19 minute read
mation!, By Rebecca Gold Rubin Exploring Criminal Justice Reforms, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second
By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District
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The Criminal Justice Council of Santa Cruz County was created more than 30 years ago in an effort to provide increased coordination and cooperation between criminal justice partners — government, non-profit, educational and others — to reduce youth involvement in gangs.
The Criminal Justice Council, or CJC, focuses discussions on prevention and intervention as well as reentry programs — rather than simply a suppression model.
For example, a little over a year ago the CJC hosted a conference on the role of women and girls in gangs. The conference afforded criminal justice and community service providers and the com- munity at-large an opportunity to hear from experts on the role of women and girls in gangs as well as a panel of young women with lived experience in gangs.
This is a rarelydiscussed facet of gang involvement and one that the CJC felt was important to highlight in order to improve how community-based outreach occurs to women/girls in gangs. As a result of the conference, agencies began looking into outreach efforts to this population and ways they could improve reaching women and girls who are in, or may join, gangs.
Additionally, the CJC has worked with school districts, nonprofits and others on intervention and prevention programs to reduce youth involvement in gangs in general. From supporting educational efforts, nonprofit sporting leagues, conferences that provide viewpoints from those with lived experience and more. The CJC does these events with volunteers and small contributions from the member agencies.
Who Is On The CJC?
Awide variety of community public safety partners serve on the CJC.
Local police chiefs, the county sheriff, the chief probation officer, district attorney, leadership of two local nonprofits, two local judges, the public defender, the county superintendent of schools, the president of Cabrillo College, two county supervisors, elected representatives from the local cities and more participate.
It’s a diverse group that, having participation from local education and nonprofit social program providers, helps create discussions beyond just backend suppression activity toward front-end prevention opportunities.
Focus This Year This year, the CJC decided to focus our efforts on law enforcement policies and procedures and working to standardize (where possible) some policies across the county. Many local agencies have begun to implement reforms — including policies around warrants and community contact. But often these policies aren’t known and if they don’t exist there isn’t necessarily a standard in understanding where the gaps are or how current policies can be improved.
With these diverse perspectives at the table this year, CJC is hoping to create a model for criminal justice efforts such as communicating existing policies and creating greater criminal justice reforms — including policy and procedure updates.
To Learn More
The CJC meets quarterly and these meetings are open to the public. Over the last year (and into the foreseeable future) these meetings have been virtual. The next meeting of the CJC is on May 13 at 3 p.m. As an all-volunteer organization we are still working on a website with more information on the CJC and future/ upcoming meetings (the website is santacruzcjc.org) but you are always welcome to call my office and we can provide you with the link for attending.
For the last few years I’ve served as chair of the CJC and would be happy to provide additional information. n •••
If you have any questions about the CJC, or any other matters in our district, please don’t hesitate to call me at 454-2200. I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook. com/supervisorfriend regarding COVID updates and other County-related matters.
CAPITOLA VILLAGE EASTER EGG SCAVENGER HUNT Check In: Weekdays 8:30 a.m - 4:30 p.m., Capitola Community Center, 4400 Jade St. Last Day to turn in Game Card: April 2 Kids 12 and under are invited to join an Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt co-hosted by the Capitola-Soquel Chamber of Commerce March 19 to April 2 in Capitola Village. Twenty participating businesses including sponsor Capitola Candy Café have hidden an official “Easter Egg” (colorful, laminated 8.5x11 egg cutout) at their business.
Hunters search for the hidden eggs, and get a stamp/signature on their game card — ask for it at participating businesses or print out at https://master. capitolachamber.com/events/details/capitola-villageeaster-egg-scavenger-hunt-2698
To keep the event COVID-safe, hidden eggs will be visible to hunters, without having to move or touch anything. At the end of your hunt, bring your stamped game card to Capitola Recreation at the Capitola Community Center (weekdays only) to exchange for candy-filled egg prizes. Maximum 15 per child / while supplies last.
JOB BOARD ONLINE The Santa Cruz job market is picking up steam. Startups to established enterprises have open positions across countless work areas and industries. Software engineers, recruiters and more are all in high demand. As the local economy regains momentum, there are increasing opportunities for new hires.
Joby Aviation has more than 100 open roles! ProductOps, Amazon, Blix, Santa Cruz Bikes, Zero Motorcycles and many more are looking for their next top hires.
Every week Santa Cruz Works features a fresh catch of new jobs in at https://www.santacruzworks.org/jobs where employers and job-hunters can post for free. Details: https://www.santacruzworks.org/news/companieshiring-in-santa-cruz-and-beyond
OPEN STUDIOS APPLICATION DEADLINE Friday, April 30, Midnight Arts Council Santa Cruz County is making plans for the 2021 Open Studios Art Tour following guidelines for health and safety. The dates are: South County Oct 2-3, North County Oct 9-10, and all county Oct 16-17.
All Santa Cruz County visual artists over age 18 are invited to apply to be a part of this event where local artists invite the public to experience art at the source. The deadline to apply is midnight, April 30. Open Studios & Events Director Ann Ostermann will host drop-in sessions via Zoom on March 23, April 3 and April 15 to assist artists in applying. For details, guidelines and FAQ, see https://santacruzopenstudios.com/
BUSINESS CLASSES ONLINE March and April Gavilan College and El Pajaro Community Development Corp. are partnering to offer free online business classes in Spanish. The class is open to Santa Cruz County residents.
The classes are 10-week training sessions that include business planning and 10 hours with a business advisor
Have a virtual or live event you want to promote? Send your information to info@cyber-times.com by April 14
and will be from 9-11:50 a.m. Saturdays. If interested, you can enroll in: Entrepreneurship (BUS 700 40840), March 13- April 17, 2021, or Small Business Ownership (BUS 701 40841), April 24-May 22. For information, call Gavilan College Continuing Education at (408) 465-9520 or call El Pajaro Community Development Corporation at (831) 722-1224.
GARDENERS CLUB The Gardeners’ Club is looking for people who share their love of plants and want to know more about gardening.
The website is at http://www.thegardenersclub.org/ and there is a monthly newsletter.
Dues are $15 per calendar year. For information call Cherry at 831-475-0991. Make check to “The Gardeners’ Club” and mail to P.O. Box 3025, Ben Lomond, CA 95005. Meetings, when they are allowed, are at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Aptos Grange, 2555 Mar Vista Drive, Aptos.
SENIOR CENTER WITHOUT LIMITS This new program from Community Bridges brings enrichment activities like yoga, art, music, tai chi, cooking, tech and support groups to seniors age 60 and up in their homes at no cost. To participate, you need an internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone. To participate, view the calendar at https://communitybridges.org/ SCWOL/ and find a class. That day and time, click on the link in the calendar to be connected. If you have a problem connecting, call Clara Munoz at (831) 458-3481.
RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES March is Red Cross Month, and the Red Cross is thanking donors for stepping up to meet the constant need for blood amid the pandemic. All who come to give March 15-26 will receive a Red Cross T-shirt while supplies last.
All blood types are needed, especially Type O. Donors must be 17 and weigh at least 110 pounds.
To make an appointment, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
Dates:
April 4: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 220 Elk St., Santa Cruz.
April 3: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley, 85 Nielson St., Watsonville.
April 8: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley, 85 Nielson St., Watsonville.
SECOND HARVEST FOOD DISTRIBUTION Second Harvest Food Bank drive-through food distribution schedule:
Watsonville: Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
Fridays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 2 • April 16 • April 30
Santa Cruz: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Fridays, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. April 9 • April 23 Food hotline: 831-662-0991.
ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES Learn the language of “la dolce vita” with native Italian-speaking instructors. Whether you are new to the Italian language, totally fluent, or everything in between, the classes the Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz is offering for spring-summer 2021 are for you.
The online 10-week session begins the week of April 19, so register now to secure your spot and take advantage of the early bird discount which ends April 1. See: https://www.dantesantacruz.com/services Questions? Email: dantesantacruz1265@gmail.com ROADMAP TO RECOVERY VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS Nonprofit United Policyholders is hosting virtual workshops for wildfire survivors. The following workshops are scheduled: Thursday March 25 • 5:30 p.m.
Q&A on Financial Decision-making and Tax Implications After a Wildfire. To register for any of these events see: www.uphelp.org/r2r
CAREER MONTH AT CABRILLO Four free job fairs are available for current students at Cabrillo College in the month of April. The fairs take place from 3-5 p.m. four Thurs. starting April 8. Registration is required. April 8 — global & human studies April 15 — entrepreneur, business & creative April 22 — health & public safety April 29 — science tech engineering math
There are also four resume workshops on April 6, 12, 19 and 27 and four career coaching classes on April 7, 16, 20 and 26. Students can register and employers can post jobs at https:// www.cabrillo.edu/career-services/
CALL FOR ARTISTS: 15TH ANNUAL PVA SCULPTURE EXHIBITION Deadline to Apply is Monday May 3 Curators Susana Arias and Hedwig Heerschop of Pajaro Valley Arts & Jeff Rosendale of Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens invite your participation in the 15th annual Pajaro Valley Arts sculpture exhibition, taking place in the beautiful two-acre Sierra Azul Nursery demonstration gardens, 2660 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. Submit online to Hedwig@pvarts.org.
The show will be June 1 through Oct. 31 outdoors and pieces submitted must be weatherproof (to be insured), and of a scale suitable for outdoor display. Summer coastal weather includes sunshine, fog, wind and rain.
Sculptures larger than 30” is encouraged. Pieces with bold negative and positive elements and pieces 5 to 6 feet tall show best in the garden.
There is a $30 participation fee for artists selected and sales are subject to a commission, 30% for PVA members, 45% for non-members. Questions: 831-722-3062.
ONGOING EVENTS
First and Third Monday Each Month SENIOR LIFE ONLINE 4 p.m., Online Meeting Join a local group of senior citizens for “Senior Life Online,” a free online (Zoom) program featuring a presentation by a local expert. Senior Life Online meets on the first and third Monday of each month at 4 p.m. View the schedule at http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org/ current-activities/.
Recent presentations included talks about preventative care for dogs and cats, an update from the Scotts Valley Water District, goal setting, trusts and estate planning, COVID-19, genealogy, Scotts Valley history and Santa Cruz history.
To participate, you need an Internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone. A one-time preregistration is required at https://tinyurl.com/SVSLA-5. Questions? Call George at (831) 334-7763. Senior Life Online is sponsored by Scotts Valley Senior Life Association (SVSLA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to promote healthy living for senior citizens. Information is at http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday NAMI RECOVERY SUPPORT 1-2:30 p.m., confidential Zoom meetings. National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County offers the “Connection Recovery Support Group,” a free, peer-led support group for any adult 18 or older who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition (no diagnosis required).
You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others. Groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there. It’s confidential and drop-in friendly.
To attend, complete the registration form. You will immediately get an email with the Zoom link. You will need to do this only once, and will be able to use the same link for all groups in the future. Register at: https:// tinyurl.com/nami-zoom-register (Full URL: https:// zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMld-6trTgjEtOukidbv3qCQQTitZ92kXFf)
If you are unable to register, do not have an email address, or have other questions, call the office at (831)824-0406 or email anastasia@namiscc.org. For a recording of the March 18 speaker or more information on support groups and classes, https://www.namiscc.org/
Third Thursday of the Month 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, on the third Thursday of each month. Register at https://www.birchbarkfoundation.org/griefsupport or call 831-471-7255. Fourth Thursday of the Month First Sunday Every Month MONTHLY OUTDOOR MARKETPLACE IN SANTA CRUZ! 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Old Wrigley Building Parking Lot, 2801 Mission Street, Santa Cruz 95060 The Westside Marketplace is an exciting, new monthly market where local art, handmade and vintage shopping meet delicious food! This collaboration between Food Trucks A Go Go and the SCM Makers Market presents a great mix of creators of all kinds! There is also live music at each event!
The upcoming outdoor market is on Sunday, April 4 at the Old Wrigley Building parking lot. Rain dates are scheduled for the following Sundays.
Come hungry to sample an amazing array of food from the food vendors and shop local with 40 artists, makers and vintage sellers at this new monthly event.
The Market is free to attend and is 100% local — all vendors are based in Santa Cruz County!
All local and state health guidelines will be followed. Please wear your mask, maintain social distance while you shop and stay home if you don’t feel well. Hand sanitizing stations will be available. For more information, go to the event page: https://www. facebook.com/events/170470481551895; Food Trucks A Go Go: https://www.foodtrucksagogo.com/; or SCM Makers Market https://scmmakersmarket.com/ for a list of all of the vendors.
Tuesday March 30
STAFF OF LIFE WATSONVILLE OPENS! 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Daily, East Cliff Village shopping center, 906 E. Lake Ave Staff of Life Natural Foods is ready to open its new Watsonville location. The store was formerly a Super Max Discount Foods. Visit https://www.staffoflifemarket.com for more information.
Thursday April 1
EASTER COOKING DEMO 4 – 4:30 p.m., Chef Brandon Miller, Zoom Class Chef Brandon Miller will offer Easter cooking tips and tricks via Zoom. It’s free and open to everyone. One viewer will win Easter dessert from The Chef’s Stash in Carmel.
Miller will show how to make a Bread Pudding with day-old pastries such as croissants, crumpets, and Danishes, a dessert using less sugar that he showcased at Mundaka. Then he’ll show how Brandon Miller
to
make a French Tart Dough recipe (no rolling the dough) made famous by chef David Lebovitz. The trick is putting butter and water in a bowl in the oven, heating it up and adding flour.
He’ll share his secret for stocks and soups, a “contained bouquet garni,” in which he takes a leek, rolls out the outer leaf, then packs it full of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley and bay leaf, then ties up the whole package and puts it in the stock. After the stock is infused with flavor from the herbs, just take the leek and toss it. To view, go to https://zoom.us/j/92172302792 with meeting ID: 921 7230 2792.
FARMWORKER JUSTICE 6 p.m., Democratic Club of N. Santa Cruz County Online The Democratic Club of North Santa Cruz County will meet via Zoom and hear Elizabeth Strater, director of strategic campaigns at United Farm Workers, discuss her work to protect the health and safety of farmworkers and to advocate for a safe and just food supply. She’ll discuss digital
Elizabeth Strater campaigns and how people can support justice for farmworkers. Members of the public are invited. Visit www.svslvdemocrats.org for Zoom link. Social time is 6 p.m.; the meeting officially starts at 6:30 p.m.
WALLACE STEGNER LECTURES*: JOSÉ ANDRÉS 7 p.m., Online Lecture Chef, restaurateur and humanitarian José Andrés will appear in conversation with Bay Area food personality Jesse Ziff Cool to discuss his work as founder of World Central Kitchen, helping to feed those in need throughout the course of the pandemic.
Andrés is a Michelin-starred, James Beard Award-winning Spanish-American chef, as well as the author of three cookbooks and the New York Times José Andrés best-selling We Fed an Island, which describes how Andrés and his team cooked for thousands of hungry people in Puerto Rico after the
WEAR A MASK POSTER DESIGN CONTEST DEADLINE
Wednesday April 7
Over the past year, we have all learned to live with COVID-19. For most of us, this has meant wearing a mask as a method of protecting ourselves and others. We wear masks because we value our family members, doctors, nurses, essential workers and many others in our community.
Pajaro Valley Arts invites you to design a poster that tells your story. All members of the community are invited to participate. There is no entry fee. Images of your poster will be placed in the pvarts.org online gallery. Two $50 gift certificates to Kelly’s Books in Watsonville will be awarded, one each in the youth and adult categories.
The poster can be a drawing, painting, photograph or collage. Photograph your poster using a jpeg file format. Email entry form and jpeg of poster to Hedwig@pvarts.org by April 7.
The training can certify you as a Basic Wildland Firefighter 2, with pre-completion of online coursework plus an “arduous pack-test” prior to attending the in-person field day if you are interested. Cost: $20 with scholarships available upon request. Space is limited. Full Details and Registration at: https://ucanr.edu/survey/ survey.cfm?surveynumber=33128. For questions email Jared Childress (childress.ember@gmail. com) or Devii Rao (drorao@ucanr.edu). n
Wednesday April 14
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF LINKEDIN 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m., Santa Cruz Works Online Social media coach Karen Kefauver will talk about how to make the most of the business network LinkedIn. Free if you give your contact information to the Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center. RSVP at www.santacruzworks.org
Tuesday April 20
VEGAN COOKING DEMO 4-5 p.m., Zoom Class Join Café Carmel chef Sarah Cook for a virtual cooking demo spotlighting a vegan dish 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 20. The demo is free and open to everyone. To join Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/92835341968 ?pwd=RXdpcG9PcUJIRnVUa2psZjFLMlFjUT09
Meeting ID: 928 3534 1968
Passcode: 495514
Saturday April 24
DUCKY DERBY 2 p.m., Online Fundraiser This fundraiser for Omega Nu’s scholarship program will be a virtual event at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24. Info: http://www.duckyderbysantacruz.org/#duckyderby
devastation of Hurricane Maria. Andrés advocates for sustainability in the restaurant industry. https://openspacetrust.org/wsl-2021/ ••• *Cost for the Wallace Stegner Lecture Series is $30. The price gives you access to four lectures, plus the ability to watch recordings until April 30. This includes January’s Dolores Huerta & Luis Valdez and April’s José Andrés ectures.
Wednesday April 7
NEW TECH MEETUP 7-8:30 p.m. Santa Cruz Works Online There is no better place to see what is going on in SC Tech than at the Santa Cruz Works New Tech Meetup.
Santa Cruz Works produces as many as 5 events every month — including the Santa Cruz New Tech “meetup” — to learn about new tools and practices or to ignite your entrepreneurial flame and clinics where you can learn new skills. Visit www.santacruzworks.org for more details.
Friday April 9
TAKE AWAYS — ART TO GO Appointment Only, 37 Sudden St., Watsonville “Take Aways — Art to Go” is the latest exhibit at Pajaro Valley Arts Center. As soon as capacity and protocols are known, people will be invited to make appointments to see the show. becomes delinquent after 5 p.m. with penalties if not received by the Santa Cruz County Tax Collector by that date and time. Drop boxes for checks are available at the county Governmental Center, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz.
Sunday April 11
PRESCRIBED BURN WORKSHOPS 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Davenport • Registration due by April 4. Learn the fundamentals of prescribed firelighting and wildland firefighting during this hands-on field training in Davenport.
Training will cover fireline construction, communications, prescribed fire ignitions, operation of a firefighting pump, installation of a hose-lay and more.
You will be prepared to participate in local cooperative burns hosted by the new Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association (calpba.org). If you do not have wildfire or prescribed fire experience, the one-day workshop will be a prerequisite for participation in future CCPBA burns so don’t miss out.
Thursday May 6
REGIONAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT 9:30 a.m. to Noon, Online Event The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s 7th Annual Regional Economic Summit will take place online.
This virtual event will explore how our region is doing economically and opportunities to reimagine our region while taking advantage of relief and stimulus funds, plus new ways to help workers upskill and reskill.
Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to the Gov. Newsome and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), will share what the state is doing to keep companies in California, insights into the current legislative session, implications for our region, and how the budget surplus is being used to provide relief to businesses affected by the pandemic. Register at https://tinyurl.com/MBE-dee-deemyers (full URL: https://mbep.biz/events/ save-the-date-7th-annual-regional-economic-summit/?mc_ cid=629c9a71e4&mc_eid=66244ddae7) n
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Kindergarten registration for the 2021-22 school year is under way at the Soquel Union Elementary School District.
Your child must turn 5 on or before Sept. 1, 2021, to be eligible for kindergarten. Registration information and procedures may be obtained from your neighborhood school.
If you have a child born from Sept. 2, 2016 to Dec. 2, 2016, that child is eligible for the Transitional Kindergarten program at Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School, where registration takes place. If you have questions about transitional kindergarten, call Linda Jacobs at 831-464-5639 or visit suesd.org/enrollment.
