Capitola Soquel Times: February 2023

We Capitola

By Jondi Gumz

Three weeks after an epic storm with waves that broke the Capitola Wharf in two and shuttered restaurants all along the oceanfront Esplanade, how are business owners in Capitola faring?

The Capitola-Soquel Times took a stroll down the

Esplanade, easily accessible to those on foot, on a sunny afternoon to find out.

Outside the Capitola Bar & Grill, Lenaeh Tapia was offering samples of Boston clam chowder. Delicious! ... continues on page 4

Biden: We Gotta Rebuild Better

Editor’s note: Here is what President Joe Biden said January 19 in Capitola Village: Governor, You and I gotta stop taking these helicopter rides. We’ve made a bunch of them, you’ve been hit. If anybody doubts climate is changing and they must have been asleep for the last couple of years.

Full Story page 6

SUESD Local Control and Accountability Forum

Full Story page 30

Tempest Tossed

By Deborah Osterberg

The main attraction of Capitola, its location along a picturesque shoreline, is also its Achilles heel. The lowlands are prone to flooding and the destructive power of high tides.

Full Story page 7

G R A N D I N

G R A N D M A

Cover

We Capitola

Community News

6 Biden: We Gotta Rebuild Better: FEMA to Cover 100% of Storm Debris Removal

8 Tamara Harrington Completes Finance Managers School • Tina Chavez: New Role at Food Bank • Jobs in Santa Cruz County

9 CDC Data Reveal Covid Vaccine Safety Signals, By Jondi Gumz

10 Cabrillo College New Name Survey Closes Feb. 22

12 Generosity at Work: 22 Storm Grants Totaling $100,000 for Capitola Restaurants

13 IRS Tax Deadline Now May 15 Due to Storm

14 Disaster Unemployment Aid: Deadline Feb. 22

16 Stephen Kessler: Artist of the Year: Will Perform May 20 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center

19 Your Generosity is Working Hard, By Susan True • FEMA Storm Aid Deadline for Santa Cruz County: March 16

20 Second Harvest: Food for Flooded People • What are Atmospheric Rivers?, By National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration • How to File Effective Insurance Claims

21 SBA Business Recovery Center Open in Capitola • Santa Cruz Metro: One Ride at a Time

22 Mid-County Senior Center: Join the Comeback!, By Laurie Hill • Tips to Save Money in the New Year

23 Federal Disaster Loans Available • First Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

27 Talking Affordable, Equitable Public Transit • Food is Medicine: Everyone’s Harvest Receives $200,000 Grant

Local History

7 Tempest Tossed: Capitola’s Long Struggle with the Sea, By Deborah Osterberg

In Memoriam

17 Marilyn Liddicoat: 1931~2022

Monthly Horoscope • Page 26 – Aquarius — Cleansing the Land with Waters of Life, By Risa D’Angeles

Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28, 29

Featured Columnists

11 Freddie’s Offer and Pasta Fazool, By Joe Ortiz

18 Pasta e Fagioli: Bean and Pasta Soup, By Joe Ortiz

24 For the Love of …: Songs that Feature Weather and Water, By Rebecca Gold Rubin

25 Renting EVs: Charging Fees Shocking, By Christopher Elliott

30 SUESD Local Control and Accountability Forum Feb. 8, By Scott J. Turnbull, Superintendent, Soquel Union Elementary School District

31 Winter Is Time For Pruning, By Tony Tomeo

SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 31 – Scrapples the Pig

831 359 4670

Jondi Gumz

“Heart Capitola” from page 1

Owner Michelle Strong was inside, and she shared her story.

contributing writers

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She and her husband opened this spot in 2021, two years after opening Firehouse Brew & Grill in Martinez.

It’s on the second floor of the Margaritaville building, and there’s a beautiful view of the beach.

The couple are empty nesters, and before they were owners, they would come down to Capitola to hang out.

“We love the night life,” Michelle said.

Her Esplanade business was yellowtagged by the city, which required inspections before she could reopen — structural engineer, electrician, plumber, plus a $4,000 gas line repair.

She didn’t start a GoFundme drive because she thought she would be able to reopen quickly.

But she was closed for two weeks –and lost $60,000 in sales. Her employees, she has 15, lost their income, with some working at more than one restaurant and losing two jobs.

She shook her head at the idea of sending employees to work elsewhere – “I don’t want to lose my staff,” she said.

She has insurance but the flooding disaster that shuttered the first-floor restaurants on the Esplanade was considered an act of God, so her losses aren’t covered.

has to be repaid, a hardship when you’ve lost revenue you can’t get back, she said.

She pressed to get everything the city required done in order to open and bring in revenue.

grant rent credit. So far, that’s not the case.

To bring in customers, Michelle has increased the Happy Hour menu.

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Being on the second floor, she didn’t think she would need to buy flood insurance at $12,000 a year.

She reopened on Jan. 19, the day President Biden visited Capitola’s Esplanade to see the damage for himself.

“Where’s the help?” she asked. “We are blessed to be open, but it still hurts.”

The offer of an SBA small business loan is not much help – that’s money that

She said she took on the role of the property manager, finding a new plumber — Bellow — rather than use the same plumber working the entire Esplanade because he was “spread too thin.”

A gas leak had to be found and fixed. The first plumber wanted to tear down the wall by the kitchen, creating more damage. Bellow found it faster by investigating on the other side.

Michelle thought the terms of her lease would mean that landlord Steve Yates, who formerly owned Margaritaville, would share in the expense of inspections and

To help the staff, she’s adding information to her menu and her website on how to donate – tips or gift cards.

She has plans to open Firehouse pizza on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz, filling the spot vacated by Dunkin Donuts – because when it’s cold, people want to eat pizza.

To help the musicians who lost performing venues, she has added more live music, Fridays on top of the regular Saturday and Sunday, giving them work.

Patrons who live in the neighborhood are loyal.

“People will come here every night if you have something going on,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can.”

•••

Mr. Toots Coffeehouse

Mr. Toots Coffeehouse, owned by Karl Heiman, is on the second floor of the Margaritaville building and Kai Buchanan is ready to serve you.

The coffeehouse was not especially busy when I stopped in.

“I don’t think people know we’re open,” Kai said.

Now they know.

This is a good time to visit because it’s the slow season.

Reef Dog Deli Reef Dog Deli is on Capitola Avenue across from City Hall and the museum.

When locals stopped in for sandwiches, owner Anthony Kresge asked, “Are you coming to our dinner?”

He is spearheading “Cooking for Capitola,” a fundraiser for full-time Esplanade restaurant workers who are out of a job until repairs and rebuilding is complete.

Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti

Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin, Brad King website

photography

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz Michelle Strong owns Capitola Bar & Grill on the Esplanade, which reopened after the epic storm.

He figures up to 100 people worked at these now-shuttered restaurants.

He’s one of the lucky ones.

He had to clear out mud and clean tile but his shop – like many of the businesses in Capitola Village -- didn’t require a major rebuild.

He is teaming up with chefs Nick Sherman and James Manss of Trestles, Brad Briske of Home and Michael Cameron and Linda Estrada of Shadowbrook to prepare and serve a five-course tasting menu with local wines Feb. 6 at Shadowbrook, that one-of-a-kind attraction with the cable car overlooking Soquel Creek.

The dinner, at $300 per person, sold out in 24 hours.

“It goes to show you how much people support you, how much they support us in town,” Anthony said.

When disaster strikes, chefs swing into action, whether it’s to feed people in need or host a dinner offering top wine and food, he added. “It’s a chef’s nature.”

Tony Pagliaro Gallery

Among those ordering a sandwich was the owner of the Tony Pagliaro Gallery, a shop featuring his stunningly beautiful images of our coast, which makes me grateful to live here. If you prefer

Yosemite, Lake Tahoe or San Francisco, he’s photographed there, too.

Tony is another of the lucky ones.

He’s had his gallery on San Jose Avenue a short walk away for three and a half years and he was closed for a week.

“It was stressful,” he said. Do people know he’s open?

He uses social media and TV commercials to get the word out, but he admits, “You don’t know if that message is being received.”

“you never know what you are going to get,” he said. “It’s a matter of surviving.” n

Cover Photo: Most of Capitola Village is open to visitors after the epic storm.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz Anthony Kresge owns Reef Dog Deli, reopened after the epic storm.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz Kai Buchanan is ready to serve you at Mr. Toots Coffeehouse.

Biden: We Gotta Rebuild Better

FEMA to Cover 100% of Storm Debris Removal

Editor’s note: Here is what President Joe Biden said January 19 in Capitola Village •••

Governor, You and I gotta stop taking these helicopter rides. We’ve made a bunch of them, you’ve been hit. If anybody doubts climate is changing and they must have been asleep for the last couple of years. I want to thank you, governor, you and I along with the Vice President, have been in close touch since this storm hit and even before it hit, we were talking about it coming.

We told the governor that we’d do everything we can, whatever he needs. But he’s been through a whole hell of a lot, I don’t know what, we had three or four flights up and down the state for the wildfires and the damage done.

It’s been astounding what you’ve done and I want to say what I said then and I’ll say again, the federal government’s not leaving its responsibility until it’s all fixed — it’s done.

You know, Mr. Mayor, Madam Mayor, I want to thank you and the county supervisor and local officials, the first responders for all that you have done and all you have been dealing with to try to protect your constituents in a way that gives them some — I guess maybe the thing that’s most needed in the times is — sense of hope that

everything’s going to be able to be done, everything fixed.

And I want to thank the entire California delegation for working with my administration Alex (Sen. Padilla) and Jimmy (Rep. Panetta), thank you for what you’ve done being with me today.

And you know, we did an aerial tour of the damage. And unlike when we did the aerial tour of the fires, it’s not as obvious from the air just how much damage has been done.

We flew over the entire area and parts of the state, the entire, you know, they got more rainfall in a single day than they get in an entire year in parts of the state.

“Biden” page 8

California Governor Gavin Newsom (left) points out some of the damage in Capitola to President Joe Biden while they toured the city on Jan. 19.

Press and locals gather as President Joe Biden passes through the City of Capitola.

Tempest Tossed Capitola’s Long Struggle with the Sea

By Deborah Osterberg

The main attraction of Capitola, its location along a picturesque shoreline, is also its Achilles heel. The lowlands are prone to flooding and the destructive power of high tides. Many of the initial, poorly constructed canvas tents and wooden cabins of Camp Capitola (1874), built near the shore, often suffered storm damage.

The first long-lasting, durable resort structures were the ones constructed at the base of what we know today as Depot Hill along El Camino Medio.

Capitola’s owner, Frederick Augustus Hihn, sought to expand and upgrade the beach resort into a more elegant tourist destination and locale for vacation homes. Unfortunately, he appeared to dismiss the dangers inherent in Capitola’s low-lying areas and continued to build upon them for the next couple of decades.

Starting in 1882, Hihn embarked upon an infrastructure upgrade starting with cutting and grading Monterey Avenue (then known as Bay Avenue). After a landslide the following winter, a retaining wall was constructed with fossilized rock from the area below “Lover’s Lane” (Grand Avenue).

Dirt fill taken from the cliff by tramcar, was spread over one and a half acres of creek flodplain and smoothed for new construction. Pilings were driven along the edge of Ocean Front Avenue for a boardwalk “to afford a charming stroll for day or evening.” Soquel Creek’s natural bed was shifted west to widen the beach and provide easier access.

Hihn then hired Edward L. Van Cleeck to design a replacement for the original

hotel. In 1895, Van Cleeck built a 160-room hotel (Hotel Capitola) at the base of Depot Hill.

Hihn also directed that six large houses (the Six Sisters) and a line of resort concessions be built along Ocean Front Avenue.

It was only a matter of time until the sea swept back in to challenge the new man-made landscape.

On the morning of Nov. 26, 1913, a storm surge carried water up Capitola Avenue and over the tracks of the Union Traction Company streetcar line, presenting “a scene of wild desolation.”

Realizing the potential damage to his boats, fisherman Alberto Gibelli hurried out to the wharf. As he was securing his gear, the rough surf collapsed the midsection of the wharf deck about 20 feet from him.

Gibelli was stranded.

On shore Gibelli’s wife “… fell on her knees and called on heavenly aid to bring her husband relief.”

An initial attempt at rescue was made by local celebrity and member of the championship Boston Red Sox, Harry Hooper. The right fielder was unsuccessful at pitching a baseball tied with a rope out as far as the wharf.

Four hours later, G. Stagnero, a fishman of Santa Cruz, threw a fishline with a lead on it to the marooned man. He caught it and hauled it across and the larger

rope attached to it, and a life preserver. He put on the life preserver and tied the rope under his arms.

Gibelli leapt into the ocean and a group of fishermen on the beach pulled him to safety. He resurfaced “as calm as a cucumber and the least ruffled of any one concerned in the crowd.”

Although efforts to clean the beach of pilings, logs, and other rubble took more than two months, the beach was spotless, and life was back to normal for the resort town when tourists flocked back that May.

In 1919, the new owner of the resort, Henry Allen Rispin, began demolishing Hihn’s old concessions along Ocean Front Avenue.

In architecture, Rispin favored the popular Spanish Colonial Revival style, using concrete and stucco. At his direction, architects George McCrea and Helen Benbow redesigned and curved the road along the shoreline, moving it closer to the sea.

They rebuilt concession buildings along what Rispin christened “the Esplanade.”

Van Cleeck’s bathhouse along Soquel Creek was replaced with a stucco building featuring three central arches.

On Feb. 12, 1926, the sea returned. A 20-foot surge battered the Esplanade, cutting into the foundations of the new

Venetian Court Apartments and once again flooding Capitola Avenue.

The entire village was under from six to eighteen inches of water. Much of the Esplanade was destroyed, with damages estimated between $6,000 to $10,000.

At 9 a.m. the waves here were breaking over the top of the bathhouse and in one half an hour this (wooden) building was virtually destroyed.

The diving platform to the right of the bathhouse was also practically demolished, as was the shoot-the-chutes on the left of the main building. The big concession building, erected only last spring, lost practically all its underpinning and was sagging precariously …

And so, it continues, the one constant in Capitola’s history --- the relentless cycle of storms and tides, destruction, struggle, and the subsequent determination to pick up, rebuild and carry on because we love this special, beautiful place and there is nowhere else in the world we’d rather call home.

•••

Deborah Osterberg is curator of the Capitola Historical Museum, which will reopen in March with a new exhibition, “Capitola: Signs of the Times.” Hours will be noon to 4 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

For research questions, email capitolamuseum@gmail.com

Photo Courtesy of Capitola Historical Museum

Capitola Wharf damage, November 1913.The wharf was built in 1856.

Photo Courtesy of Capitola Historical Museum Camp Capitola advertisement: Built in 1874, the wooden cabins erected near the shore to attract vacationers often suffered storm damage.

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

Tamara Harrington Completes Finance Managers School

Tamara Harrington, assistant vice president of finance at Bay Federal Credit Union, has completed the Financial Managers School, which prepares financial managers for today’s bank finance management issues.

Her primary role is to ensure the financial integrity of the Credit Union. She joined the Bay Federal team in 2006 as an accounting manager. The Financial Managers School is co-presented by the Financial Managers

“Biden” from page 6

Drenching rain, powerful winds, floods, landslides, but you don’t feel until you walk the streets or what, when you’re able to walk. And you know, toppling and thousands of trees, 20,000 customers, 200,000 customers lost their power through the storms. Now it’s less than 5,000, but it’s still 5,000 people don’t have power. We got to get it down to zero.

Nearly 150,000 people were under evacuation orders. Now it’s down to 1,400 under evacuation orders and under 300 people are still in shelters, but tragically 21 people died.

And that little boy, we’re still trying to find. Everybody I’ve talked to so far today just spontaneously brings that up. You know, the fact is, you know, Jill and I have him in our prayers, the family and our prayers and all of you.

You know, while the situation is still treacherous, we’re cautiously optimistic that the worst part is behind. The waters recede, but we’ll see the full extent of the damage the homes, the businesses and the farms and ranches and we now we know some of the destruction is going to take years to fully recover and rebuild.

But we gotta not just rebuild. We gotta rebuild better. We gotta rebuild better.

Last week I signed an expedited major disaster declaration for the state of California. Yesterday I directed the federal government that will cover 100% of the cost of removing debris and emergency measures like sheltering evacuees and paying overtime for first responders for the next 60 days. Excuse me, for 60 days.

Right now, more than 500 employees of FEMA are out here and other federal agencies on the ground trying to help people. FEMA positioned supplies for 100,000 meals, 100,000 liters of water, 20,000 blankets, 10,000 cots for shelters.

And there will be disaster recovery centers in every impacted area, including

Society and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I enjoyed the learning opportunity as well as working with peers in similar roles at credit unions and community banks,” Harrington said.

Harrington grew up in Santa Cruz County and has lived there most of her life. She and her husband of 39 years have adult twin daughters and a son, and were blessed with a granddaughter in 2019. Their weekends are filled with spending time with their granddaughter and playing competitive tennis.

•••

Tina Chavez: New Role at Food Bank Watsonville native Tina Chavez has joined the Corporate and Community

Relations team at Second Harvest Food Bank. She was Events and Food Drive Project Manager. Now she works alongside Richelle Noroyan focusing on building and maintaining relationships within Santa Cruz County. This includes partnership, sponsorship, and general support opportunities with local business and civic organizations.

Chavez has 20 years of experience with local media.

As a longtime Santa Cruz County resident, she can trace her connection with The

Food Bank back to her grandmother, Carmelita Carranco, who worked for Second Harvest as the first food hotline responder in the 1980s.

Tina Chavez is at tina@thefoodbank. org (831) 783-5320. Richelle Noroyan is at richelle@thefoodbank.org and (831) 222-5666.

•••

Jobs in Santa Cruz County Sector Dec. 2022 Change from Dec. 2021 Government 23,500 Up 1,300 Private education 17,800 Up 600 & health

Construction 5,100 Up 300

“Briefs” page 9

in the sense. We’ve already allocated funding from the infrastructure law that I signed a year ago and more than $16 billion for more than 480 projects across this state, making the California power grid more resilient, building stronger levees, clearing hazardous fuels and reforesting lands protecting to protect against wildfires.

And together we can better prepare for future disasters, reduce the damage they cause and the people’s lives and livelihoods that are affected.

So let me close with this. To the people in California, I say it again. The country is here for you and with you. We are not leaving till things are built back and build back better than they were before. You can recover from storms. We’ll be with you every step of the way.

Santa Cruz (one opened in Capitola the next day) and Merced, where survivors can apply for assistance and if their homes and their small businesses are damaged, that’s already underway.

The Army Corps of Engineers is helping remove heavy debris safely and monitoring seven reservoirs in the Central Valley in the San Francisco Bay area.

I’ve instructed my administration to bring every element, every element of the federal government together with the help of immediate needs to long-term rebuilding, to do both. We have to, in terms of the infrastructure, there’s got to be significant changes made and the federal government is gonna be here to help get that done.

For example, the Department of Agriculture is helping farmers with disaster loans and grants if they lost livestock or their crops are washed away.

The Small Business Administration and somebody with me when it isn’t through the small business along the piers here, it’s devastating what happened. But they’re going to get help, help local businesses with low-interest loans so they can recover.

And now if you don’t have insurance or if you’re underinsured, FEMA is going to get you started on home repairs, replacing lost or damaged property, like cars and refrigerators, things inside the home, they’ll be able to be replaced quickly. To apply for assistance from FEMA, go online to disasterassistance.gov. Disasterassistance.gov.

You can also sign up in person for disaster recovery centers. In the coming days, they’re gonna be at least seven centers open across this state and FEMA is going to deploy disaster survivor assistance teams to communities that need them the most. We can go to the FEMA website to find that location and look as I’ve said, other disasters.

Building Back Stronger

The key is not just building back is building back stronger. Just since I became president, we’ve spent $9 billion on storms, more intense droughts, longer wildfire seasons, all of which threaten communities across California.

So we have to invest in stronger infrastructure to lessen the impact of these disasters because they become cumulative

And I mean that sincerely, every step. God bless you all and may God protect our first responders who we owe more than I could take time to talk about today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[Question about vice presidential classified documents found at Biden’s home, garage and office] I will answer the question. But here’s the deal. You know what quite frankly bugged me is that we have a serious problem here. We’re talking about what’s going on and the American people don’t quite understand why you don’t ask me questions about that.

But having said that, What’s your question? Okay. As we found, we found a handful of documents were failed, were filed in the wrong place. We immediately turned them over to the archives and the Justice Department. We’re fully cooperating, looking forward to getting this resolved quickly. I think you’re gonna find there’s nothing there.

I have no regrets and following what the lawyers have told me they want me to do. That’s exactly what we’re doing. There’s no “there” there. n

Photos Courtesy of the Capitola Police Social Media Team

Photo Credit: Stevie Harvie City of Capitola police assigned to President Jee Biden’s Detail.

Tamara Harrington

Tina Chavez

CDC Data Reveal Covid Vaccine Safety Signals

By Jondi Gumz

Responding to a September Freedom of Information Act request, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released data showing more than 500 “safety signals” for Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, including Bell’s palsy, blood clotting and death.

The Epoch Times obtained the monitoring results, based on an analysis of adverse event reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which is run by the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as an “early warning system” for vaccine issues.

The CDC analysis compared adverse events reported from Dec. 14, 2020 to July 29, 2022, after a Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine compared to reports filed after non-Covid vaccines.

The analysis technically involves proportional reporting ratios.

“Safety signals” mean a condition may be linked to a vaccine and further analysis is warranted.

The Epoch Times filed the FOIA request after the CDC refused to make the analysis public.

VAERS is where healthcare professionals are supposed to file reports on post-vaccination issues. Reports do not prove causality; studies show the number of reports often is an undercount of postvaccination adverse events.

On Jan. 13, the CDC reported a safety signal for ischemic stroke in people 65 and older after getting Pfizer’s bivalent Covid-19 vaccine, and looked at other studies, including one by Pfizer, but did not find an increased risk. So, no change in

vaccination practice is recommended, CDC said.

Optum Test Sites Closing

On Feb. 28, Gov. Newsom plans to lift the state of Covid-19 emergency in California.

Hospitalizations and intensive care bed use are down statewide and locally, and the state is closing Optum Covid testing sites. The Veterans Building site in Watsonville closed Jan.19, and sites at the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, is closing Feb. 3, and Felton Public Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton, is closing Feb. 5. California’s test positivity rate is down from 10.6% to 6.1%.

In January, a newer and much milder Omicron variant became the most pervasive, according to weekly Nowcast projections by the CDC:

XBB.1.5: Up from 18.3% of cases to 49%

BQ.1.1: Down from 35.7% to 26.9%

BQ.1: Down from 27.4% to 13.3%

BA.5: Down from 6.9% to 2% No Protection

The XBB.1.5 variant is the most infectious yet, mutated so that neither vaccination or a prior infection provides protection.

Medical experts say for most people, XBB.1.5 will be mild, like a common cold. Afterward comes natural immunity.

The once-pervasive BA.5 variant is in the “bivalent” booster along with the original 2020 coronavirus.

This is important because scientists in new independent studies published in Nature and the Lancet report the bivalent booster “did not produce robust neutralization against the newly emerged BA.2.75.2, BQ.1.1, or XBB.1” — in other

words, these newer subvariants can evade immunity from infection and vaccination.

The bivalent combo was expedited by federal officials who asked drug-makers to test on mice rather than humans.

Pfizer submitted data based on 8 mice, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization.

On Dec. 8, the FDA amended that emergency use authorization to allow bivalent Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for children as young as 6 months.

California reports 60.9% of people have primary vaccinations and boosters, and 23.5% got the bivalent booster.

In Santa Cruz County, 68.3% have primary vaccinations and boosters, and 31.6% got the bivalent booster.

A study published in January in BMC Infectious Diseases based on an online survey by 2,840 people in December found that those perceiving loved ones harmed by the Covid-19 illness were more likely to be vaccinated, but those who knew someone who had been injured by the Covid-19 vaccine were more likely to be unvaccinated.

Of those who responded, 34% indicated they knew at least one person who had experienced significant health problems from Covid-19, including 165 people who had died, and 22% indicated they knew at least one person who experienced a health problem after Covid-19 vaccination, and 57 indicated the adverse event was death.

“The large difference in the possible

number of fatalities due to Covid-19 vaccination that emerges from this survey and the available governmental data should be further investigated,” concluded study author Mark Skidmore, economist at Michigan State University.

Florida

On Jan. 17, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced protections for medical freedom of choice, banning discrimination based on Covid vaccination, and medical freedom of speech, the right to disagree with the preferred narrative of the medical community.

The Florida Supreme Court, at his request, agreed to convene a grand jury to investigate any wrongdoing with respect to Covid-19 vaccines.

Studies funded by drugmakers that developed the vaccines have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and federal regulators granted emergency use authorization after reviewing data on their safety and effectiveness.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo pointed out that pharmaceutical companies have not provided their data on Covid-19 vaccines to independent researchers.

Fired Employees Sue

On Jan. 19, New York City police officers, firefighters and healthcare workers who lost their jobs for refusing to comply with the city’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate filed a $250 million lawsuit against the city and Mayor Eric Adams seeking to end the mandate.

“COVID Update” page 10

“Briefs” from page 8

Manufacturing 7,700 Up 300

Leisure/hospitality 12,300 Up 200

Other 4,800 Up 200

Trade/transportation/ 16,900 no change utilities

Professional/business 10,800 no change services

Information 600 no change

Financial 3,300 no change

Nonfarm 102,800 Up 2,500

Farm 3,600 no change

Total 102,800 Up 2,900 ~~~ Labor force 127,400 Up 1.8% Employment* 128,600 Up .8%

Unemployment 6,000 Down 13%

Unemployment rate 4.5% 5.2% Count is on the 12th of the month (before the storms)

*Includes commuters out of the county Source: California Employment Development Department.

•••

Unemployment in Santa Cruz County was unchanged in December at 4.5% as the labor force grew from 132,000 to 133,500. For most of 2022, unemployment hovered around 3.8%, 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, which tops 7,500 jobs. n

Cabrillo College New Name Survey Closes Feb. 22

On Jan. 27, Cabrillo College announced that following the November historic, 6-1 Board vote to rename the college, it is inviting proposals for a new name via a broad-based community survey.

That community survey, open to everyone, is available at: https:// www.cabrillo.edu/governing-board/ name-exploration-subcommittee/.

The survey will be open through Friday, Feb. 22.

The new name must meet several criteria: the college’s name should reflect the college’s mission, values, and community, and the college should not be named after a person.

“COVID

Update” from page 9

“We want to receive broad-based community input on what the new name of Cabrillo College should be,” said Christina Cuevas, who chairs the Board Name Exploration Subcommittee. “Though the timeframe is shorter than the community input we sought during the first two years of this process in a series of community education sessions and dialogues, the survey takes just a couple minutes to complete and can be shared broadly. We want to hear from you!”

The survey also is a call for volunteers to serve on a 25-member task force to help the Name Exploration Subcommittee narrow the list of names received to a set of proposed finalists. The Task Force will

The 72 fired workers demand the city overturn the mandate, reinstate their jobs and compensate them with punitive damages.

The workers contend the mandate should be found “arbitrary and capricious” given that “President Joe Biden, Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Chuck Schumer have all declared that the pandemic is over,” and that it was already rescinded for private sector employees and students, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in the Bronx County Supreme Court of the State of New York, alleges the plaintiffs were mocked and ridiculed by colleagues, and some lost their homes and their ability to support their families.

On Jan. 13, New York Supreme Court Judge Gerard Neri declared the state’s vaccination mandate “null, void, and of no effect” and that it was “arbitrary and capricious” on the basis that Covid-19 vaccines do not stop transmission of the virus.

On Nov. 27, a published report by six pathologists from Heidelberg (Germany) University Hospital who performed autopsies on 25 individuals who died unexpectedly at home and within 20 days after Covid vaccination.

They found five cases where “autopsy findings indicated death due to acute arrhythmogenic cardiac failure. Thus, myocarditis can be a potentially lethal complication following mRNA-based anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.”

None had signs of a pre-existing heart disease.

The study, “Autopsy-based histopathological characterization of myocarditis after anti-SARS-CoV-2-vaccination,” appeared in Clinical Research in Cardiology, official journal of the German Cardiac Society.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that deaths after COVID-19 vaccination are rare and that reports of adverse effects after vaccination, including deaths, “do not necessarily mean that a vaccine caused a health problem.”

Deaths per day in the U.S. fell this week to 786, according to ycharts.com, compared to 3,000 when the Delta variant raged.

Data for 2021 and 2022 show deaths peak in January, but that hasn’t happened in 2023.

Santa Cruz County reports 51 Covid deaths after Omicron, compared to 225 as of Dec. 15, 2021, before Omicron.

No local deaths were reported in the last two months.

meet five times during the spring semester, from noon to 1:30 p.m. on March 10, April 7, April 21, May 5, and May 19.

“I’m happy to now be in this ideation phase of the process,” said Adam Spickler, who chairs the Cabrillo College Board of Trustees. “Recognizing that the Board of Trustees has the final authority to select the college’s new name, the role of the Task Force will be to help the Board identify finalists for a name that will inspire a renewed sense of unity and support for our beloved college.”

Names propose via survey will be added to a list of proposed names Cabrillo received in the two-year process leading up to this phase, during which Cabrillo

collected more than 300 emails and letters from community members, alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

The November 6-1 vote to rename Cabrillo College set in motion a process to establish a new name for the college by August 2023, and the use of the new name by July 1, 2024.

Cabrillo College donor Richard Crocker, who gave $1 million for the Crocker Theater on campus, shared his views in a letter to the editor: He opposes the name change. n

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, the committee said.

The committee heard Dr. Tom Shimabukuro report the death of a boy 13 days after his first dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine. The autopsy showed the cause of death was heart inflammation known as myocarditis; tests found no evidence of viral infection.

The death was reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System, and verified by the CDC. Committee members determined Covid vaccine benefits outweigh the risks.

The CDC said its recommendation is not a mandate, with the decision up to states, counties and municipal officials.

The last nine deaths were people who were vaccinated, according to the county dashboard, all 65 or older with medical conditions.

Tests at Home

Santa Cruz County reports 355 active Covid cases, half the number from a month ago.

Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, contends Covid case data are not valuable for monitoring the virus because so many people buy tests sold at drugstores for use at home, which escape tracking by public health officials.

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education reported 698,700 tests with Inspire Diagnostics.

According to the Santa Cruz Office of Education, cases in schools peaked at 4,407 on Jan. 27, 2022, and fell in the past month from 363 to 164.

The 14-day positivity rate, 12.25% in January 2022, dipped in January 2023 from 2.71% to 2.09%.

2023 Changes

On Jan. 23, the FDA announced plans to offer a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine each fall, retiring the original vaccine and offering only the bivalent vaccine.

The CDC plans to provide a recommended vaccine schedule in 2023.

On Oct. 20, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously in favor of adding the Covid vaccine to the federal recommended immunization

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

Free at-home test kit ordering is available for each household: To order at-home test kits, visit www.covid. gov/tests or call 1-800-232-0233.

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

•••

Santa Cruz County

In hospital with positive Covid test: 16 Intensive care: 0

•••

COVID Deaths: 276

As of Jan. 25

Age

85 and older: 121 • 75-84: 64 • 65-74: 49 • 60-64: 15

55-59: 4 • 45-54: 10 • 35-44: 8 • 25-34: 5

Underlying Conditions

Yes: 226 • No: 50

Vaccinated

Yes: 39 • No: 237

Race

White 163 • Latinx 90 • Asian 16 • Black 3

Amer Indian 1 • Hawaiian 1 • Another 2

Gender

Men: 140 • Women: 136

Location

At facility for aged: 118 • Not at a facility: 158

Freddie’s Offer and Pasta Fazool

Previous Episode: After Dad took us to Coney and left us alone on the pier, he took us to a bar where Uncle Johnny was holding forth about his secret for making Braciola.

Laura always wanted to get rid of me after picking me up from school. So, when we got to the corner on our way from P.S. 111, she would shove me along 40th Avenue toward the shoe shop, where the vinegary aroma of ground leather and shoe dye pulled me in by my nose.

Dad was standing at the counter talking to a lady about a pair of shoes with a broken buckle, flipping it with his finger as if it were a scab about to come off a scrape on your knee.

“I don’t know if I can fix dis,” Dad said. He shook his head, made the “tisk, tisk, tisk” sound, and flashed her an indignant look that said, “You bring me this petty little crap? What a waste of my time.” Dad told me later that the sour look on his face was intended to set the customer up to think the job was difficult, if not impossible.

“I could try something I learned in Puerto Rico,” he said. “But I can’t guarantee nothing.” Now he had her. Her face turned glum. By making it sound like some trick he’d learned in the jungle outside San Juan using hemp and natural glue made from the sap of a special tree, Dad could make a customer think no one else could do the job. Resigned, the lady agreed that it was better to risk some kind of ethnic cure, than to buy a new pair of shoes.

“Five dollas,” Dad said.

She gasped. So, Dad flashed her a sarcastic smile. He slid the shoes back across the counter, folded his arms, and said nothing.

She pondered a minute. She handed them right back to Dad.

“Here,” she said, scurrying toward the door. “Do your magic. I need them by Saturday.”

As the woman left, Freddie the bookie came into the shop, sliding around the doorway like a cartoon character slithering across a movie screen.

Dad’s demeanor changed immediately. He became timid in a way that, had the woman with the broken buckle still been there, he surely would have offered to do the job for fifty cents. Freddie’s arrival caused the veins on Dad’s arms to throb; they changed from Puerto Rican blue to a vivid shade of magenta.

“Uh . . . Freddie,” Dad said. “Dat fourteen dollas I owe ya is . . .”

“Don’t worry, Herman,” Freddie said.

“Wha . . . wha?” Dad said. I’d never seen him speechless.

“The shoes in the window, Herman. The cordovan French-toes?”

“The guy never showed up,” Dad said. “He owes me twenty dollas fa doze mutha f . .” Dad stopped when he noticed me crouched in the corner listening.

“Wait Freddie,” Dad said. “I’m going to give Joey some lunch in the back room. Then we can talk.

By Joe Ortiz

“Pasta Fazool” page 18 Joe Ortiz and his sister Laura

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Generosity at Work 22 Storm Grants Totaling $100,000 for Capitola Restaurants

In partnership with the Capitola Business Improvement Association, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County issued $100,000 in small business grants to food service businesses experiencing closure and losses due to the January storms.

In all, 22 grants were provided to Capitola restaurants with funds ranging from $500 to $10,000.

Grants were made possible thanks to generous donations by local families to the Community Foundation’s Disaster Fund.

“We know these grants will not be able to fill all needs of our local businesses, but we hope it gets them started on the path to recovery,” said Vicki Guinn, BIA board member and real estate agent with David Lyng Real Estate.

Grants were available to Capitola food services businesses with physical damage needing repairs or replacement materials, loss of perishables, or support for payment of wages for employees not working.

“The Community Foundation can

step in because of the generosity of people giving to our disaster fund. The grants are a way of wrapping our arms around these businesses to help them meet their most

How To Help Capitola

Saturday, Feb. 4 • 2pm

Britanna Arms hosts “Community Day”

• On 01/30 People can come and enjoy some great food and drink while listing to some live music. 50% of the revenue from the day will be used to purchase gift cards to businesses in the village.

• On 02/04 at 2pm they will host a raffle to give away the gift cards to attending customers

•••

Saturday, Feb. 4 • 4-7 p.m.

Capitola Under the Sea Silent Auction

• Price: $40 per person

immediate needs. In addition, individuals who have lost their homes or employment in the storms can find assistance through family resource centers,” said Susan True, CEO of the Community Foundation.

In a disaster, the IRS allows nonprofits like the Community Foundation to provide aid to businesses for the charitable purposes of aiding individual business owners who are financially needy or otherwise distressed by the disaster.

“It’s been so tough,” said Dominick B. King, owner of My Thai Beach on the Esplanade. His restaurant suffered extreme damage and in the coming months he’ll be working to redo the floor and subfloor, purchase new equipment, install new plumbing, redo electrical, and redo the walls. “But the community response has been so incredible. People have shown up with such kindness and generosity.”

Gabriela Castro, owner of Tacos Morenos 3 on the Esplanade is overwhelmed by the mountain of work in front of her including overall repairs, assessments from engineers, and getting city approval after structural damage inspections. “This grant is a huge help,” she said, “because the bills don’t stop.”

Jeff Lantis, owner of the Sand Bar on the Esplanade says that every little bit of support helps. The storms destroyed every floor, all their appliances, and the entire inventory. “The storm has passed, and the sun is out, but we are still left with a long list of expenses that are not covered by insurance and deeply valued staff that are out of work,” he said.

“Grants” page 14

• This event is a spaghetti dinner served by the Wharf House and Capitola Boat & Bait

• The fundraiser will help support the Wharf employees

• There is limited seating and must RSVP to the event. You can find the link to the evite on the Capitola Boat and Bait Facebook page n

County Recovery Meetings

The County of Santa Cruz has scheduled two virtual community meetings to focus on different aspects of the recovery process. County officials, as well as those from partner agencies, will share information about the recovery process. The first meeting will focus on restoration of public roads, while the second will focus on aspects of the rebuilding process for private property owners. Spanish translation will be available. n

•••

Storms Recovery County Roads Community Meeting

Feb. 2 • 6:30 p.m.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/ 82581989122

Or One tap mobile : US: +16694449171,,82581989122# or +17193594580,,82581989122#

Webinar ID: 825 8198 9122 2023

Storms Recovery County Rebuilding Community Meeting

Feb. 7 • 6:30 p.m.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/ 85417677176

Or One tap mobile : US: +16694449171,,85417677176# or +17207072699,,85417677176#

Webinar ID: 854 1767 7176

Photo Credit: Stevie Harvie

IRS Tax Deadline Now May 15 Due to Storm

In response to the havoc wreaked by winter storms slamming the Bay Area and California, the Internal Revenue Service is extending the deadline to May 15 to file federal tax returns and make payments.

This is almost a month after the original April 18 deadline — and is available to all business owners, households and residents in the 41 California counties listed in the federal emergency declaration approved by President Biden, the IRS said. The affected area includes Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

Here is what you need to know:

What is the extension?

The IRS said it will provide “tax relief” to people who have been impacted by the storms as part of a coordinated effort by federal agencies. The extension applies to several deadlines for federal tax filing and payment that began as early as Jan. 8.

Individuals and businesses will have until May 15 to file federal income tax returns and make any payments. Eligible individuals can wait until May 15 to make 2022 contributions to their health savings accounts and individual retirement accounts, officials said.

The deadline extension also applies to quarterly estimated tax payments, quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on Jan. 31 and April 30, and farmers who elect to forgo making estimated tax payments and normally file their returns by March 1.

Do I qualify?

If you live in or have a business in one of the 41 counties listed by the IRS, you qualify for the deadline extension.

The qualifying counties listed so

far are: Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba.

Do I have to request the extension?

If you live in the affected area, no. The IRS will automatically provide the deadline extension to taxpayers whose address is in one of the 41 qualifying counties.

If you qualify for the May 15 extension but receive a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS, the agency says you should call the number listed on the notice to have the penalty removed. Does the extension apply to my California state tax return?

Itwas not immediately clear if the deadline extension applies to California state tax returns. As of Thursday afternoon, the deadline was still listed as April 18 on the California Franchise Tax Board website and no information about any extension was posted.

However, an agency spokesperson said information would soon be available on the website.

The California Franchise Tax Board “is aware of the guidance provided by the IRS … and is reviewing it,” said Catalina Martinez, a spokeswoman for the FTB. n •••

For information on the state deadline, see https://www.ftb.ca.gov/

For IRS tax tips, see https://www.irs.gov/ newsroom/irs-tax-tips

Disaster Unemployment Aid: Deadline Feb. 22

Workers in Santa Cruz County impacted by the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that started on Dec. 27, are eligible to file for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits.

These benefits are administered by California Employment Development Department for employees, business owners, and self-employed individuals who lost their jobs or businesses, or had their work hours reduced due to impacts brought about by the severe storms.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has determined that individuals who lost work or self-employment as a direct result of impacts caused by the severe storms are eligible to apply for federal DUA benefits. The FEMA approval is for FEMA designated disaster area 4683-DR.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance applies to losses beginning the week of Jan. 1. Eligible full-time workers can receive between $166 and $450 a week in benefits for a maximum of 28 weeks. Parttime workers may be eligible for benefits. The last payable week of this emergency benefit ends July 15.

Benefits are available to individuals who meet any of these criteria:

• Worked or were a business owner or self-employed, or were scheduled to begin work or self-employment, in the disaster area. This includes those in agricultural and fishing industries.

• Cannot reach work because of the disaster or can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster.

• Cannot perform work or selfemployment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.

“Grants” from page 12

Since the Disaster Fund was activated in early January, nearly 550 families have donated more than $1 million and $510,000 in grants have been issued. More funding will be released soon and the Foundation continues to raise money to help with storm recovery.

“As families and small businesses dig out from the muck, the long recovery process is just beginning,” said True. “Grants from the Disaster Fund will continue to fill the gap in timing and eligibility for public disaster resources. State and federal aid will

• Became the head of their household because of a death caused by the disaster.

Individuals must have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits, or do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits and remain unemployed as a direct result of the disaster. Also, the work or self-employment they can no longer perform must have been their primary source of income.

Applications for benefits must be filed by applicants by Feb. 22.

All required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the day the application is filed. Required documentation includes the most recent federal income tax form or check stubs, or other documentation to support that the individuals were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred.

Documentation for the self-employed can be obtained from banks, government entities, or affidavits from individuals having knowledge of their business.

EDD is required to check to see if the applicant is eligible for regular state provided Unemployment Insurance benefits before processing the claim for Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits. The fastest way to apply is to use EDD’s online application at https://edd. ca.gov/ui_online, create an account and a password. This is available in both English and Spanish.

Applicants can get assistance at local job centers and the Disaster Recovery Centers in Capitola City Hall, Ramsay Park in Watsonville, and Felton library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton

•••

People can apply by phone between 8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays: English: 1-800-300-5616 • Spanish: 1-800-326-8937

be essential for our long-term recovery. Our dollars will be smaller than public funds but fill a unique role in our ability to immediately respond and to serve folks.”

•••

How to Give

Tax deductible donations, in any amount, can be made to the fund at www. cfscc.org/disaster. Gifts will be accepted as long as the need continues. New gifts will be matched up to a total of $100,000, thanks to a generous donation from Julie Packard, a Santa Cruz County resident and founder & executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. n

Stephen Kessler: Artist of the Year

Will Perform May 20 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Writer and translator Stephen Kessler has been named 2023 Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.

The Artist of the Year award is presented to local artists for outstanding achievement in the discipline of performing, visual, or literary arts who have also made a substantial contribution to the cultural enrichment of Santa Cruz County.

Stephen Kessler has distinguished himself over the last 50 years as one of his generation’s most versatile and prolific writers, author of a dozen volumes of original poetry, 16 books of literary translation, three collections of essays, and a novel, “The Mental Traveler” (Greenhouse Review Press, 2009).

He has edited numerous literary journals and community newspapers and is the editor and principal translator of The Sonnets by Jorge Luis Borges (Penguin Classics, 2010). Locally in recent years, he is best known as a wide-ranging and free-thinking opinion columnist in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Kessler arrived in Santa Cruz in 1968 on a Regents Fellowship to study with the first group of graduate students in the UC Santa Cruz doctoral program in literature.

A personal crisis the following year set him on a path away from academia and eventually into journalism in local underground and alternative newspapers.

After writing for Sundaze and the Santa Cruz Independent through the 1970s, he was a founding associate editor and writer with the Santa Cruz Express (1981-86) and the founding editor and publisher of The Sun (1986-89), another newsweekly, which was put out of business by the Loma Prieta earthquake — but not before its final issue chronicled that watershed event.

During most of the 1970s and ’80s, he was active as an organizer of and advocate for the Santa Cruz poetry community, putting on readings, writing reviews and essays in the localweeklies, cohosting with Gary Young The Poetry Show and Bards After Dark on KUSP radio, and serving as an intellectual and journalistic bridge between the literary minority and the general population.

In his journalism he infused the

newspapers he wrote for with a poetic sensibility not usually found in that medium but taking inspiration from such exponents of The New Journalism as Joan Didion and Norman Mailer, politically engaged poets like Amiri Baraka and Denise Levertov, and independentminded essayists like Kenneth Rexroth and James Baldwin.

Since then, he has published hundreds of essays, features, reviews, interviews, and columns in dozens of periodicals including, among others, Poetry Flash, Exquisite Corpse, San Francisco Review of Books, East Bay Express, Los Angeles Review of Books, North Bay Bohemian, and The Redwood Coast Review (1999-2014), for which he received four times, as editor, the California Library Association’s PR Excellence Award.

Writing about Kessler’s book Moving Targets: On Poets, Poetry & Translation (El León Literary Arts, 2008), Lawrence Ferlinghetti called him “certainly the best poetry critic in sight.”

Kessler is best known nationally and internationally as a translator of modern Spanish and Latin American poets including the Argentine master Borges, Nobel laureates Vicente Aleixandre and Pablo Neruda, the exiled Spaniard Luis Cernuda, and the Argentine expatriate Julio Cortázar.

His three Cernuda books — Written in Water (City Lights Books, 2004), Desolation of the Chimera (White Pine Press, 2009), and Forbidden Pleasures (Black Widow Press, 2015) — have received, respectively, a Lambda Literary Award, the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the PEN Center USA Translation Award.

“Stephen Kessler” page 18

Stephen Kessler

Marilyn Liddicoat: 1931~2022

Marilyn Liddicoat, who represented the Second District (Aptos) on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, died at home on Dec. 20. She was 91.

A Los Angeles native, Marilyn was born on Oct. 31, 1931, and moved to Worcester, Massachusetts at a young age with her family. She was the daughter of Ukrainian immi grants seeking a better life in the United States, but it was a tough existence for the family. She worked multiple jobs to support her mother, father and younger brother. The family was constantly moving.

At one point, rent was so unaffordable that she and her brother lived in a Catholic orphanage for six months.

After high school, Marilyn attended the New England Conservatory of Music on scholarship before going on to UCLA where she completed a degree in anthropology.

She then received her law degree from the University of Southern California Law School, one of just ten women in a class of two hundred students. Her class was the first to include women at a time when women lawyers were almost unheard of.

Her lifelong love of music and talent for singing led her to participate in many local Santa Cruz productions including the role of Liza in My Fair Lady at Cabrillo College in 1967, Menotti’s The Medium, Santa Cruz Bay City Opera’s The Magic Flute, Madame Butterfly, Fiona in Ben Lomond Theatre’s Brigadoon and singing with the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus. Marilyn also sang professionally with the Zurich Opera in Switzerland.

During her time in law school, she met and married Leland Davis. They had one child, Britt Lisa Davis, and moved to Santa Cruz County so Davis could set up his children’s dentistry practice in his hometown. Shortly after, Lee perished in an auto accident on Highway 17. At 32, Marilyn was widowed with one child.

Fortunately, in 1965, she met ophthalmologist Dr. Douglas Liddicoat at a Christmas office party, and they were soon married. Their devoted marriage lasted 52 years until Doug’s death in 2017. They travelled the world, enjoying lectures and sharing their love for history and art with friends.

In her legal career, she was the second female lawyer in Santa Cruz, starting at the Wyckoff and Miller law firm and later served as Judge Pro Tem.

In the late 1970s, Marilyn was elected to the County Board of Supervisors, representing the Second District (Aptos) and serving one term. It was a colorful time in Santa Cruz politics, and she served her constituents well, fighting for property rights and against government regulation.

She was appointed by President Reagan to two different national boards of education. In addition, she achieved a graduate gemology degree from GIA and belonged to a local French club, which met weekly.

She was always striving to learn more and at 91, recently completed a 36-part online lecture series about the Vikings. Her favorite card game was Russian Bank; she usually won.

She is survived by three children: Dr. Rebecca Yamarik, Brian Liddicoat and Britt Haselton and six grandchildren. Her love of music lives on through her family, who mostly all sing or play an instrument.

She passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family and devoted caregiver Tracey Peterson. Donations can be made in her honor to the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus. n Photos Courtesy of Britt Haselton

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Marilyn Liddicoat and husband Douglas Liddicoat

Douglas and Marilyn relaxing together.

Pasta e Fagioli: Bean and Pasta Soup

Everybody’s Mom made this (if they were Italian). Every version was different. Every kid said his mom’s was best.

The only one we never argued with was Freddie, who told us you had to de-gas the beans and he was right. Besides, you pretty much listened to whatever Freddie said.

One 15-ounce can cooked Cannellini beans (great northern, or white), or if using dried, be sure to follow Freddie’s instructions for de-gassing or he’ll turn over in his grave.

¼ cup olive oil

1 medium carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced fine

1 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups pureed canned tomatoes, or if fresh, scalded, skinned, seeded, and pureed

1½ to 2 teaspoons minced herbs (oregano, sage, rosemary)

1 to ½ cups dried pasta (Tubetti, Tubettini, or Ditalini)

3-4 cups chicken stock (or water)

6 to 8 servings

1 piece of old rind from the Parmesan Salt and pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan for sprinkling as garnish

Olive oil for drizzling

If you’re using dried beans, put them in a pot and cover with water by 3 or 4 inches. Bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat and let the beans rest for at least a couple hours (or overnight).

Drain the beans and cover with fresh water. Cook the beans 1 ½ to 2 hours until tender, adding a little salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the carrots, celery, garlic, and onions until deep, rich, and aromatic. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Sauté 5 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly.

If you’re using homemade chicken stock, reduce it down from 8 cups to four. “Don’t bruise the broth,” as Freddie used to say, by boiling it on too high a flame.

Puree half of the bean mixture using a food mill or emersion blender. Add the beans, herbs, Parmesan rind, and the macaroni to the pot containing the tomato-vegetable mixture. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes

until the pasta is cooked and all the flavors meld together. Adjust salt and pepper.

Serve in soup bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and a little grated Parmesan on top. n

Joe Ortiz Memoir: Episodes & Recipes

Joe Ortiz’s memoir, Pastina — My Father’s Misfortune, My Mother’s Good Soup, became the framework for the musical Escaping Queens, which ran at Cabrillo Stage in 2012 and 2013. Starting this month, The Capitola Soquel Times will begin the exclusive publication of various episodes from the book — including a recipe that helps shape each installment. You may have read one of the pieces in the Times a few months ago entitled, “Pastina, Food for the Soul — The Night Freddie the Bookie Showed Up with the Gun.”

The idea of weaving anecdotes about food with an ongoing narrative came to Joe after reading Heartburn by Nora Ephron.

“Using recipe descriptions to help tell a story seemed the perfect way to weave the angst of a father’s chaotic life with the salvation of a mother’s cooking,” Ortiz explains. “For me, the soothing aromas and descriptions of my mom’s food became the salve to assuage my father’s abusive actions, and the ironic humor of it all helped to dull the pain.” n

“Pasta Fazool ” from page 11

“Come on, Joey,” he said to me. “Ya supposed ta eat. We’re gonna be here late tonight.

“Here’s ya mother’s pasta fagioli.”

“FAGIOLI?” Freddie said, grabbing the bag from Dad. “It’s Pasta Fazool. That’s what we call it in Sicily.”

He opened the container and sniffed inside the lid, his face turning sour.

“And don’t forget, you gotta soak the beans ova night. Otherwise . . . you know,” he said, wrinkling up his nose.

“You start with onions and garlic, diced carrots, and celery, and cook it so it’s nice and brown. That’s what makes the flava. That’s a goo’.”

“Stephen Kessler” from page 16

His version of Cortázar’s selected poems, Save Twilight (City Lights, 2016), received a Northern California Book Award.

Publishing his poems for half a century mostly in the independent literary press — from his first collection, Nostalgia of the Fortuneteller (1975), issued by George Hitchcock’s Kayak Books, through the prose poems of Where Was I? (2015) from Gary

Just then Laura walked in, her baseball glove buckled to her belt, her dungarees rolled up to her shins, her two fire-engine-red ponytails dangling from under her Dodgers cap.

She sneered out of her chewinggum-smacking mouth: “What’s he taukin’ ‘bout? He thinks he knows how ta make soup? Dad, ain’t you gonna stick up fa Ma? Mama’s fagioli’s the best.”

Dad raised his open hand toward her and waved her toward the back. Oblivious to the rigamarole of our family exchange, Freddie went on. “Most people don’t realize you gotta brown the vegetables . . . “

“We know that Freddie,” Dad said.

Young’s Greenhouse Review Press, to Last Call (2021) from Black Widow Press in Boston — Kessler has produced a steady stream of constantly evolving lyric poetry characterized by its musical yet conversational style and a sensibility influenced by a diverse range of predecessors, from Emily Dickinson to Charles Bukowski, Gerard Manley Hopkins to William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Millay to Frank O’Hara, integrating a spontaneous sense of improvisation

Freddie just glared at Dad.

So, Dad went silent. We all realized we were going to hear what we didn’t want to hear: and entire ethnic discourse on what creates flavor in soup. From a bookie. A loan shark. A guy who can make you regret questioning his mother’s cooking.

“If you brown the vegetables, you can get the flav’ of meat, which is at a premium in a country like Sicily.”

Laura told me later that she and Dad knew that Sicily wasn’t its own country, but they just kept their mouths shut.

“You used all the tricks you could to give your soup a meaty flav’,” Freddie said. “I’m not saying we were poor and couldn’t afford no meat, just

with a seemingly casual yet rigorous formal control.

Kessler speaks of his “heteroformalism,” his practice in various forms and genres, as a way of regularly refreshing his imagination, the poetry, essays, and translations feeding and informing one another in mutual crossfertilization that keeps him engaged, surprised, and venturing into new realms of discovery.

For 37 years, the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission has selected

that my family didn’t spend money when they didn’t have to.”

Laura and Dad were still listening. But I got bored, so I went over to the window and started flicking the shoelaces on the cordovan shoes that had already caused so much fear and fable in our family saga. As I flicked the shoelaces the same way Dad had flicked the buckle on the lady’s shoes, Freddie came over and grabbed the shoes right out of my hands.

“You know you owe me fourteen dollas, and you know I can call it due any time, Herman,” Freddie said, “I want these shoes.”

Dad went catatonic. Laura and I knew the story and it was getting thick as Pasta Fazool. n

outstanding artists nominated by the public and honored them. Nominees must be a resident of Santa Cruz County, must have a national or international reputation, must have contributed to the cultural enrichment of the local community, and must have created or presented work in Santa Cruz County. n •••

A free profile performance will take place May 20 from 7-9 p.m., at Kuumbwa Jazz Center. For details, check the Parks Department website in early spring: www.scparks.com

Your Generosity is Working Hard

By Susan True

Our community has a history of coming together in times of disaster.

In response to the winter storms of 2023 we are working with frontline nonprofits, public safety agencies, the small business community and others to support the county’s stormrelated needs.

How We’re Responding

The needs of responding nonprofits are evolving as they help people and neighborhoods assess damage, clean up, prepare for new storms, and recover from storm-related losses and hardships.

Likewise, small business owners are assessing damage to their family businesses and are in touch with us about their needs. Our Disaster Fund will help them with urgent supplies and labor needs and other unreimbursed expenses they’re incurring as they respond to community needs.

Your generous donations to the Disaster Fund are already hard at work.

We’ve issued $510,000 to trusted nonprofit partners coordinating volunteers and

helping those affected by the recent storms including seniors coping with prolonged power outages, working-class occupants of structurally damaged homes, and small businesses with steep losses and staff unable to work due to closures.

Grantees include: Community Action Board, Community Bridges, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County and Capitola small food service businesses.

Your donations fill a gap in timing and eligibility for government resources. State and federal aid will be essential for our long-term recovery.

While our grant dollars will be smaller than public funds, they play a unique role in the ability to respond swiftly, adapt to changing conditions, and serve people who won’t be helped by public dollars.

We have so much work ahead of us.

Gifts to the Disaster Fund will be matched up to $100,000 by Julie Packard,

•••

For information about funding or grant applications. email grants@cfscc.org.

For questions about making a donation, contact Donor Services Officer Hana Kong: YKong@cfscc.org.

•••

True is CEO of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County.

FEMA Storm Aid Deadline for Santa Cruz County: March 16

On Jan. 14, President Biden authorized a major disaster declaration for Santa Cruz County after California was hit by waves of atmospheric river storms beginning Dec. 27. The declaration provides assistance to

local governments and nonprofits, families and individuals who apply. The deadline to apply is Thursday, March 16.

Homeowners and renters in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Merced, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties

who had damage or losses as a direct result of the storms are encouraged to apply for assistance.

Disaster assistance may include grants to help pay for temporary housing and essential home repairs as well as other

serious disaster-related needs such as medical and dental expenses, transportation, childcare, and moving and storage expenses.

“FEMA” page 24

Santa Cruz County community member and executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. n

Susan

Photo Credit: Howard McGhee

Second Harvest: Food for Flooded People

On Monday afternoon, a Second Harvest community outreach team visited flood victims in Bay Village and adjacent communities in Watsonville, canvassing door-to-door and asking whether residents need food.

If so, a supply of fresh vegetables and shelf-stable pantry items will be provided on the spot by The Food Bank.

As Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County canvasses local neighborhoods in days following historic flooding, it is the continuation of an immediate response during the flooding and subsequent disaster. A combination of an atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclone, compounding the effects

of years-long drought conditions which caused flooding and evacuations in Santa Cruz County in the first 15 days of 2023.

Second Harvest Food Bank stepped up efforts immediately by lending labor and transport for sand bagging and emergency food distributions.

Second Harvest coordinated six of its partner agencies who rotated and provided a total of 5,815.

Partner agencies providing aid were Watsonville Salvation Army, Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes, Martha’s Kitchen, Grey

Bears, Westview Presbyterian, and St. Francis Soup Kitchen.

Once the evacuation centers were closed on Jan. 18, Second Harvest advanced to the next effort, resupplying hard-hit neighborhoods that lost food during flooding and power outages.

Since many flood victims in senior communities are house-bound, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, convened a team to take food to the people.

“We’ve put together a mobile pantry and are knocking on doors to fill the urgent need for food in Watsonville,” said Second

Harvest CEO, Erica Padilla-Chavez. “We’re here every step of the way for our neighbors in need. Sandbags, hot meals, and now a mobile pantry.”

Second Harvest Food Bank is not only committed to providing emergency food in the face of local disasters, but also year-round relief. Anyone needing food or assistance to apply for CalFresh food stamps is encouraged to call the Second Harvest Community Food Hotline (831) 662-0991.

Seniors affected by the floods needing food resources in Santa Cruz County can call the Food hotline at 831-662-0991 for information on the free pantry recovery program. n

What are Atmospheric Rivers?

By National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere — like rivers in the sky — that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.

These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.

Although atmospheric rivers come in many shapes and sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor and the strongest winds can create extreme rainfall and floods, often by stalling over watersheds vulnerable to flooding. These events can disrupt travel, induce mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property.

A well-known example is the “Pineapple Express,” a strong atmospheric river that is capable of bringing moisture from the tropics near Hawaii over to the U.S. West Coast.

Not all atmospheric rivers cause damage; most are weak systems that often provide beneficial rain or snow that is crucial to the water supply. Atmospheric

rivers are a key feature in the global water cycle and are closely tied to both water supply and flood risks — particularly in the western United States.

While atmospheric rivers are responsible for great quantities of rain that can produce flooding, they also contribute to beneficial increases in snowpack.

A series of atmospheric rivers fueled the strong winter storms that battered the U.S. West Coast from western Washington

to southern California from Dec. 10-22, 2010, producing 11 to 25 inches of rain in certain areas. These rivers also contributed to the snowpack in the Sierras, which received 75 percent of its annual snow by Dec. 22, the first full day of winter. NOAA research (e.g., NOAA Hydrometeorological Testbed and CalWater) uses satellite, radar, aircraft and other observations, as well as major numerical weather model improvements, to better understand

atmospheric rivers and their importance to both weather and climate.

Scientific research yields important data that helps NOAA’s National Weather Service forecasters issue warnings for potential heavy rain and flooding in areas prone to the impacts of atmospheric rivers as many as five to seven days in advance. •••

To learn more, visit: http://www.esrl.noaa. gov/psd/atmrivers/

How to File Effective Insurance Claims

The words you choose when filing an insurance claim for storm-related damage can mean the difference between a claim being accepted and denied. Using the word “flood” might be less

effective than describing “a hole caused by a branch torn loose by heavy wind that let in water.

Or say that wind-driven rain made entry into one’s house,” advises

one expert with the nonprofit United Policyholders.

Community Bridges hosted flood recovery information sessions featuring experts on insurance information and flood claims to

help the public learn about resources and more effectively file claims for property damage. n Video and audio recordings of the meetings, in English, Spanish, Mixteco and Triqui, can be reviewed at communitybridges.org/events.

SBA Business Recovery Center Open in Capitola

On Jan 20, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the California Small Business Development Center opened an SBA Business Recovery Center in Capitola to help businesses impacted by the severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that began Dec. 27.

No appointment is necessary. All services are free. This location, serving Santa Cruz County, is at Capitola City Hall, Community Room (first floor), 420 Capitola Ave., Capitola. Hours are Mondays — Fridays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Public metered parking is behind City Hall.

The federal business recovery center opened one day after President Joe Biden visited Capitola Village and said, “Rebuild better” and “The country’s here for you every step of the way.”

“Due to the severe property damage and economic losses inflicted on California businesses, we want to provide every available service to help get them back on their feet,” said SBA’s Director Tanya Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West.

“The center will provide a one-stop location for businesses to access a variety of specialized help,” she added. “SBA representatives will meet with each business owner to explain how an SBA disaster loan can help finance their recovery. They will answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help each business owner complete their electronic loan application.”

According to Santa Cruz Small Business Development Center Director Brandon Small, business advisors can provide business assistance to clients on a wide variety of matters designed to help small business owners re-establish their operations, overcome the effects of the disaster and plan for their future.

Services include assessing business working capital needs, evaluating the business’s strength, cash flow projections, and most importantly, a review of options with the business owner to help them evaluate their alternatives and make decisions that are appropriate for their situation, he added.

Businesses of any size and private

nonprofits may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. These loans cover losses that are not fully covered by insurance or other recoveries.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, nonprofits of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered property damage.

The deadline to apply for property damage loans is March 16. The deadline to apply for economic injury loans is Oct. 16.

Business owners unable to visit the business recovery center in person can apply online at https://disasterloanassistance.sba. gov/ or https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

SBA representatives continue to meet with business owners and residents at disaster recovery centers located in California.

For locations, or to receive additional

disaster assistance information, visit SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/disaster. n

For more info, applicants can call SBA’s Customer Service Center: (800) 659-2955, or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Completed applications should be mailed to:

U.S. Small Business Administration Processing and Disbursement Center 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155

Santa Cruz Metro: One Ride at a Time

Santa Cruz Metro is launching One Ride at a Time, a campaign to showcase the environmental benefits of transit, encourage bus ridership and protect Santa Cruz County’s extraordinary natural resources.

One Ride at a Time is made possible by a partnership between Metro, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Bay of Life Fund, and renowned photographerwriter team Frans Lanting and Chris Eckstrom.

Metro is releasing pairs of buses wrapped with Lanting’s iconic images of the Monterey Bay from the Bay of Life Project. By the end of 2024, about 30 buses will feature inspiring images of whales, sea otters, mountain lions, redwoods and more.

The first pair of bus wraps were unveiled Jan. 21, coinciding with the opening weekend of Lanting and Eckstrom’s Bay of Life Exhibition at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. (See santacruzmah.org/exhibitions/bay-of-life.)

Starting in March, every ride on a Metro bus donates to our partners in protecting the environment, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Bay of Life Fund.

To participate, bus riders must create an account on the online ridesharing portal administered by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission GO Santa Cruz County program (scmtd.org/gosantacruz), or through the Commute Tracker app (scmtd.org/ctsetup).

Once enrolled, riders log their bus trips, earning 10 points for each trip with a maximum of two rides per day that count toward point accruals. When a rider reaches 250 points, or 25 rides, they can use the portal to select a nonprofit partner to receive a $10 donation. Riders will get an estimate

of greenhouse gas emissions reductions they made by riding the bus and compete to see who can make the biggest impact.

“With One Ride at a Time, we aim to increase ridership and solidify Metro as the region’s environmentally smart transportation choice while supporting organizations making a difference in our community,” said Larry Pageler, Metro Board chairman.

Lanting and Eckstrom said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Metro and to put our images from Bay of Life to work protecting our precious Monterey Bay environment one ride at a time.”

Metro will inform the community about the conservation and education efforts via transit center displays, interior bus signs and its website.

“Everyone who lives, works, and plays in this region is a steward to one of the planet’s treasures of biodiversity,” said

Ginaia Kelly, chapter director of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. “This campaign gives people an opportunity to protect our Monterey Bay with their everyday transportation choices.”

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is the local nonprofit partner and chief advocate for NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and is the local chapter of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Its mission is to leave a thriving sanctuary to future generations by protecting wildlife and habitats and inspiring the public to be its stewards.

Secretary Leon Panetta, co-chairman of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, said, “Each of us has a special responsibility to be good stewards of the natural treasure we all have inherited.”

In 2022, Metro has pledged all new bus purchases would be zero-emissions.

Metro is converting its entire bus fleet to zero-emissions. By the end of 2023, Metro will have 9 zero-emissions buses.

“This project has been a labor of love for Metro and our partners,” Metro Marketing & Communications Director Danielle Glagola said of One Ride at a Time. “Our goal is to increase environmental awareness and remind the public that using public transit over personal vehicles, even one ride at a time, reduces omissions. Now, through this program and with our partners’ help, riders can also donate to our local environmental nonprofits, doubling their impact, with one simple action of riding Metro.”

Every ride on a Metro bus takes cars off the road and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. n

For information, visit scmtd.com/onerideatatime.

Photo Credit: Frans Lanting Humpback whales lunge feeding surrounded by gulls, Monterey Bay

Photo Credit: Zach Friend

Mid-County Senior Center: Join the Comeback!

By Laurie Hill

After a few challenging years, the Mid-County Senior Center has again reopened its doors and invites you to become a part of their comeback.

To start, on Saturday Feb. 25, the Mid Senior Center will hold a Mardi Grasthemed fundraiser dinner and dance.

The spaghetti dinner will be prepared by Michael and Alexa Termini followed by The Little Big Band playing swing dance music. Tickets are $40 (dinner, dance and 1 drink ticket) and are available on Eventbrite and at the Center (829 Bay Ave. Capitola). People age 50 and up are welcome.

The MCSC policy requires Covid vaccination of attendees.

Cindy Kiernan, one of the creative sparks behind this comeback, remarked, “Our seniors are healthier and more active than ever before and it is our

mission to give them options to stay that way. The Center is a treasure of activities and services for seniors and we are excited to have them returning after our health closures.”

To energize the comeback, the Center has added exercise, photography and art classes.

Seniors can join card games, such as bridge, canaasta, and Pedros, games such as Mah Jong, bunco and chess, and Scrabble, a ukulele group and the Choraliers who perform music, plays and dance.

Dances, in a variety of genres, are offered on Fridays.

Seniors can grow their own gardens at the center and the garden group’s float recently won 1st Place in the Capitola Beach Festival’s Lighted Nautical Parade. n Check out the full calendar of activities at: www: mcsc-capitola.org

Tips to Save Money in the New Year

Americans have been wrestling with inflation for the past 12 months. So as recession looms, how can you save more money.

“Looking to boost your savings is a worthy goal. But to make it work, you have to take small steps that add up to big change over time,” said Amy Maliga, financial educator with Take Charge America, a nonprofit credit counseling and debt management agency. “By exploring a few small changes in your day-to-day life, you can curb spending and put more money in your savings throughout 2023.”

Maliga recommends several changes:

• Start living on a budget. When you have a clear picture of your income and expenses, you can make any needed changes to prioritize or improve your savings. Use paper and pencil, a spreadsheet or one of numerous apps like PocketGuard or Mvelopes to track your spending. Try for 30 days to get a sense of where you can save.

• Deposit cash-back rewards. If you have a cash-back credit card, deposit your rewards directly into your savings account. This way, every time you use your card, you’ll automatically add to your savings. Just be sure to pay off your card balance on time every month.

• Upgrade your bank account. If your existing savings account isn’t yielding much interest, shop around for an account with a better rate. Interest rates has been rising, and a higher rate can help you reach your savings goals more quickly. Paying too many fees for your checking account? Research free checking account options that can help you save more.

• Declutter your email. Tempted by too many emails from your favorite

retailers? Unsubscribe to eliminate the temptation. Do it manually or use email decluttering services like Unroll. Me and Clean Email to unsubscribe from unwanted emails quickly.

• Compare prices. Spending a few minutes to compare prices can save you money in the long term. Use apps like ShopSavvy or BuyVia when out shopping to scan barcodes and find the best price. When shopping online, install browser extensions like Honey

and InvisibleHand that alert you of a lower price for an item you’re about to buy. They also find sales and promo codes to help you get the best deal. •••

Founded in 1987, Take Charge America, Inc. is a nonprofit agency offering credit counseling, debt management, housing counseling and bankruptcy counseling. It has helped more than 2 million consumers nationwide. To learn more, visit takechargeamerica.org or call (888) 822-9193.

Gals make lavender wands outdoors at the Mid-County Senior Center in Capitola.

Federal Disaster Loans Available

Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to California businesses and residents as a result of President Biden’s major disaster declaration.

The declaration covers Merced, Sacramento and Santa Cruz counties as a result of severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that began Dec. 27, 2022.

“With President Biden’s declaration, SBA is working closely with FEMA and our state and local officials on the ground to deliver expedient disaster recovery loans and support that will aid Californians impacted by these severe and devastating winter storms, flooding and mudslides,” said Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.

“My heartfelt condolences go out to the families who have lost loved ones, and I urge affected residents to stay safe and heed the guidance of local emergency officials. As the state faces continued rainfall and heightened risks of flooding and mudslides, the SBA is committed to providing the full breadth of our resources to help small businesses and communities recover and rebuild stronger than before.”

Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business

assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to businesses and homeowners to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofits of any size, SBA offers “Economic Injury Disaster Loans” to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is

available to businesses regardless of any property damage.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Interest rates can be as low as 3.305% for businesses, 2.375% for private nonprofit organizations and 2.313% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years.

Loan amounts and terms are set by

SBA, based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To be considered, survivors must first contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.disasterassistance.gov.

As soon as Federal-State Disaster Recovery Centers open throughout the affected area, SBA will provide one-on-one assistance to disaster loan applicants.

For details on the location of disaster recovery centers, call the SBA Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955.

Recently Guzman announced a policy change granting 12 months of no payments and 0% interest. This pertains to all disaster loans approved in response to disasters declared on or after September 21, 2022, through September 30, 2023. This covers SBA disaster loans currently available for Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian declared earlier this year.

This policy change will benefit disaster survivors and help them to decrease the overall cost of recovery by reducing the amount of accrued interest they must repay.

For details call (800) 659-2955. n •••

Individuals with verbal or hearing impairments may dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday to Friday, or email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

First Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

On Jan. 17, Attorney General Rob Kevin E. Hooks as the California Department of Justice’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

He will lead ongoing efforts to build and maintain an organizational culture that promotes an inclusive and diverse workforce and supports excellence in service.

“My top priority in this role will be to cultivate a more inclusive environment within DOJ and throughout California,” Hooks said. “I am committed to this work and I am confident that, by working together, we will build a more equitable California for everyone.”

Hooks most recently was president and CEO of CEOLIFE Unplugged, leading diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

From 2020 to 2021, he was the chief community officer and head of diversity for Acorns. From 2013 to 2021, he was the

president and CEO of the Las Vegas Urban League.

Hooks has worked in the private sector for Weber Shandwick, UPP Entertainment Marketing, and State Farm Insurance. He has a bachelor’s degree in speech communications from Missouri Southern State University and, in 2015, was a member of the inaugural Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.

“I’m excited to have Kevin on board,” Bonta said. “I look forward to the work ahead. For all those who are interested in helping defend the people, values, and resources of California, I urge you to consider a career here at the California Department of Justice. We are always looking to bring on qualified personnel.”

Working closely with the entire DOJ,

the CDIO will support and implement strategies aimed at cultivating a work environment that values the differences, talents, and abilities of all employees and fosters a culture of belonging where everyone feels confident that bringing their authentic selves to work will not limit opportunities to excel.

The new position is responsible for developing and providing overall management and direction for DOJ’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging programs, including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, to effectively integrate inclusion across DOJ and further foster cultural competency.

The chief diversit and inclusion officer will work to strengthen DOJ’s recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts, recognizing that an agency that better

reflects California will be better situated to serve the needs of all Californians.

The CDIO will work closely with DOJ’s executive leadership, Office of Human Resources, Equal Employment Rights and Resolution Office, and other internal and external stakeholders, including DOJ’s employee organizations.

The Attorney General urges people of all backgrounds to consider a career at DOJ.

If you’re determined to make a better California, a better country, and a better world, DOJ invites you to seek a career within the department as a lawyer, special agent, program manager, forensic scientist, researcher, legal assistant, information technology specialist, communications professional, investigative auditor, and more. n

Learn about joining DOJ here: https://oag. ca.gov/careers.

Kevin E. Hooks

For the Love of … Songs that Feature Weather and Water

This winter, our community has been greatly impacted by the storms, heavy rains, atmospheric rivers, and winds, which were a stark contrast to the multi-year droughts that we experience on a regular basis.

As we all know, one rainy season doesn’t mean that the water challenges are over in our community — and we must stay focused on long-term water reliability and resiliency as climate change brings big swings to the weather conditions we face.

We stand strong with our fellow Santa Cruz County community as we continue to live, thrive, and survive following the recent storms and our hearts go out to the residents who were directly impacted.

A few years ago, we took the opportunity to create our February article to be “For the Love of….” And featured movies, books, and podcasts that were about water. To keep with the tradition, this year we’re focusing on SONGS related to weather, water, and love.

•••

Tohonor the full month of February, we’ve curated 28 songs, one for each day and from a diverse genre, and created a playlist on Spotify at https://spoti. fi/3QLLM4M. Below we’ve listed them and highlighted eight.

• Take Me to the River by Al Green (1974)

• You Don’t Miss Your Water by Otis Redding (1965)

“FEMA” from page 19

If you have insurance, first file a claim with your insurance provider. FEMA provides assistance to applicants for your uninsured or underinsured disaster-caused expenses and serious needs.

Applicants are required to let FEMA know about all insurance coverage including flood, homeowners and vehicle. By law, FEMA cannot provide you a grant when any other source — insurance, crowdfunding or financial assistance from voluntary agencies — has covered expenses for the same disasterrelated need.

Applicants should familiarize them-

• Big River by Johnny Cash (1957)

• I Can’t Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles (1974)

• Texas River Song by Lyle Lovett (1998)

• A Little Rain by Tom Waits (1992)

• Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan (1975)

• Down to the River to Pray by Allison Kraus (2000)

• Rainbow Connection by Kermit (1979)

• It Will Rain by Bruno Mars (2011)

• Walking on Sunshine by Katerina & The Waves (1985)

• Thunder by Imagine Dragons (2017)

• Rain on Me by Lady Gaga (with Ariana Grande) (2020)

• It’s a Sunshine Day by The Brady Bunch (1972)

• It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls (1982)

• Set Fire to the Rain by Adele (2011)

• Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles (1966)

• The Banks of the Ohio by Doc Watson (2003)

• Call it Stormy Monday by T-Bone Walker (1947)

• Ripple by the Grateful Dead (1970)

• Fire and Rain by James Taylor (1970)

• Catch the Wind by Donovan (1965)

• Come In With The Rain by Taylor Swift (2021)

• Ocean Eyes by Billie Ellish (2017)

• Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers (1971)

• The River by Bruce Springsteen (1980)

• Evert Teardrop Is a Waterfall by Coldplay (2011)

• Oceania by Björk (2004)

selves with required documentation and other materials.

There are three ways to apply: Visit DisasterAssistance.gov, which is the fastest, download the FEMA app or call the bilingual FEMA Helpline: 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-4627585). The Helpline is available until 8 p.m.

Disaster Assistance for Governments and Nonprofits: 277-page guide at https:// www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/ documents/fema_pappg-v4-updatedlinks_policy_6-1-2020.pdf

16-page simplified procedures at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/ files/documents/fema_pa-simplifiedprocedures-policy.pdf

Assistance for Families and Individuals : Details types and acceptable

By Rebecca Gold Rubin

•••

Take Me to the River: The legendary Reverend Al Green pours his soul into a song about love, betrayal, and redemption. A thoughtful and open-minded listening of the song could convert many non-believers to the healing power of water and rivers.

Set Fire to the Rain: This is a heartwrenching, tale of love and loss from the beloved English singing star, Adele. She uses the opposing elements of fire and water in a torch song reminiscent of a Greek tragedy: A woman spurned exacts revenge and annihilation via flaming precipitation. Not the kind of raindrops you want falling on your head.

Texas River Song: This is a pretty song also includes geology, hydrology, and geography, and a healthy dose of heartbreak. An added bonus: It is sung by Texas icon Lyle Lovett.

Banks of the Ohio: Some love songs are tragic in concept; some are quite literally tragic. This traditional folk song by Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs is the latter and explores the dark side of unrequited loved, and it ends badly. It is performed by a group of bluegrass legends who collectively convey the remorse and sadness of a senseless deed with virtuosity and subtlety.

dates of documents that disaster survivors can provide to verify home ownership and occupancy. FEMA is required by law to verify an applicant’s occupancy for Housing Assistance. https://www.fema.gov/ sites/default/files/documents/ fema_updated-iappg-version-1.1.pdf

Programs to Support Disaster Survivors: Disaster Case Management, to create a recovery plan; Disaster Legal Services for low-income survivors; Crisis Counseling Training Program for up to nine months

What information does FEMA require?

• Each family member’s name & Social Security number.

• Damaged phone number means the

You Don’t Miss Your Water: The great Otis Redding convinces us in this song that he is lovesick, but William Bell actually wrote the song about his homesickness. He uses the old adage of not missing your water until the well goes dry, as a metaphor for not appreciating what one has until it’s lost. (If there were such a thing, could this be the “official” song of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency?)

Big River: From St. Paul to New Orleans, Johnny Cash leads us down the Mississippi on a meandering pursuit of a woman with whom he is smitten because of her Southern drawl. Or, perhaps, it is the river itself that he is following? His tears flood the river, and he vows to sit there until he dies.

The River: The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, delves into a few of life’s big questions on this song about a man who rues the events and circumstances of his young life. He reminisces about days of romance at the river or the reservoir with his girlfriend, before teenaged pregnancy sends them into early adulthood. “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true/Or is it something worse?”

Rain On Me: This song by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande has it all! There’s a beat you can (must) dance to, and it includes rain, tears, misery, and an empowering message. It’s been described as an escapist pop song and a queer anthem. The pop divas lean hard into rain, rain, and more rain. All that rain propels them skyward: “Hands up to the sky/I’ll be your galaxy/I’m about to fly/Rain on me, tsunami.” n

number you used at the time of the disaster.

• Personal property means anything that isn’t land or part of the building, so it includes appliances, clothing, furniture and anything else that was yours. Four things to include on all documents:

• Name

• Last four digits of your Social Security number

• FEMA Application Number: XXX-XXXX-XX

• FEMA Disaster Number: DR-4657-OK

FEMA Fact Sheet on Individual Assistance: www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/ fact-sheet-quick-facts-femas-individualassistance-program

Renting EVs: Charging Fees Shocking

By Christopher Elliott

You’d think the cost of renting an electric vehicle would be falling, with Tesla slashing the price of its cars by up to 20% last week. Not exactly.

The EV premium is alive and well. Electric car rentals still cost roughly 20% more than gas-powered vehicles, according to a random sampling of prices I conducted. But there’s also a hidden cost of renting an EV that has shocked some travelers. It includes extras for charging the car or spending too much time at a charging station.

The extras add up, making an EV rental a luxury for many travelers. In fact, smart drivers are turning down the opportunity to rent an electric vehicle.

What are Car Rental Fees for EVs?

Folb did a double-take when Budget Car Rental recently sent him its updated terms. Buried deep in the fine print was a requirement that EVs have to be returned more than 70% charged or face a $35 fee. If it’s less than 10%, it’s $70.

“I wonder what the other car rental companies are doing,” says Folb, who works for a nonprofit organization in Arlington, Va.

Well, wonder no more. Avis, which owns Budget, has an identical policy. Hertz has a complicated set of EV fees that include charging, controversial “idle” fees and the costs of any damaged charging cable. Enterprise doesn’t have any EV charging fees, and Sixt actually rewards you for recharging your car with a voucher.

“When renting an EV, renters need to be aware of any additional charging fees

that may be required post-rental,” explains Erin Kemp, a consumer advocate for the car site Bumper.

Kemp has seen charging fees ranging from $15 to $50 or more, depending on the rental company and the battery. He says car rental customers should think of it as a supercharged refueling fee. Car rental companies charge about three times as much as the market rate to top off an EV with a low battery.

Charging more for an EV and adding hidden fees is a bizarre business practice, considering that car rental companies are trying to get more people to rent an EV.

Drivers are Revolted Callum Russell rented a Nissan Ariya on a recent visit to California. The daily rate of $50 was reasonable -- but that was before the fees.

The company added fees of $35 for EV charging and $20 for an additional driver, and a representative also told him that if he didn’t return the EV clean, he’d have to pay another fee. “The charging fee was much more than if I had used a public charging port,” says Russell, who runs a site about EV charging.

Daniel Carr had a similar experience when he priced cars for a one-week rental.

“The car options that were electric were overpriced,” says Carr, who publishes an automotive blog. “I think they are taking advantage of the fact that it’s a new technology, and know that if you want to pick an EV over a gas-powered car, they can take advantage of your moral preference for using an EV.”

He went with a gas-powered car.

Richard Wong, a government worker from Washington, D.C., tried to rent an EV in San Francisco during the holiday. The

price tag, after all the surcharges, came to more than $100 per day. He’s outraged.

“I don’t know how they can justify the greater expense if we’re paying for the electricity and they’re probably receiving government incentives like tax breaks or outright subsidies for buying electric vehicles,” he says.

Wong also went with a conventional vehicle.

How to Avoid High Fees

Scrap your assumptions about EVs before you rent one, say experts.

You know, that they’re affordable, that there are no extra fees, and that all of the fees are clearly disclosed. The exact opposite is often true.

“Be sure to ask,” says Andrew Krulewitz, CEO of Zevvy, the electric vehicle leasing company.

What’s the Charging Policy?

Every rental company seems to have a different policy on charging.

“EVs” page 26

The Grammys

of electrical energy

65. Hoover’s agency, acr.

67. Discompose

68. Shade of yellow

69. I in T.G.I.F.

70. Small, olive-gray bird

71. “Cheers” regular 72. Inquire

73. Open up

1. Bath powder

2. Iranian coin

3. ____ Spumante

4. Be needy

5. Gossipy ones

6. Arabian Peninsula country

7. Column’s counterpart

8. Holiday surprise for employee

9. Palo ____, CA

10. Agitate

11. Inwardly

12. *1970 two-time winner “The ____ of Aquarius”

15. Hindu retreat

20. Ancient Rome’s neighbor

22. Nail a criminal 24. Popular newspaper name 25. *”30” performer 26. Pillage 27. Beef ___, dim sum choice 29. *”Don’t Shut Me Down” group

31. Alan Alda’s classic TV show 32. Type of hawk 33. Type of flu

34. Multi-colored dog coat 36. One of three square ones

38. Shower with affection 42. Human trunk 45. Sliding fastener

Part of “i”

Past-life experience? (2 words)

Capital of Bulgaria

Airbnb option

Chanel of fashion

German industrial valley

Big Bang’s original matter

Disc, alt. sp.

Popular dieter’s foe

Between ports

Chris Hemsworth’s superhero

*Award-winning Bon Jovi’s lead singer

*Coldplay’s collaborators

Aquarius — Cleansing the Land with Waters of Life

We are in the light of Aquarius now. The eleventh sign, the sign of humanity. Aquarius is also the sign of the present/future — our hopes, wishes and dreams. On the fixed cross (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius — fixed air) of the Soul, Aquarius is the man holding a water pot, pouring forth the “waters (electrical) of life for thirsty humanity”.

When Aquarius begins, the eleventh task is given to Hercules (who is humanity itself) as the eleventh Temple Gate opens. The task is to cleanse the land (Augean stables) that have become destroyed, tainted and spoiled by misuse and corruption. In other words, to “clear the swamp”. In the story (Labors of Hercules), Hercules is told by the Teacher to cleanse the land from death and destruction, for humanity is dying in that land.

And so, after reaching the unclean and devastated town and after much thought as to how to accomplish this task, a revelation occurred to Hercules. Alongside the town ran two rivers. Hercules set about diverting the direction of the rivers so their waters, flowing through the town, could cleanse and purifying the land.

ARIES

What is occurring in your home, with family and loved ones? Something from the past needs tending, a new structure perhaps, new disciplines. Accomplished with love, of course. How does your biological family influence your life now? Each of us, as we are born into our families, assumes the spiritual task of healing our family’s wounds (generations of them). This is a Soul contact. It is our love (the heart of sacrifice) that understands this.

TAURUS

You are the focus, the speaker, the leader, the one who “knows” what to do within the community/village you live within. You understand everyone, have patience with their vicissitudes, understand the different rays and thus behavior patterns & structures. You have the capacity to see the whole picture which contains the smaller. Your abilities bring the individuals together, help them identify as a group, and eventually form true community. Their minds are made ‘new.’

GEMINI

The impulse, the message, the Hierarchical impressions being placed on you to travel to a community (not anyone, a specific one) is becoming greater and greater. What is needed by you to follow this impress? Many of us are being “impressed” these days, by greater intelligences who, observing us, know what it is we need, know what others need, know who can fulfill those needs. You could perhaps consider that you are needed elsewhere. Ponder this. Do you have the book?

CANCER

You are participating in something with family, something personal? You continue to return to a place that either needs your expertise or you need its energy and light. Perhaps, and most likely, it’s both. You feel serious about a family situation, try to make plans that bring more discipline. The next six months you will consider the needed changes to be made. You will consider all things new, along with the meaning & purpose of your life. A new direction is taken.

By Risa D’Angeles

This task of cleaning and purifying is now given to humanity. The task is to purify humanity’s emotional states so that the flow of energy to the intuition can be clear and unobstructed.

Aquarian energy (with its rulers Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter) is fast, revelatory, revolutionary energy that reshapes the world. All world events are being colored by the nature and qualities of Aquarius. Aquarius calls for freedom of the individual, for benevolence and for the Rule of Law. Aquarius breaks with conventions, seeks new solutions to old problems (social, economic, religious, political). Everything that restricts humanity’s moving forward and evolving is shaken up by Aquarius.

The color of Aquarius is violet blue. The symbol is the man carrying a water jar. Electrical waters that touch the minds of humanity. These “waters” are prana, life force. It is as if out of nothing, magic happens. We breathe in air, which we cannot see, and life continues. It’s as if life and all that is around us, all that is within us is magic. Kingdoms of magic & beauty! n

LEO

Have you found your thoughts are more resolute, determined, serious, more concerned with rules & regulations? Are you feeling restricted by someone or a certain relationship? Do you feel the need to run away to far-off lands? Is someone or something waiting for you here, there, somewhere? Is work more and more serious and is a change, renovation, makeover needed there? Do you seek a sense of community which would fulfill relationship needs? Something new will happen soon. Friends seek you out. Accommodate them with love.

VIRGO

Take seriously the idea that you are of deep and meaningful value. Review how your money & resources are used. Is there enough to continue with your present/ past lifestyle? If not, what needs to be changed, pulled back, revitalized, added to? And how can these be accomplished? Each day is filled with tasks. Each day changes, no matter how you plan. At the end of each day, review your day. From night to morning. Then you see that each day is good. No matter what occurs, the day is good.

LIBRA

Soon you will feel as if you’ve turned inward towards interior realities. This will last for several months, as you assess responsibilities, review your self-identity & self-image. Beliefs and foundations that have held you for so long are changing. Also, how you interact with others. Rest more, allow nature and the plants you grow to heal your restless mind. Be the artist you really are. Begin your garden; herbs, medicinals, flowers (edible) & vegetables. Include fruit trees. All of this will be your creativity. Create a garden journal. Make your kingdom colorful.

SCORPIO

It’s a good time, as the new era unfolds, to ask yourself Scorpio’s most potent questions. Always you seek the truth, delving deeply where only the courageous (or angels) go. Your truth creates your philosophy of life. As you search into yourself, realigning beliefs & values, consider hopes, wishes, dreams and goals. What are they? Sometimes, due to disappointments, we don’t consider hopes, wishes and dreams. However, they create our future. Here is a morning prayer/mantra for you...“Let reality govern my every thought. And truth be the master of my life.”

SAGITTARIUS

Is your mind internalized, filled with future ideas & possibilities? Is there a bit of recriminatory thinking, of things you failed to do in the recent past? Shafts of both darkness and light appear. Shadows too. Creativity is the most important element calling to you, presenting you with a new identity, initiating new thoughts in your mind. Creativity is what we are made of. Here is a line of poetry by John Donne reminding me of you. “I am cunningly made, a universe of elements.” As a teacher, you hold not only your own creativity but you influence other’s as well. This new year will be a surprise.

CAPRICORN

Called to serve the world, and responding to these calls, your sense of self and ability to communicate expands. Be aware that Mercury is in your sign at this time, slowly moving forward. Mercury in Capricorn can initiate the thought of being a writer. Mercury in Capricorn makes one feel responsible. Voices can sound harsh. Astrologers know it’s not harshness, but the sound of practicality. Most aren’t astrology-wise or practical (yet). I caution you. Don’t be self-critical. It’s destructive & separates you from life. Turn any criticism to praise for you are of great value. In a world now in great need, you are the Server who is called.

AQUARIUS

You are looking around the community, sensing, feeling, discovering the values & resources to see if they are useful for you in terms of your daily life & needs. There is a quiet transformation taking place within. You are asking deep questions, the answers of which will alter the patterns of daily life. There are special friends around that you trust and care for. They in turn care for you. You influence the lives of others. As friends offer their care and assistance, hearts grow stronger and a community is formed. Everyone shares and gives and then gives some more. You are the magnet and the heart. It all begins with you.

PISCES

A spiritual presence is making itself known to you, through your studies, teachings, interactions, wishes and dreams. Also in your acts of kindness & care, sacrifice & love. Often this occurs in the very early morning, just before dawn. It is good to share with others your spiritual tasks. Each day commit yourself to the Will to Good and the Will to Love. These summon in everyone around acts of Goodwill and Right Relations and all the kingdoms benefit. By living within this standard of values, your worth, authority, abilities, service, and your happiness increase. Life then follows in harmony and in beauty (the hidden path to God).

“EVs” from page 25

Some will allow you to return the vehicle without a charge and won’t make you pay extra. Others will start charging a fee if you return the car with less than 70% charge on the battery, and they’ll punish you with even steeper fees if you go under 10%.

“You may pay significantly above what it would cost to charge up the car,” says Krulewitz.

Are There any Other Fees?

Charging fees are not the only “gotchas.” Renters have reported other extras, like idle fees (for overstaying your welcome at a charging station) and additional surcharges if your battery level dips below 10%.

Also, knowing the car rental industry like I do, it’s only a matter of time before they invent another fee and quietly add it to their terms and conditions.

Can you Recharge?

The problem with a recharging fee is that it’s often impractical to top off a vehicle before returning it, according to Phil Partridge, marketing manager for Rhino Car.

“With a regular car, customers can pop into the nearest fuel station to the airport to top up at the expense of 5 to 10 minutes,” he says. “But the forward planning required to leave enough time to recharge the rental car — up to an hour or more! — could add unwanted time and stress to the rental return, which is already a rather nervy affair to many.”

How true. And in some locations, a charging station may be limited. That’s something to think about before you rent an EV.

Fees are Ridiculous

If the idea behind adding EVs is to save the environment, then most car rental companies are going about it the wrong way.

• They’re charging an EV premium — they should be offering a discount.

• They’re adding fees for charging the battery — they should be offering vouchers for returning the vehicle with a full charge (like Sixt).

• They’re adding hidden fees and extra expenses — they should be removing them.

So when I see reports of hundreds of Teslas sitting idle in Hertz parking lot, I’m not surprised. Some car rental companies see EVs as a profit opportunity, and they are hoping our conscience will push us to pay more and tolerate these junk fees so we can save the environment.

We may be worried about climate change, but we’re not that stupid. n

•••

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help at https:// elliottadvocacy.org/help

Talking Affordable, Equitable Public Transit

Equity Transit, a local organization advocating affordable, equitable and environmentally-wise public transit, is honoring Rosa Parks’ birthday Feb. 4 with a series of events.

National Transit Equity Day is Feb. 4, honoring Parks for her pivotal role in combating racial segregation on public buses, trains and trolleys.

Join the conversation and learn from experts, advocates and transit riders how transit access can be expanded to include more people in the community:

• Monday, Jan. 30: Transit & Urban Planning expert panel at Resource Center for Nonviolence, at 6 p.m. (inperson and live-streamed)

• Wednesday, Feb. 1: Transit & Tactical Urbanism Movie Night at Live Oak Grange, at 6 p.m.

• Friday, Feb. 3: Safe Streets Bike Party in downtown Santa Cruz at 5 p.m.

• Saturday, Feb. 4: Transit Equity/Rosa Parks’ Day Family Fair in downtown Watsonville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Safe streets are important so children can bike safely to school and elderly and disabled can walk and roll safely through the streets.

A lack of robust, equitable transportation is a major barrier to education, jobs and opportunity, and is a top predictor of future poverty. Prior to the 1940-‘50s, the United States had one of the world’s greatest public transit networks, made up of trolleys and trains that were clean and energy efficient.

Then, in one decade, over a century of efforts by civil rights leaders were undone as U.S. transit systems were destroyed by industries keen to remove competition in order to support their automobile-centric vision.

Tracks were torn out, and ever-widening highways were laid down through the bedrooms and backyards of Black and Brown communities. Suddenly, access to opportunity, jobs, education and vital community-business connections were cut off to anyone who could not drive or afford a car.

“This devastating change continues to hurt people in Santa Cruz County

today,” said Lani Faulkner, director of Equity Transit. “The lack of robust and reliable public transit disproportionately impacts Hispanic, Black, student, elderly and disabled community members, limiting and denying access to jobs, education and opportunities across the county. Robust public transit systems reinforce a strong economy and offer a choice for communities that value equity and wise stewardship of our planet.”

In 2017, a report from the Community Traffic Safety Coalition found that Santa Cruz County ranked as one of the worst cities in California for pedestrian and bicycle deaths and serious injuries.

According to the American College of

Surgeons, trauma cases involving bicyclerelated injuries increased 100% during pandemic lockdowns.

Transit Equity Week is supported by Santa Cruz County Friends of the Rail and Trail, The Sierra Club, Royal Dutch Gazelle Bicycles, Santa Cruz NAACP, Santa Cruz Black, Regeneración, Youth For Climate Justice, GO Santa Cruz County and the Regional Transportation Commission, Ecology Action, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network, Santa Cruz for Bernie, Roaring Camp Railroads, Eat for the Earth, Citizens Climate Lobby, the Cabrillo College Federation of Teachers, Campaign for Sustainable Transportation, UCSC College Dems, and Slugs for Coast Connect.

Food is Medicine: Everyone’s Harvest Receives $200,000 Grant

Farmers’ market operator Everyone’s Harvest has received $200,000 from Central California Alliance for Health for a two-year project entitled “Food is Medicine: Expanding the Fresh Rx Produce Prescription in Monterey County.”

The goals are to: Double the number of produce prescriptions for food insecure Medi-Cal members who have or are at risk for diet-related diseases; empower MediCal families to eat nutritious foods through nutrition education; and collaborate with health care and community-based organizations to facilitate Medi-Cal Fresh Rx patients’ knowledge of and access to longterm sources of nutritious, affordable food.

The project builds on Everyone’s Harvest’s existing partnerships with Monterey

County Clinic Services and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, both serving mostly Medi-Cal members and low-income families.

The produce prescriptions consist of produce vouchers that Everyone’s Harvest distributes to Medi-Cal patients at its weekly farmers’ markets. Patients redeem the vouchers by purchasing produce directly from the farmers at the markets.

The Alliance makes investments in health care and community organizations in Merced, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties through the Medi-Cal Capacity Grant Program to realize the Alliance’s vision of healthy people, healthy communities.

These investments focus on increasing the availability, quality and access of health care and supportive resources for MediCal members and address social drivers that influence health and wellness in communities.

The Alliance’s Partners for Healthy Food Access Program aims to improve member health and nutritious food security in the Medi-Cal population in Merced, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties through multi-sector partnerships implementing community-based nutritious and medically supportive food projects.

The Partners for Healthy Food Access Program supports projects with a “Food Prescription” model with the goals to:

Increase Medi-Cal member access to nutritious, medically supportive food. Engage Medi-Cal members to manage their own health to reduce preventable illness, chronic disease and hospital readmissions.

Strengthen community-based partnerships to support Medi-Cal members in incorporating nutritious food into their daily life.

The grant will enable Everyone’s Harvest to more effectively evaluate the experience for Medi-Cal members participating in Fresh Rx by including participants in the design and implementation of the program evaluation.

“Food is Medicine” page 30

Rosa Parks Statue in Dallas, Texas

Booking photo of Parks following her February 1956 arrest during the Montgomery bus boycott

Rosa Parks

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OUR COMMUNITY READS PRESENTS: MARY COIN

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, Feb. 1 • 10:30 a.m.

Capitola Book Discussion Group (Z) led by Dian Duchin Reed

Wednesday, Feb. 1 • 7 p.m.

A Talk with the Author (H)

From her home in Los Angeles, Mary Coin author Marisa Silver talks about creating the fictional world of an iconic image.

Watch online at home or join us in the Ow Family Community Room of Capitola Library, 2005 Wharf Road, Capitola, with moderator Geneffa Jonker, Cabrillo College English professor.

Sponsored by Friends of the Capitola Library.

Sunday, Feb. 5 • 3 p.m.

Concert: Songs We Sang in the Great Depression

“Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” “Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime,” “If You Ain’t Got the Do Re Mi” (In-person only)

Join local singers Aileen Vance, Bob Reid & Judi Jaeger, Jack Bowers & Vicki Coffis at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, 2402 Cabrillo College Drive, Soquel, for a live concert of songs that deepen our understanding of the world of Mary Coin and millions of other Dust Bowl migrants.

Host Julie Olsen Edwards

Tuesday, Feb. 7 • 5:30 p.m

Workshop: “Our Community Writes” (H)

Here’s your chance to create flash fiction, miniessays, or poetry based on the world of Mary Coin. Using evocative prompts and plenty of encouragement, writer June Langhoff and members of the Monterey/Santa Cruz chapter of Shut Up & Write will focus on the joy of the creative process at Fireside Room, Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley.

Writer fuel will be provided.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Scotts Valley Library.

Thursday, Feb. 9 • 6:30 p.m.

Panel: “The Photographer’s Eye” (H) Fireside Room, Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley.

Local photographers Shmuel Thaler, Kevin Painchaud, and Mary Altier will talk about their work, show examples, and contrast their experience with that of earlier photographers like Dorothea Lange. Moderated by Jim Bourne, whose photographs are on exhibit in the library through March 2023. Refreshments served.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Scotts Valley Library.

Saturday, Feb. 11 • 1 p.m.

Hands-on Art Event

In-person only at Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave, Santa Cruz

Using the medium of collage, participants will create an “extended” pencil drawing using a photo of the Dust Bowl era to which a six-word memoir is added for deeper meaning.

Presenters Jo-Neal Graves and Sharon Ferguson, Open Studios artists and art educators, will provide background information, drawing pointers, memoir development, and lots of encouragement.

No prior skills necessary to be successful.

Thursday, Feb. 16 • 6:30 p.m.

Panel: “Farm to Table: Smooth Road or Bumps Along the Way?” (H)

Temple Beth El Social Hall, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos.

Panelists will compare the working conditions of today’s farmworkers to the conditions of the Depression

era, look at labor issues from a historical perspective, and show how best practices are being applied in today’s farming.

Dr. Ann López, Executive Director of the Center for Farmworker Families, Dick Peixoto, owner of Lakeside Organic Gardens, Peter Shapiro, author of Song of the Stubborn One Thousand: The Watsonville Canning Strike, 1985-87.

Alicia Bencomo Garcia (Professor of Ethnic Studies, Cabrillo College), is the moderator.

Sponsored by Friends of the Aptos Library.

Sunday, Feb. 19 • 1 p.m.

Film: “The Grapes of Wrath”

In-person only, La Selva Beach Library, 316 Estrella Ave. Topsy Smalley, Librarian with a special interest in Steinbeck, introduces John Ford’s classic adaptation of the immortal Steinbeck novel.

Sponsored by Friends of La Selva Beach Library.

Tuesday, Feb. 21 • 6 p.m.

Film: “Dolores”

In-person only at Garden Room

Museum of Art and History,705 Front St., Santa Cruz A documentary about Dolores Huerta, co-founder— with César Chávez—of the precursor to the United Farmworkers union. Introduction by Jerry Kay, longtime friend of Ms. Huerta.

Come a few minutes early to view a video display of the work of Aptos High School students, whose class assignment was to redesign the book cover for Mary Coin or use art to tell the story behind the photo. Student work will be judged by members of the Bookshop Santa Cruz staff and awards given to the top work.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Aptos Library.

Wednesday, Feb. 22 • 6 p.m. Reading in the Redwoods

In-person only at Felton Library Community Room, 6121 Gushee St., Felton.

Book group discussion of Mary Coin led by April Zilber.

Sponsored by Felton Library Friends.

Saturday, Feb. 25 • 2:30 p.m.

Music & Film: The Depression, the Dust Bowl, and Dorothea In-person only at Felton Library Community Room, 6121 Gushee St., Felton

During the 1930s, music painted a vivid picture of a nation in crisis. Felton’s own Patti Maxine, along with Alison Steele of Sugar by the Pound, will play songs of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

The music will be followed by the short documentary “Dorothea Lange, An American Odyssey,” a portrait of the photographer portrayed as Vera Dare in Mary Coin, best known for her work documenting and humanizing the plight of migrants and farm workers in the 1930s.

Refreshments served.

Sponsored by Felton Library Friends.

Tuesday, Feb. 28 • 6:30 p.m.

Reminiscence: A Universal Language (H)

Rio Sands Hotel, 116 Aptos Beach Drive, Aptos

A personal glimpse into the life of Dorothea Lange— portrait photographer, witness to the Great Depression and the Japanese Internment, visual chronicler of the Irish Country people—as told by her son Daniel Dixon.

Presented by Dixie Dixon, widow of Daniel and herself a photographer.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Aptos Library.

•••

To register: Go to www.SantaCruzPL.org and click on Calendar at the top of the home page. Scroll the Calendar page to the event you want to attend and

February 2023 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

click the link for the name of the event. You will find registration instructions.

NOTE: This calendar is as accurate as was possible at the time of printing. For the most up-to-date Our Community Reads info, go to www.FriendsofAptosLibrary.org

HEARTS FOR THE ARTS SILENT AUCTION

Spectra and Mariposa Arts, 1368 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz Hearts for the Arts is back!

ARTISANS & agency owner Linnaea Holgers James will, once again, host this popular fundraiser at her shop in downtown Santa Cruz for arts education programs, Spectra and Mariposa Arts

The 2023 Hearts for the Arts silent auction runs from Feb. 1 through 13, when artists’ work will be featured in the shop. The auction of love-themed art will be part of the First Friday Art Tour on Feb. 3, and through an Artists’ Reception from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Bidding closes at 5 p.m. Feb. 13. Many items will be priced $150 or less — wonderful gifts for loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

HABITAT: SEEKING HOMEOWNER

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay opens the application window on Friday, Jan. 27 for the final home in the Rodeo Creek Court development located in Live Oak. This unit is single-family, 3-bedroom, 2-bath and is ADA compliant. The application window will close on Mon., Feb. 17. Orientation workshops are scheduled in Feb. 1 and 2 to learn what you need to know.

You may qualify for homeownership if:

• You are a first-time homebuyer

• Your gross annual income is within 50 - 80% of Santa Cruz County AMI Limits. For a 3-person household, this is $70,000 to $112,000; the limit is based on number of people in the household.

• You have a need for an ADA-compliant home

• Your credit score is 620 or higher

• You are willing to partner with Habitat for Humanity through sweat equity. For an application, see https://www.habitatmontereybay.com/ applications

AG SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED

Due to the extreme weather in our area, the deadline to apply for the five Agri-Culture college scholarships has been extended to Friday, Feb. 3. The scholarships are for students entering or currently attending college and majoring in agriculture, animal science or culinary arts. They are:

Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship • Jeannie Witmer Memorial Scholarship: • J.J. Crosetti, Jr. Memorial Scholarship • Laura Brown Memorial Scholarship • Frank Prevedelli Memorial Scholarship

The eligibility for the scholarships is listed on the application.: http://www.agri-culture.us/scholarships/ To request an application, contact the Financial Aid office at your school or the Agri-Culture office, 141 Monte Vista Ave., Watsonville, (831) 722-6622 or (831) 818-1193 Email: agri-culture@ sbcglobal.net. Applications also are at: www.agri-culture.us

BIG CREEK LUMBER SCHOLARSHIP

Big Creek Lumber will be offering the McCrary Family Scholarship for the third consecutive year to graduating high school seniors who will be pursuing careers in the skilled trades or forestry.

Past scholarship recipients are invited to apply for a one-time scholarship renewal for continued support of their education.

The 2022 scholarship winners were Kyle Nee and Griffin Spooner, both residents of Santa Cruz County. To apply see: www.bigcreeklumber.com/scholarships

BAY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP

Bay Federal Credit Union’s Education Scholarship is for students pursuing education and career training opportunities after high school. Up to three applicants will receive $1,500 to pay for expenses directly related to their continuing education.

Those who wish to be considered for an award must meet all eligibility requirements. Applicants must submit a completed 2023 Education Scholarship Application and all required documents by 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 17. Award recipients will be notified via phone call and/or email by April 28.

See the 2023 Student Scholarship Application for complete details and rules. Questions? Email scholarship@bayfed.com.

ONGOING EVENTS

Ongoing thru February 19

ACTORS’ THEATRE: NEW 8 TENS PLAY FESTIVAL

8 p.m., Thursdays thru Saturdays • 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Santa Cruz Center Street Theatre, 1001 Center St. After nearly a year without new shows, the Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre is kicking off the 2023 season with its popular 8 Tens @ 8 Short Play Festival — 16 new productions Jan. 20 through Feb. 19.

The new plays, selected from nearly 260 submissions coming from across the country, will alternate Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with additional Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. The weekend shows will feature one line-up at 2 p.m., and another selection at 8 p.m., allowing theater fans to see all 16 plays on the same day.

All performances will be in the Santa Cruz Center Street Theatre, 1001 Center St.

Playgoers will be required to wear a mask in the theatre and lobby areas, but proof of vaccination is not required. Tickets are $32 general, $29 for students and seniors. Thursday performances offer a discount: Two tickets for the price of one. A package deal for both shows is $58 general, $54 students and seniors. For the play lineup and tickets, see: www.santacruzactorstheatre.org/tickets

Mondays

BRIDGE CLUB

10:30 a.m.-Noon, Capitola Branch Library, 2005 Wharf Road

The Capitola Branch Library will host Bridge Club sessions on Mondays (except holidays). 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.

DATED EVENTS

Friday February 3

CABRILLO YOUTH STRINGS AUDITIONS

3:45-4:15, Music Building, VAPA 5000, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos

(First classes follow audition)

The Cabrillo Youth Strings Music Program’s spring semester begins with auditions for the Festival Strings and Cabrillo Strings classes.

String Orchestra Classes will be held for 9 weeks on consecutive Fridays in the Music Building. An entrylevel class, 4th-6th grade Beginning Strings (for violin/ viola/cello) will also be offered.

Auditions for Festival Strings (beginning note-readers)

and Cabrillo Strings (intermediate-advanced) will be followed by a rehearsal. Festival Strings classes will meet 4:15-5:45 p.m. and Cabrillo Strings will meet 4:15-5:55 p.m. Beginning Strings will meet 4-5:15 p.m.

Students must provide their own instruments and bring pencils. Covid-19 distancing will be followed. Students and parents must wear masks outside and inside the music building except when alone.

The concluding concert will be Fri., April 14 at 7 p.m.

String players ages 5 to18 are welcome to join the string orchestral and chamber music programs.

To participate or make a contribution, call (831) 4796101, email CabrilloYouthStrings@gmail.com or visit https://www.cabrillo.edu/cabrillo-youth-strings.

Register through Cabrillo Extension, 479-6331, or extension. cabrillo.edu before the first class.

Wednesdy February 8

LOVE OF CHILDREN LUNCHEON

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Seascape Golf Club, 610 Clubhouse Drive, Aptos

The Friends of CASA invite you to its annual “For the Love of Children” luncheon in the newly renovated events room at Seascape Golf Club.

This luncheon, where the community comes together to learn more about CASA, raises money for the CASA Children’s Fund.

The fund is used by our volunteer Advocates to purchase special and essential items such as bicycles, gymnastic and swimming classes, summer camp, backto-school clothing, eyeglasses, braces, and strollers.

The fund also helps older youth with critical support such as car repairs, clothes for job interviews and tutoring. Learn more about CASA of Santa Cruz County and the CASA Children’s Fund while enjoying a plated lunch. Reserve tickets by Jan. 25 at www.casaofsantacruz.org/ fortheloveofchildren or contact Magi Diego at 831-761-2956 x106 or magi@casaofsantacruz.org.

Thursday February 9

FOOLISH DOOM

7 p.m., Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center, 251B Kings Village Road

“Foolish Doom” is a tragic comedy about the climate debate with Peter Sweet & Leonie Baker and directed by Matteo Destro. It will be presented at the Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center (next to Scotts Valley Library)

This is a fantastical mix of mask theater, music, and puppetry for children and adults.

Admission: Children, $10; students & seniors $20, adults $30.

For tickets see www.svctheaterguild.org

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. For information, visit www.best4women.org, or email sicapitola.by.the.sea@gmail.com

Tuesday February 21

APTOS HISTORY MUSEUM MARDI GRAS FUNDRAISER

5-7 p.m., Seascape Golf Course, 610 Clubhouse Dr, Aptos A fun filled evening at Seascape Golf Course, featuring the Soquel High Jazz Band and a presentation by John Hibble: “How Storms Created Seacliff and the Cement Ship.” There will be a silent auction, costume contest, appetizers and a no-host bar. You won’t want to miss out! General admission: $40; museum members $35. RSVP by calling the Aptos Chamber: 831-688-1467

Friday February 24 thru Sunday February 26

SIP & STROLL FOR CAPITOLA

Saturday February 11

11 a.m.-5 p.m., Capitola Community Room, Capitola City Hall, 420 Capitola Ave. Enjoy sipping local wines and beers while strolling through charming shops and boutiques in Capitola by the Sea. Event is rain or shine.

All proceeds from this event will go to the Capitola Village Relief Fund. Pre-registration is $40 and includes:

• Capitola Village Sip & Stroll commemorative glass

• 12 two-ounce pour tickets to be used as you shop

• A map to locate which Village shops are hosting Sip and Stroll tickets sell out quickly — they can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ capitola-village-sip-stroll-tickets-516421830597

To donate separately, go to https://cfscc.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1582

Indicate in the comments that your donation is for The Villages.

Check-in begins at 11 a.m. at the Capitola Community Room, next to the Capitola Police Department. Bring your Eventbrite ticket and your photo ID to check-in.

Wineries/brewery will pour wine in the shops from Noon – 5 p.m. ABC regulations prohibit walking between tasting locations with any wine in your glass so consume or pour out wine at each tasting location before walking to the next! •••

2023 BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR

7 p.m. each night, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz Get off the beaten path, stand on the highest peaks, ski the steepest slopes, and be a part of the gripping adventures waiting for you at the 2023 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour, brought to you by UC Santa Cruz Adventure Rec.

Tickets are $23 for Aspen (Fri) and Juniper (Sun), $25 for Willow (Sat), with each night featuring completely different films. A special $10 rate is available for UCSC students for the Juniper show.

This event supports UCSC Adventure Rec student programs, affording UCSC students the chance to share in the magic of outdoor adventures. Film ratings and advisories are included in the descriptions. Consider checking before purchasing tickets for the young adventurers in your life. For tickets and list of films visit https://recreation.ucsc.edu/ adventure/banff.html

Friday February 10

Buffalo Soldiers

4-5:30 p.m., MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz

The Museum of Art & History presents a history talk on “Buffalon Soldiers” with Aniko Kannan-Millan.

Co-presented with County Park Friends. Included with MAH admission, free for MAH members.

Must be 21 or older to participate. By participating in the event, you agree to have your photograph taken in connection with the above-identified event, and agree that such photographs, with or without your name, may be used for any lawful purpose, including for example such purposes as publicity, illustration, advertising, and Web content in print and/ or electronically for the event.

Celebrate Black History Month and learn more about the African American Buffalo Soldiers, the original Park Rangers!

Formed in 1866 after the Civil War, 6 all-Black regiments were created within the US Army to help with westward expansion and protection. The 9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry were formed of 1,000 men. Most were freed slaves from the north, however, this was also an opportunity for Black men to serve in a prestigious role and start anew in the western territories.

Saturday February 11

25 YEARS OF HOPE & HEALING DINNER

6 p.m. (Dinner at 7 p.m.), Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., SC Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services will celebrate 25 years of hope & healing at a gala at the

Cocoanut Grove. There will be food, drinks, music, dancing, and inspiring stories.

Tickets are $125 per person (other options available) at https://jacobsheart.ticketspice.com/25years

Tuesday February 14

CAPITOLA SOROPTIMIST CLUB MEETS

4 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.

Plans for the Live Your Dream awards ceremony will be finalized and a committee to nominate candidates for the FY 2023-24 board of directors will be appointed.

Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea is

Saturday February 25

Sunday February 26

CLAM CHOWDER COOK OFF

1-4 p.m., Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St. The 42nd annual Clam Chowder Cook Off takes place Saturday, Feb 25, and Sunday, Feb 26, at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. It is the largest and longest-running Clam Chowder Cook Off in the country. Talented chefs compete in two categories: Boston & Manhattan.

Contestants prepare their ingredients outdoors along the Boardwalk to the delight of thousands of spectators. Amateurs compete Saturday; professionals compete Sunday. Public tasting begins at 1 p.m. Awards are given at 4 p.m. for Best Clam Chowder in each category, plus People’s Choice, Most Tasted, and Best Themed Booth. Entry fee: $75. Teams may enter in either Boston or Manhattan categories or both! If entering both, separate registration is required for each category.

Early Bird rate ends Feb. 3. Each Early Bird entry gets: Two All-Day Unlimited Ride passes to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (a $100 value), and two team T-shirts. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/clam-chowder-2023 n

Fabric, Hawaiian surfer Mainei Kinimaka (Aspen)

SUESD Local Control and Accountability Forum Feb. 8

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

Please consider this an official invitation for you to attend Soquel Union Elementary School District’s annual LCAP Community Forum. The event takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the New Brighton Middle School Performing Arts Center. Everyone is welcome.

We are so excited to have this be an in-person event for the first time in three years!

What’s this event all about?

Let’s start with the “LCAP part.” The LCAP stands for Local Control and Accountability Plan. Put in the simplest language, the LCAP is the most important plan in our school district.

We are already in the process of updating our LCAP for next school year, 2023-24. We want to tell you how things are going in our district, and we want to hear your input as we develop the plan. The LCAP Community Forum is a great opportunity to get involved with our school district. In order to remove as many barriers as possible, and to make it as convenient as possible for you to attend the LCAP Community Forum, we will have the following available on the evening of the event:

• Childcare

• Spanish Translation

• Refreshments

Allow me to explain the structure of the LCAP Community Forum in the plainest language possible. Those who attend will hear a “state of the district” from district leaders. The state of the district will be given from an overall perspective, as well as from educational and financial perspectives. Next, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with district leaders during informal roundtable sessions focusing on topics such as teaching, learning, student meals, budget,

and safe campus environments. Really, we just want to explain how things are going in our district and then hear from you about how we can keep getting better. It’s that simple.

So please consider coming out to the LCAP Community Forum on Wednesday, February 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the New Brighton Middle School Performing Arts Center, 250 Washburn Ave., Capitola.

We want you to know about SUESD schools, we want you to know how things are going, we want to hear your voice, and we want to interact with you. For those interested in aspects of the LCAP that are a bit more technical, allow me to address that here.

On its website, the California Department of Education describes the LCAP like this:

The LCAP is a three-year plan that describes the goals, actions, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes that address state and local priorities. The LCAP provides an opportunity for school districts to share their stories of how, what, and why programs and services are selected to meet their local needs.

SUESD’s current LCAP can be found here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1 JGmABGUo2AD30zPBS4OqC4B7dzp pQ1Jp/view) on our website.

Over the years, our district has simplified our LCAP by paring it down to three broad goals:

• All students receive equitable, inclusive, culturally responsive, and rigorous high-quality classroom instruction with a standards-based curriculum that promotes life, college, and/or career readiness.

• Through the use of data, identify

researched-based classroom differentiation, professional development, and systemic equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive supports needed to close present and predictable achievement gaps.

• All schools will be safe, equitable, inclusive, culturally responsive, and welcoming environments that engage the entire community of staff, students and families, in strengths-oriented partnerships that support learning for all. Each of the aforementioned broad goals are measured by detailed metrics in our LCAP. Collaboratively deciding on which specific programs, tools, strategies, professional development, and other resources to make our three goals a reality is what the LCAP input process is all about and why we place such a high value on the LCAP Community Forum and many other input opportunities for our school district community. Of course, every plan must have a budget to bring it to life. The fiscal partner to the LCAP is the CDE’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which is based on the state’s eight priorities:

• LCFF Priority 1: Basic Services (Conditions of Learning)

• LCFF Priority 2: Implementation of State Standards (Conditions of Learning)

• LCFF Priority 3: Parent Involvement (Engagement)

• LCFF Priority 4: Student Achievement (Pupil Outcomes)

• LCFF Priority 5: Student Engagement (Engagement)

• LCFF Priority 6: School Climate (Engagement)

• LCFF Priority 7: Course Access (Conditions of Learning)

• LCFF Priority 8: Student Outcomes (Pupil Outcomes)

The CDE has developed a very thorough Whole Child Resource Map for the eight LCFF priorities. The Resource Map can be found on the CDE website (https://www. cde.ca.gov/eo/in/lcff1sys-resources.asp). n •••

Scott J. Turnbull is superintendent of Soquel Union School District.

“Food is Medicine” from page 27

The program will be evaluated using participatory action research with the collaboration of an evaluation team led by Vanessa LopezLittleton, PhD, RN, associate professor in public administration and nonprofit management in the Department of Health, Human Services, and Public Policy at CSU Monterey Bay.

Everyone’s Harvest was one of 43 grantees in the nation to receive a federal grant from the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The $500,000 grant is for a three-year project to expand Fresh Rx produce prescriptions in Monterey County.

The USDA awarded $59.4 million to programs designed to encourage families and individuals to eat more healthfully by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. n For information, go to www.everyones harvest.org or call (831) 384-6961.

SCCAS Featured Pet

Winter Is Time For Pruning

By Tony Tomeo

Scrapples the Pig

This week we have an incredible animal for pet of the week- the one, the onlySCRAPPLES the PIG!!!!

This male pig is definitely a friend and not food- he has grown up around humans and is very social. While napping is one of his favorite activities if he hears your voice he will come out to say “Hello” and demand snacks!

While his size can seem intimidating, he really is just a softie who wants his ears scratched and a warm hay bed to relax in. Scrapples has become a volunteer and staff favorite because of how gentle and sweet he is, and because he does hilarious Zoomies all around his pen when he is happy!

He does destroy grass — loves digging in the mud and chewing on the roots of anything and everything so if you are attached to your lawn this might not be the pet for you!

This pig should go to a pig savvy home, preferably with some land where he can roam and some farm friends to hang out with.

If you are ready to welcome the sweetest pig into your home and heart come on down to SCCAS to meet Scrapples!

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter to turn in your application. All adoptions require proof of home ownership or landlord approval. Please have this information prepared. If an animal is in Foster Care, please bring in your adoption application and schedule an appointment to meet the animal. Call 831-454-7200 x0 during business hours or visit www.scanimalshelter.org for more information! n

•••

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter: Santa Cruz Location (Public Entrance): 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062

Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Watsonville Location: CURRENTLY CLOSED 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076

SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us

Plants are unable to migrate to warmer climates for winter like so many migratory birds do. They are immobile for their entire lives. Only potted plants can move to more sheltered situations when the weather gets too cool for them. Some get to live inside as houseplants. Otherwise, they all must contend with seasonally changing weather. Most are impressively efficient with how they do so.

Most that do not adapt efficiently to cool winter weather are tropical species. Tropicals that are native to high elevations can tolerate cold weather. However, many of the familiar tropical species are from low elevations where they never experience cold weather. Frost damages or kills them. Warm season annuals do not tolerate cool weather either. They just die at the end of their season.

Otherwise, almost all other plants go dormant through winter, at least to some degree. Even evergreen plants, which may not seem to go dormant, grow much slower during winter, or do not grow at all. Deciduous plants are much more obvious about their dormancy, because they defoliate. While bare, they are less susceptible to damage from wintry weather. Dormancy is like hibernation.

This is why winter is the best time for pruning most plants. While dormant, they are less susceptible to distress associated with pruning. Some plants expect some degree of damage from wintery weather during their dormancy anyway. They wake in spring, with no idea of what happened while they slept, and resume normal growth. Winter pruning conforms quite naturally to their life cycles.

There are, of course, a few exceptions. Citrus and avocado should not be pruned during winter. Such pruning stimulates new growth, which is sensitive to frost. Maple and birch should have been pruned earlier. They bleed annoyingly if pruned late into winter. Flowering trees that produce no fruit, such as flowering dogwood and flowering cherry, should be pruned after bloom, late in spring.

Deciduous fruiting trees, such as apricot, cherry, plum, peach, apple and pear, require specialized pruning during winter. •••

Flowering Dogwood

Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida has something in common with Poinsettia. The most colorful component of their bloom is not floral, but is instead foliar. What appears to be petals are colorful leaves known as bracts. Exactly four bracts surround each small cluster of tiny and unimpressive pale green real flowers. These bracts are most popularly white, but can be pink or rarely brick red.

The deciduous trees are bare now, but bloom spectacularly in early spring. Any necessary pruning should happen after bloom, and preferable after new foliage matures somewhat. Floral buds for next year are already prominent on the tips of bare twigs. Dormant pruning would eliminate some of the buds prior to bloom. For now, only minor grooming of unbudded interior growth is practical.

© Statepoint Media

Mature flowering dogwood trees can be twenty feet tall, but typically stay lower. As understory trees, they prefer a bit of shelter from larger trees. Foliage can scorch if too exposed. Some cultivars have variegated foliage. All can develop vibrant orange and red foliar color for autumn, even with minimal chill. Floral debris resembles fallen leaves that fall just as new and real foliage develops. n

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com.

Pomegranate trees appreciate major specialized pruning.

Bloom like this waits for spring.