Mayor Proclaims March 15 Equal Pay Day

COMMUNITY NEWS

Mayor Proclaims March 15 Equal Pay Day

The United Nations first observed Equal Pay Day Sept. 18, 2020, estimating that women earn 23 percent less than men globally.

According to Capitola Mayor Sam Storey, March 15 symbolizes the time in 2022 when the wages Sam Storey paid to American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year.

Here is his proclamation:

WHEREAS, 59 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women, especially minority women, continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay; and

WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women working full time, year-round in 2022 in the U.S. typically earned 83 percent of what men earned, indicating insufficient progress in pay equity; and

WHEREAS, according to “Graduating to a Pay Gap,” a research report by the American Association of University Women, the gender pay gap is evident one year after college graduation, even after controlling for factors known to affect earnings, such as occupation, hours worked, and college major; and

WHEREAS, nearly four in 10 mothers are primary breadwinners in their households, and nearly two-thirds are primary or significant earners, making pay equity critical to families’ economic security; and

WHEREAS, a lifetime of lower pay means women have less income to save for retirement and less income counted in a Social Security or pension benefit formula; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Act was signed into law, which gives back to employees their day in court to challenge a pay gap, although the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have amended the Equal Pay Act closing loopholes and improving the law’s effectiveness, continues to languish in Congress; and

WHEREAS, fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs while enhancing the American economy; and

WHEREAS, March 15, symbolizes the time in 2022 when the wages paid to

American women catch up to the wages paid to men from the previous year,

Now therefore, Sam Storey, Mayor of the City of Capitola, do hereby proclaim March 15, 2022, to be “Equal Pay Day” in Capitola and urge the citizens of Capitola to recognize the full value of women’s skills and significant contributions to the labor force and further encourage businesses to conduct internal pay evaluations to ensure women are being paid fairly. n

“Gas Prices” from page 9

In Scotts Valley, Union 76 — never a less expensive choice — raised the price to $5.39, then $5.89 and $5.99.

On March 8, when President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil, gas and energy imports to the U.S., California had the highest gas prices of all 50 states, according to GasBuddy.com, averaging $5.44 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas vs. $4.68 in Hawaii.

Last year, the U.S. imported 245 million barrels of oil from Russia — about 8% of all imports, according to Associated Press — and that was up from 198 million barrels in 2020.

The United Kingdom announced a ban on Russian oil the same day as Biden, but it won’t take effect until 2023. Russian oil makes up 4% of the UK supply.

Shell said it would stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market, and McDonald’s said it would temporarily close its 850 fast-food restaurants in Russia.

During his State of the Union address March 1, Biden said he would release 30 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but that didn’t stop the national average price of gasoline from rising to $4.213 per gallon.

California has a hefty gas tax, 51 cents per gallon, and due for a hike July 1, with the tax revenue for improving roads.

Soaring gas prices could mean political fallout as this is an election year, giving voters an opportunity to cast ballots on June 7 and Nov. 8.

Newsom proposed to skip the threecent gas tax hike in July, but Democrats were not on board.

Kiley had proposed using some of the state’s budget surplus — estimated at $46.5 billion to $69.5 billion — to make up the $4.4 billion in revenue that would be lost during a six-month gas tax holiday.

Florida legislators agreed to a gas tax holiday for one month: October.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, had proposed a gas tax holiday for five months. The Florida gas tax is 27 cents per gallon, and unleaded gas costs $4.18 per gallon.

For Santa Cruz County and other parts of the state where tourism is a major part of the economy, the big question is: How will these record gas prices affect families who drive from the Bay Area and Central Valley?

And if they decide to drive here for a visit, how will higher gas prices affect their spending at local restaurants and attractions?

In 2020, Exxon, Shell, Chevron and BP posted huge losses, about $70 billion, and in 2022, they reported $70.69 billion in profit. n

“5 Million Meals” from page 8

“For an hour, all you could hear was swished of the paddleboards and cackling of crazy witches,” she said.

For the Santa SUP in December, 20 people came despite cooler weather, raising $1,000 for Second Harvest.

Many smaller organizations were vital to the fundraiser -- and local institutions delivered in a major way.

Twin Lakes Church in Aptos created the “Acts of Kindness” initiative, assisting neighbors with hundreds of projects, and raising more than $300,000, enough for 1.2 million meals.

UCSC Record

UC Santa Cruz shattered its previous records, raising the equivalent of 376,099 meals for Second Harvest, winning the President’s Cup award, presented to the public institution that raises the most.

UCSC’s Staff Advisory Board runs the campus food drive.

Second Harvest named Nathan McCall,

Santa Cruz County Bank Staff chairman of UCSC’s Staff Advisory Board and manager of HR Business Information Services, as one of its three Coordinators of the Year, describing him as “engaged, enthusiastic, and with an attention to detail that made UCSC’s food drive a great success.”

A generous donation from former Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Kliger, who retired in 2010, and his wife Rachel Kliger, put the campus over the top. In 2020, UCSC raised about $39,000 in its holiday food drive. In 2021, UCSC initially raised a little more, $39,090.

“But then, the Kliger family came in and gave a $35,000 gift and then another $20,000 gift on top of that,’’ McCall told the campus news report. “It was just incredible… Everything was almost the same and then there was this massively generous gift,” McCall said.

Kliger explained the gifts this way: Tikkun olam, a concept in Judaism that means repair the world and the need to address food insecurity first before tackling other problems.

Swishes for Dishes

The Santa Cruz Warriors teamed up with Kaiser Permanente and The Athletes’ Corner on Swishes for Dishes, raising 50,280 meals for Second Harvest when the G League moved to Orlando for Covid safety in 2020-21.

How? Santa Cruz donated 30 meals per point the Warriors scored during the season in Orlando. With a goal of 50,000 meals, the Sea Dubs surpassed that target and scored 1,676 points, totaling 50,280 meals for the Santa Cruz community. n