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Dear Readers,
I am so sorry to report that Mas Hashimoto, frequent contributor to Serf City Times, died in his sleep at age 86, Monday night, June 20. He was a wonderful writer and true humanitarian who stood up for the rights of women, immigrants, minorities, the poor and injustice. His writing was informative, humorous, candid, straightforward and showed a vast knowledge of life and history that needed to be passed on. He will be missed. Mas was born in Watsonville on Sept. 15, 1935.
Sarah Ringler
Photo by TARMO HANNULA
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Yes on Empty Home Tax on November Ballot
By CYNDI DAWSON
The Yes on Empty Home Tax campaign has been officially notified that enough signatures have been collected to qualify it for the city of Santa Cruz's November election. The Empty Home Tax would require owners of residences that are empty over 120 days a year to pay a tax that will be used to create affordable housing. Owners could either rent their homes over 120 days or contribute to helping fund affordable housing.
Qualifying for the ballot means it is time to gear up and look forward to the next phase of the campaign. Your work and passion to keep Santa Cruz accessible for all is what got us here and we are going to have to level up to make sure we succeed. We need more affordable housing and the Empty Home Tax will help get us there.
The opposition, led by developers, hotel, entertainment and real estate interests, is already mobilizing and have raised over $17,000 as I write this. See their campaign discloser form HERE.
Please commit to getting at least two of your friends to sign up on the website today. If you can, please DONATE for signs, mailings and campaign basics. Tell Santa Cruz City Council to adopt an Empty Home Tax now by coming to their June 28 meeting or SEND them an email.
Fight Criminalizing People Who Live in Oversized Vehicles
Our friends and Santa Cruz Cares are fighting an ordinance that criminalizes people who live in an oversized vehicles, like RVs and trailers, and are calling for support for the appeal of the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance, OVO, at the Coastal Commission appeal hearing in early July. If the Coastal Commission rejects OVO's design permit, this should send a loud and clear message to the Santa Cruz City Council that OVO has no place in our community. It is a discriminatory parking permit program which makes it impossible to own a large vehicle in the City of Santa Cruz unless you have a driveway to park it in. It cruelly targets students, working families, and the elderly poor unhoused residents whose only shelter is a vehicle. It will make it easier for police to ticket and tow them, dramatically increasing housing instability for an already vulnerable group of people. Please help protect our unhoused neighbors from this deeply harmful ordinance! Sign the petition HERE.
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Our Downtown, Our Future is On Ballot Too
By SARAH RINGLER
The Santa Cruz County Clerk has just verified that Our Downtown,Our Future measure will be on the ballot for the city of Santa Cruz this November. It qualified with 1,000 more signatures than needed. To celebrate, the campaign is presenting “A Night At The Movies” at the Vet's Hall June 30, 846 Front St. in Santa Cruz with short films, a silent auction, food and drink.Click HERE for more information or to endorse, donate or volunteer.
Click HERE to listen to local artist and musician Russell Brutsché repurposing "The Times They Are a-Changing" to promote a vote by the people of Santa Cruz on the mixed use library garage project where the current Farmer's Market is. Music accompanied by Russell's paintings shouldn't be missed. You might even think it's Bob Dylan's voice at his nasal best.
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HELP PROTECT SERVICES FOR FAMILIES AND SENIORS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
By LAURA CHATHAM
On Tuesday, June 28, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will vote on the budget to determine funding for Family Resource Centers, Elderday Adult Day Health Care, and Early Education Division child care centers.
CORE funding recommended cuts to Community Bridges services by 65%, or more than $816,000 every year for three years, July 2022 through June 2025.
Advocate to keep CORE funding. Let your voice be heard.
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Call your County Supervisor at (831) 454-2200 or EMAIL. Click HERE for a script in English and Spanish.
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Attend the County Budget meeting on Tuesday, June 28. Visit the COUNTY WEBSITE for meeting information, and view CORE funding recommendations HERE.
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Spread the word on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
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Here is the LINK to the webpage.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A Bewick's wren clings to a wood fence as it scours a yard in Watsonville for a snack.
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Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report
By SARAH RINGLER
The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Total known cases as of June 23 were 54,695, up 925 cases from last week's 53,770 rounding off to a 2% rise. Deaths increased by one to 265, a vaccinated Latinx woman between the ages of 65-74.
The government is issuing four free Antigen Rapid Tests for free here.
Because of all the home tests currently available, these numbers are underestimates according to Corinne Hyland, County Health Services Agency spokesperson. She recommends people with minor symptoms stay home, isolate and rest.
Total hospitalizations remains at 649. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
There have been changes in the active cases in the last week. Active cases in south county rose by 7%, north county dropped by 9% and mid county increased by 2%. See details in the chart below.
On the county's vaccination webpage, the vaccination rate shows that 81% of the county have had at least one dose and 81% now have had two doses. This is the first time these numbers have changed since April 10. Vaccination rates by age are found here. The lowest rates are ages 5 to 24. The highest rates are ages 25-44 and 85 and older. Here are more details on the county's vaccination data.
This webpage also has a link where you can get a digital copy and scannable QR code of your vaccination record. Keep track of your four digit code because that is your access to the site.
The county's Effective Reproductive Number is now above one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
To get information of COVID-19 testing locations around the county visit this site. Click here to make an appointment to get tested.
Any Californian age 12 or up can get vaccinated for free. For information on getting vaccinated, click here.
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% deaths by ethnicity:
White - 57%
Latinx - 34%
Black - 1%
Asian - 6%
American Native - 0%
Unknown - 0%
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 49%/50%
Male - 51%/50%
Deaths by age/263:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 2%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 23%
85+ - 43%
% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 13%/12%
North county - 62%/56%
South county - 24%/32%
Under investigation - 1%
Deaths by vaccination status:
vaccinated - 28/265 = 12%
unvaccinated - 232/265 = 88%
Weekly increases in positive tests:
June 12-19, 2020 - 7%
June 19-26 - 23%
June 26 to July 3 - 22%
July 3-9 - 23%
July 9-16 - 40%
July 16-23 - 20%
July 23-30 - 27%
July 30-Aug. 6 - 13%
Aug. 6-13- 12%
Aug.14-20 - 16%
Aug.20-28 - 10%
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - 10%
Sept. 3-10 - 6%
Sept. 10-17- 8%
Sept. 17-24 - 7%
Sept. 25- Oct.1 - 5%
Oct. 1 - 9 - 4%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
Oct. 23-29 - 4%
Oct. 30-Nov. 5 - 6%
Nov. 5-12 - 10%
Nov. 12-19 - 11%
Nov. 19-26 - holiday
Nov. 19-Dec. 3 - 29% 2 weeks of data for this week only
Dec. 3-10 - 16%
Dec. 10-17 - 17%
Dec. 17-24 - 14%
Dec. 24-31 - 19%
Jan. 1-7, 2021 - 13%
Jan. 7-14 - 14%
Jan. 15-21 - 11%
Jan. 21-28 - 5%
Jan. 28-Feb. 4 - 5%
Feb. 5-11 - 2%
Feb. 11-18 - 2%
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Feb. 18-25 - 1%
Feb. 25-March 5 - 1%
March 5-11 - 1%
March 11-18 - 2%
March 18-25 - .5%
March 25 - Apr. 1 - .7%
Apr. 1-8 - 0.1%
Apr. 9-15 - 1%
Apr. 16-22 - 2%
Apr. 22-30 - 2%
Apr. 30 - May 6 - .3%
May 6-13 - 2%
May 13-20 - 0%
May 24 - Data readjustment by county means percentages cannot be calculated this week.
May 27 - June 3 - 0%
June 3-10 - 0%
June 11-17 - .25%
June 18-24 - 0%
June 25-July 1 - 0%
July 2-8 - .3%
July 9-15 - .2%
July 16-22 - .5%
July 23-29 - 1.2%
July 30-Aug. 5 - 2%
Aug. 6-12 - .7%
Aug.13-19 - 4%
Aug. 20-26 - .7%
Aug. 26-Sept. 2 - 3%
Sept. 2-9 - 2%
Sept. 10-16 - 1%
Sept. 17-22 - 1%
Sept. 23-30 - 2%
Oct. 1-7 - 0%
Oct. 8-14 - 1%
Oct. 15-21 - 1%
Oct. 22-28 - 1%
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - 1%
Nov. 5-11 - 1%
Nov. 12-18 - 2%
Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 - 2 weeks 2%
Dec. 2-9 - 2%
Dec. 9-16 - 1%
Dec. 16-23 - 1%
Dec. 24-30 - 2%
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6, 2022 - 5% Growth of home tests underestimates cases below. See above .
Jan. 7-13 - 9%
Jan. 14-20 - 15%
Jan. 21-27 - 9%
Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 - 31%
Feb. 3-10 - 3%
Feb. 11-24 (2 weeks) - 5%
Feb. 25- March 3 - 1%
March 4-10 - 1%
March 11-17 - 1%
March 18-24 - 0%
March 25-31 - 1%
Apr. 1-7 - 0%
Apr. 8-14 - 1%
Apr. 15-21 - 1%
Apr. 22-28 - 1%
Apr. 20 - May 5 - 1%
May 6-12 - 2%
May 13-19 - 3%
May 20-26 - 1%
May 27 - June 2 - 1%
June 3 - June 9 - 1%
June 10-16 - 2%
June 17-23 - 2%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - This man came to downtown Santa Cruz in his pink spandex outfit.
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In the early part of 20th century America, child labor was common in mines, factories, canneries, agriculture and more.
Labor History Calendar for June 24-July 7, 2022
June 24, 1848: Birth of Albert Parsons, Haymarket.
June 24, 24, 1917: IWW Domestic Workers Union supplies sandwiches to draft resisters in jail in Duluth, Minn.
June 25, 1994: Decatur, IL police pepper gas workers at A. E. Staley plant gate.
June 25, 2018: General strike against austerity in Argentina.
June 26, 1894: ARU refuses to handle Pullman cars in solidarity with strikers who built them.
June 26, 1917: Copper bosses reject Bisbee, Arizona miners' strike demands sparking IWW strike the next day.
June 27, 1869: Emma Goldman born.
June 27, 1905:Industrial Workers of the World, IWW has their founding convention in Chicago.
June 27, 1993: A.E. Staley locks out 763 workers in Decatur, IL.
June 28, 1816: Luddites smash 53 frames at Heathcoat and Boden's Mill in Loughborough, England. Troops crush the rebellion and six are executed.
June 29, 1936: IWW strikes Weyerhauser and other Idaho lumber camps.
June 29, 1956: General strike in Poland.
June 29, 1996: 1,200 prisoners in Tripoli's Abu Salim jail massacred in revenge for protesting jail conditions in Libya.
June 30, 1892: Homestead strike begins.
June 30, 1912: Maritime workers strike East Coast steamship lines; union scabbing leads many to join IWW.
June 30, 2011: 200,000 strike against cuts to UK public worker pension.
July 1, 1922: One million railway shopmen strike across US.
July 1, 1992: Police fire on labor protest and kill 20 in Madhya Pradesh, India.
July 2, 1894: Federal injunction issued against Pullman strike.
July 2, 1986: 2-day General Strike protest military rule in Chile.
July 3, 1835: Children of Paterson, NJ strike for six-day week, 11-hour day.
July 3, 2021: Workers defy gov't ban, march for end to temporary jobs and unsafe conditions. KCTU president jailed in Seoul, Korea.
July 4, 1994: Nigerian oil workers strike for restortion of democracy that leads to a general strike.
July 5, 1888: 1,400 women strike at Bryant & May in London match factory in solidarity with fellow worker who was sacked for criticizing conditions.
July 5, 1934: Battle of Rincon Hill, San Francisco in longshoreman strike.
July 5, 1935: National Labor Relations act passes Congress.
July 6, 1892: Strikers battle Pinkerton in Homestead, Pennsylvania.
July 6, 1911: Joe Hill's "The Preacher and the Slave" first appears in IWW Little Red Song Book.
July 6, 1916: IWW dock striker Thomas Kenney killed by scab in Philadelphia.
July 7, 1912: IWW lumberworkers shot at by company gunmen - 2 Wobs killed and many women and children wounded at Grabow, LA.
July 7, 1994: Nigerian soldiers replace striking oil workers to break strike against dictatorship.
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Last Two Verses of
"Preacher and the Slave"
Working folk of all countries unite
Side by side we for freedom will fight
When the world and its wealth we have gained
To the grafters we’ll sing this refrain
Last chorus:
You will eat, bye and bye
When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry
Chop some wood, t'will do you good
And you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye (that’s no lie)
Joe Hill
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Summer Pasta
By SARAH RINGLER
Zucchini, lemons and basil are affordable now and all around us. This recipe is very Santa Cruz County even though it comes from the New York Times food columnist David Tanis, from his column City Kitchen.
The world of pasta is vast. I think it has to do with the pliability of the dough that is usually some kind of flour and water mixed together. If you mix wheat flour and water, you can make a paste that will stick a poster to a wall that will stay there for a long time. Add less water and you have paste - or pasta - that can be rolled or manipulated into many shapes and sizes. Add eggs or milk to make it richer. Add puréed vegetable to make different colors. For this recipe, I used chiocciole pasta made with Durum Semolina flour from Italy. It is medium sized and shell-like. The word in Italian means "snail." The creamy basil and ricotta cheese mixture nestles nicely into the caverns in the pasta. Also, make sure you check the date on the pasta box and get the freshest you can. Old pasta takes longer to cook and loses its flavor.
This is easily a one-dish meal. It needs to be cooked and eaten just before being served although it warms up well as leftovers. You will need a good-sized bowl and frying pan that can hold a pound of cooked pasta. Pecorino cheese is nice to mix with Parmesan cheese; it is a little cheaper. Also, taste the cheeses to make sure they have flavor. It is better to grate the cheeses yourself rather than buying them already grated. They lose flavor sitting in a plastic container for long periods.
Olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 pounds zucchini sliced into approximately 1" by 2" slices that are about 1/4' thick
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 ounce basil leaves - about 2 cups
1 pound ziti or chiocciole pasta
8 ounces ricotta
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of crushed dried red pepper flakes
2 ounces of grated Parmesan and/ors pecorino mixed - about 1 cup plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped walnuts - optional
For the pasta, put a large pot of salted water to boil.
Use a food processor or mortar and pestle to make a thick paste out of the basil leaves and garlic. Add a little salt and finally mix in 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Put a large frying pan that can hold the pasta and the vegetables, on medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the onions until they are soft but not brown for about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini slices and season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and cook for about 7 minutes, depending on the size, until the zucchini starts to soften.
In the meanwhile, boil the pasta al dente according to the package. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of liquid.
While the pasta and the zucchini are cooking, preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Put the walnuts in a pie tin and bake for about 5 minutes to toast them a bit. Put aside to cool.
Drain pasta and add to the frying pan with the zucchini and onion. Turn heat to medium high. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir in the ricotta cheese, red pepper flakes and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly. Stir in some salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be very creamy. Add more pasta water if necessary. Finally, stir in the basil paste and half of the grated cheese. Mix well and serve with the remaining cheese and chopped nuts on the top. Serves about 6.
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Send your story, poetry or art here: Please submit a story, poem or photo of your art that you think would be of interest to the people of Santa Cruz County. Try and keep the word count to around 400. Also, there should be suggested actions if this is a political issue. Submit to coluyaki@gmail.com
If you are enjoying the Serf City Times, forward it on to others. We need readers, artists, photographers and writers.
Thanks, Sarah Ringler
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Welcome to Serf City Times Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feeling left out. Housing affordability, racism and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, health, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, gender issues, equity issues, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on, what actions you can take and how you can support these groups.This is a self-funded enterprise and all work is volunteer.
Copyright © 2022 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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