Capitola Soquel Times: May 2021

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May 2021 • Vol 26 No. 5

Cabrillo College: The Name Had to Be Neutral

In 1954, Santa Cruz County voters were not inclined to support tax measures for education – even though all high school graduates had to leave the county to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Full Story page 6

Live Oak Permit Parking Violates State Law Full Story page 8

More Hope at Hopes Closet Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz For Jelli Beanz, a children’s resale shop popular for 14 years with parents in the know, the pandemic was devastating.

Founder Stephanie Hendersen didn’t have enough sales to survive. That would have meant shutting down Hopes Closet, her nonprofit: Providing at no charge bundles of clothing, books and toys to 300 children a month.

Hendersen, who lives in Aptos, found a way to keep that operation going and give parents a place to shop for affordable clothes, books toys for their children.

Her solution: Close the no-longer-profitable JelliBeanz and reopen as the nonprofit Hopes Closet. ... continues on page 4

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Capitola Museum Reopens May 1

The Capitola Historical Museum, closed by the COVID-19 pandemic for a year, will reopen May 1, with an exhibition titled “Capitola Then & Now.” “It’s a fun topic,” said Museum Curator Frank Perry.

Full Story page 11

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No. 5

Volume 26

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31

Table of Contents

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Cover

More Hope at Hopes Closet, Story and Photos By Jondi Gumz

6 8 10 11 13 14 15 16 18 21 23

Community News Cabrillo College: The Name Had to Be Neutral, By Jondi Gumz Post-Covid Summer: Camps, Outdoor Events, Swim Lessons, By Jondi Gumz Kaiser Proposes Medical Office Capitola Museum Reopens May 1 Banuelos, Gallucci Leave SCCB Board • Cabrillo Opens Study Area at Watsonville Campus Run a Food Biz?: $28 Billion Set Aside for Grants, By Jondi Gumz United Way, UCSC Land $650,00 Grant: Funds To Be Used For Latinx Student Research, By Allison Arteaga Soergel Amah Mutsun Has A New Leader: Hitchcock Aims to Protect Sacred Sites, Mentor Youth Student Views: Should Cabrillo College Change Its Name?

How Bystanders Can Become Leaders: For Men’s Violence Against Women, Challenging Norms is Key, By Jondi Gumz Erika Zavaleta Gets State Appointment • Commuters Rewards To Bike, Carpool • Cruzio Hiring • Affordable Housing Developer Sought

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Letters to the Editor Coastal Agency: Live Oak Permit Parking Violates State Law • City Leaders on Chauvin Verdict • What Capitola Wine Bar Owners Learned About Outdoor Seating

Monthly Horoscope • Page 26 – May Day & Festivals in the Month of May, By Risa D’Angeles Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28, 29

Featured Columnists 12 Volunteers Make a Difference, By Yvette Brooks, Mayor, City of Capitola 17 Pictures From the Past — When Soquel Was Rural: 100 Years Ago, Photo Essay by Carolyn Swift 24 Opal Cliffs Home-Based Learning Model, By Scott J. Turnbull, Superintendent, Soquel Union Elementary School District 24 Soquel Creek Water District Unveils New Website; Annual Water Quality Report Available, By Rebecca Gold Rubin 25 Serving on County and Regional Commissions, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District 27 Now Open: Invitation To Experience, By Ron Kustek 30 Lighted Crosswalks Coming / Permit Parking Paused, By Manu Koenig, Supervisor, First District 31 Lawn Weeds Often Firmly Rooted, By Tony Tomeo

SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 31 – Coffee Cake Is Doing Well After a Rough Day

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COVER STORY Patrice Edwards Jondi Gumz

publisher editor

contributing writers Jondi Gumz, Allison Arteaga Soergel, Risa D’Angeles, Yvette Brooks, Carolyn Swift, Scott J. Turnbull, Rebecca Gold Rubin, Zach Friend, Ron Kustek, Manu Koenig, Tony Tomeo layout Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson graphic artists Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson photography Michael Oppenheimer, Jim Johnson, Brad King website Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti production coordinator Camisa Composti media consultants Don Beaumont, Teri Huckobey, Brooke Valentine office coordinator Cathe Race distribution Bill Pooley, James Hudson

Times Publishing Group, Inc. 9601 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003 The Times Publishing Group, Inc., publishers of the Aptos Times, a bi-monthly publication, the Capitola Times and Scotts Valley Times, each printed monthly, Coastal Weddings Magazine, Coastal Home and Garden Magazine, Aptos’ Fourth of July Parade Official Program Guide and Capitola’s Begonia Festival Official Program Guide, is owned by Patrice Edwards.

Entire contents ©2021. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form is prohibited without the publisher’s written permission

“Hopes Closet” from page 1 At the storefront, 2555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, across from the flea market site, customers will see a bright and freshly painted shop, with racks organized by size, gently used, everything washed and clean, some with tags still on.

Kids tops and shorts are priced at $4 each. Shoes that would sell for $15-$30 in a department store are $8.

Hendersen said the prices are lower than when she was trying to make a profit and she thanked her landlord for giving her a break on rent for the first year.

Parents can keep a watchful eye on their kids playing in an enclosed area, and there’s a display of 25-cent toys where kids might make their own selection.

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PHONE: (831) 688-7549 FAX: (831) 688-7551 GENERAL E-MAIL: info@cyber-times.com Patrice Edwards: patrice@cyber-times.com Publisher’s Assistant: assistant@cyber-times.com Editor: info@cyber-times.com Calendar Listings: www.tpgonlinedaily.com Graphics Department: graphics@cyber-times.com Billing Inquiries: cathe@cyber-times.com Classified Sales: sales@cyber-times.com Production: production@cyber-times.com CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.tpgonlinedaily.com mission statement We at the Times Publishing Group, Inc. are dedicated to providing a voice for the individuals and organizations in our community while highlighting the outstanding accomplishments of our local businesses. We seek to promote healthy family values through our coverage of youth activities, school news, senior events, community groups and entertainment

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831.471.7255

“My daughter grew up here,” said Donna Odryna, board president for Hopes Closet, who help Hendersen incorporate the nonprofit part of her venture 10 years ago.

Behind the scenes, volunteers make magic happen.

Bags and bags of clothing are donated at the rollup door. The pantry-size room fills up fast.

Vo l u n t e e r s wearing Hopes Closet aprons sort through everything, to see what is suitable for children in need and what could be sold in shop to buy items that haven’t been donated — like boys jeans size 14-16. There’s never enough of those.

Once everything is sorted, it is organized into bins for boys and girls and by

Donna Odryna, board president at Hopes Closet, is a shopper at the nonprofit shop. Since 2011, profits have provided more than 20,000 “bundles of joy” — clothes, books and toys for children in need. size. Books and toys are organized by age as well so to make it easier for volunteers to assemble their “bundles of joy.”

The bundle, which includes fresh changes of clothing for a week plus books and toys, is a blessing for foster families who welcome children into their home at short notice. And any other family with children in need.

Volunteers work hard to match up what’s in the bundle with the child, so a notation indicating “likes Minnie Mouse” will prompt a search.

One little girl “was all excited” to see Minnie Mouse in her bundle, said volunteer Ruth Cuzick.

Toys that arrive with wear and tear get tender loving care, like the Barbie and Ken dolls that look like new. Some volunteers sew or crochet clothes by hand to give dolls new outfits.

“Once the needs are met, we send things out front, but we have this flow to make sure kids with needs are receiving,” said Hendersen.

The shop has a couple of train tables on sale..

COVER STORY That’s the kind of donation put up for sale, Hendersen said, because families with a child in need usually don’t have room for a large toy — a sale could fund a new pair of shoes, always needed as children grow.

In fact, shoes are the reason Hendersen started Hopes Closet. A teacher friend told her that a student had stopped coming to school because that child didn’t have a pair of shoes.

Hendersen gave her a pair of shoes, the child went back to school, and Hendersen had her mission in life.

She started a tradition in October called “Socktober” to get more new socks for children in need as the weather turns cool.

Since Hopes Closet was incorporated as a nonprofit, more than 20,000 “bundles of joy” have gone to children in need.

However, the need is greater.

“We have a wait list,” said Hendersen.

“We never get enough of certain sizes.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting retail stores and then fears that the contagious virus lingered on surfaces, later found to be untrue, sales at JelliBeanz plummeted.

Hendersen closed for three months, and her college student employees made no money. Even the Payroll Protection Program forgivable loan wasn’t enough to recover.

The change took just three weeks from the closure of JelliBeanz to the opening of Hopes Closet shop.

With the shift to nonprofit operation, plans are to build up the volunteer crew so paid employees will no longer be needed.

Kids are still outgrowing their clothes, books and toys — and families are donating their stuff, knowing it will do good elsewhere.

With the change well underway, Hendersen is leaving to work in the medical field. The board has posted her job as executive director.

“I’m very, very grateful,” she said.

“The resource we worked so hard to create will continue.” n ••• To volunteer, email info@hopeclosetsc.com or call 831-462-6700.

Hopes Closet Shop is located at 2555

Stephanie Hendersen, founder of Hopes Closet children’s clothing bank (second from right), with volunteers Chris Roades, seated, Ruth Cuzick and Linda Wells in the sorting area where “bundles of joy” are assembled to give children in need clothes for a week, plus books and toys.

Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, across from the flea market site.

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Information: http:// www.hopesclosetsc.com/

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••• Cover Photo: Jackie Crossley, a social worker and a member of the board of Hopes Closet, eyes the selection at the nonprofit, which she discovered through a client.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Cabrillo College: The Name Had to Be Neutral

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D I D YO U K N O W? We have 18 storage tanks* to meet our community’s drinking water and fire protection needs. *can store up to 7.5 million gallons

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By Jondi Gumz

n 1954, Santa Cruz County voters were not inclined to support tax measures for education — even though all high school graduates had to leave the county to pursue a bachelor’s degree. When a bond measure to create a junior college went to voters, 70 percent said no.

So how did Santa Cruz County get a community college? Why is that college named for navigator Juan Sandy Lydon Rodriguez Cabrillo, a name today’s faculty and students find objectionable because of his activities in the new world? Who vetted the name?

Sandy Lydon, who taught history at Cabrillo for more than 40 years, recounted what happened for the college’s Name Exploration Committee on April 15, a talk that is recorded on YouTube.com.

“This was a higher education desert,” he said.

Here is the history he shared: In 1948, with World War II over, the U.S. military had surplus bases, such as Camp McQuaid on San Andreas Road in Aptos. Elsewhere, those bases were being converted to junior colleges.

Education superintendent Thomas MacQuiddy, enthusiastic about a 400-acre oceanfront property available for one dollar, formed a coalition from the three

high schools in Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz and Watsonville to support the idea.

The state objected because the site wasn’t near a transportation corridor. And the county Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 against it, due to concerns about taxes.

Monterey Bay Academy, a private prep school, got the property.

The county was split because people in the north and south had different interests.

Watsonville was an agricultural town with farms and ranches. About 200 high school grads a year went to Hartnell College in Salinas.

Santa Cruz was a manufacturing area, the Wrigley plant was the new place to work, and city leaders wanted to attract a University of California campus, but without a junior college, that would be difficult.

So, they rallied support for a junior college bond measure in 1958, winning with a 66 percent yes vote.

There were two very important conditions: The name of this junior college had to be neutral — nothing to do with Pajaro Valley, nothing to do with Santa Cruz — and the location had to be midway between Santa Cruz and Watsonville.

The vote came on the heels of Legislature in 1957 declaring Highway 1 to be “Cabrillo Highway.”

Signs reminded locals of this.

“Neutral Name” page 10

A slide from Sandy Lydon’s presentation about the naming of Cabrillo College, featuring the original Governing Board.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Coastal Agency: Live Oak Permit Parking Violates State Law Editor’s Note: Santa Cruz County Public Works applied for permission to expand the summer Live Oak permit parking program to other coastal areas such as Opal Cliffs and Aptos. Here is the April 12 letter Susan Craig, California Coastal Commission Central Coast District Manager, sent to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, recommending the Live Oak parking program be halted.

••• e understand that you will review and consider changes to the Live Oak Permit Parking Program at your meeting on April 13, 2021, and that you will also consider authorizing the County Department of Public Works to initiate the program for this year.

We have seen much attributed to us regarding the program that is inaccurate, including in County materials prepared related to this program, and we would encourage you to disregard any such attributed positions. Instead, we would like to provide the following comments

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City Leaders on Chauvin Verdict Capitola Mayor Yvette Brooks emailed this statement Tuesday on the verdict against Derek Chauvin, found guilty of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, while arresting him last year: apitola Mayor Yvette Brooks, Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra, Santa Cruz

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for your consideration as you consider the program.

As an initial matter, we note that we very much appreciate DPW staff’s efforts to coordinate with us on this program.

They have taken considerable time over the last few years to work with us in an effort to address existing violations associated with the program; to understand the Commission’s mission and objectives in regards to the program, including in relation to Coastal Act and Santa Cruz County Local Coastal Program compliance; and to attempt to address issues and concerns that we have identified.

At the same time, and as we have communicated to your staff, the program (including the permitted program, the program as it has been operated in recent years with unpermitted changes, and the proposed modified 2021 program) raises significant issues with respect to Coastal Act and Local Coastal Program requirements related to protecting and maximizing public access and recreational Mayor Donna Meyers and Scotts Valley Mayor Derek Timm, stand in unity with the family of George Floyd. We ask that our community join TOGETHER as we move toward justice and healing.

The heartbreaking murder of George Floyd and many other people of color

opportunities, particularly free and lowercost opportunities, and we do not support the permitted program, the unpermitted version that has been implemented in recent years, or the proposed modified program for 2021. Rather, in our view, the facts suggest that the program should be discontinued entirely.

At a very basic level parking fees inherently create an impediment to public access, and they can deter or make it prohibitively expensive for the public to visit and appreciate the coastline and all it has to offer. Such fees can also disproportionately adversely affect those least able to afford them, amplifying concerns about whether our beaches and shoreline areas can be accessed by all as is required under both the Coastal Act and Local Coastal Plan.

And in coastal Live Oak, where almost all visitor parking is provided on-street because the area lacks large parking facilities, those impacts are only exacerbated when visitors not fortunate enough to live there are forced to pay parking fees to park has highlighted the systemic problem of racism throughout our Country. We are by no means close to ending the hundreds of years of injustices put on the shoulders of people of color.

As leaders in Santa Cruz County we have the responsibility to implement and

along public streets in order to recreate at the beach and along the shoreline. And now, the proposed transition to a smartphone app-based system only further reduces accessibility for those without smartphones or data, and/or without an efficient means to even purchase parking passes.

In short, we do not support any version of the program that includes parking fees for public parking on public streets in Live Oak. In addition, and as we have consistently discussed with County staff, please note that the program has been operating for many years with a series of unpermitted changes to it, including most notably an expansion of the program area.

We do not support operation of the program inconsistent with the underlying coastal development permit; and we do not support making changes to it (as you are currently being asked to do) without a proper Coastal Development Permit amendment application and appeal process.

“Coastal Agency” page 9

encourage change in our region. We stand with all communities of color, including the very ones we represent here in our diverse county.

We urge our community to come together today and everyday in peaceful solidarity. n

What Capitola Wine Bar Owners Learned About Outdoor Seating Editor’s note: On April 22, the Capitola City Council unanimously approved extending the temporary outdoor dining and other commercial outdoor activities in place due to the pandemic to Sept. 7, 2021, as proposed by public works director Steve Jesberg. Before that vote, Doug and Ann Marie Conrad, owners of Capitola Wine Bar & Merchants, 115 San Jose Ave., in Capitola Village, shared their perspective: ••• irst and foremost thank you to the council for permitting the use of the streets so quickly, without the outdoor seating our Wine Bar would not have been able to stay open.

In 2016, Capitola Wine Bar and Caruso’s Italian restaurant were the only participants in the Temporary Parklett program approved by the city council. We were very close to building the Parklett.

At just over 500 square feet, we believe it would have added a special and unique ambiance that would attract not only locals back into the village but also bring a more affluent tourist dollar that village somewhat lacks.

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The 2016 Parklett policy had already passed City Council, Planning Commission approval, and all our fees were paid. We were ready to build. Unfortunately, when came down the wire, we canceled at the last minute. The city charge of $3,220 per parking spot was too much, the risk too high in return for a “temporary” program.

So forward to today when we were oddly blessed to be able to do a “Parklett

Lite” test with the outdoor seating the council approved. We learned a lot that we thought would be of value to share.

The biggest surprise was how not one single person complained about the loss of parking in the village during this, including locals.

Many locals and visitors commented to us how it pleasurable it would be if there were no cars in the village. The idea of

closing San Jose Avenue to car traffic, like many forward thinking tourist towns have done, was a consistent suggestion, from locals and tourists alike.

There are good examples of this done in Los Gatos, that appear cost-effective with paint, movable large planters and string lights. Still allowing emergency access, many merchants share the street creating a very European feel with outdoor dinning, strolling, and mellow music.

San Jose Avenue could become a destination in our village. Closing San Jose Avenue would be the most cost-effective and safest way to achieve outdoor dinning in the village. We know there would be a lively discussion if that were to be explored, but forward-thinking elected officials will understand that we need to remove car traffic from the village to remain a relevant tourist destination for our future. Capitola would benefit by removing the “everything is based on parking and driving through the village” mentality of olden days.

“Outdoor Seating” page 9

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Post-Covid Summer: Camps, Outdoor Events, Swim Lessons

By Jondi Gumz

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ith 15,483 recovered COVID-19 cases and 229,000 vaccinations, the pandemic outlook in Santa Cruz County keeps improving.

The county, one of 38 in the Orange Tier, reports 204 deaths, only 144 active cases, and 130,000 negative test results.

The adjusted case rate is 1.4 per day per 100,000 people and test positivity dropped to .6 percent.

Sam Rolens, spokesman for Santa Cruz City Schools (which includes Soquel High) and a Gault parent, reported in his first weekly video news update on Facebook “the steadily improving picture of the pandemic locally,” with a positive test rate below 1 percent.

Half of the county’s eligible population has received one shot, and more than a third are fully vaccinated, he said.

Even with elementary students back on campus five days a week, there have been zero cases of on-campus spread in Santa Cruz City Schools, he said, noting exposures and cases are tracked on the district website.

New air filtration systems have been installed at schools in preparation for the fall semester, he added.

“We haven’t all had the same year,” he said, noting some are carrying heavier loads of trauma and offering his willingness to serve as a resource via email.

Dignity Health and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education helped set up mass clinics for high school students at three locations after everyone 16 and up became eligible on April 15, aiming to provide Pfizer vaccine to 1,800 teens. The sites were at Soquel High, Scotts Valley High and in Pajaro Valley Unified.

The Soquel High Knights finished their shortened spring football season.

Track and field is under way, so are basketball, soccer and golf. The Soquel High girls edged Aptos 3-2 in their first game against Aptos.

Cabrillo College will have a virtual graduation ceremony at 4 p.m. May 21.

Although COVID cases are down, the local economy hasn’t recovered due to regulatory restrictions — unemployment in March was 8.1 percent and more than 5,000 jobs in the hospitality sector had yet to return.

To help restaurants, hard hit by the

rules, the Capitola City Council agreed to extend permission for temporary outdoor dining through Sept. 7. Most restaurants in Capitola Village had invested in outdoor dining as a survival tactic when indoor seating was prohibited.

Warning n April 23, federal regulators ended the 10-day pause on the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, begun after 6.8 million doses to investigate after six women under age 50 had blood clots in the brain and one died.

A warning is to be added to the label to warn about this uncommon, but potentially deadly, effect.

Vaccinations could resume Saturday, the Food and Drug Administration said.

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has two advantages over the others – one shot is needed instead of two and it can be refrigerated, not requiring extremely cold storage.

Johnson & Johnson supplied only 4 percent of the California’s vaccines, and Santa Cruz County responded to the pause by substituting the two-shot vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.

On April 27, when new COVID-19 data are posted, Santa Cruz County may qualify to move into the least restrictive Yellow Tier, which allows gyms, saunas, dance and yoga studios, wineries, breweries and bowling alleys to operate at 50 percent capacity. Current capacity for those businesses is capped at 25 percent; liveaudience events can be staged outdoors at 33 percent capacity.

On April 6, Gov. Newsom said the state has administered 4 million of doses of vaccine, a key milestone, and that if current trends continue, the state will fully reopen June 15, allowing conventions to resume, with maximum attendance of 5,000.

Events to Return abrillo Stage in Aptos plans to stage five musical productions outdoors in June and July, including “Circus: Knives, Blood & Water,” new show created by Capitola playwright Joe Ortiz.

The Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce plans to restart the Art & Wine Festival Aug. 21-22 with Cops ‘N Rodders Saturday and Bring Your Dog Day Sunday, and Watsonville Municipal Airport plans to host “Fire in the Sky,” an open house

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with remote control aircraft demos and fireworks on Sept. 4.

Jim Booth’s Swim School is opening first in Watsonville, then at Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz.

Summer camps are restarting, and the state will allow overnight camps starting June 1.

CineLux Capitola has been open for five weeks and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk opened rides on April 1.

How to Sign Up For those looking to get their shot, the place to look is the state system at www.

MyTurn.ca.gov.

Most health providers are on this platform, making it easier to track California’s vaccination progress.

But federally qualified health care centers such as Salud Para La Gente and Santa Cruz Community Health are not using MyTurn, so to get an appointment there, go to santacruzhealth.org, click on vaccines and follow the directions.

Another source, supported by the federal Centers for Disease Control, is www.vaccinefinder.org.

Santa Cruz County health officials have prioritized equity, allocating 60 percent of its doses for the greater Watsonville area and its Latinx community, which has seen the most cases.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has created a campaign in Spanish to encourage educators, childcare workers and farmworkers get the vaccine. The information phone line is 831-466-5906.

Economic Aid anta Cruz County government expects to receive $53 million in federal COVID relief, which will end furloughs for county employees enacted to close the budget gap.

Cabrillo College in Aptos is getting $16 million in federal COVID relief, part of the $1.9 trillion package signed by President Biden.

U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D- Palo Alto) who represents parts of Santa Cruz County, hosted a webinar April 15 to explain how restaurants, food trucks, food carts, caterers, tasting rooms, brewpubs and bars can get federal aid. Julie Clowes, director of the Small Business Administration for Northern California, joined her to answer questions.

The aid package includes $25 billion for restaurants with grants to be awarded by the federal Small Business Administration, $7.25 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loans for small business and nonprofits applying through a bank, $15 billion in targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance grants through the SBA, and $16 billion in grants to shuttered entertainment venues, also through SBA. From mid-November to mid-March, the pandemic kept restaurants, gyms and movie theaters from opening indoors, eliminating thousands of jobs.

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“COVID Update” page 22

“Outdoor Seating” from page 7 We have personally explored Parkletts in many other tourist driven cities like Pacific Grove, Carmel, Livermore, Murphys, and more, looking at types of construction and designs.

Nicest, Safest ne thing that stands out is the nicest looking, best functioning, and safest Parkletts constructed were anchored to the asphalt in some way. Our 2016 permit did not allow this. We believe this limits our ability to build a functioning and safe Parklett.

For outdoor dinning to be successful, the area needs to have the ability to serve the customers in most weather conditions safely, and comfortably. This can be best be achieved by being to be able to anchor the structure a few inches into the ground.

There has been some discussion of how events in the village would be changed because of outdoor dinning. We don’t think there is any doubt they would.

Each event of course has a different demographic that

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“Coastal Agency” from page 7 Please also be aware that continued operation of the program inconsistent with the underlying Coastal Development Permit (whether it is modified as is being recommended or it stays the same as in recent years) represents a knowing and intentional violation of the Coastal Development Permit, the Coastal Act, and the Local Coastal Plan, to which the Coastal Act includes a series of remedies (including administrative fines and other penalties to rectify both past violations as well as new and prospective violations).

Any changes to the program that you may make outside of the Coastal Development Permit process as you are being asked to do here (e.g., geographical expansion, operating time modifications, fee changes, app-based interface, etc.) are not recognized or authorized by the underlying Coastal Development Permit.

In short, the program has been in violation for many years, and many of those violations remain in effect today.

Resolution of such violations should be the County’s priority (and should, at the least, precede any proposed new changes to the program).

Moreover, the County is currently liable under the enforcement provisions of the Coastal Act for unpermitted impacts to coastal resources, including impacts to public recreational access, both in the past and moving forward.

In that context, we note that although the program has been in operation for nearly 40 years, it has not met its original goals of better structuring on-street parking or relieving traffic congestion in coastal Live Oak as intended.

On this observation, we respectfully disagree with the representations by DPW staff to the contrary, including in the staff report for this item. Rather, the type and

they bring to the village. Our Wine Bar takes on a loss on the car show weekend, but does well on the Art and Wine Festival. Having outdoor dinning during events overall would increase sales for us hence tax dollars for the city.

We believe a more pleasurable experience at events shared with outdoor dining would also increase return visits to the village. The visitors’ experience is overall nicer at events with outdoor dinning.

Really it’s simple when it comes to events, we can

availability of on-street parking is virtually unchanged; the streets remain clogged with unpermitted private encroachments into the public right-of-way that serve to restrict and prohibit available public parking options; the same congestion from those looking for space to park is actually exacerbated by the program (as it requires trips to find and purchase permits on top of finding parking); and parking is not “organized and accessible,” as is being represented, on most Live Oak coastal streets.

In short, the program does not come close to meeting its underlying objectives.

In addition, the program has not generated enough revenue to make meaningful on- street parking improvements. In fact, from the data that DPW has shared, at best it appears that the program has essentially generated enough revenue to solely run the program. And in most years, operational costs appear to exceed revenues, and thus the program appears to regularly lose money (and it operated at a nearly $100,000 deficit last year, which has not been uncommon).

It is also not clear that any acceptable version of the program would be able to generate enough revenue to both pay for itself and systematically improve public parking and public access going forward, which is described as a goal of a potentially modified program.

We therefore respectfully suggest that it is time for the County to consider whether continuing to operate the program makes financial sense, is in the public’s best interest, and can be found Coastal Act and Local Coastal Plan consistent. In our view, the answer to each of those questions is no, and we believe that the program should be discontinued.

This has been our consistent position regarding the program for decades, and we have shared this position repeatedly with County staff over the years, and any

have both outdoor dining, and events; it’s not a choice of one or the other.

As we move into recovery, waiting for month-tomonth outdoor dining permission from our council is not ideal. Restaurants can not run effectively that way for numerous reasons. We need to move forward with a longrange plan now.

We encourage the council to make a motion to reinstate the Parklett policy, the only changes to the policy being the following.

• Allowing the anchoring of the Parklett to the asphalt with Planning’s direction.

• The reduction of the parking fee charged to $1,600.

• The temporary aspect of the policy to be removed in favor of a renewable license of $250.

• Start the process of exploring the impacts of removing cars from San Jose Avenue permanently.

Again, we thank you for acting so quickly to our restaurants needs during these challenging times. Please reinstate the Parklett program with the minor changes suggested, it will benefit our village. n

representations to the contrary should be disregarded. We do not support the Live Oak Permit Parking Program.

We understand that the County is looking for revenue sources, including to help fund maintenance and access enhancement projects at shoreline access areas, and we can appreciate that need.

At the same time, it is clear to us that this program is not an appropriate vehicle for those purposes, and we believe there are other ways to accomplish such goals without unduly burdening coastal visitors via parking fees (including through the County’s recent Coastal Encroachment Policy, and potentially the County’s proposed armoring-related fee program to offset sand supply loss and public recreational access impacts due to shoreline armoring) under the County’s pending Local Coastal Plan hazards update).

We have and will continue to support

these types of programs as a means to help reach common goals along the shoreline, including to improve public access opportunities, and we look forward to active collaboration as it effects coastal Live Oak moving forward.

It is clear to us that this program has reached a crossroads of sorts, and also that it has outlived any potential utility it may have once provided for meeting the County’s and the Commission’s goals for coastal Live Oak under the Coastal Act and the Local Coastal Plan. And for the above reasons, it is also clear to us that the most appropriate outcome is to discontinue the program entirely. We support you doing just that.

In any case, we hope that these comments prove useful in your deliberations, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter further. n

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 9

COMMUNITY NEWS

Kaiser Proposes Medical Office C apitola Mayor Yvette Brooks will talk May 11 with Sam Bajaj, executive director of Kaiser Permanente, about the healthcare provider’s plan to move into a yet-to-be-built four-story 160,000 square-foot medical office with 300-350 staff on-site and parking for 720 cars about a half-mile from the Capitola city limit.

The building is proposed by PMB, formerly Pacific Medical Buildings, a San Diego real estate firm specializing in medical centers and senior living, with Kaiser to be the tenant.

The developer aims to start construction this year.

The 4.98-acre site is at 5940 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, and has been used to store towed cars. The parcel number is 029-021-47.

It’s on a two-lane frontage road that’s lacking sidewalks and bike lanes — and often used as a shortcut when traffic is jammed on the adjacent Highway 1.

A study is under way to assess how to manage the traffic, which could mean traffic lights or other mitigations.

The proposed project is for 160,000 sqft with 720 parking spaces. Stephanie Hansen is the County contact for this project: Stephanie.Hansen@santacruzcounty.us Here is what I pulled off the County’s website in regards to this development: The building is proposed for specialty outpatient services. It would not be a hospital with an emergency department.

“Neutral Name” from page 6 As the first European navigator to make landfall in San Diego, Cabrillo was “a southern California guy,” Lydon said.

“They had no clue up here at the time who he might have been … if the Legislature had vetted him.”

At the time, Cabrillo was embraced by the Portuguese community for his navigation heroics. Information confirming his Spanish heritage had not come to light.

Wally Trabing, then a reporter with the Santa Cruz Sentinel, listed possible names for the junior college at the end of one article: Cabrillo, Begonia, Loma Prieta, MidCounty and Santa Cruz County.

After that, “he planted the name Cabrillo in various articles with quotes around it,” said Lydon, who interviewed six of the original trustees, plus administrators and students. “It had no official name.”

According to a report in the Sentinel on March 2, 1959, the name

Services may include advanced medical and urgent care clinics, and outpatient surgery facilities, support services for urgent care and outpatient surgery including pharmacy, laboratory, imaging facilities, primary care, women’s health, pediatric health, optometry, hearing, vision essentials, neurology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology, sleep lab, orthopedics, podiatry, pain medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation dermatology, health education, telehealth, cafe, and administrative office spaces.

According to information provided to the county, the building would be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., but urgent care and ancillary functions would operate continuously, without closing.

The proposed project would include a four-story parking garage with five levels of parking, 47 charging stations for electric vehicles, and bike lockers.

A new driveway would be constructed from Soquel Avenue circling from the medical office and parking garage along with sidewalks.

The city of Santa Cruz provides water at this location.

Drainage improvements would include new 8-inch sanitary sewer, 8-inch fire, and 4-inch domestic water lines, as well as a new stormwater outfall along Rodeo Gulch, on parcels 029-031-11 and 029-031-14.

The County Board of Supervisors approved a contract with Rincon Consultants on Feb. 11, 2020, to prepare an Environmental Impact Report for the project. n ••• To view the mayor’s a virtual town hall at 6 p.m. May 11, go to https://www. facebook.com/cityofcapitola Or join Zoom: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/83736835797?pwd=V2dmcEZ0OGtsT DlqKzFaN0JFRXV6dz09 Meeting ID: 837 3683 5797 Passcode: 846437 Or dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 837 3683 5797 Passcode: 846437 ••• For information: http://www.sccoplanning.com/Portals/2/ County/userfiles/106/MOB%20EIR%20 Scoping%20Presentation.pdf http://www.sccoplanning.com/Portals/2/ County/userfiles/106/Summary_of_MOB_ Scoping_Mtg.pdf http://www.sccoplanning.com/Portals/2/ County/userfiles/106/NOP%20for%20 Medical%20Office%20Bldg.pdf

Cabrillo was chosen unanimously by the trustees Carl Conelly, Albert “Bud” Rice, Keith Shaffer, Margaret Blaisdell, Harold Hyde, Joe Chamberlain and Arthur Hubbard. (Conelly was active in San Lorenzo Valley, Chamberlain was a cattle rancher, Hubbard was a computer guy working at the new Lockheed Martin plant.)

Two days later, Frank Orr, editor of the Register-Pajaronian, wrote an editorial, “A Fitting Name.”

To start classes in September — a short six months away — the first president, Bob Swenson discovered vacant building at Watsonville High School available because it didn’t meet earthquake safety standards.

Cabrillo College opened with 400 freshmen in September 1959.

Next year, in 1960, bond measure $6.6 million bond measure, the largest in county history, was approved by 80% of the voters.

“The percentage vote was astonishing

for a county that couldn’t hardly agree on anything ever,” Lydon said.

Cabrillo Civic Club of Santa Cruz, a group celebrating Portuguese heritage, commissioned a sculpture of Cabrillo that arrived in time for the 1966 graduation.

The figure is bearded, a serious look in his eyes, with Cabrilho — the Portuguese version of his name — on his belt.

The sculpture and plaque are on campus in the Swenson Library but didn’t get much attention, as Lydon recalls.

Matt Wetstein, Cabrillo’s president/ superintendent, asked why not choose Loma Prieta as the name?

It means “Dark Mountain” and it’s in Santa Clara County, Lydon said.

As far as changing the name, Lydon said, “It’s perfectly appropriate to ask him to come down and re-audition.”

He added that the people who chose the name Cabrillo “didn’t know who he was in 1959, in fact, historians didn’t know who he was … Harry

Kelsey’s book in the 80s, we’ve learned more, absolutely.”

Lydon, who has written two books on immigration of the Chinese and Japanese to the West Coast, told of his visit to Tiananmen Square, where protesters were massacred in 1989. He wondered why Mao Zedong, a Marxist who freed China from colonialism then persecuted thousands, still has his name on buildings.

The answer he got: Mao was 80 percent not so good but 20 percent good, and people in China understand that.

As for the anti-Asian violence taking place throughout the country, Lydon said that is a part of Santa Cruz Country history, too, a story he shares in his book, “Chinese Gold.” n ••• The next in the series on changing the name of Cabrillo College: April 29: Student essays and art, 6 p.m.

To view Sandy Lydon’s talk, see: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdqEVeeGI_w

A four-story medical office with a parking garage for 720 cars is proposed for Kaiser Permanente at 5940 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz.

10 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

COMMUNITY NEWS

Capitola Museum Reopens May 1 T he Capitola Historical Museum, closed by the COVID-19 pandemic for a year, will reopen May 1, with an exhibition titled “Capitola Then & Now.”

Remember the Capitola Theater?

“It’s a fun topic,” said Museum Curator Frank Perry. “Visitors can see how Capitola has changed by comparing historic photos with recent ones taken from the same locations.”

Some are locations where once familiar landmarks no longer exist, such as the theater and ballroom. One of the most amazing is a photograph of Opal Cliffs when there was nothing but cow pastures.

Visitors will find displays on two local families: The Nutters and the Pawlas. In the early 1900s, Olley Nutter had an appledrying business at the corner of Capitola Avenue and Hill Street. Edith Pawla and her daughter, Emily, had a nursery on Wharf Road where they specialized in violets.

There is also a display on the history of the telephone in Capitola from 1880 to the present.

Hours at the museum, 422 Capitola Ave., Capitola, are noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with the current exhibit running through December. n For information, call 831-464-0322 or visit the museum’s website: capitolamuseum.org.

Dancing at the Capitola Ballroom, which brought in Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, was a hot ticket for 80 cents.

••• Cover Photo: Frank Perry puts the

finishing touches on the 2021 exhibit at the Capitola Historical Museum.

Maternity care born from humankindness.

Your journey to motherhood is a precious time. That’s why Dignity Health – Dominican Hospital’s Family Birth Center is here to support your big day with a customized birthing experience focused on you. From live virtual classes and birth center tours, to our midwifery program and Level III NICU, Dominican Hospital offers the highest level of care in the Monterey Bay area. See for yourself how we’re safely delivering humankindness at DignityHealth.org/DominicanBirthCenter.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 11

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Volunteers Make a Difference

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s we move beyond the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been thinking a lot about all of the people who volunteer in our community. Volunteers in our community have been the glue to keeping our community afloat this past year and I am so thankful.

In this month’s column, I will highlight a few volunteers in our community who I have interacted with the past few months while I have been mayor.

• Capitola City Clerk Chloe Woodmansee volunteered her time organizing our City’s Second Harvest food drive.

Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County works hard to feed people who have immediate Chloe Woodmansee nutrition needs. Because of her efforts, Capitola was able to feed thousands of families and become one of the 2021 Hunger Fighter award recipients.

• Meals on Wheels volunteers generously spend their time organizing, preparing and delivering meals throughout our Community. I recently had the opportunity to observe during their Community Champions week long celebration to honor the brave seniors that have experienced extraordinary challenges over the past year. This event is part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness for services that give voice to seniors experiencing isolation, food insecurity and poverty.

It was truly a special day.

• Capitola/Aptos Rotary President Michelle Bassi and all members of the Capitola/Aptos Rotary club are hard at work every month and I truly appreciate their efforts and their support of our youth in our community. This group recently awarded several students scholarships and organized a beach clean-up.

• American Red Cross of the Central Coast volunteers were the heroes who stepped up and supported our displaced families during the fires this past summer. In March, the City

12 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

By Yvette Brooks, Mayor, City of Capitola

of Capitola declared March 2021 American Red Cross Month. Every day, people in our community depend on the American Red Cross and its volunteers, donors, and community partners. Their lifesaving work is vital to strengthening our community’s resilience.

• COVID 19 Volunteers at the COVID vaccine clinics throughout our community who keep showing up to ensure that all community members who want a vaccine can receive onee. These clinics are supported by countless volunteers to help keep them running smoothly . If you would like to join the fight against COVID-19 and be part of this historic national effort, you can visit https://scvolunteercenter.org/ to volunteer at a clinic.

••• I also want to spend some time highlighting the volunteers in our community who have offered their time to serve on our City commissions as well. The City Council appoints citizens to serve on boards, commissions, and committees to assist and advise in formulating policy.

These advisory bodies play an important role in helping the City set good policy.

In addition, community members may be appointed to represent the City’s interests on other agency boards.

Commissions and Commissioners Architectural & Site Review Committee he Architectural and Site Review Committee consists of professional members appointed by the City Council as well as City staff involved in the development review process.

The Architectural and Site Review Committee is responsible for reviewing development permit applications to ensure that new proposals are harmonious with Capitola’s unique community character.

The Committee is an advisory body that provides design recommendations to the Planning Commission and/or City Council.

Art & Cultural Commission he Capitola Art & Cultural Commission advises the City Council about allocation of public funds for the support

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and encouragement of existing and new programs in the arts; acquires works of art subject to City Council approval; initiates, sponsors and/or directs special programs that enhance the cultural climate of the City; and implements the Art & Cultural Master Plan.

Thank you to my Commissioner Susan McPeak, Owner at The Dales Group and founder of the ELTY Belt, who has volunteered her time and has brought tremendous insight to upcoming projects, such as the Depot Hill Stairs Public Art, Plein Air and Summer Events (Twilight Concerts, Sunday Art and Music at the Beach) Commission on the Environment embers of the Capitola Commission on the Environment have an interest in protection and enhancement of the City’s environment and assist the City Council in promoting sustainable development, greenhouse gas reduction measures, green building techniques, protection and enhancement of Soquel Creek, the ocean and Capitola Beach, and associated riparian and special habitat areas.

The Commission on the Environment meets quarterly. Meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of the month February, May, August, and November.

Thank you to Commissioner Michelle Beritzhoff-Law, M.S who has a B.S. in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara and an M.S. in Marine Science from the University of Otago in New Zealand and currently works for FISHWISE, as a Project Director.

Finance Advisory Committee he Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) advises the City Council on financial matters. Three of the seven members are appointed by individual Council Members on the basis of their knowledge, experience, and qualifications in financial management and related areas. These appointees must be City residents, The FAC will be spending their meetings from April to June focused on reviewing next year’s draft City Budget and making recommendations to the City Council.

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“Mayor Brooks” page 21

COMMUNITY NEWS

Banuelos, Gallucci Leave SCCB Board O n April 13, Santa Cruz County Bank announced the retirement of founding director Tila Banuelos and founding chairman George Gallucci from the board as of May 26, when the annual shareholders’ meeting takes place.

They held those roles starting in 2004.

Since then, Santa Cruz County Bank has grown to assets of $1.4 billion and ranked in the Top 100 Community Banks by S&P Global for six consecutive years.

Banuelos is president and CEO of Mas Mac, Inc., which owns three MacDonald’s franchises in Watsonville. She has been honored by community and national organizations for her business leadership and community engagement. She spent 32 years at Bank of America rising to vice president and manager.

“I am so proud of our employees, the great success of our Bank, and how we’ve worked together in meeting the challenges of growth and current times,” Banuelos said. “Now it’s time for the next chapter of my life: family, church, and good friends.”

Gallucci is a retired registered investment advisor who spent 22 years at

Tila Banuelos

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Before that, he worked at County Bank and Trust in Santa Cruz, and its successor, Pacific Western Bank, from 1968-1990.

“The success enjoyed by the bank is largely the result of the management team and their commitment to the bank and the community,” Gallucci said. “I thank each and every one for their contributions. I leave the board of directors with the confidence that it is in good hands to perpetuate the success we have established.”

Chairman William J. Hansen thanked both for their service, business referrals and lasting contributions, saying, “Their involvement from the beginning has been instrumental in the success of Santa Cruz County Bank.” n

Cabrillo Opens Study Area at Watsonville Campus

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abrillo College opened up an in-person study space at the Watsonville campus on April 20. The space is available by reservation only via EventBrite.

Students can reserve a table for a 4-hour block of time. All tables are outdoors, and only one student per table is allowed.

The study area is located at Cabrillo College Watsonville Center, Solari Green Technology Center (Building D). 318 Union St., Watsonville. Line up at the metal gate of Building D. The area includes individual desks, WIFI access, extension cables for device charging and printing centers.

Requirements/Rules: • Students must reserve a seat and accept risk recognition through this reservation system.

• Students must bring headphones or earphones if they plan to listen to

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video or other audio lectures. They must also bring their own device if they are to complete work on the computer.

• Students must complete a pre-health assessment questionnaire, take a temperature check before using the study area, and show a photo ID. • No food or drink inside the study space. Facemasks must be worn at all times.

• Restrooms will be available for students.

This space is wheelchair accessible. n

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 13

COMMUNITY NEWS

Run a Food Biz?

$28 Billion Set Aside for Grants

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14 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

By Jondi Gumz

ed Burke, who owns the Shadowbrook in Capitola, plans to look into the new federal pandemic aid for restaurateurs. So will Joe and Gayle Ortiz, owners of Gayle’s Bakery & Rosticceria in Capitola.

Matt Schoenfield, co-owner of Vino Cruz in Soquel, hadn’t heard about the new funding, but he’s interested.

They are among the local food businesses that could get help from the new $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package signed by President Biden.

U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Also) hosted a virtual town hall April 15 to alert food business owners to this new grant opportunity to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered some restaurants and drastically cut revenues for others with capacity limits. Her point was to encourage business owners to prepare the financial records needed to apply online through the U.S. Small Business Administration, which this week posted information about the application process.

“It’s been heartbreaking to see the closures in the downtown,” Eshoo said. “Restaurants are really the cultural touchstones in our community. You’re so important to all of us.”

A restaurant owner in Aptos wanted to know if the newly approved federal restaurant relief grants were taxable.

A couple who run a bed-and-breakfast in Ben Lomond without any employees wanted to know if they were eligible for this new grant.

A couple who bought a restaurant in Santa Cruz late in 2020 wanted to know if they could apply for this federal money even though they didn’t operate for a full year.

The answers to the questions above: No, not taxable by the federal government but each state will decide about state taxes.

Yes, you’re eligible because the number of employees is not a factor. Probably, apply and see.

On the tax question, Eshoo said, “This is to help people, not to place another burden on them with a surprise bill of taxes owed on monies that were either borrowed or granted.”

Besides restaurateurs, operators of food stands, food trucks, food carts, caterers, saloons, inns, taverns, bars, lounges, brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms, and alcohol producers where the public can taste or buy are eligible. Operations with more than 20 locations and wholesalers are not eligible; neither are nonprofits, publiclytraded companies or businesses that have

permanently closed, such as Saturn Café, which announced it will not reopen at its downtown Santa Cruz location.

The application is not available yet but the grant program to be very popular, potentially creating a mad rush online, which is what shut down the Shuttered Venue Operators grant program.

Information on documentation requirements, when and how to apply has been posted by the U.S. Small Business Administration. For the smaller businesses, money has been earmarked, potentially reducing the competition: $5 billion for applicants with 2019 gross receipts under $500,000; $4 billion for those with 2019 gross receipts from $500,001 to $1,500,000; and $500 million for those with 2019 gross receipts under $50,000.

Julie Clowes, director of the Small Business Administration in Northern California, who answered questions with Eshoo, said people would get a few days to review the requirements before the online application portal opens.

She advised watching the sba.gov website for announcements.

“Whenever these things come available you get nervous and start to feel it’s a race for time,” said Larry Chu of Chef Chu’s in Los Altos, who called in.

Eshoo, who described herself as the daughter of a small business owner, sympathized with food businesses holding on after a roller-coaster ride of pandemic rules, allowing only takeout, then allowing dining outdoors, then indoor capacity capped at 50 percent.

“I want you to be able to access this money to cover your losses due to COVID so that you can really get on your feet and back into full swing on your businesses,” she said.

Eshoo recommended business owners reach out to the Small Business Development Center (831-479-6136 at Cabrillo College in Aptos), SCORE mentors (831-621-3735) or the Women’s Business Center (newly created at El Pajaro in Watsonville, elpajarodcdc.org).

She also suggested they sign up at www.SBA.gov/ca/sf for email notices about the restaurant grants.

The grant for a single business is capped at $5 million; for those with multiple locations, it’s capped at $10 million.

The grant formula is 2020 gross revenue subtracted from 2019 gross revenue, based on tax returns. Another formula will be created for businesses not filing taxes for 2019.

Clowes said Paycheck Protection Program loans will be deducted from grants unless the loans were forgiven.

“Food Biz Grants” page 22

COMMUNITY NEWS

United Way, UCSC Land $650,000 Grant

Funds To Be Used For Latinx Student Research

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By Allison Arteaga Soergel

new three-year, $650,000 grant will link UC Santa Cruz with the United Way of Santa Cruz County’s Youth Action Network to support youth empowerment and leadership throughout the county.

Faculty and undergraduate students will partner with local high school and middle school students in Watsonville and Live Oak to design and implement community-engaged research projects.

This work will provide new insight on youth education, Keisha Browder health, and wellbeing initiatives and community services for immigrant and mixed-status families, unhoused families, and migrant working families.

Local youth and UC Santa Cruz underRebecca Nelson graduates who gain research experience through the program will have a new leadership platform to influence local policy.

Also, the program is designed to support college-readiness and Regina Langhout success, particularly for Latinx students who are or will be the first in their families to attend college.

The funding for this project comes from the highly-competitive, nationwide Institutional Challenge Grant, supported by the William T. Grant Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

These grants help universities and community organizations work together to reduce inequalities in youth outcomes. UC Santa Cruz, Johns Hopkins University, and Northeastern University were this year’s winners, while Cornell University received a continuation of funding.

“Make no mistake, there were much larger institutions and larger agencies as finalists for this award,” said Keisha

Photo Credit: Steve McKay

Maria Carmen Reyna conducts survey research in Watsonville as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz.

She has since graduated.

Browder, chief executive officer of United Way of Santa Cruz County. “For UC Santa Cruz and United Way to win this award affirms our ability to deepen and scale our work to improve youth outcomes.”

Youth-Driven Agenda rowder will work alongside Associate Professor of Sociology Rebecca London and Professor of Psychology Regina Langhout to co-manage the new grant project, which kicks off in September. The first step will be a ninemonth planning period including a workshop with undergraduates and youth leaders to develop a youth-driven research agenda.

“It’s essential for young people to be the ones to ask important questions that create new knowledge,” Langhout said.

“The research questions will be different when they come from the youth in the community. We really need to include youth voices, or we won’t be getting the full picture.”

After the initial planning period, four cohorts of about 30 middle and high school students from United Way’s Youth Action Network will partner with similar cohorts of UC Santa Cruz undergraduate students to conduct research in the community.

They’ll be guided by Langhout and three other faculty fellows: Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies Jessica Taft, Associate Professor of Sociology Steve McKay, and Assistant Professor of Psychology Saskias Casanova.

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“Student Research” page 22

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 15

16 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

COMMUNITY NEWS

Amah Mutsun Has A New Leader

Hitchcock Aims to Protect Sacred Sites, Mentor Youth

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he new executive director of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust is Raymond Hitchcock, who came from Wilton Rancheria, where he was tribal chairman and CEO. Hitchcock is the first Native in this post, succeeding EkOngKar Singh Khalsa.

“He understands firsthand the challenges Native people face every day,” Valentine Lopez, president and chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, said of Hitchcock.

Lopez said Hitchcock led Wilton Rancheria through the federal process to put land into Trust for the Tribe after being landless for almost 60 years, enhanced internal tribal capacity, and led the effort Raymond Hitchcock to permit, fund, and start construction of a $600 million gaming facility in Elk Grove and a staff of 27 to lobbying the State Legwhile successfully running a local coun- islature and Congress to award the Tribe 36 tertop business. acres in 2017, its first property since 1958.

“His strength has been his ability He served on the executive board of the to build and maintain effective relation- California Nations Indian Gaming Assoships within his community, and we ciation, was appointed by Gov. Newsom to know he will do this here, while carrying the Tribal Nations Grant Fund, and served out our many programs and projects,” on the California Department of Social Lopez said.

Service’s Tribal Advisory Committee on Amah Mutsun Land Trust, established Indian child welfare issues. in 2014, holds a 96-acre conservation Groundbreaking on the casino and easement near Año Nuevo State Park, 300+room hotel complex with a ballroom, spa a cultural easement at Mid-Peninsula and meeting facilities, was March 9, with the Regional Open Space District’s Mt. project estimated to create 1,600 jobs during Umunhum and works closely with Califor- construction and 1,750 full-time job when it nia’s Department of opens, according to Parks and Recreation The Land Trust is committed to Casino News Daily. at Quiroste Valley, working with university scholars and Hitchcock, who a designated Cali- others to better understand Mutsun began his new job history, culture, traditions, and fornia State Cultural ceremonies that were lost starting April 19, is passionate Preserve. with the brutal removal from their about improving the The Amah lands by the Spanish. health and wellbeing Mutsun Land Trust of Indian people and also manages native plant gardens at San believes this can be accomplished through Juan Bautista State Park, Castle Rock State hard work, determination, and persistence.

Park, UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, and at Pie He said he is “humbled and honored Ranch on the Santa Cruz coast. to be offered this opportunity” to work for The Land Trust is committed to Amah Mutsun Land Trust and “to create working with university scholars and opportunities for tribal youth to protect others to better understand Mutsun history, and restore the places most sacred to the culture, traditions, and ceremonies that Mutsun people. I will do everything in my were lost starting with the brutal removal power to ensure that these places are profrom their lands by the Spanish. The goal is tected and accessible to the Mutsun Tribe, to rediscover Mutsun history, culture and and other Tribes, while working hard to identity and to share this information with expand and enhance AMLT’s flagship the Tribe and the general public. program, the Native Stewardship Corps, In Wilton, Hitchcock was the leader which employs Native youth.” and spokesman for the Tribe and dealt He added, “I am also very excited to with everything from expanding tribal mentor our Native youth so they become the resources and managing nine departments next generation of land trust leaders.” n

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Pictures From the Past

When Soquel Was Rural: 100 Years Ago Photo Essay by Carolyn Swift

A young man with his camera case around his neck relaxes on Parrish hill to admire the beauty of rural Soquel Valley, circa 1915.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Student Views: Should Cabrillo College Change Its Name?

D r. Adela Najarro, who teaches English 2 in the Puente Learning Communities at Cabrillo College, introduces student essays on the topic, “Should Cabrillo College Change Its Name?”

In “Composition & Critical Thinking,” known as English 2, students wrote persuasive essays expressing their point of view about renaming Cabrillo College. Students argued both sides of the question after reviewing the issue through sources on the Cabrillo College Dr. Adela Najarro website and after conducting research at the Cabrillo College library databases.

Students volunteered to share their perspectives on this document and at the Cabrillo College name change exploration event April 22 on Zoom and recorded on YouTube. To read these essays, visit tinyurl. com/cabrillo-student-name-essays.

(Full URL: https://docs.google.com/ document/d/13Vz_Nb3VN90P3L9YZzGP DSyaHsTmHddw-MF0StY-8I4/edit) ••• Azucena Serna rowing up we are taught to have an opinion or sort an idea over a subject.

As you grow older, these subjects only become more serious and controversial.

Cabrillo College has been titled by its name for years now.

However, while many students and faculty believe it’s just a name, behind it is a story that is much more than that. Cabrillo was named after a historical figure named Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. While many of us do not know who this man was, he was an inhumane individual. The reason behind this idea is because he was not just a slave owner, but involved in genocide and sex trafficking.

Cabrillo committed these cruel actions towards the indigenous people during this time and keeping the college’s name is only an act of disrespect towards those who were led to their death. Cabrillo College in fact needs to alter its name because it continues to honor a violent historical figure who caused harm and death to innocent indigenous people.

If Cabrillo College were to change its name, this would not only bring justice to the deaths that were caused because of him,

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but also, we will no longer be honoring a cruel individual who does not deserve recognition.

••• Ines Martinez s a first-year Cabrillo student, I have noticed that most of my peers are Latinos who have historical ties with Native American roots.

After discovering who the person that the college I was attending was named after, I learned that it was a man named Juan Rodiguez Cabrillo who gained all of his wealth and power off of the labor of Native Americans and their land. Juan Cabrillo was a Spanish explorer who traveled to the Coast of California in the 1500s.

Today, this has been brought to the community’s attention, calling out how using this person’s name as a college title is inappropriate and must be changed.

There may be people who might disagree, but changing Cabrillo’s name is paramount since it does not reflect the standards and goals of the school, nor does it show respect to our community.

Renaming Cabrillo college will allow students to feel more welcomed; therefore, we must change the name of our school to match the school’s goals and respect our community.

••• Elizabeth Gonzalez hen I think about Cabrillo College’s name, I think about how it is known as being one of the best community colleges in the United States. Not only this, but Cabrillo has an outstanding reputation for the amount of support it provides for the students.

As soon as Cabrillo College is brought up, everyone already knows what school it is and how great of a school it is.

This being said, if Cabrillo College decides to change its name, not only its reputation but its history will go along with it too.

People might say that because of Juan Cabrillo’s horrific history, Cabrillo College’s name should be changed. They may also say that instead of spending so much money from the school itself, they could simply fundraise money. This way, the school can continue spending its money on programs, clubs, etc., and not interfere with the school programs.

Removing the name and changing it to something different would be horrible for those who graduate from there. They

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would be stuck with a certificate from a school whose name no longer exists.

••• Phoenix Rumbaugh uan Rodriguez Cabrillo is Cabrillo College’s namesake, and Cabrillo, the conquistador, has become controversial, due to his history. He fought with Cortez, against the Aztecs, amongst other indiscretions.

Cabrillo College was named over 50 years ago, due to a name lottery won by a resident of Aptos, but at the time, there had not been much concern about the reason for the school’s name.

Although this name has seemed fine for years, it may be time to change it.

Cabrillo College bears the name of a man who never set eyes on Aptos, or Northern California.

Talk of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo having had slaves, casts a shadow on the Cabrillo College name. Cabrillo, the explorer, discovered much of California, including San Diego, but he never made it to Northern California. There is no connection or relevance between the conquistador and a Junior College.

It might be understandable if the college named after Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo were a place in California that he discovered. Cabrillo was a conquistador, so why should a school be named after him? It would probably be more correct to name the school after the local tribes, but we should always remember the past injustices of our country’s past and present.

••• Yakelin Rocha abrillo College is a school that prides itself in being open to all people regardless of race, age, sexuality, religion, etc. In the three years, I have attended Cabrillo, I have seen these qualities be practiced and respected. However, an unfortunate truth has been revealed about the name of our cherished school.

Cabrillo College is named after a Spanish colonizer who committed cultural genocide. For this reason, let us change Cabrillo College’s name to correspond with the school’s beliefs and students. The act of honoring that kind of person instead of celebrating the indigenous peoples who occupied this land before us feels wrong and inappropriate.

Some people may disagree with the changing of Cabrillo College’s name for many different reasons.

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One of the main reasons is the amount of money that would have to be spent.

Some may want the name to stay because eradicating the name erases the history of what he was and what he did. In addition to that, people believe that keeping the name allows us never to forget the past and to continue learning how not to make the same mistakes.

However, saying that changing the name erases history is highly ignorant and insensitive. It makes it seem as though all that happened is so easy to forget and push aside.

Some BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) still have memories passed down from their ancestors who suffered immensely either at his hand or by people like him.

Whether or not the name changes, the history still exists, and it is our job to educate others on what occurred and how racism and prejudice are still prevalent in our country.

Instead of keeping the name to not “forget” the history, Cabrillo College can begin to offer classes that teach the history of our town and state and classes that emphasize systemic racism and how it affects minorities still to this day.

••• Evan David abrillo College should not change its name. While many of the acts committed by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo are certainly deplorable and nothing to be celebrated, the concrete benefits of renaming Cabrillo College are far outweighed by the costs of the process of rebranding, which is set to exceed a million dollars.

Changing the name of Cabrillo College would have very abstract benefits on an extremely small portion of the Cabrillo College community, and thus it is very difficult to measure these benefits on the community.

These abstract benefits, however, would pale in comparison to the concrete benefits of investing this money into helping to allow disadvantaged students to achieve an education, or even investing in better equipment or pay for professors.

There are many students who believe the name should be changed as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo does not demonstrate morals that support the values of Cabrillo college.

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“Testimonials” page 20

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 19

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However, keeping the name of Cabrillo College is far more useful for demonstrating how these values disagree with those of the college. By keeping the name of Cabrillo College, we force our staff and students to come to terms with this dark portion of our history, as teachers feel obligated to explore that part of the school’s legacy.

By forcing these discussions, we allow the students to view how this man affected our lives today, as well as coming to terms with the terrible acts he committed, rather than changing the name and risking forgetting about this part of our history and the suffering of the people he enslaved.

••• Yocelyn Gonzalez hould we rename a school because of its past connections? Throughout history, many civil rights activists and advocates have fought and are continuing to fight against racism, discrimination, injustice, and inequality to this day by using their voices.

History classes have taught us the harsh conditions and unfair treatment towards POC communities, Natives, and indigenous people and how it affected them. Considering that these groups take part in making the school be what it is, renaming Cabrillo College is a controversial subject; even though many oppose the name change, we should alter the name and set an example of inclusivity and respect for all peoples.

••• Teresa Hurtado-Tyner believe Cabrillo College should not change its name.

Since its founding in 1959, it has been called Cabrillo College after the explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. The name change would cost one million dollars and that money could be used for other programs.

In my opinion, it is already very established under the name Cabrillo College; going through the whole process to change it would be a lot of labor that can go towards more crucial issues.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a great explorer and committed wrongful crimes. As a community, I feel we should acknowledge the wrong he did, learn from his mistakes.

Many people don’t associate Cabrillo College with a slave-owning, sex trafficking, murderer; I have lived in this area all my life; my mom even attended Cabrillo College.

Not until now did I know how the college got its name. When Cabrillo College comes to mind, I don’t think of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and the horrendous crimes he committed. I think of the opportunities, the fantastic staff, excellent education, and great programs Cabrillo College has to offer, of which I am proud to say I am a student.

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••• Dayanara Romo o be a true hero means being someone who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo did not carry those qualities to be remembered as a hero. Others may say that it’s unnecessary to change the name that they should use that money for the students. However, changing the name allows students to feel secure in their school.

Renaming Cabrillo College will allow all students to feel comfortable on this campus; therefore, we should change the school’s name to that of a local Native American Tribe and the campus women.

My classmates wrote many ideas that I resonate with completely. Yocelyn Gonzalez writes, “For example, I think ‘Coastal College’ would be better for the community, especially since we can combine both the campuses together with Aptos and Watsonville.”

I agree with the name she chooses because I like how she acknowledges the two campuses—doing that, you are thinking of a name that represents the students and their hometowns.

Yocelyn Gonzalez also explained, “In our current society, many are changing/ fixing history, educating, and removing things that connect to the past that affect minorities, the ones that are disrespectful or can internally harm an individual.”

I agree because that is the reason why we want to change the name. After all, it is disrespectful towards women but also people of color because it is eurocentric.

••• Nicole Vásquez majority of my classmates believe we should change the name, yet my classmates would’ve never known about the issue if it was not our topic for the class.

I have observed their opinions through our class posters and discussions, and I believe that both sides of the arguments are valid. There’s a lot that needs to be done in order to heal from the past oppression every person of color has gone through. Regardless of whether we change the name or not, correctness and awareness still needs to be important.

Changing the name and sponging out all his tragic actions in order for us to have moderate comfort when instead we can continue to do what our ancestors couldn’t because of conquistadors that destroyed them, we can show the world just how much potential we have, and how we will not be dimmed down by names or monuments of people who had a flawed mindset.

Removing all the racist monuments in the world will not erase the past.

We should not rename Cabrillo because we could use those funds towards things that actually stimulate the students’ future. n

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COMMUNITY NEWS

How Bystanders Can Become Leaders

For Men’s Violence Against Women, Challenging Norms is Key

By Jondi Gumz

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hen Santa Cruz County Sheriff 4232, is the only rape crisis and human Jim Hart saw the video of George trafficking center in the county and saw an Floyd killed during his arrest increase in domestic violence reports during last year, it was clear to him that Derek the pandemic shelter-in-place order.

Chauvin (found guilty of murder) was the The sheriff restarted the county’s alpha officer, the guy in the charge.

Sexual Assault Response Team in February, Other officers on the scene didn’t have reducing the need for the survivor of an the courage to step in or didn’t attack to drive an hour to a clinic know how to because they were in Santa Clara County. so new.

Lauren Zephro heads Hart’s conclusion: There forensic services, which reports needs to be a lot of training on the receiving 36 rape kits over the duty to intervene. past 12 months of the pandemic, That’s one reason the Sheriff’s with the most — six — coming in Office sponsored a virtual visit November.

April 14 by educator-activist-author Michael Henderson, who Jim Hart Jackson Katz, whose TED talk “Viotaught computer science at San lence Against Women is a Men’s Issue” has Lorenzo Valley High School through 2019, been seen 2.5 million times. is to stand trial for four felony counts of The visit was supported by the Santa inappropriately touching a minor, and invesCruz Commission for Prevention of Violence tigations are ongoing into allegations by Against Women. It was one of several events students of sexual misconduct by four former scheduled for Sexual Assault Awareness San Lorenzo Valley school district employees.

Month and promoted by Monarch Services, “Leaders” page 23 which has a 24-hour crisis line, 1-888-900-

“Mayor Brooks” from page 12 Future agenda items include reviewing the City’s pension debt, which the City has no control over, and has increased an average of 20% annually for the last five fiscal years, and develop a strategy to address the rising costs. In addition, the FAC will be reviewing the Capitola Village parking program and making recommendations to the City Council.

Historical Museum Board he Capitola Museum’s purpose is to bring a better understanding and appreciation by the Capitola community of its history, architecture, culture, technology, and its creative and natural environments.

The museum plans to reopen in May on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Their current exhibition, “Capitola Then & Now,” will be up through the end of the year. The exhibit compares historic photographs with pictures of the same scenes today and shows the interesting ways Capitola has changed over the years.

Planning Commission he Planning Commission is a City Council-appointed board whose members are charged with reviewing land use and development permits for consistency with the Capitola General Plan, and

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the Capitola Zoning Code. Planning Commission decisions may be appealed to the City Council.

Thank you to Commissioner Courtney Christiansen, Design + Project Manager at Fuse Architects Inc who has continued to offer her support and expertise to the Commission the past two years.

Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my fellow Council members, Vice Mayor Sam Storey, Jacques Bertrand, Kristen Petersen and Margaux Keiser who in addition to their elected positions, all sit on additional boards and commissions.

While it often goes unnoticed, the job of serving on the City Council, as well as so many other boards and commissions is nearly a full time job, and I am deeply appreciative of the time and effort my peers take to do the job well.

Getting involved is important to our community and there are many agencies still in need of your support. Again, thank you to all of the volunteers in our community. n ••• Your time is invaluable. I encourage everyone to get more involved and become a volunteer today. As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me at brooksforcitycouncil@gmail.com

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“Food Biz Grants” from page 14 Another key form will be IRS Form 4506T, which authorizes the IRS to enable SBA to get tax transcripts from the business applicant.

Grants can be used to pay any business expense, including monthly payments and

“Student Research” from page 15 “These fellows are phenomenal ambassadors for our work in the community,” said Rebecca London, the grant’s principal investigator. “They each have a lot they can share about ethical and actionable communityengaged research. I’m looking forward to working alongside them in the formation of this partnership, and I think the young people in our community will be really excited about it too.”

The project is also designed to position undergraduates as mentors for local youth. First-generation Latinx college students face inequalities in access to research opportunities, but new community-engaged research projects can help to close that gap while fostering meaningful connections with youth from similar backgrounds. The combined benefits of these relationships and research

credit card debt, but not to make a lump-sum payoff of a long-term loan, she said.

The first 21 days will give priority to women, veterans and socially or economically disadvantaged business owners. They self-certify they have 51% ownership and day-to-day control over the business.

Clowes said the PPP forgivable loan

program is still open on the SBA site and those who applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan are allowed to increase their request up to $500,000.

For information: https://www. s b a . g o v / f u n d i n g - p ro g r a m s / l o a n s / covid-19-relief-options/restaurant-revitalization-fund#section-header-8

••• To view the webinar: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=XxeiJ1iw1rQ&feat ure=youtu.be To view the slides in the webinar, see https://eshoo.house.gov/sites/eshoo. house.gov/files/eshoorestaurantswebinar. pdf

experiences could improve educational outcomes.

“This is an opportunity to truly connect our youth to college students and the college experience,” Keisha Browder explained. “The sense of belonging builds their confidence for college and research.

You see high school students walk with pride that they are doing this type of work.

It gives us a chance to ignite that passion in a student and get them imagining who they could be once they step onto a college campus.”

Using Research Findings arah Emmert, Director of Community Impact at United Way of Santa Cruz County, will advise on the program’s research projects as a community fellow.

Through this process, Emmert, a 2011 UCSC graduate, will learn new research methods and strategies for applying and disseminating findings throughout the community. The goal is to strengthen

United Way’s role as a local leader in using research to inform practice for public service programs.

The grant will also give UC Santa Cruz an opportunity to build new internal structures and policies that will help advance the university’s impact in the community. With the support of the Office of Research, the project will develop ethics guidelines for community-based research and incorporate input from partners like United Way. The grant project will also recommend university-wide standards for how the value of community-engaged work is weighed in processes like tenure decisions and departmental reviews.

Additionally, UC Santa Cruz will create a new Campus + Community center to offer resources, support, and relationship-building that will connect university scholarship and research with

the needs of community partners. Rebecca London will be the center’s inaugural faculty director.

“We’re hoping to be a landing spot for the community so that it’s easier for local organizations to access the expertise of researchers on campus,” she said. “There are many folks on campus who really want to do work out in the community. We can help match them and make sure that those partnerships work well.”

A recent inventory of community engagement among staff and faculty at UC Santa Cruz over the past five years documented 176 teaching and research projects and 153 service projects, which involved thousands of undergraduates.

The new grant project and partnership with United Way will ensure that efforts like these continue to grow and improve in the future. n

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“COVID Update” from page 8 The Toll OVID-19 has claimed the lives of 60,000 Californians.

Deaths in Santa Cruz County have leveled off at 204, with 50 percent of deaths at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, a percentage that was higher early in the pandemic.

Locally, 79 percent of those who died were age 70 or older and 77 percent had other health conditions – those percentages have remained stable.

A year after the pandemic began, with 27 million vaccine does administered and case rates plummeting, 38 counties are in the Red Tier and 38 in the Orange Tier.

On Friday, Santa Cruz County reported only four people hospitalized with COVID, none in intensive care.

••• County COVID Deaths 204 As of April 23

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Age 90 and up: 56 • 80 to 89: 62 • 70 to 79: 43 60 to 69: 27 • 50 to 59: 5 • 40 to 49: 7 30 to 39: 4 Race/Ethnicity White: 114 • Latinx: 72 • Asian: 15 Black: 1 • Amer. Indian/Alaskan Native: 1 Underlying Conditions Yes: 158 • No: 46

Gender Male: 100 • Female: 104 Skilled Nursing/Residential Care Santa Cruz Post Acute: 20 Watsonville Post Acute: 18 Pacific Coast Manor: 14 Hearts & Hands Post Acute: 8 Sunshine Villa: 7 • Aegis: 4 Maple House 1: 4 • Valley Convalescent: 4 Watsonville Nursing Center: 4 Montecito Manor: 3 • De Un Amor: 2 Dominican Oaks: 2 • Driftwood: 2 Hanover House: 2 • Maple House II: 2 Rachelle’s Home 1: 2 • La Posada: 1 Paradise Villa: 1 • Rachelle’s Home II: 1 Valley Haven: 1 • Westwind: 1 Total: 103 Not at a facility: 101 COVID Cases by Town Aptos: 794 • Ben Lomond: 117 Boulder Creek: 147 • Capitola: 455 Felton: 149 • Freedom: 979 Santa Cruz: 3,866 • Scotts Valley: 430 Soquel: 352 • Watsonville: 8,013 Unincorporated: 254 Under investigation: 275 Total: 15,831 Source: Santa Cruz County Public Health ••• Editor’s Note: Would you like to share your family’s COVID-19 story? Email Jondi Gumz at info@cyber-times.com or call 831688-7549 x17.

For details on what can open in the Orange Tier, see https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Erika Zavaleta Gets State Appointment ov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Erika Zavaleta, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, to the California Fish and Game Commission.

Zavaleta will be one of five members of the commission, which sets policies and regulations implemented and enforced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This position requires Senate confirmation.

A Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, Zavaleta is a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences Erika Zavaleta and the Ecological Society of America. She directs the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program mentoring future leaders in ecology at UCSC and the Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities (CAMINO), a program to increase student access to research-based field courses and internships at UCSC. Her research focuses on terrestrial ecosystems and plant communities, links between biodiversity and human well-being, and the implications of interacting global

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“Leaders” from page 21 Bystanders or Leaders?

“This night is framed around ‘The Bystander Moment,’” Katz said, referring to his 49-minute educational film on how observers can intervene to challenge sexist cultural norms that lead to violence.

In the George Floyd case, he said, an officer was misusing his authority, and three officers on hand did nothing. Why? Katz’ answer: Male peer culture, hierarchies.

When one guy makes a sexist remark, guys let it go. They know if they speak up and say “that’s not cool,” that comes at some risk to their status in the group.

That’s what Katz is trying to change, with the ultimate goal to change the social acceptability of harassment, abuse or violence, what he calls “rape culture.”

He believes it’s possible, just as cigarettes once promoted as healthy are now seen as a health hazard.

“We need more straight talk among men,” he said. “Men’s violence against women, it’s more accurate more honest.”

Instead of asking how many teen girls got pregnant, ask how many boys impregnated girls.

Boys are growing up traumatized by the abuse toward their mother — prisons are filled with men who are emotionally little boys. They develop a hard shell

and regional environmental changes. She coauthored the award-winning textbook Ecosystems of California.

Zavaleta earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology and a doctorate in biological sciences at Stanford University. She joined UCSC in 2003.

“Historically, there has not been strong science or diversity representation on the commission, and Erika’s appointment represents a marked change in the composition of the commission,” said Mark Carr, UCSC professor and chair of ecology and evolutionary biology.

••• Commuters Rewards To Bike, Carpool he GO Santa Cruz program, which has 1,100 people getting to work downtown via walking, biking, carpooling, skateboarding or riding the bus to win prizes, is expanding countywide.

The program, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, is free. It’s partly funded by voter-approved Measure D to improve the county’s transportation network.

To sign up, visit https://my.cruz511.org and join the GO Santa Cruz County network.

To earn points that can be redeemed for electronic gift cards, log in. Participants

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in reaction to violence by men in their families.

Men commit most of the violence.

“We have to connect all these things,” Katz said. “It can be done.”

MVPs Katz is doing that, creating Mentors in Violence Prevention, MVP Strategies, which has brought the bystander approach to changing culture to various audiences athletes, the military, schools and the corporate world.

One example: Three guys are at a bar, and one makes an inappropriate sexual comment about a woman recently hired in their office. What do you do?

Who do you have a responsibility to?

The woman?

The guy who just made the comment?

Do you have a responsibility to yourself?

“Speak up when you see injustice,” Katz said. “Do you have a responsibility to the team at work for treating a co-worker with disrespect? Aren’t you speaking for the best values of the group?”

He added, “The person who speaks up is a leader, taking a risk for people who don’t have the confidence to do it…Men want to be on the side of doing the right thing. It’s not that complicated.”

Culture Shift In his 33 years in the Sheriff’s Office, Hart has seen a shift in local law enforcement, from 10 percent women to 33 percent.

also can enter for chances to win in quarterly drawings.

Participating employees and employers can participate in a series of free online educational workshops on topics such as urban cycling, eBikes and bike commuting basics.

The countywide expansion came in connection with Earth Day. “Encouraging more climate-friendly transportation options is always important, and we hope people will take this opportunity to get out of their vehicles or consider a COVID-safe carpool option,” said Shannon Munz, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission spokeswoman.

The GO Santa Cruz pilot program, launched in 2019 by the City of Santa Cruz, reports workers have logged 23,000 alternative trips and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 26.9 metric tons.

••• Cruzio Hiring ruzio Internet in downtown Santa Cruz expects to hire up to 20 field technicians and technical service representatives this year.

The Equal Access Santa Cruz project has connected more than 200 students and their families during the pandemic and more are expected to connect in 2021. The project has expanded to more school districts, low-

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In 1988, deputies had one locker room, and Hart had to dress and undress in front of a female deputy – making him uncomfortable but he didn’t speak up.

“I didn’t want to be known as someone causing a problem,” Hart said. “I wish I would have said something. Now as the sheriff, I would be mortified if someone was going through that.”

In the past, a deputy was viewed as weak if he sought help after a traumatic incident such a shooting, but that has changed, according to Hart.

“We have a really strong employee assistance program to talk some of these problems through,” Hart said. “We have therapists coming.”

He said his deputies “need a clear head when they put the uniform on.”

Zephro, the forensics chief, added, “Yes, it’s encouraged, supported, seen as normal. Public service is a hard job, we need support.”

Concluded Hart, “I want happy healthy employees for 30 years.”

Claudia Llamas-Padilla, program coordinator for the Sexual Assault Response Team, watched the “Bystander” film with Zephro, knowing nothing about Katz.

“I found him super-inspiring,” Llamas-Padilla said, calling on men to intervene for women. “We need more men to speak up. Question your own attitudes, beliefs and actions. Do something to change things.”

income housing units, UC Santa Cruz student programs, and senior living facilities.

Cruzio seeks entrylevel applicants with an interest in gaining installation, technical, and customer service skills and is scheduling appointments for a Zoom Interview Hiring Fair.

Email cruzio.com/careers with times you are available for a Zoom interview.

••• Affordable Housing Developer Sought he City of Santa Cruz has issued a request for proposals for an affordable housing developer for the Downtown Library Mixed Use Project, to be located on the parking lot where the weekly Farmers Market takes place.

The project will have a at least 50 lowand very low-income housing units, so the city seeks an experienced developer who can provide deeply affordable units and maximize the number of affordable units within the footprint.

Another round of community engagement is planned for May, with a recommendation expected to be presented to the City Council in June. Ongoing updates can be found at cityofsantacruz.com/mixeduselibrary. n

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Some men embrace educator Jackson Katz’s call to change what’s acceptable.

Katz is based in Boston but Santa Cruz is home to an activist who has been working on these issues since 1984: Ann Simonton, founder of Media Watch.

Asked if outreach should begin in schools, Simonton said, “Absolutely, it’s an opportune time. Kids are desperate for it.

It’s difficult, but it’s absolutely imperative we begin.” n ••• Resources Film: The Mask We Live In, a film about boys talking about pressures on Book: Real Boys

by Dr. William Pollock on how innocent boys become destructive TED talk by Jackson Katz: https:// w w w. t e d . c o m / t a l k s / j a c k s o n _ k a t z _ v i o lence_against_women_it_s_a_men_s_issue/ transcript?language=en Website: MediaWatch.com Website: MVPStrategies.com

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 23

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Opal Cliffs Home-Based Learning Model

By Scott J. Turnbull, Superintendent, Soquel Union Elementary School District

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pal Cliffs School sits in a lovely location adjacent to Jade Street Park in Capitola. It’s a small facility opened in 2012 and originally served the district’s Transitional Kindergarten students.

To create additional options for our community’s families, the school has undergone a transformation.

Our district’s Transitional Kindergarten students are now served mainly at Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School.

This move was made to create an alternative education option at Opal Cliffs as we realize that flexible options are necessary to meet the needs of our families. This plan of action was initiated well before the onset of COVID-19 but was expedited by the pandemic.

Why an alternative education site?

Well, for some students and families, a traditional elementary or middle school setting

Jessica Kiernan

Suzanne Denham

suits them just fine. For others, alternative options are necessary for a whole host of reasons. Family schedules and student learning styles are just a couple of the main reasons we considered initiating an alternative education site.

A traditional school setting is a very structured operation in terms of schedules.

Again, that structured approach is a benefit to most of us. What about a family, though, that needs more flexibility but is still very committed to developing their child’s learning? That’s the question we wanted to answer with what became the Opal Cliffs Home-Based Learning Model.

We started merely with a desire to create a flexible option for our district’s families for whom the traditional school setting was not a fit.

Enter our district’s Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Dr. Jessica Kiernan, who expertly spearheaded this most important district project. By listening to Lori Kearney

community input and leaning into her own professional experience, she created a vision for the school. The family would be the centerpiece of a child’s education in this vision. As the school district, we could support and guide parents throughout the process.

To make this vision a reality, Dr. Kiernan needed an equally innovative staff.

The district was fortunate that two such educators were up for the task.

Ms. Suzanne Denham is a veteran SUESD teacher, having served most recently as a “Teacher on Special Assignment” for social emotional learning. Before that, she was a highly-respected primary teacher at Main Street Elementary.

Ms. Lori Kearney had most recently run a highly effective computer lab at Main Street Elementary School with a particular focus on digital citizenship. Before that, Ms. Kearney had served as a very successful classroom and reading intervention teacher in our district.

These two educators had the perfect set of skills in social emotional learning, technology, and quality instructional practices. We couldn’t believe our good fortune to have Ms. Denham and Ms. Kearney be the first two teachers of this new endeavor

Opal Cliffs School in Capitola is serving more than 60 students whose families chose a home-based learning model for 2020-21. at Opal Cliffs. We also have the benefit of expert office support provided by Office Manager Laurie Struckmeyer. These four amazing folks constitute a small but mighty team if there ever was one.

After some intense planning time, the Opal Cliffs Home-Based Learning Model officially began in August of 2020 and has already served over 60 students, in grades TK – 8th, in its first year of existence!

COVID-19 certainly presented its share of challenges in terms of starting up a new program. The timing also helped inform another need because our district had to transition to full-distance learning like most districts in the state.

“Opal Cliffs” page 27

Soquel Creek Water District Unveils New Website; Annual Water Quality Report Available

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By Rebecca Gold Rubin

he month of May means that the spring season is really in full swing! It’s a time of new growth and rejuvenation — and for the Soquel Creek Water District, spring has brought a brand-new website that is streamlined, cleaner, easier to navigate, and designed to better serve our customers.

Launched in May, the new website has the Rebecca Gold Rubin same URL that you

used for the old one: www.soquelcreekwater.org. But once you’re there, you’ll see an entirely new look-andfeel, countless major improvements, and more functionality. The new website is hosted by CivicPlus, the leading provider of local government websites.

We’re thrilled to provide this new

24 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

website, and for you to try it out!

One of the first things you may notice is a much more orderly layout and navigation.

The new site’s intuitive search functionality and navigation menus make it easy for you to locate whatever it is you may be looking for from the homepage — from the latest news and updates, Board meetings, and conservation tools, to our WaterSmart customer portal, construction information, our Pure Water Soquel project, and much more.

“Quality Report” page 26

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Serving on County and Regional Commissions

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ach year, the Board of Supervisors makes appointments of its members to local boards and commissions.

In addition to serving on the Board of Supervisors I also serve on your behalf in a number of other capacities on local and regional commissions.

Sometimes you may need help on specialty issues that are associated with these commissions so I wanted to give you an overview of these commissions and encourage you to reach out if you have constituent needs associated with any of them.

Criminal Justice Council — Chair he CJC works with school districts, nonprofits and others on intervention and prevention programs to reduce youth involvement in gangs. From supporting educational efforts, nonprofit sporting leagues, conferences that provide viewpoints from those with lived experience, reviewing public safety agencies’ policies and more, the volunteer-based CJC works to improve outcomes and relationships with public safety and the broader community.

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Flood Control and Water Conservation District: Zone 7 — Chair one 7 was formed for the primary purpose of improving the floodcarrying capacity of the Pajaro River, Salsipuedes and Corralitos Creek system within the Pajaro Valley floodplain.

Zone 7 capital projects are intended to limit the potential for flooding within the floodplain area. Much of the focus is on protecting (and rebuilding) the current levee system to protect life and property in the Pajaro Valley.

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Library Financing Authority — Chair ncluding members from the cities and county, this joint powers authority exists for the purpose of financing the acquisition, construction and improvement of public library facilities.

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Local Agency Formation Commission — Board Member AFCO was created by state law in 1963 to regulate the boundaries of cities and special districts. LAFCO’s objectives are: encourage efficient service areas for services provided by cities, counties and special districts, to guide urban development away from prime agricultural

L

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

lands and open space resources and to discourage urban sprawl.

within the district’s boundaries and environmental compliance.

Monterey Bay Air Resources District — Board Member he Air District is responsible for air monitoring, permitting, enforcement, long-range air quality planning and education related to air pollution as required by the California Clean Air Act and Federal Clean Air Act. The District also provides rebates for fireplace conversions (to cleaner burning options) and electric vehicle lease or purchases.

National Association of Counties — Board of Directors he National Association of Counties serves as the primary advocacy organization for counties. They advocate county priorities in federal policymaking

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Oral Health Access Santa Cruz County Committee — Co-Chair his group of local health industry experts, community leaders, and education advocate improve the oral health of Santa Cruz County by creating data-driven strategies that increase access to care and education.

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and allow for information sharing of model county polices and practices to optimize taxpayer resources and provide cost savings. n ••• As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts. If I can be of any help on these commissions or in my capacity on the Board of Supervisors please don’t hesitate to contact me at 454-2200.

Fictional Mothers

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Regional Transportation Commission — Board Member he RTC sets priorities for the transportation network including highways, major roads, bus and paratransit and the rail corridor. The RTC pursues and allocates funding for all of these transportation elements and adopts policies to improve mobility, access and air quality.

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Santa Cruz County Consolidated Redevelopment Successor Agency Oversight Board — Alternate he Santa Cruz County Consolidated Redevelopment Successor Agency Oversight Board oversees the activities of the five redevelopment successor agencies in Santa Cruz County.

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Santa Cruz Mid-County Water Agency — Board Member he MGA is an 11-member board which oversees the groundwater management activities of the Mid-County Basin Area in Santa Cruz County. The basin management goals are: ensure water supply reliability for current and future beneficial uses, maintain water quality to meet current and future beneficial uses and prevent adverse environmental impacts.

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Santa Cruz County Sanitation District — Board Member he Sanitation District is responsible for the collection of wastewater

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ACROSS

1. Build a collection 6. Economic measure acronym 9. *Beverly Goldberg’s schmoopie 13. Use an ÉpÉe 14. Neither here ____ there 15. Tall ancient monument 16. Daisy-like bloom 17. Much of it about nothing?

18. Commotions 19. *She’s ‘Bow’ to Dre in TV sitcom “Blackish” 21. *Mother to Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth March in novel and movie 23. Before tac 24. Ripped 25. Part of Super Bowl entertainment, pl.

28. Homesteader’s measure 30. *”Game of Thrones” Lannister and mother to Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen 35. Douses 37. Adjutant 39. Article of faith 40. Genuflecting joint 41. *TV mother to Alexis and David, “friend” to Jocelyn Schitt 43. “Will be,” as sung by Doris Day 44. Perform in a play 46. Load sixteen tons, e.g.

47. Peacock’s pride 48. *Mowgli’s adoptive mother 50. Apartment 52. Skeleton in a lock 53. Part of a jousting outfit 55. Spelling competition 57. *Mother to Carlton in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”

60. “Well, I’m a-standin’ on a corner in ___, Arizona,” from the Eagles “Take it Easy” 64. Country’s LeAnn ____ 65. Hoover’s agency acronym 67. Piano practice piece, e.g.

68. Church song 69. What Usain Bolt did 70. Poisonous substance 71. *Wife to Papa, mother to Baby 72. Sum it up 73. Go on a buying spree

DOWN

1. Way, way off 2. ____ Verde National Park 3. Naysayer’s favorite prefix?

4. What bloodhound is after 5. Croatia’s neighbor

6. Nibble away 7. Affirmative action 8. Movie trailer, e.g.

9. Elementary particle 10. *Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett’s mother 11. Soothing lotion ingredient 12. Bell and Barker, e.g.

15. Christopher Kimball’s “Milk ____” 20. ____’s razor 22. Part of a circle 24. Tiresome 25. Questioner 26. *”Mamma Mia!” mamma 27. Do this or forever hold your peace 29. ‘80s band “Quiet ____” 31. Catch one’s breath 32. ____ a peak 33. Bone-chilling 34. Europe’s “boot” 36. Short for seconds

38. *She played Ricky Schroder’s stepmom on “Silver Spoons” 42. Defendant’s excuse 45. Religious belief 49. ____ Khan 51. Plural of #39 Across 54. Below, prefix 56. Impede 57. “Everywhere you want to be” credit card 58. Muslim holy man 59. Plural of velum 60. *Ellen, Scarlett’s mother in “Gone with the ____” 61. Like the best accommodations 62. War god in Norse mythology 63. Make one’s way 64. Dashboard acronym 66. *Kunis, Hahn and Bell as “____ Moms” © Statepoint Media

Answers on 31 »

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 25

May Day & Festivals in the Month of May Esoteric Astrology • May 2021 • By Risa D’Angeles

M

ay is both a beautiful and intelligent month, being under the two signs of Taurus (Art of Living, flowers) and Gemini (Mercury’s messages). The Taurus keynote is “Let Struggle within duality be undismayed” allowing harmony to emerge from conflicts and chaos. Gemini’s keynote is “let instability do it’s purifying work.”

Humanity learns through struggle and instability. They help each of us build a strong interactive personality, the vehicle that interacts with nature and the beauty of form and matter.

The beginning of May is May Day or Beltane. In between these two is Mother’s Day (May 9), the Ascension (May 13), Shavuot (May 16), the Sun entering Gemini (May 20), Pentecost and Saturn retrograde (May 23) and finally a lunar eclipse and the Gemini Festival of Goodwill (May 26). It’s quite a month of festivals (and May flowers).

May Day is a day of various celebrations, from ancient times to the present. It is the Festival of Flora (Roman Goddess of flowers). Floralia was a five-day Roman celebration. For the Druids, a new fire was lit on Beltane (May Day) signifying the life of the springtime sun. Cattle were driven through the fires for purification. In Catholicism, May is Mary’s month.

ARIES

On May 1st the Virgin Mary, the Queen of May is crowned with flowers.

At Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood, Mary’s Day (directed by Sister Corita) was celebrated yearly with parades, art, flowers, singing.

In earlier, simpler times, May baskets, containing sweets, breads, fruits and flowers, were given as gifts, left anonymously on doorsteps.

In India, May 1st is International Workers Day. In China it’s Labor Day, a public holiday. In England (and in America) there’s Morris Dancing and festivities around a Maypole (circle dance with ribbons).

May Day in earlier times celebrated fertility, early harvests fetes and community gatherings. In America, May Day is International Workers Day, Loyalty Day, and Rule of Law Day. May Day marks the end of the unfarmable winter months in the north. We also know Mayday as an international distress signal, an emergency code word, from the French venez m’aider, meaning ‘Come help me’. Sadly, the puritans frowned on May Day (celebrations).

We end the month with the Gemini Festival of Humanity. For more information each day and during the month of May, see Risa’s website — www.nightlightnews.org/Daily-Studies.

LEO

Be aware this month of defining your self-identity (a good You have a deep strength supporting and aiding you when thing) in terms of values and virtues, not everything seems strange, difficult, tedious just possessions. It’s good to focus on or restricted. This strength holds you in needs and financial capabilities. Realize safety and assurance that all needs will be possessions do not define identity or self as provided. Your accomplishments in the world valuable — a spiritual lens that needs continual refreshing are important, valuable and purposeful. But there’s one and remembering. What is the message here? You’re question. If you are unhappy, what do you wish you were valuable not only in money but in virtue, courage, strength doing instead? Where and why? and spirit. Tithe often.

VIRGO TAURUS

Attempt to express thoughts and feelings of love, appreciation, care and nurturance to those close to you. Consider ways of using resources for future investments, not necessarily the stock market. You must begin to tend to unfinished business, communications, finances, and responsibilities.

This may be difficult and will take discipline. Order and organization allow you to have the presence of mind to recognize your next endeavor, a service that answers to the present crisis and world need.

It’s possible you feel restrictions in your physical body coming from how you value and see yourself and perhaps in thinking of yourself as not creative. A new sense of internal structure is forming, providing you with a new perspective to bring forth what you would like to be.

It’s possible previous philosophical beliefs will change.

This leads to a liberation of values and a development of new virtues.

LIBRA

Take time to assess your care for friends, intimates, partnerGEMINI ships and environments. By participating with others and sharing resources, you’re creating Working quietly and in solitude (even if in the world), predeep and lasting connections (which releases paring to dream and remembering those Love) that provide comfort, nurture and regendreams, asking yourself serious questions and awaiting the revelatory answers is part eration. Relationships between you and others, in a state of of this month’s inner agenda. Simultane- separation, also must be assessed. What are they? Why the ously, something may appear that becomes a resource. separation? You have ignored them too long. What we reject It’s possibly a group you finally identify with. Each day remains intimately with us. Sadness is the result. Forgiveness search for what’s hidden, magic, mystical and spiritually frees us. valuable. Your values are becoming universal. ComSCORPIO munity beckons.

We live in very interesting times. It’s possible you’ve CANCER become (or want to) attracted to something You need to communicate more, share experiences, deep and mysterious. Simultaneously aspirations, hopes, wishes and dreams with you seek new experiences of safety and friends. You cannot keep yourself isolated. security, joint resources, and deep It is not healthy to do so. Who, beyond intimacy. You want to experience the Art of Living. These family, are your friends? They provide you are good. Do be aware though that if you attract what’s sad with challenges, yes. However, they are your true (beyond and moody, you too become sad and moody. Be awake and the biological) family. You must take authentic steps aware of various subtle levels of energy all around. Brood toward them. Also, garden as if your life depended upon it. upon them.

•••

SAGITTARIUS

You need freedom, a new level of harmony, a release from limitations, struggle and duality following you around. You’re waiting for a life change, resolution of conflict, and refinement of things financial. At work, tend carefully to those around you. Here is a little mantra that the New Group of World Servers recites at noon. Perhaps you will join us.

“I know O Lord of life and love about the need. Touch my heart anew with love, so I may love and give and do my part in a world in need.”

CAPRICORN

As everything of value centers around your domestic life, it’s important to realize that your goodness is about who and what you embrace, how you care, whom you include and nourish and what you create. Your goodness is not about what you deny, resist or exclude. Life is a great discipline.

We live on multiple levels simultaneously and within a great paradox. This is a seed thought to meditate, rely upon and hum like a mantra. Om Mani Padme Hum. The mantra of compassion.

AQUARIUS

Whenever in difficulty, pray, recite mantras, have gratitude.

Then live changes. As you feel grateful for home and family, you create closer contact (releasing love) with everyone else. Looking into your life, past, you realize what belief systems are defining your thoughts. From these choices and actions emerge. This is a mathematical equation. Your thoughts are the foundation of your life. Build your future with your creative imagination Walk around your neighborhood. Take architectural and gardening notes. Plant a little garden in pots.

Risa D’Angeles • www.nightlightnews.org • risagoodwill@gmail.com 26 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

PISCES

Tend to money carefully. Tell everyone they are of great value and worth. Know many will not understand.

Speak the words anyway. It may be you have one good day and several confused and disoriented days. Rest within the confusion. A new harmony will come forth. Create a journal of the perfect village, community, monastery with gardens, flowers, trees, cottages, schools, a little temple. Resources begin to be structured differently. A new rhythm of values emerges. All of this is valuable for future work.

“Quality Report” from page 24 The new website’s dynamic design ensures you can easily navigate and interact with content from any desktop computer, smartphone, or tablet.

There’s new calendar functionality to help you stay informed about the scheduling of our public meetings, activities, community events, and other opportunities for engagement. And, you can be sure that this site meets the highest data security standards.

The NotifyMe communication subscription feature allows you to subscribe to receive notifications on only those topics that matter most to you — and you can choose to be notified by email or text message. You’ll also see more self-service forms and documents, and a new Agenda Center allowing for the storing, sharing, and searching of public meetings and agendas.

I’m sure you’ll agree the new website is a great tool to increase our communications with you, and for you to be more engaged with the District.

If you haven’t seen it yet, please be sure to visit www.soquelcreekwater. org soon!

I also want to take this opportunity to let you know that our 2020 Consumer Confidence/Annual Water Quality Report is now available — another reason to check out our new website!

This report presents the results of test data from all of our supply wells that pump groundwater from aquifers in two groundwater geologic formations — the Purisima and Aromas Red Sands Formations.

As water filters into the groundwater basin, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

During the past year, the District tested the groundwater for 181 different constituents, including microbial contaminants, inorganic contaminants, pesticides and herbicides, organic chemical contaminants, and many others. All test samples are collected and reported in accordance with standards and requirements established by the US EPA and the California State Water Resources Control Board.

I’m happy to tell you that all the water quality tests showed that our water is in compliance with State and Federal drinking water health standards. n ••• If you’d like all the details of our water quality analysis, see the 2020 Consumer Confidence/ Annual Water Quality Report at www. soquelcreekwater.org/2020CCR

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Now Open: Invitation To Experience

E

ach business should always try to differentiate itself from the competition.

There are many ways business owners can be ‘different’ instead of just focusing on quality and price.

When many businesses owners are asked what makes them different, many respond with ‘we have the highest quality at the most affordable prices’. But if every business is promoting quality and affordability, then by definition, there is no differentiation.

Quality and affordability are ‘givens’ to be in business and promoting the same ‘quality and affordability’ as everyone else puts you in a ‘sea of sameness’.

In a post-COVID world, we have the chance to ‘re-launch & re-position’ ourselves to be truly different! And remember that being ‘different’ should be based on what excites your target customers so that it impresses them (not you).

Regardless of the business you’re in, what matters to the most customers is their experience. The ‘experience’ is often a missed opportunity to be better, special and different! This allows you to a) satisfy your customers better for improved loyalty, b) establish a true point-of-difference that can’t be easily duplicated by your competition and c) get some ‘buzz’ that customers talk about and share on social media!

“Opal Cliffs” from page 24 Some families simply did not want the amount of screen time that full-distance learning required. The Opal Cliffs HomeBased Learning Model was able to help serve these families as well.

So, how does the Opal Cliffs HomeBased Learning Model work? Well, it looks different for every student. The staff develops an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) for each student. The ILP is developed collaboratively between the family and school staff. The ILP may include traditional school textbooks, online curriculums and resources, thematic units, library books, and/or hands-on learning such as working in a garden at home.

Once the ILP is developed, weekly checkin meetings are held with individual families and students. These meetings are coordinated

By Ron Kustek

If you own a restaurant, brewpub, coffee shop or retail store, it’s most likely you’re already providing high-quality food, beverages and/or items at competitive prices. But what do your customers experience the minute they exit their car or walk in your store? Are they welcomed with music outside or the enticing smell of food and beverages to cater to their mood? Is your parking lot clean and easy to navigate, free of litter or weeds? Is your entry open and welcoming or just a door that’s possibly dirty and difficult to open?

Once inside, does the lighting fit the mood you want your customers to feel? Many businesses have bright and offensive lights that shine directly into the eyes of customers. What about the sounds inside — is there music that your customers want to hear, or do they hear the banter of your staff, or the clang of plates and glasses being shuffled off tables?

Do you actually think your ‘table service’ is comforting, especially when you have customers walk up to a counter to order and/or have them wait in another line, being called by a number, to pick up their cooling food off a cold counter to then find their table? That’s worse than take-out!

Do you AND your staff greet your regulars by name, making eye-contact or

asking how their recent vacation was, or how their kids are doing in school? If you have customers that are from out of town, do you know where they’re from, or why they chose to be in this area, or what they’re looking for or needing from your business?

Do you thank them for visiting you even before they make a purchase?

And remember: ALL these areas to provide an impressive experience ALSO pertains to your website, not just your physical brick & mortar business!

Each of these small but important facets combine to form a customer experience, one that they will talk about to others. Think Disneyland. The prices are high, the crowds can be overwhelming, and the quality of food and beverages isn’t that great. But it’s the ‘Disney Experience’ that they’re providing

The mission of the Opal Cliffs Home-based Learning model is to provide students and families a learning pathway that is both time and activity flexible, where the family unit serves as the primary learning coach and the Soquel Union Elementary School District Staff serve as educational consultants and guides. by school staff and allow for self-reflection, documentation of progress towards existing goals in the ILP, and the establishment of new goals. Opal Cliff teachers also lead daily checkin meetings open to all home-based learning families and students together via online videoconferencing. Given the wide range of student ages and unique learning goals, these daily meetings focus on broad topics such as a question of the day, how students are feeling about their learning, social-emotional skills, and fostering relationships in the alternative setting.

The structure of the ILP, weekly individual family check-in meetings, and daily whole group check-ins set in place a cycle for continuous assessment of student learning. Because Common Core State Standards were designed with deep thinking and rigorous problem-solving in mind, home-based learning is a perfect match. Reviewing how students are applying their learning and how they are approaching problems elicits meaningful information about their progress.

to the majority of customers who pay high prices and are smiling in the park and after they leave, still talking about it positively with their friends.

You now have a chance to re-position your business to past and new customers!!!

Take advantage of this opportunity!!!

Giving customers the most unique and best experience possible will set you apart from your competition and give you more loyal returning customers who provide the wordof-mouth that’s critical to every business’ success! n ••• Ron Kustek is a former senior marketing executive of The Cola-Cola Co., and entrepreneur who is currently teaching business at Cabrillo College. Contact him at RoKustek@ cabrillo.edu.

As we look towards the second year of the Opal Cliffs Home-Based Learning Model, it’s exciting to know we can grow the program even further. This will be accomplished through onsite enrichment activities in gardening, art, science, and more. Further emphasis will be placed on the approach known as Project Based Learning next year. These are just a couple of the enhancements in the works for the 2021-22 school year at Opal Cliffs. n ••• Our district is proud to be able to offer this unique program to our community. If you are interested in learning more about Opal Cliffs Home-Based Learning Model, you can go to the school’s website: www.suesd.org/opal-cliffs-site, or contact Dr. Jessica Kiernan (who also serves as Opal Cliffs principal) by phone at (831) 464-5630, or by email at jkiernan@suesd.org.

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 27

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS Alzheimer’s Association is offering video and phone meetings for caregivers throughout the month: Second and Fourth Wednesdays Santa Cruz, 2-3:30 p.m. via phone — Facilitators: Jill Ginghofer and Laurie McVay. First and Third Wednesdays Santa Cruz, 5:30-7 p.m. via video or phone — Facilitators: Francie Newfield and Kathleen McBurney.

Second Saturdays Scotts Valley, 10-11:30 a.m. via video or phone — Facilitator: Diana Hull.

Register by calling 800-272-3900 or email ymflores@alz.org.

••• Second Wednesdays Spanish, 7-8:30 p.m. via phone — Facilitator: Yuliana Mendoza.

Register by calling 831-647-9890 or email ymflores@alz.org.

STUDENT STORY CONTEST DEADLINE Stories Due Monday, May 31 The Palo Alto Humane Society invites 7th and 8th graders in Santa Cruz County to participate in a writing competition on the theme of animals and people helping each other. Stories can be fiction or nonfiction and should illustrate a sense of kindness in their characters.

The top prize is $500, with $200 each for two runner-ups. Winning stories will be published by Palo Alto Humane Society and highlighted during the 2021 Creating Compassionate Communities campaign.

Stories must be original and between 800 and 1,000 words. Competition guidelines — plus a submission form — are at https://tinyurl.com/paloalto-humanewrite-2021.

Vandana Ravi won the inaugural contest in 2019 with a story about a lonely girl who came across a donkey who also needed a friend. The 2020 winner was “The Sun,” by Aaron Huang, depicting the life of a mother dog trapped in a puppy mill from the dog’s point of view.

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

Have a virtual or live event you want to promote?

Send your information to info@cyber-times.com by May 24 anonymous, and results will be based on aggregate data and not include personally identifiable information.

Email santacruzltrg@gmail.com to be added to the recovery group’s mailing list.

Survey takers will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Survey: www.uphelp.org/surveyCA. CAPITOLA SUMMER RECREATION Are you looking for a fun and safe summer activity for your children and/or family? Sign up for a Capitola Recreation program.

Visit https://www.cityofcapitola.org/recreation/page/ sign-recreation-summer-programs for information on Camp Capitola, Junior Guards, and Family Camp, plus online classes for all ages.

Registration for Camp Capitola is underway. Registration for Junior Guards starts April 29.

‘STOP THE POLLUTION — WE FOUND THE SOLUTION’: MT. MADONNA CLEAN-UP CHALLENGE Final Day: Saturday May 1 Mount Madonna School’s fifth grade students have organized a Clean-up Challenge, asking the community to help prevent waste from entering the oceans — where plastic kills an estimated 100,000 marine creatures annually.

The rules for “Stop the Pollution — We Found the Solution” are simple: Go outside and pick up trash, keep track of your trash, enter the information in this Google form (https://forms.gle/5zkfMRwCWeCs648e9) and take a selfie with your trash.

The more you enter, the more chances you have to win a prize (re-usable, of course!).

The challenge ends May 1.

“We hope you will participate in our clean-up challenge and share our PSA video and posters far and wide so that people all over the world will be inspired to go outside and help clean up trash,” said fifth grade students and teacher Jessica Cambell.

View a video about the project here: https://vimeo. com/536452409 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 CZU FIRE RECOVERY SURVEY internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone.

The County of Santa Cruz urges residents who suffered To participate, view the calendar at https://communitybridges.org/ property damage during the CZU Lightning Complex fires SCWOL/ and find a class. That day and time, click on the link in to fill out a brief survey offered by United Policyholders to the calendar to be connected. If you have a problem connecting, understand more about the recovery process. One survey call Clara Munoz at (831) 458-3481. per household is requested.

The survey is intended to help to track progress, SECOND HARVEST FOOD DISTRIBUTION identify problems and gather information about Second Harvest Food Bank’s drive-through food insurance coverage in fire-impacted areas. The survey is distribution will continue operating at the county 28 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Fairgrounds throughout the summer with new hours beginning in May. Upcoming dates and times: Watsonville: Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Fridays, 9 a.m.-Noon May 7 • May 21 • June 4 • June 18 • July 9 • July 23 Aug. 6 • Aug. 20 • Sept. 10 • Sept. 24 Food hotline: 831-662-0991.

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/tJMld6trTgjEtOukidbv3qCQQTitZ92kXFf) 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

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP PVUSD, PVPSA and Kaiser Permanente offers support groups for Pajaro Valley families at 3 p.m. on the fourth Every Third Thursdays Thursday of the month. The next dates are: May 20 and June 3. To register, email marisol.maciel@ PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT VIA ZOOM 6 to 7:30 p.m., virtual meeting pvpsa.org BirchBark Foundation’s Pet Loss and Grief Support Zoom group offers a free support group, moderated CALL FOR ARTISTS: by a licensed grief counseling therapist, on the third 15TH ANNUAL PVA SCULPTURE EXHIBITION Thursday of each month.

Deadline to Apply is Monday May 3 Register at https://www.birchbarkfoundation.org/griefsupport Curators Susana Arias and Hedwig Heerschop of Pajaro or call 831-471-7255.

Valley Arts & Jeff Rosendale of Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens invite your participation in the 15th annual Every Saturday Pajaro Valley Arts sculpture exhibition, taking place SCOTTS VALLEY FARMER’S MARKET IS BACK! in the beautiful two-acre Sierra Azul Nursery demon9 a.m.-1 p.m., Scotts Valley Square Shopping Center, Kmart stration gardens, 2660 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. parking lot, 270 Mount Hermon Road.

Submit online to Hedwig@pvarts.org.

Ongoing thru Thanksgiving The show will be June 1 through Oct. 31 outdoors and Scotts Valley Farmers’ Market pieces submitted must be weatherproof (to be insured), reopens for the season on Saturday, and of a scale suitable for outdoor display. Summer May 1. Live music and seating coastal weather includes sunshine, fog, wind and rain. return! There will be strawberry shortcake on opening Sculptures larger than 30” is encouraged. Pieces day. with bold negative and positive elements and pieces https://santacruzfarmersmarket.org/markets/scotts-valley/ 5 to 6 feet tall show best in the garden.

There is a $30 participation fee for artists selected First Saturday of the Month and sales are subject to a commission, 30% for PVA AROMAS HILLS ARTISANS MONTHLY MEETING members, 45% for non-members.

1 p.m., Outdoors at Aromas Grange, 400 Rose Ave, Aromas Questions: 831-722-3062.

On Friday, April 16, some members of Aromas Hills Artisans met at Sierra Azul’s beautiful demonstration garden ONGOING EVENTS in Watsonville for a “Paint Out.” This event is usually held on the First and Third Monday Each Month third Friday of the month at various SENIOR LIFE ONLINE locations. Members decide at their 4 p.m., Online Meeting monthly meeting where they will go Join a local group of senior citizens for “Senior Life to paint that month.

Online,” a free online (Zoom) program featuring a Aromas Hills Artisans was presentation by a local expert. Senior Life Online meets on founded 20 years ago to bring together, support and the first and third Monday of each month at 4 p.m. View the encourage local artists working in many genres. The schedule at scottsvalleyseniorlife.org/current-activities/. organization serves the tri-county area of Santa Cruz, May 3, Douglas Allen, Assistant District Attorney, Monterey and San Benito. Interested artists and art Santa Cruz County, on “How Senior Citizens can Protect supporters are welcome to join.

Themselves from Scams” and May 17, Darshana Croskrey, aromashillsartisans.com director of Scotts Valley Senior Center.

To participate, you need an Internet connection and a First Sunday Every Month computer, tablet or smartphone. A one-time preregMONTHLY OUTDOOR MARKETPLACE IN SANTA CRUZ! istration is required at https://tinyurl.com/SVSLA-5.

11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Old Wrigley Building Parking Lot, Questions? Call George at (831) 334-7763.

Senior Life Online is sponsored by Scotts Valley Senior 2801 Mission Street, Santa Cruz 95060 Life Association (SVSLA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose The Westside Marketplace is an exciting, new monthly mission is to promote healthy living for senior citizens. market where local art, handmade and vintage shopping meet delicious food! This collaboration between Food Information is at http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org.

Trucks A Go Go and the SCM Makers Market Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday presents a great mix of NAMI RECOVERY SUPPORT creators of all kinds! There 1-2:30 p.m., confidential Zoom meetings. is also live music at each National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County event! offers the “Connection Recovery Support Group,” a Anthony Arya, AJ Lee free, peer-led support group for any adult 18 or older and Chad Bowen are who has experienced symptoms of a mental health performing at the market Anthony Arya condition (no diagnosis required). on May 2!

COMMUNITY CALENDAR 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.

DATED EVENTS Tuesday April 27 COWELL FAMILY HISTORY Noon, Capitola Historical Museum Zoom Seminar Frank Perry, curator of the Capitola Historical Museum, will speak on the Cowell family history in Santa Cruz County at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

For questions, email geobunch@gmail.com.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82559244735?pwd=Zml BT29BZmlCbzVSQmV5MC9oYTMwUT09

Wednesday April 28 CHARITY GIVING WEBINAR Noon, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County Online Community Foundation Santa Cruz County will offer a webinar on “Starting a Donor-Advised Fund” for people with $25,000 to invest into their charitable giving.

At this one-hour online virtual event, you’ll learn if a Donor-Advised Fund is right for you. You’ll hear from Donor-Advised Fund holders, CPAs, financial advisors, and foundation staff about the advantages, how to get started, and how to use it.

Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkcO-sqDoqHNF5Be1XEhxMTeoLKgpkYZJx

Friday April 30 MEET PANETTA FOR LUNCH 12:00-1:15 p.m., Aptos Chamber Online Luncheon The Aptos Chamber of Commerce lunch speaker on Friday, April 30, will be Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley). The get-together is online.

Minimum donation: Chamber members, $10; general, $15 RSVP at tinyurl.com/aptos-chamber-lunch-panetta (Full URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf PijhUMIYCvZ_zow4ilV3Ixf4YSJp3R9kx_ZPIvHS8VzDtyA/ viewform)

RIO THEATRE PRESENTS: TOP DOG FILM FESTIVAL Friday May 14 7 p.m., Rio Theatre, Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz Program available Online May 14–24 Rio Theatre will reopen for the first time since the COVID shutdown with Top Dog Film Festival, benefitting the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (if permitted).

Celebrate the canine connection through this carefully-curated collection of heartwarming stories about dogs and their people.

The festival is a hybrid event, with a grand opening in the theater at 7 p.m. on May 14, and online showings May 14-24.

Tickets for the live event are $16 and can be purchased at https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2021/5/14/ top-dog-film-festival-santa-cruz. Seating limited due to COVID guidelines The films can also be rented online for $16 for 48 hours during the 11-day period. $1 per purchase goes to Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.

Visit https://www.riotheatre.com for more information Films MARK & MYA: Mark and Mya are from Melbourne Australia and spent almost two years travelling around North America showing people that you can have a dog and a life of adventure and travel, at the same time./ DOG DATE AFTERNOON: To date the girl of his dreams, a germaphobe must win over the most important loved one in her life… her dog. He’ll soon learn that man’s best friend can become man’s worst enemy!

WOLF CALL: John Ramer has worked in animal sanctuaries most of his adult life, often without pay, and feels this is his life’s calling. John’s experiences working with captive wolves drives him to share his knowledge with others in the hope that wild wolves might one day return to Colorado’s open lands. Filmed entirely at a remote wolf sanctuary in the Wet Mountains of southern Colorado.

OLD DOG: (TOUR EDIT) New Zealand farmer Paul Sorenson has a unique connection with his colleagues — a team of sheep dogs. For 40 years, he’s worked to develop smarter and more intuitive training methods for fellow farmers, while grappling with memories of a difficult childhood. Reaching retirement, the veteran dog whisperer passes his knowledge to the next generation of shepherds.

MUTUAL RESCUE: MIKE & ABBIE (photo above): The rugged coast of northern California helps a despondent man and a shy shelter dog discover pure joy together through surfing.

Saturday May 1

Santa Cruz Shakespeare Artistic Director Mike Ryan will be the speaker. In 2018, the local company presented “Romeo and Juliet” at Delaveaga Park, with Ryan as Friar Lawrence.

This is the second of five sessions. Remaining sessions include: May 8: Sean Keilen, professor of literature at UCSC and director of the school’s Shakespeare Workshop, will provide his insights.

May 15: Abbey Heald, a lecturer in UCSC’s literature department, will offer a provocative Saturday May 1 perspective. thru Saturday May 22 May 22: Franco Zefferelli’s version of “Romeo and ROMEO & JULIET SATURDAY SHAKESPEARE Juliet” will be screened. The film won an Academy Award for cinematography and earned Zefferelli a best 10 a.m., Saturday Shakespeare Club Zoom Session director nomination.

The Saturday Shakespeare Club is examining the tragic love story “Romeo and Juliet” throughout May. All sessions are open to the public. Each Saturday Zoom ‘CAPITOLA THEN & NOW’ OPENS Noon-4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, Capitola Historical Museum, 410 Capitola Ave. “Capitola Then & Now” opens at the Capitola Historical Museum beginning May 1 and will run through December.

Call 831-464-0322 or visit capitola museum.org for more information.

session will begin at 10 a.m. To connect to the Zoom meetings, contact saturdayshakespeare@gmail.com In lieu of the usual $2 per session suggested contribution, the group urges participants to send a donation to Santa Cruz Shakespeare at 500 Chestnut St., Suite #250, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or to https://www.santacruzshakespeare.org/donate/

Wednesday May 5 Thursday May 6 SIXTH ANNUAL GREEN TECH 7 p.m. Each Day, Santa Cruz Works Zoom Seminars Santa Cruz Works’ 6th Annual Green Tech event at 7 p.m. focuses on energy resilience. Register once on EventBrite.com: https://tinyurl.com/eventbrite-6thgreen-tech

Cost is $15. Once you register, you will receive a Zoom link for both nights.

Schedule of events May 5 Energy Policy, Storage, Infrastructure • Congressman Jimmy Panetta — resilience!

• PNNL — Matthew Paiss on energy storage resilience and infrastructure.

• OurEnergy — Dustin Jolley on clean energy and microgrids.

• SupplyShift — Alex Gershenson on supply chain solutions for green companies.

• Sustainable Systems Research Foundation — Ronnie Lipschultz has policies for wicked energy issues.

• Mynt Systems — Derek Hansen on a new energy.

• Moss Landing Energy Storage — the largest energy storage facility in the world at Moss Landing in partnership with Tesla, Vistra, and PG&E. • Save Our Shores — Gail McNulty with a plan for saving the coastline.

May 6 Energy Solutions and Applications • Joby Aviation — Founder JoeBen Bevirt will discuss how advances in energy storage made air taxi service a reality.

• City of Santa Cruz — learn about city environmental policies and plans from Tiffany Wise-West.

• Ambient Photonics — Bates Marshall on an ambient light cell for indoors to change energy consumption.

• Concentric Power — microgrid developer • VeriCool — Darrell Jobe built his green company to solve package cooling and he provides jobs for people after incarceration.

• Piersica / Claudiu Bucur ushers in a new era of solid state batteries.

• Orange Charger — Nicholas Johnson has a costeffective electric vehicle charging solutions that manage payments at multi-unit properties between drivers and owners.

• NuScale — Rudy Murgo.

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.

Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to the Gov. Newsom 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-dee-myers

Tuesday May 11 MEETING WITH THE MAYOR 6 p.m., City of Capitola Facebook Live Capitola Mayor Yvette Brooks will talk with Kaiser Permanente’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Bajaj at this virtual town hall event.

To watch on Facebook Live visit: https://www.facebook. com/cityofcapitola.

You do not need a Facebook Sam Bajaj account to use this option.

To Join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83736835797?p wd=V2dmcEZ0OGtsTDlqKzFaN0JFRXV6dz09 n

www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 29

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Lighted Crosswalks Coming / Permit Parking Paused

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he weather is heating up, and so are the local issues! I hope you will join me in getting your COVID-19 vaccine if you haven’t already. So far we’ve vaccinated 75% of farmworkers and 87% of people 65+. This is allowing our economy to safely reopen. By the time you are reading this, we should be in the Yellow Tier.

Live Oak Parking fter much discussion, the Live Oak Parking Program reached a critical juncture in April.

At the April 13 meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to suspend the parking program for this year (2021). A big factor in this decision was a letter received from the Coastal Commission just one day before the Board’s scheduled vote.

The CCC grants the County the permit to operate the program, but in the letter dated April 12, the Commission stated that both the past and proposed programs are in violation of the operating permit and remedial action including fines and penalties to the County could be imposed if the program continued.

You can read the Coastal Commission’s full letter here: CCC letter 4.12.21.

If you have feedback on the Coastal Commission’s letter you can contact the District Manager, Susan Craig at: susan. craig@coastal.ca.gov.

In response to the Coastal Commission’s letter, I asked Public Works Director Matt Machado if he could resolve these issues with Coastal Commission staff in time for the 2021 season.

Due to time constraints, this will not be possible, and so the Board opted to pause the parking program for the 2021

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By Manu Koenig, Supervisor, First District

season, and we will review the status and options going forward in October.

Meanwhile, the underlying permit for the Live Oak Parking Program will continue to exist, and signposts will remain but be bagged for the season.

I want to extend a big “Thank you!” to the 984 people who shared their thoughts with me via the survey and the hundreds more who wrote emails, shared their opinion at the Live Oak Farmers Market and on the phone. As you can see from the survey results ( h t t p s : / / w w w. s u r v e y m o n k e y. c o m / stories/SM-73QL5XQC/), public opinion was very closely divided between support and opposition to a revised program.

Given the lack of a clear public mandate and the need to meet the terms of our coastal permit, putting things on pause was our best bet.

If you see parking violations like double parking, parking in bike lanes or blocking driveways, you can call the California Highway Patrol at: (831) 796-2160. I encourage everyone using our local beaches to carpool, take the bus, walk, or ride a bike. Let’s all get out and enjoy our beautiful beaches this summer!

Roads ur office is taking a hard look at road conditions and safety. We have begun evaluating the status of roads across the First District (Fun Fact: the 1st District has 28% of County maintained roads!) and will be identifying roads that should be prioritized for Measure D repaving funds.

On the campaign trail I frequently heard from constituents that fixing potholes and improving road conditions should be a top priority, and our office will be working closely with the

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30 / May 2021 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Department of Public Works to address these concerns.

Pedestrian safety is also a priority, and in April we worked to identify crosswalks in the district that are in need of safety improvements. Working with DPW, our office identified six District 1 crosswalks to receive lighted crossings in 2021-22. These lighted crosswalks, called Rapid Flashing Beacons, will be installed in coming months.

We’ll also be working on another idea to reduce speeding while beautifying the area: Crosswalk Art! This innovative idea has been implemented in San Francisco, Long Beach, and Austin, Texas, and has shown positive impacts on making intersections safer.

Environment his spring our office will also address several projects with respect to the environment. We will be introducing to

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the Board a letter of support and draft ordinance language for Skip the Stuff, a campaign to reduce disposable plastics.

This legislation aims to make disposable foodware items such as utensils, napkins, and condiments available only upon request. There are 561 billion disposable foodware items used in the U.S. each year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste. That’s a lot of plastic!

As always, we welcome your input, comments, and suggestions on these important topics and more. You can send us a message anytime at first. district@santacruzcounty.us. We host a constituent meeting on the Monday evening prior to every Board meeting, as well as additional constituent meetings planned throughout the year.

Visit District 1 (santa-cruz.ca.us) for a complete list of upcoming constituent meetings. n

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SCCAS Featured Pet

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Lawn Weeds Often Firmly Rooted

By Tony Tomeo

W Coffee Cake Is Doing Well After a Rough Day

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crossword on 25 »

iya! I’m Coffee Cake (A280423), a small female Australian shepherd mix, and boy do I have a story! I came into the shelter after a good samaritan witnessed me being hit by a car! Scary right? I certainly thought so! It had me super spooked at first, but I’ve been trying to shake it off!

New people and quick movements still make me nervous, so I’m looking for a family with plenty of patience. It takes me some time to warm up, but when I do I form a very special bond!

I have come such a long way since arriving at the shelter, and I’ve even gotten close with a few staff members thanks to extra attention and a few yummy hot dogs. A calm demeanor, positive reinforcement, and lots of love will help me be my best self!

Will all of that said, other dogs aren’t really my thing! Like new humans, dogs make me nervous, and I get a little defensive. I’m fine passing my fellow canines on the street, but dog parks and dog beaches won’t be for me! I would prefer to be the only dog in my new home! I’m not really into cats or kids either. What can I say, I get startled easily!

So if you’re ready to help me build my confidence, and make that special bond, come down to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and meet me!

You can email Jill at jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us to set up an appointment.

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 ••• 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

eeds are constantly a problem here. There is no season in which every sort of weed is inactive. As some annual types finish dispersing seed and die off for winter, others begin their season. Most weeds just happen to be most active as winter becomes spring. They try to stay ahead of desirable plants. Lawn weeds have been proliferating faster than turf.

Annual weeds were easiest to pull while still dispersing roots, and while the soil was still damp from winter rain.

Biennial weeds that grew last year are more firmly rooted, even if their soil is damp.

Perennial weeds are most persistent, with extensively dispersed roots. Of course, as lawn weeds, all three types are more challenging than in the open ground.

Separation of weeds from turf grass is significantly more work than pulling weeds alone. It is not so easy to reach down into the roots of the weeds. Nor is it so easy to pull weeds without pulling some of the turf grass with them. The process is likely to leave bald spots. Many of the persistent perennial lawn weeds are more firmly rooted than the turf grass is.

Dandelion is notorious for leaving bits of root behind when pulled. These bits regenerate into new plants that are even more difficult to pull than the originals.

The various species of oxalis persist by various means. Some produce bulbs or offsets that are impossible to separate from the soil. Others develop thick networks of sinewy stolons that break apart.

Some persistent lawn weeds, such as plantain and English daisy, as well as many of the feral grasses, are so difficult

Fictional Mothers © Statepoint Media

Lawns require significant maintenance and weeding.

to eradicate that they ultimately integrate into the lawns that they infest. It is simply easier to mow over them than to try to eliminate them. They never quite assimilate though, so interfere with the uniformity of color and texture of their lawns.

Unfortunately, some lawn weeds do worse than merely compromise the visual appeal of turf. Burclover and foxtail can be dangerous to pets. Their seed is designed to stick to fur. Burclover seed structures can tangle and accumulate in long fur, causing dense matting. Foxtail seed structures can lodge into eyes, nostrils, throats and ears, or pierce soft skin.

••• English Daisy arden varieties with fluffier white, pink or pinkish red flowers, and more mounding foliar growth, are popular annuals. With grooming, they might survive as short term perennials. The more familiar form of English daisy, Bellis perennis, though, is a persistent perennial that commonly infests lawns.

Stems stay very low. Flowers are white with yellow centers.

Some consider English daisy or a British English daisy to be Invasion? a noxious weed in turf. Others like its random drifts of white bloom on otherwise plain lawns. English daisy works nicely as a rustic component of mixed perennials too. The common weedy form is unavailable in nurseries, but is very easy to divide from established colonies. Once established, it is impossible to eradicate.

Bloom is most profuse about now, and can continue in random minor phases until cooler weather late in autumn. Sporadic bloom is possible during winter. Warm and dry weather during summer can inhibit bloom temporarily. English daisy prefers partially shaded sites and steady watering.

Flowers are an inch wide. The spatulate leaves are less than two inches long. n ••• Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com.

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www.tpgonlinedaily.com Capitola Soquel Times / May 2021 / 31

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