Capitola Soquel Times: November 2022

Bay of Life

Santa

From Wind

an

Annual Capitola Plein Air

By Laurie Hill

The

surroundings

On

Nisene

a.m.

p.m.,

Grace

p.m.

Nov.

at the

1205

By Dean Kaufman

Iamwriting to share a story about how our Veteran Connect program is making a difference to our local veterans and their families.

A primary purpose of Vets 4 Vets is to break isolation and give veterans a chance to connect and have a good time.

In late July, Vets 4 Vets resumed its member activities through our Veterans Connect program. Since then we have played disc golf, hiked, and had a Cornhole tournament.

These events inspired laughter, cama raderie and good conversation. All of these

things are important to the mental health and well being of our veterans and our Santa Cruz community.

Two weeks ago, our Cornhole tournament drew 17 participants ready to play, including 3 new veterans. We gathered at VFW Post 7263 and began tossing the bags at 6:30 p.m. Dean Kaufman, an Army vet, defeated Tom Holmes, a volunteer with V4V and finished the tournament with a win.

Pizza was donated by Woodstock’s Pizza and drinks were provided by Vets 4 Vets. Post VFW 7263 donated the venue.

Our Veterans Connect program is helping veterans get together, be outdoors and have a great time.

“Capitola Plein Air” from page 1

On Sunday, Nov. 6 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, the paintings will be on display at Capi tola’s Jade Street Community Center. Each artist will produce 3-8 paintings during this brief stay in Capitola, paintings that will compete for prizes and will be available for sale.

The first and second place pieces will become a part of Capitola’s growing art collection.

Visitors to the Nov. 6 exhibition can enjoy seeing Capitola through the eyes

Thank you for caring about the mental health of veterans. If you would like to help a veteran by vol unteering, see https:// www.vets4vetssantacruz. org/new-page or if you would like to donate see https://www.vets 4vetssantacruz.org/ donate

Thank you for being part of the Vets 4 Vets community. n

Dean Kaufmann is founder and board member of Vets 4 Vets, which plans a Veteran’s Day event Nov. 11, a bowling tournament fundraiser on Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. and noonat Boardwalk Bowl and a holiday potluck in December. For information, see https://www. vets4vetssantacruz.org/

of these professional artists, talk with the artists, and purchase a piece of original art. In addition to the displayed paintings, there will be light jazz music performed by Renata Bratt and Brian Fitzgerald, an art activity for all ages provided by Watershed Arts’ Linda Cover, and lunch from Sauc eyz’s Food Truck. Enjoy a wonderful couple of hours of art appreciation and education. The exhibition is free. n

Cover Photo: The City of Capitola purchased this plein air painting by Chris Potter in 2018.

publisher

Patrice Edwards editor

Jondi Gumz

contributing writers

Laurie Hill, Dean Kaufman, Jondi Gumz, Scott Knight, Edita McQuary, Risa D’Angeles, Joe Ortiz, Sam Storey, Rebecca Gold Rubin, Zach Friend, Manu Koenig

Bill Pooley, Taylor Brougham

Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti

Michael Oppenheimer, Ward

Santa Cruz-based National Geographic contributors Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom, who tell an inspiring local story of conservation success in their deluxe coffee table book Bay of Life: From Wind to Whales will speak at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, in a benefit for local nonprofits.

“To us, Monterey Bay is one of Earth’s natural crown jewels,” they write. “We know of no other place in the world where land and sea interact in such an extraor dinary way.”

A hundred years ago, the region was an ecological disaster. Onshore, the Santa Cruz Mountains had been largely clearcut and there were few redwood trees left standing. Offshore, the marine resources of the bay had been plundered by whalers, sealers, and fishers. The damage went back to the Gold Rush.

Lanting, hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time and Eckstrom, his wife, is an award-winning writer, editor, and videographer.

They will share images and stories from their book, which explains the natural diversity and environmental history of Monterey Bay—the hottest hot spot for biodiversity in North America, according to The Nature Conservancy, damaged eco systems can be restored– a story of hope.

Representatives from Bay of Life partner nonprofits will join them on stage for a lightning round of new ideas they are working on.

Partner nonprofits are: Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, MBNMS Exploration Center, Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz Museum

of Natural History, Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Watsonville Wetlands Watch.

In January 2023 the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History will launch

special Bay of Life

Photo Credit: Frans Lanting

the Monterey Bay.

Meet Artist Grace French

GraceFrench of Soquel is only 10 years old, and she’s exhibiting one of her miniature paintings at The Great British Bake Shop, with part of the proceeds going to the Partnership for Children.

Up next: A show at the Ugly Mug in Soquel on Dec. 11.

Grace decided to paint a corgi after the passing of British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in September and thought The Great British Bake Shop would be the perfect place to display it. The owners of the shop, English expats Lesley Everett and Chris Swainson, also support Partnership for Children.

Grace points out Swainson has authored two children’s books, “Wilbur and the Ball” and “The Making of Johnny,” available at the bakery, which donates 50 percent of all sales from the books (selling for $12) to the nonprofit.

“I’m going to make more (paintings) with different corgis and different back grounds,” says Grace, a fifth grader at Soquel Elementary School. “I have a stuffed animal (corgi) and a corgi calendar. Corgis are my second favorite dog.”

She added, “My favorite is the Aus tralian shepherd because I have one named Kate.”

Her corgi painting is on sale for $15, with $5 going to Partnership for Children, a Salinas-based nonprofit that provides trans portation and support to families and their

children with life-threatening conditions. They’ve been serving Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties since 2007.

Grace, who began painting two years ago, has about 10 paintings to her name and plans more.

“I like painting animals because I like animals, they have really cool features,” she says.

She takes art classes at Soquel Elementary and her art teacher, Suzie Blackburn, gives her tips and inspiration.

She loves to paint with her grandmother, Billie French.

“My nanny inspired me to start painting,” Grace says. “When I go to her house, we always do art and then we starting doing watercolors together. I love animals and wildlife is why I paint animals.”

Grace sold a few paintings at the Capitola Art & Wine Festival in September, so she will be working at her easel to create more paintings for the show at The Ugly Mug, 4640 Soquel Drive, Soquel.

She does not have a website where people can buy her art, so if you are looking for a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift, don’t miss that show. It’s Dec.11 from 8 to 11 a.m.

Or if you’re a Corgi lover and have a yen for mince pies, vegetable pasties or shortbread, check out The Great British Bake Shop, 8 W. Gabilan St., Salinas. (831) 356-0005. You can place your order online at www.thegreatbritishbakeshop.com. n

Grace French and her miniature paintings

CDC Advisory Group: Add Covid Shot to Kids’ Vaccine Schedule

By Jondi Gumz

OnOct. 20, an advisory committee to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously in favor of adding the Covid vaccine to the recommended immuni zation schedule for children and adults. The existing schedule recommends 27 doses of vaccine between birth and age 6.

Starting at 6 months, children should get the Covid vaccine, plus boosters, according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The new bivalent boosters mix vaccine for the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, which is no longer circulating, and the currently dominant Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, which are far less deadly.

The CDC, which is expected to sign off on the recommendation, plans to provide a recommended vaccine schedule in 2023.

To expedite the review process, federal officials asked drug-makers to test on mice rather than humans. Pfizer submitted data based on 8 mice.

The CDC said its recommendation is not a mandate, noting the decision on which vaccines are required to attend school is a state or local decision.

“Local control matters,” said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the ACIP meeting. “And we honor that the decision around school entrance for vaccines rests where it did before, which is with the state level, the county level and at the municipal level, if it exists at all.”

Kansas officials have no plans to require the Covid-19 vaccine to attend school.

Texas law protects parents’ rights to decide their children’s vaccination.

Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladopo, M.D., recommended against Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccines for men 18 to 39 after his health department found an “84% increase in the relative incidence of cardiacrelated death among males 18-39 years old within 28 days following mRNA vaccination.”

California California’s SB 277 requires students be vaccinated to attend public school with no exemptions for personal belief. Home schoolers are exempt.

Covid cases in kids declined in October, according to the American Academy of

Pediatrics. Children represent 13% of new cases.

Dr. Tom Shima bukuro reported to the ACIP meeting that a boy died 13 days after his first dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine. The boy had a fever, then abdominal pain and vomiting in the emergency room before he died. The autopsy showed the cause of death was heart inflammation known as myocarditis, with tests finding no evidence of viral infection.

The death was reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System, and verified by the CDC.

The committee members did not discuss the death, but determined the Covid vaccine benefits outweigh the risks.

The CDC stopped reporting Covid cases on Sept. 21, recognizing 95% of Americans 16 and up have some immunity, either from vaccination or infection.

On Oct. 21, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky tested positive for Covid despite being “up to date with her vaccines.” She reports “mild symptoms.”

This prompted Dr. Vinay Prasad of UC San Francisco to ask, “What is the vaccine efficacy of the bivalent booster you have received? What is it for any symptomatic disease? What is it for severe disease?”

He said there are no answers “because the leadership at the White House has permitted this product to come to the US market without any credible evidence that it has any vaccine effectiveness. We simply don’t have human randomized data for clinical endpoints.”

Prasad recommends requiring Pfizer to “randomize nursing home residents,” who are most at risk, and look at all cause mortality.

Omicron Less Deadly

Omicron

variants are less deadly than

the Delta variant, which raged in 2021.

Santa Cruz County reported 49 Covid deaths after Omicron, compared to 225 as of Dec. 15, before Omicron.

One statistic is similar: 79% to 81% of those who died had medical conditions.

Why do people fear Omnicron?

They may have a medical condition (high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma).

Half of Americans do, so they are at higher risk for severe Covid illness.

So are people 85 and older.

Thanksgiving

A sign of normal: The veterans who put on the Thanksgiving Day dinner prepared by India Joze Schultz at the Santa Cruz Vets Hall will bring the event back this year. Volunteers can contact organizer Steve Pleich at: vetshalldinner@ gmail.com

In Santa Cruz County, one death was reported after a month of no fatalities. The last seven deaths were people who were vac cinated, according to the county dashboard, all 65 or older with medical conditions.

Santa Cruz County, which updates the numbers on Mondays and Thursdays, has 620 active cases, not escalating.

With 64,000 county cases since the pandemic began, natural immunity may be a factor.

Soquel Union Elementary School District reports 8 active cases: Main Street Elementary, 2 students, 1 staff, Soquel Elementary, 2 stu dents, New Brighton Middle, 2 students, Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary, 1 student.

On Friday, the state reported 13 people in Santa Cruz County hospitalized with a positive Covid test, including one in intensive care.

Santa Cruz County wastewater data shows Covid-19 Omicron levels plunging since July 26, then stable.

According to the Santa Cruz County

Office of Education, cases in local schools peaked at 4,407 on Jan. 27, dropped to 44 on April 1, rose to 1,025 on May 23, dropped to 442 on June 11, and now 180.

The 14-day positivity rate, 12.25% on January, dropped to .79%, rose to 9.63% and is now 1.22%.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Edu cation has completed 632,700 tests with Inspire Diagnostics.

The very contagious variant BA.5 and waning immunity from vaccines boosted cases this summer.

The CDC reports BA.5 comprised 67.9% of cases as of Oct. 14, with new subvariants BA.4.6 at 12.2%, BQ.1 at 5.7%, BQ.1.1 at 5.7%, and BF.7 at 5.3%.

On Oct. 13, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the Covid emergency for 90 days.

With the U.S. averaging 196 deaths a day, compared to 3,000 last winter, there is no evidence the Omnicron subvariant causes more serious illness.

On Oct. 25, President Biden got his bivalent booster. His administration agreed to buy 105 million doses of Pfizer’s bivalent Covid booster for $3.2 billion.

Pfizer’s bivalent booster has emergency use authorization for children age 5 and up and Moderna’s bivalent has emergency use authorization for children 6 and up. Both are available in Santa Cruz County.

Pasta Aglio e Olio & The Cowgirls

Previous Episode: The Doctor asked me how many aspirin I had eaten, and when he and Mom kept saying “Come on, Joey, how many?” I said, “Come on . . . Seven.”

My mother howled the moment she realized I wasn’t calling for the dice to “roll my number” as Dad had taught me but confessing to have eaten seven aspirin. Dr. Boccardi quickly calmed her down and told her to feed me pasta with garlic and olive oil.

For once the prescription wasn’t for aspirin.

“The garlic will cut the acidity of the medicine and the pasta will soothe the aggravation to his stomach. Tomorrow, a little white rice throughout the day and some pastina for dinner and, by the weekend, he’ll be eating gravy again.”

When Dad suggested giving me Brioschi, a foul, milky liquid designed to coat your stomach, Mom said: “Sure, Herman. You’d fight medicine with medicine.”

To get out of the way of Mom’s wrath, Dad walked Dr. Boccardi down to the bus stop. But he had promised her earlier he’d talk to the doctor about paying my out standing bill. So, when Dad got back, Mom jumped all over him: “What’d Boccardi say, Herman?”

“He says we should move ta Arizona fa Joey’s bronchitis,” Dad said.

“I know all about Arizona, Herman.

The hot weather would be better for Joseph’s bronchitis. What’d Boccardi say about the doctor bill?”

“He said we can pay when we got it. He’s gonna give us another few weeks.”

“He’s just being nice,” Mom yelled. “What if Joey keeps getting sick? If Boc cardi thinks we can’t pay, he might not come so quick when we need him.”

“Nonnie, what kinda doctor would neglect a sick kid because his parents got no money to pay the bill? I guarantee ya . . .”

“HERMAN! Your guarantees are like the Bums winning the Pennant. It never happens.”

But Dad had his way of holding out. About money, and about dinner, too. He wouldn’t go for spaghetti aglio e olio, so Mom cut him a slice of eggplant now that it had finally cooled. As Dad sat down to eat, he went into his “singing-song” routine: “Ya coulda had eggplant if you didn’t decide ta eat aspirin fa dinner, Joey.”

“Leave him alone,” Ma said.

I was disappointed about missing out on the eggplant, but Mom said she’d eat aglio e olio with me. Mom put a pot of water on to boil and started to smash four cloves of garlic with the side of a knife, until she remembered what the doctor said about not using too much. So, she put two cloves back and minced two real fine.

She slid some spaghetti out of the box and gripped it in her thumb and fingers to show me how to measure.

“That much is for two,” she said. But I was too sick to care. She poured a small handful of salt into the pot of boiling water.

“The magic ingredient for aglio e olio is water, Joey,” she said. “Like for all good pasta, water helps ta bind the oil and macaroni into a sauce.

“Better ya should learn to cook than learn to gamble. It’s a lot safer.”

Dad just twisted up his face again, snarled toward the kitchen, and went on eating.

“You fry the garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for a few seconds,” Mom said. “But don’t let it burn or it’ll get bitter. When the pasta’s very al dente, that’s still a little firm to the bite, you put it in the pan with the oil and garlic.

Add some of the pasta water and cook it down. Turn it a lot—girra molto—my mother used to tell

me. That makes it nice and creamy. When the water cooks off and the pasta’s done, add a little handful of chopped parsley— turn off the heat and it’s ready. All it needs is some grated Par mesan at the table.”

Although the first bite of the pasta started to turn my stomach, it quickly began to go down just fine. I started feeling better. The two or three spoonfuls I couldn’t finish, Mom ate. Then she made Dad take me to bed.

On the way into the bedroom, I reminded Dad about sitting with me until I nodded off. I was afraid of the dark so, to fall asleep, I needed to hold onto one of my parents’ arms. Dad brought me in, laid me down and covered me, “I’m getting tired of sitting here while ya fall asleep, Joey,” he said. “Someday I’m going to make a fake arm for you to hold onto.”

“No, Daddy, No.”

“I’m only foolin’,” he said with a sneer. He thought boys shouldn’t cry, and any hint of that from me would drive him raging crazy. But I was too sick to need an arm that night. Too sick to be kidded; too wasted even to cry.

After Dad tucked me in and left, I still needed the cowgirls, though. The fairy cowgirls that guarded my bed were my protective angels. Modeled after Dale Evans, they looked more like Rita Hay worth and Lana Turner: Robust, healthy women who rode horses through the room at night while my parents and Laura sat up listening to the radio. It must have been the music echoing in from the living room that inspired my fantasies.

The cowgirls twirled their lassos, sang songs, and built campfires that glowed in the dark. Because these beautiful women were around, I felt safe until I fell asleep. They softened my bruises and calmed my stomach.

And, sure, I guess they even sheltered me from the brutal sounds of Mom and Dad when they came into our bedroom and struggled around with one another while they thought I was fast asleep.

The cowgirls wore chaps and hol sters and guns. Their hats bobbed up and down around their necks as they rode their stallions across the bedroom walls. The cowgirls, with their long, flowing hair

By Joe Ortiz

and romantic eyes, were more real to me that Amos ‘n Andy, the Honeymooners, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. They were as delicious as pizza and Chinese food, as soothing as spa ghetti aglio e olio and pastina. They were as powerful as Superman, Hopalong Cassidy, Jacky Rob inson and the Cisco Kid.

Later that night Dad came in and said, “Who you talking to, Joey?”

“The cowgirls,” I said.

“They pretty?”

“Yeah.”

•••

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Pasta in Garlic and Olive Oil Serves Two (Me and Mom because Dad didn’t like it and Laura was always out singing Doo Wop on the block)

Dr. Boccardi always prescribed this whenever my parents discovered that I had been eating aspirin, or when I had any kind of compromised digestion. Which I often did. It’s good for “ageta” if you leave out the pepper flakes and don’t use too much garlic.

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 ounces spaghetti (just enough that you can hold wrapped between your thumb and fingers real tight)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Set a medium sized pot of salted water to boil.

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the minced garlic and cook until just golden. Turn off the heat.

When the water comes to a boil, cook the pasta until very al dente. When the pasta is ready, scoop it out with a large fork and add it to the garlic and oil mixture. Then turn up the heat to medium.

Add about ½ cup of the pasta water to the pan and cook while stirring constantly until the water has all evaporated and the pasta is cooked to your liking.

Add half of the parsley and all of the pepper flakes if you’re using them.

Remove to pasta bowls and sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and a little of the grated Parmesan cheese.

And eat! n

Capitola Soquel Times

Modeled after Dale Evans, [the fairy cowgirls] looked more like Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner: Robust, healthy women who rode horses through the room at night while my parents and Laura sat up listening to the radio.

Rogers and Dale Evans at Knott’s Berry Farm in the 1970s

Jobs in Santa Cruz County

Sector Sept. 2022 Change from Sept. 2021

Government 22,300 Up 1,800

Private education 17,600 Up 600 & health

Manufacturing 7,800 Up 300

Construction 5,100 Up 300

Other 4,800 Up 300

Trade/transportation 16,500 Up 200 /utilities

Professional/business 10,700 Up 100 services

Financial 3,300 Up 100 Leisure/hospitality 13,000 0

“COVID Update” from page 7

“We are anticipating another winter surge,” said Dr. Cal Gordon, deputy health officer for the County of Santa Cruz.

To find providers with Covid-19 vaccine and walk-in clinics, see www. santacruzhealth.org/coronavirusvaccine.

Emergency Ending Feb. 28

On Sept. 12, the state health department reduced its Covid updates from daily to weekly, on Thursdays.

On Oct. 18, Gov. Newsom announced California’s state of emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic will end Feb. 28.

On Oct. 27, the state reported 1,600 hospitalized with a positive Covid test, and a 4.4% positivity rate, down from 20,000 and 23% in January.

The state said half the hospitaliza tions are due to Covid, with the other half coming to the hospital for another reason and testing positive.

California reports 72.4% of the popu lation have had at least one shot.

On the CDC Covid tracker, Santa Cruz County reports 89.3% of residents have at least one shot, 80.7% with a primary series (two Pfizer or Moderna or one Johnson & Johnson) and 61.4% with a booster.

Lawsuits

On Oct. 24, Staten Island Supreme Court

Justice Ralph Porzio ruled the October 2021 Covid vaccination requirement for unvaccinated sanitation workers who sued New York City is “arbitrary and capri cious,” and that workers should be rehired with back pay.

He wrote, “We have learned … that the vaccine against COVID-19 is not absolute.”

Feds for Medical Freedom, which had their day in the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth District on Sept. 13 in New Orleans chal lenging the Covid vaccine mandate for federal workers, is awaiting a decision. The group, which has 6,000 members, contends the president overstepped his authority. For updates, see feds4medfreedom.org.

Dr. Mark McDonald, a Los Angeles psychiatrist, and Dr. Jeff Barke, an Orange County primary care physician, are suing to stop Assembly Bill 2098, from becoming

Information 600 0

Nonfarm 101,700 Up 3,700 Farm 9,800 Down 100 Total 111,500 Up 3,600

Labor force 137,600 Up 1.9%

Employment* 132,900 Up 3.7%

Unemployment 4,700 Down 31.9%

Unemployment rate 3.8% 5.1%

Count is on the 12th of the month *Includes commuters out of the county Source: California Employment Devel opment Department

Unemployment in Santa Cruz County

law. Under AB 2098, physicians who pub licly challenge public health Covid edicts can be disciplined. The doctors say this is unconstitutional.

Children & Covid

Covid has claimed the lives of many elders, those 85 and older with medical conditions, but relatively few children, 442 children age 4 and under, according to the CDC.

More than 1 million people in the U.S. have died of Covid, so young children rep resent a tiny percentage of deaths.

Could it be that children represent an untapped windfall for the drug-makers?

It depends on whether these vaccines are added to the CDC vaccine schedule for children. See www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html

Safety Signals

An early briefing document said the CDC would perform data mining, using data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System to look for “safety signals” from Covid-19 vaccines.

Later, the CDC Freedom of Infor mation officer said “data mining is outside of the agency’s purview.”

The VAERS database, https://vaers. hhs.gov/, is where health care providers are to report adverse events after a vaccine. It was created after Congress passed a law in 1986 protecting vaccine manufacturers from civil personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits resulting from vaccine injuries.

Those who want to review data from V-Safe, the CDC’s after-vaccine health check-in app, can go to icandecide.org/vsafe. The Informed Choice Action Network, after filing two lawsuits and obtaining a court order for the data release, got 144 million rows of vaccine data entered by 10 million users and created a dashboard. The data can be searched by symptoms, adverse health impacts such as missed work or school, and type of medical care sought.

On Oct. 25, the British Medical Journal published a report by Australian scientistturned-journalist Maryanne Demasi on safety signal follow-up.

ticked down from 3.8% in August to 3.4% in September as the labor force dipped from 138,400 to 137,600.

Unemployment hovered around 3.8% in the summer compared to 17+% in 2020, fueled by pandemic restrictions.

Construction, a typically higher-paying sector, is healthy with more than 5,000 jobs. So is manufacturing, at 7,800 jobs.

Inspector General To Be Chosen for Sheriff’s Office

Santa Cruz County supervisors have green-lighted plans to recruit someone to be the first Inspector General for

She cited a July 2021 disclosure by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finding “four potential adverse events of interest” in Medicare claims of people 65 and up who got Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine: Heart attack, abnormal blood clotting, bleeding that is hard to stop due to low platelet count, and pulmonary embolism (artery blockage caused by clots in the lung).

The FDA “does not believe there is a cause for concern,” noting the Pfizer vaccine was given to “many high-risk individuals,” older and with “significant co-morbid ities,” such as high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes.

The disclosure added, “The FDA strongly believes the known and potential benefits of Covid-19 vaccination greatly outweigh the known and potential risks of Covid-19.”

The FDA promised it would “share further updates and information with the public as they become available,” and 18 days later, published plans for a followup epidemiological study to investigate, sharing the unadjusted relative risk ratio estimates, ranging from 42% to 91% increased risk.

More than a year later has passed, and the status and results of the follow-up study are unknown.

In a 2022 report in the Journal of American Medical Association online, Dr. Matthew Oster of the CDC reported VAERS received 1,991 reports of myocarditis after one dose of mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine and 1,626 met the CDC definition for probable or confirmed myocarditis.

Oster’s conclusion: “The risk of myocarditis after receiving mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines was increased across multiple age and sex strata and was highest after the second vaccination dose in adolescent males and young men. This risk should be considered.”

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart, which can lead to clots, a stroke or heart attack.

Public health officials say the scien tific consensus is that Covid vaccines are safe, but some are skeptical about relying on science from drug-makers, which saw

the Sheriff’s Office. Those interested must apply by Nov. 10.

The Inspector General is expected to start work Jan. 1 with a budget of $100,000 covering six months of operations, until the fiscal year ends June 30.

Sheriff Jim Hart supports the idea, contained in AB 1185 to provide oversight and boost public trust in law enforcement.

During community meetings, residents wanted oversight and transparency of the jail, which is part of the Sheriff’s Office.

profits rise in 2021. Analysts say Pfizer has been one of the largest winners, doubling revenue to $81 billion in sales in 2021 due to its Covid vaccine.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar invoked the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, a 2005 law allowing him to provide legal pro tection to companies making or distributing critical medical supplies such as vaccines unless there’s “willful misconduct” by the company. This protection lasts until 2024.

Testing

The Santa Cruz County Office of Edu cation offers drive-though testing for students, staff and families at: Cabrillo College, Aptos, Parking Lot K, and Santa Cruz County Office of Education, 399 Encinal St., Santa Cruz. Hours are the same: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wed., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

See: https://tinyurl.com/get-tested-santacruz.

Booster shots: https://myturn.ca.gov/ Vaccine providers: www.santacruzhealth. org/coronavirusvaccine.

Local information: www.santacruzhealth. org/coronavirus or (831) 454-4242 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. n

Active COVID cases: 620

COVID Deaths: 274

of Oct. 27

85 and older: 120 •75-84: 62 • 65-74: 49 60-64: 15 • 55-59: 4 • 45-54: 10 35-44: 8 • 25-34: 5

Underlying Conditions

Yes: 224 • No: 50

Vaccinated Yes: 37 • No: 237 Race

White 161 • Latinx 90 • Asian 16 Black 3 • Amer Indian 1 Hawaiian 1 • Another 2 Gender Men: 139 • Women: 135 Location

At facility for aged: 117 Not at a facility: 157

County Fair Upheaval

By Jondi Gumz

Morethan 75 people came angry and frustrated to the Santa Cruz County Fair board meeting in Watsonville Tuesday afternoon, with another 68 on Zoom, watching how the leadership would carry on after firing longtime CEO Dave Kegebein Oct. 4 in the wake of a critical state audit.

Kegebein, in 11 years had orchestrated a financial turnaround with $1 million in the bank for the fairgrounds, a state agency known as the 12th District Agricultural Association, but the audit found the fair had no receipts for $163,442 of purchases from 2017 to 2021 including $31,345 of fuel for his truck, one of a dozen lapses in requirements which Kegebein called “red tape compliance.”

Only four board members attended in person, Don Dietrich, Dana McRae, Stephanie Fontana and Tony Campos with Lupe Flores and Michael Pruger partici pating via Zoom. Fair board member Bill Barton of Aptos, appointed in 2014 at age 70, resigned his seat.

One surprise: Leaks were discovered in the Heritage Building during the unsea sonable September rain, and it’s not yet known whether the roof can be repaired or needs to be replaced.

Another surprise: The 1955 live stock barns, deemed unsafe by the state Department of Food and Agriculture and unusable for the 2022 fair, have been des ignated historic by another state agency, along with the entire 102-acre fairgrounds property. This is due to an error made in a map when historic designation was sought for the Rodgers House in 2000. It’s not known if this status can be changed.

Dietrich, the board president turned acting CEO, will continue in that role, as none of the other board members volun teered and it may take six months to recruit a replacement manager.

During public comment, the board got an earful from Kegebein and his supporters.

Kegebein delivered a check for $33,582, the amount in the state audit spent on fuel and maintenance on his truck, and contended Dietrich had taken advantage of the fairgrounds shop building for per sonal use, a charge Dietrich said he would respond to at the next meeting, which is Dec. 6.

One credited Kegebein with negoti ating a line of credit when the fairgrounds was “practically in bankruptcy” to save it.

“Who made the motion to fire Dave?” asked fair volunteer Paul Vitale, his comment applauded.

“Who is behind this heartless direction has yet to be determined,” said former fair board president Dave Cavanaugh, urging attendees to appeal to state officials. “Fight back.”

The two fair board members who voted against firing Kegebein, Loretta Estrada and Jody Belgard, were dismissed by the governor’s office, which makes the appointments.

Their replacements, Nicolas Calubaquib, 42, of Aptos, and Rachel E. Bickert Wells, 29, of Felton, named Oct. 21, did not attend.

During public comment, Estrada, a fair board member for 34 years, said she and Belgard, on the board for 16 years, lost their seats for supporting Kegebein.

She said she will continue to support the fair and the fairgrounds foundation.

“I’m truly heartbroken about what’s happening to Dave Kegebein and the fair grounds,” said Jeanette Crosetti. “I believe the state has a hidden agenda.”

Mary Bannister, the volunteer fair board secretary, resigned the day before the meeting.

That left board president Dietrich to run the meeting, give reports and take minutes, which he said was “impossible.”

He struggled with his agenda presen tation of a contract under “other financial documents,” with former mayor Dennis Osmer saying items not properly noticed run the risk of being nullified. That item was postponed, and board member Fontana asking for an explanatory nar rative to accompany it.

“I hear you,” Dietrich said. “I’ll try to do better next time.”

During public comment, former city councilwoman Trina Coffman-Gomez said the meeting was the most disorganized she’d seen.

Also on the agenda, an independent accountant’s review of the fair’s 2019 finances by McGilloway, Ray, Brown & Kaufman of Salinas. Omitted from the review was management discussion of postemployment benefits, typically a requirement.

“Why is it still a draft from 2019?” asked Osmer, contending this review con flicted with the 2021 state CDFA audit.

Dietrich said he negotiated with the Fairgrounds Foundation, which raises money for fairgrounds facilities, to lower the share of revenue on gross sales paid to the fair from 15% to 12%.

The reason, he said, was to ensure the upcoming Holiday Lights event makes a profit.

No one objected.

“I think this event is very important to the public,” Dietrich said. “I don’t want the foundation to cancel.”

Dietrich said the fair has no agreement with the County of Santa Cruz regarding 38 acres at 188 Whiting Road next to the fairgrounds which the county would like to acquire for parks and recreation. Asking price is $2.65 million.

The county has no funds to buy it but twice sought grants, which were turned down, explained Kim Namba of county parks.

John Eiskamp of the Ag History Project at the fairgrounds said proponents interviewed people at Second Saturday on the Farm, but there’s no agreement.

Dietrich said he was in Sacramento last week to learn about state Resilience Center funding for fairgrounds’ climate change projects, but most of the money will go to the Central Valley.

Dietrich said state rules do not allow him to be board president and interim manager, so Fontana, the most senior member, took over running the meeting.

Dave Kegebein suggested getting a list of potential fair CEO candidates from CDFA, which Dietrich supported.

CDFA branch chief Michael Fran cesconi, on the Zoom call, said he did not have a list on his desk but he could reach out to the industry.

Coffman-Gomez suggested putting the recruitment on the Santa Cruz County Fair website.

To support the fair, Jeanne Kegebein, who runs the Fairgrounds Foundation and is Dave Kegebein’s stepmother, urged people to attend the Holiday Lights event, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Nov. 25 through Dec. 25.

The state audit did not appear on the board agenda for Oct. 4, the date Kegebein was fired. The short agenda, posted Sept. 24, listed a closed session with CDFA Legal to discuss personnel.

After the meeting, Dietrich said he was “heart-broken about Loretta.”

He said he saw the state audit in his official county fair email, which he checks regularly.

Under the state’s Bagley-Keene Act, he is allowed to communicate with one other board member, not the whole board, he said.

Estrada said she saw the audit only minutes before Kegebein was fired.

As for her fair email, she told Aptos Times, “They knew I’ve never used the state email.” n

Capitola Soquel

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

Fair board members Stephanie Fontana, Dana McRae, Don Dietrich, and Tony Campos listen to public comment Tuesday.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz County fair board meetings are usually sparsely attended but not on Tuesday.

Mayor For A Day

By Sam Storey, Mayor, City of Capitola

Capitola

Parks and Recreation recently held a Mayor For A Day Essay Contest for elementary and middle school students.

Students were invited to write an essay telling the City Council what they would do if they were Mayor for Day. The winners will attend a City Council meeting and read their essays from the Mayor’s chair.

I am pleased to announce the winners and to share with you excerpts from the winning essays.

The elementary school winner is Desirae Adams, a 4th grader at St. Abra ham’s Classical Christian Academy. Excerpts from Desirae’s essay are as follows:

“If I were given a chance to become a Mayor for one day in Santa Cruz Count,y I would turn the gas prices down to help the people and families who can’t afford to pay to fill up their car or truck, and some people who can’t afford the gas have to walk every single day and maybe some times kids have to walk to school and back every day.

Maybe people can’t afford to ride the bus or buy a bike.

I’d make things a little cheaper just because kids and parents, families and people with old age or anyone in need to have clothes and especially food. I’d find the best places for kids and families to live.

Comforting people is great and espe cially orphans. Even if orphans don’t have parents, we should never treat them dif ferent but instead comfort them which is what I’ll do when I’m Mayor for a Day.

I’ll go to some schools and go to different classrooms and put a basket for clothes, blankets, whatever, really all we need is for everyone to be comforted. I’d

also make services to make our county more beautiful, safe, and clean.”

The middle school division winner is Sydney Swanson, an 8th grader from New Brighton Middle School. Excerpts from Sydney’s essay are as follows:

“As mayor of Capitola, I have a few ideas on things that could make a sig nificant difference.

Although I don’t think it would be possible to do all this in 24 hours, I would work on more sanitary bathrooms, cleaner beaches, and increasing parking in the village. I think these issues need to be fixed because they affect how we feel and enjoy Capitola.

First of all, dirty bathrooms are a big issue. Bathroom cleanliness is significant because the bathrooms affect how tourists view our community and how it feels. People come in wet and sandy, which leaves the bathroom nasty.

As mayor, I will try my best to fix this issue by regularly cleaning and encour

aging people to rinse off their feet or body before entering and be more conscious about the germs, sand, water, and dirt they bring in.

Next, I will address the issue of dirty beaches. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, ‘Of 10 beaches that made the list statewide, Capitola came in at third on the list for dirtiest water.’

“Mayor for a Day” page 12

Capitola Soquel

Desirae Adams reads her mayoral essay.

Sydney Swanson and Mayor Sam Storey

Capitola Welcomes Jessica Kahn!

JessicaKahn is the new public works director for the City of Capitola, suc ceeding Steve Jesberg, who retired after 21 years.

She is the first woman to hold that position, city officials say.

Her salary is $160,000.

Kahn comes from the City of Monte Sereno, where she was city engineer. She oversaw all public works activ ities including capital projects, transportation, development review, maintenance, and envi ronmental programs.

She has 15 years of expe rience and increasing levels of responsibility in municipal government, primarily in public works and water util ities, working for the cities of San Francisco, Pacific Grove, and Scotts Valley.

Her experience includes: Municipal operations, facility management, street maintenance, water treatment and dis tribution, wastewater collection and treatment, traffic and transportation oper ation, development engineering, capital improvement engineering, public contract bidding and construction oversight, man agement and inspection.

She is a registered Professional Civil Engineer.

In Capitola, she is responsible for completing infrastructure projects like the $7 million Capitola Wharf renovation,

“Mayor for a Day” from page 11

To try to fix this problem of dirty water and trash on our beaches, I will get volunteers and school students in our district to help clean waste off our shores. I will also encourage community members and tourists to pick up their trash daily to help get us off that dirtiest water list!

Lastly, I will add more parking around the village. I’ve noticed that it’s becoming challenging to get parking and many tourists leave or need to park far away.

This could affect small businesses that rely on tourists to stay open. To fix this, we could make a multi-leveled parking lot. This will make parking easy to find, but how will we pay for it? We will try to get donations from local businesses, community members, and tourists. We will also have an event like

growing the public works maintenance programs, and providing perspective on the city’s management team.

The first project to be bid in her tenure will be the Kennedy Drive sidewalk project. For info, see: https://www.cityof capitola.org/rfps

Kahn oversees a department of 16 employees, including Chloe Wood mansee, assistant to the city manager.

Capitola City Manager

Jamie Goldstein welcomed her, saying, “Ms. Kahn’s amazing background, acute intelligence and infectious enthusiasm make her a wonderful addition to the City’s management team. I look forward to working with Jessica for years to come.”

Kahn said, “It has been a long-term goal of mine to serve as a public works director for a local coastal community who truly values its sense of place and charm. I look forward to both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

A California native, she attended UC Berkeley, earning a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering and then a master’s degree in environmental management from the University of San Francisco.

She lives in Santa Cruz with her husband Kevin and their two daughters, Kira and Quinn. Together, they enjoy cooking, beach days, camping, and walking their basset hound Molly. n

an auction to raise money for this parking lot.

If we still don’t have enough money, there could be a small tax for middle-class citizens and a more significant tax for wealthy citizens. Overall, I have many ambitious goals that may not be possible to complete in a day, but with more time, I believe I could achieve these goals and make a difference.”

Congratulations to Desirae and Sydney on winning the essay contest. They are being recognized and are reading their essays at the Capitola Council meeting of Oct. 13 and Oct. 27.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading their goals if they were Mayor for a Day. Reading these essays assures me that the future is in good hands, at least in Santa Cruz County. n

Sam Storey is mayor of Capitola. Email him at samforcapitola@yahoo.com.

Jessica Kahn

Second Harvest Holiday Drive

Theplea goes out: Help Second Harvest Food Bank fill the gap and feed hope again this holiday season.

Second Harvest’s annual Holiday Food & Fund Drive 2022 invites you to get inspired and excited at an old-fashioned outdoor kickoff rally on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Aptos Village Green, 161 Aptos Village Dr., next to New Leaf Market.

There will be opportunities to mix and mingle with community members, sign up to support the drive, and listen to guest speakers.

Erica Padilla-Chavez, Second Harvest Food Bank CEO, said, “While we have made strides in Covid recovery, the need for food assistance has not decreased to pre-pandemic levels. With inflation, many families and working people are not making ends meet. This year’s food and fund drive is crucial to making sure no one goes hungry in Santa Cruz County.”

The goal this year is to raise enough money to serve 5 million meals.

During the annual drive, businesses, organizations, schools, and neighbor hoods are encouraged to form teams and gather funds to help achieve this goal.

All funds raised during the holiday drive — 100% — go to provide food to distribute at Second Harvest’s 160 agency and partner locations in Santa Cruz County.

Every $1 raised will provide four healthy meals for neighbors in need.

At the rally, teams can sign up to be part of the holiday drive and hear about creative ideas to raise funds, such as mini-barrel donation stations and virtual campaign pages where people can donate online.

They’ll also hear from the event’s co-chairs, UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive and Com munity Foundation Santa Cruz County CEO Susan True, about the importance of making sure all Santa Cruz County resi dents have access to healthy food, both during the holidays and year-round.

Reservations are required to attend

the rally. See https://give.thefoodbank. org/campaigns/23600-holiday-foodfund-drive-2022-kickoff

Cost to attend is $15, which includes

to-go box lunches provided at the end of the rally.

“Food Drive” page 21

plans depends

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1–800–MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

Alex Jimenez and Jennifer Welling

Dientes Mentors

Dentists-in-Training

Minimum Wage at Clinic Raised to $25 Per Hour

Santa Cruz County’s first dental residency program, sponsored by New York University Langone Hospitals, the world’s largest postdoctoral dental program to train dentists in a public health setting.

In this inaugural year, Dientes is hosting two residents, Dr. Allison Bonsall and Dr. Sharon Osakue, who will meet high standards of quality, comprehensive dental care as they build an understanding of community health center service. They have already made a big impact, seeing 350 patients in their first 60 days.

Both have a strong desire to serve those in need.

Dr. Bonsall, who hails from Medical University of South Carolina, said, “It has been rewarding to care for patients, while gaining professional growth through the mentorship of the Dientes attendings.”

Agreeing, Dr. Osakue, a graduate from Marquette University School of Dentistry, comments, “Dientes has such a great team atmosphere – I’m constantly surrounded by friendly faces who are always willing to help.”

Accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation, the NYU Langone Hospitals Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program turns accomplished dental-school graduates into advanced clinicians while residents provide oral healthcare to vulnerable communities with a focus on improving access.

Dr. Sepi Taghvaei, Dientes’ executive

vice president of operations, began talking with NYU Langone in 2021. “We are excited about our new residency program and all the other opportunities we offer our staff to grow in their careers,” Dr. Taghvaei said. At Dientes, it’s about nurturing a passion for health center service and creating better oral health for our community.”

The need for dental care is high, espe cially for those living in poverty.

In 2019, Santa Cruz County residents made 452 visits to the hospital emergency department for a preventable dental con dition, a number that decreased to 314 in 2020, likely due to the pandemic. And 20% of county teens reported missing school due to a dental problem.

Only 56% of adults in the region have dental insurance, and only nine general dentists in private practice in Santa Cruz County are listed as providers to people with MediCal, the state program for lowincome residents, which pays 65% to 106% of what New York, Illinois, Florida and Texas pay.

Locally, nonprofits such as Dientes and Salud Para La Gente are the main pro viders, with current wait times for adult treatment of 14 to 28 days. For a child exam, a next-day appointment is available at Dientes main clinic in Santa Cruz and 45 days in Watsonville.

Dientes is scheduled to open a new 11-chair clinic at 1500 Capitola Road in Live Oak in December.

Dr. Allison Bonsall and Dr. Sharon Osakue

Carrie Birkhofer Named to Monterey Bay Business Hall of Fame

Carrie

Birkhofer, president & CEO, Bay Federal Credit Union, based in Cap itola, is one of four people who will be inducted into the Junior Achievement Monterey Bay Business Hall of Fame on Jan. 27 at the Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach.

The others are: Greg Ahn; CEO & founder, Folktale Group (Carmel, Carmel Valley), John D’Arrigo; president & CEO, D’Arrigo California (Salinas) and John Metzer; owner, Metzer Farms (Gonzales).

The honorees are nominated and

selected based on their accomplish ments in business excellence, courageous thinking and actions, vision and inno vation, inspirational leadership, and philanthropy. Selection is by a committee of past inductees and current JA board members.

Hall of Fame Committee Chair Nick Pasculli said, “Our selection com mittee seeks to identify local leaders who stand out not just for their success in business but for their commitment to

responsible business practices and com munity support.”

The JA Monterey Bay Business Hall of Fame luncheon is the major fund-raiser for Junior Achievement programs on the Central Coast. Proceeds help underwrite programs for 5,000+ K-12th grade students in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties during 2022-23 as they are pro vided at no cost to students or schools.

Junior Achievement programs aim to empower young people to own

their future economic success through hands-on lessons focused on financial literacy, career readiness and entre preneurship.

For info or to reserve a table at the Monterey Bay Business Hall of Fame Luncheon, email Regional Director Taran Barca-Hall at taranbh@janorcal.org.

Carrie Birkhofer

Bobbie

How to Help Veterans in Need

By Scott Knight

Nov. 11, is an important day for every American

is intended to honor America’s

for their patriotism, love for their country, and will ingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. This day of remembrance cel ebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. Com munities across the country plan events to honor those who have

served and are currently serving. As we celebrate and recognize these brave men and women, we should also consider the struggles that they go through with mental illness.

Suicide is a national problem in the U.S. and a major concern for active-duty service members and military veterans. Members of the military may experience a variety of difficult and traumatic events including combat, natural disasters, and physical assault. According to the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths in 2020. That is 31.7 deaths per 100,000. During that year, suicide was the second leading cause of death among veterans under age 45. The suicide rate for

veterans was 57% greater than for nonveteran U.S. adults.

Veterans can come home from service carrying a weight they did not go in with. Without the right help, that weight can seem like too much, leading some veterans to consider, or carry out, suicide.

Some of the warning signs veterans exhibit include feelings of hopelessness, acting agitated, struggling with anxiety, insomnia, outburst of anger or rage, an increase in substance use or abuse, and isolating themselves from the people close to them.

Other factors related to the higher risk of suicide among veterans are related to undiagnosed or untreated conditions, such as PTSD or mood disorders, which

can increase a person’s overall risk of suicide.

The VA offers a wide range of treatment programs for veterans and their families. Also, “Vets for Warriors” is a peer support network with veterans answering the phone at 1-855-838-8255. Veterans in California can call the Veterans Crisis Line, 988, then press 1.

The Jason Foundation is another valuable resource for those struggling with suicidal ideation. Many times, a veteran will exhibit clear warning signs prior to an attempt. By knowing the warning signs, and knowing how to help, you could save a life. Visit www.jasonfoundation.com to learn more about suicide, the warning signs, and how you can help make a difference. n

“Dientes” from page 15

This new clinic “is an important part of why we looked to establishing a dental residency program with NYU Langone,” said Sheree Storm, Dientes’ chief business

development officer. “The need for access to care in Santa Cruz County is great with 51,000 people who have Medi-Cal not able to go to the dentist. Our community needs the clinic space and dentists ready to serve our patients, and the NYU

Langone residency program will help us do this.”

Dientes has several programs to develop homegrown talent, including scholarships for registered dental assistants “with extended functions,” which means they can take on work such as placing fillings and fitting dentures. So far, seven registered dental assistants have received scholarships for this training to advance their careers and make the workflow for Dientes more efficient workflow.

Dientes also sponsors National Health Service Corps scholars – currently two, and three already served their term.

Dientes has an ongoing program hosting Cabrillo College dental hygiene students weekly in the main clinic, and will

soon welcome a new set of dental assistant interns from the County Office of Educa tion’s Career Tech Education program.

Dientes CEO Laura Marcus said, “Dientes is committed to investing in our staff and in equity, by increasing our minimum wage to $25 per hour and pro viding opportunities for our staff to grow with no required degrees or licensure for management roles and leadership devel opment classes and coaching to ensure they have the skills they need to succeed.”

Dientes accepts Medi-Cal and offers sliding scale fees for uninsured patients; 96% of patients live at or below the poverty level. n

Dientes.org

Are Veteran Suicide Numbers Accurate?

America’s Warrior Project: We Need Better Data

WASHINGTON — Approximately 17 veterans die each day by suicide, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. But a new study released this month by America’s Warrior Partnership disputes that number, with data showing that the national veteran suicide death rate is actually more than double what Veterans Affairs has reported.

America’s Warrior Partnership, a national veteran suicide prevention group, finds the discrepancy is due largely to Vet erans Affairs’ omission of self-injury deaths consistent with suicidal behavior.

According to the Operation Deep Dive study, approximately 24 veterans take their own life by suicide each day.

Additionally, 20 veterans die per day by self-injury mortality, or deaths ruled “accidental” or “undetermined” in nature but consistent with self-harm/suicidal behavior. The data show 80% of these deaths are due to overdose. The VA has not been including these deaths in their reports.

With self-injury mortality deaths included, the suicide rate among former service members is 44 per day — 2.4 times greater than VA statistics, the report concludes.

“If we are going to make progress toward preventing former service member suicide, we need better data,” said Amer ica’s Warrior Partnership President and CEO Jim Lor raine, in a press release.

Working with both the University of Alabama and Duke Uni versity, America’s Warrior Partnership gathered and examined five years of death data among civilians and veterans across eight states.

America’s Warrior Partnership also

teamed up with the Department of Defense to “corroborate military affiliation, and identify commonalities of the person, military service, and their death.”

Operation Deep Dive is a multi-year study, with this first phase funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.

“By merging identified state death records with military service data and incorporating other individualized sources such as VA health care and benefits numbers, we can develop better tools and methods to prevent these heart breaking incidents that shatter lives and communities,” added Cheree Tham, chief of programs and initiatives for America’s Warrior Partnership.

Other key findings from the report:

• States miscount veteran deaths at a combined error rate of 25%.

• The veteran suicide rate is 37% greater than what the VA reported during a 5-year period, 2014-2018.

• Receiving a demotion during military service increases a former service member’s odds of dying by either suicide or overdose by 56%.

• The probability of a veteran taking his/her own life decreases 2% for every year served, with those who served less than three years being at the greatest risk for suicide.

• Across all branches of service, Coast Guard veterans are most likely to die from suicide, followed by those who served in the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force.

To read the full interim report, visit: www.americaswarriorpartnership.org n

Pinkston News Service

831.479.6000

888.4BAYFED,

Sen. John Laird is Legislator of the Year

TheCalifornia Small School Districts’ Association recognizes Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) as the 2022 Legislator of the Year.

The award ceremony took place Oct. 21, at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, during the CBO/fiscal leadership conference, where local school officials gathered for professional development.

During his time in the State Legislature, Laird “has been a reliable champion for high-quality public edu cation and, in particular, has been a tireless advocate for the unique needs of children attending small and rural school districts,”

according to the Small School Districts’ Association.

A majority of the school districts in Santa Cruz County including Soquel, Live Oak, and Scotts Valley, are small.

As chairman of the Budget Subcommittee, Sen. Laird cham pioned the largest-ever increase to the base funding for public schools, according to the Small School Districts’ Association, which said he was the primary proponent of giving schools COVID-19 funding relief as attendance-based funding fell during the pandemic, ensuring schools had crucial resources to address the student needs. n

“Food Drive” from page 14

Founded in 1972, Second Harvest Food Bank has been meeting the needs of hungry people locally for 50 years.

Second Harvest was the first food bank in California and the second in the nation. provide nourishment for all com munity members. Its network of nearly 100 local agencies and programs feeds 85,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month.

The Holiday Food & Fund Drive will continue through Jan. 15, 2023.

Information on how to sign up a team for Holiday Food & Fund Drive 2022 can be found at https://www.thefoodbank. org/holiday-food-fund-drive. n

Michele Bassi, Second Harvest Food Bank board chair.

Tina Chavez shows off a small portion of the food collected during Second Harvest Food Bank’s annual holiday food drive.

John Laird

Musical Me

Celebrating 26 Years!

By Edita McQuary

Hello,

everybody! Hello to Ivy, Asher, Nathan, Norah, Betty, Lila, Zara, Aria, Mia, Mommies, Daddies, Nannies, we’re so glad to see you!” sings teacher

Lizz Hodgin Weihrauch, on a beautiful Aptos morning at Wil lowbrook Park as she starts another Music Together class. The group of infants, toddlers and their adults were happy to be there again.

Lizz was teaching nine infants and their parents and caretakers on the grass while people walking their doggies kept to the paved pathways. Everyone sat on his or her own blanket at least six feet apart in a big circle.

A graduate of Soquel High School and UC Santa Cruz with a theater arts degree, Lizz has been active in the local theater community. This summer she’s playing the plumb role of The Old Lady in “Candide” with Cabrillo Stage.

As well as the degree, Lizz is a mom and stepmom to three boys (talk about real life experience!), studied Early Childhood Education at Cabrillo College and is a Cer tified 1 Music Together Teacher. She took an intensive course in teaching music to children aged from birth to five years at the Music Together headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey.

Music, the universal language from infancy and beyond, soothes, com forts, refreshes us and makes us happy. According to Carlotta Nelson, director of the documentary “Brain Matters,” “We’ve always known that music has a powerful, transformative and unifying effect on people.

“But only now do we know that music contributes to better memory and cognitive skills. This is because listening to and playing music produces changes in the brain. Also, both activities can release a healthy dose of endorphins, the so-called ‘happiness hormone.’ “

Lizz Weihrauch, owner of MusicalMe and local licensee of the worldwide Music Together program, whole-heartedly agrees. For 26 years she has been teaching children from birth to five years old, their parents, and caretakers the basics of music-making which produces lifetime benefits.

“Music learning affects all learning. What we learn in class has the potential to make a huge difference not only in a child’s musical ability, but in every measurable way. Please check out the testimonials on our website to see what an impact our research-based Music Together program has made for local families.”

Lizz and her teddy bear (appropriately named “Teddy”) went through audiation (making musical sounds), as in “Shh, Shh, Shh (whisper, whisper, whisper), pump, pump, pump, (rocking back and forth) and dancing with babies and their adults to a folk tune. Besides Teddy the bear, she uses a variety of developmentally appro priate instruments, lots of small and large movement, and dance in her classes.

Lizz says, “All this activity supports music and brain development. Children are like little tape recorders. They come to class, push RECORD, and then later their brains push PLAY. They soak it all in and process it while the adults model the joy of making music.”

The class ends with a lullaby. Then parents, caregivers, and all the littles leave refreshed and happy.

Lizz says, “Join us for free a free preview class! Babies birth to four months are free. Siblings aged eight months and under are free, if both are over eight months, there is a sibling discount.” n

Visit www.musicalme.com, e-mail registrar@musicalme.com, call or text 831-332-9002.

Photos provided by Musical Me

MusicalMe has outdoor classes in Aptos, in Felton at Roaring Camp, in Santa Cruz on the Westside and Mid-Town, Scotts Valley, Cupertino, Campbell, Marina, and indoors and outdoors in Los Gatos.

Lizz with Carissa, Lazlo & Evelyn

Lizz

MTO Outdoors March 2021

Musical Me at the 2018 Capitola Art and Wine Festival

Housing Project Construction Begins

Veterans,

young adults who have left foster care and families with children are one step closer to per manent housing at Park Haven Plaza.

The 36-unit apartment project from Novin Development recently received approval to begin site work at 2838 Park Ave., Soquel. Grading work began at October 20. Work is scheduled weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Completion is targeted for next spring.

Park Haven Plaza will consist of rentals with on-site supportive services for residents. It will have a full-time on-site property manager. The building will be all-electric with renewable energy (photo voltaic on the roof) and water conservation features and will use modular construction methods.

Park Haven Plaza is a collaboration between Novin Development, the Central Valley Alliance for Affordable Housing and Abode Services, with significant support from the State of California Homekey

Program, the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Cruz, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, the countywide Housing for Health Part nership and the County of Santa Cruz.

Earlier this year, the Housing Authority awarded Park Haven Plaza vouchers for future residents-- 17 for military veterans, 14 for young adults, and four for families with minor children.

Property management and the Housing Authority will screen prospective tenants for eligibility. n

Thrive Natural Medicine, which was located at 2840 Park Ave., has moved to 36 Sea scape Village. Dentist Vasavi Chinnam remains at 2840 Park Ave.

For concerns related to the construction work, email Construction Project Manager Mike Carlyle at mcarlyle@novindevelopment.com.

For any other questions about the project, contact info@novindevelopment.com or call (925) 344-6244.

Santa Cruz County Extends Tenant Unlawful Eviction Protections

Hundredsof local tenants shared stories showing they need pro tection from unlawful eviction, so the Santa Cruz County Board of Super visors has updated county code to help them.

The revised code makes it illegal for landlords to fail to perform needed repairs, renovate as a way to harass a tenant, take actions that cause the tenant to self-evict, request a new lease not in their primary language if the existing agreement is in their primary language, influence a tenant to vacate through fraud, intimidation, mis representation or coercion or threaten to report a tenant to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The new law also protects tenants from eviction for organizing or advocating for tenants’ rights.

This was approved in concept Sept. 13, and adopted Oct. 18 and Oct. 25.

It will take effect after 30 days.

“We remain concerned that the local housing market is fostering injustices for our local tenants,” Board Chair Manu Koenig said. “With homeown ership inaccessible to many, these mea sures are necessary to stabilize housing for the 40 percent of our residents who are renters.”

He proposed the update of Code Chapter 8.43 with Supervisor Greg Caput.

In Santa Cruz County, someone making minimum wage must work the equivalent of four full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom unit at market rates, according to a study by the National Low Housing Coalition.

The 2022 Point-InTime Count showed evictions are the leading cause of home lessness locally.

State law (AB 1482) already has “just cause” protections for tenants to ensure tenants are not wrong fully evicted without justification, but it applies to tenants who have lived in a unit for 12 months.

The county protections apply to tenants of 30 days.

Landlords, or their agents, found in civil court to have violated tenant’s rights will be required to pay three times the actual damages, or three months of rent, whichever is greater.

Tenants who believe they have been wrongfully evicted or have experienced landlord harassment can call the Eviction Protection Hotline at 831-288-2148 or call Community Bridges, 831-476-7284, Cali fornia Rural Legal Assistance, 831-724-2253, Community Action Board, 831-763-2147 or Senior Legal Services, 831-426-8824.

Santa Cruz County Superior Court offers a self-help center to assist residents with pending legal issues, including evic tions, at https://www.santacruz.courts.

ca.gov/self-help

Santa Cruz Public Libraries: Calling All Poets

TheSanta Cruz Public Libraries with the County of Santa Cruz Department of Parks, Open Spaces, and Cultural Services, Arts Council Santa Cruz County, and Poetry Santa Cruz are accepting appli cations pleased for Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate through Nov. 9.

The Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate

is an honorary position. The Poet Laureate will elevate poetry in our community, educating the public about the value of creative expression, inspiring diverse voices to emerge, creating new points of connection among residents in the county, and increasing access to local cultural resources.

The Poet Laureate will be selected through a community panel process and officially appointed by the County Board of Supervisors.

Applications and supporting files should be submitted at: santacruzpl.org/ poetlaureate. The application form is in Spanish at santacruzpl.org/poetalaureado.

If you are unable to apply online, a PDF of the complete application is available for pick up at Santa Cruz Public Libraries branches.

All supporting files must be included for the application to be considered complete.

Capitola

Much to be Grateful For During This Season of Thanks

By Rebecca Gold Rubin

Theholidays are just around the corner! Does it feel like 2022 has just flown by incredibly quickly? Suddenly, Thanksgiving is approaching — a time when many people take a pause to appreciate family and friends and renew our gratitude for the many positives in our lives, our work, and our communities.

Here at Soquel Creek Water District, we are thankful every day for the opportunity to serve the people in our District by providing a safe, high quality, reliable, and sustainable water supply to meet our community’s present and future needs in an environmentally sensitive and economically responsible manner.

When I stopped and thought about some of the positive things, we’ve experienced this year at the District it gives me even more to be grateful for, and a renewed optimism for the future of our water supply.

Perhaps at the top of the list of things for which the District is grateful is the generous

COMMUNITY

State and Federal support we’ve received this year.

This past summer our Pure Water Soquel project was awarded a $21 million U.S. Bureau of Reclamation “WaterSMART” Grant, which was part of President Biden’s bipartisan infra structure law for the planning, design, and construction of water reuse projects.

Then, just last month, the project received an additional $13.25 million grant from the California State Water Resources Control Board.

This is in addition to previous years’ awards of $52 million in Proposition 1 grants, and several substantial low-interest loans from the California Seawater Intrusion Control Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program.

“Thanksgiving” page 26

Drivefor Schools, the largest school fundraiser in Santa Cruz County, raised $726,757 for local schools this year.

Sponsored by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Drive for Schools has raised $8,716,602 for Santa Cruz County schools since it started in 2005.

Participating Santa Cruz County schools keep all the proceeds from their tickets sales and use the money raised to fund important school programs.

This year, ticket sales were excep tionally strong.

San Lorenzo Valley High School raised the most money for their school: $50,106.

The winner of the $25,000 grand prize donated by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was Jenelle Bouchard of Aptos.

Janelle and her husband Morgan have two young children and their oldest began attending Mar Vista Elementary School this year. This was the first year Janelle and her family participated in Drive for

Schools, selling over $800 worth of tickets themselves.

“We are so grateful to have won the grand prize,” Janelle said. “It’s something no one

really expects to win so we are happy to use this as an investment in our family’s future.”

Local businesses donated more than 100 prizes worth more than $47,000.

“SLV High School and Music Boosters are thankful to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for sponsoring Drive for Schools,” said Melissa Harrell of San Lorenzo Valley High School. “We believe that every student should have access to music education and experiences, regardless of their ability to pay. The money raised this year will help fund our trip to New Orleans in the spring. This fun draiser allowed our students to offset the cost of their trip by selling tickets to friends and family.”

Drive for Schools runs for approxi mately 5 weeks every fall. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk covers the cost of the cash prizes and donates staff time to organize and run the fundraiser.

Tickets and posters are generously printed by Mission Printers. Hundreds of school volunteers coordinate their school’s ticket sales.

Visit https://beachboardwalk.com/drivefor-schools for a complete list of winners.

Crop Report: Value Up 3.5% and Berries Are No.

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

Santa Cruz County Crop Report, an annual look at

production values in our area,

a nearly 3.5% increase in overall crop production values compared to the previous year.

is the purpose of the report?

Annual Crop Report is required

the California Food and Agri cultural Code and represents estimated acreage, yield and gross values of agricul tural products in Santa Cruz County.

along with tourism, is one of the largest employment sectors and economic gen erators in our region so this report helps provide an understanding of the health of this industry.

data is provided by farmers, ranchers, commissions (that review their own industry’s production), packing houses and more. The report looks at the gross values and not the costs incurred by growers including labor, land preparation, irrigation, pest management, transpor tation, cooling, marketing, equipment and more.

What did the report show?

Berries continue to be king within Santa Cruz County with strawberries

remaining the top crop, with an estimated value of $211,062,000 — nearly one-third of the overall estimated crop value of $657,370,000.

When you include all berries, including strawberries, raspberries and blackberries (which has seen a strong growth in our area), 60 % of the total gross production value in Santa Cruz County is accounted for.

By comparison, nursery stock, including cut flowers and cut greens, make up about 20 % of the overall production value in our area. Nursery stock saw a significant increase in gross value from the previous year, an increase of 14 % in gross value, to $136,730,000.

Growers noted that excellent conditions also made last year a banner banner year for wine grapes, with high yields leading to a gross value increase of 65 percent, to $7,926,000. Wine grapes overall, however, account for about 1 % of the total crop value — matching with timber and livestock.

Apples, once the dominant crop in the Pajaro Valley, account for about 2 % of the overall production value. The production of timber, as measured by board feet, doubled from 2020 to 2021 — however, the overall production value increased by about 34 %.

Vegetable production was also up, with an overall value of $95,848,000, a 7.1 % increase from 2020.

Organic farming saw declines in 2021 in total acreage and in value, with an estimated gross value of $110,310,000 representing an 18.7 % decline from the previous year. Organic acreage and value can change from year to year and

some of this change can be attributed to crop rotations and types of commodities grown.

One additional fun fact: Our district (the 2nd District) has more agricul tural land than any other district in the County.

Michelle Lopez-Rubio,

School,

Scorpio: We Rise by Kneeling, Conquer by Surrendering

Astrology

“Thanksgiving”

Risa D’Angeles

Sunday,

October 23, the Sun left Libra to enter the deep transforming waters of Scorpio. The Light began to shine on the 8th Gate and Hercules (humanity) was given his eighth labor. As the Gate opened we hear the words spoken by the Teacher, “We rise by kneeling; we conquer by surrendering, we gain by giving up. Go and conquer the Hydra, Hercules.”

Six and a half hours prior to Sun entering Scorpio, Saturn (the Lawgiver), retrograde since June 4th, turned direct at 18 degrees Aquarius (sign of humanity’s freedom). With Saturn retrograde, we organized and structured our inner lives. Saturn direct calls us to truth, the Rule of Law, and the new structures needed for the new Aquarian era.

Saturn direct gets the work done, work that has been waiting a long time to be completed. Saturn is practical. It’s earth. Saturn is the taskmaster, karma, the Dweller, awaiting the Angel of the Presence. The Dweller is all that needs purification everywhere. It is what is not forgiven, not redeemed, all that we have yet to love. The Angel of the Presence is Venus, who shines

ARIES

Mars is what propels you. It’s your physical energy. During this time, you may experience communication and interactions slowing down, not working in ways expected. It’s good to understand retrogrades. Because there can be anger and frustration. It’s good to allow setbacks to be taken in stride. And to know different opportunities will be offered. When inter ruptions occur at work, just refocus and review everything. Something from the past becomes important. Remain poised.

TAURUS

The task for Hercules in the sign of Scorpio is to lift up instincts and intellect to the intuition; holding intuition close to the heart. Your intuition is very keen. You are able to sense the false, deceptive and unreal. Things you planned on doing may experience setbacks. Simply reorient yourself to a different agenda. One that changes day to day. Review previous studies, cultural interests and important goals. Do you have the same aspirations?

GEMINI

During retrogrades our enthusiasm for interactions in the world slows down. Life becomes an internal drama, we’re more cautious, we question more, we wonder about past choices and should we redo them? We want to refine and perfect, refocus and review, reorganize and reorder. Especially our old ways of thinking and old beliefs. Money and communication with inti mates can become complicated. Look at finances once, twice, three times. Review everything.

CANCER

Finances, insurance, shared resources — all these may need to be explored once again. Review all previous transactions. Fix what’s broken. And don’t allow any buried anger to surface and hurt others. Have the intention to manage emotions with equanimity and poise. Communication may be difficult. Some thing may become an obsession. Reassess how you approach relationships. Find ways to have more kindness, less protection under your shell. Reach out and touch the heart of everything.

a light on the unredeemed shadows. It is the light of Love, which “underlies all the happenings of our lives and times.”

On Sunday, October 30, as Saturn patiently moved us law fully forward, Mars, planet that impels and propels us to act (at times irrationally), stopped in its tracks (25 degrees Gemini) and began 72 days of retrograde (looking back). Mars retrograde continues until January 12, 2023 (8 degrees Gemini).

Mars retrogrades every two years, thus it is considered a rare retrograde. As Mars is our energy, during Mars retrograde our energy turns inward and some may feel rather exhausted. The purpose of Mars retrograde is to give us time to assess and reassess all past actions, desires, aspira tions, beliefs, devotions and visions. The word Karma becomes a keynote of discussion. It’s the planet of passion, instinct, desire, aspiration, actions, anger, war and aggression and wild impulses. Mars is also our strength and courage.

And Mars, as a planet, is rather fierce! Mars, ruling Scorpio says “Warrior am I and from the battle I emerge triumphant!” (more on Mars retrograde next time) n

LEO

You may be looking deep within the self, assessing com munications in past relationships. Nothing is clear or direct. There is such a focus upon the past that the present doesn’t seem to exist. Assessing one’s behavior within relationships is important at this time. Relationships with everything, not just lovers. This is very important inner work. Daily schedules and agendas may change. Notice setbacks, hindrances. Work around them with agility and poise. You’re always the leader.

VIRGO

You may feel less than enthused about your present daily life. Projects and routines may have lost their luster. Work may seem difficult, unexciting. Expressing the self may be frustrating. It’s a good time to re-organize all levels of everyday life. Experiment with different time schedules, ways of eating, exercise, walks and chats in the garden. Notice any anxieties, confusion, preoccupations or changes of heart. Keep a journal of daily life contemplations and revelations.

LIBRA

It’s time to return to your artistic abilities, a creative project pre viously set aside. It’s time to reconsider leisure, work, travel, creativity and self-identity. Time to consider new approaches to interactions with friends, groups. Time also to consider the future. Are you remembering and questioning something? These will produce feelings, deep and complicated. There could be exhaustion, too. It’s time to rest more. It’s also time to con template, to ponder, to understand more and to forgive.

SCORPIO

All Scorpios are deeply affected by Mars and Mercury retrogrades. Mars brings the Nine Tests of Discipleship. And Mercury informs Scorpio (especially) to be careful of thoughts and words, which either create or destroy. In the meantime things around the home begin to have a life of their own. Breakdowns may occur, things long waiting to be fixed won’t wait anymore. Family situations occur, emotional issues from the past appear. Siblings call needing help. Daily routines aren’t anymore. No matter the situation, carry on, Scorpio.

These funds all support Pure Water Soquel and directly sustain our efforts to replenish the overdrafted groundwater basin, prevent further seawater contamination of our water basin, and provide a safe, high-quality, drought-proof water supply for current and future generations in the Santa Cruz MidCounty region. We are indeed grateful to have achieved this milestone that significantly ben efits all our customers, and all who utilize the overdrafted groundwater basin.

SAGITTARIUS

Here are the areas of life that may be affected in some ways. Observe them. And go on your way. Creativity, recreation, pleasure, children, hobbies, love affairs, enthu siasm, creative projects, leisure. Or perhaps ideas, thoughts, self-expression, social interactions, communication, money making and security. In all these things, one after another, something may occur that makes you rethink past actions. You will revise some things, eliminate many others. In between times use mantras to reorganize your thinking.

CAPRICORN

Is the issue of money or resources up for review and dis cussion? Do you feel that you are a resource for your family and friends? Things may appear quite close and personal. Emotions may be up and down. Are you responding or reacting? What needs refining, reorganizing, rethinking and/or repaired? What is creating frustration? What are you concerned about and need answers for? Is there a need to redo or coordinate something? What new initiatives do you want to put into place? Questions are good.

AQUARIUS

It’s important to realize that everything you have done has been perfect. And according to plan. Aquarians are sometimes hard on themselves, thinking they don’t do enough, aren’t enough of something. They worry a lot, too. However, it’s important to know that Aquarians are quite different than most of humanity. Aquarians come from another star system, from the future. They don’t perform or accomplish things like the rest of humanity. They have different tasks altogether. Aquarius, you’re perfect.

PISCES

You’re hidden away for a while, Pisces. As it should be. It’s time for resting more, contemplating the future, reaf firming dreams or letting them go. Something has changed in your work. A new level of study has appeared after many months of preparation. It’s important to tend to health now, to assess what’s needed for your well-being. Focus on the little things that make up each day. Accomplish each task with order and strive to do your very best. One’s best is better than perfect.

We are also grateful for the progress being made on construction of Pure Water Soquel. This includes building the advanced water purification center at Chanticleer Avenue and Soquel Avenue; the installation of eight miles of pipeline under numerous city and county streets to carry recycled or purified water; and construction of three seawater intrusion prevention wells where purified water will be pumped underground to replenish the aquifer and prevent further seawater intrusion.

And in the midst of all this work, we are so very grateful to our community for their patience with construction in the streets, detours, dust, and noise – thank you!

Another very positive occurrence this year for which we are thankful is the District’s involvement in a remarkable mini-docu mentary, “A Refreshed Perspective.” It’s all about Pure Water Soquel and was produced for us by BBC StoryWorks and presented by the International Water Association.

The mini-documentary is part of their international online series called “Beneath the Surface: The Journey of Water” which includes short films that profile the innovations and innovators who are advancing positive change toward water sustainability. The series includes 16 unique stories from around the world, and ours is one of only two from the United States (others from around the world represent Spain, Uganda, Brazil, Scotland, Sweden, Portugal, and more). We are very grateful to be part of this select group of water sustainability innovators! If you haven’t seen it yet, just go to purewatersoquel.com to view it.

The District has a deep appreciation and gratitude to all who are part of the effort that has put us firmly on the path to a sus tainable, drought-proof water supply with Pure Water Soquel. And finally, we are proud and grateful to be your community partner for reliable water. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and our best wishes for the holidays. n

“Briefs” from page 9

A committee chosen by the County Administrative Office will will rank the candidates and send the ranking to the County Administrative Office, which will recommend a finalist to the Board of Supervisors. n

Coming: The Last Chinatown

as one of 10

of this year’s Hewlett

in

Arts,

a

Susana Ruiz,

receive

Tei

“The Last Chinatown.”

will commission Truong and Ruiz to create an interactive public

and aug mented reality

speaks to his torical erasure. The

is a perfor mative interpretation of an original story by Yamashita supported with insights from community members and historical documents.

The final work will incorporate theatre and gameplay and will be experienced on mobile devices, including augmented reality glasses, at historically important sites in downtown Santa Cruz to make visible the lives, legacies, and labors of those who lived there.

“We are honored to receive this grant that furthers our commitment to interdis ciplinary collaboration and the sharing of untold or little-known stories of Santa Cruz County,” said Robb Woulfe, MAH’s executive director.

Truong and Ruiz will also work closely with a number of history-makers and leaders in the Santa Cruz American Asian Pacific Islander community, including George Ow Jr., an elder and one of the last residents with memories of living in the last Chinatown.

As Ow explains, Chinatown may have been a ghetto, but it was also a haven not only for the Chinese but for Black people, Mexican people, Filipino people, and other groups for whom it wasn’t safe or legal to live elsewhere in Santa Cruz.

Thus, Chinatown in Santa Cruz and Chinatowns across the country were not a space solely devoted to marginalization, but a place where Chinese culture and traditions could be preserved and passed down from generation to generation, as well as revised and transformed in dia sporic and multicultural contexts.

“The Last Chinatown” is slated for a public premiere in Santa Cruz in the spring 2024, with a preview to be shown at the MAH’s “Frequency” digital arts festival from Sept. 21-24, 2023. Additional support for this project is provided by the Arts Research Institute at UC Santa Cruz. n

For information about the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, see: hewlett.org/50Commissions.

Campbell 408-378-4921

DELL AVE.

Clara 408-727-0822

LAFAYETTE ST.

Morgan Hill 408-779-7368

E. MAIN AVE.

Santa Cruz 831-477-7133

SOQUEL AVE.

www.AToolShed.com

Hollister 831-638-1999

SAN JUAN RD.

Watsonville 831-722-0334

W. BEACH ST.

Salinas 831-424-7368

W. MARKET ST.

Greenfield 831-856-9100

4TH ST.

“Crop Report” from page 25

Where are the crops exported?

While many crops are sold locally or domestically in general, a significant amount of local crops are exported.

From cut flowers and cut greens, to book chop, carrots, celery, lava beans, kale, raspberries, spinach and strawberries — in fact, over three dozen different crops are exported from our County.

Crops are exported to over 20 coun tries ranging from Australia and New Zealand to Japan, the Netherlands, Peru, South Africa, and Ukraine.

How can you learn more? The full report is available at www. agdept.com — which is the website

for the Santa Cruz County Department of Agriculture.

The purpose of the County Ag Department is to serve the public’s interest by ensuring equity in the marketplace, promoting and protecting agriculture, assuring environmental quality and pro tecting the health, safety and welfare of Santa Cruz County’s residents.

If you have any trouble finding the report please don’t hesitate to call me at 454-2200 and I would be happy to send it to you. As always, if you have any questions about this issue, or any other matters in our district, feel free to call me. I’m maintaining regular updates on social media as well at www.facebook.com/ supervisorfriend.

From left: Susana Ruiz, Karen Tei Yamashita and Huy Truong

George Ow, Jr.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MAKE AN IMPACT: VOLUNTEER

Do you want to make a difference in your City?

Apply to serve on a Capitola advisory body today. Make your voice heard and have an impact where you live!

Seats are up for re-appointment on: Art & Cultural Commission, Commission on the Environment, Finance Advisory Committee, Historical Museum Board, Planning Commission.

There is a 5-minute application online, and appointments will be made in December 2022 and January 2023. Contact City Hall for more information, 831, 475-7300.

AMERICAN PICKERS COMING TO CALIFORNIA

The TV show American Pickers on the History Channel plans to return to California in January. The crew is looking for leads on interesting characters with fascinating items — something different, unusual, of unique items — something they’ve never seen before with an extraordinary story.

The team will follow all guidelines and protocols for safe filming outlined by the state.

Collectors interested in being considered for the show should call (646) 493-2184 or email at AmericanPickers@cineflix.com. Include full name, city/ state, contact information, and a brief description of the collection.

The Pickers only pick private collections, so NO stores, malls, flea markets, museums, auctions, businesses, or anything open to the public.

GREY BEARS VOLUNTEERS

Choose from 20 volunteer opportunities at Grey Bears.

Fill out the form at https://greybears.org/volunteer. Call Rosie: 831-479-1055 ext 226.

AFFORDABLE DENTAL CLEANINGS

The Cabrillo College Dental Hygiene Clinic in Aptos offers affordable cleanings and X-rays.

There are 24 chairs, hospital-grade air filtration systems, lasers, intraoral cameras, and pan oramic imaging, and treatment by dental hygiene students.

Fees are: Oral assessment, $20; cleanings, $50$100, X-rays, $30-$60, and sealants, $25 per tooth. Payments must be by cash or check.

Appointments are three hours long, and multiple appointments are required to complete your dental treatment. Proof of vaccination is required.

Appointment times for fall: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. and Wednesday, 1:15 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 831-479-6431.

ADOPT A FAMILY

We have an opportunity to ease the struggles of families in our community and make the holidays brighter for our neighbors.

Each year the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County partners with 26 fellow nonprofits to meet the needs of 400+ families struggling to make ends meet. Our nonprofit partners provide us with a short bio about each family and a list of the items each family member requests.

Adopt a Family Project volunteers then connect these families with donors who shop for them for the holidays. Requests include basic necessities like sheets, towels, or shoes along with special gift requests for the children.

All of these families are struggling with special circumstances such as homelessness, parents in

recovery, parents or children with disabilities, victims of violent crime, families facing serious health challenges or other hardships.

To support these families, see: https://scvolunteercenter.org/ programs/adopt-a-family/

POLL WORKERS NEEDED

Have you thought about being a poll worker for the Nov. 8 election?

As a poll worker, you help ensure a safe, fair, and efficient election for all voters. Poll workers support early voting locations, ensure technology functions, and help minimize delays at polling places on election day.

Fill out the form at: https://www.votescount.us/Home/ ElectionOfficerRequestForm.aspx

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Second Harvest Food Bank will provide community distributions at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake Ave. Watsonville, on Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m. to accommodate working families.

Dates are:

• Nov. 7 & 21

• Dec. 5 & 19

Volunteers are welcome — and needed. Volunteers are asked to arrive at the fair-grounds before 3:30 pm for training. Second Harvest Food Bank will provide a light dinner and volunteers can take food for themselves or others.

If you are interested, email Stephanie Russo at stephanier@ thefoodbank.org, or call (831) 232-8186.

RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES

The American Red Cross urges blood donors of all types and those who have never given before to book a time to give blood now and help keep the blood supply from dropping ahead of the holidays.

People of all blood types are needed, especially platelet donors and those with type O.

Blood Drives

Nov. 3: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 220 Elk St. Santa Cruz

Nov. 12: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. — Twin Lakes Church, 2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos

Nov. 15: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. — Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley, 85 Nielson St., Watsonville

Book by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800733-2767). Those who give Nov. 1-22 will receive a $10 e-gift card by email to a merchant of choice.

See rcblood.org/perks

NEIGHBORS FOR NEIGHBORS

Housing Matters and Santa Cruz Public Libraries are sponsoring a new program, Neighbors for Neighbors, to bring residents together to talk about issues related to homelessness in Santa Cruz County.

The first in-person meet-up is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10, from 4-5 p.m. at the Garfield Park branch. Register : https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/9774575

The first Capitola meet-up is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 22, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Register: https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/9690444

The meetups will give residents a chance to learn about local issues, and take an active role in identifying

www.tpgonlinedaily.com

and proposing solutions that can be implemented in their specific neighborhoods.

“It is our goal with the Neighbors for Neighbors program to help people who want to take an active role in their neighborhood, but don’t know what to do, by providing a framework for discussion and opportunities for engaging in meaningful activities right in their own neighborhood,” said Mer Stafford, Housing Matters’ chief impact officer.

Housing Matters will provide an overview via guest speakers and facilitate discussions. Group members will brainstorm activities that could help reduce or resolve homelessness in their neighborhoods. Examples may include: Heighborhood food pantries and voter canvassing. Discussion topics may include: Housing stability; Housing First; barriers to permanent supportive and low-income housing; renters rights and tenancy; local neighborhood initiatives; and city and county ballot initiatives.

SUPPORT FOR MOTHERS OF SURVIVORS

Survivors Healing Center is offering online women’s support groups and mothers of survivors of childhood sexual abuse support group. The goals are to empower through a healing process and prevent sexual abuse of children and youth.

You are not alone. You are not to blame. More info: (831) 423-7601 or www.survivorshealingcenter. org

CHILDCARE RESOURCES

The Child Development Resource Center, a program of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, has launched a new website to better assist local families searching for childcare. See https://childcare.santacruzcoe.org/.

ONGOING EVENTS

Mondays

BRIDGE CLUB

10:30 a.m.-Noon, Capitola Branch Library, 2005 Wharf Road Ongoing thru Aug. 8

The Capitola Branch Library will host Bridge Club sessions on Mondays.

Everyone is welcomed from beginners to social players. Make new friends and sharpen your mind.

Bridge Club is a partnership between Santa Cruz County Parks and Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Register at scparks.com or in-person the day of the event.

Tuesdays

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. Register at https://www.birchbarkfoundation.org/ griefsupport or call 831-471-7255.

Every Fourth Saturday

COMMUNITY WRITERS

Calling all writers! Monthly virtual open mic for poets and prose writers.

From 2:30 - 4: 30 p.m. via Zoom. Sign-up to read ahead of time at the email communitywritersscco@ gmail.com or come at 2:15 p.m.

Time limit 5 minutes for any original work. Free.

All levels of writers welcome.

Zoom: 532 385 492 • passcode 42020 communitywritersscco@gmail.com

DATED EVENTS

Wednesday, November 2

NEW TECH MEETUP

5-6 p.m., online seminar

Seven startups will present at Santa Cruz Works virtual new tech meetup. Free.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ santa-cruz-works-new-tech-november-2022tickets-444648504647

• Niantic Labs: Filip Iliescu will talk about Niantic’s Lightship platform, which you can use to create AR applications like Niantic’s hit game, Pokémon Go.

• Drivr: Sol Lipman and Jacob Knobel talk their crowdsourced tipping platform for Amazon drivers.

• Zendesk: Fernanda Baker talks about this customer support platform, and how you can get a 6-month free subscription.

• Chorestop: Greg Lowrance will reveal a new virtual service for every chore.

• Add Health Today: Sean Nichols will reveal a new service to help you and your teams stay mentally and emotionally healthy.

• Roadz: Jake Haselden is unifying commercial fleets’ digital solutions into one location.

• One Mountain Leadership: Ty Hammond mentors individuals and teams on how to shift challenges from ‘what to do about them’ to ‘how to grow from them.’

Thursday November 3

CASA BENEFIT AT ERIK’S DELI

All Day, Various Locations

Celebrate National Sandwich Day, Thursday Nov. 3 at the Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, or Watsonville Erik’s Deli locations (not Aptos or Capitola) and Erik’s donates a significant portion of the days proceeds to CASA of Santa Cruz County!

Last year CASA received $2,500 just from you all eating a Pilgrim’s Progress, Raging Bull, or a traditional, the Holiday Sandwich!

Scotts Valley: 222 Mount Hermon Rd Santa Cruz: 1664 Soquel Dr Watsonville: 1074 S Green Valley Rd https://eriksdelicafe.com

ACCLAIMED POET TRETHEWEY SPEAKS AT UCSC 6-7:30 p.m., UC Santa Cruz Merrill College Cultural Center, 641 Merrill Rd

The 13th annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading will feature former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey at UC Santa Cruz Merrill College Cultural Center.

Poet Gary Young will host, and the evening will include an announcement of the winner of the Morton Marcus Poetry Contest (recipient receives a $1,000 prize).

Seating will be first come, first served; registration required.

This event is a part of Conversations: Power Forged, the Fall UCSC Living Writers course, which features poets, novelists, academics, curators, and artists in conversation with one another, across genre and media to open up a space between them, and all of us, within dialogue, collaboration, and difference which poet

Natasha Trethewey

ROMEO & JULIETA

Open thru Sunday November 13

7:30 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sunday, 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos Cabrillo Theatre Arts presents “Romeo and Julieta,” a Día de los Muertos love story, running.

Directed by Abel Cornejo and adapted from William Shake speare with modern-day language, this is a bilingual adaptation set on the eve of Día de Los Muertos in romantic Mexico City. Marigolds, sugar skulls and dancing Calaveras abound!

A luscious and dark journey of passions ignited amongst fighting families. With colorful costumes, surprising dancing, and innovative blending of Shakespearean storytelling, enjoy a refreshing dive into the greatest love story of all time.

Cast includes: Eiji Mori, Angel Camarena, Logan Kirk-Williams, John Kessler, AJ Davey Ouse, Thomas Webb, Charlotte Landis, Rocio Sullivan, Lola Chiaramonte, Juliet Rashe, Ardy Cam pidonica, Alexandra Perez, Leah Resendez, Javier Martinez, Tamaya Okumura, Audrey Wynn, Russell Rattie, Jindati Doelter, McCay Ruddick

Curtain is: Fridays 7:30 pm, Saturdays 7:30 pm and Sundays 2 pm

Tickets: General $19.50, seniors and students $17.50. Online tickets: https://cabrillovapa.university tickets.com

Box Office: Thur-Sat 12p-6pm. Phone: 831-479-6154.

and activist Audre Lorde describes as that raw and powerful connection from which our personal power is forged. Guests will explore just how.

Purchase poets’ works at: www.bookshopsantacruz. com

The Morton Marcus Poetry Archive can be found at UCSC Special Collections.

Friday November 4

CABRILLO YOUTH STRINGS CONCERT

7 p.m., Samper Recital Hall, VAPA 5100, Cabrillo College, Aptos (intersection of Cabrillo College Drive/Soquel Drive)

The Cabrillo Youth Strings Music Program presents a fall concert featuring tango, bossa nova, English folk song, French music, and fiddle tunes.

String orchestra music will be performed by local youth at Samper Recital Hall.

Admission is: $12.50 general, $10.50 students/ seniors, $3 for students ages 6-18; children 2-5, free.

Facial coverings are required.

For information about joining the orchestral, chamber or private lesson programs, call 479-6101 or visit www.cabrillo. edu/cabrillo-youth-strings

Friday November 4

thru Sunday November 6

SIP, SAVOR & SUPPORT

12–3:30 p.m., Haute Enchilada Café, Gallery & Social Club, 7902 Moss Landing Road

The Haute Enchilada Café, Gallery & Social Club in Moss Landing will host a Sip, Savor and Support fundraiser from Nov. 4-6 for Community Action Board, Inc. Reserve a table at https://www.hauteenchilada. com/copy-of-home

The Haute will donate 20% of all sales from jewelry, to pottery, to art and books, up to $500.

The Cafe is currently serving lunch outdoors only at our Secret Garden patio.

For more than 56 years, Community Action Board has assisted low-income and marginalized residents in Santa Cruz County and the Pájaro Valley. Last year the nonprofit reached almost 11,000 residents, working to keep families housed, to support aspiring citizens with immigration cases, and to train future workers in job readiness.

CAB’s goal is to raise $55,000 by Dec. 31 to ensure its initiatives move forward. See www.cabinc.org.

Saturday November 5

GRAND OPENING OF SALVAGE HUT

11 a.m.-4 p.m., 3011 N. Main Street, Soquel Salvage Hut is an eclectic boutique in a 1940s Quonset hut full of antique & vintage items, Fusion Mineral Paint, home decor, gifts and a garden shop.

The Capitola-Soquel Chamber will kick off the celebration with a ribbon cutting at 11am, followed by food & drinks, and a raffle to win a basket full of Fusion Mineral Paint products.

Call 831-293-3604 or visit salvage-hut.com for more information.

WINE & ROSES

3-6 p.m., Crosetti Hall, Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Watsonville.

Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley presents an evening of “Wine and Roses,” at Crosetti Hall.

This is the 39th annual silent auction and fundraiser in support of health and wellness services for the Pajaro Valley!

Proceeds will benefit the Community Health Trust’s following services: Community grants & scholarship programs, the Diabetes Health Center, El Mercado, El Mini Mercado, VeggieRx, The Food, Farming, & Health Policy Council and Community Gardens.

Tickets are $160 for two and $100 for one at https:// pvhealthtrust.ejoinme.org/WR2022Admission

LAVENDER SALE

8 a.m.-Noon, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos

The Mid County Senior Center Lavender Ladies will be having their annual Lavender sale at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College.

The Lavender Ladies are only at the farmers market for one day a year, so come out and show your support. It is a wonderful experience to visit with the ladies and pick up handmade products either for yourselves or as gifts for others. All proceeds benefit Mid County Senior Center.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Tuesday November 8

ELECTION DAY

7 a.m.-8 p.m.

To find a place to vote on Election Day or drop off your mail ballot, see https://www.votescount.us/Home/Elec tions/November2022CaliforniaGeneralElection.aspx

CAPITOLA SOROPTIMIST CLUB MEETING

5:30 p.m., United Way of Santa Cruz County, 4450 Capitola Road, Suite 106, Capitola Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea will meet at United Way of Santa Cruz County. The meeting is free and open to the public. A new member will be inducted and the recruitment of “Live Your Dream” recipients will be discussed.

Women who are enrolled in or have been accepted into a BA or technical training program and are the heads of their households with a demonstrated need are eligible to apply. Applica tions are available online at www.soroptimist. org (http://www.soroptimist.org). Click on the “Live Your Dream” logo and review the eligibility requirements and application instructions. Winners will be announced in January 2023 and an awards ceremony will be held in March.

Each winner will be awarded $2,000 that may be used to pay for anything needed to help her complete her educational program such as food, rent, car repairs, child care and health care. The Club typically makes three awards to local women. Deadline for “Live Your Dream” applications is Nov. 15. For more information, visit the website at www.best 4women.org.

Wednesday November 9

AUTHOR AIDA SALAZAR

6 p.m., Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave The Live Like Coco Foundation co-sponsors a visit by acclaimed Oakland author Aida Salazar.

She will share her tender-hearted middle grade novel in verse, A Seed in the Sun, in which a young girl with big dreams meets activist Dolores Huerta and joins the 1965 protest for migrant workers’ rights. Free but RSVP at https://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/ aida-salazar

Thursday November 10

CABRILLO PRESIDENT SPEAKS TO CHAMBER

7:30-9 a.m., Seacliff Inn

The Aptos Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast at Seacliff Inn will feature the Cabrillo College president, Dr. Matt Wetstein.

Cost — in advance: $25 members / $30 general admission. • at the door: $35. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/chamber-breakfast-nov-10-2022

Saturday November 12

CAPITOLA SIP & STROLL

Noon-4 p.m., Capitola Village (Register at Capitola City Hall community room, 420 Capitola Ave) Sip and Stroll is a one-day event noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, in the seaside Capitola Village.

Registration will start at 11 a.m. at the Capitola City Hall community room.

ABC regulations prohibit walking between tasting sites with any wine in your glass. Thank you for consuming or pouring out your wine before proceeding to the next site.

With each admission comes 12 tickets good for a dozen 2-ounce pours.

Tickets at $40 are at: https://tinyurl.com/sip-stroll2022-eventbrite

Sunday November 13

FOMENT OPENING RECEPTION

1-5 p.m., Studio Judy G, 430 Main St., Watsonville. Studio Judy G presents Foment, an exhibition of artwork by San Francisco Art Institute alumni and staff. Foment features artwork by more than 50 practicing artists from around the world. Each one attended or taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, which closed permanently, after 151 years of operation, in July 2022.

The San Francisco Art Institute was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. In the 1970s and 1980s, the school became a hub for the punk music scene, with bands such as the Mutants, the Avengers, and Romeo Void all started by SFAI students. Studio Judy G’s most recent exhibition, Three Punk Painters and My Mom included works by the lead singers of the Avengers and Romeo Void.

Among the well-known SFAI alumni and faculty are: Annie Leibovitz, Jerry Garcia, Angela Davis, and Mark Rothko. Studio G owner Judy Gittelsohn is an SFAI alumni and the Monterey Bay SFAI alumni liaison. She lives in Watsonville.

Exhibit on display November 3 through December 3. Information: www.studiojudyg.com or (831) 288-0010.

Tuesday November 15

SEACLIFF INN BLOCK PARTY

5-8 p.m., Seacliff Inn, 7500 Old Dominion Court, Aptos In celebration of the newly renovated hotel and restaurant, Seacliff Inn will host a Grand Re-Opening Block Party.

Enjoy complimentary handcrafted cocktails, beer, wine + snack on all-new menu items including Cavatappi mac & cheese, bacon wrapped shrimp, and Durham Ranch beef sliders.

Mingle among live music, face painting, lawn games, a photo booth and more! Bring your friends, family, kids, and neighbors.

RSVP at https://www.seacliffinn.com/

Saturday November 19

LA SELVA BEACH HOLIDAY FAIR & BOOK SALE 10 am-4 pm, La Selva Beach Clubhouse & Lawn, 314 Estrella Ave.

More than 50 unique art & craft vendors sell hand crafted goods for all your holiday needs at La Selva Beach Clubhouse & Lawn.

Friends of the Library will host a huge used book sale and prize raffle. Bake sale to benefit La Selva CERT. Ate3One food truck will provide eats. Free admission!

Sponsors: La Selva Beach Improvement Association and Friends of the La Selva Library. Info: BooksandBrewsLSB@ gmail.com n

Capitola Soquel

Deliria by Annie Reiniger-Holleb

Camino Online Permit Guide Debuts!

By Manu Koenig, Supervisor, First District

Apilot

version of the Camino Online Permit Guide will go live on the County’s website in November 2022.

Using a project’s location and the applicant’s answers to questions, Camino permit guides will provide a customized checklist that leads applicants through the entire process of submitting a building permit application.

One reviewer called it “Turbo Tax for permits.”

Each guide will include application submittal requirements, as well as alerts regarding locations that could affect the feasibility or design of a project. Alert examples include locations within a flood area, sensitive habitat, or zoning conflicts.

Camino’s Permit Guide will offer these benefits and more:

• A knowledge hub that provides a single place to learn about the process of submitting for a permit before for mally doing so.

• A guided process that automatically provides every applicant with a list of the forms and documents that are required for their unique project.

• A regulation guide that knows the up-to-date code requirements by the actual location of the project.

The goal of implementing the Camino Online Permit Guide option is to provide consistent, rules-based information to ensure that staff and customers are on the same page. Applicant use of the Camino permit guides will be optional, but the idea is the permit guide will better prepare appli cants for inter-agency issues that may come up during plan review and encourage preapplication consultations or redesigns in the concept phase as opposed to during County review of the project. Ini tially, the Camino Permit Guides will be available for residential building permit projects such as new homes, additions,

remodels, and ADUs only, but over time, permit guides will be expanded to include commercial building permit projects and, eventually, discretionary projects such as coastal permits.

Questions or suggestions related to the Camino Online Permit Guide may be directed to: CaminoCDI@santacruzcounty. us.

Sustainability Update:

Next Stop, Board of Supervisors

After several public hearings, the Planning Commission made their final recommendations to the Sustainability Update and sent it onwards to the Board of Supervisors. Planning staff will adopt their revi sions and prepare a report to present to the Board on November 15, 2022.

The Sustainability Update includes updated regulations for housing

production, transportation, agriculture and resource conservation, sustainable communities, code modernization, com mercial development, community services and environmental justice.

Consistent with County priorities under the Vision Santa Cruz County stra tegic plan, the Sustainability Update is being conducted through an equity lens, and recognizes that effective land use and transportation planning are necessary to create sustainable urban communities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide additional housing options for all county residents while protecting our natural resources and agricultural areas.

For the latest information on the Sustainability Update, visit: www.scco planning.com/SustainabilityUpdate.

We welcome your feedback and involvement! Give us a call anytime, (831)

Join us at an upcoming community townhall meeting:

November Town Hall

Tuesday, November 8, 2022 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Hybrid Meeting: In-person location at the Congregational Church of Soquel, 4951 Soquel Drive, and on Zoom: https://zoom. us/j/96708318897

December Town Hall

Thursday, December 8, 2022 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Hybrid Meeting: In-person location TBA and on Zoom: https:// zoom.us/j/96708318897 For a full list of meetings, including recordings of past meetings, check our website: District 1 (santa-cruz.ca.us).

Come to our office at the Sheriff Center (5200 Soquel ave.) for Office Hours with Super visor Koenig, the first Wednesday of every

SCCAS

Have Some Flap Jacks!

This week the Pet of the Week for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is Flap Jacks!

This one-year-old Belgian Malinois mix has been at SCCAS for about a month and is looking for his new best friend. When he first came to the Shelter as a stray, he was a bit nervous, but has blossomed with all of the TLC from staff and volunteers.

He loves to play but tends to bark at dogs before greeting, but once he has had a slow introduction, he has a great time and is in some fun play groups with Shelter buddies. Flap Jacks is working on his manners and life skills but is making amazing progress. At events he is lovely- has meet people out in public and been so sweet and relaxed.

Riding the car is also something that Flap Jacks is great at, and he tends to lay down and entertains himself while riding along. A home with another playful dog might be a great fit provided that the dogs meet at the Shelter first.

Flap Jacks should not live in a home with cats, and children should be older and respectful.

Come to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at 1001 Rodriguez in Santa Cruz to meet Flap Jacks — an amazing dog looking for an amazing home!

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter to

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T H A N K S G I V I N G

T h a n k s g i v i n g i s a t i m e o f g r a t i t u d e a n d I w a n t t o t a k e t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y t o s a y t h a n k y o u t o a l l o f m y f a m i l y , f r i e n d s a n d c l i e n t s , p a s t a n d p r e s e n t . I t r u l y h a v e b e e n b l e s s e d m e e t i n g s u c h a m a z i n g f a m i l i e s , a n d w o r k i n g w i t h s o m a n y e x c e p t i o n a l h o m e b u y e r s a n d h o m e s e l l e r s . I w i s h y o u a w o n d e r f u l T h a n k s g i v i n g , a j o y o u s h o l i d a y s e a s o n a n d a h a p p y N e w Y e a r !

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