The last three years transformed the American workplace, with the pandemic ushering in a great reshuffling as many companies turned to remote work — with some, like Yelp, making this shift permanent.
Full Story page 10
In only her second year as varsity girls’ soccer coach at Scotts Valley High School, Taylor Raymond has been selected Coach of the Year.
The honor is decided by a vote of all the coaches in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.
Scotts Valley finished 4-3-3 in the league--third behind Aptos (9-1) and Santa Cruz (5-2) — with an overall record of 7-6-5.
“I am so proud of how far these girls have come,” said Raymond. “They gained confidence, practiced so hard, and put in the amount of effort we needed to become a winning team. They are a very young team, only three seniors and three juniors, and they really came together as one cohesive unit and worked harder than I’ve ever seen a team work; you could tell they wanted it.” ... continues on page 4
With the price of eggs
skyrocketing due to inflation and a shortage due to avian flu in commercial flocks, more people are looking into raising chickens for themselves.
Full Story page 5
A N D M A
Cover Soccer Coach of the Year
Community News
5 Raising Chickens? Keep Your Hens Happy
9 How to Help Survivors of Earthquake in Turkey, From Community Foundation Santa Cruz County
10 Acting Remotely: Pandemic Reshaping How We Work
16 Reparations Task Force To Discuss Remedies
19 Meet New Animal Shelter General Manager • March to End Homelessness: April 1
Local Sports
5 2022-23 All-League Boys Basketball
California News
7 Bill to Ban Toxic Chemicals in Food
8 Scientists: Ocean Salmon Outlook is Poor: State Fish & Wildlife — 2023 Fishing Season May Be Restricted
15 Gov. Newsom: Build More Housing or Else
Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce Newsletter • Pages 11-14
11 Scotts Valley Community Awards Gala • Scotts Valley Chamber
Welcomes Nick Kurns To the Board of Directors
12 New Member Spotlight: GRO Community • CALL FOR ARTISTS! — Scotts Valley Art Wine & Beer Festival
13 Hitchcock Festival: March 10 & 11
14 Rotary Club of Scotts Valley Presents
Letter to the Editor
18 Fairgrounds Future: Rental Rates Up in the Air, Jon Chown, Marina
Monthly Horoscope • Page 18 – Two Fishes With a Silver Cord, By Risa D’Angeles
Community Calendar • Arts & Entertainment – Pages 20, 21
Featured Columnists
6 Scotts Valley Tackles Challenges, By Jack Dilles, Mayor, City of Scotts Valley
SCCAS Featured Pet • Page 23 – Esprit Shows Her Spirit
831 359 4670
Jondi Gumz
Risa D’Angeles, Jack Dilles
“Taylor Raymond” from page 1
Senior Alex Teves and freshman Ella Ireland, both defenders, were named to the All-League first team.
Sophomore Lia Lock, at forward, sophomore Ashley Haver, at midfielder, were named to the all League second team.
Junior Paige Bariteau, goalkeeper, and sophomore Annie Gowing, defender, were honorable mention selections.
Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin
graphic artists
Michael Oppenheimer, Ward J. Austin
production coordinator
Camisa Composti
media consultants
Teri Huckobey, Brooke Valentine
office coordinator
Cathe Race distribution
Bill Pooley, Taylor Brougham
Senior Naiya Saimos was named Most Outstanding Attacker.
“Being in the running for CCS was a great feeling,” Raymond said. “The girls and I were thrilled with the outcome of our season and we are all very proud to be 3rd. I could not have done any of this without my three assistant coaches, Shelby, Sarah, and Lauren, and my wonderful group of girls on the team!”
She added, “I also just wanted to thank the other coaches in the league for all of their help throughout this season and for the constant support.”
Raymond was a force herself as a
senior midfielder for Scotts Valley High. She graduated in 2015 and studied at Cabrillo College.
A year-and-a-half ago, she joined the Scotts Valley Police Department as an emergency dispatcher. n
The rest of the All-League selections:
First Team: Kaitlyn Murphy, Aptos junior, Ella Shoemaker, Aptos junior, Alexanda Castaneda, Aptos freshman, Clara Willet, Santa Cruz senior • Zaina Alahaina, Santa Cruz senior • Julia Inkles, Soquel junior • Haily Betterman, Soquel freshman • Hannah LoFranco, Harbor senior • Gianna Schw arzbach, SLV senior
Times Publishing Group, Inc. 9601 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003
The Times Publishing Group, Inc., publishers of the Aptos Times, a bi-monthly publication, the Capitola Soquel Times and Scotts Valley Times, each printed monthly, Coastal Weddings Magazine, Coastal Home and Garden Magazine, Aptos’ Fourth of July Parade Official Program Guide and Capitola’s Summer Festivals Official Program Guide, is owned by Patrice Edwards. Entire contents ©2023. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without the publisher’s written permission
PHONE: (831) 688-7549
FAX: (831) 688-7551
GENERAL E-MAIL: info@cyber-times.com
Patrice Edwards: patrice@cyber-times.com
Publisher’s Assistant: assistant@cyber-times.com
Editor: info@cyber-times.com
Calendar Listings: www.tpgonlinedaily.com
Graphics Department: graphics@cyber-times.com
Billing Inquiries: cathe@cyber-times.com
Classified Sales: sales@cyber-times.com
Production: production@cyber-times.com
CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.tpgonlinedaily.com
mission statement
We at the Times Publishing Group, Inc. are dedicated to providing a voice for the individuals and organizations in our community while highlighting the outstanding accomplishments of our local businesses. We seek to promote healthy family values through our coverage of youth activities, school news, senior events, community groups and entertainment
Second Team: Angelique Nunez , Aptos junior, Catalina Ontiveros, Aptos senior, Gwen Chapman, Aptos senior, Clare Byram, Santa Cruz senior • Maya Kingsley, Santa Cruz junior Yaren Yanez, Soquel senior • Chloe McGilvray, Soquel sophomore • Sonja Hulpers, Harbor junior • Simone Mugnier, SLV freshman
Honorable Mention: Madison Redding, Aptos freshman, Peyton Westjohn, Aptos junior, goalkeeper Alessandra Zuniga, Aptos junior, Lia Gulorte, Santa Cruz freshman • Sienna Parker, Santa Cruz junior • Lucinda Steiner, Santa Cruz junior • Alexis Sierra, Soquel sophomore • Victoria Weiss, Soquel junior • Sadie Strout, Soquel senior • Zoe Soenen, Harbor junior • Becca Vaca, Harbor sophomore • Anika Dawson, Harbor junior • Joci Carkner, SLV junior • Naomi Sifton, SLV junior • Leila Nite, SLV junior
Player of the Year: Aptos senior Summer Jacob and Santa Cruz sophomore Jocelyn Travers.
Most Outstanding Midfielder: Lily Montesinos, Soquel senior.
Keeper-of-the-Year: Ruby Holmes, Santa Cruz junior.
31.
With the price of eggs skyrocketing due to inflation and a shortage due to avian flu in commercial flocks, more people are looking into raising chickens for themselves.
As of March 3, Scotts Valley Feed is selling chicks, according to Linda Wilt, working the sales counter Thursday.
The store has all the necessary supplies on hand.
For those thinking about raising chickens, Anastasia Gil-Torres, who lives in Santa Cruz, shares her experience via email with this cautionary note.
“Chickens aren’t a commodity,” she wrote. “You don’t just stick them in a box and collect the eggs.”
She has five chickens plus six ducks – “they lay larger eggs, which are also delicious,” she wrote.
She has been raising ducks for 15 years, and got chickens about a year and a half ago.
What does she enjoy most about it?
“Chickens have big personalities and they are total characters,” she wrote. “I wasn’t expecting them to be so exuberant and social. I also love the fact that they can eat most food scraps, which really cut down on my food waste. And the ultimate
benefit is, of course, the delicious eggs they provide.”
“Happy Hens” page 7
Tristan Roure, senior on the Scotts Valley High basketball team, was named to the Santa Cruz County Athletic League all-league first team.
Sophomore Will Shilling was named to the all-league second team.
Junior Taylor Knox, senior Davie Bruce, sophomore Zach Schilling, and junior Evan Anderson, were honorable mention selections.
The young Falcons, coached by Gabe Gonzales, finished 5-5 in league — third after Aptos and Santa Cruz, both 9-1 –and 15-14 overall.
In the CIF playoffs, Scotts Valley defeated Stevenson, 61-56, Oceana 73-49, and Menlo School, 58-53. The season ended when Scotts Valley lost to Half Moon Bay, 66-62. n
Top honors:
MVP: Santa Cruz senior Aden Cury
Coach of the Year: Aptos Coach Brian Bowyer, in his sixth season.
Special Award Most Inspirational: Skylar Thayer, SLV senior
The rest of the All-League selections:
First Team: Isaiah Ackerman, Aptos
sophomore • Ben Dotten, Santa Cruz
junior • Demeke Smith, Santa Cruz junior
• Braylon Noble, Soquel junior
Second Team: Trevor Brady, Aptos
senior • Kevin Hamlyn, Aptos senior •
Kirby Seals, Santa Cruz sophomore •
Skylar Thayer, SLV senior •
Honorable Mention: Harrison Bloom, Aptos senior • Hudson Garvey, Aptos senior • Lawrence Ingram, Aptos junior
• Demarco Hunter, Santa Cruz freshman
• Mosiah Cumberbatch, Santa Cruz sophomore • Jackson Douvia, Santa Cruz senior • Damian Aguilar, SLV senior • Jacob Sanders, SLV sophomore • Aiden
Nounnan, SLV junior • Nash Campbell, Harbor senior • Matt Munro, Harbor senior • Nico Ramirez, Soquel sophomore
• Cade Peterson, Soquel junior
Setting goals is essential for the City to be successful. The City Council discussed and approved nine strategic goals for 2023-24 to allow Scotts Valley to focus on the most important issues we face. Seven of these goals follow.
Others will be described in a future article.
• Identify additional revenue sources to support a thriving City.
Ensuring long-term financial stability is important because you can’t spend what you don’t have.
The Measure Z sales tax measure allowed the City to weather COVIDrelated economic hits and fully staff the Police Department. However, the City needs to increase maintenance staffing. Scotts Valley does not have ongoing resources to maintain parks, streets and other infrastructure to the level residents expect.
The City has strived to do all it can, relying upon existing revenues, grants
and hardworking staff. The City needs to identify new revenue sources.
• Plan for the future by completing the General Plan update, Housing Element, and facilitating the future development of the Town Center.
These are critical undertakings. The General Plan describes what kind of city is envisioned. The Housing Element, under State law, must be updated by December and the City must plan for 1,220 more homes to be built over eight years.
Complying presents a challenge. It is likely that Scotts Valley will need to rezone properties and identify opportunity sites for denser housing. For the Town Center, a City Council subcommittee is working with a consulting firm to rethink our development strategy.
• Explore new ways to connect and partner with local businesses to explore Scotts Valley’s brand and competitive advantage.
Scotts Valley’s unique location and quality of life give us a competitive edge but also puts us in the shadow of our larger, more famous neighbors.
Partnering with the business community to hone our economic development strategies is key to raising Scotts Valley’s presence as a community of choice for new and expanding businesses. My belief is that future success will include a focus on recreational opportunities.
• Re-establish recreation programming that supports the diverse interests of our community.
The City knows that residents value recreation. Recreation staff are building a
2023 program based on community input and are excited to utilize the new Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center. New classes and activities will result from partnering with local instructors and community groups. The Siltanen Park pool was repaired and the City is looking for an operator to run day-to-day activities starting this summer. The Community Garden was also repaired and awaits spring gardeners.
• Prioritize implementation of critical Wastewater infrastructure projects.
The aging Wastewater Treatment Plant needs major improvements and new funding to modernize operations and maintain our prized recycled water system.
In addition to the plant, the City maintains 46 miles of collection pipes and 8 lift stations (pumps) to bring all waste to the plant, and a six-mile outflow pipe for treated water to safely flow to the ocean. During recent storms, the plant reached critical capacity and staff had to work incredibly hard to keep the plant safely operating.
A budget of $3 million has been programmed for improvements in 2023 and another $2.8 million is needed over the next four years.
• Invest in improvements to bike and pedestrian safety.
Scotts Valley has been busy improving bicycle and pedestrian safety, relying upon grants and its Active Transportation Plan. Bicycle and pedestrian improvements are planned for the Granite Creek Road overpass.
As striping is refreshed on city streets, bike lanes will be marked as identified in the Active Transportation Plan. As new development occurs, developers are asked to include bicycle infrastructure.
• Support cultural events, art, and projects that celebrate Scotts Valley. The City’s Arts Commission promotes cultural events, including past Art Walks and the upcoming Poetry Contest for youth and adults. Also, the City welcomes its first professional theater!
The Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild opened the Scotts Valley Cultural and Performing Arts Center by the Library. Watch for plays, dance performances and the upcoming Alfred Hitchcock Festival in March. The City is also partnering with the School District for this year’s Multicultural Fair to be held at Skypark on May 6th. n
•••
Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills) has introduced legislation to ban the sale in California of processed foods containing dangerous and toxic chemicals already banned in the European Union.
A first-of-its-kind measure, Assembly Bill 418 would prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution of any food product in California containing Red Dye No. 3, Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Bromate, Brominated Vegetable Oil, or Propyl Paraben.
Each of these chemicals is currently banned in the European Union due to scientific studies that have demonstrated significant public health harms, including increased risk of cancer, behavioral issues in children, harm to the reproductive system, and damage to the immune system.
“Californians shouldn’t have to worry that the food they buy in their neighborhood grocery store might be
“Happy Hens” from page 5
As with raising any pet, there’s a time and a financial commitment required to keep your chickens safe, healthy and happy.
“Our chickens don’t like being cooped up, so they free-range around the back yard, eating bugs and fertilizing for us,” she explained. “This means that someone needs to be home before dark to lock the chickens safely back into their coop for the night. Previously, one of our ducks was injured, which meant a trip to the local avian vet. If left to their own devices, the chickens will rip out plants with their scratching around in the dirt for food and they’ll nibble on your flowers as well and try and walk into your house looking for a treat.”
She added, “Our chickens are kept in a fenced-in part of the yard, where they can still roam around and explore so they don’t get bored (aka they get their much-needed “chicken enrichment”) but they are far from my flower beds.”
For her chickens, a good treat is “the dried meal worms that you can buy in bulk at the feed stores.”
For more information on raising chickens, check the internet, get a book from the library, or ask
full of dangerous additives or toxic chemicals,” said Gabriel, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. “This bill will correct for a concerning lack of federal oversight and help protect our kids, public health, and the safety of our food supply.”
“Why are these toxic chemicals in our food?” said Susan Little, the Environmental Working Group’s governmental affairs senior advocate for California. “We know they are harmful and that children are likely eating more of these chemicals than adults. It makes no sense that the same products food manufacturers sell in California are sold in the European Union but without these toxic chemicals. We thank Assemblymember Gabriel’s efforts to remove these toxic additives from California’s food supply.”
“Toxic Chemicals” page 9
at your locally-owned feed store, where employees are knowledgeable.
Good tip: Check with your local building/planning department to see if there are any prohibitions on chickens.
Gil Torres points out you do not need a rooster to get started.
“So many people have asked me how my chickens are able to lay eggs without a rooster,” she wrote. “I tell them the same way women ovulate without a man.
Given the recent inclement weather, chicken owners need to be prepared to evacuate with their chickens in case of emergency.
Gil-Torres keeps portable metal pens and crates next to her chicken and duck coops in case of an evacuation order. n
At the March 1 virtual salmon information meeting, state and federal fishery scientists presented the numbers of spawning salmon returning to California’s rivers late in 2022 and projected one of the lowest forecasts since 2008.
The forecast for Sacramento River fall Chinook, the most predominant stock harvested in California’s fisheries, is estimated at 169,767 adults, one of the lowest forecasts since 2008 when the current assessment method began.
For Klamath River fall Chinook, the forecast is 103,793 adults, the second lowest forecast since the current assessment method began in 1997.
Neither forecast is the lowest on record.
In 2009, the Sacramento forecast was 122,200 and in 2017, the Klamath forecast was 54,200.
Salmon numbers are episodic over time and life cycles, a three-year period
from birth as eggs hatching to returning adults from the ocean. For example,
in 2022, ocean commercial catch was considerably greater than preseason expectations.
The data indicate abundance is higher after wetter years. For example, the 2010 rainfall was above average rainfall year and forecasts for California adult Chinook in 2012 and 2013 were higher.
Drier years regularly are followed by lower abundance three years later. Three years ago, in 2020, drought conditions were particularly severe.
“This is a decades-long trend, and the past few years of record drought only further stressed our salmon populations,” said Charlton H. Bonham, Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Unfortunately, low stock abundance is somewhat expected despite protective and restorative actions California has taken to increase hatchery production, improve release strategies, and increase the availability of critical spawning and rearing habitats.”
The current wetter weather in California is good news. Relatively higher returns in 2019 and 2020 may help boost the number of spawning adults returning to the Sacramento Basin in 2023, as fish hatched in 2019 and 2020 will be returning this year.
Scientists expect this boost will be moderated by ocean conditions and climate disruption, but see bright spots and reasons for caution on the horizon.
Rebuilding plans have been
developed for the Sacramento River fall Chinook and Klamath River fall Chinook stocks after multi-agency collaboration between the Pacific Fishery Management Council, CDFW, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribes and industry representatives.
Other ambitious efforts to rebuild salmon are continuing, notably the largest river restoration and dam removal project in the nation’s history in the Klamath Basin.
The salmon meeting was attended by fishing industry participants, conservation organizations and other interested parties. During the meeting, ocean and in-river recreational anglers and commercial salmon trollers asked questions about the latest numbers and provided comments during a public listening session.
Stakeholder input will be taken into consideration when developing three ocean fishery season alternatives during the March 5-10 Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting. Final ocean salmon season regulations will be adopted at the April 1-7 meeting.
The California Fish and Game Commission will consider and approve inland fishery seasons and regulations this spring, with final decisions in May.
Following several years of poor returns to the Klamath River Basin, Klamath River fall Chinook salmon were declared overfished in 2018 and have not yet achieved a rebuilt status under the terms of the federal Salmon Fishery Management Plan. In 2022, returns of Sacramento River fall Chinook fell well short of conservation objectives, and now may be approaching an overfished condition after being declared rebuilt in 2021.
As a result, federal and state agencies are expected to take a conservative approach when approving 2023 salmon seasons to provide additional protective measures to these stocks, and very limited or no fishing in 2023 appears possible, according to CDFW. n
To access information presented at the March 1 meeting, visit CDFW’s Salmon Preseason Process web page. General ocean salmon fishing information can be found on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Project web page or by calling the CDFW Ocean Salmon Hotline at (707) 576-3429.
The loss of life from the cataclysmic earthquake in Syria and Turkey is truly hard to process. Over 30,000 people have died and more than a million people are in need of aid and shelter in rain, snow, and temperatures that often dip below freezing.
Our team at the Community Foundation has put together a list of organizations for those looking to give in support of earthquake survivors. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the scale and urgency of humanitarian needs will continue to increase.
We have focused on international aid organizations that are either based in the United States or have offices here so that donors can give with ease from their Donor-Advised Funds.
Our donors have asked for this guidance, and we share this summary with our local community. It is by no means an exhaustive list.
All of these charities work on many simultaneous international relief efforts. If donating through your Donor-Advised Fund, please specify “earthquake relief” in the description field in the donor portal.
Note: All charities listed on this document have received high ratings on either Charity Navigator, Guidestar, or both. The highest rating on Charity Navigator is 4-stars and the rating system on Guidestar goes from bronze to silver to gold to platinum. n
•••
Doctors without Borders/Medecins
Sans Frontieres is donating emergency and trauma kits, medical supplies and blankets to dozens of hospitals; running mobile medical clinics for people displaced by the earthquakes; dispatched extra medical staff — including surgeons — to hard-hit health facilities.
40 Rector St., 16th Floor New York, NY 10006 212-679-6800
donations@newyork.msf.org
Guidestar rating: Platinum
Charity Navigator: Four Star
•••
Global Giving is collecting donations to help fund emergency medical workers’ ability to provide food, shelter and medicine, among other necessities. As needs in Turkey and Syria change, the organization will focus on long-term assistance.
1 Thomas Circle NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 202-232-5784 help@globalgiving.org
Charity Navigator: Four Star
Guidestar rating: Platinum
•••
International Medical Corps is expanding their health, mental health and psychosocial support, protection (including child protection and genderbased violence support), non-food item distribution, and water, sanitation and hygiene services to address immediate needs of the women, children and men affected by the earthquakes.
12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1500 Los Angeles, CA 90025 310-826-7800
inquiry@internationalmedicalcorps.org
Guidestar rating: Platinum
Charity Navigator: Three Star
•••
Save the Children is coordinating closely with local partners on the ground, including Turkish Red Crescent and Support to Life, to distribute tents, hygiene kits, clothing, heaters, blankets and other essential items. In North West Syria, they’re working with long-standing local partners
to distribute tents and winterization kits as well as provide health centers muchneeded fuel
501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400, Fairfield, CT 06825
203-221-4000
supportercare@savechildren.org
Guidestar rating: Platinum
Charity Navigator: Four Star
•••
ShelterBox works to provide families with life-saving shelter and essential tools and supplies after displacement from natural disasters and conflict. ShelterBox teams are on the ground in Gaziantep- a large city in southern Turkey where ShelterBox has pre-existing humanitarian partners and suppliers. They are working around the clock to mobilize aid that has been pre-positioned in strategic hubs around the world into the affected regions of both Syria and Turkey and responding with blankets, mattresses, winter clothes, heaters, and shelter kits that include tarpaulins, tools, and solar lights.
101 Innovation Place Santa Barbara, CA 93108 (805) 608-2400
info@shelterboxusa.org
Guidestar rating: Platinum
Charity Navigator: Four Star
•••
Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation is a global medical relief organization working on the front lines of earthquake relief providing medical care for earthquake survivors.
For online gifts, select “Earthquake Relief Syria” under programs to support. PO Box 34115 Washington, DC 20043
info@sams-usa.net
202-930-7802
Guidestar rating: Gold
Charity Navigator: Four Star
•••
United States for United Nations Refugee Agency is working on the ground providing blankets, emergency shelter, lifesaving aid and medicine. 1310 L ST NW, STE 450 Washington, DC 20005 1-(855)-808-6427
Guidestar rating: Platinum
•••
United Nations World Food Program USA, has on-the-ground support underway providing food assistance for earthquake survivors in both Turkey and Syria. 1725 Eye Street NW, Suite 510 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 627-3939 giving@wfpusa.org
Charity Navigator: Four Star
•••
World Central Kitchen: WCK is delivering fresh meals to families displaced and local authorities stretched thin due to the scale of the disaster.
Attn: Donor Services Team 200 Massachusetts Ave NW, 7th Floor Washington, DC 20001 hello@wck.org
Charity Navigator: Four Star
“Toxic Chemicals” from page 7
Currently, there are thousands of chemicals added to food to make it last longer, taste better, and appear more enticing.
Most of these chemicals have never been independently evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or were last reviewed decades ago.
Instead, these chemicals have entered the nation’s food supply through a loophole in federal law—known as “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS— that was intended to apply to common household ingredients like vinegar.
As a result of this loophole, chemical companies have added new substances to the food supply with almost no meaningful federal oversight.
Many of the dangerous additives currently banned in the Er and other nations are found in processed foods and candies that are marketed to children, low-income consumers, and communities of color in the United States.
If enacted, AB 418 would make California the first state in the nation to ban the use of these dangerous chemicals in processed foods.
The measure is expected to be heard in committee in the coming weeks. n
Editor’s note: This analysis was produced based on searches on Yelp, the online platform to review local services, founded in 2004 and headquartered in San Francisco. •••
The last three years transformed the American workplace, with the pandemic ushering in a great reshuffling as many companies turned to remote work — with some, like Yelp, making this shift permanent. This transition to remote work gave employees new flexibility in deciding where they could live, enabling millions of Americans to relocate their families, which created ripple effects that have reshaped local economies across the U.S.
Yelp analyzed the share of search locations on its platform, evaluating shifts in populations across the U.S. based on where user searches were concentrated in 2019 compared to 2022.
Findings reveal significant population migration from Western (California) and Northeastern states to Southern and Midwestern areas.
Yelp data also uncovers a positive economic impact for local businesses in states that had an increase in share of search locations. These states saw a higher average increase in new business openings across nearly all categories in 2022 compared to 2019 — driven by local and home services business openings, indicating potentially permanent moves.
Looking at internal employee data, Yelp found similar patterns among its workforce,
which transitioned to remote work at the onset of the pandemic. The workplace shift prompted an unprecedented geographical spread of Yelp’s employees, with its U.S. workforce now living in more than 1,300 cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Cross-country Moves
In analyzing search location data on Yelp for the three-year period over the course of the pandemic, Yelp’s data science team found that people are leaving traditional business hubs in New York and California for states that provide a lower cost of living such as South Dakota and West Virginia.
Comparing 2022 to 2019, about 25% of U.S. states (including Washington, D.C.) experienced a decrease in their share of search locations, most notably Washington, D.C. (down 26%), New York (down 12%), California (down 12%), Nevada (down 12%) and Oregon (down 12%).
Comparably, the states with the highest increase in their share of search locations are South Dakota (up 56%), North Dakota (up 54%), West Virginia (up 33%), Wyoming (up 31%) and Mississippi (up 29%). Approximately 30% of U.S. cities experienced a decrease in the share of searches compared to 2019, with several of them concentrated in states like New York and California, including Brooklyn, NY (down 48%); San Francisco, (down 25%); Beverly Hills, (down 24%); Santa Monica, (down 23%); Manhattan, NY (down 21%) and Los Angeles, (down 13%).
“Remote Work” page 17
Join us on Friday, April 14th as we celebrate the leaders in our Community at Roaring Camp Railroads Bret Harte Hall. The space is a 6,000 square foot rustic barn with wrought-iron chandeliers, twinkle lights, and decorations.
Through massive doors, the indoor space opens to a covered outdoor reception area and a beautiful meadow. This year’s Theme is “Back to the Future”. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite decade or character in the movies.
The evening of celebration will begin at 5:00 pm with dinner catered by Bruno’s Bar & Grill, desserts by the Hot Pink Box Dessert Company, and dancing until 10:00 pm. Cheryl Rebottaro will be returning again as this year’s Master of Ceremonies. There will also be live music with the Joint
website scottsvalleychamber.com
At its February Board Meeting, the Chamber Board voted in Nick Kurns as its newest member. Nick is currently the Finance and Customer Service Manager for Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD) which he joined in 2018.
Kurns is responsible for the finance, accounting, utility billing, and customer service functions at SVWD.
During his tenure with SVWD, Kurns has led efforts to improve the District’s financial resiliency, such as the implementation of a funding strategy to reduce the District’s long-term pension liability and transitioning to monthly billing.
Prior to joining the District, Kurns served in various roles in the Budget Office for the City of Sunnyvale.
Kurns also serves as Treasurer for the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency, the Groundwater Sustainability Agency for the Santa
Margarita Groundwater Basin which includes the City of Scotts Valley.
Kurns earned his MBA from Santa Clara University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Claremont Mckenna College.
Kurns is an active member of the California Society for Municipal Finance Officers where he currently serves as Chair of the Career Development Committee. Kurns initially began his career in the private sector, as a finance analyst at SAP, supporting complex government deployments.
Kurns lives in Santa Cruz with his wife, who is the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Boys and Girls Club, and their two children, Parker and Cameron. When not at work or spending time with his family, Kurns can be found running the trails throughout beautiful Santa Cruz County.
In October of 2022, Santa Cruz County officially welcomed its newest nonprofit organization centered around children.
Believing that every child should have access to team sports, tutoring, art classes, dance classes, and summer camps regardless of economic status, GRO Community’s mission is to bridge the gap and create opportunities for children to access these programs.
Founded by Gina Odom of Scotts Valley, GRO Community was born when
Odom observed that children were not pursuing extracurricular activities like music lessons, art, dance, and sports due a lack of income.
She also noticed a huge discrepancy between children who could afford tutoring and those who could not and the unfair advantage it created.
Investment in our children means direct investment in our community, our economy, and the overall well-being of our community.
Gina brought together other members of the community with the same beliefs to form GRO Community with the desire to have a positive impact on the families and businesses of Santa Cruz County.
To date, GRO Community has helped bridge the gap and has given 31 children grants in Santa Cruz County for art, music programs, math tutoring, and martial arts classes.
Seven businesses have benefited from the grants as well.
GRO Community’s work would not be made possible without the generous support and donations from members of the community as well as the partnerships with organizations in Santa Cruz County that also have the desire to invest in children and foster their creativity and growth. •••
To learn more about Gro Community visit Gro-Community.org.
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.
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
Save $40 with Early Bird Discount before June 15
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 •••
Local SC County Residents
Single Booth (12x12) $275 + $35 (nonrefundable) jury fee = $310 (Early Bird Price $270)
Double Booth (12x24) $475 + $35 (nonrefundable) 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)
Celebrating 42 Years of Managing & Selling Homes throughout Santa Cruz County — 1981 - 2023
$5200/mo 3BR/2BA large sunny Home on Granite Creek in Scotts Valley. Gas FP. Newer windows. Deck. W/D incl. 2-car garage. No pets.. Available early March
$4400/mo 3BR/2BA Duplex unit on Old Orchard in Los Gatos/Santa Cruz Mtns. Incredible views. Wrap-around deck. Some utilities incl. Available early March
$3850/mo 3BR/1.5BA 2-story Apartment in a Duplex on Ocean Street. New flooring. W/D incl. 2 carport spaces for parking. Available Now
$1450/mo Private room in a house on Glenwood Drive in Scotts Valley. Private bathroom. Laundry. Full kitchen. Deck. Views. PG&E & Water incl. Available Now
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.
WaterSmart is a service portal that provides the tools to monitor and understand your water use and your bill.
SCAN OR VISIT THE WEBSITE TO REGISTER: www.svwd.org/WaterSmart
Did you know Alfred Hitchcock lived in Scotts Valley?
Yes, this world-famous director lived in Scotts Valley from 19401970. The City of Scotts Valley, CA has proclaimed Alfred Hitchcock Week from March 6th-12th to celebrate the local resident and world-famous director.
The Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild will be hosting the first annual Alfred Hitchcock Festival with the Scotts Valley Exchange Club and the Scotts Valley Historical Society.
The event will take place at the new Cultural & Performing Arts Center, located at 251B Kings Village Rd, Scotts Valley, California, on Friday, March 10th and Saturday, March 11th.
Businesses
are welcome to join in to announce any special offers by becoming a Bronze level sponsor. Listings and tickets will be available at hitchcockfestival.com, in our inserts for the inaugural program and displayed on screen in front of hundreds of people. Tickets are going fast!
Friday, March 10
6:00 PM Doors open — Ribbon cutting, featuring Tere Carrubba, Alfred Hitchcock’s granddaughter, and Scotts Valley Mayor Jack Dilles; walk on by Alfred Hitchcock (impersonator)
6:30 PM Talk featuring Carrubba and Jay Topping — Memories and local Hitchcock history
7:30 PM Show film — Shadow of a Doubt
Saturday, March 11
2:00 PM Show film — Vertigo
4:30 PM Panel discussion — with Logan Walker, UC Santa Cruz Lecturer in Film & Digital Media, and Shelley Stamp, Professor of Film & Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz, discussing Hitchcock’s history as a director and the two films we have viewed. Audience participation
6:00 PM Dessert & Wine Party — Includes Costume Contest.
Complimentary desserts and wine!
Attendees at the 2023 Alfred Hitchcock Festival will enjoy wines grown on Heart O’ the Mountain, the former property of Alfred Hitchcock, and currently home to Armitage Wines.
Meet Alfred Hitchcock’s granddaughter! Stand to win prizes!
Anyone in a Hitchcock-themed costume will be welcome to enter the costume contest and be judged by Hitchcock’s granddaughter herself, Tere Carrubba. Prizes offered for the best costumes depicting Hitchcock and his films.
Audience will be invited to vote on what they would like to see and hear next year.
•••
Contact Dave Hodgin at pathfinder@ pacbell.net or Victor Alejandro at victor. alejandro.usa@gmail.com for questions.
The Rotary Club of Scotts Valley will be hosting its annual fundraiser on March 25, 2023 featuring a Drive thru BBQ at the Scotts Valley Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road in Scotts Valley.
Proceeds from the event will benefit all four schools in the Scotts Valley School District, and provide scholarships to graduating Scotts Valley Seniors as well as several other programs traditionally supported by the Club, such as NOAA’s Ocean Guardian School
Program to promote ocean and watershed conservation at our high school.
The Drive thru BBQ Complete Meal pick up will be from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Tickets are $85 for a Complete Meal that serves up to 4 people featuring a 40 ounce Premium Tri Tip Roast, Sourdough Garlic Bread Loaf, Garden Salad, and Ranch Style Beans. 100 Complete Meal Tickets are available so order now before they are sold out at https://drivethrubbq.brownpapertickets.com, service fee included in ticket price.
Rotary is a service club. Its business is humanity. Its product is to provide community service to both local and international communities and in an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs: the need for friendship and fellowship. “Together we work to make the world better. Our main causes are youth and the environment. We empower women and educate the youth to become leaders in their community and stewards of the environment.”
•••
The Rotary Club of Scotts Valley contributes to all four schools in the Scotts Valley Unified School District and provides
scholarships to seniors at Scotts Valley High School. In 2022, seven $1000 scholarships were awarded.
The Club also sends high school students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program and Area Speech Contest. Recent international projects have included outfitting a hospitality vocational training center in Cambodia, supporting Sister Rosemary in her quest to save abused girls in Uganda, and helping Assist International with a hospital project in Ethiopia. www.facebook. com/ScottsValleyRotary
Editor’s note: Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz County are working on their “housing elements” this year to meet the state deadline for identifying new housing sites. Scotts Valley was told to build 1,220 units by Dec. 15, 2031, Capitola 1,336, and the county 4,634. •••
On Feb. 22, Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Department of Housing and Community Development issued letters under their separate enforcement authority urging the Huntington Beach City Council to reject a proposed moratorium on housing projects under Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10, as well as accessory dwelling units.
Under SB 9, local agencies must provide a “ministerial” approval process for any proposed duplex within a single-family residential zone, or for any proposed lot split of a single-family residential parcel. Ministerial review is where the public official ensures the proposed development meets all the applicable objective standards for the proposed action but uses no special discretion or judgment in reaching a decision. An SB 9 project may only be denied under limited circumstances.
In the letters, the Attorney General and HCD make it clear that the proposal —on the city council Feb. 22 agenda — is unlawful and directly threatens statewide efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing.
“We need partners in building a more affordable California, not more political grandstanding,” said Bonta. “I urge Huntington Beach to reconsider its latest proposal. Our state is facing an existential housing crisis. It is past time to work together to put the people of our state first. My office is ready to take action as necessary to enforce our laws, but Huntington Beach still has time to course correct. My message to Huntington Beach is simple: Work with us and we will work with you.”
“The City of Huntington Beach continues to attempt to evade their responsibility to build housing, but they will simply not win,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “City leaders have a choice — build more housing or face very real consequences — including loss of state funds, substantial fines, and loss of local control. Californians need more housing in all communities and Huntington Beach is no exception. Communities that fail to meet this moment will find out that the status quo will no longer be tolerated.”
“The actions being considered by the Huntington Beach City Council should
raise concerns with every resident in the city,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “This is another blatant attempt to evade state housing law, denying private property owners’ rights to house aging family members or build income through accessory dwelling units, and preventing the development of affordable housing when it is needed more than ever.”
Huntington Beach has an ordinance establishing objective development and design standards for SB 9 projects. According to Bonta, it is unclear how the city council can direct its city manager to cease the processing of any SB 9 applications on the grounds that any SB 9 project would purportedly be inconsistent with the city’s current zoning.
With respect to SB 10, Huntington Beach has not chosen to adopt an ordinance under that statute and instructing the city manager to ban the acceptance of SB 10 housing projects makes no real-world change to the city’s current practices, according to Bonta, who contends this demonstrates the city’s lack of support for strategies that promote housing production at all income levels.
Under state laws aimed at addressing California’s housing crisis, homeowners can build ADUs — sometimes referred to as “in-law units” — or additional homes (SB 9 units) on their lot under specific circumstances.
The city council’s proposed action would also be an unlawful attempt to preempt the application of state ADU laws, according to Bonta.
State law requires permitting agencies to approve or deny ADU applications ministerially and without discretionary review within 60 days of a complete application’s submittal.
Should a city deny an ADU application, it must provide in writing a full set of comments to the applicant with a list of items that are defective or deficient and a description of how the application can be remedied by the applicant.
State law makes it clear that no other local ordinance, policy, or regulation shall be the basis for the delay or denial of a building permit or a use permit.
Refusing to process ADU permits would have the effect of reducing access to housing and also runs afoul of the Housing Crisis Act’s broad prohibitions on local government moratoriums seeking to restrict or limit housing development, according to Bonta.
The letters reflect the latest what
Bonta sees as a string of troubling actions by Huntington Beach.
In February, Huntington Beach advanced a proposal to strip private property owners of the right to add housing units starting in April, despite the need for additional housing and warnings from the state.
On Feb. 13, HCD and the Attorney General warned the city’s planning commission that the proposed adoption of an ordinance banning “builder’s remedy” projects would violate state law.
The builder’s remedy refers to a provision of the Housing Accountability Act prohibiting cities and counties that have not adopted a compliant housing element from denying housing projects for inconsistency with zoning if at least 20% of the proposed homes are affordable to lowincome households.
Huntington Beach has not adopted its housing element, even though HCD found its draft compliant with state law. Members of the public are encouraged to visit the California Department of Justice’s Housing Portal and HCD’s website for more resources and information aimed at supporting access to housing. n
A copy of the California Department of Justice’s letter to Huntington Beach is at https:// oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/pressdocs/Huntington%20Beach-2-21-23-AG%20 Letter.pdf
A copy of HCD’s letter is at https://www. hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/planningand-community/HAU/HuntingtonBeach NOPV-ADU-022123.pdf
African-Americans experience debilitating economic, educational, and health due to the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination in California, according to a task force created by Assembly Bill 3121 to study the issue and recommend remedies.
The nine-member reparations task force, which will meet March 3-4 in Sacramento, has preliminarily recommended more than 115 actions.
One is to establish a cabinet-level secretary position over an African American/ Freedmen Affairs Agency tasked with implementing the recommendations, to identify past harms, prevent future harm, suggest policies to the Governor and the Legislature designed to compensate for the harms caused by the legacy of anti-Black discrimination, and “work to eliminate systemic racism that has developed as a result of the enslavement of African Americans in the United States.”
The daylong meetings start at 9 a.m. at California Environmental Protection Agency’s Byron Sher Auditorium, 1001 I St., Sacramento, are open to the public and will be live-streamed. Comments can be made by phone.
The agenda includes five key questions:
1. What are the damage time frames? This becomes even more important for the prioritization of African American descendants of persons enslaved in the United States. 1865-1960.
2. Will there be a California residency requirement? If yes, how will it be determined?
3. What year determines the beginning of harm? Are there different starting points and end points for each atrocity category?
4. Will direct victims and/or all African American descendants of U.S. slavery in California (who meet the residency requirement) be compensated?
5. How will reparations be paid and measured to ensure the form of payment aligns with the estimate of damages? The interim report made these findings in a heavily footnoted report:
In the census of 1860, the last census taken before the Civil War, of the about 12 million people living in the 15 slaveholding states, almost four million were enslaved. 25 In order to terrorize and force this enormous population to work without pay, the colonial and American governments created a different type of slavery.
Despite California entering the Union in 1850 as a free state, its early state government supported slavery. Proslavery white southerners held a great deal of power in the state legislature, the court
system, and among California’s representatives in the U.S. Congress.
Some scholars estimate that up to 1,500 enslaved African Americans lived in California in 1852.
Enslaved people trafficked to California often worked under dangerous conditions, lived in unclean environments, and faced brutal violence.
In 1852, California passed and enforced a fugitive slave law that was harsher than the federal fugitive slave law, and this made California a more proslavery state than most other free states.
California also outlawed nonwhite people from testifying in any court case involving white people.
California did not ratify the Fourteenth Amendment until 1959, which protected the equal rights of all citizens, and the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibited states from denying a person’s right to vote on the basis of race, until 1962.
Supported by their government, ordinary citizens also terrorized and murdered Black Californians.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) established local chapters all over the state in the 1920s. 56 During that time, California sometimes even held more KKK events than Mississippi or Louisiana.
Many of California’s KKK members were prominent individuals who held positions in civil leadership and police departments.
For example, in 1920s Los Angeles, prominent and numerous city government officials were KKK members or had KKK ties, including the mayor, district attorneys, and police officers.
Violence against African Americans peaked in the 1940s, as more Black Californians tried to buy homes in white neighborhoods.
Today, police violence against and extrajudicial killings of African Americans occur in California in the same manner as they do in the rest of the
California also passed and enforced laws to prevent Black Californians from accumulating political power. California passed a law prohibiting non-white witnesses from testifying against white Californians.
This law shielded white defendants from justice.
The California Supreme Court explained that any non-white person to testify “would admit them to all the equal rights of citizenship, and we might soon see them at the polls, in the jury box, upon the bench, and in our legislative halls,” a prospect that the court viewed as an “actual and present danger.”
California did not allow Black men to vote until 1879.
The state also passed many of the voter suppression laws that were used in the South. California prohibited individuals convicted of felonies from voting,
added a poll tax, and put in place a literacy test
In California, the federal, state, and local government created segregation through redlining, zoning ordinances, decisions on where to build schools and highways and discriminatory federal mortgage policies.
California “sundown towns,” (a term derived from municipal signs announcing that African Americans must leave by dusk) like most of the suburbs of Los Angeles and San Francisco, prohibited African Americans from living in entire cities throughout the state.
The federal government financed many whites only neighborhoods throughout the state.
The federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation maps used in redlining described many Californian neighborhoods in racially discriminatory terms. For example, in San Diego there were “servant’s areas” of La Jolla and several areas “restricted to the Caucasian race.”
During World War II, the federal government paid to build segregated housing for defense workers in Northern California.
Housing for white workers generally better constructed and permanent. While white workers lived in rooms paid for by the federal government, Black wartime workers lived in cardboard shacks, barns, tents, or open fields.
Racially-restrictive covenants, which were clauses in property deeds that usually allowed only white residents to live on the property described in the deed, were commonplace and California courts enforced them well into the 1940s. Numerous neighborhoods around the state rezoned Black neighborhoods for industrial use to steer white residents towards better neighborhoods or adopted zoning ordinances to ban apartment buildings to try and keep out prospective Black residents.
State agencies demolished thriving Black neighborhoods in the name of urban renewal and park construction.
Operating under state law for urban redevelopment, the City of San Francisco declared the Western Addition blighted, and destroyed the Fillmore, San Francisco’s most prominent Black neighborhood and business district.
“Reparations” page 22
As people reportedly flocked south, Yelp data shows increases in the share of search locations in Texas cities, compared to 2019, particularly San Antonio (up 29%) and Austin (up 18%).
Dozens of popular Florida cities also saw large increases, including Tallahassee (up 56%), St. Petersburg (up 23%), West Palm Beach (up 12%) and Tampa (up 10%).
Impact for Yelp
The trend of individuals relocating away from traditional business hubs during the pandemic is also reflected internally at Yelp, as we saw many of our U.S. employees moving away from office-centric locations as the company leaned into remote work.
In 2022, U.S.-based Yelp employees lived in 1,304 unique cities — a 50% increase from 2019 (871 unique cities).
From 2019 to 2022, Yelp saw the share of employees living near our office locations decrease, including San Francisco (down 70%); New York (down 67%); Washington, D.C. (down 67%); Chicago (down 67%) and Phoenix (down 33%).
During this same time period, Yelp saw a 300% increase in the share of employees residing in Florida and Texas.
After observing how employees thrived during the company’s remote-first pilot period in 2021, Yelp announced it would fully embrace remote work in June of 2022, closing the company’s most consistently underutilized offices, including New York; Chicago and Washington, D.C.; as well as reducing its footprint in Phoenix.
Combined, the three offices Yelp closed saw a weekly average use of less than 2% of the available workspaces. Yelp had previously reevaluated its real estate needs to better accommodate its remote-first workforce, reducing its footprint in San Francisco in September 2021.
To understand how the reshuffling impacted new business growth in 2022 compared to 2019, Yelp examined the average new business growth in the states that experienced both an increase and decrease in share of searches.
Yelp data show that states with an increase in share of searches showed a higher average increase in new business openings across nearly all categories — demonstrating the positive economic impact and opportunity remote work has had on local businesses across the U.S.
New home and local services businesses have shown to be the backbone of local
economies as new business openings surpass pre-pandemic levels, with notable average increases in both states with an increase in share of searches (up 57% and 47%, respectively) and states with a decrease in share of searches (up 31% and 19%).
Meanwhile, shopping, bars and nightlife, active life and restaurant businesses have not yet fully bounced back to pre-pandemic levels with each seeing a decrease in new business openings in both states that saw an increase and decrease in share of searches.
Narrowing in on the five states with the highest increases in share of searches — South Dakota, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and Mississippi — these states saw a significant average increase in new local services (up 78%), home services (up 76%) and beauty services (up 52%) businesses, compared to 2019.
Local services drove the most growth in these states, ranking in the top three categories of the top five states with the highest increase in share of searches. Yelp data show that home services and beauty services are major drivers of business growth in these top states, as new residents start home improvement projects or search for self-care treatments in their new neighborhoods.
Yelp also analyzed the impact to new business growth within the states that saw the most significant drops in search locations during the pandemic — in order of greatest decrease: Washington, D.C.; New York; California; Nevada and Oregon.
These states, including D.C., saw decreases in new business openings in shopping (down 22%), active life (down 19%), bars and nightlife (down 9%), arts and entertainment (down 8%) and restaurants (down 7%). Shopping businesses ranked in the top three categories with the greatest decrease of new openings for each of the states, including Washington, D.C., which saw the largest drop (down 35%).
States known for their variety of arts and entertainment experiences (California, New York and Nevada) all saw decreases in new business openings within this category, down 21%, 16%, 12%, respectively.
Though the initial shift to remote work was seen by many organizations as a temporary change, thousands of individuals have found remote work has improved their overall quality of life, increasing their ability to spend time on new hobbies or with family and friends.
Yelp reviewed its own employee listening data since the company went remote
in March 2020 and saw both recruitment and employee satisfaction positively impacted by its remote work stance.
The company also shared that 2022 was Yelp’s best year yet – reporting record revenue of $1.2 billion — a 16% growth rate, demonstrating employee productivity in a remote work environment.
Yelp’s commitment to remote work has allowed the company to access a vastly larger talent pool across the U.S. and internationally.
Compared to 2019, Yelp found an overall increase in the average number of applicants per job posting in 2022, most notably in Yelp’s general and administrative (up 200%) and sales roles (up 25%).
Yelp also saw a shortened hiring process for these roles, with the average time to hire reduced by six days in 2022 — a 23% decrease since 2019.
While many companies called employees back to the office, with some indicating collaboration as one of the main reasons, a 2022 Distributed Work Survey of Yelp employees found that 85% of employees feel connected to their teams and informed while working in a distributed environment.
The survey also showed that 87% of employees felt favorably about working remotely.
Yelp found no significant change in the percentage of new employees who felt connected to their teams in the first 30 days of their employment in 2022 (94%), compared to 2019 (95%).
A February 2022 survey of Yelp’s employees found that 86% of respondents
preferred to work remotely most or all of the time, 87% report that working remotely has made them more effective at work and 93% of employees and their managers report they can meet their goals remotely.
In a separate employee survey focused on benefits, 74% ranked “physical and mental wellbeing” as one of their two most important employee benefits in a remote setting.
This led Yelp to increase its wellness stipend amount by 33% in 2023.
New Hobbies
As remote workers gain back the time they would have otherwise spent commuting to the office, Yelp user data shows consumer interest in a wide range of hobbies — from active sports to arts and leisure activities — has increased in 2022 when compared to both 2019 and 2021.
Interest in pickleball jumped 275% compared to 2019, axe throwing 68%, glass blowing 33%, cheese tasting 18% and fitness instruction 9%.
As flexible work arrangements become the norm for many U.S. industries, we anticipate people will continue to settle down in states and cities that provide more affordable cost of living and less population congestion – ultimately driving new opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Yelp will continue to assess how these shifts are reshaping local economies and impacting business growth across the U.S. At Yelp, the company plans to continue its intentional and deliberate approach to employee listening, taking action on feedback to continue meeting employee needs in a remote-first environment. n
We are under the light of Pisces until March 20, when Sun enters Aries and Spring begins. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, containing within itself all the eleven previous signs. Pisces carries in its waters the seeds of Aries, when all things new begin for the new year. During Pisces the past year is available for recollection and review. Pisces gathers the past year and all previous eleven signs, and offers them to the fires of Aries to create something new. The cycle of livingness is always unbroken.
The symbol of Pisces is the two fishes, one facing up, the other facing down. Bound together by a silver cord, they swim together between worlds — representing innate duality of creation. The two worlds — soul and personality, spirit and matter, light and dark, good and evil, God and human.
Pisces rules the lymph system and the Pisces biochemic cell salt is Ferrum Phos, providing oxygen to the blood stream providing a vital force that sustains life. Pisces is called the World Savior. Cell Salts (tissue salts, mineral salts, twelve biochemic remedies) are called the Cell Salts of
With Sun in Pisces you may be dreaming more, feel more intuitive, a bit more sensitive, inspired and insightful. Study, prayer and retreats are worthy activities for you at this time. They will allow more gentleness and compassionto emerge — qualities and virtues needed when with an Aquarian group, when asked to be the leader and invited to visit the future. The new era is Aquarius, which Aries are called to initiate.
You have one task — to focus on health, tend to the oxygenation of cells, take more calcium, magnesium, NAC and chlorella. Do not let your body to become cold. You must use knowledge and discipline to care for yourself. As life in the new era becomes more changeable you will also have to weigh what’s best — to be out and about, leading everyone into the future, or remain at home caring for your physical body to bring it back to perfect health. Stay out of cities and big box stores.
Something beneficent, benevolent and bountiful happens between you and the cosmos, between you and the heavens. You’re inspired, encouraged and guided internally by the stars. With careful study, years of preparation, and viewing the past in terms of your great and wonderful gifts, pathways open, choices and commitments are made, and abundance settles into your mind and heart. These are interesting times for you. Study Pythagoras.
A new and different study has been introduced to our world and if you are up to date on it you could be quite fascinated. It’s about the electric universe. It could make you feel generous and for the first time in a long time, you feel at home here on earth. It’s a new exploration into physics, time and a reality that was unknown to you. Now it’s presenting itself and you in turn will seek to participate fully. This changes your inner life. You are happy. Joyful, too.
Salvation — biochemistry that restores balance and harmony to the body system. A noteworthy book to read during Pisces and into the new era is The Zodiac and the Salts of Salvation by Carey and Perry.
Lent: 40 days and 40 nights of purification and preparation for Spring. Lent offers us time to eliminate old patterns and create new rhythms. It’s good to consider cultivating a sense of giving (gifting) during Lent. Giving to those in need. Giving creates a divine circulatory flow of energies. What is given is returned 10-fold.
All actions, intentions and dedications generate an energy field of Goodwill. What do we give? Not necessarily things but the gifts of praise, recognition, deep listening, thoughts of Goodwill, prayers and blessings for others. And choosing kindness always. All acts of generosity and kindness create an energetic field of light that radiates outward to all the kingdoms around us. When thinking of offering money consider those deeply in need. The Right Use of Money is a major test for humanity at this time. This is part of the First Initiation for humanity — the Initiation in Bethlehem, House of Bread. n (Note: for daily astrology & teachings see www.nightlightnews.org)
LEO
Observe yourself now and in the days to come becoming more insightful, discerning, perceptive, observant and wise. Observe that you are more intuitive and enlightened in terms of others, especially those you work with. Someone or something or perhaps some words you hear or read will assist you to shift into a deeper awareness of spiritual realities. This comes through money, resources, intimacy and/or dreams. In between, tend to taxes.
You will want to relate better and more with others, especially those close to you. They will then begin to bloom and flourish, increase, thrive and prosper, along with you. Like a garden under Spring’s sunlight. Over time, you become a greater support to others, offering guidance and direction where needed. Maintain harmony, challenge nothing and no one. Offer compassionate understanding instead. It will nourish your heart and then the hearts of others. People notice.
Think about what you want to be doing daily…what job, career, occupation, work, vocation, artistry, you truly and deeply need to pursue. If you don’t know, ask yourself what that may be. The true information will subtly appear. Talk to everyone about your hopes, wishes and dreams. In the coming year, if you rest more, your health improves, you become stronger and more resistant to illness. Have a salad with each meal, add apples and dates. I think you need a canary or a fish or two.
Don’t go down the road of regular investments thinking you’re lucky and the economy will improve soon. The monetary situation is shifting in our country and world. For up-to-date economics, read Catherine Austin Fitts’ Solari report. Don’t take risks with your money and resources. Know that crypto currency is not the new economy. Don’t speculate. Invest in land, homes, greenhouses and bio shelters. Use your resources to create these environments. Work together with others. Study communities that are off the grid.
So many different ideas flow through your mind. Perhaps you’re thinking of moving near or far away. Perhaps it’s time to return home. You always want a place near a body of water or a mountain, or both. There is a benevolence occurring in your home and family life now. Interest in genealogy, your family tree, relatives and loved ones may take center stage. This nourishes you til the next phase of personal development appears.
Notice in the coming months your thinking becomes happy, optimistic and life questions and behaviors of others begin to make sense. You always act with intentions for Goodwill which bring grace and goodness to all interactions. You realize everyone’s doing their very best and often see to and help others who have lost their way. Begin writing (journaling, blogging) in earnest. You may write a book, actually. You have important observations and things to say.
AQUARIUS
This coming year will be one of challenges and hard work. This is so your vital life force can be ready for the new era of Aquarius unfolding. It will also be lucrative for you and money and resources will be available based on need. All resources should be used for your well-being. Share also with those in need, using resources to help others. You don’t want to owe money to anyone. Have cash on hand, gas in the car (no electrical vehicles, they are not sustainable), food and medicines on hand. The times to come contain serious situations to be considered.
Good fortune, sunshine, blessings, grace and beauty will follow you this year. Hopefully all the days for the rest of your life. A new self-confidence and new sense of self-identity will also surface and later, flourish. There is a shift in the road ahead for you in terms of work. You become more international. In the meantime, maintain all responsibilities and obligations, tithe generously and consistently, and stand in the sun three times a day each day. The devas wait for you to join them.
Fairgrounds Future: Rental Rates Up in the Air
As a news reporter, I attended Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors meetings for years, sometimes covering scandalous fair managers and scarce finances. What I saw at the Feb. 28 fair board meeting was disturbing on a level I never imagined.
Board President Don Dietrich committed public slander, accusing a community member of theft without evidence. In fact, the evidence overwhelmingly shows the opposite, which Dennis Osmer pointed out during public comment. Dietrich showed how personal his beef was with his target, Dave Kegebein, by offering to resign from the board if Kegebein promised to never step foot on the fairgrounds again. The rest of the board remained silent.
Director Nicolas Calubaquib asked, more than once, what spurred the proposed increase in rental rates? Are we overbooked? Are costs rising this dramatically? Dietrich just changed the subject. When asked again, he talked about the need for a new rate schedule that was even for everybody — this would eliminate appearance of “backroom deals.”
Members of the public asked why a government rate was proposed at half the normal rate, and why nonprofits, some that had donated tens of thousands of dollars to the fairgrounds, weren’t offered a break. Nobody got answers. The board would eventually vote on a proposal to set rates for nonprofits and government agencies the same, but that failed and the whole issue will return next month (March 28).
Then Dietrich unveiled the deal he made with raceway promoter John Prentice. Disposing of an opportunity for the public to bid, Dietrich led the board into approving his new deal with the raceway.
The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds is in trouble. Events are leaving or are struggling to understand how to stay. A quilting group that held an event over the weekend complained about a complete lack of service, struggling to access bathrooms. The local chapter of Burning Man, unSCruz, has moved its event to San Benito County.
Fair department heads are in the dark. Correspondence from Amateur Wine Division Chair Debbie Yakulis asked: “When will we receive any funding? I need to book a caterer for the judging event and found out that food costs have increased significantly so need to know if we will continue the same system as before? … Who is in charge of ordering ribbons and plaques?
The public has a lot of questions of this board and fairgrounds management, but they don’t get answered. Dietrich needs to step away from the board, as he offered to do, but without preconditions.
— Jon Chown, MarinaThe next general manager of the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is Amber Rowland, who succeeds Melanie Sobel, who left in July after 11 years and is now head of the Denver Animal Shelter.
County parks chief Jeff Gaffney has been interim general manager.
Rowland’s first day will be Thursday, March 23.
She will oversee shelter, field, and outreach operations with an annual budget of $5 million and 30 employees.
“I am so excited to get started working with the people and animals of Santa Cruz County,” Rowland said. “I am passionate about socially conscious sheltering practices and committed to working collaboratively with the Board, the staff and the community to maintain SCCAS’ position as one of the most respected shelters in California.”
With 17 years in animal services, Rowland has experience as a shelter leader, developing programs, facilities, operations and policies for animal welfare goals in the city of Austin, Texas, which agreed to limit euthanizations to 10 percent.
As a program manager with Austin Animal Services, Rowland supervised staff and volunteers, planned and executed major operational changes and events, and served as the public face of the agency. She also has experience as an animal control officer and humane educator for Salt Lake County Animal Services.
The first-ever March to End Homelessness in Santa Cruz County will take place Saturday, April 1, in downtown Santa Cruz.
“By marching together, we show solidarity with our neighbors experiencing homelessness,” said Phil Kramer, chief executive officer of Housing Matters. “This event will build momentum for the future, by advocating for solutions to end homelessness right here in Santa Cruz County.”
The march will be a partnership event with local nonprofits Santa Cruz Community Health, Housing Santa Cruz County, Abode Services, Homeless Garden Project, Front Street Inc., Families in Transition, WINGS and Pajaro Valley Shelter Services.
Members of the business community and local residents are invited to march and rally.
This is a moment for Santa Cruz County neighbors and friends to gather, connect and give voice to ending homelessness.
The March to End Homelessness will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at the
corner of Cathcart and Cedar streets in downtown Santa Cruz.
Attendees will hear from local leaders, advocate partners and people with lived expertise regarding the importance of “housing as a human right,” before marching through downtown Santa Cruz to the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center for a festival open to the public.
The festival will feature partner resources, food trucks, live music and vendors.
“Housing Matters is dedicated to resolving homelessness in Santa Cruz County,” said Mer Stafford, chief Iimpact officer for Housing Matters. “We aim to expand our reach by elevating the voices of those with lived expertise and our service provider partners. We encourage our community to show their commitment and support to ending homelessness by connecting with us and marching shoulder-to-shoulder in the spirit of compassion in action.” n
For information including detailed FAQ, partnership and volunteer opportunities, visit: https://housingmatterssc.org/march2023/
Rowland was approved unanimously by the shelter board on Feb. 13 following a competitive nationwide search.
“We sought someone who would build on our amazing internal staff and operations as well as strengthen our relationships with the community,” Board Chair Chris Clark said. “Amber has the right skills, experience and temperament to make her an excellent choice as our next director.”
Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is a publicly funded joint powers authority
serving the County of Santa Cruz, and the cities of Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, and Capitola. It is an open admission shelter which welcomes every animal in need, with a goal to be a humane resource for the community by providing a safety net and second chance for local animals. With locations in Live Oak and Watsonville, the shelter offers adoption services, low-cost spay/neuter programs for all resident pets, 24-hour rescue services, Catio Tours, and operates the Benefits Shop. n
ACROSS
1. Pampering places
5. *____ de trois
8. Lend a criminal hand
12. Toy block
13. As old as time?
14. Milan’s La ____ 15. Drug addict 16. Craving 17. Some primatologists’ study object, for short 18. *Shoe, not a titular character in Henry James’ novel 20. What spirits and culprits have in common 21. Falstaffian in body
22. Jack Kerouac’s ___ Paradise
23. *Shoe, not lazy person
26. Concealing plant, in a painting (2 words)
30. Not leg
31. ____ ____ help
34. Poet Pound
35. *Sound of Wellington boots
37. U.N. labor issues org.
38. Twig of a willow tree
39. Database command 40. Type of purse
42. “Platoon” setting, for short
43. Canadian province 45. Overly preoccoupied with something 47. Motion of assent 48. Louisiana swamp
50. Like list of chores
52. *Animated movie about a dancing penguin (2 words)
56. “All About Eve” star
57. Biblical birthright seller
58. Generic dog name
59. Are not
60. What snob puts on
61. Cogito, ____ sum
62. Mountain, in Germany
63. Trinitrotoluene, for short
64. Movie tape
1. Yarn defect
2. 100 centavos in Mexico
3. A long time ago
4. Somewhat (2 words)
5. City on the Seine
6. Pool growth
7. ____ but not heard”
8. *Rupturing this will take you off your feet
9. Can of worms
10. Deciduous tree
11. *Percussion with one’s feet
13. Piano adjusters
14. Scrawny one
19. Caribbean religious and healing practice
22. Noble title
23. Apple TV+ coach
24. Acrylic fiber
25. Amortization root
26. *0.3048 meters
Santa Cruz Art League, 526 Broadway, Santa Cruz Hours: Wed.-Sat. 1-4 pm • Admission: Free
Through April 8, the Santa Cruz Art League presents Unapologetically Black, an exhibition featuring 18 Black visual and performing artists from Santa Cruz and the Bay Area, showcasing 80+ original artworks that represent a rich cultural her-itage. Artists in the exhibition:
• Abi Mustapha • Asual
Aswad • Bhavananda
Lodkey • Chris “Moze”
Mosley • Cyrus Howard • Deshaun Myles • Devi Pride • Dylyn Turner-Keener • Elijah Pfotenjauer • Gregory Speed
• Jimi Evins • Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour • Madonna
Camel • Naomi Wells-Sokumbi • Nikia Chaney • Rica De La Luz • Rick Bell • Yolanda Cotton Turner
This exhibition is core to the Art League’s commitment to support artists at all ca-reer levels and to highlight the work of local BIPOC creatives.
DJ Monk Earl from AfroBeats Santa Cruz will play at the First Friday opening recep-tion 6-8 p.m. March 3, and there will be Jambalaya from Chef Madlyn Torrance, made with loving hands to feed your soul. Jason Joseph Santiago LaCour will per-form spoken poetry and Tia McCord will be do face gems for anyone interested.
•••
On March 24, Nexties Musician of the Year Maknova will perform live at The Broadway Playhouse.
The Northern California Coastal Region of the Red Cross is honoring heroes during the 80th annual American Red Cross Month celebration, a national tradition that began in 1943. Blood drives:
March 8: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
• Boulder Creek
Fire Department, 13230 Central Avenue (Hwy 9)
March 11: 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. • St Phillip’s Episcopal Church, 5271 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley
March 17: 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ben Lomond, 9545 Love Creek Road, Ben Lomond
March 25: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. • Live Oak Grange, 1900 17th Ave., Santa Cruz
March 28: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 220 Elk St., Santa Cruz. Make an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org
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/
Have
Send
Habitat for Humanity of Monterey Bay is celebrating Women Build 2023 with a full month of builds from March 8–April 1. The site is Rodeo Creek Court, 2340 Harper St., Santa Cruz.
Habitat has been building this 11-home development since August 2020.
So far, six families have moved into their homes. Volunteers work alongside the professional construction crew, and future homeowners earning sweat equity toward the purchase of their home.
Women and men encouraged to participate.
Volunteers need not have previous experience.
Volunteers are invited to sign up for shifts on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from March 8 to April 1. Go to https://www.habitatmontereybay.com/copy-ofwomen-build and click on “volunteer”
Donations are also being accepted. Fundraising goal is $15,000.
Women Build, which celebrates and uplifts women’s roles in construction and affordable housing development, is sponsored and presented by Bay Federal Credit Union and Granite Construction.
Disaster Recovery Centers in Santa Cruz County will remain open in March to assist residents impacted by the December-January atmospheric rivers that caused widespread damage. The centers are staffed by personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Small Business Administration. The deadline to apply for assistance is March 16.
The Felton center has moved to Santa Cruz, in the basement of the County Governmental Building, 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, and is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The center in Watsonville at the City Government Center, 250 Main St., will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
County recovery staff will be available during regular business hours at 701 Ocean St. To reach the Recovery Permit Center, call 831-454-5323 or email rpc@ santacruzcounty.us during business hours.
More resources at the Virtual Recovery Center at https:// santacruzcounty.us/OR3/Emergency.aspx.
Have you wanted to serve your community and wondered how to get involved? Does governmental waste, inefficiency, or lack of responsiveness concern you?
The Santa Cruz County Superior Court is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Civil Grand Jury. The application deadline is April 28. Information is at https://www.santacruz.courts.ca.gov/ divisions/civil-grand-jury. Questions can be emailed to jury. information@santacruzcourt.org.
In response to the havoc wreaked by winter storms slamming the Bay Area and California, the Internal Revenue Service is extending the deadline to May 15 to file federal tax returns and make payments.
The IRS said it will provide “tax relief” to people who have been impacted by the storms as part of a coordinated effort by federal agencies. The extension applies to several deadlines for federal tax filing and payment that began as early as Jan. 8. Individuals and businesses will have until May 15 to file federal income tax returns and make any payments. Eligible individuals can wait until May 15 to make 2022 contributions to their health savings accounts and individual retirement accounts, officials said. The deadline extension also applies to quarterly estimated tax payments, quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on Jan. 31 and April 30, and farmers who elect to forgo making estimated tax payments and normally file their returns by March 1. For information on the state deadline, see https://www. ftb.ca.gov/ • For IRS tax tips, see https://www.irs.gov/ newsroom/irs-tax-tips
COUNTY FAIR BOARD MEETINGS
1:30 p.m., Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville
Here are the dates of the remaining County Fair Board meeting dates in 2023. Each meeting takes place on a Tuesday:
March 28, April 25, May 23, June 27, July 25, Aug. 22, Oct. 24, and Dec. 5, all at the fairgrounds. Meetings also take place on Zoom. For agendas, see santacruzcountyfair.com.
Thursday March 16
5-6 p.m., Scotts Valley Library, 251 Kings Village Rd. Scotts Valley local Tricia Montalvo Timm will talk about her book, Embrace the Power of You, at the Scotts Valley Library. A Q&A session follows.
The book includes her own story as a first-generation Latina board director, venture investor and speaker and those of other top executives.
She is on a mission to inspire anyone who has ever felt like an “other” in the workplace and will offer powerful strategies on how you too can show up as your authentic self at work and achieve success and fulfillment in life.
Books will be available to purchase. Sponsored by the Santa Cruz Public Libraries and the Friends of the Scotts Valley Library. The event is free and all are welcome.
/ Scotts Valley Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
BIG CREEK LUMBER SCHOLARSHIP
Big Creek Lumber will be offering the McCrary Family Scholarship for the third consecutive year to graduating high school seniors who will be pursuing careers in the skilled trades or forestry.
Past scholarship recipients are invited to apply for a one-time scholarship renewal for continued support of their education.
The deadline to apply is April 28.
To apply see: www.bigcreeklumber.com/scholarships
BAY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP
Bay Federal Credit Union’s Education Scholarship is for students pursuing education and career training opportunities after high school. Up to three applicants will receive $1,500 to pay for expenses directly related to their continuing education.
Those who wish to be considered for an award must meet all eligibility requirements. Applicants must submit a completed 2023 Education Scholarship Application and all required documents by 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 17.
Award recipients will be notified via phone call and/or email by April 28.
See the 2023 Student Scholarship Application for complete details and rules. Questions? Email scholarship@bayfed.com.
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.
Third Thursdays and Fourth Tuesdays
HOUSING MATTERS NEIGHBORS
Thursdays: 4:30-6 p.m., Garfield Park Library, 705 Woodrow Ave., Santa Cruz
Tuesdays, 5:30-7 p.m., Capitola Library, 2005 Wharf Rd. A meet-up for people who want to learn how to take an active role in their neighborhood to bridge divides on the topic of homelessness.
At these monthly in-person meet-ups for neighbors can:
• Learn from local experts about real solutions to homelessness together
• Problem-solve and create solutions in your neighborhood together
• Help to foster compassion and equity in Santa Cruz County neighborhoods together
For information call Marsa Greenspan, Housing Matters Volunteer Program Manager: (831) 226-2486
Second Sundays of the Month
SANTA CRUZ ANTIQUE STREET FAIRE
9 a.m.-5 p.m., Pacific Ave., Lincoln St. and Cedar St. More than 40 vendors participate in this monthly outdoor fair.
Weather updates are posted on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/santacruzantiquefaire
Sunday March 5
KIDS’ BICYCLE SAFETY EVENT 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Capitola Mall parking lot, 1855 41st Ave. The local California Highway Patrol will host a bike safety event in the Capitola Mall parking lot.
The event will consist of a bike rodeo safety course, bike safety check, and helmet fitting. Open to children of all ages. The event is designed to be entertaining while improving bike safety knowledge.
To sign your child up, please call (831) 219-0200 or email: Israel.murillojr@chp. ca.gov to reserve a spot — space is limited.
Tuesday March 7
ASSEMBLYMEMBER GAIL PELLERIN TO SPEAK
6 p.m., Online Meeting
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin will be the guest speaker for the next meeting of the Democratic Club of North Santa Cruz County.
Newly-elected Pellerin will report on her first weeks in the State Assembly and discuss priorities for her constituents in the 28th Assembly District.
Pellerin will also discuss plans to address housing affordability, climate change, and increased health care access in the state 2023-24 budget proposal. Members of the public are invited. For the Zoom meeting link, visit www.svslvdemocrats.org. Social time starts at 6 p.m. and the club meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday March 9
MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
5:30-7 p.m., Online Webinar
Interim Inc. will host an online webinar via Zoom, “Mental Illness & Navigating the Criminal Justice System.”
Are you close to someone living with a mental illness and responsible for their care? Have you ever thought about what might happen to them if they were arrested? Have they been arrested and you didn’t know what to do?
The workshop will cover: How to engage with law enforcement during a crisis or arrest, alternatives to incarceration, access to treatment following an arrest and Care Courts. A 30-minute question-and-answer session will be at the end.
Speakers include: Monterey Police Sgt. Mickey Roobash, Greg Peterson, assistant district attorney, Monterey County, and Melanie Rhodes, deputy director, Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau.
The workshop is organized by Interim, Inc. with Monterey County Behavioral Health, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, and the Monterey Police Department.
To RSVP, go to https://navcrimjust.eventbrite.com. For information, call (831) 649-4522, Ext. 205.
Friday March 10
NADHERNY/CALCIANO SYMPOSIUM: SUICIDE PREVENTION
8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., Coconut Grove, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz
The 25th Annual Jon E. Nadherny/Calciano Memorial Youth Symposium will at the Coconut Grove, with a focus on youth suicide, prevention, recovery and resilience.
Featured speakers are Christine Yu Moutier, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and DeQuincy Meiffren-Lezine, Ph.D., director of the Lived Experience Academy and author of “Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide.”
Friday March 24 and Saturday March 25
Fri: 2-3:30 p.m. • Sat: 4-7:30 p.m., Corralitos Grange Hall, 165 Little Corral Way, Watsonville Corralitos Woman’s Club presents Once Upon A Time in Corralitos, a murder mystery play in 3 acts. There are two shows: a Friday matinee and a Saturday dinner show at Corralitos Grange Hall. Tickets are $20 for matinee and $40 for dinner show at EventBrite.com. Proceeds benefit scholarship and club programs.
At 9 a.m., Moutier will speak on science and solutions for preventing suicide.
Moutier authored Suicide Prevention, a Cambridge University Press clinical handbook. She co-anchored CNN’s Emmy Award-winning Finding Hope suicide prevention town hall with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
At 10:45 a.m., there will be a panel: Andrea Tolaio, program director, Santa Cruz County Suicide Prevention Services, Andrea Turnbull, LCSW, program manager for access services and interim program manager, crisis services, County Behavioral Health, Carly Memoli, president, Applied Crisis Training and Consulting Inc., and Faris Sabbah, Ed.D., Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools.
Lunch is at 11:55 a.m.
At 12:40 p.m., Meiffren-Lezine will speak.
At 2:10 a.m., Jen Hastings, M.D., will moderate a panel of local experts and keynote speakers including: Ben Geilhufe, LPCC, program manager, Gender Specialty Clinic, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health.
Continuing education credits are available. Reservations are required. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Admission is $100. RSVP at https:// calcianoyouthsymposium.org/event/2023-jon-e-nadhernymemorial-youth-symposium/
UPLIFT CENTRAL COAST
10-11 a.m., Online meeting
The six-county Uplift Central Coast Coalition — led by REACH, which is pushing to attract high-wage industries to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, the Economic Development Collaborative, which started in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, which includes Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties—will kick off the regional Community Economic Resilience Fund process at a virtual gathering.
The CERF grant funds a two-year process to create an economic development plan for six Central Coast counties with a focus on equity, sustainability, job
quality, economic competitiveness, and resilience. Learn about opportunities. Register in advance at https://reachcentralcoast.org/upliftcentralcoast/ to receive Zoom meeting link .
Saturday March 11
Judging begins at 9 a.m., Set up Mar. 10 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E Lake Ave, Watsonville This year, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education is moving from a traditional science fair model to a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) EXPO in order to advance equitable access to inquiry-based learning.
The STEAM Expo provides a competitive and a noncompetitive showcase opportunity for students in grades TK-12. For the Competitive section, students design individual or team (max of 3 members) inquiry projects to compete for awards, scholarships and prizes.
Top award winners represent Santa Cruz County at the California State Science Fair, the International Science and Engineering Fair, and the California and National Invention Conventions.
The 2022-23 Santa Cruz County Science & Engineering Fair will be in-person at the Fairgrounds. More information at https://sites.google.com/santacruzcoe.org/santacruzsteamexpo/home
Are you a site fair coordinator? Interested in sponsoring the fair? Do you have questions? Email hwygant@ santacruzcoe.org.
Sunday March 12
GABRIELE BALDOCCI
4 p.m., Peace United Church, 900 High St. Santa Cruz Distinguished Artists Concert Foundation presents pianist Gabriele Baldocci performing LisztBeethoven Symphony No. 5 plus improvisations
on Beethoven by Baldocci, and works by Douglas Finch and Michael Williams at Peace United Church.
Baldocci is professor at Trinity Laban Conservatory of Music and of the Purcell School in London, founder and director of the London Piano Centre and of the Milton Keynes Music Academy.
Tickets are $45 at: www.distinguishedartists.org
Tuesday March 14
COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING
9 a.m., County Governmental Center, 701 Ocean St., Room 525, Santa Cruz
After three years, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has had its last hybrid meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The next meeting will be in person at the County Governmental Center board chambers. For future meeting dates, see https://www.co.santa-cruz. ca.us/Government/BoardofSupervisors.aspx
Thursday March 16
IMPACT LAUNCH ALUMNI SPEAK
Noon-1 p.m., Online Forum
March’s Alumni Speak topic is Best Practices Engaging Youth in Transformational Leadership. Presenters via Zoom:
• Pamela Velazquez, United Way of Santa Cruz County
— Jovenes SANOS program
• Heidi Merchen, SURJ — Upstander program
• Don Carney, Youth Transforming Justice — paid internship program
Time for Q&A and conversation. Register at https://tinyurl.com/impact-alumni-zoom.
Thursday March 16 and Saturday March 18
GROW PLANTS FROM SEED, CUTTINGS & MORE
Thurs 5-6:30 p.m. online class / Sat 10 a.m.-Noon, inperson at UC Master Gardeners Greenhouse, 1432 Abbott Street, Salinas
The UC Master Gardeners of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties propagation team grows hundreds of plants every year. Now, Propagation Team Leads Charlene McKowen and Dyan Apostolos will share their techniques to create new healthy plants from seeds, cuttings, and division.
Cost: $20 (includes materials for hands-on portion)
Save money by propagating a favorite plant — no need to look for an identical one in the nursery! Many plants need to be divided periodically to thrive.
Both the class and workshop are aimed at those both new to propagation, or those who want to review their techniques for better results.
To register, go to mbmg.ucanr.edu
Saturday March 18
BOOK SALE
10 a.m.-2 p.m., Scotts Valley Public Library, 251 Kings Village Rd.
The Friends of the Scotts Valley Library will hold their yearly sale of books for children and young adults. The sale will take place in the Fireside Room at the Scotts Valley Public Library.
The extensive selection sells for $1 to $2 each.
“Reparations” from page 16
In doing so, the City of San Francisco closed 883 businesses, displaced 4,729 households, destroyed 2,500 Victorian homes, and damaged the lives of nearly 20,000 people. The city then left the land empty for many years.
In 1874, the California Supreme Court ruled segregation in the state’s public schools was legal, a decision that predated the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous “separate but equal” 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson by 22 years.
In 1966, as the South was in the process of desegregating, 85 percent of Black Californians attended predominantly minority schools, and only 12 percent of Black students and 39 percent of white students attended racially balanced schools.
Like in the South, white Californians fought desegregation and, in a number of school districts, courts had to order districts to desegregate.
Any progress attained through courtenforced desegregation was short-lived. Throughout the mid- to late-1970s, courts overturned, limited, or ignored desegregation orders in many California districts, as the Supreme Court and Congress limited methods to integrate schools.
In 1979, California passed Proposition 1, which further limited desegregation efforts tied to busing.
In the vast majority of California school districts, schools either re-segregated or were never integrated, and thus segregated schools persists today.
California remains the sixth most segregated state in the country for Black students.
In California’s highly segregated schools, schools mostly attended by white and Asian children receive more funding and resources than schools with predominately Black and Latino children.
Black Californians are more likely than white Californians to live in overcrowded housing, and near hazardous waste.
Black neighborhoods are more likely to lack tree canopy and suffer from the consequences of water and air pollution.
For instance, Black Californians in the San Joaquin Valley were excluded from most urban areas with access to clean water as a result of redlining policies,
racial covenants, and racially-motivated violence.
In Tulare county, the largely Black community of Teviston had no access to sewer and water infrastructure, while the adjacent white community of Pixley did.
This discrimination continued until recently: the town of Lanare, formed by Black families fleeing the Dust Bowl, had no running water at all until the 1970s, and was subjected to dangerous levels of arsenic in the water even after wells and pipes were drilled.
The town’s residents did not get access to clean drinking until 2019.
In the 1950s, a developer in Milpitas tried to build a housing development for both white and Black homebuyers. In response, the Milpitas City Council increased the sewer connection fee more than tenfold to thwart the development.
Recent California Attorney General investigations have found several school districts punish Black students at higher rates than students of other races.
Investigations at the Barstow Unified School District, the Oroville City Elementary School District, and the Oroville Union High School District showed that Black students were more likely to be punished and/or suspended, and were subjected to greater punishments, than similarly-situated peers of other races.
A 2015 study ranked California among the five worst states in foster care racial disparities. Black children in California make up approximately 22% of the foster population, while only 6% of the general child population, far higher than the national percentages.
Some counties in California—both urban and rural—have much higher disparities compared to the statewide average. In San Francisco County, which is largely urban and has nearly 900,000 residents, the percentage of Black children in foster care in 2018 was more than 25 times the rate of white children.
In California, city governments decimated thriving Black neighborhoods with vibrant artistic communities, like the Fillmore in San Francisco.
Local governments in California have discriminated against, punished, and penalized Black students for their fashion, hairstyle, and appearance.
State-funded California museums have excluded Black art from their institutions.
California has criminalized Black rap artists, as California courts have allowed rap lyrics to be used as evidence related to street gang activity.
California has been home to numerous racist monuments and memorials for centuries.
Several California cities did not hire Black workers until the 1940s and certain public sectors continued to avoid hiring Black workers even in 1970.
The San Francisco Fire Department, for example, had no Black firefighters before 1955 and, by 1970 when Black residents made up 14% of the city’s population, only four of the Department’s 1,800 uniformed firefighters were Black.
During the New Deal, several California cities invoked city ordinances to prevent Black federal workers from working within their cities.
Labor unions excluded Black workers in California. Today, by some measures, California’s two major industries, Hollywood and Silicon Valley, disproportionately employ fewer African Americans.
Like the rest of the country, California stops, shoots, kills, and imprisons more African Americans than their share of the population.
Data show that law enforcement most frequently reported taking no further action during a stop with a person they perceived to be Black, suggesting there may have been no legal basis for the stop.
A 2020 study showed that racial discrimination is an “ever-present” feature of jury selection in California.
The lingering effects of California’s punitive criminal justice policies, such as the state’s three-strikes law, have resulted in large numbers of African Americans in jails and prisons.
The life expectancy of an average Black Californian was 75.1 years, six years shorter than the state average.
Black babies are more likely to die in infancy and Black mothers giving birth die at a rate of almost four times higher than the average Californian mother.
Compared with white Californians, Black Californians are more likely to have
diabetes, die from cancer, or be hospitalized for heart disease.
Black Californians suffer from high rates of serious psychological distress, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental health issues.
Unmet mental health needs are higher among Black Californians, as compared with white Californians, including lack of access to mental healthcare and substance abuse services.
Black Californians have the highest rates of attempted suicide among all racial groups.
A 2014 study of the Los Angeles metro area found that the median value of liquid assets for native born African American households was $200, compared to $110,000 for white households.
California’s homestead laws similarly excluded African Americans before 1900 because they required a homesteader to be a white citizen.
Throughout the 20th century, federal, state and local governments in California erected barriers to Black homeownership and supported or directly prohibited African Americans from living in suburban neighborhoods. In 1996, California passed Proposition 209 in 1996, which prohibited the consideration of race in state contracting. One study has estimated that, as a result of Proposition 209, minority- and womenowned business enterprises lost about $1 billion.
The findings were included in the task force’s interim report to the Legislature issued in June 2022. The interim report includes preliminary recommendations for policies that the California Legislature could adopt to remedy harms. •••
Afinal report will be issued before July 1, 2023.
To read the report, see https://oag. ca.gov/ab3121/reports
Task force members are: Sen. Steven Bradford, Dr. Amos Brown, Dr. Cheryl Grills, Lisa Holder, Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer, Dr. Jovan Scott Lewis, Kamilah Moore, chair, Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe, and Donald Tamaki. n
The meeting will be live streamed at https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121.
To provide public comment during the public comment period, call and enter the participant code.
Toll-Free: 844-291-5495
Participant Code: 3968101
“Calendar” from page 21
RENEE SHEPHERD ON SEEDS
10:30 a.m.-Noon, Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St. Renee Shepherd, founder of Renee’s Garden Seeds, Felton resident and community-led learning volunteer, will give a talk and demonstration at the Felton library on how to start your summer garden indoors and grow fabulous and delicious tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, as well as how to grow them successfully outdoors in our climate for a bountiful harvest.
Participants will receive a packet of Renee’s Garden seeds. Registration required at https://santacruzpl.libcal.com/ event/10403585
Saturday March 18
Saturday March 25
RIO THEATRE FILM FESTIVALS
7 p.m., 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz March 18: Reel Rock 17: The World’s Best Climbing Films
This week we have a beautiful dog named Esprit for Pet of the Week! She came into the Shelter as a stray found by a good Samaritan dodging traffic. Esprit was nervous and apprehensive at first when she got to SCCAS, but with time and patience we all started to see her sweet, social side come out. This pup started relaxing, opening her circle up to include more friends (people and dogs alike) and was able to go to events.
When in playgroups with friends she is a bouncy girl and at events she is open to meeting other dogs. Her foster mom said that she would thrive in a home with a patient adopter who works on her reactivity through positive reinforcementbased training and management.
Being an Akbash (a livestock guardian breed) she will alert to strangers coming on to property. While her bark is big, she is really a big softie at heart. Esprit would do best in a home with no cats or chickens and might be okay living with another dog if they meet prior to adoption.
If you would like to add a sweet pup to your home and life come to SCCAS and meet Esprit today!
Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz to turn in your application. All adoptions require proof of home ownership or landlord approval. Please have this information prepared. If an animal is in Foster Care, please bring in your adoption application and schedule an appointment to meet the animal. Adoption hours are 10 am-5 pm. All adoption shows must begin before 4:45pm. n
•••
Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter: 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062
Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Website: www.scanimalshelter.org
SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us
© Statepoint Media
Thursday March 23
6-8 p.m., Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, 35 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz
Save Our Shores presents its first of two Speaker Series events focusing on “Looking Ahead: Evolving Topics in Environmental Education.”
Panelists are:
Martha Arciniega, director of education programs, Watsonville Wetlands Watch
Yulissa Ochoa, youth and family program coordinator, Ventana Wildlife Society
Jack Flynn, education program leader, Habitat Stewardship Project Monterey Bay
Liese Murphree, director of education & outreach, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Maria Perez, community organizer, and/or Eloy Ortiz, special projects manager, Regeneración Pájaro Valley Climate Action
Register at https://saveourshores.salsalabs.org/SpeakerSeriesMarch2023/index.html
Don’t miss three heart-stopping new films at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz featuring the year’s biggest climbing & adventure stories: A wild expedition on Nameless Tower in Pakistan; a new cutting-edge route in a massive limestone cave in France; and a journey to Palestine’s West Bank to explore the power of climbing to change lives. Films include: Burning the Flame: Austrian climbers Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher attempt a coveted free ascent of The Nameless Tower in Pakistan
DNA: Seb Bouin tackles what may be the world’s hardest sport climb in the Verdon Gorge of France Resistance Climbing: In conflict-torn Palestine, a diverse group of climbers finds community, solace and redemption Tickets are $22 at https://www.riotheatre.com/events2/2022/12/13/reel
•••
March 25: Top Dog Film Festival
The Top Dog Film Festival returns to the Rio Theatre, sharing a two-hour collection of short independent films from around the globe, all about dogs! Meet dogs from all walks of life. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.
Tickets are $20 at https://www.riotheatre.com/events2/2022/12/13/topdog
Dog lovers invited to preshow Yappy Hour at Sante Adairius Midtown, 1315 Water St., Santa Cruz.
Sunday March 19
CIRCUS BENEFIT FOR STORM VICTIMS
1-4 p.m., Capitola Mall Parking Lot, 1855 41st Ave Flynn Creek Circus will put on a performance to benefit for storm victims under the big top tent at the Capitola Mall. Profits from the performance will be donated to the Santa Cruz County Community Foundation Disaster Fund. The show features acrobatics, comedy, and extreme skills, ‘Spring Fairytale’ is an original narrative circus. Tickets are $35 at https://circusmentors.ticketspice. com/spring-fairytale-fundraiser
Beer, wine, hot drinks and light concessions will be available for purchase.
To donate a ticket to a local charity, call Nicole: 707-684-2118
Wednesday March 22
OUR COMMUNITY READS MARY COIN
6 p.m., Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St. Join a book discussion at the Felton Library discussiong Mary Coin, by Marisa Silver, the 2023 Our Community Reads book, led by April Zilber in the Reading in the Redwoods book group. Sponsored by Felton Library Friends.
7 p.m., Online Meeting
Are you a current and potential candidate for appointed or elected office in Santa Cruz County?
Are you a woman who is aligned with WILDR’s values of: Racial and gender equity • Reproductive justice • Lifespan education funding • Voter access • Housing justice • Equitable and shared economy for all?
Do you want to talk with and hear from others who are considering or planning to run for elected office?
WILDR will host a Zoom meeting at 7 p.m. March 23, to talk about openings for elected and appointed positions, and network with others for support and encouragement.
Register at: https://bit.ly/WILDR032323
Saturday March 25
AUTHOR TALKS ABOUT LOCAL RAILROAD
3-4 p.m., Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St. Derek R. Whaley, author of Santa Cruz Trains: Railroads of the Santa Cruz Mountains, comes to the Felton Library and discusses the complicated history of why a railroad never came to Scotts Valley and how it almost did.
Sponsored by the SLV Museum, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, and Felton Library Friends. Books will be available for purchase.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cabrillo College Crocker Theater, 6500 Lower Perimeter Road, Aptos
Latino Role Models is a free conference at Cabrillo College Crocker Theater for Santa Cruz County students from grade 6 to college and their families.
Latino Role Models, sponsored by the nonprofit Senderos and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, features Latino college students and professionals. The conference is conducted in Spanish with English translation.
Keynote speaker is Olga Talamante, executive director emerita of the Chicana Latina Foundation. She became the first executive director of CLF in January 2003 serving until she retired in March 2018. Her family migrated in the early 1960s from Mexico to Gilroy where they worked in the farm fields for several years. Those years formed the basis for her activism as an organizer and supporter of the nascent United Farm Workers labor union.
Emcee is Emmy award-winning broadcaster Erandi Garcia. Regoster at https://tinyurl.com/latino-role-models-2023. n
