History Comes To Light, By Jondi Gumz NAMI Basics Class Starts March 9 • New Superintendent for Mountain School District • Santa Cruz Symphony Scholarship Deadline • Sewer Rehab Means Traffic Delays • FTB Suspends Tax Refund Offset • New board chair at Rail & Trail Friends • Hunting, Fishing Rules Go Digital

NAMI Basics Class Starts March 9

NAMI Basics is a free 6-week education program for parents and family caregivers of children and teens who are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness or whom have already been diagnosed. The next series is 6-8 p.m. March 9 on Zoom.

NAMI Basics is offered in a group setting so you can connect with other people. You’ll learn the facts about mental health conditions and how best to support your child at home, at school and when they’re getting medical care.

You’ll find out that you’re not alone.

Recovery is a journey, and there is hope. The group setting of NAMI Basics provides mutual support and shared positive impact—you can experience compassion and reinforcement from people who understand your situation. You also can help others with your own experience.

Topics include: Managing crises, solving problems and communicating effectively; how to handle stress; advocating for your child’s rights at school and in health care settings; current treatments, including evidence-based therapies, medications and side effects; and understanding the challenges and impact of mental health conditions on your entire family.

To register, visit https://www. namiscc.org/nami-basics.html

For a free Basics on Demand, visit https://publiccourseapi.nami.org/ Learner/Login?ReturnUrl=%2F •••

New Superintendent for Mountain School District

Megan Tresham, principal at Cypress High School in Live Oak, will become superintendent/principal of Mountain Elementary School District in Soquel on July 1, succeeding Diane Morgenstern, who held the post for 11 years.

Tresham, who has worked at Cypress High School since 2006 and become principal Megan Tresham in 2016, said she is excited to have a new opportunity.

Mountain School with about 120 students in kindergarten through sixth grade has a long history — founded in 1869 in the redwoods above Soquel village — and is known for parent support and awardwinning programs.

Tresham is looking forward to transitioning students and teachers from distance learning to in-person learning.

With that change on the horizon, she will be listening to the concerns of the community.

Morgenstern is retiring after more than 40 years in education. She hopes to travel, but expects to remain connected to Mountain School.

••• Santa Cruz Symphony Scholarship Deadline

The Santa Cruz Symphony is accepting applications for the 2021 Mueller Scholarship Program with the deadline to apply being April 1.

These scholarships will be used for “needy and deserving children” to pay for private lessons, youth ensembles, or youth music camperships. Individual grants usually range from $300-$1000.

Music students who are under 17 as of July 1, 2021 and residents of Santa Cruz County are encouraged to apply. Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of financial need, a regular practice schedule, and a demonstrated commitment of at least one year with an orchestral instrument.

Applications are at https://santacruz symphony.org/mueller-scholarships •••

Sewer Rehab Means Traffic Delays

The Santa Cruz County Sanitation District announces that the intersection of 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive will be subject to traffic delays with potential lane closures between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., from Feb. 10, through April 7, weather permitting.

These delays and lane closures are necessary for sanitary sewer improvements. Questions may be directed to Dan Valley at (831) 454-2373.

For up-to-date information on County maintained roads in Santa Cruz County, visit: http://www.sccroadclosure.org/ •••

FTB Suspends Tax Refund Offset

On Feb. 22, the Franchise Tax Board suspended its income tax refund offset program until July 31, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We hope this suspension will offer additional relief for taxpayers,” said State Controller and FTB Chair Betty T. Yee.

FTB temporarily suspended collection activities of the Interagency Intercept Collection (IIC) Program to provide relief to taxpayers in keeping with Governor Gavin Newsom’s March 12, 2020, executive order. This means state tax refunds will not be reduced to offset taxpayer debts for parking citations, tolls, and various fines.

Debts for child support are the exception and will continue to be collected.

Taxpayers in financial hardship can apply for a payment installment plan online, by phone, or by mail. This includes court-ordered debts.

If a taxpayer receives a wage garnishment, bank levy, or tax lien, FTB will work with the taxpayer, which may include modifying or releasing a garnishment or levy, placing a hold on the collection account, or accepting an offer in compromise.

For suspended corporations and limited liability companies, FTB offers expedited services to revive the business for those prepared to file and pay the balance now or in the near future.

For help, see https://www.ftb. ca.gov/help/contact/phone-fax.html •••

New board chair at Rail & Trail Friends

This year, Live Oak resident Faina Segal will chair the board of the Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail & Trail known as FORT.

“Transportation infrastructure in our county should reflect our shared values of inclusion, equity, sustainability, and economic opportunity for all,” said Segal, who joined the Friends of the Rail & Trail Board of Directors in 2019. A customer experience manager for

Faina Segal Cisco, she grew up in Watsonville and is passionate about improving access to opportunities for students in South County.

“FORT has been instrumental in advocating for expanded public transportation in Santa Cruz County, which I believe is a keystone investment to building a more equitable and sustainable future for our county,” Segal said. “I am honored to have this opportunity to give back to my community by being a part of this movement.”

She has commuted via Metro bus to Cabrillo, UC Santa Cruz and San Jose. Since graduating from UC San Diego in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in history and minor in engineering, she has worked in Silicon Valley building global partnerships.

Sally Arnold, FORT board chair for 2019 and 2020, credited Segal’s organizational and marketing experience with helping the group modernize its use of technology to improve communication with the community.

FORT is promoting the “Coast Connect” vision of a 32-mile coastal rail trail from Watsonville to Davenport, eco-friendly passenger rail between Watsonville and Santa Cruz, synchronized bus connections, and safe streets for biking and walking. •••

Hunting, Fishing Rules Go Digital

As part of an effort to go paperless, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is transitioning to a digital format for its 2021 hunting and fishing regulations booklets and Big Game Hunting Digest.

Booklets will no longer be printed and shipped to license agents or customers, but electronic versions of the booklets will be available online.

“Not only is this shift best for the environment because of the reduction of many thousands of short-term paper booklets being produced, the cost to print and ship the booklets is significant,” said CDFW Wildlife and Fisheries Division Deputy Director Stafford Lehr. “Another benefit is that the money saved by going paperless will be redirected to fish and wildlife conservation.”

The transition to paperless regulations booklets follows a two-year effort to reduce the number of hard copy booklets printed and shipped to license agents and is consistent with the governor’s directive to reduce paper use.

As in past years, digital booklets are available at wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations and can be downloaded as PDFs to your computer, cellular phone or other electronic device. Hunters and anglers are encouraged to download the digital booklets to their mobile devices and familiarize themselves with the format before hunting and/or fishing trips. •••

Visit Santa Cruz County Seeks Nominations

Visit Santa Cruz County is accepting nominations for its 25-member Board of Directors. The deadline to submit nomination forms is Tuesday, March 16.

The board has representatives from regions of the county, 13 lodging seats and a cross-section of representatives of businesses, cultural, governmental and organizations with affiliation to the travel and tourism industry. Responsibilities include participation in governance of the organization, advocacy for the tourism industry, and active participation at board meetings six times per year. Board terms are two years and begin July 1.

The Nominating Task Force will review all nominees. For a nominating form, visit https://www.santacruz.org/wp-content/ uploads/2021/02/2021-Board-Nominating-Form-Application-fillable.pdf n •••

For info, email dharris@santacruz.org n