Coastal Cleanup Needs You

COMMUNITY NEWS

Coastal Cleanup Needs You!

Save Our Shores needs volunteers for the largest cleanup event of the year, Annual Coastal Cleanup Day, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 17.

Save Our Shores has been the regional coordinator for this event since the early 1980s, and now this event is recognized statewide as the California Coastal Cleanup, part of International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Last year, Save Our Shores coordinated 62 cleanup sites resulting in 4,800+ pounds of debris removed from the environment by 1,774 volunteers.

For the second year Krista Rogers will coordinate the day for Save Our Shores.

Here are some common items polluting the aquatic habitat and alternative products.

Produce Bags

PROBLEM : Produce bags are typically made from polyethylene or other plastic film. They’re often single use and thrown into the landfill or reused as dog-poop bags (and often left on beaches).

SOLUTION: Use reusable/washable produce bags made from natural fibers when possible. Ethos sells them locally.

As for those poop bags, well the solution isn’t as straight forward. Corn-based “biodegradable” ones are probably the most reliably able to break down, but they still take a long time to get there. One Green Planet has some interesting solutions.

Plastic Utensils

PROBLEM: Plastic utensils are typically single-use and it can be hard to tell whether they are recyclable, compostable, or landfill bound.

In reality, most are not actually recyclable. Nor do compostable ones break down all that readily without employing specific composting methods – our system is just not set up for it.

SOLUTION: Opt for reusable sets that are easy to travel with. You can purchase lightweight bamboo sets that easily stash in your car, purse, or backpack.

Or use your metal utensils from home. A little more work for you, but it’s a lot less work for our environment. :)

Cling Wrap

PROBLEM: Cling wrap is typically made from Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVC) or Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and has been correlated to disruption of the human hormone system.

SOLUTION: Silicone stretch lids OR – even better – beeswax wrap. n •••

Sign up for the cleanup at: saveourshores. org/coastal-cleanup/.

“Good Jobs Challenge” from page 16

For example, colleges engage employers through faculty who have connections to industry, and take students on field trips to employer sites, invite employers to speak during class, and identify other ways to drive engagement between employers and students. This is a lot of work for faculty, and there is not a centralized way to connect students to employers at a pace to meet workforce needs, according to the foundation.

The Hub will identify solutions to provide centralized support, including through Career Catalyst or existing technology platforms that connect and place trainees with employers. During the first two phases of the project, additional employers will be identified.

An employer advisory committee aims to ensure industry partners drive design and deployment of training programs.

Surveys of employers will be used to solicit feedback on key hard skills, such as safe equipment operation, fire safety and sustainable forest practices, and soft skills such as reliability, dependably, honesty, and work ethic.

In exchange for participating, employers gainaccesstomorequalifiedworkers,resources to help them improve their business practices such as equitable hiring and retention strategies to mitigate staff turnover, and partnerships with training programs to ensure trainees develop skills that meet their needs.

Processes for engaging employers will be solidified during the first two phases of the project.

In 2019, California’s utility companies called for an additional 2,950 qualified workers to clear power lines of vegetation to reduce fire danger.

In partnership with industry, Butte College developed standardized utility vegetation management training programs.

Its Utility Line Clearance Arborist training successfully placed 169 men and 37 women in jobs by 2022.

The second program, Utility Vegetation Management Pre-Inspector, has seen 45 job placements.

Through Senate Bill 247, companies are required to pay arborists prevailing wages.

Butte College’s role will be to partner with FoundationCCC to increase enrollments via the Utility Arborist Association, Tree Care Industry Association, and International Society of Arboriculture.

The University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and Colorado Utility Sector Partners provided a letter of support expressing a desire to replicate Butte College’s program.

The United States is overdue and ready for a standardized Utility Vegetation Management workforce development program, according to the foundation.

CSU Chico, a designated Hispanic-serving institution, has training programs and relationships with the 7,835-acre Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, the North State Planning and Development Collective and the Northern Rural Training and Employment Consortium.

The reserve is eyed as a prime spot for training on prescribed burns.

CSU Chico will cultivate relationships with tribal governments in thc region it serves through its tribal liaison working on campus.

Other partners are Feather River College, Lake Tahoe Community College, Reedley College, Shasta College, Sierra Business Council University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, California Conservation Corps, Cal Fire and tribes working with Hub partners. n

“Capitola Supports WCH” from page 14

Partners Salud Para La Gente and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County have made commitments. Palacios was loath to get a private loan, because the fees would be more than $250,000.

“This entire project is an extraordinary testimony to the generosity of our community and the strength of our region’s leaders,” said Susan True, CEO of the Community Foundation. “From Senator John Laird’s heroic work on Senate Bill 418 to establish the new health care district, to County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios pulling together a team and resources, to Salud Para La Gente CEO Dori Rose Indra’s persistent work to keep all the pieces together, to Steven Salyer’s work to run the hospital, and so many more. It has taken many hands.”

Palacios said the hospital’s payor mix is 50% MediCal and 30% Medicare, and government reimburses less than private insurance. A new business plan maps out a turnaround in one year, and Palacios is confident that can happen based on Natividad Medical Center and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, as both have a balanced budget.

Jamine Najera, Joe Gallagher and Marcus Pimental are candidates for two seats on the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project board in the Nov. 8 election. n

To donate, see http://www.cfscc.org/ PajaroValleyHealth.

“PVUSD Appointments” from page 18

Jorge Bermudez will be assistant principal at Rolling Hills Middle. A graduate of Pajaro Valley High, he was a teacher at New School. Before that, he taught 6th and 7th graders in Washington State. He also served as the lead academic intern for the Gear Up program at Watsonville High. He has a bachelor’s in psychology from UCSC, and is working on his master’s in educational leadership from CSU Monterey Bay.

Judith Woods is the new assistant principal of Lakeview Middle School. She joined the school in 2003, working as activities director, department chair, Washington DC trip lead teacher and has been on the site leadership team. She has a bachelor ‘s from the UC Santa Cruz in modern literature and a teaching credential from CSU Monterey Bay. She earned her administrative credential from the Leaders in Educational Administration program through Santa Clara County.

Blanca Madriz is the new assistant principal of E.A. Hall Middle School. She graduated from Watsonville High School and got a bachelor’s degree in from CSU Monterey Bay as well as her multiple-subject credential. She has a master’s degree in administration ands supervision and administrative services credential from San Jose State. She joined PVUSD in 2011 as a reading intervention teacher at Hall District. Her most recent role was after school coordinator at E.A. Hall and Mintie White Elementary. n