soul Seekr Podcast Have People Forgotten How to be Good Travelers?, By Christopher Elliott Pajaro River Levee Project Crosses Milestone, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 31 – Meet Shaggy!

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Patrice Edwards Jondi Gumz

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contributing writers Mindy Pedlar, Jondi Gumz, Nora Yarena, Risa D’Angeles, Tony Tomeo, Rebecca Gold Rubin, Sam Kabert, Christopher Elliott, Zach Friend layout Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin graphic artists Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin photography Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin, Brad King website Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti production coordinator Camisa Composti media consultants Teri Huckobey, Brooke Valentine Cathe Race

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Bruce’s Law: Warning Of Pills with Deadly Fentanyl L ast fall, Sandy Snodgrass told her son Bruce, “Be careful out there,” as he left for a bike ride. Despite working toward his recovery, Bruce fatally overdosed that day due to fentanyl. The police officer who met Sandy where her son’s body was found had just come from notifying another family of an overdose death.

The continuing rise in overdose deaths is driven largely by fentanyl, a particularly lethal synthetic opioid. Preliminary data shows that more than half of all overdose deaths in 2021 involved synthetic opioids.

Nearly 90% of opioid overdose deaths involve fentanyl.

Sandy is now working to ensure other families do not experience what hers did.

Due to its potency and low cost, fentanyl is increasingly being found in other substances, including counterfeit pills and stimulants. People using these substances often do not know they contain opioids or fentanyl.

It is imperative to raise public awareness about the proliferation of fentanyl and its risks.

Bruce’s Law, named for Bruce Snodgrass, would bolster prevention and education efforts surrounding fentanyl.

It would authorize a public education and awareness campaign on the dangers

Bruce Snodgrass

of substances contaminated with fentanyl and detection of early warning signs of addiction among youth, authorize the establishment of a Federal Interagency Working Group on Fentanyl and Contamination of Illegal Drugs, and provide grants for educating young people on the risks of substances contaminated with fentanyl.

HR 2366, the Support, Treatment, and Overdose Prevention of Fentanyl Act of 2021 or the STOP Fentanyl Act of 2021, was

introduced by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-New Hampshire).

It has 12 co-sponsors including Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) To give feedback on the bill, see https://www.congress.gov/bill/117thcongress/house-bill/2366. n ••• Editor’s note: Fentanyl deaths have increased in Santa Cruz County from 5 in 2019 to 19 in 2020 and 13 in the first five months of 2021.

Dominican Hospital’s Stroke Treatment Recognized

D

ignity Health Dominican Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus “Get With The Guidelines” awards for treating people with stroke or heart failure.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel

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that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot or bursts.

A heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely.

Early detection and treatment are

key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times.

To receive the Gold Plus award, hospitals must achieve 85% or higher adherence to all the guideline indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods.

In the late 1990s, stroke care in the U.S. was fragmented, and rates of stroke and mortality were high.

In 2004, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was the only approved therapy for stroke, but only 2% of patients nationwide received that treatment.

This led the Heart Association to press for hospitals to provide this treatment in a timely fashion, within two hours. Analysis of the first 1 million patients found inhospital mortality decreased.

“Stroke Treatment” page 14

COMMUNITY NEWS

Greetings, Mariners!

Editor’s note: This is the welcome letter their course-alike colleagues to align and from Dr. Alison Hanks-Sloan, the new inspire their work.

Our schedule has led to a consistent principal at Aptos High School, where increase in the number of students taking classes start Aug. 15. advantage of more offerings in the arts, sci••• elcome to the 2022-23 school ences, career technical education, and AP year! The Aptos High staff are courses--just to name a few.

The class of 2023 has been ready for a great taking senior photos, some year of learning, growing, and of our fall sports teams are connecting as we set S.A.I.L. training, and our site and distogether! trict maintenance & operations Ms. Pughe left me her teams are preparing for the captain logs and gave me a return of students and staff. grand tour of the campus We are so grateful for our hard including student work and working team! new cameras. I am enjoying the We look forward to a onboarding process with this great school year in academics, incredible team. All of us share Alison Hanks-Sloan activities, arts, and athletics for the same mission and vision to help our students aspire during their high all Mariners! Please continue reading for more news and important information to school journey at AHS. We are also hard at work with PVUSD help you and your student navigate their colleagues to support our students S.A.I.L. way through a great year!

This year, we as a school want to toward graduation.

I am so honored to become a mariner know: Why drift when we can S.A.I.L.? and lead the journey of our proud school Let’s be the directional light to help us all and community committed to providing S.A.I.L. n our students with the very best. I look ••• forward to meeting you throughout the Meet & Greets for Parents school year and getting to know our stuAug. 2, Pacific Coffee Roasting Co., 7554 dents in the classroom, on the field, on the Soquel Drive, 7:30 am stage, and sailing throughout campus.

Aug. 3, Taqueria Los Pericos 2, 531CorRemember, everyone gets an extra ralitos Rd, 6:30 pm hour of sleep with our new 8:30 start Aug. 4, Top Donuts, 1892 Main St., Wattime. AHS students continue to take seven sonville, 8 am periods to master their learning, and Aug. 4, Penny Ice Creamery, 41 Aptos teachers have a collaboration period with Village Way, 1 pm

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Experience Glorious Music: Candide

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By Mindy Pedlar

ou may not have heard much about it, but you should absolutely see Candide, now playing at the Cabrillo Crocker Theater.

The audiences are thrilled by the production and show their appreciation with standing ovations.

I expected the music to be magnificent, and it is, but I had no idea the show was so funny!

Director Gary John La Rosa makes the most of every humorous moment with his creative staging. He includes the talented, well-choreographed ensemble frequently making them a vital part of telling Candide’s tale. The immense and wonderful set by Scenic Designer Skip Epperson and Technical Director Marcel Tjioe, allows the cast, bedecked in fabulous costumes by Maria Crush, to travel the world taking the audience along for a wildly entertaining ride.

As for the music, there’s a reason critics refer to the score of Candide as Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece.

Musical Director/Conductor Cheryl Anderson says the score is challenging with

“mixed meters, themes intertwined with one another, whimsical shifts of mood and lights. His tempi can be dizzying while still illuminating each character and idea. Every

rehearsal, I come away grateful that he was so brilliant. He, like Beethoven, doesn’t really consider limitations but instead allows his passionate ideas to carve their own paths.”

The vocal prowess of this cast is up to the quality Bernstein’s score demands.

Michael Stahl plays the innocent, trusting Candide. His gorgeous voice will melt your heart. Lori Schulman perfectly plays his love interest, Cunegonde, her beautiful coloratura voice soaring. Schulman’s rendition of “Glitter and be Gay” is one of the show’s highlights.

Tenor Jorge Torrez shines as Cunegonde’s brother Maximilian with his beautiful voice and excellent comedic skills. Jordan Best rounds out the quartet with her lovely vocals and portrayal of the sweetly lusty Paquette.

Local favorite Lizz Hodgin Weihrauch, first seen as a Pink Lady in Cabrillo Stage’s 1983 production of Grease, returns with vocal panache to play the Old Lady.

Mention must also be made of Joshua Porter’s fine baritone as the Governor and Thomas Webb’s portrayal of many characters including, my favorite, the Grand Inquisitor.

“Candide” page 11

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COMMUNITY NEWS

NovaVax Vaccine Approved for Unvaccinated

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By Jondi Gumz

n July 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to the NovaVax Covid-19 vaccine for people 18 and older who are unvaccinated, and No-vavax said orders can be placed as of July 25.

About 21% of the U.S. population and 20% of people in California are unvaccinated.

Novavax won’t be available for a few more weeks, but state health officials urge Californi-ans who have not yet been vaccinated to make an appointment at myturn.ca.gov Unlike other vaccines using messenger RNA, Novavax injects a lab-made version of the coronavirus’ spike protein, with compounds from the Soapbark tree, to stimulate the im-mune system to produce antibodies and T-cells.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the Novavax clinical trial recorded 63 cases among 10,000 people who got a placebo and 14 cases among 20,000 people who got a vaccine. Investigators classified 10 cases in the placebo group as moderate and four as se-vere. There were no moderate or severe cases in the vaccine group.

In California, test positivity dipped from 16.4% to 15% while active cases in Santa Cruz County increased in the past 10 days from 2,040 to 2,197.

Reinfections are a factor; 12% of cases in the United Kingdom are people getting Covid for a second or even a third time as the coronavirus evolves.

About 78% of cases nationwide are BA.5, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention.

This variant is more contagious than the original 2020 coronavirus, evading protection from mRNA vaccines designed for the initial virus, which has mutated to become less deadly.

In the past month, three more Santa Cruz County residents died, bringing the total to 268. The last six deaths were people who were vaccinated, according to the county dashboard, all 65 or older with medical conditions.

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Cases

anta Cruz County cases have rolled up and down, 1,715 on May 23, then 1,472 on May 26 and 1,705 on June 13, then 1,871 on June 30, then 2,040 on July 11 and now 2,197.

Santa Cruz County reports 58,000+ cases since the pandemic began.

Cases spurted up after Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Fourth of July; the highest daily count of the summer, 198 on July 5, is low compared to the Jan. 20 peak of 1,312.

Santa Cruz County updates the numbers on Mondays and Thursdays.

On Tuesday, the state reported 23 people hospitalized with Covid in Santa Cruz County, none in intensive care.

California reports 4,800 people hospitalized. The Department of Public Health says half are due to Covid, with the other half coming to the hospital for another reason and testing posi-tive.

On the CDC Covid tracker, Santa Cruz County reports 91.5% of residents age 5 and up have at least one shot and 83.4% fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated means having two shots (Pfizer or Moderna) or one Johnson & Johnson shot. All were developed for the initial Covid-19 strain, which is no longer circulating.

Santa Cruz County is now rated “high” risk of transmission by the U.S. Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention on its Covid tracking map along with the rest of California and most of the U.S. Subvariants of omicron and waning immunity from vaccines are behind the latest wave of cases, affecting people who were vaccinated, including celebrity Kourtney Kardashian, ac-tor Hugh Jackman, and Mick Jagger.

Workers in California testing positive with no symptoms can return to work in five days with a negative test; those with symptoms can return once 10 days have passed since symp-toms began.

California test positivity, 23% in January from Omicron, fell to 1.7% then peaked at 16.4% and hospitalizations — 20,000 in January —dropped to 950 before rising.

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$3.2 Billion Deal

n June 30, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told Covid vaccinemakers that changes to booster shots for fall must target Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, as they then accounted for 52% of new cases.

The FDA announcement came a day after the Biden administration announced a $3.2 bil-lion deal to buy 105 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for the fall.

On July 5, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff struck down the Los An-geles Unified School District’s Covid-19 student vaccine mandate. He found that only the state – not a school board -- can require students to be vaccinated to attend in-person school.

Attorney Arie Spangler, representing the father of a 12-year-old, said the ruling

“confirms that individual school districts do not have the authority to impose vaccination requirements in excess of statewide requirements.”

In the Soquel Union Elementary School District, students will go back to school Aug. 10.

In California’s 2022-23 school guidance, masks and vaccination are recommended, not re-quired.

A

Misinformation Bill Hearing

n Aug. 1 hearing is scheduled for AB 2098, declaring it is “unprofessional conduct” for a doctor to give patients “misinformation” or “disinformation” about Covid-19, risks, preven-tion, treatment and vaccines. The hearing is before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Unprofessional conduct charges can result in discipline by the Medical Board.

President Biden’s Sept. 9 order requiring 3.5 million federal employees to

be vaccinated for Covid-19 is on hold. The 17 judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orle-ans are expected to take up the matter the week of Sept. 17.

Attorney Bruce Castor Jr., representing the American Federation of Government Employ-ees Local 918, said the Constitution doesn’t allow president to bypass Congress except in wartime.

I

Young Children & Covid

n June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for children 6 months to 5 years old, joining seven other countries.

Eligibility starts at age 2 in Cuba and Venezuela, and age 3 in Chile, Argentina, Bahrain, Hong Kong and China.

A Chile-based study of 500,000 children, not yet peer-reviewed, found the vaccine was 38% effective in preventing infections in kids ages 3-5 during the Omicron wave.

“COVID Update” page 9

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Fair Barns, Built in 1955, To Come Down

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By Jondi Gumz

he Santa Cruz County Fair will look a little different this year.

On July 19, the Santa Cruz County fair board voted 6-2 to take down the 67-year-old pig and sheep barns, which were declared unsafe by a state agency, and create temporary quarters for this year’s fair Sept. 14-18.

Voting yes were Bill Barton, Jody Belgard, Loretta Estrada, Lupe Flores, Stephanie Fontana, and Dana McRae. Don Dietrich and Tony Campos voted no. They favored fencing off the barns and discussing the matter once the state agency that oversees the fair has given approval.

Michael Pruger was absent.

Those favoring immediate removal of the barns wanted them down before the fair, which is expected to draw thousands of attendees, to address safety concerns.

Dave Kegebein, the fair CEO, proposes to replace the old barns with a new multi-purpose building, which he estimated could cost $8 million to $10 million, as fundraising allows.

An inspection in 2012-13 found that more than half the posts holding up the roof had rotted off their base, resulting in annual investments to make the barns safe for the fair.

K

Future

egebein is optimistic about fundraising. At the fair board’s livestock committee meeting, he said, “Tremendous supporters will advance these projects under the right conditions. You have to think flexibility.”

The fairground’s livestock barns were declared unsafe but no “Keep Out” signs were posted on the side where campers were staying.

Fairs in Salinas Valley and Chowchilla have invested in new event centers.

New construction at the fairgrounds in Watsonville would allow for a service road wider than what exists.

Kegebein sees this as an opportunity to reduce the odds of a mass shooting like the one at the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival where the gunman used bolt cutters to cut through a wire fence and evade security screening.

He also sees a new facility as a revenue generator, rented for equestrian events, trade shows and other activities while being available for emergency housing for livestock, as needed during the 2020 CZU lightning fire. (Santa Cruz County has a contract with the fair for emergency housing.)

Rental demand is high at the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds, with bookings full for the rest of the year, according to Kegebein.

In the spring, the fairgrounds hosted Burning Man Santa Cruz, attracting a reported 3,000 attendees for laser light shows, art, music and camping.

Members of the fair board’s livestock committee recommended temporary facilities for this year’s fair and pursuing a new multi-purpose building for the future.

For Kyle Middleton, safety is the top priority.

“We’ve got to move with the times,” said Danny Naranjo.

The 4-H youth showing pigs, sheep and goats will have to provide their own water this year, a requirement at some fairs elsewhere.

Removal of the barns was estimated to cost $25,000 if done by fairgrounds foundation volunteers with rental tents at fair time estimated to cost $10,000 to $20,000 a year.

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Critics

ot everyone supported Kegebein’s proposal.

Phillip Carranco, whose daughter raised 300 chickens in Aromas for the fair, had concerns about the accuracy of the scale to weigh animals for market, which requires calibration on a steady surface, which the barns provided.

Aptos resident Becky Steinbruner wants the California Construction Authority, which provides finance, design and construction services for health and safety and other projects at fairgrounds and evaluates risks and potential issues, to be involved.

In May, Randy Crabtree Jr., executive director of the California Construction

8 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Livestock barn at the county fairgrounds in Watsonville Authority, emailed her to say, “Santa Cruz County officials of her safety conCruz County Fairgrounds and the State cerns relating to the Anzar fire.

“The people on the Santa Cruz County of California is ultimately responsible for construction scheduling and facility side have not received any instructions on planning. CCA remains ready to assist what to do if we need to evacuate, have we been forgotten? We live across the when requested by any of these bodies.”

Steinbruner also wants the fair board street from each other and live in two different county’s,” she to have a public explained. “If we discussion on proRemoval of the barns was need help and are posed agreements evacuated, is our desbetween the fair and estimated to cost $25,000 ignated evacuation the county Board of if done by fairgrounds facility the Santa Cruz Supervisors on a 38.5County Fairgrounds?” acre property at 188 foundation volunteers She added, Whiting Road next to with rental tents at fair “Many slept with their the fairgrounds where animals in their trailers the County intends to time estimated to cost over night in fear of create equitable access $10,000 to $20,000 a year. last-minute evacuto athletic fields, ation, some don’t have hiking, and healthy recreation. The price is $2.31 million, with a trailers to evacuate their animals.”

CalFire’s San Benito-Monterey unit 12-month purchase option ending Nov. 12, was in charge and the Santa Cruz County 2022.

As for her concerns about emergency Fairgrounds was booked for a horse show housing during fires and other evacuation July 18-25.

As the Anzar fire grew, some residents scenarios, Kegebein told the fair board that there are plans to provide emergency were ordered evacuate while others were under an evacuation warning. shelter for animals should disaster strike.

Anzar High School at 2000 San Juan Disaster struck Thursday with the Anzar fire in Aromas, a rural community Highway, was designated an evacuation of 2,600 that straddles the borders of San center, with San Benito County animal control providing portable kennels. The Red Benito and Santa Cruz counties.

At noon Friday, Jessica Ayala, who Cross reported 30 people were displaced.

As of Tuesday morning, CalFire lives in Aromas with a home address in Santa Cruz County and San Benito County reported the fire was 95% contained and at the foot of her property, emailed Santa residents allowed to return home. n

“COVID Update” from page 7 As for preventing hospitalizations, it was 64.5% effective and preventing intensive care admission 69% effective.

In Santa Cruz County, parents who want their children under 5 to receive Covid-19 vac-cines should contact their doctor.

Covid has claimed the lives of many elders, those 85 and older with medical conditions, but relatively few children, 442 children age 4 and under, according to the CDC. More than 1 million people in the U.S. have died of Covid, so young children represent a tiny percentage of deaths.

In June, the American Association of Pediatrics reported that in 46 states plus Puerto Rico, the percentage of child Covid cases resulting in death was 0.00%-0.02%.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey in April found only 18% of parents of children under 5 plan to vaccinate them immediately.

Kaiser Health News reports Pfizer’s 2021 revenue was $81.3 billion, roughly double its revenue in 2020, and its mRNA vaccine holds 70% of the U.S. and European markets. This year, Pfizer expects more than $50 billion in global revenue from its Covid vaccine and its antiviral Paxlovid.

That revenue could grow if Covid vaccines are added to the CDC vaccine schedule for children. See https://www. cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/ child-adolescent.html Public health officials say the scientific consensus is that Covid vaccines are safe, but some are skeptical about science provided by drug-makers to federal regulators.

Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Tracy Beth Heeg, writing in Common Sense, contend clinical trials by Pfizer and Moderna provided weak and inconclusive evidence to federal regulators on their vaccines for children under 5.

Using a three-dose vaccine in 992 children between the ages of six months and 5 years, Pfizer found no statistically significant evidence of vaccine efficacy, the doctors wrote. “For children six months to 2 years, the trial found that the vaccine could result in a 99% lower chance of infection—but that they also could have a 370% increased chance of being infect-ed,” Makary and Heeg wrote.

Moderna’s study on 6,388 children with two doses claimed efficacy of 4% against asymp-tomatic infections in children 6 months to 2 years and 23% for children 2 to 6 years old—neither result was statistically significant.

Against symptomatic infections, Moderna’s vaccine showed statistically significant effica-cy: For children 6 months to 2 years, 50%, and for children 2 to 6 years old, 42%.

Dr. Philip Krause, former deputy FDA chief for vaccine, told Fact Check, “Even if the vac-cines aren’t very effective in protecting against mild disease … that doesn’t mean they won’t be effective in protecting against severe disease.”

“For children six months to 2 years, the trial found that the vaccine could result in a 99% lower chance of infection—but that they also could have a 370% increased chance of being infected.”

— Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Tracy Beth Heeg

Doctors and researchers affiliated with The Children’s Union told UK regulators that vac-cines are “totally inappropriate for small children in 2022.”

They said the trial results were based on just three participants in the younger age group (1 vaccinated and 2 placebo) and just seven participants in 2–4-year-olds (2 vaccinated and 5 placebo).

They noted that “the vast majority of this young age group have already been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 repeatedly and have demonstrably effective immunity.”

In the UK, children age 5 to 11 are eligible for Covid vaccine; no decision has been an-nounced on vaccine for children under 5.

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Data Analysis

he CDC was expected to analyze data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System for “safety signals” from Covid-19 vaccines, based on an early briefing document, but the agency is not.

Roger Andoh, the CDC FOIA officer, responded June 16 to a Freedom of Information Act request, saying “no PRRs were conducted by CDC. Furthermore, data mining is outside of the agency’s purview, staff suggest you inquire with FDA.” The VAERS database, https://vaers. hhs.gov/, is where health care providers are to report adverse events after a vaccine.

It was created after Congress passed a law in 1986 protect-ing vaccine manufacturers from civil personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits resulting from vaccine injuries.

The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, a 2005 law allows the Health and Human Services Secretary to provide legal protection to companies making or distributing vaccines unless there’s “willful misconduct” by the company. This protection lasts until 2024.

Dr. Matthew Oster of the CDC reported this year that the VAERS database received 1,991 reports of myocarditis after one dose of mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine and 1,626 met the CDC definition for probable or confirmed myocarditis.

His conclusion: “The risk of myocarditis after receiving mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines was increased across multiple age and sex strata and was highest after the second vaccina-tion dose in adolescent males and young men. This risk should be considered.”

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart, which can lead to clots, a stroke or heart attack.

S

Test to Treat

anta Cruz County offers “Test to Treat” sites open to anyone regardless of insurance or documentation status, including the county office, 500 Westridge Drive, Watsonville. For an appointment, visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting/.

According to the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, cases in local schools peaked at 4,407 on Jan. 27, dropped to 44 on April 1, rose to 1,025 on May 23, and now 300.

The 14-day positivity rate peaked at 12.25% on January, dropped to .79%, and now is up to 10.45%.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has completed 537,500 tests with Inspire Di-agnostics.

For those who test positive and are at risk of severe illness, the CDC recommends asking your doctor for a prescription for Paxlovid, the Pfizer pills given emergency use authoriza-tion by the FDA in December.

Merck’s Lagevrio also got emergency use authorization for mild to moderate Covid.

Paxlovid is what President Joe Biden took to recover from a Covid Omicron variant. His symptoms were mild, a runny nose, dry cough and fatigue.

See Paxlovid side effects at: https:// www.fda.gov/media/155051/download The Omicron variants are less deadly than the Delta variant, which raged in 2021.

Santa Cruz County reported 43 Covid deaths after Omicron, compared to 225 as of Dec. 15, before Omicron.

One statistic is similar: 79% to 81% of those who died had medical conditions.

Why do people fear Omnicron?

They may have a medical condition (diabetes, obesity, asthma, high blood pressure). Half of Americans do, so they are at higher risk for severe Covid illness as are people 85 and older.

T

Testing

he Santa Cruz County Office of Education offers drive-though testing for students, staff and families at: Cabrillo College, Aptos, Parking Lot K, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Santa Cruz County Office of Education, 399 Encinal St., Santa Cruz, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

See: https://tinyurl.com/get-tested-santa-cruz.

Booster shots: https://myturn.ca.gov/ Vaccine providers: www.santacruzhealth. org/coronavirusvaccine.

Local information: www.santacruzhealth. org/coronavirus or (831) 454-4242 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. n •••

Total COVID cases: 2,197

••• COVID Deaths: 268 As of July 25 Age 85 and older: 117 • 75-84: 62 • 65-74: 47 60-64: 15 • 55-59: 4 • 45-54: 10 35-44: 8 • 25-34: 5 Underlying Conditions Yes: 218 • No: 50 Vaccinated Yes: 34 • No: 234 Race White 155 • Latinx 90 • Asian 16 Black 3 • Amer Indian 1 Hawaiian 1 • Another 2 Gender Men: 137 • Women: 131 Location At facility for aged: 117 Not at a facility: 151

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 9

10 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

IN MEMORIAM

Michael ‘Mike’ H. Coleman

M

“Dependable Service, Affordable Quality”

January 17, 1951 to July 7, 2022

ike was born in Peoria, Illinois to parents Walter and Martha “Pat” Coleman. He was raised in Eugene, Oregon where he was a graduate of Churchill High Class of 1969 and graduate of the University of Oregon with a business degree in Marketing.

Mike was a high school track and decathlon champion. He loved to ski, golf, travel and had a keen interest in music and history! He possessed the most amazing intellect, memory and sense of recall. Loved it when his friends called him to get the answer to a trivia question.

Mike travelled extensively with his work in corporate retail management for many years before moving to Aptos for a career in Real Estate and in Sales and Marketing. In Aptos, he met his soulmate, the love of his life, wife Judy.

They were married for 25 wonderful years and traveled the world together and with their Rotarian friends.

After retirement Mike and Judy moved to Reno, NV. where they met special neighbors and friends.

“Candide” from page 6 This remarkable cast is led by versatile Equity actor Curt Denham playing Voltaire, Sage, Host and Candide’s dear leader, Dr. Pangloss. Denham leads with clarity, charm and impeccable comedic timing.

Candide is rarely performed as it’s a huge undertaking requiring the highest

Mike is survived by his wife Judy Kithcart Coleman, his Aunt Eleanor Shane, loving siblings Dr. Randall Coleman (Carol), Debbie Sittner (Fred), Sharon Clark (Dale) and brother-in-law Alan Kithcart. Mike is loving Uncle to Chris, Kevin and Doug Sittner, Crissy Coleman, Jenny Pierce and to five great nephews, many cousins and friends. He was also lifelong friends with Paul Bennett, Ron Schacher(Heidi), Greg Schacher (Shirley) and their families.

Mike sends to each of you who knew him a fond smile with his bright azure blue eyes sparkling. He knew he was loved and loved you right back with his whole heart. He sends farewell for now! Think of him with laughter and happy memories shared!

A celebration of life will be held the weekend of September 24-25 in Reno, NV. Memories of Mike can be shared online in his “family album” located at Berge Pappas Smith Chapel of the Angels website: https://www.bergepappassmith. com/obits/michael-mike-h-coleman/ n

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caliber of singers, musicians and actors.

Cabrillo Stage has brought all the elements together in this production, which is perhaps their finest to date. n ••• Now playing through Aug. 14, don’t miss your opportunity to see this remarkable show!

Tickets available at cabrillostage.com or call the Box office 831- 479-6154 Thursday-Saturday noon-6 p.m.

708 Capitola Ave. | 831.515.7001 www.breathandoneness.com @breathandoneness

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 11

COMMUNITY NEWS

48 Days at Sea: Mission Accomplished C hris Bertish, the South African born surfer who won Maverick’s in 2010 and holds the Guinness SUP world record, arrived safely at the Aloha Dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 17, completing a historic 2,465-mile wing foil expedition from Santa Cruz across the Pacific Ocean for the Transpacific Wing Project.

This endeavor is the world’s first solo, wing foil, transpacific crossing, and surpasses Bertish’s previous world record for the longest distance traveled on a wing-foil, solo and unsupported at 212 miles in June 2021.

Transpacific Wing Project’s mission is to raise awareness of climate change and climate action while embracing ocean conservation and ocean education.

Bertish’s 2017 solo, unsupported stand up paddle crossing the Atlantic garnered global attention and raised funds for global charities.

Starting with his late May launch from Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz,

Photo Credit: Quin O’hara

Bertish arrived in Honolulu after 48 days, 15 hours and 15 minutes at sea — faster than planned.

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12 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

This journey required him to complete the equivalent of more than two full marathons per day, winging a

minimum of 8-12 hours per day, unsupported and unassisted.

His craft, named Impifish, was carbon net-zero, powered solely by wind, solar energy and hydropower.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to set a goal that appears insurmountable, do all that you can to achieve it, and reach the finish line far sooner than expected,” said Bertish, who is 48. “The first part of the trip was super intense due to extreme weather and coming into the Hawaiian Island with Tropical Storm Darby on my heels, making for some of the most extreme and scary ocean conditions I have ever experienced.”

Perilous conditions of fog, choppy waters, trade winds and dangerous waves abated for the latter part of his voyage as he ventured out further west into the Pacific Ocean.

To immerse supporters in his experience, Bertish shared a tracker during his 2,550–mile journey across the Pacific Ocean, posted weekly “Captain’s Vlogs” and shared valuable ocean temperature, and plastic and noise

COMMUNITY NEWS pollution data that he collected along the way.

During his oceanic travels, Bertish has observed fewer sea creatures and whales than anticipated and had the company of sea birds including black stormy petrels and the Laysan albatross.

Data collected included plastic pollution and polystyrene fish nets, plastic bags and Styrofoam, all logged for Citizen Science, which will be shared with the environmental organization, Parley for the Oceans and University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“I don’t think the extreme conditions were nearly as frightening as the amount of ocean pollution I saw along the journey,”said Bertish. “I only saw five fish, but saw 67 pieces of floating polystyrene and plastic, and that in itself tells us how much of a global crisis we really are in and how important these kinds of projects are, to create awareness for these issues and be the change we want to see in the world.”

He added, “As my famous mentor and global icon, Mr. Nelson Mandela has always said, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’ By living in that practice as I do each and every day, we can all achieve far beyond our

personal expectations of ourselves. We can achieve literally anything, even the seemingly impossible. We are in a race against time, a race we have to win. We need to stand up, collaborate, and take action against climate change and the pollution crisis now!”

Along the journey, Bertish hosted a pre-recorded “Ocean in Motion” virtual classroom with episodes released on YouTube. He hosted classroom session discussions with experts across ocean health and climate change challenges, focusing on solution-driven thinking and how all humans can minimize their negative impact, take action, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Transpacific Wing Project is raising money and awareness for ocean conservation through partnerships with Conservation International and Sea Shepherd, facilitated through the Chris Bertish Foundation, a 501c3 organization established in 2020 with the goal of building awareness, giving back and being a beacon of inspiration and positive change for youth and the world. n ••• To learn more, visit https://chrisbertish foundation.org/wing-project/.

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www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 13

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n June 25, Pinto Lake was the place to be for families! It was the 2nd annual Baila y Brunch for Positive Discipline, who partnered with local favorites to create luxury picnic baskets, a full brunch table, a diverse array of silent auction items, and of course, dancing was enjoyed at this celebration!

It was truly more than a fundraiser; more than a friend-raiser; this was a beautiful moment of hope during a time of great uncertainty and grief.

Being together to enjoy one another was soul-fulfilling, while also raising funds for trauma-informed parenting education to reach the homes of more families.

Each table was warmly decorated with locally sourced flowers placed under the shade of the beautiful redwoods.

Regardless of the donation amount, which ranged from $0-$50, families grazed their eclectic selection from local eateries and farms, including Yerena Farms strawberries, apple cider from Martinelli’s, breakfast burritos from Ranch Milk, and cookies from Cracked Cookies.

The environment felt like a loving family reunion.

Executive Director Stephanie Barron Lu gave a wonderful speech updating the community on who has benefited from such important work: 752 families, with 62% being Spanish speakers.

That’s 752 families who are breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma and consciously seeking connection and joy in the parenting of their children and reparenting of themselves.

Positive Discipline had us hula hooping, doing merengue, as well as partaking in traditional Oaxacan dancing.

Elders, toddlers, elected officials, service providers, Baila y Brunch was pure fun for the whole family.

Save the date for next year!! Saturday, June 24, 2023!

Until then, here are ways to get involved: 1) Stay tuned for Positive Discipline Community Resource’s new roster of free bilingual programming at https://www.pdcrcc.org/ 2) If you are so able, make a donation on their website PayPal or via check to support this good work, PDCR, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 n

Children give hula hooping a spin at Positive Discipline’s Baila y Brunch.

“Stroke Treatment” from page 4

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“Participation in Get With The Guidelines is associated with improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — a win for health care systems, families and communities,” said Dr. Steven Messe, chairperson of the Stroke System of Care Advisory Group.

The guidelines include education

for patients to help them manage their recovery at home.

Dr. Nanette Mickiewicz, Dominican Hospital president and CEO, said, “Get With The Guidelines makes it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which studies show can help patients recover better. The end goal is to ensure more people in Santa Cruz can experience longer, healthier lives.” n

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J

Joe Ortiz Memoir: Episodes & Recipes

oe Ortiz’s memoir, Pastina — My Father’s Misfortune, My Mother’s Good Soup, became the framework for the musical Escaping Queens, which ran at Cabrillo Stage in 2012 and 2013.

In July, The Capitola Soquel Times began the exclusive publication of various episodes from the book — including a recipe that helps shape each installment. You may have read one of the pieces in the Times a few months ago entitled, “Pastina, Food for the Soul — The Night Freddie the Bookie Showed Up with the Gun.” The idea of weaving anecdotes about food with an ongoing narrative came to Joe after reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron.

“Using recipe descriptions to help tell a story seemed the perfect way to weave the angst of a father’s chaotic life with the salvation of a mother’s cooking,” Ortiz explains. “For me, the soothing aromas and descriptions of my mom’s food became the salve to assuage my father’s abusive actions, and the ironic humor of it all helped to dull the pain.” n ••• Mom’s Simple Red Sauce 6 to 8 medium Italian plum tomatoes 1/4 cup pureed or chopped garlic 4 to 5 anchovy filets, mashed 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil

Set a pot of water over high heat.

When it comes to a boil, gently drop in the tomatoes for 2 to 4 minutes, until the skins blister.

Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze out juice and seeds and remove the skins. Crush the tomatoes with your hands into 1-inch pieces. And set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, cook the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and parsley over medium low heat until lightly browned (about 4 to 5 minutes). Gradually ladle in half of the tomatoes and stir another few minutes to make a dark puree. Add the rest of crushed tomatoes and cook 20 to 30 minutes on low heat. Cool before using.

D

Share A Recipe!

o you have a recipe that is a family favorite? Or maybe one from your childhood you would like to share? The Aptos Times will be publishing one recipe each issue from a community member.

Feel free to add a little history to the recipe if you want (approximately 75 words). Every issue we will randomly choose a recipe to publish.

Find your favorite and send it to cathe@cyber-times.com today!

Jim Booth Swim School

COMMUNITY NEWS

Jobs in Santa Cruz County June 2022 Change from

June 2021 Government 22,700 Up 1,700 Leisure/hospitality 13,500 Up 600 Manufacturing 7,900 Up 400 Professional/ 10,800 Up 300 business services Construction 4,900 Up 200 Private education 17,300 Up 200 & health Financial 3,300 Up 100 Other 4,800 Up 100 Trade/utilities/ 16,300 no change transportation Information 600 no change Nonfarm 102,100 Up 3,600 Farm 9,600 Up 100 Total 111,700 Up 3,700 ~~~ Labor force 136,600 Up .8% Employment* 131,300 Up 4% Unemployment 5,200 Down 46% Unemployment rate 3.8% 7.2%

Count is from the 12th of the month *Includes commuters out of the county Source: California Employment Development Department ••• Unemployment in Santa Cruz County ticketed up from 3.6% in May to 3.8% in June because the labor force grew from 134,900 to 136,600.

May’s unemployment was the lowest since the pandemic arrived in March 2020.

The local government sector typically grows in the summer to offer youth recreation programs, and that happened as usual this year.

The hospitality sector also typically grows in the summer to accommodate tourists, and that happened this year.

Construction, a typically higherpaying sector, expanded for the better summer weather.

Aegis Living, the assisted living residence in Aptos with memory care, is recruiting staff. n

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www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 17

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18 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Toxic Plants In Home Gardens

O

By Tony Tomeo

leander that inhabits freeway medians is poisonous enough to be hazardous. Two tons of Buick cruising at 65 miles per hour past such oleander has more potential to be hazardous.

The risk associated with toxic plants within freeway medians is as limited as their accessibility. Remarkably durable and resilient oleander is therefore quite practical.

Realistically, established oleander is quite practical for many landscapes. (Oleander leaf scorch limits the practicality of new installation, though.) It is not the sort of vegetation that is appealing for consumption. Caustic sap should deter anyone who tries. It is poisonous primarily to curious young children or chewing dogs. It is generally safe in their absence.

Foxglove, angel’s trumpet, castor bean, nightshade and poison hemlock are significantly more hazardous because they are easier to consume. The seeds of castor bean and the fruits of nightshade actually seem to be edible. Poison hemlock sometimes mingles with foraged greens. Many diverse toxic plants exhibit hazardously appealing characteristics.

Some toxic plants are appealing enough to come indoors, where cats who never venture outdoors might take an interest in them. Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia) is a popular but very toxic houseplant. Mistletoe, although a parasitic and undesirable weed, is popular as cut foliage at Christmas -- its berries are very toxic. Poinsettia exudes caustic sap if disturbed.

Some toxic plants are toxic only because they are allergens. They affect only those who are allergic to them. Most people

Even toxic plants have their attributes.

are allergic to poison oak. Fewer are allergic to related plants, such as African sumac.

Some people are more or less allergic to a few species of Grevillea or Primula. Reaction to such species can be comparable to that of poison oak.

Too many toxic plants inhabit home gardens to list. Some are familiar fruit and vegetable plants, such as elderberry and potato.

Some should be removed for the safety of children or pets. Selection of new plants can simply and conveniently omit any concerningly toxic plants. Generally though, with responsible interaction, most toxic plants are not too risky.

••• Foxglove t is no coincidence that its generic name seems more pharmaceutical than horticultural. After all, the cardiac medication digitalis is an extract of foxglove, Digitalis purpurea. The plant is unfortunately very toxic. Because it naturalizes in several regions, it can be more hazardous than standardized medications. It can migrate undetected into home gardens.

Otherwise, foxglove is a delightful warm season annual with Foxglove is the source of a rustic or woodsy digitalis. style. It is actually a biennial that generates basal foliar rosettes during its first season, and blooms during its second season. Although technically monocarpic (so should die after bloom), it can produce a few short pups to bloom later. Seedlings can appear in random situations.

Plants from nurseries grew during a previous season, so are ready to bloom immediately for early summer. Their seedlings may grow through later summer and autumn, so might bloom for the following summer. Floral stalks generally stand between three and six feet tall. The tubular and somewhat pendant flowers are mostly pinkish purple, pink or white. A few modern varieties bloom yellow or apricot. n ••• Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo. com.

I

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Mid-County Agency: $7.6 Million

Funding for elements of Groundwater Sustainability Plan

T

his month we are thrilled to report some really great news! In May, the California Department of Water Resources Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program awarded a $7.6 million grant to the Santa Cruz MidCounty Groundwater Agency (MGA).

In order to share this exciting information, I’m going to use some acronyms. Read through to the end and see if can count how many!

This grant is for the implementation of the Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP); a plan which is required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014.

SGMA requires local agencies to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) for the high- and medium-priority basins (the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin is a high-priority

By Rebecca Gold Rubin

basin), which then must develop and implement a GSP to avoid undesirable results, mitigate overdraft conditions, and make the basin sustainable by 2040.

The MGA is an 11-member board representing Central Water District, City of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz, Soquel Creek Water District, and private well owners — all of whom share use of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin. Acting as the local GSA, a GSP was created and submitted to the State, which accepted it in mid-2021.

The projects funded by the grant are part of the implementation of the GSP. The District’s Pure Water Soquel project is a significant element of the GSP and is leading the way toward achieving basin sustainability.

“Groundwater” page 25

Melanie Mow Schumacher (Soquel Creek Water District), Sierra Ryan (County of Santa Cruz), Ron Duncan (Soquel Creek Water District), Carla Christensen (Soquel Creek Water District), Kevin Crossley (City of Santa Cruz), Dr. Tom Lahue (Soquel Creek Water District) celebrate after receiving the grant in Sacramento for the Santa Cruz Mid-county Groundwater Agency.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 19

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By Sam Kabert, Soul Seekr Podcast

he Yin & Yang symbol has been used throughout the centuries as an ancient representation of energy within the universe, and how it flows between opposing forces to keep things balanced and in perfect harmony.

If you’re interested in learning more about the archetypal energy of Yin and Yang, how it relates to your life, and how you can use this knowledge to affect positive change, read on!

First, we must explore the illusion of Work/Life Balance. Work in every sense of the word represents the archetypal energy of Yang. As a refresher the archetypal energy of Yang represents structure, it represents doing/achieving and the way we show up in the world. Whereas Yin represents fluidity, receptivity, flow, intuition and really connecting with our Soul.

The difficulty is that both work and life require the element of Yang.

Think about it, most of us spend 5 out of 7 days a week working. And the majority of the waking hours during work days are spent actually working. When we do have free time, we have the obligations of life. Whether it be paying bills, taking care of loved ones (including kids, pets, parents etc) or maybe it’s shuffling from appointment to appointment to take care of our health.

The point is we are consumed with Yang energy. Work/Life Balance does not allow for any connection to what our soul is craving for.

I am not saying we should stop doing

any and all work. What I am saying is we must find ways to embrace the connection to our Souls (Yin energy).

Yin Represents Feeding Your Soul I have a question for you; and please ... really let this sink in...How often do you make time to feed your soul?

“Feeding Your Soul” is going to look different for each of us, as we are all unique beings.

“Feeding Your Soul” does not mean: x Meditation x Exploring the Astral x Doing some sort of healing retreat In fact, it’s so much more accessible … “Feeding Your Soul” is up for you to define! It’s not for anyone else to define for you!

Let this be your metaphoric permission slip, to sit back, reflect and see what’s coming to the surface. This is the art of presence.

Here are some ways to incorporate Yin back into your life: • Finding stillness and silence within nature • Re-establishing your relationship with tech: turning off electronics periodically to “disconnect” from distractions • Something calming like gardening, painting, drawing • Connecting with music through dance or picking up an instrument • Writing as a form of expression These are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowin’. Please know that you can tap into the use of yin energy when you are feeling drained and exhausted to provide a break from life’s chaos.

“Work/Life Balance” page 26

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Grand Jury: Do More to Reduce Wildfire Risk

Editor’s note: This is an edited and abridged version of the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury report. The full report is at https:// www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Departments/ GrandJury/2021-2022GrandJuryReports andResponses.aspx ••• he August 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire was the most destructive fire to ravage Santa Cruz County in more than a century. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and it won’t be our last calamitous wildfire.

Preventing future wildfires from seriously damaging our forest communities will require a major reduction of hazardous vegetation.

We must prioritize vegetation reduction to protect residences, utility infrastructure, access and egress routes, and critical buildings such as schools and hospitals.

This report calls out achievable steps that will limit the harm done by recurring wildfires to forest communities.

Our report identifies major impediments that exist to taking those steps.

The Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors commission a strategic investment plan for reducing wildfire risk and that the agencies critical to producing that plan report directly to the Board of Supervisors.

Finally, those agencies should update the public annually on progress.

The CZU Fire started with an unusual lightning event in the early morning of Aug. 16, 2020 that ignited multiple fires in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. The fires eventually joined, and the resulting mega-fire destroyed 1,430 structures and damaged 134 structures.

The preliminary estimate of total damage, including public infrastructure, was $340 million.

More than 45,000 people were successfully evacuated from areas threatened by the fire, and one man tragically lost his life.

Interviews reported resources were not adequate to fight the fire. At one point, 27 separate fires were burning, but only 13 fire engines were available.

The lightning strikes and the resulting fires damaged communications and utilities.

Reverse 9-1-1 notification systems, social media, text messages that might have alerted residents to the wildfire threat were inaccessible.

Many evacuations were coordinated through California Highway Patrol officers and County Sheriff’s deputies, who drove through threatened neighborhoods with loudspeakers encouraging evacuation. This depended on clear evacuation routes.

In 2007, CalFire mapped wildfire hazards across the County. Most of the County was in the moderate and high fire severity zone.

T

Suppression ire-management policies have focused on protecting watersheds, communities, and the timber supply by suppressing all wildfires. This has led to a massive increase in the available fuel at ground level, making wildfires that get out of control much more devastating.

Before this policy, natural fires, usually sparked by lightning, burned forests every 5–15 years. These frequent fires burned dead wood and vegetation under trees, and limited the accumulation of flammable materials.

Today there is just too much inhabited forested land to broadly execute prescribed burns. The costs—not to mention the risks— are too high.

What makes wildfires different today—as compared to the early part of the last century— is the number of people living in rural areas, or the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).

A 2010 survey of counties

by Headwaters Economics, an independent, nonprofit research group, states that Santa Cruz County has 61 square miles of WUI, 59% developed with residences.

There were then 20,858 homes in the Santa Cruz County WUI. These homes represent 20% of all residences in the County.

According to the CalFire 2021 Strategic Fire Plan for the San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit, the increasing population in the WUI has caused fire agencies to change their approach.

The agencies have shifted from focusing primarily on fighting fires to protecting roads, structures, and people. There are not enough firefighters or fire apparatus to protect every home during a wildfire.

Communities and government are asked to take greater responsibility for making homes, neighborhoods, and the larger community more defensible from wildfire.

In 2019–2020, the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury investigated wildfire preparedness and published the report before the CZU Fire. Here are excerpts.

Finding 1: Vegetation/fuel management and abatement are not receiving the attention nor funding needed from the County of Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors, and therefore are not adhering to Executive Order1.8.19-EON-05-19.

Board of Supervisors’ Response: Partially Disagree: Vegetation/fuel management and abatement is the responsibility of the property owner not the County of Santa Cruz.

The County could do more to improve the clearing or removal of vegetation along County-maintained roadways, more than just the sight line clear that may or may not occur annually. The removal of vegetation is expensive and labor-intensive for a county that provides many services.

“CZU Fire Grand Jury” page 24

F

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Have People Forgotten How to be Good Travelers?

By Christopher Elliott

S

helley Hunter says she had a meltdown before a recent flight from Reno to San Diego. The reason?

She had forgotten one of the basic travel requirements: A picture ID. “While I was in the security line, I could not find my wallet,” she remembers.

“I thought, ‘That’s it, I can’t go.’ ” Hunter is one of perhaps hundreds of thousands of travelers relearning travel essentials this summer. After enduring shutdowns and travel bans, Americans are vacationing again. Along the way, they’re discovering they’ve forgotten things they used to know — and that there are some new things they need to know but don’t.

I get it. I’ve overlooked so many basic travel practices in the past few months, it’s embarrassing. I’ve forgotten to check in for a flight, neglected to print out my hotel confirmation and returned a rental car without filling the tank first.

So did Hunter make her flight? She phoned her daughter, who remembered that the Transportation Security Administration would accept several forms of ID. “I had my Costco card,” says Hunter, an innkeeper from Quincy, Calif. That worked. “I got on the flight with my Costco card.”

She notes, though, that it wasn’t a pleasant experience. A TSA agent searched her belongings and gave her a pat-down before she could get through security. And she almost missed the flight.

She’s not alone. Kimberly Davis says her clients’ travel skills have deteriorated dramatically during the pandemic.

“I have had to walk clients through some of the most basic travel questions,” says Davis, founder and CEO of the travel agency Trouvaille Travel International. “I now insist on seeing their passports before working on a trip with them. That’s because of the number of lost, expired or close-toexpiring passports I’ve encountered.”

Her customers have basic questions about changing money, packing, getting through immigration and booking tickets.

“And those are the experienced travelers,” she says. “It’s like everyone is starting over.”

One of the most common things travelers overlook: Visa and passport requirements.

Christina Tunnah, general manager of the Americas for travel insurance company

World Nomads, says people are forgetting to check their passport renewal dates.

“With many passports sitting idle for years due to border closures, travelers haven’t noticed they’ve expired,” she says.

Even Steffanie Rivers, a veteran flight attendant, neglected to look up the visa rules when she recently flew to Dubai with her mother.

“Before takeoff, I got a text from a company with a name that appeared to be from the Dubai government that said I needed a visa,” recalls Rivers, author of “The Do’s and Don’ts Of Flying: A Flight Attendant’s Guide To Airline Travel Secrets.” “So I scrambled to pay upward of $500 for my mother and me to have the visas they told me I’d need.”

It turns out she didn’t need a visa, which a quick look at the State Department site would have verified. Rivers tried to dispute her credit card charges but was unsuccessful.

Why are people becoming travel-illiterate?

“We’ve been out of the travel flow for so long that it was easy to forget certain things that would ensure we were at the top of our travel game,” says Thomas Plante, a psychology professor at Santa Clara University. Working from home didn’t help either, Plante says. Americans “lost step with their day-to-day preparedness and sense of timing.”

But it’s not enough to relearn the old

travel rules, experts say, because there are a few new ones, too.

“Although travel is back, it is not back to normal,” says Helen Prochilo, owner of the travel agency Promal Vacations. “This summer, we’re seeing cruises canceled at the last minute because there are not enough staff on board. We’re seeing slow service at resorts and restaurants. And we’re seeing massive airline cancellations.”

Industry watchers such as Alan Fyall say people have a lot of new information to remember. “Travelers are on information overload, with changing coronavirus test requirements, local mask mandates, flight schedule changes,” says Fyall, associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “They have too much to think about.”

Consider what happened to one of Marissa Prejean’s clients, who recently tried to enter the Dominican Republic. At the time, the country required a QR code as part of a traveler’s customs declaration.

“Authorities denied her entrance into the Dominican Republic because she didn’t submit her documents into their online customs declaration portal that generates a QR code,” recalls Prejean, owner of Castles and Cruises Travel Company. “She had not thoroughly read her travel documents before she left.”

Prejean sent her customer a link, and she completed the form while she waited in the customs area at Punta Cana International Airport.

How do you get back into the groove?

Make a packing list. Check your document requirements. Double-check to make sure you have all of your essentials, including documents, IDs, visas and chargers.

Assume nothing. And don’t be overconfident about your travel skills.

Even experts have lost some of their travel mojo during the pandemic.

“I have gotten out of practice,” admits Harshvardhan Joshi, a mountaineer from Vasai, India. “Particularly in packing.” On a recent excursion, he left his iPhone charger at home. “Without the charger, my phone would be dead,” he recalls. “And without the phone, I would have no money, since I only use digital currencies and also keep all my documents on the phone.”

The solution: He borrowed someone else’s charger. Then he ordered a new one online and overnighted it to his location.

Joshi shouldn’t feel bad. As I wrapped up this story, I received an urgent text message from my wireless company. My SIM card expired, and now I’m in a foreign country without a phone connection.

Oops. Maybe I’d better work on my travel skills. n ••• Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy and publisher of the consumer newsletter Elliott Confidential.

Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at http://www.elliott.org/help. This story originally appeared in the Washington Post. © 2022 Christopher Elliott.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 23

“CZU Fire Grand Jury” from page 22 Funding is available through grant opportunities to assist with fuel reduction and the County has benefited from such grants.

An example is the project approved as part of 35 statewide projects outlined in Gov. Newsom’s executive order on fuel reduction. This project, in CSA 48, Aptos Creek and Buzzard Lagoon roads near Corralitos, treated 225 acres to improve existing and create additional fuel breaks to protect vulnerable communities. Of the 225 treated acres, 150 acres is a shaded fuel break and has allowed for the use of prescribed fire to help clear and maintain the area.

Recommendation 9: Each year, during the budget presentation, the County Board of Supervisors should require County Fire to provide a vegetation-management plan , including a priority list of projects and a timeframe for completion.

Board of Supervisors’ Response: Requires Further Analysis: There is currently no funding for a vegetationmanagement plan for the County Fire Department.

To summarize the position of the Board of Supervisors two years ago: Property owners are responsible for vegetation reduction on their property, not the County.

The County could improve vegetation reduction on County-maintained roads.

County Fire does not have a plan. It coordinates with CalFire to identify priority projects.

Because there is no funding for vegetation-management planning, planning isn’t done. Priority projects are done only after grant funding has been obtained.

The Grand Jury determined that vegetation reduction along roadways is a major problem that the County must lead in solving.

The highest priority areas for vegetation reduction are those located within, or are adjacent to, the WUI. Beyond the WUI, where infrastructure supporting nearby communities exists, that infrastructure must be protected.

Creating fuel breaks is a commonly applied vegetation reduction method.

A large fuel break constructed by UC Santa Cruz enabled firefighters to halt the advance of the CZU Fire and protected the campus. Another large fuel break was constructed during the CZU Fire in Henry Cowell State Park along a heavily forested ridge to prevent the fire from reaching San Lorenzo Valley High School and Highway 9.

Providing safe evacuation routes, shelter-in-place locations, and access routes for fire crews enables safe movement for affected residents and emergency services.

Safe movement is the responsibility of state and local agencies.

Overgrown vegetation on or next to roads makes access difficult for firefighters and equipment. Roadside vegetation is the fuel that is ignited first. There are many overgrown, narrow, one-lane roads in the County. These conditions often make it difficult for emergency vehicles to access a fire area when residents are leaving.

Investigation

Three key questions surfaced: • How are vegetation-reduction projects prioritized, funded, and executed?

• Is the County sufficiently proactive and providing the leadership needed to achieve adequate wildfire protection for the future?

• Are County residents sufficiently informed of progress toward wildfire resilience?

Vegetation-reduction projects to reduce community risk from wildfire are, in essence, taxpayer-funded public works projects. When viewed that way, residents deserve to understand why specific projects were selected, and what benefit they will provide.

Vegetation reduction projects should be tracked relative to predefined goals, and progress toward those goals should be reported periodically.

A plethora of agencies and organizations — many with overlapping responsibilities — provides different aspects of fire prevention throughout the County. The list: Santa Cruz County Fire Department • 13 separate fire protection Districts • CalFire Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience • Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County • Fire Districts Advisory Commission • Santa Cruz Fire Safe Council • Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network • Firewise Councils The Grand Jury tried to understand how all these entities are working together to create wildfire resilience.

We learned the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County and the Office of Response, Recovery & Resilience often coordinate planning and implementation of projects. However, being regarded as a lead agency comes with the expectation of reliable funding and the ability to manage large projects, which these two agencies lack.

Coordination is not the same as leadership.

The Grand Jury gained appreciation of the enormous complexity of the required permitting for large vegetation-reduction projects. We were told some plans intentionally lack specificity that would trigger an Environmental Impact Report. When an individual project needs an EIR, that requirement makes it slow to execute and hampers obtaining funding.

In Santa Cruz County, there are multiple, overlapping efforts to produce a strategic plan for vegetation reduction.

However, no strategic plans appear to have been completed at present—much less made available to the public. The Grand Jury also came to understand that the various organizations have differing priorities.

County Fire and the Fire Department Advisory Commission The Fire Department Advisory Commission is working with County Fire on updating its Santa Cruz County Fire Department Master Plan for the first time since 2015. We were told this is the first time there have been objectives approved by the Board for County Fire.

CalFire tracks vegetation-reduction projects internally but that data is not consistently provided to the media or to the public.

The Resource Conservation District’s Public Works Plan aims to facilitate approval of fuel reduction projects in

24 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

wildfire risk areas of the Coastal Zone over 10 years.

Santa Cruz County recently purchased a masticator, a device that “chews up” lowgrowing vegetation, roots and topsoil.

The mixture of soil and plant material is noncombustible. The masticator is seeing use outside of projects funded by grants.

RCD runs chipping programs to facilitate creation of defensible space around buildings.

T

Expensive

he Santa Cruz County WUI is 61 square miles, of which 59% has residences.

There are 640 acres in a square mile, so there are 61 x 0.59 x 640 = 23,000 acres of occupied WUI. Last year, two grants totaling $7.7 million ($3 million + $4.7 million) funded vegetation-reduction projects on 1,384 acres (454 + 930), which works out to $5,600 per acre.

If these projects are representative of the cost, then treating 23,000 acres would cost about $130 million.

This estimate includes vegetation reduction only on occupied WUI – not critical infrastructure or access and egress routes, which are essential to protect the community and provide safe movement.

This survey is 12 years old.

Santa Cruz County received at least $9 million in CalFire grants last year. If the County received a similar amount each year, it would take 14 years to complete high-priority vegetation reduction.

It is imperative the highest risk areas receive treatment first and not wait until the end of the 14 years.

Vegetation will be growing back; hence, after 14 years, it will be time to start over. The County’s success in obtaining grant funding means it is able to make some progress. It would certainly be preferable to complete the work in less time.

RCD has achieved real obtaining grants for vegetation reduction. In 2020– 2021, the RCD obtained a $1.3 million grant from the CalFire Early Action California Climate Investments Program for shaded fuel breaks along Summit Road.

The willingness of the agencies to partner with others, and to publish longterm property management plans, were factors in getting the awards.

We calculated that Santa Cruz County received at least $9 million in CalFire grants in 2020–2021.

CalFire grants may only be awarded for projects on private land if there is an imminent threat to public rights of way or public infrastructure.

Wildfire does not respect landownership; a fire may start on private land and quickly spread to a nearby community or critical infrastructure. The Santa Cruz Mountain Stewardship Network is the major player advocating for vegetationmanagement work on private land.

Contract Expires in 2023

T

he Santa Cruz County Fire Department serves the unincorporated County, including Bonny Doon, Davenport, Loma Prieta, Corralitos, Las Cumbres, and South Skyline. This area overlaps almost entirely with the State Responsibility Area.

County Fire is governed by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. It operates 10 fire stations; five are staffed by a combination of local professional and volunteer firefighters and five are staffed

by CalFire firefighters.

The County Fire Chief serves as the local CalFire Chief.

We learned that the CalFire/County Fire Chief reports to the General Services Department, with only indirect access to the Board of Supervisors. We are concerned that this reporting relationship does not give sufficient visibility and priority to fire prevention.

In neighboring San Mateo County, the CalFire chief is a department head in the County government. San Mateo has about three times the population of Santa Cruz County. Even accounting for this, the San Mateo County Fire Department is considerably larger.

CalFire has a complex relationship with County Fire under a 1948 contract known as the Amador Contract.

CalFire has statutory responsibility for State Responsibility Areas within the County year-round, but they are fully staffed only during fire season.

The County pays for 24 seasonal firefighters working on CalFire engines for up to seven months when they would normally be laid off in the winter.

The County pays for CalFire to manage the volunteer firefighter system yearround, emergency response for the winter months, plus maintenance of vehicles.

The fire season used to be June through October, with a seven-month nonfire season. This seems to be reversing, with seven months of fire season and five months of winter season becoming normal.

Since the County pays for the 24 firefighters for the months defined as winter, the County is paying significantly less. CalFire is effectively subsidizing the County.

However, CalFire sets priorities when it is paying for fire-protection service.

These could include sending firefighters and engines to a fire out of County even when there is a fire in the County.

In comparison, San Mateo County funds 58 full-time firefighters and eight fire engines.

Staffing is no longer covered under the Amador Contract because it does not meet current labor law. There is a three-year contract, and this is the second year.

When the contract comes up for renewal in 2023, County Fire cannot rely on CalFire continuing an arrangement in which it subsidizes the County.

Fire protection funding comes from 0.5% of local property taxes, plus the CSA 48 fee collected from those residents, and inspection and plan-review fees. The total County Fire budget last year was $10.8 million.

The budget provides for the purchase of two new fire engines to replace ones deployed far beyond their expected life.

Santa Cruz County has an ongoing budget challenge. It is unrealistic to expect the County to allocate significant additional funds to wildfire prevention, even though this is sorely needed.

“CZU Fire Grand Jury” page 25

“Groundwater” from page 19 Among the key grant-funded GSP implementation projects are: • Inland groundwater pumping optimization, including design and construction of the Cunnison Lane well.

This will assist with reducing reliance on groundwater pumping from wells nearer to the coast by increasing pumping at more inland locations. Pumping and redistribution of groundwater extraction to wells more inland is a critical component to basin sustainability.

With this funding, the Soquel Creek Water District will continue to implement groundwater adaptive management and extraction for various groundwater wells so that inland wells near the Pure Water Soquel seawater intrusion prevention (SWIP) wells will continue to be optimized.

• Aquifer injection/aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), including design and construction, to improve groundwater supplies.

ASR would inject excess surface water, treated to drinking water standards, into

“CZU Fire Grand Jury” from page 24 Ideally, the County would pay for sufficient staff and fire engines, which would then be under its control and not subject to state priorities.

Although the County does not directly fund any ongoing vegetation-reduction projects, it did make a one-time purchase of a masticator. This is for projects that would not secure grant funding, such as on private land. The masticator is used

by CalFire personnel because they have training and insurance.

The County plans to increase the number of remote cameras from seven to nine to improve wildfire detection.

Volunteer fire departments everywhere have difficulty maintaining their workforce—due in part to significant and often onerous training requirements—and our County is no exception. This lack of staff frequently results in inadequate fire protection for rural communities. The Grand Jury was told 100 volunteer firefighters would be ideal, but only a small fraction of that number is able to maintain training requirements and respond to a call.

W

Conclusion

e found vegetation reduction is the biggest challenge to achieving adequate fire resilience, and that dealing with it will take both resources and high prioritization from the County.

The bulk of vegetation reduction to enable safe movement is the responsibility of the County, local fire protection districts, CalFire, or a utility company such as PG&E. Our review of the many County organizations addressing wildfire protection did not find any published plans describing the prioritization process for vegetation-reduction projects.

the Basin for use as an underground storage reservoir, and extract stored water during periods of water supply shortages. Any ASR project would need to be designed with additional capacity to contribute to the restoration of the Basin.

• Park Avenue transmission main/ bottleneck improvements via replacing an undersized (8”) water main in this area with a larger pipeline (12”) to allow for optimal redistribution of municipal groundwater pumping.

This will increase system reliability and allow more flexibility to reduce groundwater extraction of the coastal wells and shift pumping more inland.

• Groundwater and hydraulic modeling to provide data for more informed sustainable groundwater management.

This modeling will provide key information with which to consider additional indirect potable reuse and ASR implementation with potential of resources between agencies, with a combination of surface water, groundwater, and purified recycled water (known as The large number of agencies tasked with fire protection complicates the situation, although we did find clusters of collaboration among agencies.

We found the grants process is unwieldy and complex, and grants may be awarded to projects that do not have the highest priority for wildfire mitigation.

However, the County is almost entirely dependent on grants.

Due to effective work by local agencies, the County is receiving much of what it needs to complete sufficient vegetation-reduction projects to eventually provide wildfire resilience.

We looked at the County Fire Department, its organization, budget, contract with CalFire, and reliance on volunteer firefighters. None of these aspects is ideal, and, taken together, are suboptimal for delivering adequate fire protection to rural communities in the Wildland Urban Interface.

Additional funds would be of benefit , but the Grand Jury recognizes that the County’s overall budget challenges mean this is not likely to happen without significant effort. Budget limitations mean reliance on volunteer firefighters will continue.

County Fire would benefit from increased visibility and priority within County government, and should report directly to the Board of Supervisors.

County Fire should be doing much more to inform residents of their wildfire risk, and what the County is doing to mitigate it.

The Grand Jury has issued a number of investigative reports on fire protection over the past few years. A recurrent theme is the lack of attention that community protection and safe movement receives from the County government. This Grand Jury echoes that observation. n

conjunctive use). Together with water quality and economic analyses, sufficient data will then exist to develop an efficient and highly-optimized plan.

The projects funded by this grant are critical to the implementation of the MGA’s GSP. It’s worth noting that our neighbor to the south, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency, received a similar grant to create an alternative water source for agriculture, and to reduce groundwater overdraft and seawater intrusion.

The funding of these projects is a significant step toward groundwater sustainability and a resilient, reliable water future for our coastal communities.

And now for our acronym quiz: how many acronyms are defined in this article?

If you answered six, you’re correct and can now use these acronyms to impress (or

annoy) your friends and family! The terms converted to acronyms were: • Mid-County Groundwater Agency (MGA) • Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) • Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) • Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) • Seawater intrusion prevention (SWIP) • Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) Talk to you later (TTYL) in next month’s column! n ••• As always, if you have any questions about this month’s topic or anything else related to Soquel Creek Water District, feel free to contact us at outreach@soquelcreekwater. org or 831-475-8501 x118 and visit www. soquelcreekwater.org

Annual Traditions

ACROSS

1. Verdant 5. Vietnamese neighbor 8. “Before” prefix 11. Curved molding 12. *It rings at midnight on Christmas Eve at church 13. Yarn store unit 15. Relating to armpit 16. Criminal’s surprise 17. Nephew’s sister 18. *4th of July spectacle 20. 1952 Olympics host 21. 1,000 kilograms 22. Meat sauce 23. Vacation location

26. French painter of “La Danse” fame 30. Menu words (2 words) 31. Lean 34. Wine valley 35. Impertinent 37. *Annual Assumption tradition blesses it 38. #2 Down, pl.

39. Highest volcano in Europe 40. Puppies 42. Bit of binary code 43. Dean’s official residence 45. Small stream 47. Wine quality 48. Bilbo Baggins’ land 50. Windsor family’s sport 52. *Popular New Year’s libation

56. Stored by bees 57. ____-de-camp 58. “On the ____” by Jack Kerouac 59. Make laugh 60. Tear 61. Tibetan priest 62. Woolen cap 63. Banned insecticide 64. Big Bang’s original matter 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

DOWN

Bakery serving Tangelo Scorch Regarding this point “Live and ____” Description for twins Auto pioneer Banana remnant

9. Puerto ____ 10. Compass bearing 12. “Jane Eyre” author 13. Pig part 14. *Action under mistletoe 19. Like a damaged apple, possibly 22. Jam container 23. Torn down 24. Fill with optimism 25. Sweating room 26. *Thanksgiving’s main event?

27. Beauty parlor 28. Chiropractor’s concern 29. Painting holder 32. Light gray 33. “Wow!” 36. *Birthday cake decorations

38. Seize the throne 40. Kind of humor 41. Ready 44. Deteriorate 46. Just about 48. Jumped aside 49. Lacked 50. Type of cotton 51. Female gamete 52. *Valentine’s Day tradition 53. *New Year’s resolution weight or savings target 54. One in a roster 55. Red-encased cheese 56. *Graduation flyer © Statepoint Media

Answers on 31 »

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 25

Leo — from the Heart of Matter

“Work/Life Balance” from page 20

Esoteric Astrology • August 2022 • By Risa D’Angeles

W

e’ve left the nourishing waters of Cancer and find ourselves in the creative light of Leo, the fiery sign of kings and queens, of lions and leopards, the Sphinx, the blue star Sirius (where love originates), and the giant star, Regulus, at the heart of Leo. Leo is the “heart of matter” from which our life force emanates. Knowing this about Leo, we begin to understand the depth, breadth and dramatic life force of those born under Leo (Sun, Rising, Moon, Mars). Leo is both lion and pussycat all in one.

Leo is a fixed steady pulsating fire that never dims. Leo is the light of the Soul, the comforter, the healer. It is the Soul light of love and the freedom to create. When aligned with the Will to Good, Leo shines as bright as the Sun and glows with divine inspiration. Leo is the sign of identifying oneself by what one creates.

Leo’s say, “Look at my creations!” And we praise them.

Leo, on the personality-building level, creates dictators not in touch with love or Divine Will, commanding others from their undeveloped little self. Let us see them as in training. These are their ARIES

All this week and weeks to come, the questions presented to you are: what engages your attention, what do you find creative about yourself, what resources would allow your creativity to expand, how do you relate to children (their care and well-being), where do you find rest and relaxation, and how do you party and have fun? Your answers define your present identity. Some Aries will attract a new love of something very interesting.

words, “I rule as a right of my presence in any situation. Let other forms exist. I rule because I am!” Leo on this level is the “benevolent dictator.”

When the personality is directed by the Soul (love, intelligent will, kindness, etc.) love from the heart of the Sun and from Sirius streams into the human heart creating the Will to Good, which is the Will to Love.

Leos inspire people. They have an inner confidence. They are natural born actors, with an inborn sense of the dramatic. Leos need to be praised and recognized. That is how they evolve. Leos are leaders. Great leaders rule with Intelligent Will and Loving Intelligence. And at times they carry a fiery sword.

Update on Matthew: He remains in the hospital, stable, fragile, progressing in small steps daily, his brain needing to learn new pathways . We as a family ask that prayers continue. Updates are on my website – www. nightlightnews.org, on FB at Love For Matt Scott. And the Go Fund Me page is https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-cole-scotts-journey-to-recovery

LEO

SAGITTARIUS

Happy Birthday, Leo, now and forever. Ponder upon what you want/need for your birthday. Do you need a cupcake, an ice cream bar, a trip somewhere unusual, a new identity, a new past, a talk about money and investments, a teacher, a group to interact with, a new profession, expansion of your chosen profession, a wound to be healed, a brilliant relationship? Angels are standing by taking notes, waiting for your answers so they can spring into action. They remain with you all year long.

Don’t let any mixed messages created by misinformation throw you overboard into the waters of confusion. Be aware that two areas of life, home/profession, presents dual realities. There is no end to the unexpectedness occurring in our world now. At times do you feel lost? Seek care and solace from friends, but only a very few whom you trust. Things cross-cultural, religious, higher education, long journeys can help. Visualize yourself on a long adventure, a pilgrimage divinely directed. Get good shoes.

VIRGO

CAPRICORN

Something about the events or people in your life bring forth thoughts of family lineage, relatives and ancestors, birth and death. This information creates a foundation for your future life choices, with or without family, or creating a new one.

Novel ideas occur to you, which, formerly rejected, will take root and change your perceptions (about family). Nurturance is a need now either from you or toward you. Both are best. You go first.

This week tend to important activities - communication, bills, plans, agendas, purchases. Be sure your thoughts are not so internalized that you can’t reach out to others. Solitude may play a great part in the weeks ahead. When remaining behind the scenes, allow yourself to rest more so dreams have a chance to teach you new things through stories and numbers and symbols. Their messages are what the coming months will be like. Retreat to a garden. Sleep there under the stars.

You are being called to a great work. What is that. Does it have to do with life and death, with tending and nurturing others? Are you called to care for an unexpected situation? Do you need to lead now? Your life perspective has changed this past month due to certain events. A great creative surge is enveloping you. You are called to actions that affects another’s life. You are reconsidering everything.

And stepping into your role of leadership. You have been preparing for years. The time has come now. Someone needs you.

GEMINI

LIBRA

AQUARIUS

I’ve been wondering how Pluto in your 4th house of home and family environment has influenced you. I’ve wondered how this important transformative symbol has influenced your daily life and what choices you’ve had to make. Is there something about life and death you are tending to? Pluto brings forth transformation needed that we can’t push aside. And so I ask how are you, how is the family, how and where is your home?

We are standing with you.

This time is most important for Aquarians. Leo is the opposite sign to Aquarius. Leo is where your creativity resides. A profound situation is occurring in your life. There is an integration of life’s energies, past, present and future. Your experiences are the prototype of humanity’s later experiences. You are the forerunner. For you to move forward, it’s important to integrate all talents and gifts from the past. Gather them into a bundle and offer them to the world. With conscious intention.

Can you visualize this? Then a healing happens.

TAURUS

The early training (and experiences) we received as children form the foundation of who/what we are today. It’s important to see these early experiences as gifts that gradually allowed you to become awake, aware and conscious. They also allowed you to find your way and create your own brilliant life. Seeing life in this light liberates your heart and mind. Turn toward this now, speak from this position. See the glass half full with sunlight shining through it.

CANCER

The questions are what’s most important in your life these days and what is not? There’s need for determining the difference between the two. It’s important to observe your life and have practical knowledge so that difficulties don’t appear in terms of family communication. Messages may become conflicted and misunderstood. Stay within this mantra. “Let reality govern my every thought. And truth be the master of my life.”

SCORPIO

Some things new should be coming forth in your professional life, career, or in how others see you. Good things. In the meantime as you await this new reality, step forward into the public and act as an ambassador of goodwill. In a community monastery, called Figueira in Brazil, people are trained to be healers and “harmonizers.” Each of us will be called to be healing in the coming times. Consider becoming a healer and a harmonizer). It’s done silently with intention and dedication.

Humanity in crisis will need these important skills.

•••

PISCES

An event has occurred and your daily life is in question. What will you do? There are choices. Will you be here or there or yet in another direction altogether. Neptune in Pisces creates a state of confusion leading to a sense of non-direction at first. You need a witching wand, a divining rod, a branch of the hemlock or hazel or willow tree, to find the ley-lines, the currents of your future. You need a foundation now so your future can come forth. That foundation at this time is prayer. Have courage that all will be well in time.

Risa D’Angeles • www.nightlightnews.org • risagoodwill@gmail.com 26 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

The Aftermath of Being Out of Balance Given the Mental Health Crisis we are facing, it’s become abundantly clear that the root cause … not the symptom, but the root cause of this Mental Health Crisis stems from being disconnected from …

• That Voice in Our Head that Guides Us • Being in Tune With Our Inner Landscape • A Connection to Something Outside of this Earthly Realm & Human Experience In the workplace alone, we are seeing 53% of people reporting they feel more emotionally exhausted and 75% feel more socially isolated since the start of the Pandemic in 2020 (per a study by the Harvard Business Review).

The stats clearly back the importance of Mental Health. The only choice is whether we (you) will do something about it or not ...

A simple solution to make one’s own Mental Health a priority is through the practice of SOUL/Life Balance. By doing so, you are making an agreement with yourself to put yourself first and foremost, always while simultaneously reframing “work” as part of the Yang energy required in living your life.

How to Incorporate These Lessons Into Your Life The choice to build Yin energy into your life is not an extra to-do to your list, nor is it something we shame ourselves for if we don’t do it as much as we’d like.

In reality, it’s a practice of bringing present awareness to our inner world/ landscape moment to moment.

By bringing awareness to the present moment through connecting with what’s rising to the surface within you; you will be guided to not only “feeding your soul” daily but as you continue this practice you’ll be able to understand what it means to “feed your soul” moment to moment.

A Life of Fulfillment is so much more accessible than we’ve been led to believe is possible.

If you’d like to go deeper on these concepts, check out my book SOUL/Life Balance or checking out my recent SOUL SEEKR podcast episode (https://open.spotify.com/ s h o w / 1 7 i 3 x v u A h N x O 8 0 S VA R f v n b ) which is all about bringing the Yin & Yang energy into the workplace. n ••• SOUL/Life Balance isn’t something to chase nor something to attain. Rather, it’s a way of being and it starts with the mindset shift of reframing Work/Life Balance to SOUL/ Life Balance by asking yourself on a daily basis: “How can I feed my Soul in this moment?”

COMMUNITY NEWS

State Grant Funds Outdoor Equity in Live Oak

County Park Friends Awarded $656,361 over Four Years

S

ome 5,700 youngsters in Live Oak are expected to get outdoors over the next four years, thanks to a state grant of $656,361 to County Park Friends.

“We asked Live Oak families what they wanted and needed for their children to fully enjoy public parks and nature,” said Executive Director Mariah Roberts. “This grant is built on what we learned from the families who will participate.”

The funding is part of $57 million awarded by California State Parks’ Outdoor Equity Program to 125 communities to advance the “Outdoor Access for All” initiative championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

The funding helps establish a community hub at Brommer County Park in Live Oak for local activities and trips to natural areas.

This program will include about 149 activity days in the community for

about 5,700 participants and 14 trips to natural areas for 710 participants over four years.

Trips to natural areas outside of the community will include Henry Cowell and Big Basin, Perseid meteor shower at Quail Hollow, Pinto Lake paddleboats, wildlife at Elkhorn Slough, Seymour Center and tide pooling, Monterey Bay Aquarium family ocean discovery; family whale watching on the Bay, camping at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Big Sur State Park family campout; and Yosemite National Park family snow experience.

Activities in the community will include:

• Live Oak Youth Leading Environmental Justice; • Solution-Based Learning About Environmental Issues; • Discovering Nature: Backyard and Beyond; • Curriculum Based Activities at Brommer Street Park; and • Preparing Participants for Natural Area Trips.

For the first grant cycle, State Parks evaluated 384 grant applications totaling $167.78 million and chose 125.

“These programs will turn parks into outdoor classrooms, inspiring a new generation of environmental leadership

in California,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero.

Four of every 10 Californians have no access to open space within walking distance of their home and six of every 10 Californians live in park-poor neighborhoods.

In 2019, the Outdoor Equity Grants Program was enacted when Newsom signed Assembly Bill 209. The concept for the grant program began with findings in the 2015 Parks Forward Commission Report that State Parks must expand access to parks for underserved communities and urban populations.

“Delivering services across the state — including in many communities currently without adequate outdoor programs — will make a real, lasting difference in the lives of young people and all residents,” said Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “I am especially excited about empowering young people to explore their leadership potential.” n

Why Give?

Ways to give:

Leave a legacy in Aptos that will not wash away with the first wave!

Aptos Sports Foundation is a community funded foundation that is building a better Aptos through philanthropy “For Our Kids!”

LEAVE A LEGACY –

Make a donation to the ASF Endowment Fund, a community asset, to fund Aptos sports activities and facilities out into the future!

GIVE TODAY –

Improve our schools by donating funds, labor or materials for current projects.

HAVE FUN WITH ASF – Sponsor or attend an event: • Cornhole Tournament • Poker Tournament • Golf Tournament

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: To develop community leaders of tomorrow by providing a quality student athlete experience for the youth of Aptos. Providing quality athletic facilities and programs at Aptos High School, its feeder schools and sports related organizations. Building a better Aptos through philanthropy. “For Our Kids.”

www.aptossportsfoundation.com

Contact: Paul Bailey – 831-818-0406 • Brent Chapman 831-566-7677 or Dan Braga – 831-239-3402 501 (C) (3) Nonprofit #77-0345205

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 27

COMMUNITY CALENDAR ANNOUNCEMENTS COUNTY FAIR ENTRY INFO Most Entries due Thursday, Aug. 25 • Poultry Deadline Aug. 6 The Santa Cruz County Fair, which will be Sept. 14-18, is using the ShoWorks online entry system this year for all departments.

For most entries, the deadline is Aug. 25. See https:// santacruz.fairwire.com/ Submitting your entries online will save you time on receiving day and help the fair display your items.

You can pay any entry fees by credit card online! Paying by credit card will incur a 3% processing fee. Checks can be dropped off at the fair office.

If you prefer paper entry forms, they are in the entry guide.

The first time you use the system, click on the blue button in the upper right corner of the page to create an exhibitor account using your name, address & email address. Youth exhibitors are asked to enter birthdate & age.

This year, everyone needs to create an account. Write down your password. Once your account is created, you can use the username and password each time you visit the system. Use the blue buttons in the middle of the page to move to each step.

Find the department, division and class you wish to enter.

Departments are listed alphabetically with some departments broken into categories (Home Arts and Agriculture Horticulture.) Fill in the required fields, marked by blue asterisk (*), and any optional fields needed to describe your entry.

REGISTER NOW FOR 2022 BUSINESS SHOWCASE The Aptos Chamber of Commerce is presenting the 2022 Business Showcase on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the remodeled Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Drive, Aptos.

The earlier you register, the more exposure your business will receive. This is your prime opportunity to meet, greet and showcase your business. From accounting to yoga and everything in between, Santa Cruz County is bustling with great businesses.

The Business Showcase makes marketing your business easy.

To register call 831-688-1467 or email: chamberaptos@gmail.com The Showcase will take place from 4–7 p.m.

NATURE BOWL 2022: FAMILY CHALLENGE Back by popular demand, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Nature Bowl 2022: Family Challenge is open, with the deadline to enter Wed., Aug. 31.

CDFW’s North Central Region initiated this familyfriendly competition during the pandemic as a delightful and educational way for families to explore nature close to home — in their backyards, neighborhoods and local wild areas — while having fun outside and working together to complete nature-related activities.

The 2022 challenge includes two scavenger hunts, one provided by CDFW and the other to be created by your family. There is also an extra credit element of cataloging your found items – just like a scientist.

To sign up and receive the Nature Bowl 2022: Family Challenge packet, email genelle.treaster@wildlife.ca.gov . The Family Challenge packet is available at https:// wildlife.ca.gov/Regions/2/Nature-Bowl

Have a virtual or live event you want to promote?

Send your information to info@cyber-times.com by August 8 Auditions for Festival Strings (beginning note-readers) and Cabrillo Strings (intermediate-advanced) will be 3:45-4:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, with a rehearsal following. Festival Strings will meet 4:15-5:45 p.m. and Cabrillo Strings will meet 4:15-5:55 p.m.

String players ages 5 to18 are welcome to join the string orchestral and chamber music programs.

Students must provide their own instruments and bring pencils & music stands.

Covid-19 distancing will be followed. Students and parents must wear N94/95 masks or a double mask that includes a surgical mask outside and inside the music building, except when alone.

A concert is planned for Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. To participate or make contributions, call (831) 479-6101 or visit https://www.cabrillo.edu/cabrillo-youth-strings.

Register through Cabrillo Extension, 479-6331, or extension.cabrillo.edu before the first class.

To enter, from July 25 – Aug. 10, post a favorite picture of your dog on Instagram and tag #SearchforSCCCUBY, or email your photo to marketing@scccu. org and in-clude your name and the name of the dog.

If your dog becomes the next SCCCU mascot, you win a $100 gift card to Western Feed Supply. The runner-up will win a $50 gift card to Mountain Feed Store in Ben Lomond. SCCCUBY will be featured in future marketing campaigns, including a special Instagram feed.

The winner will be announced Aug. 16, at Santa Cruz Community Credit Union’s 45th anniversary party 5-6:30 p.m. at the Soquel branch. https://scccu.org

LA SELVA BEACH LIBRARY ACTIVITIES Hours: Tues-Thurs: 11-6 | Fri-Sat 12-5 | Book drops open 24/7.

Preschool Storytime: Tuesdays, 11 am – noon outside on the patio. Dress for the weather.

Stories for Bedtime: New programs every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Facebook, presented by SCPL Librarian Jackie. The episode then is added to the library’s YouTube Channel after that. See Storytimes for Children playlist at the SCPL YouTube page: https:// www.youtube.com/user/santacruzpl Passionate Readers Book Discussion: 4th Thursday at 10:30 am.

In-Person Tech Help: Fridays 10 am to noon.

Tech-savvy staff will help you troubleshoot your issue with a 25-minute (or less) appointment. Make an appointment: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/appointments/laselva Advance appointments are prioritized. Visit information desk or call 831-427-7713 for help making an appointment. Arriving later than 5 minutes after scheduled time may result in appointment cancellation.

First Fridays: 10:30 a.m. to noon. — Movie Discussion group.

Second Thursday: 10:30 a.m.-noon — Adult Book Discussion.

Thursday, August 25: 10:30 a.m. to noon — Passionate Readers. This month’s selection is Cloud Cuckoo, by Anthony Doerr.

Fourth Friday: Movie Matinee at 10 am. Movie selection to be announced.

••• Visit https://tinyurl.com/la-selva-library-events for more details and future events.

Phone: 831.427.7713; text: 831.264.0647 or send a question at https://www.santacruzpl.org/contact/

SUPPORT FOR MOTHERS OF SURVIVORS Survivors Healing Center is offering online women’s support groups and mothers of survivors of childhood sexual abuse support group. The goals are to empower through a healing process and prevent sexual abuse of children and youth.

You are not alone. You are not to blame.

More info: (831) 423-7601 or www.survivorshealingcenter.org

CANDIDATE FILING CLOSES AUG. 12 If an incumbent does not file, the deadline is extended to Aug. 17.

See votescount.us for more information.

ONGOING EVENTS Tuesdays FARMERS’ MARKET AT RAMSAY PARK 2–6 p.m., Ramsay Park, Watsonville El Mercado is a new farmers’ market hosted by Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley.

There will be healthy locally grown produce, a veggie Rx redemption site, cooking demonstrations and wellness screenings.

Sponsors include Lakeside Organic, Salud Para La Gente and Kaiser Permanente. Visit pvhealthtrust.org/elmercado for more info.

PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT VIA ZOOM 6 to 7:30 p.m., virtual meeting BirchBark Foundation’s Pet Loss and Grief Support Zoom group offers a free support group, moderated by a licensed grief counseling therapist.

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

September The Joint Chiefs • Papiba & Friends • Anthony Arya Band • Sweet Voodoo • The Grand Finale See https://www.eventsantacruz.com/event/midtown-fridayssummer-block-party-2022/ Saturdays thru August 20 MAKE YOUR OWN BOUQUET DAY 9-10 a.m., Flume Road Flowers, 110 Flume Rd, Aptos Flume Road Flowers presents Make Your Own Bouquet Day. Located in a bucolic setting amongst an old apple orchard, enjoy a professional demonstration of bouquet-making. $25/person. Limited space available. Call for reservations at (831) 662-9029. Ask for Amy.

DATED EVENTS Saturday July 30

TRUE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL 10 a.m–Sunset, Aptos Village Park, 100 Aptos Creek Road True Love Christian Music Festival is coming to Aptos Village Park.

An unprecedented gathering of Bay Area churches and Christian musicians and songwriters will join with area nonprofits to provide free music, services (and food) to show the love of Jesus by loving our neighbors.

Shuttle buses provided by Monte Vista Christian School will run from Coastlands Church, Resurrection Church and Twin Lakes Church parking lots to Aptos Village Park throughout the event.

What is true love? The mission of this festival is to engage with our local community and ask and answer this question.

SOQUEL PIONEER PICNIC 11:30 a.m., Pringle Grove, 5270 Pringle Lane, Soquel (Off N. Main St.) The Soquel Pioneer & Historical Association announces the 84th annual Soquel Pioneer Picnic at Pringle Grove.

Guest speaker is Bertram C. Izant, whose grandparents moved to Soquel in 1920 and whose father founded Izant Hardware in 1941. He’s the author of “Memories: Glimpses of Santa Cruz and Soquel From Three Pioneer Families.”

There will be music by the Open Hearts String Old Timey String Band, a chance to browse historical photos, meet longtime friends and make new ones, a raffle of items donated by local merchants & residents and coffee from the Ugly Mug. Bring a picnic for your family; suggested donation is $5. www.soquelpioneers.com/.

CREATE YOUR OWN SUCCULENT ARRANGEMENT 10-11 a.m., UC Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden, Watsonville Join UC Master Gardeners Stephanie Kister-Campbell and Barbara Davidge for a hands-on DIY Succulent Arrangement workshop outdoors at UC Master VENDORS WANTED Gardeners Demonstration Garden.

The Cabrillo Host Lions Club is looking for vendors Learn how to put together an attractive arrangement, for the 2022 Midsummer Magic Market, taking place then create an arrangement to take home.

Saturday, Aug. 20, at Aptos Village Park.

A hat and layers are recommended. Mask recomThe Market features collectables, gifts, art, jewelry, Fridays through Sept 30 mended, maintain 6 feet of distance. produce, and more. What do you have?

Attendance is limited. The $30 fee includes all materials. To MIDTOWN FRIDAYS Canopies on the grass are $30 each. Reservations 5-8:30 p.m., Midtown Square, 1111 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz register, go to mbmg.ucanr.edu are due by July 31.

Proceeds go to Lions local charities. Contact 831-688-3356 Featuring 25 local bands plus local eats and local Sunday July 31 | Aug. 14 artists and vendors.

CABRILLO YOUTH STRINGS FALL SEMESTER for information.

ART AT THE BEACH The live music lineup presented by Off The Lip Radio The Cabrillo Youth Strings Music Program will begin Show includes (in order of appearance): SCCCUBY MASCOT SEARCH 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., City of Capitola Beach its fall semester Friday, Sept. 9. Classes will be s August on consecutive Fridays for nine weeks in the Music Santa Cruz Community Credit Union leaders are looking On these Sundays, there will be booths with quality Building, VAPA, at the campus in Aptos. An entry-level for their next mascot, SCCCUBY. If you have or know a Fuse (Opening – John Michael sings Sinatra) • Pacific artwork including painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry String Orchestra Class, Grades 4-6 Beginning Strings charismatic, canine friend, you might be looking at the Roots (Opening – The Dead Kampers) • John Michael and mixed media from local artists. If you arrive early, you for violin/viola/cello will be offered Fridays, 4-5:15 p.m. next SCCCUBY. Van Halen Tribute Band • Locomotive Breath may be serenaded by the impromptu ukulele players.

28 / August 1st 2022 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Thursdays thru Aug. 11 PVUSD COVID VACCINE/BOOSTER CLINIC 1-5 p.m., 294 Green Valley Road, Watsonville Pajaro Valley Unified School District Office will house a free Inspire Diagnostics COVID-19 vaccines/booster clinic.

Most sessions are in the Boardroom, except July 28, which is in the human resources conference room.

No appointment is needed.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Wednesday August 3 ALZHEIMER’S BUSINESS MIXER 5-7 p.m., Aptos St. BBQ, 8059 Aptos St., Aptos Join the Alzheimer’s Association’s Business Mixer at Aptos St. BBQ to discuss wellness, equity, and longevity in the workforce. Some 57% of employed caregivers had to go into work late, leave early, or take time off due to caregiving demands. Your colleagues could be dementia caregivers whose struggles are never discussed. Support people facing Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

Free admission; register at: https://tinyurl.com/ alz-biz-mixer-2022 (Full URL: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/santa-cruz-walk-to-end-alzheimers-business-mixertickets-377003817567?utm-campaign=social&utmcontent=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb) To register for the Sept. 17 Walk to End Alzheimer’s, see https://act.alz.org/ Questions? Contact Walk manager Meggie Pina, santacruzwalk@alz.org or (831) 900-5903

Friday August 5 thur Sunday August 7 WATSONVILLE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL The Strawberry Festival traces its roots to the Watsonville Strawberry Dessert Festival, founded in 1994 to help downtown recover from the Loma Prieta earthquake.

The Festival provides a safe, family-friendly experience and recognizes the largest and most valuable crop in the Pajaro Valley. It also provides nonprofits an opportunity to raise funds and showcase their work.

The festival is hosted by the city Parks & Community Services Department. There will be food, family activities, vendors, and live entertainment.

Hours: Friday: 5-9 p.m. (carnival only) • Saturday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. • Sunday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Tuesday August 9 RETIREE BBQ 11:30 a.m., Aptos Village Park, 100 Aptos Creek Road Retired Public Employees Association of Santa Cruz County will host their annual BBQ at Aptos Village Park. $10 per person. Reserve by calling 831-476-2960 by Aug. 1.

Dinner for two is $85. Order & view cooking instructions at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/2022-watsonville-rotary-claws-for-a-cause-mainelobster-to-go-fundraiser-tickets-291025815047

Saturday August 20

BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE 3 p.m., London Nelson Community Center, 301 Center St., Santa Cruz The SF Mime Troupe will present Back To the Ways Thursday August 11 Things Were, outdoors at the London Nelson ComPAJARO VALLEY CHAMBER MIXER munity Center, with the band playing at 2:30 p.m.

5-7 p.m., Wheeler & Associates, 17 Aspen Way, Watsonville This new musical, with catchy tunes, features a The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture five-person cast including veteran SF Mime Troupe plans a mixer at accounting firm Wheeler & Associates. collective member Keiko Shimosato Carreiro, who is There will be food, drinks, prizes and networking. joined by Andre Amarotico, Lizzie Calogero, Norman Admission is free.

Gee and Alicia M. P. Nelson. 90-minute family-friendly show, no intermission.

Saturday August 13 Free admission ($20 suggested donation) WATSONVILLE ROTARY: CLAWS FOR A CAUSE WATSONVILLE WINE, BEER AND ART WALK 2-4 p.m., Watsonville Elks Lodge, 121 Martinelli St. 1-5 p.m., Various Locations, Downtown Watsonville The Watsonville Rotary Club Foundation is again The City of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley Chamber offering “Claws for a Cause” Maine Lobster DriveThrough Dinner Fundraiser at Watsonville Elks Lodge. of Commerce and Agriculture present the 3rd Annual Last year’s event netted close to $30,000 for youth. Wine, Beer and Art Walk. The event was paused for two years due to COVID-19.

Patrons and sponsors raved about the food.

Event goers will receive a wine glass, a tote Same delicious menu this year with this change from vendor New England Lobster Co.:This year’s dinners will bag and passport book featuring all downtown locations for one tasting at each site. Sample up NOT be pre-cooked to take home and reheat. All the food is fresh, so you take it home & cook it — ready to to 22 wineries and breweries in historic downtown Watsonville, plus tasty food and artwork by local serve in 30 minutes in a steampot on your stovetop.

Includes 1¼ lb. lobsters (or tails if requested), shrimp, artists.

Early bird tickets are $35, and $40 after Aug. 6 at corn on the cob, sausages, artichokes, potatoes, garlic, and sourdough baguette — lobster bibs, lobster https://tinyurl.com/eventbrite-2022-PVwalk The last time it was held, this event sold out. crackers and placemat included.

Saturday August 20 Sunday August 21 SCOTTS VALLEY ART WINE & BEER FESTIVAL 10 a.m., Skypark, 361 Kings Village Road The Scotts Valley Art Wine & Beer Festival returns to Skypark, featuring 100+ artists, local wineries and breweries, and live music.

Visit https://www.svartfestival.com for more details Order tasting kits $25-$40 online, at https:// svartwinebeerfest.regfox.com/2022-pre-sale-drink-tastingkits-festival-weekend-sales

Saturday August 27 ‘NO RESPECT!’ PLAYS AT 14TH ANNUAL TESTICLE FESTIVAL 3-7 p.m., Estrada Deer Camp, Watsonville The 14th Annual Testicle Festival, put on by the Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee of the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, will be at Estrada Deer Camp.

The “No Respect!” band, known for their wide range of songs from rock n’ roll to Latin, will entertain.

Local chef Loretta Estrada, will prepare the Rocky Mountain oysters and firefighter Derek Witmer will barbecue the chicken. The price is $60 for adults, $30 for children 6-12 and free for children under 5. There will be a raffle, live and silent auction plus Cow Pie Bingo.

Attendees will be able to vote on their favorites entered in “It’s All in the Sauce” Contest.

For information, visit www.Agri-Culture.us or buy tickets at www.eventbrite.com (search for “Testicle Festival” in Watsonville). n

Hit the Ground Running!

Registration Fairs Fall ’22 Semester • On-site Registration Support • Financial Aid Counseling • Assistance Uploading Vaccination Records • Student Support Services • Aptos Campus Tues, Aug 9th 2–6pm

• Watsonville Center Thurs, Aug 11th 4–7pm

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Aptos Times / August 1st 2022 / 29

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Pajaro River Levee Project Crosses Milestone

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

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ver the past 70 years, the communities of Watsonville and Pajaro have lived under the shadow of inadequate flood protection from the levees that protect homes and property along the Pajaro River and tributaries. The existing levees that protect the communities were built in 1949 and have not been significantly improved since.

Today, these levees provide only an 8-year level of flood protection, believed to provide the lowest of any federal flood control system in California and one of the lowest in the United States.

However, in the last year significant progress has been made to bring the levee rebuild project toward reality — including a major milestone that just recently occurred — passage of a local assessment for ongoing operations and maintenance.

This step, allows for the activation of a historic level of state and federal funding ($400 million) that has been committed to rebuild the levees. As part of the funding requirements, however, the local community must promise to maintain levees to strict federal regulations. The cost of the

ongoing operations and maintenance is about $1.2 million annually.

Property owners near the levee were asked to support an assessment to fund this ongoing operations and maintenance and nearly 80 percent voted in favor ensuring this unlocking of the historic state and federal investments.

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What Is The Proposed Project?

he federal flood management project, sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will provide a 100-year flood protection to Watsonville and Pajaro and a mix of 100-year and 25-year flood protection to some of the other surrounding agricultural areas in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties).

Per capita income in these communities is less than half the state and national averages. This project will provide significant life and economic safety improvements to both counties and even eliminate flood insurance costs for those within the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area.

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What Is The Project Cost?

he $400 million project will include construction of levees and improvements, toinclude setback levees, along the lower Pajaro River and its tributaries. It will be managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency and the CA Department of Water Resources.

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How Will The Project Be Funded?

unding such a costly project has been one of the largest challenges.

However, in the last year we

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have worked extensively with our state and federal partners on ways to position the project for funding — with innumerable meetings with the White House, Congress, Army Corps and state legislative leaders.

In the past year, our area has received historic investments from the state and federal level — and as noted above — a local assessment that helps put the project on track to construction.

These federal projects have cost-share requirements with local communities — in this case the federal government would pay 65 percent and the local community 35 percent.

The State of California agreed to fund 100 percent of the local cost share — up to $181 million of project costs. According to conversations with the Army Corps and White House, our community is the only in the country to have the state commit to such funding.

Additionally, the White House announced that they have put $67 million of federal funding into the project as part of the Administration’s infrastructure funding that they are focusing on environmental and social justice projects.

Approximately $5 million in additional funding has already been provided by the Army Corps as part of the planning and design process. Additional federal funding is expected as the phases of the project are built — equating to the 65 percent total federal cost share. The local ongoing operations and maintenance ($1.2 million) will be raised through the recentlyapproved assessment.

What Is The Status Of The Project?

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ork has begun in earnest to set the stage for levee reconstruction. The Army Corps and local sponsors have begun the pre-construction engineering and design phase. The Corps started initial work that will support design sections along the Corralitos and Salsipuedes Creek

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corridor. The Army Corps awarded a contract to an engineering firm to develop the designs and specifications for the flood control facilities to be built along this portion of the project.

Initial work in support of design includes geotechnical subsurface investigation and subsurface data collection.

This work began in late spring — which included collecting nearly 200 rights-ofentry throughout the project footprint along the Corralitos and Salsipuedes Creek corridor.

A secondary contract was awarded by the Corps to conduct topographic surveying within these areas in support of design. Cultural and environmental survey work will begin this summer to support project design and State Historic Preservation Office and Tribal coordination requirements, and to update the Project’s Programmatic Agreement. It is expected that initial design for these sections (35% plans and specifications) will be completed this fall.

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How Can You Learn More?

ith the approval of the assessment, a new Community Assessment Oversight Committee to represent the interests of property owners in the expenditure of assessment revenues will be created. The Committee would review financial reports, annual audit documents, and annual budget proposals and report back to the community on its findings. If you are interested in serving on this committee, or want to learn more about the project in general, check out the PRFMA website at https:// www.prfma.org — or you can always contact me below. n ••• As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue).

I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook.com/supervisorfriend and you can always call me at 454-2200.

SCCAS Featured Pet

COMMUNITY NEWS

Local Musicians Salute John Sandidge August 20-21

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Meet Shaggy!

his charming fella is sure to win your heart – just look at his handsome tricolor face!

Shaggy is looking for a new place to call home because his family was moving and couldn’t bring him along.

Shaggy loves carrots, romaine lettuce, kale, and lots of hay!

We are sure he will love a home that will give him some space to stretch his little legs and lots of boxes and toys to play with.

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

By Jondi Gumz

eems like “Sleepy John” Sandidge, If you listen KPIG, — 107 oink 5 — the KPIG radio host and entrepreneur you’ve probably heard them all. behind Snazzy Productions would be Sandidge has produced 700+ events around forever.

— I remember well Robert Earl Keen at the Yet all things must come to an end, and Rio, with everyone singing along. Every Sandidge is saying farewell after Sunday morning from 10 to 12, 40 years. he’s there in the sty, hosting live Local musicians are making musicians. sure he’ll go out with a big thankHe’s well past qualifying for you, putting on a “Locals Only” Medicare, but his expertise can’t concert Aug. 20-21 at the Santa be beat.

Cruz County Fairgrounds in Tickets are: $40 per day, Watsonville.

2-day pass, $70, kids 13-17, $25, Saturday: Bean Creek, Patti 2-day pass $35. Parking pass John Sandidge $10. Kids 12 & under free with Maxine, Mira Goto & Band, Bonny June & Bonfire, Sharon Allen & Dusty Boots. parent/guardian. See https://www.snazSunday: Alex Lucero & LiveAgain, zyproductions.com/ Or call 479-9421.

RosaAzul, Space Heater, Coffis Brothers, Who can replace him as a music show Keith Greeninger and Dayan Kai, Michael producer?

Gaither, Carolyn Sills Combo, A.J. Lee and You tell me.

Blue Summit.

Thank you, John Sandidge. n

crossword on 25 »

••• 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

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