Capitola Soquel Times: March 2023

Saved by the Trees

By Jondi Gumz

Brittania Arms owner Andy Hewitt (left), with servers Shannon Jarvie and Amondo Rodriguez, says the trees in front of his business saved the windows from being smashed by timbers from Capitola’s Wharf during epic storms in January.

Jarvie has worked at Britannia Arms 15 years, and Rodriguez, who started seven months ago, says, “I love this place.”

In addition, Margaritaville, Paradise Beach Grille, Pizza My Heart, Mr. Toots and the Capitola Bar & Grille

— all on Capitola’s Esplanade — are back open and eager to serve you.

Cooking for Capitola, a fund raiser at Shadowbrook for displaced restaurant workers affected by flooding and ocean surges, came together in an instant.

Shadowbrook owner Ted Burke said 84 people paid $300 each, $25,000 in income, and the auction raised $18,000.

See some of the happy staff and diners on page 16.

Acting Remotely: Pandemic Reshaping How We Work

The last three years transformed the American workplace, with the pandemic ushering in a great reshuffling as many companies turned to remote work — with some, like Yelp, making this shift permanent.

Full Story page 19

Highway 1 Lanes: $30 Million

Full Story page 22

Live Your Dream Winners

Thanks to generous donors, five single mothers have been chosen by Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea to receive Live Your Dream awards.

Full Story page 6

G R A N D I N

G R A N D M A

Cover

Saved by the Trees, photo by Jondi Gumz

Community News

4 Coming Together For Capitola, By Teresa Hidalgo Dance

5 Capitola Wharf Renovation Will Include Storm Repair, By Teresa Hidalgo

Dance

6 Live Your Dream Winners

7 Study: Natural Immunity Effective vs. Covid, By Jondi Gumz

8 Bay Fed Leaders Selected for Leadership Monterey County • Free Income Tax Return Help

11 Advisory Council of Teens • Cabrillo Stage Auditions for ‘Hunchback’

12 Freak Snow Storm Closes Highways

15 Introducing Coastal Natural Monument Manager Leisyka Parrott

16 Cooking for Capitola: What a Party!

17 Nadherny/Calciano Symposium March 10: Suicide Prevention

22 Highway 1 Lanes: $30 Million, By Jondi Gumz • Soquel Drive Safety

Work Rebid, By Jondi Gumz

24 Park at Rispin Mansion Bids Due March 1 • Allied Health Building to be Renamed in Tom Sourisseau’s Honor

Letters to the Editor

8 Hearing February 28 on Natural Gas Price Surge • Tweaking Pasta Fazool

In Memoriam

9 Firefighter Recruit Daniel Lamothe Dies at 38

20 Love for Rowan Parham, 18, Lost to Gun Violence

California News

13 Gov. Newsom: Build More Housing or Else

Business Profile

18 The Healthy Way, By June Smith

Monthly Horoscope • Page 26 – Two Fishes With a Silver Cord, By Risa D’Angeles

Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 28, 29

Featured Columns

10 The Wringer Washing Machine and Mom’s Ravioli, By Joe Ortiz • Mom’s Ravioli, By Joe Ortiz

19 Acting Remotely: Pandemic Reshaping How We Work

21 Warm Season Bedding Plants Begin, By Tony Tomeo

23 Courage to Admit Mistakes, By Joyce and Barry Vissell

27 One Rain-Soaked Season Does Not End a Drought, By Eileen Cross, Community Relations, Santa Cruz Water Department, and Rebecca Rubin, Public Outreach Coordinator, Soquel Creek Water District

30 Santa Cruz County Strategic Plan, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 31 – Esprit Shows Her Spirit

831 359 4670

Jondi Gumz

editor

contributing writers

Jondi Gumz, Teresa Hidalgo Dance, June Smith, Risa D’Angeles, Joe Ortiz, Tony Tomeo, Joyce and Barry Vissell, Eileen Cross, Rebecca Rubin, Zach Friend layout

Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin graphic artists

Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin

Coming Together For Capitola

By Teresa Hidalgo Dance

The recent winter storms that hit Capitola and the rest of Santa Cruz County presents a special struggle, not because of the savage destruction that prompted an unprecedented visit from President Joe Biden, but because of the media attention that Capitolans are now caught up in.

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“The different thing about this storm,” said Steve Allen, owner of the Capitola Venetian Hotel which, along with the adjoining Venetian Court Apartments, suffered $200,000 in damages, “is all the social media photos and videos which gives potential guests the impression that Capitola is devastated and the wharf is destroyed, that there are no restaurants to go to,” thus scaring them away.

For Allen, long-time guests are canceling reservations and occupancy is down by 50% from a year ago.

“That is what is really impacting us right now more than the storms—the lost revenue,” Allen said.

What out-of-town visitors might not realize is that most of the restaurants and shops in Capitola Village are open and that the beach is accessible for surfing and strolling.

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Aware of these additional losses, people have begun the work to rebuild quickly and urgently. The government, from Biden to the Capitola City Council, is doing all it can to help those devastated businesses rebuild as soon as possible.

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta got assistance started by working to secure federal support, which resulted in Biden

announcing a disaster declaration for the Santa Cruz area on Jan. 14. Consequently, the Federal Emergency Disaster Administration (FEMA) can be tapped to repair and replace disaster-damaged facilities in Capitola as well as assist individuals and households affected.

In the days following Biden’s visit, two sites for Disaster Recovery Centers were set up at Ramsey Park in Watsonville (since moved to Watsonville City Hall) and the Felton Library to provide

in-person support to impacted residents who need assistance from multiple county, state, and federal agencies, according to Katie Herlihy, community development director at the City of Capitola. Also, the Small Business Administration set up a Business Recovery Center in the community room at Capitola City Hall.

Chloe Woodmansee, assistant to the Capitolacity manager, reported that city staff estimate repair costs to Capitola infrastructure to be $2.6 million.

Determining costs to repair damage to public property such as the Wharf and Stockton Avenue Bridge require further inspection.

Woodmansee said there was major damage to the esplanade, the jetty, and Cliff Drive as well.

As for private property, 10 businesses along the esplanade had significant damage, from Zelda’s on the Beach to Margaritaville.

Woodmansee added, “Luckily, very few homes in the city were flooded or damaged. The residences affected were primarily the Venetians.”

Specifically, 16 private residences at the Venetian Court were flooded and three units above Margaritaville were damaged as well.

The Venetians consists of a 20-room hotel and two rows of private residences. According to Allen, construction began

Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti

Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin, Brad King website

photography

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz Venetian Court, historic and distinctively colorful, attracts visitors to Capitola Village.

Capitola Wharf Renovation Will Include Storm Repair

By Teresa Hidalgo Dance

The Capitola Wharf, which is the City of Capitola’s responsibility, suffered $1 million in damages when swells broke the wharf in half and knocked down all the railings, decking, and pilings at its front end.

The cost to the buildings on the wharf–the Wharf House restaurant and Capitola Boat and Bait–is yet unknown as they are still inaccessible.

Public Works Director Jessica Kahn said that before the storms happened, a $7 million renovation of the wharf was slated for September of this year, with grants from the California Coastal Conservancy and $3.5 million in federal aid.

The storm damage will simply be rolled into the renovation project.

Kahn said, “Luckily, the city had a project on the books for later this year, doing a big renovation project. We are not starting from zero. We already have a consultant. With the storm, we have

to amend our plans but it’s not like we didn’t have plans so we are in a pretty good position from where we have the funding to be working on the wharf.”

However, opening the wharf this year is “impossible,” Kahn said. “Even if we start to build today, the rebuilding and renovation project will take eight to ten months.”

“We can’t start until we have FEMA funding in place as this will be the money to do the repair work,” she clarified. How much repair money is needed has yet to be determined. As a public works project, the rebuilding of the wharf will be bid competitively but not before this summer.

The renovation project will widen the wharf throughout its length from the current narrow walkway that only widens where the buildings are.

Some repair work was done on the wharf in 2020. n

in 1924 as the first condominium complex in California.

It’s been a family business for Allen for the past fifty years.

“We’re moving slowly because these are older buildings and we want the repairs to be done correctly,” said Allen. “The Venetian Court is a historical landmark so we can’t change anything with the exterior. We just have to replace what was there.”

“For Capitola” page 8

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

Plaque recognizes Venetian Court as the first California condominium seaside resort.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

Before the January storm, Capitola’s Wharf was in line for a $7 million renovation.

Live Your Dream Winners

Thanks to generous donors, five single mothers have been chosen by Soroptimist International of Capitola-by-the-Sea to receive Live Your Dream awards.

Each will receive a check for $2,000 that can be used for anything that enables them to complete their education, such as rent, medical bills, child care and car repairs.

“We’re very excited to be able to increase the number of Live Your Dream awards from our usual three to five awards this year,” said Lillian Miranda, Live Your Dream program chair. “Some very generous donors responded to our fundraising efforts and made this possible for these deserving women.”

Here are the winners and their stories:

Amanda, 28, who has asked that only her first name be used, is divorced and mother of two children, 11 and 2 years old, both with special needs. She is a nursing student at Cabrillo College.

Nursing runs in her family—her great grandmother, grandmother, an uncle and an aunt, are or were nurses.

“I want to be able to give my children more opportunities and help families in need one day—people like me,” she wrote in her application. “I am a single mother, but I don’t want my kids to think anything can stop you from pursuing your dreams.”

Tammi L., 52, who asked that only her last name initial be used, calls herself a late bloomer who never had career goals as a young woman. But when her now 11-year-old daughter was born, her point of view changed. She is pursuing a business training certificate program, which she believes will give her greater career opportunities.

“By going back to school, I can really see how pushing myself is bringing up my self-esteem,” she said. “Having job security is something I strive for and I want my daughter to see the hard work that goes into achieving a dream.”

Renee Delisle, 39, has a 10-year-old son, and is pursuing an associate’s degree in human services at Cabrillo College in the hope of helping others make changes in their lives and find resources and services they need to thrive.

“Being a first-generation college graduate means everything to my son and me,” she wrote. “I really want to show him how important education is while also building a stable future for us.”

For Nanci, 27, who asked that her last name be withheld, working full-time, taking liberal arts with communication classes part-time at Cabrillo College and raising her 9-year-old daughter alone are serious challenges. But she is not deterred.

“My dream is to become a lawyer one day and help as many people by continuing my school journey,” she wrote in her application. “… receiving my associate’s degree will allow me to qualify to apply to law school and achieve my dream,” she added.

Camilia Thornton, 35, mother of a 5-and-a-7 year-old, had been working full-time and raising her two children while attending Cabrillo College’s nursing program, until the contract under which she was working expired. She receives no child support and is looking for work, having exhausted her savings, and was unsure how she will continue her educational pursuit.

“I am in the second semester of the four-semester program,” she wrote. “My savings has carried us through the first semester of nursing school, but that has run out. I live in a very expensive area and am struggling to find ways to pay for my bills while attending the program.” n

•••

The winners will be honored at a presentation ceremony in March.

All five women are in a degree or training program, head their household and have a demonstrated need.

•••

Soroptimist International of Capitola-bythe-Sea is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. For info, see www. best4women.org, or email sicapitola.by.the. sea@gmail.com

Renee Delise Camilia Thornton

Study: Natural Immunity Effective vs. Covid

By Jondi Gumz

If you’ve had Covid, you have protection from hospitalization and death—90% effective against early variants and 88% effective against Omicron at 40 weeks, according to a study published Feb. 15 in The Lancet.

Protection against reinfection from early variants remained 78% while protection against the omicron BA.1 variant was estimated at 36%, both at 40 weeks.

The Covid vaccines developed in record time by Pfizer and Moderna rapidly waned in effectiveness, requiring boosters after three to six months.

A team of researchers reviewed and analyzed 65 studies from 19 countries. Authors included Dr. Christopher Murray, director of The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

The researchers conclude: “Our analysis suggests that the level of protection from past infection by variant and over time is at least equivalent if not greater than that provided by two-dose mRNA vaccines.”

They added, “The immunity conferred by past infection should be weighed alongside protection from vaccination when assessing future disease burden from COVID-19, providing guidance on when individuals should be vaccinated, and designing policies that mandate vaccination for workers or restrict access, on the basis of immune status, to settings where the risk of transmission is high, such as travel and highoccupancy indoor settings.”

This kind of protection is called “natural immunity,” which initially was dismissed by some in the scientific community.

In October 2020, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, was one of the co-authors of an article in The Lancet saying “there is no evidence for lasting protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following natural infection.”

No Data Collection

In November 2021, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the CDC said it had not collected data on natural immunity.

Three months later, the CDC posted a report based on data that by early October 2021, “persons who survived a previous infection had lower case rates than persons who were vaccinated alone.”

In April 2022, Pfizer documents

released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under court order showed Pfizer knew natural immunity was as effective as the company’s Covid-19 vaccine at preventing hospitalization and/ or oxygen support, according to journalist Kim Iversen.

Pfizer had submitted 340,000 pages of documentation to the FDA in its application for “Emergency Use Authorization” of its vaccine.

Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency asked for those documents, filing a Freedom of Information Act request in August 2021. The FDA proposed to release the documents in 75 years, but a federal judge mandated their release within eight months.

The documents showed adverse reactions were more frequent and more severe in people under age 55 and that “the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on sperm, a pregnancy, a fetus or a nursing child are not known.”

Adverse Event Reports

OnFeb 15, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, M.D., issued an health alert, saying his state saw a 1,700% increase in adverse event reports after Covid-19 vaccinations.

The numbers: 2,466 in 2020 before the Covid vaccine was available and 41,473 in 2021 after the vaccine was released.

“Just because “correlation ≠ causation” doesn’t mean we should abandon common sense,” Ladapo tweeted.

The CDC and the FDA administer the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which was set up in 1990 after Congress granted vaccinemakers protection from lawsuits. This is where health care staff are to file reports about vaccine-related injuries.

The reports do not prove causality but act as a warning system to signal safety problems with a vaccine.

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 antiSARS-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.”

Booster on Schedule

On Feb. 9, the CDC officially added the Covid booster to the vaccine schedule for children and adults, saying it would normalize the vaccine.

The existing schedule recommends 27 doses of vaccine for children between birth and age 6.

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

California’s SB 277 requires students be vaccinated to attend public school; exemptions only for homeschoolers.

Supreme Court Weighs In

OnFeb. 23, Informed Consent Action Network announced a favorable decision from the California Supreme Court on vaccine mandates.

The network’s legal team, led by Aaron Siri, had won a decision in San Diego Superior Court striking down the San Diego vaccine mandate to attend schools and participate in extracurricular activities as illegal.

The Legislature, which has regulated vaccination since 1911, requires vaccination against 10 diseases — and Covid-19 is not one of them, the judges noted, dismissing the school district’s argument that it

offered unvaccinated students the choice of independent study.

This, in effect, made any local vaccine mandate — school district, city, county, illegal.

In November 2022, the Court of Appeal certified the decision for publication, making it a precedent that could be cited by other courts in future lawsuits.

Days before the deadline for the California Supreme Court to review the decision, California Charter Schools and retired state senator and vaccine advocate Dr. Richard Pan, author of SB 277, filed requests to the California Supreme Court to “depublish” the decision. If the court agreed, that would make the decision uncitable in future cases.

ICAN’s team filed a 54-page letter detailing why the Appellate Decision was worthy of publication.

The California Supreme Court denied the depublishing request, which makes the decision final and a citable precedent.

In late December, Hartnell College Board of Trustees voted to amend its policy for students and employees requiring the COVID-19 vaccine.

The new policy, which took effect immediately, “strongly recommends” the COVID-19 vaccine.

Hartnell strongly advises that all individuals wear masks in public places indoors.

Cabrillo College trustees voted to remove the vaccine requirement for student, faculty and staff for the spring 2023 semester. Cabrillo still requires masks indoors.

The Covid-19 emergency in California is to end Feb. 28, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining nationwide.

Bay Fed Leaders Selected for Leadership Monterey County Bay Federal Credit Union’s CEO Carrie Birkhofer and HIEF Operating Officer

Cameron Haste are among the 30 people selected for Leadership Monterey County. Also selected: Audries Blake, associate director of community relations at UC Santa Cruz.

The 10-month program of the Monterey County Business Council is designed to educate local leaders from different industries and to bring awareness and

advocacy to all the significant economic impacts within Monterey County.

Learn more about the program at www.leadershipmc.org.

•••

Free Income Tax Return Help (With an Appointment)

Santa Cruz Community Credit Union is partnering with Project SCOUT to offer the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in Santa Cruz County. Anyone over the age of 60, those with a disability, low-income families and individuals are

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Hearing February 28

on Natural Gas Price Surge

DearSenators: I received your correspondence, dated Feb. 7, concerning “Affordability of Utility Prices in California” expressing your concerns regarding the costs of natural gas, electricity, and gasoline prices.

As the Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications (SEUC), I share your concerns regarding the affordability of utility services for all Californians, especially our most vulnerable residents.

In response to your request for a hearing by the SEUC committee regarding the affordability of natural gas, electricity, and gasoline, I wish to inform you of the pending hearings I have directed my committee staff to schedule and organize.

These hearings are now publicly noticed, and include an informational hearing on the topic of gasoline prices, as part of the Extraordinary Session, and a separate hearing on utility bill affordability as part of the regular legislative session.

“For Capitola” from page 5

These restrictions have posed some difficulty to Allen’s efforts to bolster the seawall in front of the property.

“We are having conversations with the overall ownership association and the California Coastal Commission, if the seawall could be strengthened or increased,” Allen said.

The city has expedited the rebuilding of these damaged businesses by waiving building permits, a generous provision amounting to thousands of dollars. The city has sent field workers as the main point of contact for these businesses and residences, as part of the expedited process for the rebuilding permit review.

Robin Woodman, a building official with the city, is one of those field workers.

She said, “I’ve been down there a lot and mostly what I’m doing is just listening and trying to assist them through the process….

Additionally, I have scheduled an informational hearing related to broadband connectivity.

Specifically, the following hearings have been scheduled:

• Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 1:30 pm

Extraordinary Session — Informational Hearing: Petroleum Windfall Profits Penalty: Will Californians get relief at the gas pump?

• Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 9 am — Oversight Hearing: The Public Utilities Commission & the Public Advocates Office Annual Update to the Legislature: A Focus on Utility Bill Affordability

• Tuesday, March 7, at 9 am — Oversight Hearing: State Broadband Investments: Progress toward connecting the unserved

Additionally, I am attaching a copy of the letter I sent on Jan. 26, to the California Public Utilities Commission and California Energy Commission, and cc’d the Governor’s Office, the members of the committee, and the Republican consultant,

It’s amazing to watch all the business owners working together in order to make things happen. It’s not just one business working for themselves; they’re all working together to help each other out.”

Herlihy said, “We are right now moving from disaster assistance into recovery.”

The focus in City Hall is to rebuild in such a way as to prevent, as much as possible, similar devastation from severe winter storms in the future.

“In the long term,” said Herlihy, “we will be working with our planning commission and city council to think about the future of sea level rise and planning for its impact.”

The help doesn’t stop there. From insurers to volunteers, from business people less affected by the storms to charity foundations, the community around Capitola is coming together quickly to help out.

Herlihy observed, “I think everyone is going out of their way to accommodate businesses and residences. It’s pretty amazing.”

eligible to get free help with tax return preparation. To make an appointment, call 831-724-2606 and leave a message with your name, age, and phone number. Certified IRS volunteers will contact you with instructions.

Documents to Bring to Your Scheduled Appointment:

• Intake Sheet (provided by Project SCOUT) so we know what you plan to declare in your taxes.

• Taxpayer Consent (provided by Project SCOUT).

calling for: (1) an investigation of the surge in natural gas prices this winter, and (2) specific actions to help buffer customers from the impacts on utility bills, including acceleration of the Climate Credit to reduce customer’s winter natural gas utility bills.

I look forward to the engagement of all 18 members of the committee — including my colleagues from the minority party — at these hearings.

Should you have any questions, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

• Your Social Security Card, SA-1099 form (if receiving Social Security Income), or ITIN

• A valid Driver’s License or ID with your picture on it

• Your most recent completed tax return. Bring your Tax Return from 2019 or 2020 to see if you get a higher Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

• W-2 forms that report employment income.

“Briefs” page 14

as he points out, every cook has their own variation. I made a few minor changes to simplify preparation, which others might find useful.

First, if using fresh tomatoes and peeling them using hot water, I think that seeding them is cosmetic, since apparently the seeds do no harm and add a bit of texture to the mix. Just chop or dice the tomatoes and proceed.

— Steven Bradford,

Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications ~~~

Editor’s note: To view the hearing or submit a position letter, see https://seuc.senate. ca.gov/ The letter deadline is one week prior to the hearing date by 3 p.m.

Tweaking Pasta Fazool

Ienjoyed reading Joe Ortiz’ article and making his recipe for “Pasta Fazool” but

She revealed that insurance representatives were down at the Esplanade as early as right after the storms. Herlihy sees that kind of community support as keeping the encouragement going after the initial shock.

Carrie Arnone, CEO of the CapitolaSoquel Chamber of Commerce, said her office is working to connect employers with immediate job openings with the workers in Capitola displaced by the storm. Employers and potential staff can go on a job board spreadsheet located on the City of Capitola website http://www.cityofcapitola.org

Here job seekers can search for jobs and employers can post job openings.

Dozens of employers from Capitola, Santa Cruz, and even Monterey have already responded.

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, for its part, has released about $600,000 in disaster grants as of press time. It has been working with frontline nonprofits, public safety agencies, the small business

Second, I think that pureeing the tomatoes and beans is also cosmetic. If you prefer chunky vegetables for texture, you could do that with an egg beater or electric hand mixer.

Third, my mixture was a bit watery; so, instead of the 20-minute final cooking that Joe recommends, I suggest combining everything but the pasta, checking the seasoning, then letting the mixture simmer over low heat for an hour or so until it thickens a bit, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the pasta, and when that’s soft, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

— Scott Marovich, Soquel

community, and others to support the county’s storm-related needs.

Even before FEMA funding could get through for debris removal at the beach, volunteers from the nonprofit Save Our Shores have already begun that work. They were joined by a hundred more volunteers notified by the Capitola Recreation division leader Nikki Bryant LeBlond. On a sunny Sunday after the storms, the volunteers filled a dumpster with debris and pressuretreated wood. Capitola Recreation plans to coordinate a second beach clean-up in the near future.

Despite the millions of dollars lost to the storm, something more valuable has arisen—the awareness that the Capitola community is resilient and will never leave its distressed members to fare on their own. The bonding within the community that is taking place in the rebuilding efforts is invaluable and can be counted on in the future, stormy or not. n

Firefighter Recruit Daniel Lamothe Dies at 38

With a heavy heart, the County of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County Fire Department announce the death of a volunteer recruit during weekend training exercises.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, Daniel Lamothe, 38, of Santa Cruz, became medically distressed during a joint firefighter academy training session at Ben Lomond Training Center. He received immediate medical attention from trained medical personnel on scene, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

“We mourn the passing of one of our brethren,” County Fire Chief Nate Armstrong said. “Daniel wanted to be a firefighter so that he could give back to the community where he was raised and in which he lived. His commitment to public service serves as a model for us all. We grieve along with his friends and family for this sudden and tragic loss.”

“COVID Update” from page 7

In California, cases are on par with January but hospitalizations and deaths are down. The state’s test positivity rate is down from 10.6% to 6.5%.

On Feb. 24, Covid deaths per day in the U.S. dropped to 38, according to ycharts.com, compared to 3,000 last winter when the Delta variant raged.

Data for 2021 and 2022 show deaths peak in January.

Omicron Shift

Aspredicted, the XBB 1.5 Omicron variant — the most easily spread but less deadly — has become dominant, according to weekly Nowcast projections by the CDC.

XBB 1.5: Up from 18.3% to 85%

BQ1.1: Down from 35.7% to 9.4%

BQ.1: Down from 27.4% to 2.6%

BA.5: Down from 6.9% to .1%

The once-pervasive BA.5 variant is in the most recent “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

An autopsy is being conducted to discover the cause of death.

County Fire provides wildland and structural fire protection, emergency medical services, fire prevention, fire marshal and public education services to unincorporated areas of the County during winter months. The County contracts with CalFire for these services, with the CalFire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Chief serving as the Santa Cruz County Fire Chief.

County Fire includes five dedicated volunteer fire companies to assist in providing fire protection and emergency response services.

As a musician, Lamothe was co-founder in 2005 of Stellar Corpses, a psychobilly horror punk band. The first lineup included

emergency use authorization to allow bivalent Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for children as young as 6 months.

California reports 74.7% of people have primary vaccinations and boosters, and 19.4% got the bivalent booster.

In Santa Cruz County, 81.3% have primary vaccinations and boosters, and 26.9% got the bivalent booster.

No New Deaths

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

No deaths were reported in the past two months, leaving the total at 276 since the pandemic began in 2020.

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 407 active Covid cases, half that of 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 reports 728,100 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 203.

singer, guitarist and primary songwriter, Dusty Grave, drummer, Matt Macabre and lead guitarist, Mr Grim, with Lamothe on upright bass.

Stellar Corpses is an astronomy term that means “Dead Stars,” a double entendre Dusty Grave used in his songs to refer to dead movie stars and rockstars, particularly in the songs Dead Stars Drive-In and Dark Side of the American Dream.

Stellar Corpses headlined their first show at the 418 Project in Santa Cruz on Halloween 2005. The band also appeared on the cover of Santa Cruz Weekly.

One of their top hits, Vampire Kiss, had a music video filmed at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

The band, which toured in Europe,

The 14-day positivity rate, 12.25% in January 2022, peaked in February at 2.99% then fell to 2.04%

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: 17 Intensive care: 0

•••

COVID Deaths: 276

Unchanged since December

released records on Hairball 8 Records, Fiend Force Records, Chapter 11 Records and Batcave Records.

Lamothe, known as Mothman, was “a huge presence in the Santa Cruz music and punk scene,” according to Mat Weir, who posted a heartfelt tribute at santacruz weekly.com.

“After decades of seeing live music for my own pleasure, as a roadie and as a bartender, believe me when I say I’ve seen thousands of bands, but there was nothing like a Stellar Corpses show, and I rarely missed any,” Weir wrote.

Lamothe, a self-taught musician, loved what he did.

“And oh man, did Dan have a lot of friends,” Weir wrote. “Just go on social media and see the incredible outpour of love, loss and heartbreak surrounding his death from Santa Cruz and throughout the country.”

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

Daniel Lamothe

The Wringer Washing Machine and Mom’s Ravioli

Previously: Freddie came looking for Eddie, noticed the shoes and told dad he wanted them to satisfy his outstanding debt. And Dad agreed!

•••

The day after Eddie got back from Boca Raton in his new Oxford shoes, cream-colored suit, and his sublime ignorance about the fact that Freddie was on the lookout for him, Mom and I were the only ones home as the wringer washing machine gyrated and sloshed in the hallway by the bathroom.

She was making ravioli and, at the same time, keeping one eye on me and the other on the wash. Occasionally, she’d run from the kitchen, then to the wringer washing machine, which in its gyrations marched like a soldier, advancing on an enemy. Could the enemy eventually be me?

In the kitchen Mom juggled three things for the “ravis”—the dough, the filling, and the sauce.

For the dough she made a big mound of flour in the middle of the table. She placed eggs in the well, along with a few tablespoons of milk. Then she whipped up the eggs with the fingers of one hand and swirled them around the well to pick up the flour. The swirling of the eggs was hypnotic.

“Like scrambled eggs, Ma?” I said.

“Yeah, Joey, ya fatha’s whole life is like scrambled eggs. Uouva strappazato.” At the time it went right over my head.

When Mom got the eggs and flour in a shaggy mass, she kneaded it on the table, but not too long, because you didn’t want the dough to become too elastic.

Just then Laura walked in and threw her books on the table. She always knew when Mom finished kneading the dough. She went into the kitchen and grabbed off a pinch, put it into her mouth and started to chew. Mom grabbed her by the ear and told her to spit it out. But Laura just swallowed. She pulled up Mom’s apron, twirled her around madly while humming a tarantella until Mom squealed with delight and begged Laura to stop. Still spinning, Mom tried to grab Laura by one of her ponytails, but it was too late. Laura had already ducked under Mom’s arms, grabbed another piece of the dough, and

ran out to meet her friends to sing “doowop” on the corner.

When Mom regained her breath, she settled in to make the filling. Ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, an egg, some chopped parsley, and a dash of salt and pepper. Then Mom yelled, “Be careful the filling isn’t too wet, or it’ll soak through the dough when the ravis go into boiling water to cook.” You can always add a little more Parmesan to dry out a wet filling, and dry is always better than wet, “or they’ll get mushy.”

While the dough relaxed, Mom went out to do a load of wash. So, I tagged along, in rhythm to the sway and swish of the washing machine, mesmerized by the wringers as they rolled and rolled. The fun began when the wash was done, and Mom sent each garment through the wwer to squish out the water.

After the ravioli dough had relaxed under the damp towel for half an hour, Mom cut off a piece and started to roll it out on a well-floured table. If the dough was too elastic and kept springing back, she’d let it rest a few more minutes. It was hard to get it to the proper thickness by just rolling it, so occasionally Mom would roll the dough onto the rolling pin, drape it over the edge of the table and s-t-r-e-tc-h the dough. All the while the wringer machine kept swirling.

When the dough was in a large rectangle, Mom used a tablespoon to place dollops of the filling a few inches apart across its length. Then she folded the dough over the filling dollops, creating a strip of dough with lumps. Some people think you must brush the dough with water before you fold it over so it will stick. But Mom said no, not if your dough was moist (and not overly floured) so it would stick together at the folds.

Mom used the edge of her hand to press channels between each lump of filling. With a zigzag rolling wheel, she cut each ravi into large squares. Then she pricked them with a fork to make sure they wouldn’t bloat up when boiled. Finally, she carried several at a time, using her upturned apron, into the bedroom and placed them on a flour-dusted sheet to dry.

As I drifted back and forth, following

/ Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Mom, I could see and hear the throbbing and sloshing of the machine as it marched back and forth in the hall, those two grey, ominous rubber lips — rolling, rolling, as I passed, reminding me of the rolling pin Mom used to roll the dough.

I was mesmerized. The rollers seemed like big, welcoming lips, so I stood up on tiptoes and reached my hand up to feel them roll, when my fingers got nipped. At first, I started to laugh. The rubber lips began to

By Joe Ortiz

inhale, my hand along with them. It was thrilling. Until my fingers were halfway into the rollers. The big, ugly machine was now starting to lift me up off the floor. It started to swallow me — first my hand, then my forearm. Then my elbow. And my arm began to s-t-r-e-t-c-h. I started to feel like the ravioli dough when Mom slung it over the table to make it thinner.

“Joe Ortiz” page 14

Mom’s Ravioli

4 to 6 servings

Makes 18 to 24 ravioli

LikeMom did, it’s best for you to let these “ravis” rest on a big bed with a big white sheet after they’re finished. It’s important for them to dry out properly so they don’t get mushy and break apart in the boiling water.

For the dough:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

For the filling:

3 cups ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

¼ to ½ teaspoon each, salt and pepper

½ cup chopped parsley

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

The sauce:

6 cups your favorite marinara sauce

Place the flour in a mound on your worktable, make a well inside and add the eggs and milk.

With your fingers, scramble the eggs and start combining in some of the flour. When the flour is nearly all incorporated, use both hands to combine the rest of the flour, and knead the dough 5 or 6 minutes, until smooth and satiny. Don’t over mix the dough or it will get like a rubber band, Mom said.

“Ravioli” page 14

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 last year, The Capitola Soquel Times is 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 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

Advisory Council of Teens Cabrillo Stage Auditions for ‘Hunchback’

Teens are making a difference in Capitola. Advisory Council of Teens , or ACT, is the young adult advisory group for the Santa Cruz Public Libraries. It’s open is open to all Santa Cruz County young adults, ages 12-18.

The group provides recommendations for branches across the library system.

Over the last couple of years, the ACT has provided recommendations on programs as well as on the design of the teen spaces/rooms in the new/renovated branches.

For example, they recommended “Teens” as the name for the teen area at the Santa Cruz downtown library. Other options were Teen District and Teen Empire (which started as a joke but got strong support).

They recommended animation workshops be offered only in the summer as teens have too little free time or are tired during the school year.

For programs this year, they recommended targeting ages 11 to 18 instead of ages 9 to 18 and offering three classes all in one week.

They asked for teen finance workshops, Credit 101 and Banking Basics, to be scheduled on the weekend.

They said yes to the Japanese Cultural Fair on June 10.

Librarian Sandi Imperio oversees the advisory Council of Teens.

The next meeting is 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 5, at the Capitola branch library, 2005 Wharf Road. n

Locally, one of the highlights of summer is attending the highcaliber Broadway-style musicals produced by Cabrillo Stage and presented at the beautiful Crocker Theater on the Cabrillo College campus. Under new Artistic Director Andrea Hart, the company has opted to produce one grand musical offering this season, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

This sweeping musical involves a full choir and Academy Award-nominated songs.

Director Vinh Nguyen is “seeking a diverse, versatile and physically-driven company of storytellers to help bring the sweeping score and powerful story to life. We value unique talents and skills and especially encourage performers of all ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities to audition.”

Mickey McGushin is musical director/conductor, Cheryl Anderson is choir director and Brance Williams is choreographer.

General call auditions will be Saturday, Feb. 25 and Sunday Feb. 26, at the Cabrillo College Crocker Theater, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos.

Vocal call auditions will be 10 am–2 pm and dance auditions from 3–6pm. Anyone wishing to audition should come during the 10–2 timeslot and will be notified if they need to return for the dance call (not all roles require dancing). Actors may also submit a video audition any time before Feb. 24. n •••

Information on how to submit can be found at www. cabrillostage.com/. Callbacks will be on Sunday, March 5.

La Selva Beach library event: ACT is open to youth starting at age 12.

Members of the Advisory Council of Teens assist with raffle at La Selva Beach library.

If we paint your interior and/or

by March 31, 2023 we

Freak Snow Storm Closes Highways

Snow, ice, falling trees and downed wires are severely impacting roads throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Highway 17, Highway 9 and Highway 236 were closed due to snow and icy conditions and downed power lines.

Caltrans had to clear snow and respond to many downed trees on Highway 17, and a truck was reported to jack-knife, creating more problems.

Caltrans reported Highway 17 reopened mid-afternoon Friday, Feb. 24.

At the Summit at 8 a.m., it looked like a winter wonderland, which is highly unusual.

Santa Cruz County issued a “do not travel” advisory, asking residents to cancel all travel except in cases of emergency.

Public safety and road crews are significantly strained and rescues or other assistance may not be possible should travelers become stuck, trapped or otherwise need assistance, according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin.

For those who have lost power, he advised libraries and other public facilities may be used to warm up, use public internet services or charge personal devices. Call ahead to confirm hours as some locations may be impacted by inclement weather.

For a list of branch libraries, please visit www.santacruzpl.org/branches/.

Much of the San Lorenzo Valley lost power, according to PG&E’s outage map, with multiple smaller outages in Scotts Valley, Aptos and Santa Cruz.

The National Weather Service expects cold weather to persist through the weekend.

The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center is activated to monitor storm activity, coordinate support to agencies responding to the storm and help meet community needs. n

To track local power outages: www.pge. com/outages

Local road impacts: www.sccroadclosure. org.

State highway impacts: quickmap.dot. ca.gov.

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

Ice on a car window is a strange sight in Scotts Valley.

Gov. Newsom: Build More Housing or Else

Editor’s note: Capitola and Santa Cruz County are working on their “housing elements” this year to meet the state deadline for identifying new housing sites. Capitola was told to build 1,336 units by Dec. 15, 2031, Scotts Valley, 1,220, and the county 4,634.

On Feb. 22, Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Department of Housing and Community Development issued letters under their separate enforcement authority urging the Huntington Beach City Council to reject a proposed moratorium on housing projects under Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10, as well as accessory dwelling units.

Under SB 9, local agencies must provide a “ministerial” approval process for any proposed duplex within a single-family residential zone, or for any proposed lot split of a single-family residential parcel. Ministerial review is where the public official ensures the proposed development meets all the applicable objective standards for the proposed action but uses no special discretion or judgment in reaching a decision. An SB 9 project may only be denied under limited circumstances.

In the letters, the Attorney General and HCD make it clear that the proposal —on the city council Feb. 22 agenda — is unlawful and directly threatens statewide efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing.

“We need partners in building a more affordable California, not more political grandstanding,” said Bonta. “I urge Huntington Beach to reconsider its latest proposal.

Our state is facing an existential housing crisis. It is past time to work together to put the people of our state first. My office is ready to take action as necessary to enforce our laws, but Huntington Beach still has time to course correct. My message to Huntington Beach is simple: Work with us and we will work with you.”

“The City of Huntington Beach continues to attempt to evade their responsibility to build housing, but they will simply not win,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “City leaders have a choice — build more housing or face very real consequences — including loss of state funds, substantial fines, and loss of local control. Californians need more housing in all communities and Huntington

Beach is no exception. Communities that fail to meet this moment will find out that the status quo will no longer be tolerated.”

“The actions being considered by the Huntington Beach City Council should raise concerns with every resident in the city,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez.

“This is another blatant attempt to evade state housing law, denying private property owners’ rights to house aging family members or build income through accessory dwelling units, and preventing the development of affordable housing when it is needed more than ever.”

Huntington Beach has an ordinance establishing objective development and design standards for SB 9 projects. According to Bonta, it is unclear how the city council can direct its city manager to cease the processing of any SB 9 applications on the grounds that any SB 9 project would purportedly be inconsistent with the city’s current zoning.

With respect to SB 10, Huntington Beach has not chosen to adopt an ordinance under that statute and instructing the city manager to ban the acceptance of SB 10 housing projects makes no real-world change to the city’s current practices, according to Bonta, who contends this demonstrates the city’s lack of support for strategies that promote housing production at all income levels.

“Build More” page 24

“Briefs” from page 8

• 1099 forms that report self-employed income, and itemized expenses for this employment.

• Detailed list of charitable donations you’ve made, including dollar amounts and the value of items donated.

• For 1098 Payments or other contributions made.

• Form 1095-A, B, or C reporting your health insurance coverage.

“Joe Ortiz” from page 10

When I was up to my elbow, the machine began to whine and wail. I screamed for Mom. It was more of a shriek. I was being eaten alive.

Mom ran in from the kitchen and saw me up to my shoulder in the rollers and she shrieked even louder than I had. She dropped her rolling pin and ran toward me and grabbed my body to

“Ravioli” from page 10

Let the dough rest, covered with a damp towel, for 30 to 40 minutes. Keep it hidden from hungry teenagers who might want to tear off a piece and eat it. ~~~

For the filling, in a large bowl, put in the ricotta and all but half of the beaten egg in a large bowl and mix with a spatula until well blended. Add all but 1/2 cup of the grated Parmesan and mix to combine. The filling should be just dry enough to hold together on a spoon, like small curd cottage cheese.

If the mixture is too wet, add the extra 1/2 cup of Parmesan or add some of the remaining beaten egg, only if you need more moisture. Add only the amount you think you’ll need. Better a little too dry than too wet or it will seep through the dough.

Tips for rolling out the dough:

1) Use just enough dusting flour on your counter so the dough doesn’t stick.

2) Roll with a rolling pin from the center of the dough out, first in one direction, then turn it a quarter turn and roll it the other way.

3) If the dough is too elastic, let it relax ten minutes, covered during the resting.

4) After the dough is about 11 inches by 16 inches, roll up the narrow side onto the rolling pin a few turns, drape the remaining dough over the edge of the table and stretch it over the edge of the work bench.

5) Roll the dough as thin as possible without tearing it; alternatively, if you’re familiar with using an electric or hand-crank pasta machine, you’ll

• Letter 6475 from the IRS reporting your third stimulus payment in 2021.

• Letter 6419 from the IRS reporting your Advanced Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021.

•••

This is an appointment-only VITA site host on Thursdays through April 14 at the Community Room of the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union Santa Cruz branch. Make an appointment by calling 831-7242606. n

relieve the tension on my arm. But she couldn’t release the wringer with just one hand, so she let go of me and quickly spun the red twist handle on top of the wringer that locks the rollers in place. Once it was released, I fell to the floor like a wet and twisted Turkish towel.

It was time for Mom to call Doctor Boccardi again. In my mind, I imagined the taste of aspirin. n

find that the resulting thin dough will help make the edges more tender after cooking.

To fill the Ravioli:

1) After the final rollout (measuring about 14 to 18 inches), use a tablespoon to place large dollops of the filling 1 ½ inches apart across its length. Then fold the dough over the filling dollops, creating a strip of dough with lumps. Use the edge of your hand to press channels between each lump of filling. (If you find your dough is too dry to permit proper sealing, brush the interior spaces with a bit of the remaining egg or a little water),

2) With a zigzag rolling wheel, cut each ravioli into 3” to 4” squares. Then prick each one with a fork to make sure they don’t bloat up when boiled.

When the ravis are all filled, remove them to a large surface like your dining room table on a flour-dusted towel. Let the ravis dry for 30 or 40 minutes and turn them over midway to make sure they’re not sticking. Then, if you prefer, place them on plates in the fridge.

To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently drop in half a dozen ravis at a time. After 6 to 8 minutes and they’ve float to the top, scoop one out of the water with a slotted spoon and test the edges for doneness. If the edge isn’t done to your liking, give that batch another few minutes of cooking. Cook the rest of the batch as above.

Place two or three ravis on a plate and cover with your favorite heated marinara sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and Mangia! n

Introducing Coastal Natural Monument Manager Leisyka Parrott

Leisyka Parrott is the new Bureau of Land Management California Coastal National Monument manager.

With nearly 20 years of public service, she brings a diversity of natural resource expertise to the position where she will oversee the management of approximately 20,000 offshore rocks and islands, and more than 7,900 acres of public land in six onshore units along California’s coastline.

“This spectacular coastal resource is an inspiration for Californians and visitors from around the world,” said Central California District Manager Chris Heppe. “Leisyka is an experienced leader who brings a strong background in collaboration, cooperation, and coordination needed to manage this important and complex resource.”

A native of coastal California, and graduate of Humboldt State University, Parrott began her career in the northwest Great Basin as a fire lookout for the BLM fire program for eight years. In 2010, she joined the BLM Arcata field office as an interpretive specialist, in the monument’s gateway community of Trinidad, bringing interpretation, education, and stewardship opportunities to the north coast and its watersheds.

Working with local partners, she led the North Coast Seabird Protection Network which serves to reduce impacts on seabirds through monitoring populations, and public education programs.

In her more recent role as assistant field manager in Ukiah, she worked with the Point Arena Gateway partners and led interdisciplinary resource staff in developing plans for trails, implementing fuel

reduction work, and completing watershed restoration.

“I look forward to collaborating with coastal Tribal governments, local communities, organizations, and agency partners,” says Leisyka. “We will work together to keep these iconic public lands healthy and accessible for generations to come.”

The California Coastal National Monument provides important habitat for nesting seabirds and marine mammals. The six onshore units include Trinidad Head Lighthouse, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, Lost Coast Headlands, Point ArenaStornetta, Piedras Blancas Light Station, and Cotoni-Coast Dairies in Santa Cruz.

Parrott grew up on a 35-foot sailboat in the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor. Homeschooled by her parents during the winter months, her family would sail to Baja and use the ocean and coastal ecosystems as a classroom.

Her most recent international trip

took her to the Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia to see the endemic Santa Marta warbler. She enjoys adventuring with her son Izaak to visit family, soaking in hot springs, and bird watching with her partner Russ. n

Photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management Leisyka Parrott from the top of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.

Shadowbrook Staff, along with (standing from right) James Manss, Trestles, Michael Cameron, Shadowbrook executive chef, and Roman Garcia, Reef Dog Deli.

Nadherny/Calciano Symposium March 10: Suicide Prevention

The 25th Annual Jon E. Nadherny/Calciano Memorial Youth Symposium will take place 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the Coconut Grove, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, with a focus on youth suicide, prevention, recovery and resilience. Reservations are required.

Featured speakers are Christine Yu Moutier, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and DeQuincy Meiffren-Lezine, Ph.D., director of the Lived Experience Academy and author of “Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide.”

At 9 a.m., Moutier will speak on science and solutions for preventing suicide in youth and young adults.

Moutier has authored Suicide Prevention, a Cambridge University Press clinical handbook. She also has contributed articles to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet, Academic Medicine, American Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Depression and Anxiety, and Academic Psychiatry. She has testified before Congress, presented at the White House and National Academy of Sciences, and provided Congressional briefings on suicide prevention. She coanchored CNN’s Emmy Award-winning Finding Hope suicide prevention town hall with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

At 10:45 a.m., there will be a panel: Andrea Tolaio, program director, Santa Cruz County Suicide Prevention Services, Andrea Turnbull, LCSW, program manager for access services and interim program manager, crisis services, County Behavioral Health, Carly Memoli, president, Applied Crisis Training and Consulting Inc., and Faris Sabbah, Ed.D., Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools.

Lunch is at 11:55 a.m.

At 12:40 p.m., Meiffren-Lezine will speak on “From Suicidal to Post-Suicidal Growth.”

Santa Cruz County Suicides

Under age 25

2019: 5 2021: 4

2020: 4 2022: 4

Source: Dr. Stephany Fiore, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office chief forensic pathologist

At 2:10 a.m., there will be panel discussions moderated by Jen Hastings, M.D., with all local experts and keynote speakers including: Ben Geilhufe, LPCC, program manager, Gender Specialty Clinic, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health.

Continuing education credits are available to physicians, therapists, psychologists and registered nurses.

The symposium is designed to train participants to be able to:

• Identify trends in mental health and suicide in the United States, with a focus on youth and young adults, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Describe features of the public health approach to suicide prevention, including the importance of education, advocacy by loss and attempt survivors, and the roles of clinicians and people/families with lived experience.

• Screen for suicide risk using evidencebased tools.

• Use brief intervention, including Safety Planning and Counseling for Lethal Means Safety.

• Specify 2 paths someone can pursue for personal growth following a suicidal crisis

• Outline a client plan for recovery and growth that can be used by people in the post-crisis phase, including local services and supports. n

•••

Walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Admission is $100. RSVP by March 1 at https:// calcianoyouthsymposium.org/event/2023-jone-nadherny-memorial-youth-symposium/

Christine Yu Moutier

The healThy Way

By June Smith

Since 1986, The Healthy Way, under the guidance of Cheri Bianchini RN, has pioneered a cutting-edge program based on proven principles that enhance wellness. Formerly a nurse manager at Stanford Medical Center, she saw the consequences of unhealthy living firsthand and became motivated to do something about it.

She is a motivational speaker, and experienced health and nutrition consultant, and through her extensive knowledge and compassionate nature, Cheri has helped thousands of people transform their lives.

Client Roseanne Magid, a nurse at Dominican Hospital, decided to give the program a try back in the early 90s. While working and caring for her three kids, she was feeling matronly and unwell. Because of the hospital’s proximity to The Healthy Way office and the good things she heard about the program, it made sense for her to join.

She was immediately impressed by Cheri’s kindness and wealth of knowledge. Following the guidelines was not difficult. She never felt deprived, and her kids never realized that she was on the plan.

Roseanne took in the suggestions of her personalized plan, along with exercising by walking, and quickly felt progress. She got back to the same weight she had been in high school, and later after learning how she did it, one of her grown sons joined the program with successful

results as well! She is now 84 years young and still at the weight she achieved over 30 years ago!!

What keeps Cheri excited about the Healthy Way after all these years?

She loves watching the health improvements and increased self-esteem

that results from behavior and lifestyle changes because of the program.

Whole nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are the basics of preventative medicine.

“The goal is to assist clients in healthy weight loss while stabilizing their individual body chemistry, and teaching

life-sustaining habits to achieve a positive body image,” Cheri says.

“Our clients consistently achieve an average weight loss of 2 — 4 pounds per week, and our long-term success rate speaks for itself,” she says. “Having a diabetic client get off insulin shots and become diet-controlled, or having hypertensive patients stop their prescription blood pressure meds brings me absolute joy. Watching them regain health as a result of the program I founded, gives my life great purpose. It is an honor and privilege for me to provide services at The Healthy Way.”

Individualized weight loss programs for men, women, children, and vegetarians are offered, including those with dietary needs such as gluten-free, food allergies, and sugar addiction concerns.

The Healthy Way specializes in blood sugar control, and clients have had dramatic results in improving diabetic and cholesterol issues. Support is offered six days a week in person, by phone, or virtually. Cheri and her team of exceptionally well-trained counselor coaches offer motivation, accountability, nutrition education, behavior skills, and lifestyle solutions. n

•••

The Healthy Way, www.thehealthyway. us, 3251 Mission Drive, Santa Cruz. 831-462-5900

Cheri Bianchini and her staff at The Healthy Way.

Jessica and Andrew of Santa Cruz lost 100 lbs each prior to their wedding and are living happily healthy after!

Acting Remotely: Pandemic Reshaping How We Work

Editor’s note: This analysis was produced based on searches on Yelp, the online platform to review local services, founded in 2004 and headquartered in San Francisco.

•••

The last three years transformed the American workplace, with the pandemic ushering in a great reshuffling as many companies turned to remote work — with some, like Yelp, making this shift permanent.

This transition to remote work gave employees new flexibility in deciding where they could live, enabling millions of Americans to relocate their families, which created ripple effects that have reshaped local economies across the U.S.

Yelp analyzed the share of search locations on its platform, evaluating shifts in populations across the U.S. based on where user searches were concentrated in 2019 compared to 2022.

Findings reveal significant population migration from Western (California) and Northeastern states to Southern and Midwestern areas.

Yelp data also uncovers a positive economic impact for local businesses in states that had an increase in share of search locations. These states saw a higher average increase in new business openings across nearly all categories in 2022 compared to 2019 — driven by local and home services business openings, indicating potentially permanent moves.

Looking at internal employee data, Yelp found similar patterns among its workforce,

which transitioned to remote work at the onset of the pandemic. The workplace shift prompted an unprecedented geographical spread of Yelp’s employees, with its U.S. workforce now living in more than 1,300 cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Cross-country Moves

Inanalyzing search location data on Yelp for the three-year period over the course of the pandemic, Yelp’s data science team found that people are leaving traditional business hubs in New York and California for states that provide a lower cost of living such as South Dakota and West Virginia.

Comparing 2022 to 2019, about 25% of U.S. states (including Washington, D.C.) experienced a decrease in their share of search locations, most notably Washington, D.C. (down 26%), New York (down 12%), California (down 12%), Nevada (down 12%) and Oregon (down 12%).

Comparably, the states with the highest increase in their share of search locations are South Dakota (up 56%), North Dakota (up 54%), West Virginia (up 33%), Wyoming (up 31%) and Mississippi (up 29%).

Approximately 30% of U.S. cities experienced a decrease in the share of searches compared to 2019, with several of them concentrated in states like New York and California, including Brooklyn, NY (down 48%); San Francisco, (down 25%); Beverly Hills, (down 24%); Santa Monica, (down 23%); Manhattan, NY (down 21%) and Los Angeles, (down 13%).

“Remote Work” page 25

Love for Rowan Parham, 18, Lost to Gun Violence

Friends and family are mourning the loss of Rowan Parham, 18, who attended Mar Vista Elementary in Aptos and was shot to death at a party on Brimblecom Road in Bolder Creek on Jan. 28.

He had been added to the Gun Violence Memorial at https://gunmemorial. org/2023/01/28/rowan-parham

A 16-year-old was arrested the day after the party by Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives; that teen’s name has not been released because he is a juvenile and all records are confidential.

Philip Wartena posted this on GoFundMe: “It’s with deeply heavy hearts that we mourn the tragic loss of Rowan Parham, 18 years young, to gun violence.

Rowan truly loved and cared for all of his friends & family, and was loved and cared for in return by so many. Anyone that knew Rowan, knew that he was an extraordinarily loyal friend with a quick wit, an infectious laugh and a smile that always lit up the room.

On behalf of his family, we are asking for donations to help cover the costs of funeral expenses and a Celebration of Life (to be held at a later date).

Thank you for your generosity and compassion during this extremely difficult time.

The world is a better place when we come together to help each other.”

On Feb. 2, he posted that the campaign had met its $15,000 goal to fund the funeral service and celebration of life for Rowan.

Supporters contributed more than $27,000 in an outpouring of love for Rowan and his family.

On Feb. 13, Bryan Parham, his dad, posted this followup: “Just wanted to send an update that Lindsay, Antoinette and I continue to make progress on preparing for Rowan’s celebration of life and we hope to share more details soon.

While we have been so devastated by our loss, we are also finding the blessings, love and support within the community, family and friends. It is an incredible aspect of a situation like this, that real humanness shows up in all of us to help and support each other through difficult life challenges. To all of the donors helping our family arrange to remember Rowan, please accept our deep gratitude at your generosity, it is truly heartfelt and leaves us humbled.

Even while we work through the tears and sorrow of our loss, it is an amazing thing to also have these memories of our son that lighten us and cause us to laugh out loud when sharing fond memories of him. We look forward to celebrating Rowan and sharing our combined memories, that will help keep him in our hearts forever. n

See: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ remembering-rowan-parham

Rowan Parham

Rowan truly loved and cared for all of his friends & family, and was loved and cared for in return by so many. Anyone that knew Rowan, knew that he was an extraordinarily loyal friend with a quick wit, an infectious laugh and a smile that always lit up the room.

Warm Season Bedding Plants Begin

By Tony Tomeo

Annual bedding plants are surprisingly more popular among those who enjoy gardening less. Those who procure the services of gardeners appreciate the rich colors and simple efficiency of annuals. Many who are more directly involved with their gardening consider them to be decadent. Nonetheless, warm season bedding plants will soon be in season.

Cool season bedding plants should perform well until the weather becomes too warm for them. There is therefore no rush to replace them yet. Besides, it is likely still a bit too cool for mature warm season bedding plants to be out in the garden. However, seed for warm season bedding plants takes time to grow. Some should start now to be ready for spring.

For example, petunia, impatien and zinnia are some of the most popular of warm season bedding plants. Almost all of them arrive at their respective gardens as somewhat mature plants within cell packs from nurseries. Presently, such plants may be vulnerable to frost. However, seed of these plants that begin now should start to grow after the threat of frost.

Not many of even the most avid of garden enthusiasts grow these popular warm season bedding plants from seed. Yet, a few do so. Some unusual or rare plant varieties are only available as seed. Many common wildflowers and ‘true to type’ annuals provide seed for subsequent generations. Such seed generally start in flats with shelter from frost indoors.

From flats, seedlings may graduate to cell packs or small pots prior to transitioning into a garden. Some should actually begin within cells rather than flats.

Seedlings relocate into a garden when adequately mature, whether from flats, cells or pots. Seed for many warm season bedding plants perform best directly in the garden though, without transplanting.

Nasturtium seedlings do not grow well within the confinement of cells. Then, they remain somewhat pekid for a few days while they recover from transplanting into a garden. They grow so much more efficiently from seed sown directly into a garden. Marigold can grow about as well from seed directly in the garden as they can as seedlings that grew in flats. •••

Oxeye Daisy

Likeseveral annual warm season bedding plants, oxeye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare, is actually perennial. Also, some of the less extensively bred sorts disperse enough seed to naturalize and potentially become invasive. Increasingly popular modern varieties that are prudent with seed might not be true to type. Some might revert to more prolific forms.

Modern varieties should not get much higher than a foot and a half. They should also be more dense than the simple species, which gets a few feet tall. Foliage and form is quite variable among varieties. Stems are solitary or branched. They may be leafy or sparsely foliated above basal rosettes. Leaves might be lobed or serrate, with or without petioles.

The solitary, paired or tripled composite blooms of oxeye daisy are not so variable. They are classic daisies, with a dozen to three dozen clear white ray florets surrounding bright yellow disc florets. Without deadheading, fresh new bloom overwhelms deteriorating old bloom. Oxeye daisy is splendid as a cut flower. Spring bloom continues through summer, and can actually continue sporadically for as long as the weather is warm. n

Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo. com.

Alyssum grows very readily from seed.

Oxeye daisy is actually a perennial.

Highway 1 Lanes: $30 Million

By Jondi Gumz

Surely everyone driving Highway 1 from Aptos to Santa Cruz has noticed many of the trees on the shoulder are now no more than stumps.

It’s a sign that the Highway 1 auxiliary lane project between Soquel Avenue and 41st Avenue will soon commence.

This project includes bike and pedestrian overcrossings for safety and shoulders for Metro buses to bypass traffic jams during peak congestion — which seems to be every weekday afternoon.

Historically, this section of Highway 1 has been the busiest in the county, serving over 100,000 vehicles a day, according to the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, which looked at ways to ease congestion and will oversee this project.

To address this situation, the RTC created the “Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program,” which qualified for a new competitive federal grant for projects with no other funding solution that could help meet national or regional economic, mobility, or safety goals.

The Watsonville-Santa Cruz program

is one of nine in the nation to be chosen for this round of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Local voters in 2016 approved a halfcent sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements, but with so many projects to

do — Highway 1 auxiliary lanes, Highway 9 corridor, Highway 17 wildlife crossing, Rail Trail — more money was needed.

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) saw the need and was able to secure $30 million from this new federal funding for the Highway 1 project.

“For far too long and far too often, too many people have been stuck in traffic on Highway 1 getting between Watsonville and Santa Cruz, leading to a decrease in our productivity and an increase in our carbon output,” Panetta said.

“I’m proud that Congress passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment

and Jobs Act in order to make this type of crucial federal investment in our roads and green buses that will help alleviate traffic, improve our livelihoods, and allow us to play our part to stem the effects of climate change,” he added.

And that’s not all.

Local officials say there’s enough money to purchase four zero-emission buses for Santa Cruz Metro and build a segment of the Coastal Rail Trail from State Park Drive to Rio Del Mar Boulevard in Aptos.

On Tuesday morning, county supervisors Manu Koenig and Felipe Hernandez joined Panetta for a press conference to highlight what the money could do.

Hernandez, who represents Watsonville and previously served on the City Council, recalled how women living in Watsonville and working at a manufacturing plant in Santa Cruz were spending hours commuting to and from work on Highway 1 and wanted to change their start time from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to address the problem.

He noted the county is renovating the former West Marine headquarters in Watsonville to locate more county services closer to South County residents so they can avoid Highway 1, hopefully by the end of the year, and then looking to expand health services at the Freedom Boulevard campus in Watsonville the following year. Both moves are expected to bring some Highway 1 relief.

“Highway 1” page 27

Soquel Drive Safety Work Rebid

By Jondi Gumz

Aproject to improve safety for people on bikes and on foot on Soquel Drive from State Park Drive in Aptos to La Fonda Avenue in Santa Cruz is going to bid again, and expected to start work this summer.

The goal is to reduce collisions between cars and bicyclists — and between cars and pedestrians.

In 2020, Santa Cruz County was among the worst in the state for collisions, ranking third for bicyclists and fifth for crashes involving pedestrians age 65+, according to state Office of Traffic Safety. Many take place on Soquel Drive, a congested corridor used by drivers avoiding Highway 1 traffic jams.

“Soquel Dr. Rebid” page 26

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz

Sarah Christensen, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission engineer, points out the location of the “Aptos Strangler” traffic jam to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley.

Courage to Admit Mistakes

We all make mistakes — sometimes big ones. But can we have the courage to admit our mistakes? The following is a story from our not-yet-released new book, A Couple of Miracles: One Couple, More than a Few Miracles.

Since 1974, during our retreat in the French Alps with Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat Khan, Joyce and I have nourished a vision of a place where people could leave their busy environments to come into an atmosphere of love, acceptance and healing. There, they could discover their own inner wisdom, either in a loving supportive group or alone in nature.

Soon after we arrived in Santa Cruz County, we saw an ad in the newspaper for 12 acres of land for sale. The line that really caught our attention was, “bordered by one-quarter mile of creek.” We immediately went to check it out. It was gorgeous! It was steep, on a hillside of tanbark oaks and redwoods, with the small creek at the bottom.

It was a warm day in the middle of the summer, with dappled sunlight lighting up the dense forest floor. I remember my joy, walking on the bank of the creek, imagin ing the trail I would build, and the tidy little A-frame sleeping cabins for our retreat participants. In my mind, I could see little rock dams, creating small waterfalls and pools along that whole 1,200 feet, with the nurturing sound of falling water soothing the souls of everyone who came to this land.

We purchased the property for $18,000! We hired a bulldozer to put in a road down the hillside to a home-site just above the creek. Even though switchbacked, the road was still steep. We brought in crushed granite base rock to make it more drivable.

A friend drew up, with our guidance, plans for our home, with a large living room for gatherings, and a large deck overlooking the creek and wrapping around a large, native maple tree.

Then autumn came, and the sun began to dip below the trees. Then it was gone. Not a drop of sun all day long. And it got cold without any sunlight.

The final clincher was the backhoe operator who drove down to dig a test hole for septic approval. I will never forget the comment he made, thinking I

was a hired worker and not the owner: “I’ve put in a lot of septic systems in all kinds of places in this county, but what kind of fool would want to build something down in this hell-hole.”

That evening, with a heavy heart, I told Joyce what this man said. We sat a long time in silence pondering his words. Finally, I spoke, “Joyce, I feel we made a mistake.” And Joyce sadly agreed. Then we held each other and cried.

We sold the land, with its new driveway down to a cleared building site, to a young man who was thrilled to have a forested hideaway.

Three years later, during a particularly severe winter storm, the hillside above the building site gave way, covering the site with mud and debris. Luckily, nothing was built there. Any home on that site would have been demolished.

That backhoe operator, although crude and humorless, was nevertheless sent by angels to deliver his message.

I could have easily missed the message. I could have gotten angry with the backhoe operator. I could have stubbornly pushed on with our plans. I could have refused to admit my mistake, our mistake.

Why is it so hard to admit mistakes?

There are several reasons. Pride (or more correctly, false pride) is one reason. We don’t like to see ourselves as fallible. Making mistakes is for lesser human beings. Joyce sometimes teases me about my MD degree and sometimes my doctor personality.

In medical school, we were all programmed to come across as experts, not matter how unsure we were. I’m still working on de-programming, so I sometimes slip and come across as the expert. I’m a medical doctor, and I make mistakes.

An even bigger reason has to do with “toxic shame.” We are human. We make mistakes. But we are not our mistakes. Toxic shame causes us to identify with our mistakes. Toxic shame dictates that we are bad people because we made mistakes. Therefore, to admit to making a mistake is to admit to being bad, rather than simply being human. I can easily relate. As a child, I got labeled as “bad,” where it was simply my behavior that displeased my parents. But we are not our behavior.

By Joyce and Barry Vissell

One of our first spiritual teachers, Leo Buscaglia, modeled self-love after making a mistake. He used to hug himself every time he made a mistake. You can read Joyce’s article about this here: https://sharedheart. org/a-lesson-from-leo-buscaglia-the-artof-forgiving-your-mistakes/

Our friend, Scott Kalechstein Grace, wrote a children’s song that is just as applicable for adults. It goes, “Oops, I made a mistake, but I’m beautiful, yes, I’m beautiful.”

And indeed, we are no less beautiful and loveable after making a mistake, no matter how big it is. If our mistake causes someone pain, please sincerely

apologize. And you’re still beautiful and loveable.

Go ahead. Do what Leo did. After making a mistake, try giving yourself a hug, and then acknowledge your innate goodness. •••

Joyce & Barry Vissell, a nurse/therapist and psychiatrist couple since 1964, are counselors in Aptos who are passionate about conscious relationship and personal-spiritual growth. They are the authors of 9 books and a new free audio album of sacred songs and chants. Call 831-684-2130 for information on counseling sessions by phone, on-line, or in person, their books, recordings or their schedule of talks and workshops. Visit their web site at SharedHeart.org.

Park at Rispin Mansion Bids Due March 1

The Capitola Department of Public Works is advertising for bids to construct The Park at Rispin mansion. The due date is March 1 at 11 a.m.

The estimated cost of construction is $949,000.

This is a 0.86-acre community park at Wharf Road and Clares Street across from the Capitola Library.

The property next to Soquel Creek was developed by Henry Allen Rispin with a 22-room home built between 1919 and 1921. The home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was damaged by fire and mothballed by the city.

The park project does not involve the mansion but rather the grounds, where eucalyptus trees have been

known to attract wintering Monarch butterflies.

The project includes restoration of the historic elements, the entry staircase, grand staircase, reflection pool, sundial, fountain, arbor, interior walls, and other ornamental elements.

New amenities include an amphitheater, benches, trash receptacles, a bocce

ball court, a children’s nature play area, chess tables, planters, bike racks, a drinking fountain, security lighting, interpretative displays and signage, ADA-compliant pathways, gardens and landscaping.

The project also includes a native oak demonstration garden and a Monarch butterfly demonstration garden with interpretive signage. n

Allied Health Building to be Renamed in Tom Sourisseau’s Honor

Tom Sourisseau, the beloved anatomy instructor at Cabrillo College, left $2.5 million to the Cabrillo College Foundation for biology scholarships and faculty and staff grants.

And the campus is recognizing him by renaming the Allied Health Building in his honor. The dedication ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, at 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. The community is invited.

This is the largest estate gift in Cabrillo College Foundation history.

The former Cabrillo faculty member died at the end of 2021.

“Tom was a beloved anatomy and physiology instructor who taught many of the current healthcare workers in this community. He was a strong presence at Cabrillo and was deeply committed to the College. When he wasn’t teaching biology, he was teaching County lifeguards,” said interim Vice President of Instruction Robin McFarland. “Personally, he was an inspiration--he helped me buy my first wetsuit and swam in the ocean with me, helped me train for my first half marathon, and invited me to a book club which he participated in until

“Build More” from page 13

Under state laws aimed at addressing California’s housing crisis, homeowners can build ADUs — sometimes referred to as “in-law units” — or additional homes (SB 9 units) on their lot under specific circumstances.

The city council’s proposed action would also be an unlawful attempt to preempt the application of state ADU laws, according to Bonta.

State law requires permitting agencies to approve or deny ADU applications ministerially and without discretionary review within 60 days of a complete application’s submittal.

Should a city deny an ADU application, it must provide in writing a full set

the end of his life. He was a respected and valued colleague and friend.”

Sourisseau dedicated over three decades of his career to teaching at Cabrillo College, where he established a top-notch human anatomy program, prepping students for

of comments to the applicant with a list of items that are defective or deficient and a description of how the application can be remedied by the applicant.

State law makes it clear that no other local ordinance, policy, or regulation shall be the basis for the delay or denial of a building permit or a use permit.

Refusing to process ADU permits would have the effect of reducing access to housing and also runs afoul of the Housing Crisis Act’s broad prohibitions on local government moratoriums seeking to restrict or limit housing development, according to Bonta.

The letters reflect the latest what Bonta sees as a string of troubling actions by Huntington Beach.

careers in healthcare. His focus on delivering an exceptional curriculum, and its impact on students, elevated Cabrillo’s anatomy program to a level of distinction.

He served as Faculty Senate president and Biology Department chair.

In February, Huntington Beach advanced a proposal to strip private property owners of the right to add housing units starting in April, despite the need for additional housing and warnings from the state.

On Feb. 13, HCD and the Attorney General warned the city’s planning commission that the proposed adoption of an ordinance banning “builder’s remedy” projects would violate state law.

The builder’s remedy refers to a provision of the Housing Accountability Act prohibiting cities and counties that have not adopted a compliant housing element from denying housing projects for inconsistency with zoning if at least 20% of the proposed homes are affordable to lowincome households.

A lifelong learner, he took a variety of courses at Cabrillo, including Spanish, chocolate-making, dance, and wine classes through the Culinary Arts program.

He received his degree from UC Berkeley in 1968, followed by two and a half years with the Peace Corps in West Africa. He had a passion for travel and was fluent in seven languages.

He was a lifeguard and trained others in the profession. He loved swimming in the ocean, was an avid runner, and often rode his bike to work.

After experiencing two strokes, he became a student in the Disability and Stroke Center and swam in the Cabrillo pool several times a week.

“Tom will always be remembered for his contributions to Cabrillo and our local community,” said Cabrillo College Foundation Executive Director Eileen Hill. “This gift will be a permanent endowment, ensuring student support for generations to come. I think he would be very proud to make such a lasting contribution to the education of students, especially those walking through the doors of the Sourisseau Allied Health Building.” n

Huntington Beach has not adopted its housing element, even though HCD found its draft compliant with state law.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit the California Department of Justice’s Housing Portal and HCD’s website for more resources and information aimed at supporting access to housing.

A copy of the California Department of Justice’s letter to Huntington Beach is at https:// oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/pressdocs/Huntington%20Beach-2-21-23-AG%20 Letter.pdf

A copy of HCD’s letter is at https:// www.hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/ planning-and-community/HAU/HuntingtonBeachNOPV-ADU-022123.pdf

Tom Sourisseau

“Remote Work” from page 19

As people reportedly flocked south, Yelp data shows increases in the share of search locations in Texas cities, compared to 2019, particularly San Antonio (up 29%) and Austin (up 18%).

Dozens of popular Florida cities also saw large increases, including Tallahassee (up 56%), St. Petersburg (up 23%), West Palm Beach (up 12%) and Tampa (up 10%).

Impact for Yelp

The trend of individuals relocating away from traditional business hubs during the pandemic is also reflected internally at Yelp, as we saw many of our U.S. employees moving away from office-centric locations as the company leaned into remote work.

In 2022, U.S.-based Yelp employees lived in 1,304 unique cities — a 50% increase from 2019 (871 unique cities).

From 2019 to 2022, Yelp saw the share of employees living near our office locations decrease, including San Francisco (down 70%); New York (down 67%); Washington, D.C. (down 67%); Chicago (down 67%) and Phoenix (down 33%).

During this same time period, Yelp saw a 300% increase in the share of employees residing in Florida and Texas.

After observing how employees thrived during the company’s remote-first pilot period in 2021, Yelp announced it would fully embrace remote work in June of 2022, closing the company’s most consistently underutilized offices, including New York; Chicago and Washington, D.C.; as well as reducing its footprint in Phoenix.

Combined, the three offices Yelp closed saw a weekly average use of less than 2% of the available workspaces. Yelp had previously reevaluated its real estate needs to better accommodate its remote-first workforce, reducing its footprint in San Francisco in September 2021.

New Business Growth

To understand how the reshuffling impacted new business growth in 2022 compared to 2019, Yelp examined the average new business growth in the states that experienced both an increase and decrease in share of searches.

Yelp data show that states with an increase in share of searches showed a higher average increase in new business openings across nearly all categories — demonstrating the positive economic impact and opportunity remote work has had on local businesses across the U.S.

New home and local services businesses have shown to be the backbone of local economies as new business openings surpass pre-pandemic levels, with notable average increases in both states with an increase in share of searches (up 57% and 47%, respectively) and states with a decrease in share of searches (up 31% and 19%).

Meanwhile, shopping, bars and nightlife, active life and restaurant businesses have not yet fully bounced back to pre-pandemic levels with each seeing a decrease in new business openings in both states that saw an increase and decrease in share of searches.

Narrowing in on the five states with the highest increases in share of searches —

South Dakota, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and Mississippi — these states saw a significant average increase in new local services (up 78%), home services (up 76%) and beauty services (up 52%) businesses, compared to 2019.

Local services drove the most growth in these states, ranking in the top three categories of the top five states with the highest increase in share of searches. Yelp data show that home services and beauty services are major drivers of business growth in these top states, as new residents start home improvement projects or search for self-care treatments in their new neighborhoods.

Yelp also analyzed the impact to new business growth within the states that saw the most significant drops in search locations during the pandemic — in order of greatest decrease: Washington, D.C.; New York; California; Nevada and Oregon.

These states, including D.C., saw decreases in new business openings in shopping (down 22%), active life (down 19%), bars and nightlife (down 9%), arts and entertainment (down 8%) and restaurants (down 7%). Shopping businesses ranked in the top three categories with the greatest decrease of new openings for each of the states, including Washington, D.C., which saw the largest drop (down 35%).

States known for their variety of arts and entertainment experiences (California, New York and Nevada) all saw decreases in new business openings within this category, down 21%, 16%, 12%, respectively.

Larger Applicant Pool

Though the initial shift to remote work was seen by many organizations as a temporary change, thousands of individuals have found remote work has improved their overall quality of life, increasing their ability to spend time on new hobbies or with family and friends.

Yelp reviewed its own employee listening data since the company went remote in March 2020 and saw both recruitment and employee satisfaction positively impacted by its remote work stance.

The company also shared that 2022 was Yelp’s best year yet – reporting record revenue of $1.2 billion — a 16% growth rate, demonstrating employee productivity in a remote work environment.

Yelp’s commitment to remote work has allowed the company to access a vastly larger talent pool across the U.S. and internationally.

Compared to 2019, Yelp found an overall increase in the average number of applicants per job posting in 2022, most notably in Yelp’s general and administrative (up 200%) and sales roles (up 25%).

Yelp also saw a shortened hiring process for these roles, with the average time to hire reduced by six days in 2022 — a 23% decrease since 2019.

Able to Meet Goals

While many companies called employees back to the office, with some indicating collaboration as one of the main reasons, a 2022 Distributed Work Survey of Yelp employees found that 85% of employees feel connected to their teams and informed while working in a distributed environment.

The survey also showed that 87% of employees felt favorably about working remotely.

Yelp found no significant change in the percentage of new employees who felt connected to their teams in the first 30 days of their employment in 2022 (94%), compared to 2019 (95%).

A February 2022 survey of Yelp’s employees found that 86% of respondents preferred to work remotely most or all of the time, 87% report that working remotely has made them more effective at work and 93% of employees and their managers report they can meet their goals remotely.

In a separate employee survey focused on benefits, 74% ranked “physical and mental wellbeing” as one of their two most important employee benefits in a remote setting.

This led Yelp to increase its wellness stipend amount by 33% in 2023.

New Hobbies

Asremote workers gain back the time they would have otherwise spent commuting to the office, Yelp user data

shows consumer interest in a wide range of hobbies — from active sports to arts and leisure activities — has increased in 2022 when compared to both 2019 and 2021.

Interest in pickleball jumped 275% compared to 2019, axe throwing 68%, glass blowing 33%, cheese tasting 18% and fitness instruction 9%.

As flexible work arrangements become the norm for many U.S. industries, we anticipate people will continue to settle down in states and cities that provide more affordable cost of living and less population congestion –ultimately driving new opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Yelp will continue to assess how these shifts are reshaping local economies and impacting business growth across the U.S. At Yelp, the company plans to continue its intentional and deliberate approach to employee listening, taking action on feedback to continue meeting employee needs in a remote-first environment. n

On Your Feet

criminal hand

12. Toy block

13. As old as time?

14. Milan’s La ____

15. Drug addict

16. Craving

17. Some primatologists’ study object, for short

18. *Shoe, not a titular character in Henry

James’ novel

20. What spirits and culprits have in common

21. Falstaffian in body

22. Jack Kerouac’s ___ Paradise

23. *Shoe, not lazy person

26. Concealing plant, in a painting (2 words)

30. Not leg

31. ____ ____ help

34. Poet Pound

35. *Sound of Wellington boots

37. U.N. labor issues org.

38. Twig of a willow tree

39. Database command

40. Type of purse

42. “Platoon” setting, for short

43. Canadian province

45. Overly preoccoupied with something

47. Motion of assent

48. Louisiana swamp

50. Like list of chores

52. *Animated movie about a dancing penguin (2 words)

56. “All About Eve” star

57. Biblical birthright seller

58. Generic dog name

59. Are not

60. What snob puts on

61. Cogito, ____ sum

62. Mountain, in Germany

63. Trinitrotoluene, for short

64. Movie tape

1. Yarn defect

2. 100 centavos in Mexico

3. A long time ago

4. Somewhat (2 words)

5. City on the Seine

6. Pool growth

7. ____ but not heard”

8. *Rupturing this will take you off your feet

9. Can of worms

10. Deciduous tree

11. *Percussion with one’s feet

13. Piano adjusters

14. Scrawny one

19. Caribbean religious and healing practice

22. Noble title

23. Apple TV+ coach

24. Acrylic fiber

25. Amortization root

26. *0.3048 meters

27. Web mag

28. Domains

29. Agricultural enterprises

32. Narc’s unit 33. Contagious bug 36. *On your feet 38. Exclamation of delight or dismay (2 words) 40. El ____ 41. Nutrias

vessel

Two Fishes With a Silver Cord

We are under the light of Pisces until March 20, when Sun enters Aries and Spring begins. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, containing within itself all the eleven previous signs. Pisces carries in its waters the seeds of Aries, when all things new begin for the new year. During Pisces the past year is available for recollection and review. Pisces gathers the past year and all previous eleven signs, and offers them to the fires of Aries to create something new. The cycle of livingness is always unbroken.

The symbol of Pisces is the two fishes, one facing up, the other facing down. Bound together by a silver cord, they swim together between worlds — representing innate duality of creation. The two worlds — soul and personality, spirit and matter, light and dark, good and evil, God and human.

Pisces rules the lymph system and the Pisces biochemic cell salt is Ferrum Phos, providing oxygen to the blood stream providing a vital force that sustains life. Pisces is called the World Savior. Cell Salts (tissue salts, mineral salts, twelve biochemic remedies) are called the Cell Salts of Salvation — biochemistry that restores balance and harmony to the body

ARIES

With Sun in Pisces you may be dreaming more, feel more intuitive, a bit more sensitive, inspired and insightful. Study, prayer and retreats are worthy activities for you at this time. They will allow more gentleness and compassionto emerge — qualities and virtues needed when with an Aquarian group, when asked to be the leader and invited to visit the future. The new era is Aquarius, which Aries are called to initiate.

TAURUS

You have one task — to focus on health, tend to the oxygenation of cells, take more calcium, magnesium, NAC and chlorella. Do not let your body to become cold. You must use knowledge and discipline to care for yourself. As life in the new era becomes more changeable you will also have to weigh what’s best — to be out and about, leading everyone into the future, or remain at home caring for your physical body to bring it back to perfect health. Stay out of cities and big box stores.

GEMINI

Something beneficent, benevolent and bountiful happens between you and the cosmos, between you and the heavens. You’re inspired, encouraged and guided internally by the stars. With careful study, years of preparation, and viewing the past in terms of your great and wonderful gifts, pathways open, choices and commitments are made, and abundance settles into your mind and heart. These are interesting times for you. Study Pythagoras.

CANCER

A new and different study has been introduced to our world and if you are up to date on it you could be quite fascinated. It’s about the electric universe. It could make you feel generous and for the first time in a long time, you feel at home here on earth. It’s a new exploration into physics, time and a reality that was unknown to you. Now it’s presenting itself and you in turn will seek to participate fully. This changes your inner life. You are happy. Joyful, too.

system. A noteworthy book to read during Pisces and into the new era is The Zodiac and the Salts of Salvation by Carey and Perry.

Lent: 40 days and 40 nights of purification and preparation for Spring. Lent offers us time to eliminate old patterns and create new rhythms. It’s good to consider cultivating a sense of giving (gifting) during Lent. Giving to those in need. Giving creates a divine circulatory flow of energies. What is given is returned 10-fold.

All actions, intentions and dedications generate an energy field of Goodwill. What do we give? Not necessarily things but the gifts of praise, recognition, deep listening, thoughts of Goodwill, prayers and blessings for others. And choosing kindness always. All acts of generosity and kindness create an energetic field of light that radiates outward to all the kingdoms around us. When thinking of offering money consider those deeply in need. The Right Use of Money is a major test for humanity at this time. This is part of the First Initiation for humanity — the Initiation in Bethlehem, House of Bread. n

(Note: for daily astrology & teachings see www.nightlightnews.org)

“Soquel Dr. Rebid” from page 22

The estimated cost of the project: $25.9 million.

The state’s Solutions for Congested Corridors Program is providing $16.4 million, with $4.5 million coming from the county’s General Fund and the remaining $4.96 million from the City of Santa Cruz, Soquel Creek Water District, gasoline tax revenue and other state transportation funds.

On Feb. 14, county supervisors voted 4-0 to seek bids; Justin Cummings was absent, officiating a wedding. Bids will be opened March and a contract expected to be awarded in April.

Initial construction bids were too high, so the supervisors agreed to make two sections of sidewalk, near Robertson Street and also near LaFonda Avenue, optional in hopes of bringing down costs.

LEO

Observe yourself now and in the days to come becoming more insightful, discerning, perceptive, observant and wise. Observe that you are more intuitive and enlightened in terms of others, especially those you work with. Someone or something or perhaps some words you hear or read will assist you to shift into a deeper awareness of spiritual realities. This comes through money, resources, intimacy and/or dreams. In between, tend to taxes.

VIRGO

You will want to relate better and more with others, especially those close to you. They will then begin to bloom and flourish, increase, thrive and prosper, along with you. Like a garden under Spring’s sunlight. Over time, you become a greater support to others, offering guidance and direction where needed. Maintain harmony, challenge nothing and no one. Offer compassionate understanding instead. It will nourish your heart and then the hearts of others. People notice.

LIBRA

Think about what you want to be doing daily…what job, career, occupation, work, vocation, artistry, you truly and deeply need to pursue. If you don’t know, ask yourself what that may be. The true information will subtly appear. Talk to everyone about your hopes, wishes and dreams. In the coming year, if you rest more, your health improves, you become stronger and more resistant to illness. Have a salad with each meal, add apples and dates. I think you need a canary or a fish or two.

SCORPIO

Don’t go down the road of regular investments thinking you’re lucky and the economy will improve soon. The monetary situation is shifting in our country and world. For up-to-date economics, read Catherine Austin Fitts’ Solari report. Don’t take risks with your money and resources. Know that crypto currency is not the new economy. Don’t speculate. Invest in land, homes, greenhouses and bio shelters. Use your resources to create these environments. Work together with others. Study communities that are off the grid.

SAGITTARIUS

So many different ideas flow through your mind. Perhaps you’re thinking of moving near or far away. Perhaps it’s time to return home. You always want a place near a body of water or a mountain, or both. There is a benevolence occurring in your home and family life now. Interest in genealogy, your family tree, relatives and loved ones may take center stage. This nourishes you til the next phase of personal development appears.

CAPRICORN

Notice in the coming months your thinking becomes happy, optimistic and life questions and behaviors of others begin to make sense. You always act with intentions for Goodwill which bring grace and goodness to all interactions. You realize everyone’s doing their very best and often see to and help others who have lost their way. Begin writing (journaling, blogging) in earnest. You may write a book, actually. You have important observations and things to say.

AQUARIUS

This coming year will be one of challenges and hard work. This is so your vital life force can be ready for the new era of Aquarius unfolding. It will also be lucrative for you and money and resources will be available based on need. All resources should be used for your well-being. Share also with those in need, using resources to help others. You don’t want to owe money to anyone. Have cash on hand, gas in the car (no electrical vehicles, they are not sustainable), food and medicines on hand. The times to come contain serious situations to be considered.

PISCES

Good fortune, sunshine, blessings, grace and beauty will follow you this year. Hopefully all the days for the rest of your life. A new self-confidence and new sense of self-identity will also surface and later, flourish. There is a shift in the road ahead for you in terms of work. You become more international. In the meantime, maintain all responsibilities and obligations, tithe generously and consistently, and stand in the sun three times a day each day. The devas wait for you to join them.

The improvements on routes used by Cabrillo College and Harbor High School students, will include: 2.7 miles “buffered” bike lanes, 2.4 miles of separate bikeways, crosswalks with flashing lights in 11 locations, synchronizing stoplights to improve traffic flow at 21 intersections, and upgrading 96 ADA ramps. Systems will be installed to give Metro buses priority at traffic signals.

Soquel Village near Porter Street is to get green painted bike lanes.

Soquel Drive will not be widened but 5.6 miles are to be repaved and 5.6 miles are to be painted with green bike lanes. In some areas, vehicle lanes will be narrowed to make room for bike lanes, and some street parking will be removed.

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig highlighted the agenda item in his newsletter. He has heard from residents opposing new housing projects that the county’s transportation infrastructure cannot accommodate more development. This project is part of the county’s effort to address that problem.

Another is the Highway 1 auxiliary lanes and bus on the shoulder project to begin this summer. n

The improvements on routes used by Cabrillo College and Harbor High School students, will include: 2.7 miles “buffered” bike lanes, 2.4 miles of separate bikeways, crosswalks with flashing lights in 11 locations, synchronizing stoplights to improve traffic flow at 21 intersections, and upgrading 96 ADA ramps.

One Rain-Soaked Season Does Not End a Drought

By Eileen Cross, Community Relations, Santa Cruz Water Department and Rebecca Rubin, Public Outreach Coordinator, Soquel Creek Water District

Despite the downpours, flooding, and battering rains of December and January, it is too soon to declare an end to the multi-year drought that has gripped the state.

It seems counterintuitive to think of still being in a drought after the series of drenching storms that damaged our coastal region. But droughts are a complex phenomenon. Just as severe droughts can take consecutive dry years to develop, they can also take multiple wet years to come to an end.

The series of atmospheric rivers after years of drought are a perfect example of what meteorologists are calling “weather whiplash,” the result of extreme shifts in weather. Climatologists warn that such extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, creating additional challenges to providing our communities with clean, safe, and reliable drinking water. Droughts deplete water supplies, and a single wet year doesn’t necessarily end that threat.

That is especially true for the Soquel Creek Water District and the City of Santa Cruz Water Department. Soquel Creek Water District relies entirely on groundwater for its water supply. Even before the current drought, the basin that provides the district’s water supply was critically overdrafted with seawater intrusion occurring at the coastline. Customers do an outstanding job of conserving, but those efforts have not been enough to offset the decreased recharge rate of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Basin.

The aquifers within the groundwater basin take time to recharge – requiring years to recover from drought and over-drafting.

“Highway 1” from page 22

Sarah Christensen, senior transportation engineer with the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, pointed out how Soquel Drive, Highway 1 and the rail corridor come together to create the “Aptos Strangler,” the traffic logjam so many wish could be untangled.

“We’re going to fix it,” she said.

Transportation expert Jarrett Walker coined the term “Aptos Strangler” during a local presentation in 2016.

It is estimated that 5–7% of rainfall naturally recharges our local aquifers.

Capturing stormwater can be more challenging than one might think.

The County of Santa Cruz teamed with local water agencies to investigate stormwater capture projects as a potential solution to groundwater overdraft and seawater intrusion, but the technical studies found that the local geology, topography, and lack of available land for spreading basins and percolation ponds make these types of projects challenging.

The Santa Cruz Water Department stores as much excess water from storms as it can — and as its water rights allow. The city relies on the Loch Lomond Reservoir

The federal government’s generosity came as a surprise to Koenig.

“I didn’t know this was a possibility,” he said. “All of a sudden, we’re golden.”

Koenig’s supervisorial district includes 5940 Soquel Ave., on the Highway 1 frontage road, where a 160,000-square-foot medical office building plus parking garage is proposed for Kaiser Permanente, which expects to bring 300 employees to the site.

Neighbors are worried Soquel Ave., a two-lane road lacking sidewalks and bike lanes, and their neighborhood streets will be overwhelmed by traffic.

for water during the dry season, but even when full it provides only a year’s worth of supply, making the city vulnerable to multi-year droughts. The city is studying a variety of water supply alternatives to augment its water supply and adapt to a changing climate, including potential aquifer storage and recovery, stormwater management, recycled water and desalination.

Pure Water Soquel will recycle and purify water from the Santa Cruz wastewater treatment facility to replenish the groundwater basin and prevent further seawater contamination. This will provide a reliable, sustainable, and high-quality water supply that is resilient to a changing climate

The developer, PMB, must submit the final environmental impact report and host a community meeting. That didn’t happen in December, January or February.

After the community meeting, the project goes to the county Planning Commission and then the county Board of Supervisors.

Koenig pointed out the $25 million in improvements known as the Soquel Drive buffered bike lanes are being rebid, with bids due March 16. See story on page 22.

He also said Jarrett Walker, who reimagined the Houston Metro bus system to

and drought conditions. It will provide a beneficial use for wastewater that would otherwise be discharged to Monterey Bay. Preserving our common groundwater basin and capturing stormwater runoff can be done at home. Soquel Creek Water District encourages businesses and households to capture stormwater through the use of rain gardens, redirecting downspouts into landscaping, and rainwater harvesting. For a complete list of Soquel Creek Water District rebates, visit https://www.soquelcreekwater.org/rebates. For a list of rebates available to Santa Cruz Water District customers, visit https://www.cityofsantacruz. com/government/city-departments/ water/conservation/rebates

Living with droughts and extreme weather requires resiliency and adaptation.

The consensus among scientists is that human-caused changes to our climate will bring more frequent and severe droughts, and more extreme weather events. We may have a temporary reprieve from the latest drought, but continue to encourage community members to use water wisely and learn more about why development of diversified and reliable water supplies remain a priority for our local water agencies. We face an uncertain future when it comes to climate, weather, and water. Droughts and floods are an unfortunate but inevitable part of the climate in our region.

As regional partners, the City of Santa Cruz and the Soquel Creek Water District are committed to meeting the challenges of climate change and we are confident that our customers will continue to partner with us to maintain a clean, safe, reliable, and resilient water supply. n

connect people to jobs with no substantial increase in operating cost, has been hired to re-evaluate Santa Cruz Metro routes.

One more benefit from the $30 million: CalTrans estimates the Highway 1 project will create 2,167 jobs and improve access to top employers in Santa Cruz County.

In the meantime, county officials will turn their focus to housing — to map out places where homes can be built to satisfy the state’s demand for Santa Cruz County to build 4,634 housing units in the next eight years. n

Photo Credit: Dean Monroe

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

LITO’S COMMUNITY CAFÉ & MARKET

2904 Freedom Blvd.

Blossom’s Farm Store & Coffee Shop in Corralitos has been sold to new owners Charlotte and Lazaro.

They will officially take over March 1 and will re-open at 2904 Freedom Blvd. as “Lito’s Community Cafe & Market.”

The shop will be closed for 3 days between March 1 and March 3 for the new owners to make it their own.

They will continue the coffee shop along with offerings of locally grown produce, gift items, and a selection of Blossom’s apothecary and fermented items. For more information, call 831-319-4048.

•••

Blossom’s, a biodynamic farm that creates nutrientdense foods and herbal health and skincare products, will open a new farm shop at its new nursery, 2033 Aromas San Juan Road, Aromas, on March 17, a new date due to inclement weather.

Hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. See blossomsfarm.com or call 831-246-1137.

CALL FOR ARTISTS

The 2023 Scotts Valley Art, Wine & Beer Festival will be held at Skypark, the original venue location where it all began in 1999!

Dates are Aug. 19 from 10am-6pm & Aug, 20 from 10-5pm. Voted every year as “Scotts Valley’s Favorite Community Event,” this event you won’t want to miss.

All artworks will be juried by a committee. Apply by June 15 to save $40. The jury is seeking originality, quality, and excellent craftsmanship. All work must be original and handcrafted, no exceptions! No kits, mass-produced items, commercial reproductions, or imports will be allowed.

Artist participants are selected on the basis of 5 digital photo images:

1 of the booth display

1 of the artist at work creating in their studio with supplies and tools

3 images of handcrafted artwork. Images cannot be older than 2 years.

In addition to the fine artists, there will be food trucks with innovative cuisine, live music, a Kids Fun Zone and the area’s most prestigious wineries and award-winning micro-breweries pouring their best. •••

The Cops ‘N Rodders Car Show will be on Saturday with 100+ vintage classic cars will be on display. Sunday will be “Bring Your Dog Day” with contests and activities for all canines.

ROTARY SCHOLARSHIPS DEADLINE: MARCH 27

Capitola-Aptos Rotary gives about $6,000 annually in college scholarships to students graduating from Soquel and Aptos high schools.

Students apply and write an essay, then once they are chosen they must attend a club meeting to talk about their education plans.

The John Fisher Scholarship — in honor of past district governor, RotaCare Bay Area founder and Rotarian emeritus John Fisher — goes to a student starting at Cabrillo College. Find applications at https://www.capitolaaptosrotary.org/

GRAND JURY SEEKS APPLICANTS

Have you wanted to serve your community and wondered how to get involved?

Does governmental waste, inefficiency, or lack of responsiveness concern you?

The Santa Cruz County Superior Court is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Civil Grand Jury. The application deadline is April 28.

Information is at https://www.santacruz.courts.ca.gov/ divisions/civil-grand-jury. Questions can be emailed to jury. information@santacruzcourt.org.

IRS TAX DEADLINE NOW MAY 15 DUE TO STORM EMERGENCY

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. 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.

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

READ SING PLAY COUNT

Each year in collaboration with the American Libraries Association the Santa Cruz Public Libraries produces an Early Literacy Calendar in English and Spanish. Based on the Every Child Ready to Read practices of reading, writing, singing, talking, playing, and counting, each calendar contains 12 months of learning activities, book lists, nursery rhymes, and more. Explore the daily literacy-building prompts and activities with your child.

February kicks off with a drawing activity: “Draw all the people in your family. Talk about each person while drawing them.”

Santa Cruz Public Libraries supports early literacy with programs and resources for children and families:

Story time, Read to Me kits, 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, and more. Calendars can be picked up at local library branches or downloaded at www.santacruzpl.org/kids/birth/

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 deadline to apply is April 28. 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

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.

HARTNELL COLLEGE STEM TALENT EXPO

Wednesday March 22 1:30-4:30 p.m., Hartnell College, Building S, 411 Central Ave., Salinas

Hartnell College will host the Monterey County STEM Talent Expo, a free event connecting businesses with students and community members looking for opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Building S.

Keynote speaker will be Jenét DeCosta, chief of staff at Driscoll’s, the global leader for fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries with more than 100 years of farming heritage and hundreds of independent growers worldwide.

DeCosta is responsible for board and shareholder relations, global internal communications, and charitable giving. Before joining Driscoll’s in 2012, she worked for the American Red Cross Biomedical Services Penn-Jersey region.

In 2022, DeCosta was appointed to the California State Board of Food & Agriculture.

She received her degree in international business from Ramapo College in New Jersey. She and her partner Scott live in Santa Cruz County.

For full details: https://mcstemtalentexpo.com

/ Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

Third Thursdays and Fourth Tuesdays

HOUSING MATTERS NEIGHBORS

Thursdays: 4:30-6 p.m., Garfield Park Library, 705 Woodrow Ave., Santa Cruz

Tuesdays, 5:30-7 p.m., Capitola Library, 2005 Wharf Rd. A meet-up for people who want to learn how to take an active role in their neighborhood to bridge divides on the topic of homelessness.

At these monthly in-person meet-ups for neighbors can:

• Learn from local experts about real solutions to homelessness together

• Problem-solve and create solutions in your neighborhood together

• Help to foster compassion and equity in Santa Cruz County neighborhoods together For information call Marsa Greenspan, Housing Matters Volunteer Program Manager: (831) 226-2486

Fourth Thursdays of the Month

PASSIONATE READERS BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

10:30 a.m.-Noon, La Selva Beach Library, 316 Estrella Ave. The Passionate Readers Book Discussion group meets on the fourth Thursday of the month at the La Selva Beach Branch Library. All adults are welcome. Meeting will be in-person and virtually via Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, register at https://santacruzpl. libcal.com/event/9844949

This month’s selection is Tomb of Sand, by Sri Gitanjali

Second Sundays of the Month

SANTA CRUZ ANTIQUE STREET FAIRE

9 a.m.-5 p.m., Pacific Ave., Lincoln St. and Cedar St. More than 40 vendors participate in this monthly outdoor fair. Weather updates are posted on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/santacruzantiquefaire

DATED EVENTS

Wednesday March 1

NEW TECH MEETUP

6 p.m., Courtyard by Marriott, 313 Riverside Ave. The new Courtyard by Marriott will host Santa Cruz Works’ New Tech Meetup.

This meetup will feature startups Elucidate and NeatLeaf and the top teams from 2023 CruzHacks:

• OpenRx — a solution for seniors and disabled individuals to stay on top of their medication schedules.

• Slug Swap — students can transform the way they save on meals. Connect with peers for quick and effortless exchange of unused meal points.

• Slug Budget — algorithm keeps track of how much money you need to spend before the end of the quarter so you do not have any left.

• Sluggers — online shop where every student has an account tied to their UCSC student ID.

• GLYTH — finding solutions to combat deforestation through interactive simulations.

Free food and live music are provided as always and drinks are available for purchase at the bar. Tickets are $7.50 at EventBrite. Space is limited.

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/new-tech-march-1

Thursday March 2

ROSE WORKSHOP

5 – 6:30 pm, Online Seminar Roses, often referred to as the queen of flowers, are thought to be fussy and difficult to grow. But with routine care, they are often quite resilient.

UC Master Gardeners Debra Stone and Suzanne Cooke will introduce you to simple techniques that encourage healthy, vigorous, and beautiful roses. They’ll talk about summer and winter pruning, as well as basic watering, mulching, and fertilizing,

Jenét DeCosta

followed by a discussion of rose disorders and pests, and how you can avoid them.

Free. Donations appreciated. To register, go to mbmg.ucanr.edu

Friday March 3

SANTA CRUZ ART EXPRESSIONS GRAND OPENING

5-9 p.m., Santa Cruz Art Expressions, 1545-A Pacific Ave.

The public is invited to the opening of a new art show at the debut of Santa Cruz Art Expressions on First Friday in the historic Rose building (above Lulu Carpenter), featuring local abstract artist Kelli C. Foss, who will be on hand to discuss her work.

She is known for her vibrant use of color and her unique style of abstract art. Her work has been featured in many Bay Area exhibitions

Kelli holds degrees in both psychology and art from San Jose State and has held positions as an elementary school art teacher. Friends and family will tell you she has always been creating in one form or another her whole life. This latest series started in earnest though in the darkest days of the pandemic,

“Everyone thinks that hate is the opposite of love but it’s actually fear,” she said. “I could feel this very visceral fear radiating from everyone I encountered whenever we went out for necessities during the pandemic . I just woke up one day and felt this energy move through me and I knew what I had to to do! I spent hours making paper ‘love transmitter’ hearts and gratitude signs to pass out all over our neighborhood. We were all in this thing together. I wanted people to know they weren’t alone. That we are all connected.”

Now that the pandemic threat has subsided we are really ready to be together again and that feels like a celebration! That joy is reflected in the color and movement of her work.

The show will feature a variety of abstract works. Each piece is a unique exploration of color and texture, and viewers will be able to experience the artist’s creative process firsthand.

https://downtownsantacruz.com/go/santa-cruz-artexpressions

Saturday March 4

ROSE PRUNING WORKSHOPS

10:30 a.m.-Noon / 1:30-3 p.m., San Juan Bautista Historical Park Rose Gardens, 19 Franklin St.

Get hands-on practice pruning roses!

Bring your gloves and clippers for a hands-on rose pruning demonstration with UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

After a brief demonstration and orientation, you’ll join UC Master Gardeners Debra Stone and Suzanne Cook in the rose gardens for an opportunity to practice your newfound pruning skills.

Do you have potted roses that need some TLC? Bring them, too, and Suzanne will show you how to prune for health and vigor.

These free workshops are expected to fill quickly. Each workshop is limited to 30 attendees. Pre-registration is required. To register, go to mbmg.ucanr.edu

Saturday March 5

KIDS’ BICYCLE SAFETY EVENT

10 a.m.-1 p.m., Capitola Mall parking lot, 1855 41st Ave. The local California Highway Patrol will host a bike safety event in the Capitola Mall parking lot.

The event will consist of a bike rodeo safety course, bike safety check, and helmet fitting.

Open to children of all ages. The

RIO THEATRE FILM FESTIVALS

Saturday March 18 and March 25

7 p.m., 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz

March 18

Reel Rock 17: The World’s Best Climbing Films

Don’t miss three heart-stopping new films at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz featuring the year’s biggest climbing & adventure stories: A wild expedition on Nameless Tower in Pakistan; a new cutting-edge route in a massive limestone cave in France; and a journey to Palestine’s West Bank to explore the power of climbing to change lives.

Films include:

Burning the Flame: Austrian climbers Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher attempt a coveted free ascent of The Nameless Tower in Pakistan DNA: Seb Bouin tackles what may be the world’s hardest sport climb in the Verdon Gorge of France

Resistance Climbing: In conflict-torn Palestine, a diverse group of climbers finds community, solace and redemption

Tickets are $22 at https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2022/12/13/reel

•••

March 25

Top Dog Film Festival

The Top Dog Film Festival returns to the Rio Theatre, sharing a two-hour collection of short independent films from around the globe, all about dogs! Meet dogs from all walks of life. This carefully curated program of short caninethemed films comprises the most inspirational, heart-warming and entertaining stories about dogs and their human companions from independent filmmakers around the globe.

A portion of proceeds will benefit the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. Tickets are $20 at https://www.riotheatre.com/events-2/2022/12/13/topdog

Dog lovers invited to preshow Yappy Hour at Sante Adairius Midtown, 1315 Water St., Santa Cruz.

event is designed to be entertaining while improving bike safety knowledge.

To sign your child up, please call (831) 219-0200 or email: Israel.murillojr@chp.ca.gov to reserve a spot — space is limited.

Thursday March 9

SHERIFF JIM HART AT CHAMBER LUNCHEON

11:30 a.m.-1 pm, Seascape Golf Course, 610 Clubhouse Drive, Aptos

The Aptos Chamber of Commerce will host its second luncheon meeting of the year at Seascape Golf Course.

Guest speaker is Sheriff Jim Hart.

Price: $30 members/ $35 general admission. RSVP at https://tinyurl. com/aptos-chamber-jim-hart, or call 831-688-1467.

MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

5:30-7 p.m., Online Webinar Interim Inc. will host an online webinar via Zoom, “Mental Illness & Navigating the Criminal Justice System,” from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, March 9. Are you close to someone living with a mental illness and responsible for their care? Have you ever thought about what might happen to them if they were arrested? Have they been arrested and you didn’t know what to do?

The workshop will cover: How to engage with law enforcement during a crisis or arrest, alternatives to incarceration, access to treatment following an arrest and Care Courts. A 30-minute question-and-answer session will be at the end.

Speakers include: Monterey Police Sgt. Mickey Roobash, Greg Peterson, assistant district attorney, Monterey County, and Melanie Rhodes, deputy director, Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau.

The workshop is organized by Interim, Inc. with Monterey County Behavioral Health, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, and the Monterey Police Department.

To RSVP, go to https://navcrimjust.eventbrite.com. For information, call (831) 649-4522, Ext. 205.

Friday March 10

‘FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER’ AUCTION

6-10 p.m., Seascape Golf Club 610 Clubhouse Dr., Aptos New Brighton Middle School Home & School Club presents the “Friday Night Fever” auction to raise funds to support students and staff at Seascape Golf Club. Live music by Izzy & the Haze.

The in-person auction returns after 2 years of being online.

The cost is $85 per person, $125 per couple. Tables available for $625 which includes 10 seats, a donor basket on the table, and being listed as a sponsor in the program and advertisements. Cost includes dinner and one drink per person.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-brightonmiddle-school-friday-night-fever-auction-2023-tickets523044579417?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete

Saturday March 11

SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR

Judging begins at 9 a.m., Set up Mar. 10 8 a.m.-8 p.m., This year, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education is moving from a traditional science fair model to a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) EXPO in order to advance equitable access to inquiry-based learning.

The STEAM Expo provides a competitive and a noncompetitive showcase opportunity for students in grades TK-12. For the Competitive section, students design individual or team (max of 3 members) inquiry projects to compete for awards, scholarships and prizes.

Top award winners represent Santa Cruz County at the California State Science Fair, the International Science and Engineering Fair, and the California and National Invention Conventions. For the Showcase section, larger student teams (more than 3 members), clubs or classes may enter to present or demonstrate their ongoing work or projects.

The 2022-23 Santa Cruz County Science & Engineering Fair will be in-person at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville on March 11. Students will upload their electronic inquiry notebooks, images, video presentation, etc. for judges to preview prior to March 1. Judging will take place on March 11 in-person at the fairgrounds.

Students will present projects in elementary (grades TK-3), upper elementary (grades 4-5), junior (6th-8th grade) and senior (9th-12th grade) divisions in multiple areas of study. Fair participants are drawn from public, private, parochial and home-schools in Santa Cruz County.

All participants (competitive and showcase) must register, including their digital materials submitted, online in zFairs (link below) by the deadline, Feb. 27.

More information at https://sites.google.com/santacruzcoe.org/santacruzsteamexpo/home

Are you a site fair coordinator? Interested in sponsoring the fair? Do you have questions? Email hwygant@ santacruzcoe.org. “Calendar”

Kelli C. Foss

Jim Hart

Santa Cruz County Strategic Plan

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

There is no question that the Santa Cruz County of today is different than it was 30 years ago and we know that some elements will be different 30 years from now than they are today. How do we invest in the current and future needs of the county? Where can the County improve? Where should we focus our efforts?

A few years ago, after significant community input on priorities and goals, the Board of Supervisors adopted a countywide strategic plan to provide a framework to answer these questions.

The Board emphasized the importance of having this be an actionable and measurable document — one that is reviewed, flexible and updated. One thing that is key in this effort is that the County has created measurable objectives with complete transparency about the progress of each objective.

All of this information can be found at https://www.santacruzcounty.us/ VisionSantaCruz.aspx.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to explore the site, there is a wealth of information about our County to be found.

Here is a short list of some of the things you can find from the performance metrics section of that link:

• A Transparency Portal from the Sheriff’s Office that outlines crime rate, calls-for-service, use-of-force data and more

• A Permit Center Portal from County Planning that outlines the median building permit review time, the number of permits issued this last year, the number of staff currently assigned to reviewing applications and information on disaster rebuild

• Data on the Road to Zero Waste that outlines how much of our local waste is diverted by recycling, yard waste, reuse or ends up in the landfill - with information on the status of the landfill

• A Budget Transparency Portal that lets you view any element of the budget (in a very easy way) and to drill down on department level budgets and see where the County spends its funds In addition, you can click on the County’s Operational Plan to see how we are performing on specific objectives that stemmed from community input. For example, you can view objectives on affordable housing, road repairs, storm damage repairs, natural resources and conservation and much more — and from this link you can see specific objectives and where the County stands (in near real time) in obtaining those goals. The purpose of this is to ensure transparency in our actions and also help inform policy decisions should funds need to be allocated differently in an upcoming budget to improve outcomes in specific sectors. It is a very easy to navigate site and if you have an interest in County operations, or simply want to know where your money is spent, spending a few minutes

on this site can really help answer those questions.

You can also visit the County’s main website at https://santacruzcounty.us/ and select the option “I Want To” and you will see “View Budget and Strategic Plan” as an option.

Why is a Strategic Plan Helpful? Working with the community to identify our community’s strategic direction prioritizes use of limited resources, set expectations and measurable objectives, help cope with environmental uncertainty and change, and provide an objective basis for programmatic and policy evaluation that previously did not fully exist.

Additionally, having measurable performance metrics provides the community with something tangible to review

the success of programs and policies. It supports data-driven decision-making and informs the budget process. Are our investments working? Should programs be reformed or improved? How do we best invest in improved outcomes?

As a result, the Board of Supervisors created a two-year budget combined with a two-year operational plan to carry out the County’s strategic plan goals. This aligns the budget and operational plan to provide funding alignment to meet specific community objectives. n •••

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue). I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook.com/supervisorfriend and you can always call me at 454-2200.

For example, you can view objectives on affordable housing, road repairs, storm damage repairs, natural resources and conservation and much more — and from this link you can see specific objectives and where the County stands (in near real time) in obtaining those goals.

SCCAS Featured Pet

“Calendar” from page 29

Sunday March 12

GABRIELE BALDOCCI

4 p.m., Peace United Church, 900 High St. Santa Cruz Distinguished Artists Concert Foundation presents pianist Gabriele Baldocci performing LisztBeethoven Symphony No. 5 plus improvisations on Beethoven by Baldocci, and works by Douglas Finch and Michael Williams at Peace United Church.

Baldocci has performed from New York and San Francisco to Beijing, Brazil, Greece and throughout Italy — and his style, visionary programming and versatile artistic personality have garnered him worldwide critical acclaim.

This season will see the release of the latest CD of his acclaimed Liszt-Beethoven Complete symphony series.

A passionate advocate for live classical improvisation, he tastefully breaks the boundaries of genres and styles. His latest recording, “Sheer Piano Attack,” rapidly became a best-seller after being promoted by the rock band Queen.

Esprit Shows Her Spirit

This week we have a beautiful dog named Esprit for Pet of the Week! She came into the Shelter as a stray found by a good Samaritan dodging traffic. Esprit was nervous and apprehensive at first when she got to SCCAS, but with time and patience we all started to see her sweet, social side come out. This pup started relaxing, opening her circle up to include more friends (people and dogs alike) and was able to go to events.

When in playgroups with friends she is a bouncy girl and at events she is open to meeting other dogs. Her foster mom said that she would thrive in a home with a patient adopter who works on her reactivity through positive reinforcementbased training and management.

Being an Akbash (a livestock guardian breed) she will alert to strangers coming on to property. While her bark is big, she is really a big softie at heart. Esprit would do best in a home with no cats or chickens and might be okay living with another dog if they meet prior to adoption.

If you would like to add a sweet pup to your home and life come to SCCAS and meet Esprit today!

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz 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. Adoption hours are 10 am-5 pm. All adoption shows must begin before 4:45pm. n

•••

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

Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

• Website: www.scanimalshelter.org

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

A child prodigy, he started giving public concerts at age 9, winning prizes in numerous piano competitions such as the Casagrande and Martha Argerich Competitions. He has studied with such piano luminaries as Leon Fleisher, Alicia De Larrocha, Fou Ts’Ong, Charles Rosen and Claude Frank.

He is professor at Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and of the Purcell School in London, founder and director of the London Piano Centre and of the Milton Keynes Music Academy. Tickets are $45 at: www.distinguishedartists.org

Thursday March 16

and Saturday March 18

GROW PLANTS FROM SEED, CUTTINGS & MORE

Thurs 5-6:30 p.m. online class / Sat 10 a.m.-Noon, in-person at UC Master Gardeners Greenhouse, 1432 Abbott Street, Salinas

The UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties propagation team grows hundreds of plants every year. Now, Propagation Team Leads Charlene McKowen and Dyan Apostolos will share their techniques to create new healthy plants from seeds, cuttings, and division.

Cost is $20, which includes materials for the handson portion.

Save money by propagating a favorite plant — no need to look for an identical one in the nursery! Many plants need to be divided periodically to thrive. Both the class and workshop are aimed at those both new to propagation, or those who want to review their techniques for better results.

To register, go to mbmg.ucanr.edu

Thursday March 23

RUNNING FOR OFFICE

7 p.m., Online Meeting

Are you a current and potential candidate for appointed or elected office in Santa Cruz County?

Are you a woman who is aligned with WILDR’s values of:

• racial and gender equity,

• reproductive justice,

• lifespan education funding,

• voter access,

• housing justice,

• equitable and shared economy for all?

Do you want to talk with and hear from others who are considering or planning to run for elected office?

WILDR will host a Zoom meeting at 7 p.m. March 23, to talk about openings for elected and appointed positions, and network with others for support and encouragement.

Register at: https://bit.ly/WILDR032323

Saturday March 25

LATINO ROLE MODELS

9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cabrillo College Crocker Theater, 6500 Lower Perimeter Road, Aptos

Tuesday March 14

COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING

9 a.m., County Governmental Center, 701 Ocean St., Room 525, Santa Cruz

After three years, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has had its last hybrid meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The next meeting will be in person at the County Governmental Center board chambers. For future meeting dates, see https://www.co.santa-cruz. ca.us/Government/BoardofSupervisors.aspx

Thursday March 16

IMPACT LAUNCH ALUMNI SPEAK

Noon-1 p.m., Online Forum

March’s Alumni Speak topic is Best Practices Engaging Youth in Transformational Leadership. Presenters via Zoom:

• Pamela Velazquez, United Way of Santa Cruz County — Jovenes SANOS program

• Heidi Merchen, SURJ — Upstander program

• Don Carney, Youth Transforming Justice — paid internship program

Time for Q&A and conversation. Register at https://tinyurl.com/impact-alumni-zoom.

Latino Role Models is a free conference at Cabrillo College Crocker Theater for Santa Cruz County students from grade 6 to college and their families.

Latino Role Models, sponsored by the nonprofit Senderos and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, features Latino college students and professionals. The conference is conducted in Spanish with English translation.

Keynote speaker is Olga Talamante, executive director emerita of the Chicana Latina Foundation. She became the first executive director of CLF in January 2003 serving until she retired in March 2018.

Her family migrated in the early 1960s from Mexico to Gilroy where they worked in the farm fields for several years. Those years formed the basis for her activism as an organizer and supporter of the nascent United Farm Workers labor union.

Emcee is Emmy award-winning broadcaster Erandi Garcia. Regoster at https://tinyurl.com/latino-role-models-2023. n

Pianist Gabriele Baldocci

Olga Talamante