Cap/Aptos Rotary Hosts Speech Contest, By Brenda Mee • Battle of

By Brenda Mee

Eleven young humans are making a difference by connecting to the world around them! As a Rotary community, we clearly saw and heard that our future is bright.

Listening to our youth speak out on the topic “Rotary Connects the World” gave hope to all who listened.

Original speeches were written and recited by 11 students from Aptos and Soquel high schools when the Capitola Aptos Rotary Club hosted the local speech contest on Feb. 6.

Students were judged on adherence to the theme, vocal delivery, integration of the 4 Way Test and overall effectiveness. They were all amazing!

Emily Marshall Niswonger took first place in the contest. In second was

Andrew Morrisey, and Jocelyn Castillo took third.

The Rotary Clubs of District 5170 sponsored the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest with three goals in mind: • To increase the personal knowledge and awareness of the importance of

being able to speak effectively before a group. • To increase public knowledge of what Rotary is and does throughout the world, especially among young people. • To increase participation in the contest and to provide all high school Winners will progress to the Regional and District levels beginning March 5. ••• F or more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

The Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club meets on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. at Seascape Golf Club in Aptos. Join us for lunch, mingling and an amazing speaker. We also host a Happy Hour every first Monday of the month. Bring the whole family and join us for our next beach cleanup. n For information about Rotary, call Brenda Mee, 831-239-7011.

COMMUNITY NEWS

8 / March 2020 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com Battle of the Bands March 21 T he City of Capitola Art & Cultural C o m m i s s i o n is hosting a youth Battle of the Bands at New Brighton Middle School at 5 p.m. March 21.

Six to eight bands composed of musicians 19 and under will be chosen by the commission’s music selection committee.

For more info, contact kbarreto@ ci.capitola.ca.us

••• Registration Opens for Boardwalk Fun Run R egistration is now open for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s 2nd Annual Fun Run on April 5. A discount is available if you register by March 13.

The family-friendly run includes a 1K race through the Boardwalk for kids age 12 and under, and a 5K race through the Boardwalk and up the San Lorenzo River for runners age 4 and up.

All runners will receive a finisher medal, $5 MyBoardwalk Card, and up to 2 hours of free-play in the Casino Arcade. Runners also receive an $8 discount for All-Day Rides on race day.

Registration is $45 for the 5K and $25 for the 1K. A portion of all registrations benefits Camp Opportunity, a free camp for foster children in Santa Cruz County.

To register visit beachboardwalk.com/ Fun-Run

••• Helping Women on International Women’s Day Edward Jones Presents ‘Dresses & Desserts’ on March 18 K ristin Asimakoupoulos at Edward Jones has come up with a way to celebrate International Women’s Day, and help local women in need.

It’s called “Dresses & Desserts.” Drop in between 4-6 p.m. on Wed., March 18, at Jeremy Geels’ Edward Jones’ office (2121 41st Ave., Suite #209, Capitola) to donate gently used women’s clothing (including purses, shoes, jewelry) and mix and mingle with the women of Santa Cruz County. Cash or checks cannot be accepted.

Annette Hunt, owner of Curves of Aptos, is offering her location, 7000 Soquel Drive, Aptos, as a drop-off site for donors from March 1-18.

All donated items will be given to the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Shelter in Santa Cruz.

RSVP to Kristin.asimakoupoulos@ edwardjones.com or 831-462-8242. •••

Groundwater Plan Debuts T he Groundwater Sustainability Plan for the Santa Cruz Mid-County Basin was posted to the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Portal on Feb. 19. The public comment period for the plan will be open for 75 days following the posted date.

For information, or to submit comments to the Department of Water Resources during the public comment period, visit: http://sgma. water.ca.gov/portal

••• House a Shakespearean This Summer S anta Cruz Shakespeare seeks modestlypriced, furnished rentals that have a private entrance, bath, and kitchen, from mid-June to midSeptember, with some shorter term options for actors for the summer season.

Also needed: donated guest rooms within family homes for interns and other company members. Perks include free show tickets and acknowledgment in our season program. Contact Sue Dormanen at sue@santacruzshakespeare.org or call at 831-460-6396 x8. ••• Nikki Silva of NPR to speak March 11 N ikki Silva, co-author of “Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes, and More from NPR’s The Kitchen Sisters,” a 2005 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, will speak 1-:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nikki Silva

March 11, at Porter Memorial Library, 3050 Porter St., Soquel, as part of the Meet the Author series.

Silva is co-executive producer of the award-winning public radio team. The Kitchen Sisters are creators of hundreds of stories for NPR, podcast and public broadcast about the lives, histories, art and rituals of people, famous and unsung who have shaped our diverse cultural heritage. At each Meet the Author, local authors discuss their works, answer questions and autograph their books. They are free of charge and open to the public. Coffee is provided by The Ugly Mug.

Parking is available behind the library. Enter from Soquel Drive into the Bagelry parking lot and drive through to the left. www.porterml.org ••• Vaidehi Campbell Williams: Celebration of Life V aidehi’s family and friendswillcelebrate her life at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos at 11 a.m. March 28.

She was among those who lost their lives aboard the diving boat Conception.

Campbell worked for the Soquel Creek Water District 18 years. As the district’s communications specialist, her career was spent sharing with the community her exuberance for the district’s mission to conserve water resources. RSVP at tinyurl.com/VaidehiRSVP n Vaidehi Williams

I would like to help change this community so it is always safe around neighborhood and parks. I would like to have bike riders be able to lock their bikes and not have to constantly worry about bike thefts.

Theft, break ins and crime in general have surged in the county over last 10 years and I feel no one is addressing this. I would like to make our community safer for everyone.

We live in an amazing area on Monterey Bay and we should continue to promote our environmental, recycling and education programs and consider entering the Blue Zone Project.

Mark Esquibel I f I’m elected I will address Hwy 1 gridlock and the lack of resources for infrastructure and roads. My second priority is public health and safety which would be addressing the Needle Exchange Program and the threat it poses to our community on a daily basis. Homelessness and the mental health crisis that is apparent everywhere from veterans, like my dad who is a Decorated Vietnam Veteran, to the individuals that need a hand up due to rising costs of housing and taxes. Mark Esquibel

Including drugs and drug addicts who are taking advantage of the system and lessening the moral fabric of our society. I fully oppose Measure R and the 30-year tax bond that will be imposed on homeowners, affecting our seniors and anyone on a fixed income as well as affecting the rental prices in our community. We need a more comprehensive and conservative approach to our budget and the pension of our First Responders and county workers. The fact that we are discussing a fiscal budget crisis and possible lack of funding for pensions is irresponsible and unacceptable to me, a true local who was born and raised in this community and has attended every school in the District. Everybody agrees that we need more affordable housing but

no one is talking about the water and power infrastructure needed for these homes or the associated cost.

We need to have a comprehensive plan that addresses these three options: 1. Size of Loch Lomond 2. Recovering our water 3. Desal or waste water treatment I fully oppose the Rail/Trail option and I am for Trail only. We are an active community that does not need a railroad log jamming the beach community when we already have a log jam on our highways. I lived here when the train used to lock up every intersection from the boardwalk to Aptos. If you think getting your children to school now, wait until you have a train blocking you for half an hour. n

“Measure V” from page 4

“We developed a senior exemption form ahead of time,” he said. “We’ve already received 200 forms. We mailed it directly to seniors. It brought peace of mind to people. It shows a good faith effort. When you’re on a fixed income, every dollar really matters.”

The form gives seniors 65 and older an opportunity to opt out of paying the tax, which if approved would appear on property tax bills due in December. “Losing last time by such few votes, we know we need to target those who voted no or didn’t vote at all,” Trowbridge said. “If you are over 65, even if you don’t have to pay, you can show you value the welfare of our community with a yes vote.” This year’s campaign has already mailed four flyers to parents to ask for their support.

Anyone receiving Supplemental Security Income for a disability could request an exemption and so could anyone receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits whose yearly income does not exceed 250 percent of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines.

,Joining Trowbridge in submitting a ballot statement in support were Angelo DeBernardo, Jr., a banker, Capitola council member Yvette Brooks, Carissa Lemos, president of the Soquel Education Association, and Sandra Wallace, member of the board of directors of For Kids Foundation Monterey Bay.

In their argument, they write:

“District 2” from page 6

If I am elected, the people will once again be treated equally and with respect. If they are given the honest facts and asked to be involved in developing a solution, they will, and the outcome will be positive for the future triple-bottom line.

If I am elected, the public process will improve such that people are involved in a meaningful way in issues that affect them, and I will be responsive to their concerns. I will work to pass a flagging and staking ordinance for proposed developments to alert the public to projects early in the permit process so they are not caught by surprise and have no meaningful way to have their concerns and ideas addressed other than reactive legal action. Regular town hall meetings and constituent hours during evening and weekends will allow working people to participate.

I will work hard to ensure those who care about issues are apprised of their progress, even if the project is stalled, by initiating a database Distrct 2 to automatically send notice of project activity to anyone who expressed interest.

I will support increasing the inclusionary affordable housing to 20%, and require it apply to projects of rental units as well as for-sale units. I will work hard to cooperatively support UC Santa Cruz building on-campus housing for increasing student enrollment and staff, as well as support land-use policy changes to allow Cabrillo College to provide limited oncampus student housing. This will bring relief to those who live here and struggle to find housing they can afford while reducing traffic congestion.

I will require cost/benefit analysis of all nonprofits funded by county taxpayers, and ensure any organizations under investigation are not funded. I will fund County Fire with 15% of the $18 million received annually in Proposition 172 public safety tax monies.

If I am elected, people can expect to see a Board of Supervisor public discussion of important issues, rather than countless unanimous votes with no questions asked of staff. n

“Great teachers are essential for student achievement. However, Santa Cruz County is one of the most expensive places to live in the country and many of our teachers and staff struggle to afford to live here. Measure V will help attract and retain the highest quality teachers so that kids in all our schools have access to the best education possible. Without Measure V our local schools will face deep cuts to academic programs for students, teachers will be laid off and class sizes will increase. We need Measure V to keep qualified and experienced teachers in our classrooms.’”

Further, they write, “All funds from Measure V will be spent right here in our local schools and cannot be taken by the state.”

This measure calls for a Citizen’s Oversight Committee consisting of parents and representatives of the community at large chosen to monitor spending. Survey results A survey by Isom Advisors in September of 359 households found 72 percent would vote yes on a parcel tax for the Soquel school district.

Mentioning the funds can’t be taken by the state got more than 67 percent saying they were more likely to support the tax as did mention that the Soquel and Capitola community is one of the most expensive in the nation and teachers and staff struggle to afford to live there.

At the conclusion of the survey, 82 percent said they would vote yes for the parcel tax. n

••• Photos Credit: Jondi Gumz ••• Cover Photo: Colleen Dunn, left, and Sarah Donovan, parents at Soquel Elementary School, volunteer to sell popcorn for $1 a bag to raise money for the school. Sales happen every Wednesday.