Second District Now Open: Invitation To Experience, By Ron Kustek

FEATURED COLUMNIST Now Open: Invitation To Experience

By Ron Kustek

Each 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!

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 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

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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.

“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

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.

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

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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.

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

CZU FIRE RECOVERY SURVEY The County of Santa Cruz urges residents who suffered property damage during the CZU Lightning Complex fires to fill out a brief survey offered by United Policyholders to understand more about the recovery process. One survey per household is requested.

The survey is intended to help to track progress, identify problems and gather information about insurance coverage in fire-impacted areas. The survey is

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 internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone. To participate, view the calendar at https://communitybridges.org/ SCWOL/ and find a class. That day and time, click on the link in the calendar to be connected. If you have a problem connecting, call Clara Munoz at (831) 458-3481. 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.

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP PVUSD, PVPSA and Kaiser Permanente offers support groups for Pajaro Valley families at 3 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month. The next dates are:

May 20 and June 3. To register, email marisol.maciel@ pvpsa.org

CALL FOR ARTISTS: 15TH ANNUAL PVA SCULPTURE EXHIBITION Deadline to Apply is Monday May 3 Curators Susana Arias and Hedwig Heerschop of Pajaro Valley Arts & Jeff Rosendale of Sierra Azul Nursery and Gardens invite your participation in the 15th annual Pajaro Valley Arts sculpture exhibition, taking place in the beautiful two-acre Sierra Azul Nursery demonstration gardens, 2660 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. Submit online to Hedwig@pvarts.org.

The show will be June 1 through Oct. 31 outdoors and pieces submitted must be weatherproof (to be insured), and of a scale suitable for outdoor display. Summer coastal weather includes sunshine, fog, wind and rain.

Sculptures larger than 30” is encouraged. Pieces with bold negative and positive elements and pieces 5 to 6 feet tall show best in the garden.

There is a $30 participation fee for artists selected and sales are subject to a commission, 30% for PVA members, 45% for non-members. Questions: 831-722-3062.

ONGOING EVENTS

First and Third Monday Each Month SENIOR LIFE ONLINE 4 p.m., Online Meeting Join a local group of senior citizens for “Senior Life Online,” a free online (Zoom) program featuring a presentation by a local expert. Senior Life Online meets on the first and third Monday of each month at 4 p.m. View the schedule at scottsvalleyseniorlife.org/current-activities/.

May 3, Douglas Allen, Assistant District Attorney, Santa Cruz County, on “How Senior Citizens can Protect Themselves from Scams” and May 17, Darshana Croskrey, director of Scotts Valley Senior Center.

To participate, you need an Internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone. A one-time preregistration is required at https://tinyurl.com/SVSLA-5. Questions? Call George at (831) 334-7763. Senior Life Online is sponsored by Scotts Valley Senior Life Association (SVSLA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to promote healthy living for senior citizens. Information is at http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday NAMI RECOVERY SUPPORT 1-2:30 p.m., confidential Zoom meetings. National Alliance on Mental Illness Santa Cruz County offers the “Connection Recovery Support Group,” a free, peer-led support group for any adult 18 or older who has experienced symptoms of a mental health condition (no diagnosis required).

You will gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others. Groups are led by trained leaders who’ve been there. It’s confidential and drop-in friendly.

To attend, complete the registration form. You will immediately get an email with the Zoom link. You will need to do this only once, and will be able to use the same link for all groups in the future. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/nami-zoom-register (Full URL: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/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

Every Third Thursdays PET LOSS AND GRIEF SUPPORT VIA ZOOM 6 to 7:30 p.m., virtual meeting BirchBark Foundation’s Pet Loss and Grief Support Zoom group offers a free support group, moderated by a licensed grief counseling therapist, on the third Thursday of each month. Register at https://www.birchbarkfoundation.org/griefsupport or call 831-471-7255.

Every Saturday SCOTTS VALLEY FARMER’S MARKET IS BACK! 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Scotts Valley Square Shopping Center, Kmart parking lot, 270 Mount Hermon Road. Ongoing thru Thanksgiving Scotts Valley Farmers’ Market reopens for the season on Saturday, May 1. Live music and seating return! There will be strawberry shortcake on opening day. https://santacruzfarmersmarket.org/markets/scotts-valley/

First Saturday of the Month AROMAS HILLS ARTISANS MONTHLY MEETING 1 p.m., Outdoors at Aromas Grange, 400 Rose Ave, Aromas On Friday, April 16, some members of Aromas Hills Artisans met at Sierra Azul’s beautiful demonstration garden in Watsonville for a “Paint Out.”

This event is usually held on the third Friday of the month at various locations. Members decide at their monthly meeting where they will go to paint that month.

Aromas Hills Artisans was founded 20 years ago to bring together, support and encourage local artists working in many genres. The organization serves the tri-county area of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito. Interested artists and art supporters are welcome to join. aromashillsartisans.com

First Sunday Every Month MONTHLY OUTDOOR MARKETPLACE IN SANTA CRUZ! 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Old Wrigley Building Parking Lot, 2801 Mission Street, Santa Cruz 95060 The Westside Marketplace is an exciting, new monthly market where local art, handmade and vintage shopping meet delicious food! This collaboration between Food Trucks A Go Go and the SCM Makers Market presents a great mix of creators of all kinds! There is also live music at each event!

Anthony Arya, AJ Lee and Chad Bowen are performing at the market on May 2! Anthony Arya

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

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)

Saturday May 1

‘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.

Saturday May 1 thru Saturday May 22

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.

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 perspective.

May 22: Franco Zefferelli’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” will be screened. The film won an Academy Award for cinematography and earned Zefferelli a best director nomination. All sessions are open to the public. Each Saturday Zoom 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 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 account to use this option. Sam Bajaj To Join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83736835797?p wd=V2dmcEZ0OGtsTDlqKzFaN0JFRXV6dz09 n

FEATURED COLUMNIST Lighted Crosswalks Coming / Permit Parking Paused

By Manu Koenig, Supervisor, First District

The 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

After 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 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 (https://www.surveymonkey.com/ 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

Our 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 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

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