Scotts Valley Times: February 2023

Green Hills Rd. Closed by Slide No Estimate

By Jack Dilles, Mayor, City of Scotts Valley

On Jan. 14, Scotts Valley joined other local jurisdictions when City Manager Mali LaGoe issued a proclamation declaring a local emergency, which was ratified by the City Council on Jan. 18. This declaration was based on the presence of flooding, downed trees, power outages, retaining wall failures, mudslides and other storm impacts.

to Reopen

Scotts Valley has fared much better than other local jurisdictions. President Biden declared storm damage in Santa Cruz County a disaster, clearing the way for federal assistance to cities, individuals and business owners so they can recover from the storm damage. ... continues on page 4

Dark Chocolate’s Dark Side

People who favored dark chocolate for its antioxidants have been reeling since reading Consumer Reports’ tests of popular brands for lead and cadmium, which no one would serve their guests, their children or their grandchildren.

Full Story page 6

G R A N D I N G R A N D M A

Cover Green Hills Rd. Closed by Slide: No Estimate to Reopen, By Jack Dilles, Mayor, City of Scotts Valley

Community News

5 Students Ride Metro Free Starting March 1 • Meet Scotts Valley Water District’s New General Manager

6 Dark Chocolate’s Dark Side: Consumer Reports: Lead and Cadmium in All 28 Bars Tested, By Jondi Gumz

7 Spelling Bee Champions

8 Storms Damage SLV Water Mains: District Lends Hand to Big Basin Water Co. • County Poet Laureate Farnaz Fatemi • NAACP Branch President’s Statement on Tyre Nichols’ Death

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

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“Green Hills Road” from page 1

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Homeowners, renters and businesses may apply for disaster financial assistance from the federal government through (800) 621-FEMA, disasterassistance.gov, or the Business Recovery Center in Capitola City Hall, 420 Capitola Ave., Capitola.

To protect Scotts Valley, City staff have gone all out to confront the storm and minimize damage. Smart, proactive and ongoing staff efforts have prevented what could have been a much worse outcome for the City’s infrastructure and residents.

Public Works maintenance crews have given their best efforts to get ahead of, and regularly monitor, the city’s hot spots for debris backups and flooding. They have continued these efforts throughout storms, checking and clearing out drainage areas to prevent flooding. In particular, areas around Carbonera Creek have been vulnerable to flooding and crews have been busy removing logs to unclog backups.

City staff may have their own stormrelated issues at home or have difficulty getting back and forth from home to work, but they are protecting Scotts Valley.

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Maintenance crews have also been busy dealing with fallen trees and mudslides along roads.

A large slide has closed Green Hills Road and the City has opened the gate between Green Hills Road and South Navarra Drive for access by residents and businesses. The slide appears to be

unstable and the timeframe for reopening Green Hills Road is uncertain.

Wastewater staff diligently worked throughout the New Year holiday weekend to prevent the plant from becoming overwhelmed by stormwater, and they have continued to operate the aging facility and keep flows within reasonable capacity through subsequent storms. Staff was at work when the new year arrived. Other Bay Area cities have encountered sewage spills because of the storms, but that has not occurred here.

Our Police Department team also did an excellent job, coordinating with other law and fire agencies and patrolling our City. They reported issues to Public Works for their responses. The out -

standing teamwork between the Police and Public Works Departments has been another significant reason why the City fared so well.

Other hard-working City Hall staff have supported the valiant efforts of field staff and have responded to numerous questions from the public.

Along with other regional representatives, I was invited to tour PG&E’s Santa Cruz County base camp. Committed PG&E workers have been busy dealing with falling trees and utility wires all over the County, including Scotts Valley. PG&E staff, along with tree workers, cleared wires and tree debris from Granite Creek Road in the City when it was closed down.

I learned that PG&E has more than 700 representatives responding on a priority basis to power outage issues throughout Santa Cruz County, but primarily in the San Lorenzo Valley. They have more than 7,000 workers responding throughout their territory. Supporting this work are people from eight other states and Canada.

With each new storm, outages climb then fall back as PG&E responds, and then climb back again with the next storm. At peak periods, 32,000 customers have been without power throughout the county.

The Scotts Valley Community Center was open as a “Temporary Evacuation Point,” staffed by volunteers, to provide water, food, parking and information to anyone who was evacuated. In particular, evacuees from San Lorenzo Valley were in need of assistance. Anyone needing shelter has been directed to shelters in Santa Cruz.

“Green Hills Road” page 8

Michael Oppenheimer, Camisa Composti

Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin, Brad King website

photography

A look at the hillside that dropped onto Green Hills Road.

Students Ride Metro Free Starting March 1

Starting March 1, students in grades kindergarten through 12 will be able to ride the Metro bus for free throughout Santa Cruz County.

The Youth Ride Free pilot program eliminates fares in order to increase access and encourage student youth ridership. The program applies to all routes except Highway 17.

According to a 2019 Metro survey, only 9.7% of bus riders are under age 18, although they comprise19% of the county’s population.

The fare has been $2 for a ride and $6 for a day pass, the same for youth as for adults, with passes available for purchase online plus a $1.50 shipping and handling fee.

“Our local youth represent the future of transit and they need better access to Metro,” said Santa Cruz Metro Board Chairman Larry Pageler. “A key goal for the Youth Ride Free program is to help develop lifelong transit riders, while meeting Metro’s overall goal of increasing transit ridership.”

How it Works

Riders in 8th grade and under may be asked by the driver to identify their grade level or the school they attend. Students may be asked to provide a student ID, if one is available.

Riders in grades 9-12 will be asked to show a student ID to the driver. Riders without a student ID get a special pass from their school or at the Pacific Station customer service window in downtown Santa Cruz.

Metro, which operates a fleet of 94 buses on 24 fixed routes and 32 paratransit vehicles, is focused on boosting ridership to 7 million trips annually within the next five years. n

Meet Scotts Valley Water District’s New General Manager

On Jan. 10, Scotts Valley Water District announced David McNair has been promoted to general manager, succeeding Piret Harmon, who held that role for 10 years. Nate Gillespie has been named operations manager, succeeding McNair.

McNair became operations manager in 2014, leading the Orchard Run Water Treatment Plant upgrades, construction of the new Orchard Run Well and the intertie project linking the Scotts Valley Water District with the San Lorenzo Valley Water District to provide a more resilient water supply during emergencies.

Previously he worked at the Santa Cruz Water Department. He got his start at the San Lorenzo Valley Water District 40 years ago.

Gillespie comes from the Soquel Creek Water District, where he managed day-today operations, including water production, treatment, water system maintenance and emergency response. Gillespie also has worked at the Santa Cruz Water Department and the San Lorenzo Valley Water District.

Harmon will work part-time to manage special projects.

During her tenure, the Scotts Valley Water District has become a leader in innovation, water efficiency and sustainable planning.

Scotts Valley Water District was among the first water agencies in Santa Cruz County to install “intelligent” water meters and implement WaterSmart, an online platform that provides hourly water use updates, high water use alerts and other tools for customers to monitor their water use.

“SV Water GM” page 7

Nate Gillespie

David McNair

Dark Chocolate’s Dark Side

Consumer Reports: Lead and Cadmium in All 28 Bars Tested

By Jondi Gumz

People who favored dark chocolate for its antioxidants have been reeling since reading Consumer Reports’ tests of popular brands for lead and cadmium, which no one would serve their guests, their children or their grandchildren.

Lead and cadmium are categorized as heavy metals linked to a host of health problems in children and adults. No amount of lead is considered safe. Cadmium can build up in the kidneys and cause dysfunction and disease.

For the report posted on Dec. 15, Consumer Reports scientists detected lead and cadmium in all 28 dark chocolate bars tested.

Tested brands included well-known Dove, Ghirardelli, Hershey and Godiva, along with Hu and Chocolove.

For 23 bars, eating one ounce a day would put an adult over a level that public health authorities and Consumer Reports’ experts say may be harmful for either lead or cadmium.

A typical bar size is 2.8 ounces.

Five bars were above those levels for both cadmium and lead. These were Lily’s extra dark (made by Hershey’s), Theo, two bars, Trader Joe’s 85% cacao, and Green & Black’s.

According to Tunde Akinleye, the Consumer Reports’ researcher who led this testing project, consistent, longterm exposure to even small amounts of heavy metals can affect brain development and lead to lower IQ for children.

In adults, frequent exposure can lead to high blood blood pressure, suppress of the immune system suppression and damage the kidney.

Those most affected are people who eat chocolate every day, which about 15

percent do, says market research firm Mintel.

Lead and cadmium can be found in root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots — and small amounts from more than one source can add up.

Safer Choices

It is possible to enjoy a bit of dark chocolate, as five of the 28 were relatively low in lead and cadmium, which to Akinleye shows dark chocolate bars can be made with lower amounts of heavy metals.

These were Ghirardelli, two bars, Taza, Valrhona and Mast.

One consumer, upon hearing the news, wondered how her favorite treat could be made safer.

Chocolate is made from the cacao bean, which contains cocoa solids and

According to Consumer Reports, dark chocolate’s reputation as relatively healthy is due to the cocoa solids, which are full of flavanols, antioxidants found to lower blood pressure and down-regulate inflammation. Dark chocolate is lower in sugar and higher in fiber than milk chocolate, and it has the minerals magnesium and potassium. However, the cocoa solids are where cadmium is found.

Dark chocolate tends to be higher in heavy metals than milk chocolate, probably because of its higher cacao content, according to Consumer Reports.

Dark chocolates are generally at least 65% cacao by weight, according to Michael J. DiBartolomeis, PhD, a toxicologist and former official at the California Department of Public Health who has researched heavy metals in chocolate.

There is no official cut-off.

Sources

How do lead and cadmium get into the cacao bean?

Between 2019 and 2022, DiBartolomeis and other researchers studied how metals might contaminate cacao, as part of a settlement to a lawsuit against chocolate manufacturers brought by As You Sow, a 30-year-old nonprofit that earlier found high levels of lead and cadmium in some chocolates.

The findings: Cacao plants take up cadmium from the soil, and metal accumulates in the beans as the tree grows. Lead, however, seems to arrive after the harvest. The researchers found lead was typically on the outer shell of the cocoa bean, not in the bean. Lead levels were low soon after beans were picked and removed from pods but increased as lead-filled dust and dirt accumulated on the beans drying in the sun. DiBartolomeis reports collecting beans on the ground with the outer shell loaded with lead. Changes in harvesting and manufacturing practices could address the problem, according to Danielle Fugere, president of As You Sow.

This could include minimizing soil contact with beans as they lie in the sun, and drying beans on tables or clean tarps away from roads or with protective covers to keep lead-contaminated dust away. Or finding ways to remove metal contaminants at factories when beans are cleaned.

Cadmium changes could mean carefully breeding plants to take up less of the heavy metal but that’s not a quick fix. Growers could replace older cacao trees with younger ones, as cadmium levels tend to increase as the plants get older, and remove or treat soil contaminated with cadmium, again not a quick fix. n

Consumer Reports has created an online petition for consumers to appeal to Trader Joe’s, Hershey’s, Mondelez and Theo to reduce risky heavy metals. See https://action.consumerreports. org/20221215_heavymetalschocolate_cro

Testing Details

Consumer Reports researchers used California’s maximum allowable dose level for lead (0.5 micrograms) and cadmium (4.1mcg), and calculated the maximum allowable dose in an ounce of chocolate. This results in percentages showing which products had comparatively higher levels.

There are no federal limits for the amount of lead and cadmium most foods can contain, and Consumer Reports’ scientists consider California’s levels to be the most protective.

Read the report: www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate -a8480295550/

Spelling Bee Champions

The 2023 Santa Cruz County Spelling Bee champions are Bayview Elementary fifth grader Liesl Hildebrand, first place in the Elementary Division and Gateway School seventh grader Sky Zeltser winning the Junior Division.

Finishing second: Ihan Kang, Westlake fifth grader, and Ryan Repp, Aptos Junior High eight grader.

Finishing third: Aria Menon, Mountain Elementary sixth grader, and Cooper Nelson, Aptos Junior High eighth grader.

First and second place finishers in both divisions advance to the California State Spelling Championship, scheduled for Saturday, May 13, at the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

The local contest, sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, took place Jan. 28, at UC Santa Cruz.

This year’s competition was the first event held in-person since 2020.

“Congratulations to our winners, and to every student who participated in this exciting academic event!” said Sofia Sorensen, multilingual achievement coordinator at the Santa Cruz COE and event organizer. “We were thrilled to bring the Spelling Bee back in-person this year and to see such talent and love of

words from students across Santa Cruz County.”

Liesl missed three words and Sky missed 11 words; the rest of the competitors made more errors.

Competitors first participated in school spelling bees, with winners advancing to the county-level event.

The countywide competition is open to two students from every school in Santa Cruz County, public or private, in grades 4-6 and grades 7-9 who have been certified as school champions by their school coordinator. n

Cooper Nelson (left), third place; Ryan Repp, second place. Not pictured: Sky Zeltser, first place

From left: Liesl Hildebrand, first place; Ihan Kang, second place; Aria Menon, third place

“SV Water GM” from page 5 Water efficiency has greatly improved as the district has implemented incentives, such as the Turf’s Up! lawn replacement rebate.

Harmon also played a key role in the establishment of the Santa Margarita Groundwater Water Agency, which oversees groundwater management activities in the Santa Margarita Groundwater Basin. n

Storms Damage SLV Water Mains District Lends Hand to Big Basin Water Co.

The January storms had a big impact on water infrastructure in the San Lorenzo Valley Water District. The water district sustained damage to multiple water main pipelines serving Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Ben Lomond, and Felton.

PG&E outages led to further issues, damaging pumps and forcing water district crews to manually operate the water system to prevent water outages for customers.

“The January storms compounded damages from the 2020 CZU Complex fires, creating even more challenging conditions for our community and staff,” said San Lorenzo Valley Water District Manager Rick Rogers.

Despite this, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District extended its staff to Big

Basin Water Co. in Boulder Creek to repair water main breaks and provide water to the small water agency’s customers after storm-caused erosion on China Grade Road, Branson Road, and other areas.

“We are glad SLVWD has the resources to lend a helping hand to a struggling neighboring water agency. Being without power is manageable, but having no access to safe potable water is unacceptable,” explained Rogers.

Big Basin Water serves about 450 connections. A majority of Big Basin Water customers lost water service in the beginning of January. In response, the San

Lorenzo Valley Water District set up a free water fill station in Boulder Creek where Big Basin Water customers could access potable water during service interruptions.

The SLVWD Board of Directors monitored progress with consistent updates during the storms.

At the January meeting, the board commended SLVWD staff for their dedication to the community and neighboring communities throughout challenging storm conditions.

The allocation of District staff time and resources to Big Basin Water is considered mutual aid.

The San Lorenzo Valley Water District qualifies for disaster relief funding, unlike Big Basin Water, which has limited funding opportunities as a private water agency. n

NAACP Branch President’s Statement on Tyre Nichols’ Death

On Jan. 30, Elaine Johnson, president of the NAACP Santa Cruz County branch, issued this statement on Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died three days after being beaten during a traffic stop by five Black police officers in Memphis.

On behalf of the NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch, we send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Tyre Nichols. May they know that the people of Santa Cruz County stand with them during this most difficult time.

Too many families have suffered the loss of loved ones at the hands of law enforcement officers who do not uphold the oath that they take to protect and serve. We know this will continue if law enforcement agencies don’t have brave and courageous

County Poet Laureate

Farnaz Fatemi

Farnaz Fatemi, an Iranian American poet and writer, has been named the 2023-2024 Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate.

She was officially appointed by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors at the board meeting on Jan. 31. Selection of the Poet Laureate was made through a competitive application process in which the panel considered artistic achievement in poetry; community engagement experience and ability to communicate well across a diverse range of communities; demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and alignment of the proposed project with the Poet Laureate mission and role.

leaders who are willing to hold their staff accountable to treat each and every citizen with respect while adhering to appropriate policing protocols.

No person because of their race, gender or identity should be subjected to differential treatment by law enforcement. No parents, family members, or friends should have to mourn the loss of loved ones because of illegal law enforcement practices.

“NAACP Reaction” page 10

Fatemi is a founding member of The Hive Poetry Collective, a member of Writers of Color — Santa Cruz County, and a former lecturer in writing at UCSC. In summers she teaches new transfer students in UCSC’s Transfer Edge program. Her book, Sister Tongue, was published in September 2022. It won the 2021 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, selected by Tracy K. Smith, and received a Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly.

“Poet Laureate” page 10

“Green Hills Road” from page 4

Many of the roads into Scotts Valley have been closed, impacting residents and workers. These closures have included Highway 17, Mt. Hermon Road, Glenwood Drive, Granite Creek Road, and Bean Creek Road. When this was written, Granite Creek Road, Bean Creek Road and Glenwood Drive are impassable at points outside of Scotts Valley city limits.

I encourage everyone to help others who are in need of assistance in any way you can. The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County (831-427-5070) is actively organizing groups to assist families who have been severely impacted by floods. They are searching for groups of volunteers willing to work with individual families and stick with them for 4 to 6 weeks as they work through recovery.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone,

especially city workers, assisting our City with storm efforts and cleanup. Let’s hope that the rain backs off for a while, so we can regroup, repair and return to our normal lives. n

•••

Jack Dilles is mayor of Scotts Valley. Contact him at jdilles@scottsvalley.gov.

•••

Editor’s note: A week after the mayor wrote this column, he told Scotts Valley Times he has not seen a cost estimate to repair Green Hills Road. Public Works staff will visit the site again with engineers to inspect the damage, try to come with a plan to repair the road and provide a timeline for opening. Staff are concerned about the stability of drainage infrastructure at the top of the slide and the potential for more slides. Having declared a disaster, the city may proceed to request reimbursement for repairs. We want to fix this problem and are exploring our options.

Teresa Dettle captures the other side of the slide.

Farnaz Fatemi

CDC Data Reveal Covid Vaccine Safety Signals

By Jondi Gumz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On Jan. 11, the Biden administration extended the Covid-19 emergency until May 11, giving health care providers time to prepare for the end of the emergency.

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

Milder Variant

BQ.1: Down from 27.4% to 9.3%

BA.5: Down from 6.9% to .7%

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

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

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

Scientists in new independent studies published in Nature and the Lancet report the bivalent booster “did not produce robust neutralization against the newly emerged BA.2.75.2, BQ.1.1, or XBB.1” — in other words, these newer subvariants can evade immunity from infection and vaccination.

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

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

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

California reports 23.8% got the bivalent booster.

In Santa Cruz County, 31.9% got the bivalent booster.

at Michigan State University.

Pfizer Profit

n Jan. 31, Pfizer reported 2022 earnings were a record $100 billion, with $37.8 billion from sales of its Covid vaccines and $18.9 billion from Covid pill Paxlovid.

Vaccine revenue rose only 3% from 2021, as demand for vaccination slowed.

Pfizer told investors that as the world emerges from the pandemic, revenue could decline in 2023 by $67 billion to $71 billion, a 33% drop.

Last year, Pfizer shared plans to raise the price of Covid vaccines, from about $30 per dose to $110 to $130 per dose.

Vaccine maker Moderna plans to charge $110-$130 per dose; the U.S. paid $26 per dose for boosters.

Out of Work

Astudy by the New York State Insurance Fund, that state’s largest workers’ compensation carrier, reports 18% of the people with “long Covid,” a chronic illness with new, returning or ongoing symptoms after Covid infection, have not returned to work after a year, and 40% returned to work after 60 days but were still receiving medical treatment, reducing their hours. This can be contributing to a labor shortage.

The study analyzed more than 3,000 Covid-19 workers’ compensation claims initiated between January 2020 and March 2022.

Leading the top 10 symptoms were shortness of breath, fatigue, post-concussional/amnesia, and depression/anxiety.

OThere is no test for “long Covid” and no treatment. Research is ongoing.

During a meeting, Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, CDC deputy director, said, “We are aware of these reports of people experiencing long-lasting health problems following Covid-19 vaccination. We hope for improvement.”

On Jan. 19, New York City police officers, firefighters and healthcare workers who lost their jobs for refusing to comply with the city’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate filed a $250 million lawsuit against the city and Mayor Eric Adams seeking to end the mandate. The 72 fired workers demand the city overturn the mandate, reinstate their jobs and compensate them with punitive damages.

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

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

“COVID Update” page 10

Hospitalizations

and intensive care bed use are down statewide and locally, and the state is closing Optum Covid testing sites. The Veterans Building site in Watsonville closed Jan.19; sites at the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, close Feb. 3, and Felton Public Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton, closes Feb. 5.

California’s test positivity rate is down from 10.6% to 4.9%.

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

XBB.1.5: Up from 18.3% of cases to 61.3%

BQ.1.1: Down from 35.7% to 21.8%

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

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

“The large difference in the possible number of fatalities due to Covid-19 vaccination that emerges from this survey and the available governmental data should be further investigated,” concluded study author Mark Skidmore, economist

“NAACP Reaction” from page 8

While the bad apples do not represent law enforcement as a whole, if accountability is not held, how will we know the difference? And how can we be called upon to support law enforcement if we can’t tell the difference between the good and the bad? We do not want to see this happen in Santa Cruz County much less anywhere else again.

To our local law enforcement leaders, we support you to center equity and ensure every person receives equal protection and equitable resources from our law enforcement officers and that your agencies are a model for others to follow.

Tyre, we will speak your name over and over. We will stand with your family, your son, and your community in peace and solidarity.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “… the time is always right to do what is right.” n

“COVID Update” from page 9

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

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

“Poet Laureate” from page 8

Some of her poems and lyric essays appear in Poem-a-Day (Poets.org), Tab Journal, Pedestal Review, Nowruz Journal, Grist Journal and Tupelo Quarterly and the anthologies Essential Voices: Poetry of Iran and its Diaspora and Halal If You Hear Me. More at farnazfatemi.com.

Fatemi’s selection was announced by the Santa Cruz Public Libraries in collaboration with the County of Santa Cruz Department of Parks, Open Spaces, and Cultural Services, Arts Council Santa Cruz County, and Poetry Santa Cruz.

The Board of Supervisors, at the recommendation of the Santa Cruz

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 CDC 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.”

County Arts Commission, voted to establish the County Poet Laureate honorary position at the Oct. 18, 2022 board meeting.

Fatemi said, “For all my years in Santa Cruz County, I’ve been struck by the range of poets, organizations and poetic impulses in our communities. As County Poet Laureate, I hope to help strengthen and amplify these crosscounty relationships. Building on the efforts of so many others, including previous poet laureates, teachers and writers, I am particularly excited to find ways to bring poetry to more young people.”

During the two-year term, the Poet Laureate provides poetry readings

Fewer Deaths

Deaths per day in the U.S. fell this week to 627, according to ycharts.com, compared to 3,000 when the Delta variant raged.

Data for 2021 and 2022 show deaths peak in January, but that did not happen in 2023.

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

No local deaths were reported in the last two months.

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 317 active Covid cases, half the number from a month ago.

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

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education reported 706,100 tests with Inspire Diagnostics.

According to the Santa Cruz Office of Education, cases in schools peaked at 4,407 on Jan. 27, 2022, and in January 2023 were 273.

The 14-day positivity rate, 12.25% in January 2022, was 2.33% in January 2023.

2023 Changes

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

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

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

at community events and engage in a project using poetry to strengthen the local community.

The Poet Laureate›s duties are supported by a $2,000 grant funded by Arts Council Santa Cruz County. The Poet Laureate program aligns with the strategic plans of both the County and the Library System.

The County›s Strategic Plan asserts that the arts are essential to a community›s vitality and economic development.

The Library’s are goals to create opportunities for diverse groups to connect, have fun, and gain understanding through art, history, and humanities programs that celebrate diverse cultures and identities. n

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

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

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

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

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

To order a free at-home test kit, visit www.covid.gov/tests or call 1-800-232-0233.

Local info: www.santacruzhealth.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: 11

Intensive care: 0

•••

COVID Deaths: 276

As of Jan. 31

Age

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

60-64: 15 • 55-59: 4 • 45-54: 10

35-44: 8 • 25-34: 5

Underlying Conditions

Yes: 226 • No: 50

Vaccinated

Yes: 39 • No: 237

Race

White 163 • Latinx 90 • Asian 16 • Black 3

Amer Indian 1 • Hawaiian 1 • Another 2 Gender

Men: 140 • Women: 136 Location

At facility for aged: 118

Not at a facility: 158

CALL FOR ARTISTS!

Scotts Valley Art Wine & Beer Festival

Save

The 2023 Scotts Valley Art Wine & Beer Festival dates are Saturday August 19 from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday, August 20 from 10am to 5pm.

$40 with Early Bird Discount before June 15

The Kids Fun Zone will be back and the area’s most prestigious wineries and award-winning micro-breweries pouring their best. The ever-popular Cops ‘N Rodders Car Show will be on Saturday and on Sunday, the fun-filled “Dog Day” will feature many canine contests and prizes!

All artworks will be juried. Artist must have original, quality art and excellent craftsmanship in all areas of the various mediums. No kits, mass-produced items, commercial reproductions or imports will be allowed.

The Artist Application is Now Open. You can Apply at SVArtFestival.com.

Artist questions? Email svartwinebeer@ gmail.com

•••

Earlybird Pricing: through June 15

• Save $40

Local SC County

Residents

Single Booth (12x12) $275 + $35

(non-refundable) jury fee = $310 – Early

Bird Price $270

Double Booth (12x24) $475 + $35 (non-refundable) jury fee = $510 – Early

Bird Price $470

Non-Local SC County Residents

Single Booth $420 (12x12) + $35 (nonrefundable) jury fee = $455 – Early Bird Price $415

Double Booth $720 (12x24) $35 (nonrefundable) jury fee = $755 – Early Bird Price $715 •••

Initial Results of Jury will be Posted on June 15th. Applicants after June 15th will be juried on an individual basis. Final Registration Deadline is July 20th.

Nomination Deadline Extended for Scotts Valley Community Awards

The Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce seeks your assistance in recognizing the people and businesses that make our Community such a special place.

Please send us your 2022 nominations for outstanding businesses and individuals for the following categories:

New Deadline: Friday, Feb. 10th

• Alvin Scarborough Memorial MAN OF THE YEAR

• Annette Marcum Memorial WOMAN OF THE YEAR

• YOUTH OF THE YEAR

• EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

• BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

• ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR

• Claire Hodgin Memorial BEAUTI-

FICATION PROJECT OF SCOTTS

VALLEY

Criteria for nomination:

• Each nominee must have made a valuable contribution to Scotts Valley.

• It may be in the previous year or over a period of time which you will specify

• A business of the year nominee must

be a current Scotts Valley Chamber member.

• An individual may live or work outside the city limits, but their contribution must be within Scotts Valley.

• Youth of the year nominee must be of High School age Nominating is quick and easy!

• Go to ScottsValleyChamber.com

Building Kidz Expands Its Team to Meet Growing Demand for Quality Childcare

Building Kidz of Scotts Valley, a wellestablished childcare center located in the heart of the Scotts Valley community, is proud to announce that it is now hiring experienced and qualified preschool teachers to join their team.

In today’s fast-paced society, the need for childcare has become more pressing. With both parents often working full-time, the demand for reliable and trustworthy childcare services has never been higher. Building Kidz of Scotts Valley understands the importance of providing children with a safe and educational environment. The center’s experienced and qualified staff are dedicated to providing the best care and education to the children in their care.

The curriculum at Building Kidz of Scotts Valley is designed to meet the needs of each child and encourage their growth and whole-child development. The center offers a variety of programs including toddlers, preschool, and transitional Kindergarten serving ages 18 Months – 5 Years of age. The programs are designed to meet the needs of each child at their specific stage of development and provide them with a solid foundation for future learning.

The center is equipped with stateof-the-art facilities and equipment to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for children. The classrooms are designed to be colorful and stimulating, providing children with a warm and inviting environment in which to learn and play. The outdoor play area is spacious and offers a variety of activities to encourage physical activity and fresh air.

Building Kidz of Scotts Valley is looking for individuals who are passionate about education and dedicated to providing children with the best possible start in life. Teachers must have the appro -

priate credentials in early childhood education (ECE) and must have experience working with young children.

“At Building Kidz of Scotts Valley, our mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children while their parents are at work,” said Nakul Mistry, Business Owner, Franchisee. “We are committed to providing quality education and care to children and are excited to expand our team

to meet the growing demand for our services.”

•••

For more information about Building Kidz of Scotts Valley, please visit https://www.buildingkidzschool.com/schools/scotts-valley

•••

Schedule a tour!

106 Vine Hill School Road, Scotts Valley (831) 438-4813

Scottsvalley@buildingkidz.com

The Sinatra Show Comes to Chaminade!

Well hold the presses! Where can you go to dine, dance and see a show? The Sinatra Show comes to Chaminade Resort and Spa on Saturday, February 11th, 2023. Come join us in the stunning setting at Chaminade in the Santa Cruz Ballroom for a special evening.

Chaminade Resort and Spa is located on a wooded bluff overlooking the Santa Cruz skyline and Monterey Bay.

Here is your chance to dress up and step out. Experience a delicious Italian buffet and warm hospitality in the elegant Santa Cruz Ballroom while you are to be transported to another time and place.

Get ready for high octane when Matt Hall, sensational vocalist and entertainer performing with the dynamic band Essence, takes the stage. With an attitude of an era gone by, no imitation here, let’s dance to Sinatra’s signature songs. Seating is limited. Make it a weekend and book Chaminade overnight at https://www.ChaminadePackages.com

“When we heard that the Sinatra Show was coming to the Chaminade,” said Michael Olsen, General Manager at KSCO 1080. “We thought it would be a perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The wife’s birthday and our 49th wedding anniversary. It was perfect! We dined on great food, enjoyed lively conversation at the table, and danced to the big band sounds of Sinatra. We would go back for our 50th! We would most assuredly!”

Inaugural Hitchcock Festival Coming To Scotts Valley Theater Guild March 10th

Did you know Alfred Hitchcock lived in Scotts Valley? Yes, this world-famous director lived in Scotts Valley from 1940-1974.

Many of his creations were filmed on the Northern California Coast, including Vertigo, based in San Francisco and San Juan Batista; The Birds, inspired by an actual event in Capitola; as well as Psycho filmed in Bodega Bay.

The Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild is excited to announce that the Hitchcock Festival will be held annually on the weekend nearest to National Hitchcock Day, March 12.

This year’s inaugural activities include a Friday, March 10th, evening kickoff with a review of related local

history by Jay Topping, Scotts Valley Historical Society, followed by a Hitchcock movie.

The Theater Guild will be hosting UCSC professors on Saturday, March 11, to highlight his unique approach to movie making, followed by a Hitchcock movie.

A Hitchcock-themed costume party with prizes will close out activities at

Scotts Valley’s recently opened Cultural and Performing Arts Center.

•••

Tickets will go on sale closer to the event. Sponsors and donors are welcome to contact Dave Hodgin at pathfinder@pacbell.net to support this event and the Guild’s ongoing mission. More information about the Theater Guild may be found at https://svctheaterguild.org/.

Scotts Valley hosts Leadership Santa Cruz County Class 36 for Local Government Day

Leadership Santa Cruz County (LSCC) class of 36 met on January 20, 2023 at the Scotts Valley City Chambers for an educational deep dive into Local Government.

After a delicious breakfast provided LSCC Board member, Phil Neuman and his team at CYAS Tech, the day began with

a welcome from the newly-elected mayor of Scotts Valley, Jack Dilles. Jack Dilles’ welcome was followed by an informative and interactive presentation on the basics of city government by Mali LaGoe, City Manager for Scotts Valley.

After Mali LaGoe’s presentation, Carlos Palacios, Santa Cruz County Administrative Officer, shared his expertise and experience about County government. The morning concluded with a town-hall style session with Supervisors Zach Friend and Bruce McPherson. Both shared their knowledge in local, state and federal government as well as an overview of damage and recovery from the storms.

The afternoon began with a delicious lunch sponsored by Bruno’s Bar and Grill, followed by a tour of the Scotts Valley Public Library by class member and Santa Cruz County Library

Director,

After the tour, SV Chamber Executive Director, Danny Reber introduced Councilperson Donna Lind to the class.

She shared her story of 50 years of service to Scotts Valley, through her career in law enforcement as well as her time as Mayor. Senator John Laird wrapped up

the day’s discussion on government by speaking firsthand about his vast career and experience working at various levels of government.

The day was a great success. LSSCC’s Class of 36 left Scotts Valley with a broader and deeper understanding of Local Government.

Yolande Wilburn.

Scotts Valley Chamber Executive Director Danny Reber introducing former Mayor Donna Lind to the LSCC Class of 36.

Senator John Laird stands with the new LSCC Class.

Local Togo’s Mourns Esteban Valadez Jr.

Greg Wimp, owner of Togo’s in Capitola, Scotts Valley & Watsonville, reports: “We lost one of our Togo’s family members, who is the son of one of our managers from one of the recent shootings in Washington State. His name is Steven and many Togo’s team members have known him since he was very young and also worked with him at Togo’s when

he was older. There has been a GoFundMe setup to help finance bringing him home to Santa Cruz and related funeral expenses. It is a difficult time for all of us at Togo’s Capitola, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. Here is the GoFundMe:

My name is Stefani Vasquez, I’m helping a friend raise money for the loss of his son. I will be very grateful for your donations.

We are raising funds to cover the necessary expenses for Steven Valadez’s funeral.

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, he left three months looking for a better life with a suitcase full of dreams. His father Esteban Valadez just wants to bring him back to his home where he was born. Incredible

Eric Costella: (1974-2023)

Eric Edward Costella passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 8, 2023. He was 48.

He will be missed by many for his love of living life to the fullest with family and friends.

Eric was born May 28, 1974, and raised in Santa Cruz County, growing up in Ben Lomond. He graduated from San Lorenzo Valley High School and attended Cabrillo College before settling in Scotts Valley.

Eric Edward Costella

wife Elizabeth, son Ethan, and German shepherd, Meadow. He is also survived by his adoring parents Ron and Cheryl Costella; sister Ann Costella, brother-inlaw Robert Gordon; niece Erica Costella; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Vern and Vennie Dillman and Edward and Emma Costella.

Eric taught himself to be a renaissance man of the information technology world, developing a deep skillset in coding, web design and systems management. He worked for several companies throughout his career in Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Silicon Valley.

His most recent job was at CyAs Tech, where he enjoyed assisting the city and police of Scotts Valley.

Outside of work, Eric enjoyed good food, fine wine, craft cocktails and quality conversation with friends and family.

Eric is survived by his loving

His love for life and good times will be missed by all who knew him.

Arrangements were by Santa Cruz Memorial. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 11:00 am at St. John’s Church, 120 Russell Ave., Felton, with burial to follow at Santa Cruz Memorial Park and a reception from 2-4 p.m. at Kissed By An Angel Winery, 75 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley. n

•••

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to a college scholarship fund for his son Ethan at Ugift529.com, code Z1E-U2V. To send condolences to Eric’s family, visit www. scmemorial.com

man who never hurt anyone. He is very loved by many people, he will be missed. Rest in peace.

He was a very honest and hardworking person. All of us who knew him know that he had a huge heart and didn’t hurt anyone. He really liked video games, he preferred to be at his house than to go to parties.

Sadly, his life was taken while he was outside his work building in his car around 4 a.m. before going to work. A man took his life by shooting him several times in his head and torso. The person who killed Steven committed suicide. All this happened in the city of Everett, Washington on Jan. 24.

All we want is for him to return to his home, Santa Cruz, where he was born.

He was on a normal day as always, ready to go to work and be able to continue fulfilling his goals/dreams when a man shot him for no reason and died instantly.

Right now all the paperwork is being processed to bring him to Santa Cruz, where he lived for many years.

All of his family and his acquaintances are devastated by such unexpected news since a week ago we spoke with him and he was super happy because he had already begun to fulfill one of his biggest dreams and he was as happy as anyone can be. We all remember him as the good person he was. May he rest in peace. n •••

To donate, see https://www.gofundme. com/f/dona-a-la-memoria-de-steven-valadez-jr

Dignity Health: Great Workplace for Diversity

Dignity Health, parent to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, has been named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group.

Dignity Health is a part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit committed to advancing health for all people.

Dignity Health’s Bay Area hospitals include Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, and Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City.

Newsweek and market data research firm Plant-A Insights looked at 1,000 companies and based their scores on publicly available data, interviews with human resources professionals and an anonymous online survey of a diverse pool of employees at companies with 1,000 or

more employees in the U.S. Respondents were asked questions about corporate culture, and working environment at their own companies and others they were familiar with. The survey yielded more than 350,000 company reviews.

“We are honored that Newsweek has recognized our efforts to create a healthcare system that fosters belonging, respect and value for everyone who enters our doors,” said Julie J. Sprengel, president and CEO, CommonSpirit Health Southern California Division, parent company of Dignity Health. “It’s important that our physicians and staff members reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, as we believe

it builds trust among our patients which leads to improved outcomes.”

The two CommonSpirit Health California divisions represented in this ranking employ nearly 43,000 individuals working at a range of settings from community hospitals, urgent care clinics to surgery and imaging centers.

“California consistently ranks as one of the most diverse states in the country and we’re proud to have made concerted efforts to mirror that diversity within our workforce,” said Shelly Schorer, interim president and CEO, CommonSpirit Health Northern California Division, parent company of Dignity Health. “It’s motivating to hear of this distinction as it comes on the

heels of years of important work — from our launch of medical residency initiatives that expand opportunities for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) to being recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index — we are encouraged now more than ever to continue these ongoing advancements.”

“With the word “diversity” attracting so much attention from companies, however, it can be tough for job applicants, customers and potential business partners to tell who is serious about supporting a diverse workforce,” said Nancy Cooper, Newsweek’s global editor in chief. n

See the full list at www.newsweek. com/rankings/americas-greatest-workplaces2023-diversity

Cabrillo College New Name Survey Closes February 22

On Jan. 27, Cabrillo College announced that following the November historic, 6-1 Board vote to rename the college, it is inviting proposals for a new name via a broad-based community survey. That community survey, open to everyone, is available at: www.cabrillo. edu/governing-board/name-explorationsubcommittee/.

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

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

“We want to receive broad-based community input on what the new name of Cabrillo College should be,” said Christina

COMMUNITY BRIEFS

Mitali Hindia Weiglein Appointed to SV School Board

Mitali Hindia Weiglein is the newest member of the Scotts Valley School Board. She was appointed by the school board to fill a vacancy.

She has worked for six years for Salud Para La Gente, where she is program manager. She has bachelor’s degrees in sociology and business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s of health administration from the University of Phoenix.

She is proficient in Gujarati and Hindi and has joined the Scotts Valley Diversity Equity Inclusion and Allyship Community Group on Facebook.

That group has been touched by the loss of Mateo Salvador Diehl, a student at

Scotts Valley High School who took his life a year ago at age 15.

•••

Free Bus Rides on Feb. 4

Santa Cruz Metro will offer free bus fares countywide, including Hwy 17 and ParaCruz on Saturday, Feb. 4, in recognition of Transit Equity Week, a movement to commemorate the life and legacy of Rosa Parks on her birthday.

Transit Equity Week, organized by local nonprofit Equity Transit, will include a series of events from Monday, Jan. 30 to Saturday, Feb. 4, concluding with the Family Fair in Watsonville.

At the fair, Metro will showcase one of its new One Ride at a Time buses, a campaign to give everyone in Santa Cruz County the opportunity to protect the environment simply by riding Metro.

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

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

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

“Cabrillo Name Change” page 19

Riders can accrue points from every ride which can then be donated to partners protecting the environment, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the Bay of Life Fund.

“We’re excited to offer equitable transportation options to the Family Fair Day by providing free bus fares,” said Metro CEO/ General Manager Michael Tree. •••

Jobs in Santa Cruz County

Sector Dec. 2022 Change from Dec. 2021

Government 23,500 Up 1,300

Private education 17,800 Up 600 & health

Construction 5,100 Up 300

Manufacturing 7,700 Up 300

Leisure/hospitality 12,300 Up 200

Other 4,800 Up 200

Trade/transportation/ 16,900 no change utilities

Professional/business 10,800 no change services

Financial 3,300 no change Nonfarm 102,800 Up 2,500 Farm 3,600 no change

Total 102,800 Up 2,900

Labor force 127,400 Up 1.8%

Employment* 128,600 Up .8%

Unemployment 6,000 Down 13% Unemployment rate 4.5% 5.2% Count is on the 12th of the month (before the storms)

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

Unemployment in Santa Cruz County was unchanged in December at 4.5% as the labor force grew from 132,000 to 133,500. For most of 2022, unemployment hovered around 3.8%, compared to 17+% in 2020, fueled by pandemic restrictions. Construction, a typically higherpaying sector, is healthy with more than 5,000 jobs. So is manufacturing, which tops 7,500 jobs. n

Mitali Hindia Weiglein

Rosa Parks

Science & Engineering Fair Gets an Upgrade

This year, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education is moving from a traditional science fair model to a Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics Expo 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. Categories are:

• Animal & Plant Science

• Behavior & Intelligence

March 11 • Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds

• Biosciences: Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular Biology.

• Medicine & Health

• Chemical Sciences & Chemical Engineering

• Earth & Environmental Sciences Inventions

• Physics, Astronomy & Engineering Design

• Construction, Design & Engineering

• Materials Science

• Robotics, Computation & Mathematics Students can enter passion projects using the inquiry process. Start with an essential question that is of interest and that cannot be answered with a simple Google search, and needs data collection and analysis. Research the question using reputable websites, interviews, and/

or print resources, and document results. Create something — this can be digital, physical or service-oriented. The product should be tested for its effectiveness and data collected.

Invention Convention: Identify a problem in your life, or your family’s, use problem solving and creative thinking to solve the problem, develop an invention idea, and build a prototype of the solution, test and measure how the design solves the problem. If the design does not work as expected, how might you resolve the issues? Document and present at the Expo, including the prototype.

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 for judges to preview prior to March 1. Judging will take place on March 11 inperson 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. 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 https://ca-scc.zfairs.com/App?f=265369379f34-4800-94a7-674a1d002137 by the deadline, Feb. 27.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A personal crisis the following year

set him on a path away from academia and eventually into journalism in local underground and alternative newspapers.

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

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

In his journalism he infused the newspapers he wrote for with a poetic sensibility not usually found in that medium but taking inspiration from such expo -

nents of The New Journalism as Joan Didion and Norman Mailer, politically engaged poets like Amiri Baraka and Denise Levertov, and independentminded essayists like Kenneth Rexroth and James Baldwin.

Since then, he has published hundreds of essays, features, reviews, interviews, and columns in dozens of periodicals including,

among others, Poetry Flash, Exquisite Corpse, San Francisco Review of Books, East Bay Express, Los Angeles Review of Books, North Bay Bohemian, and The Redwood Coast Review (1999-2014), for which he received four times, as editor, the California Library Association’s PR Excellence Award.

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

“Stephen Kessler” page 18

Stephen Kessler

Aquarius — Cleansing the Land with Waters of Life

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

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

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

ARIES

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

TAURUS

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

GEMINI

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

CANCER

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

This task of cleaning and purifying is now given to humanity. The task is to purify humanity’s emotional states so that the flow of energy to the intuition can be clear and unobstructed. Aquarian energy (with its rulers Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter) is fast, revelatory, revolutionary energy that reshapes the world. All world events are being colored by the nature and qualities of Aquarius. Aquarius calls for freedom of the individual, for benevolence and for the Rule of Law. Aquarius breaks with conventions, seeks new solutions to old problems (social, economic, religious, political). Everything that restricts humanity’s moving forward and evolving is shaken up by Aquarius.

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

LEO

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

VIRGO

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

LIBRA

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

SCORPIO

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

SAGITTARIUS

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

CAPRICORN

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

AQUARIUS

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

PISCES

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

“Stephen Kessler” from page 17

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

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

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

Publishing his poems for half a century mostly in the independent literary press — from his first collection, Nostalgia of the Fortuneteller (1975), issued by George Hitchcock’s Kayak Books, through the prose poems of Where Was I? (2015) from Gary Young’s Greenhouse Review Press, to Last Call (2021) from Black Widow Press in Boston — Kessler has produced a steady stream of constantly evolving lyric poetry characterized by its musical yet conversational style and a sensibility influenced by a diverse range of predecessors, from Emily Dickinson to Charles Bukowski, Gerard Manley Hopkins to William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Millay to Frank O’Hara, integrating a spontaneous sense of improvisation with a seemingly casual yet rigorous formal control.

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

For 37 years, the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission has selected outstanding artists nominated by the public and honored them. Nominees must be a resident of Santa Cruz County, must have a national or international reputation, must have contributed to the cultural enrichment of the local community, and must have created or presented work in Santa Cruz County. n

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

Pajaro Valley Quilt Association Show

‘Through the Looking Glass’ On Display at Santa Cruz County Fai rgrounds

Saturday, Feb. 25: 10 am to 5 pm • Sunday Feb. 26: 10 am to 4 pm

See the largest quilt collection in the county. The Pajaro Valley Quilt Association presents its annual Quilt Show Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26 at the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville.

A fun yearly event features more than 300 quilts from king-sized award winners, to small creative landscape pieces and everything in-between. Collector, historian and appraiser Julie Silber will be the featured speaker on Saturday.

The annual quilt auction is Sunday afternoon.

This year there is a special exhibit of 3D sculptural pieces by well known fabric artist Susan Else.

There will be a “bed turning” with interesting historical quilts and many demonstrations.

The Wearables Group will present Victorian tea party outfits to fit the theme, and the Quilt Challenge group followed through with “Choosing

No Eggs: Here’s Why

On Jan. 18, the egg case at Trader Joe’s in Santa Cruz was bare, with the reason being a run by worried customers.

The case was full of eggs in the morning, according to store staff, with a new shipment expected.

Reports of bird flu killing a record 57.83 million chickens from Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 11, 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spurred shoppers into action.

Another factor is molting season, eight to 12 weeks when hens lose their old weathers and grow new ones, taking a break from laying eggs. Eggs are back, and the prices are higher, due to higher costs for feed, fuel and labor.

The Glaum Egg Ranch at 3100 Valencia Road, Aptos, has a famous egg vending machine open six days a week and sells certified organic eggs. n

See glaumeggranch.com

and Illustrating a Poem (using fabric required).”

Three buildings of quilts, vendors, bargain garden and a chance to win the raffle quilt. Lunch and snacks for purchase. Ample free parking and shuttle.

General admission: $10.

Covid policy of fairgrounds enforced. n

For more information, go to www.pvqa. org and click on the Quilt Show tab.

The Grammys

“Cabrillo Name Change” from page 16

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

Names propose via survey will be added to a list of proposed names Cabrillo received in the two-year process leading

up to this phase, during which Cabrillo collected more than 300 emails and letters from community members, alumni, students, faculty, and staff.

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

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

25. Back of a boat

28. *”Shallow,” 2018 recipient from “A ____ Is Born” movie

30. *Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran’s nominated song

35. College dwelling

37. Footnote note

39. Shade of violet

40. Huron’s neighbor

41. Head of the abbey

43. Done in a pot

44. City in Bolivia

46. Not manual

47. Mend, healthwise

48. Eye cover

50. Egghead

52. Four quarters

53. Dog in yoga

55. Triple ____

57. *____.com Arena

60. *”Vegas” and “Woman” nominee (2 words)

64. Unit of electrical energy

65. Hoover’s agency, acr.

67. Discompose

68. Shade of yellow

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

70. Small, olive-gray bird

71. “Cheers” regular

72. Inquire

73. Open up DOWN

1. Bath powder

2. Iranian coin

3. ____ Spumante

4. Be needy

5. Gossipy ones

6. Arabian Peninsula country

7. Column’s counterpart

8. Holiday surprise for employee

9. Palo ____, CA

10. Agitate 11. Inwardly

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

15. Hindu retreat

20. Ancient Rome’s neighbor 22. Nail a criminal 24. Popular newspaper name 25. *”30” performer 26. Pillage

27. Beef ___, dim sum choice

29. *”Don’t Shut Me Down” group 31. Alan Alda’s classic TV show

32. Type of hawk 33. Type of flu

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

Sliding fastener

Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz Shoppers were surprised to see empty shelves at Trader Joe’s egg case in Santa Cruz.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OUR COMMUNITY READS PRESENTS: MARY COIN

Upcoming Events

Sunday, Feb. 5 • 3 p.m.

Concert: Songs We Sang in the Great Depression “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” “Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime,” “If You Ain’t Got the Do Re Mi” (In-person only)

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

Host Julie Olsen Edwards

Tuesday, Feb. 7 • 5:30 p.m

Workshop: “Our Community Writes” (H)

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

Sponsored by the Friends of the Scotts Valley Library.

Thursday, Feb. 9 • 6:30 p.m.

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

Local photographers Shmuel Thaler, Kevin Painchaud, and Mary Altier will talk about their work, show examples, and contrast their experience with that of earlier photographers like Dorothea Lange.

Moderated by Jim Bourne, whose photographs are on exhibit in the library through March 2023. Refreshments served.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Scotts Valley Library.

Saturday, Feb. 11 • 1 p.m.

Hands-on Art Event

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

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

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

No prior skills necessary to be successful.

Thursday, Feb. 16 • 6:30 p.m.

Panel: “Farm to Table: Smooth Road or Bumps

Along the Way?” (H)

Temple Beth El Social Hall, 3055 Porter Gulch Road, Aptos. Panelists will compare the working conditions of today’s farmworkers to the conditions of the Depression era, look at labor issues from a historical perspective, and show how best practices are being applied in today’s farming.

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

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

Sponsored by Friends of the Aptos Library.

Sunday, Feb. 19 • 1 p.m.

Film: “The Grapes of Wrath”

In-person only, La Selva Beach Library, 316 Estrella Ave. Topsy Smalley, Librarian with a special interest in

Steinbeck, introduces John Ford’s classic adaptation of the immortal Steinbeck novel.

Sponsored by Friends of La Selva Beach Library.

Tuesday, Feb. 21 • 6 p.m.

Film: “Dolores”

In-person only at Garden Room

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

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

Sponsored by the Friends of the Aptos Library.

Saturday, Feb. 25 • 2:30 p.m.

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

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

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

Sponsored by Felton Library Friends.

Tuesday, Feb. 28 • 6:30 p.m.

Reminiscence: A Universal Language (H) Rio Sands Hotel, 116 Aptos Beach Drive, Aptos A personal glimpse into the life of Dorothea Lange— portrait photographer, witness to the Great Depression and the Japanese Internment, visual chronicler of the Irish Country people—as told by her son Daniel Dixon. Presented by Dixie Dixon, widow of Daniel and herself a photographer.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Aptos Library.

•••

To register: Go to www.SantaCruzPL.org and click on Calendar at the top of the home page. Scroll the Calendar page to the event you want to attend and click the link for the name of the event. You will find registration instructions.

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

HEARTS FOR THE ARTS SILENT AUCTION

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

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

The 2023 Hearts for the Arts silent auction runs from Feb. 1 through 13, when artists’ work will be featured in the shop.

The auction of love-themed art will be part of the First Friday Art Tour on Feb. 3, and through an Artists’ Reception from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Bidding closes at 5 p.m. Feb. 13.

Many items will be priced $150 or less — wonderful gifts for loved ones on Valentine’s Day.

February 2023 / Scotts Valley Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com

DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER OPENS IN FELTON

The County of Santa Cruz, with federal, State and local partners, has opened a Disaster Recovery Center at the Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St., Felton.

The Disaster Recovery Center includes staff from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the California Office of Emergency Service, the County of Santa Cruz, the City of Watsonville, and state, local and community agencies that include disaster recovery as part of their mission.

President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the County of Santa Cruz and several other California counties due to a series of atmospheric rivers beginning Dec. 27, 2022.

The deadline to apply for FEMA individual assistance is March 16.

Anyone impacted by the disaster is invited to visit the Disaster Recovery Center to access information and resources needed for recovery, regardless of the type of damage suffered, location of impacted residence or business, insurance status, immigration status, or any other factor.

Hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.

To fill out an online assessment form before visiting a Disaster Recovery Center, go to https://tinyurl.com/SCCStormRecovery.

To access the County’s virtual recovery center, visit https:// santacruzcounty.us/OR3/Emergency.aspx.

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.

If you live in or have a business in one of the 41 counties listed by the IRS, you qualify for the deadline extension. They are: Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Do-rado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stani-slaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba.

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

HABITAT: SEEKING HOMEOWNER

Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay opens the application window on Friday, Jan. 27 for the final home in the Rodeo Creek Court development located in Live Oak. This unit is single-family, 3-bedroom, 2-bath and is ADA compliant.

The application window will close on Mon., Feb. 17. Orientation workshops are scheduled in Feb. 1 and 2 to learn what you need to know.

You may qualify for homeownership if:

• You are a first-time homebuyer

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

• You have a need for an ADA-compliant home

• Your credit score is 620 or higher

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

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

BAY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP

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

Those who wish to be considered for an award must meet all eligibility requirements. Applicants must submit a completed 2023 Education Scholarship Application and all required documents by 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 17.

Award recipients will be notified via phone call and/or email by April 28.

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

ONGOING EVENTS

Ongoing thru February 19

ACTORS’ THEATRE: NEW 8 TENS PLAY FESTIVAL

8 p.m., Thursdays thru Saturdays • 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Santa Cruz Center Street Theatre, 1001 Center St.

After nearly a year without new shows, the Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre is kicking off the 2023 season with its popular 8 Tens @ 8 Short Play Festival — 16 new productions Jan. 20 through Feb. 19.

The new plays, selected from nearly 260 submissions coming from across the country, will alternate

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with additional Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. The weekend shows will feature one line-up at 2 p.m., and another selection at 8 p.m., allowing theater fans to see all 16 plays on the same day.

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

Playgoers will be required to wear a mask in the theatre and lobby areas, but proof of vaccination is not required.

Tickets are $32 general, $29 for students and seniors. Thursday performances offer a discount: Two tickets for the price of one. A package deal for both shows is $58 general, $54 students and seniors. For the play lineup and tickets, see: www.santacruzactorstheatre.org/tickets

Mondays

BRIDGE CLUB

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

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

Everyone is welcomed from beginners to social players. Make new friends and sharpen your mind. Bridge Club is a partnership between Santa Cruz County Parks and Santa Cruz Public Libraries. Register at scparks.com or in-person the day of the event.

DATED EVENTS

Friday February 3

CABRILLO YOUTH STRINGS AUDITIONS

3:45-4:15, Music Building, VAPA 5000, Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Dr, Aptos (First classes follow audition)

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

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

Auditions for Festival Strings (beginning note-readers) and Cabrillo Strings (intermediate-advanced) will be followed by a rehearsal. Festival Strings classes will meet 4:15-5:45 p.m. and Cabrillo Strings will meet 4:15-5:55 p.m. Beginning Strings will meet 4-5:15 p.m. Students must provide their own instruments and bring pencils. Covid-19 distancing will be followed. Students and parents must wear masks outside and inside the music building except when alone.

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

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

To participate or make a contribution, call (831) 4796101, email CabrilloYouthStrings@gmail.com or visit https://www.cabrillo.edu/cabrillo-youth-strings. Register through Cabrillo Extension, 479-6331, or extension. cabrillo.edu before the first class.

Wednesdy February 8

LOVE OF CHILDREN LUNCHEON

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

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

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

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

FOOLISH DOOM

Thursday February 9

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

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

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

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

For tickets see www.svctheaterguild.org

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

Friday February 10 Buffalo Soldiers

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

The Museum of Art & History presents a history talk on “Buffalon Soldiers” with Aniko Kannan-Millan. Co-presented with County Park Friends. Included with MAH admission, free for MAH members. Celebrate Black History Month and learn more about the African American Buffalo Soldiers, the original Park Rangers!

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

Saturday February 11

SCOTTS VALLEY CASINO NIGHT

7-11 p.m., Scotts Valley Community Center, 370 Kings Village Road

Support all Four Scotts Valley Schools at Casino Night, sponsored by Scotts Valley Educational Foundation and The Falcon Club. Your ticket price includes: one drink ticket, four raffle tickets, playing chips, appetizers, and desserts.

Thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Mari Rossi, all

money made at the event will be going direct-ly back into our schools!!!

Scotts Valley Educational Foundation (SVEF) helps support counseling at the four schools in our district. SVEF recently committed $100,000 to the district. This money will allow the district to hire a much-needed behaviorist.

With the district match, it will provide a behaviorist for the 6th thru 12th grades and one for the TK-5th grades. These positions are crucial to help our schools meet the many intricate and varying needs of our students.

The goal of SVEF is to make this a yearly commitment to the district so we can keep the posi-tions filled. Please watch out for and participate in SVEF fundraisers so we can continue this commitment, providing support ALL OUR STUDENTS desperately need. These funds contribute to every student’s education. Thank you!

Cost: $100. Tickets available at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/2023-casino-night-tickets-510285857737

25 YEARS OF HOPE & HEALING DINNER

6 p.m. (Dinner at 7 p.m.), Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., SC Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services will celebrate 25 years of hope & healing at a gala at the Cocoanut Grove. There will be food, drinks, music, dancing, and inspiring stories.

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

SIP & STROLL FOR CAPITOLA

11 a.m.-5 p.m., Capitola Community Room, Capitola City Hall, 420 Capitola Ave.

Enjoy sipping local wines and beers while strolling through charming shops and boutiques in Capitola by the Sea. Event is rain or shine.

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

• Capitola Village Sip & Stroll commemorative glass

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

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

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

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

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

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

Must be 21 or older to participate. Visit www.eventbrite. com/e/capitola-village-sip-stroll-tickets-516421830597 for further restrictions and details.

Friday February 17 thru Sunday February 19

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Fri. 7 p.m. | Sat. 2 / 7 p.m. | Sun Noon / 4 p.m., Scotts Valley Performing Arts Cen-ter, 251 Kings Village Road Santa Cruz Christian Youth Theater presents “The Wizard of Oz,” the classic story written by L. Frank Baum in 1900, with five shows at the Scotts Valley Performing Arts Center.

Young Dorothy Gale is swept away by a tornado from her Kansas farm to the magi-cal land of Oz. There, she encounters good witches, bad witches, animals that talk, scarecrows that walk, and things magical to behold.

To find her way home, she must journey along the Yellow Brick Road to see the mysterious and all-powerful Wizard in Emerald City. She makes new friends, but must brave many dangers, including the Wicked Witch of the West, who will stop at nothing to get her hands on Dorothy’s magical ruby slippers.

To make it home safely, Dorothy must learn an important lesson: There’s no place like home. Tickets are available at https://www.cytsantacruz.org/shows/ The-Wizard-of-Oz-Youth-Edition/19 and are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors 65+, students and chil-dren 10 and under; $20 at the door.

Children in the cast rehearse “The Wizard of Oz.”

Storm Brings Challenges Sooner Than Expected

At the end of last month’s column, I wrote that “2023 would no doubt bring new challenges and opportunities.” What none of us could have imagined was how quickly those challenges would present themselves in the new year.

The series of atmospheric rivers that pounded Santa Cruz County starting in late December and continuing through mid-January wreaked havoc on the San Lorenzo Valley, causing slides that blocked Highway 9 in Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond, as well as slip-outs that partially closed Bear Creek Road and other sites. Felton Grove and other low-lying areas were heavily flooded. And with trees down and power out throughout the Valley for many days in some areas, life has been unde niably difficult.

Here’s what the County has been doing to help our community begin the recovery process. First, our roads crews have been working tirelessly to get our County-maintained roads open, including one lane around the big slip-out on Bear Creek Road.

We also have been working to connect residents who live on private roads with potential forms of assistance while coordinating with Caltrans and our Sheriff’s Office to address the impacts of the Highway 9 clo sures, including establishing traffic control measures on Glen Arbor Road.

Meanwhile, the County has set up Disaster Recovery Centers at the Felton Branch Library and Ramsay Park in Watsonville, as well as a Small Business Administration Recovery Center in Capitola. We have also placed public dumpsters for disaster clean-up in Paradise Park, Felton Grove and downtown Ben Lomond for storm survivors.

As part of the transition into recovery, the Board of Supervisors directed County staff on Tuesday, Jan. 31, to bring back an amended contract with 4Leaf, Inc. to add storm rebuilding to the company’s scope of work.

We hired the consultant on a threeyear contract after the CZU Fire in 2020 to expedite rebuilding in the San Lorenzo Valley and North Coast.

Considering District 5 was hardest hit by the recent storms and is still recovering from the fire, I put forward additional direction Tuesday designed to ensure the storm-related permitting process doesn’t negatively impact ongoing fire recovery.

The direction was for our staff to evaluate the status of nearly 600 CZU properties that have not yet picked up or sought permits or for whom permits are in process.

Also, my new colleague, District 3 Supervisor Justin Cummings, received Board approval for the County to designate County staff to help resolve disputes between 4Leaf and constituents.

In order for the community to learn more about storm recovery, I also want to highlight two countywide virtual meetings.

The County will address rebuilding efforts at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and by the time this article is published,

By Bruce McPherson, Supervisor, Fifth District

will have provided an update on Countymaintained roads on Feb. 2.

The Zoom links and videos for both will be posted on the website for the County’s Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3) — https://www.co.santacruz.ca.us/OR3/Emergency.aspx.

The site also contains a great deal of other disaster recovery resources, including information on how individuals and businesses can apply for federal support.

Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge the community’s deep grief and shock over the shooting death in Boulder Creek on Jan. 28 of 18-year-old Rowan Parham, and to assure his family and fellow students that our hearts are with them at this difficult time.

Although neither the victim nor the suspect attended San Lorenzo Valley

schools, it’s my understanding both were known to Valley youth, who will need the community’s ongoing support to cope with this tragedy. n •••

As always, if my office can be of assistance, please contact us at fifth.district@ santacruzcounty.us or 831-454-2200.

Photos Credit: Alisha Walton

As part of the transition into recovery, the Board of Supervisors directed County staff on Tuesday, Jan. 31, to bring back an amended contract with 4Leaf, Inc. to add storm rebuilding to the company’s scope of work.

SCCAS Featured Pet

“Calendar” from page 21

Tuesday February 21

APTOS HISTORY MUSEUM MARDI GRAS FUNDRAISER

5-7 p.m., Seascape Golf Course, 610 Clubhouse Dr, Aptos

A fun filled evening at Seascape Golf Course, featuring the Soquel High Jazz Band and a presentation by John Hibble: “How Storms Created Seacliff and the Cement Ship.”

There will be a silent auction, costume contest, appetizers and a no-host bar. You won’t want to miss out!

General admission: $40; museum members $35. RSVP by calling the Aptos Chamber: 831-688-1467

Wednesday February 22

SCOTTS VALLEY HIGH EXPO

6 p.m., Scotts Valley High School, 555 Glenwood Drive Scotts Valley High School will host the once-a-year Expo to showcase the programs and activities to prospective students.

Scrapples the Pig

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

•••

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

Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

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

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

The Grammys

© Statepoint Media

Saturday February 25

“OUR PLACE”

Shows Start 5 and 8 p.m., Scotts Valley High School, 555 Glenwood Drive

Scotts Valley High Drama Club presents two showings of a one-act show titled “Our Place,” by Terry Gabbard, in the student union.

The 45-minute show is student-directed by Ian McHatton & Alex Wirth. The play consists of five scenes featuring various characters who visit an unassuming wood-en dock that extends out onto a lake.

They each arrive with their own stories that intertwine to portray the importance of human connection. Tickets are $10 general, $7 for students and will be sold at the door and online: www.showtix4u.com

Proceeds from the show will benefit Drama Club and the upcoming drama trip to New York in the summer.

Saturday February 25

Sunday February 26

CLAM CHOWDER COOK OFF

Friday February 24 thru Sunday February 26

2023 BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR

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

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

This event supports UCSC Adventure Rec student programs, affording UCSC students the chance to share in the magic of outdoor adventures.

Film ratings and advisories are included in the descriptions.

Consider checking before purchasing tickets for the young adventurers in your life. For tickets and list of films visit https://recreation.ucsc.edu/ adventure/banff.html

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

Contestants prepare their ingredients outdoors along the Boardwalk to the delight of thousands of spectators. Amateurs compete Saturday; professionals compete Sunday. Public tasting begins at 1 p.m. Awards are given at 4 p.m. for Best Clam Chowder in each category, plus People’s Choice, Most Tasted, and Best Themed Booth. Entry fee: $75. Teams may enter in either Boston or Manhattan categories or both! If entering both, separate registration is required for each category. Early Bird rate ends Feb. 3. Each Early Bird entry gets: Two All-Day Unlimited Ride passes to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (a $100 value), and two team T-shirts. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/clam-chowder-2023

Thursday March 2

ART NIGHT

6 p.m., Scotts Valley High School, 555 Glenwood Drive Scotts Valley High School will host the once-a-year Art Night, showcasing student artwork in the student union. n

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour Film: Continuum • Robb Thompson