Cartoon by STEVEN DECINZO
FAA rules against Santa Cruz and other communities in the SERFR or "Big Sur" flight path which would've reduced air traffic noise.
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Smoky Air
By SARAH RINGLER
You can track our air quality, Air Quality Index (AQI), at the airnow.gov website.
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Food Not Bombs Needs Volunteers
By LAURA CHATHAM
Food Not Bombs is still serving delicious and mostly vegan food noon-4pm daily. We have been serving food to hundreds of hungry Santa Cruzans every day since March 2020. Our number of volunteers change as people's lives change. We now need more wonderful volunteers. If you would like to learn to cook delicious vegan food for large groups, while also helping people and doing community service, come and volunteer with us!
We need cooks at the Red Calvary Church from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. We also need servers daily at the tables at Front and Laurel from noon to about 4:30pm. Come at any time or contact me.
We also need financial assistance.
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1988 - Food Not Bombs was America's Most Hardcore Terrorist Group
By KEITH MCHENRY
The morning fog was still clinging to the tree branches at the entrance to Golden Gate Park that chilly Aug. 15, 1988. John, Derek and a few others put up two heavy folding tables and set out the pots of vegan food as we had every Monday for months. A collection of Dead Heads, vehicle dwellers and park campers gathered themselves into an informal line in preparation for another Food Not Bombs lunch. John had turned up a Meat Puppet favorite on his boom box. My wife, Andrea, and I joined the scene. I had just been released from a week in St Mary’s Hospital with a ruptured appendix.
A cluster of Haight Ashbury community members, including photographer Greg Garr, nervously watched. They were right to be concerned. Suddenly, San Francisco Police Commander Richard Holder leads a unit of riot police out of the woods and surrounds the food and literature tables. A police van wheels into position. Holder orders his men to arrest me first.
Andrea frantically rushed along beside the arresting officer. “He just got out of the hospital,” she screams pointing to my side. She lifts my shirt to reveal a mountain of gauze bound around my waist blurting out, “Oh fuck.”
John, Derek and six other enthusiastic food servers are cuffed and stuffed into the van with me. Deetje Boler is on hand with a tape recorder and captures the distress. “If they aren’t going to let us eat with Food Not Bombs then let’s rush Cal-Foods across the street.” It doesn’t happen. Instead, people chant “Food Not Bombs” and we prisoners sway back and forth rocking the van to our own chants. About 14 hours later, the nine of us are freed from booking at 850 Bryant. The long day sitting in that dirty concrete cell didn’t dampen our enthusiasm.
These arrests were the Recreation and Parks Department’s response to our July 11, 1988, request for a permit to share our literature and food at Haight and Stanyan.
I woke the next day to news that the San Francisco Chronicle had run a page 3, top of the fold story on the arrests, illustrated with a three-column photo of riot police guarding our food from the hungry. That angered many who had not witnessed the cruelty first hand. We pulled together a meeting of community activists, agreed we would return on Monday, meeting at the Haight Street side of Buena Vista Park and march to our Golden Gate Park location. David Solnit made a flyer using Greg Garr’s photo from the Chronicle article of the helmeted police surrounding the food and servers.
We met at 11:30 at Central and Haight. Cases of produce lined the sidewalk. Pots of rice, beans and soup were placed on a collection of milk crates in preparation to the march. Many people arrived with pots and spoons to bang as we paraded towards Stanyan Street. Max Ventura stood on the grassy slope above the gathering crowd and sang “The World Turned Upside Down” by Leon Rosselson.
The gathered flooded Haight Street chanting “Food Not Bombs, Food Not Bombs.” A colorful mix of signs, banners, produce and pots of food defiantly marched towards the entrance of Golden Gate Park. The police on motorcycles made a few timid attempts to clear the street but were ignored.
We set out our gifts of lunch and produce on tarps since we had yet to recover our tables that had been confiscated by the police. Our regulars formed a line. One by one the first twenty or so people were shared out gifts of lunch.
That is when the Tactical Unit of the Police stomped up and started to drag the servers off to a line of police vans parked along Waller Street. A camera man from CNN was among the journalists covering what would be another 29 arrests for sharing food without permission. When the police started swinging clubs, Andrea and I snuck away down Waller and hid in the woods of Buena Vista Park. I still had a healing gash in my side and couldn’t take that risk of a beating.
The story goes global. The New York Times, Times of India, The London Times, local media and CNN reported that 24 volunteers had been arrested for feeding the hungry.
An even larger number of community members met again a week later at Haight and Central and marched down Haight to risk arrest for sharing food. This time the police hesitated due to the bad publicity and made no arrests. San Francisco Police Spokesperson Jerry Senkier told the media that they didn’t have a problem with Food Not Bombs feeding the hungry. "There has to be some kind of (police) action. At this point, it seems to be a political statement on their part, not a food give-away issue."
Hundreds of people showed up on Labor Day to risk arrest. The riot police gave up after cuffing 59 food sharers hauling them off to be booked at 850 Bryant Street.
And this is where the story gets interesting. This last July, Ryan Shapiro of Property of the People texted me to say they had received another batch of FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forced documents about investigations into Food Not Bombs. One was a report to the San Francisco Field Office of the FBI dated August 29, 1988, that refers to “Date Advised” Aug. 22, 1988. Much of this document is still classified secret but there is enough information to let us know that a reliable source from Squad 14, the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office’s Foreign Counterintelligence Unit, had furnished information claiming Food Not Bombs was a “National Security Threat” (b1). This person’s identity and the details of his or her report still remain classified “Secret.” What is in those other pages that would justify our being a national security threat at a time when there were not more than 20 Food Not Bombs volunteers who were sharing vegan meals in three cities, San Francisco, Boston and Long Beach?
Back in 1988, some of our volunteers and supporters left San Francisco to spend time with their families and friends for the Thanksgiving holidays. Upon returning to San Francisco, they reported that National Guard personnel had approached them as they waited for their flight home. They had been wearing Food Not Bombs buttons pinned to their clothing. The National Guard told them that they had just taken a class on domestic terrorism that featured Food Not Bombs saying, “Food Not Bombs is one of American’s Most Hardcore Terrorist groups.”
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Obfus-Speak, Bafflegab, Technobabble, Gobbledygook
By SARAH RINGLER
This paragraph came out of the Aug. 28 San Jose Mercury News, under the headline "Bloom Energy strikes HQ expansion deal." Hardly a surprise that the speaker is a global investor.
"We were able to activate a best-in-class management and leasing team to enhance the tenant experience and drive leasing," said Brian Ma, senior director of commercial operations for CBRE Global Investors." We were also able to upgrade underutilized common areas and enhance the communal outdoor space."
Feel free to submit your contribution to the destruction of the English language to coluyaki@gmail.com.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A banana slug glides along the roots of a redwood tree in Nisene Marks last spring.
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"The first train to arrive in Pajaro, an area across the Pajaro River from the town of Watsonville, on Nov. 27, 1871, according to the Watsonville Pajaronian (Nov. 30, 1871).........the train left San Francisco at 8:30am, arrived at Pajaro at 1:30pm, and returning, left Pajaro at noon and arrived at San Francisco at 5:30pm."
From "Nothing Left in My Hands, An early Japanese American Community In California's Pajaro Valley," published in 1985 and written by Kasuko Nakane,
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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. The number of cases on Thursday totaled 18,340, up 548 from last Thursday's 17,792. The number of deaths remained at to 210. There were few changes overall. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Aug. 30, 69% of the county have had at least one dose and 61% have had two doses. The number who have had one dose and the number who have had two doses both increased by 1% from last week. 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. I got mine three weeks ago with a few obstacles. Keep track of your four digit code because that is your access to the site.
The county's Effective Reproductive Number isS below one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
The county is offering more free COVID-19 testing locations around the county. For information on how to get tested at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, at Ramsay Park in Watsonville or by the mobile testing bus that covers the San Lorenzo Valley, visit this site.
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/% of population:
White - 55%/58%
Latinx - 36%/34%
Black - 0/1%
Asian - 7%/4%
American Native - 0.5%/not available
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 50%/50%
Male - 50%/50%
Other - 0
Under Investigation - 0
Deaths by age/210:
30-39 - 2%
40-49 - 4%
50-59 - 2%
60-69 - 12%
70-79 - 22%
80-89 - 3%
90+ - 27%
Tested positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 22%/12%
North county - 20%/60%
South county - 57%/29%
Under investigation - 0%
Weekly increases in positive tests:
June 12-19 - 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%
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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 - 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%
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%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - BMX Bike Riders converge on Santa Cruz
By SARAH RINGLER
August 21, a diverse group of over 5,000 bike riders from Santa Cruz, around the country and a few from around the world showed up for the annual Santa Cruz Rideout, also called Santa Cruz Maniaccs. There were acrobatic riders as well as many families. Crowds were larger than in the past and exceeded what Santa Cruz Police and the streets could handle.
According to Santa Cruz Sentinel reporter Ryan Stuart, Thomas Laughron of Santa Cruz was cited for having an major event without a permit. At Harvey West Park, where the group converged, merchandise was available and a scavenger hunt was sponsored by JT Racing USA.
Although there were some reports of looting, police couldn't confirm any crimes. In the same article, Santa Cruz Lt. Wes Morey said, “We didn’t get any reports of actual shoplifting,” Morey said. “They weren’t running in there and stealing stuff. I witnessed people going into the Safeway and coming out with bags. That was also the case with the Beach Market.” Stuart also reported that one man was assaulted and taken to Dominican Hospital by ambulance.
Santa Cruz vehicle traffic was highly impacted over many parts of the city and there was a lot of trash left around Harvey West Park including empty beer and alcohol bottles.
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Labor History Calendar for August 27- September 3:
Sept. 3, 1891: Cotton pickers strike in Texas
Sept. 4, 1894: NYC tailors strike against sweatshop conditions.
Sept. 5, 1882: 30,000 march in New York's Labor Day parade.
Sept. 5, 1917: Palmer raids on all IWW halls and offices in the US.
Sept. 5, 1934: 325,000 US textile workers strike against pay cuts, 2 killed.
Sept. 6, Labor Day
Sept. 6, 1869: Avondale Mine Disaster where 110 miners were killed leading to the first mine safety laws in Pennsylvania.
Sept. 6, 1934: Scabs and police fire on textile strikers killing 7 in South Carolina.
Sept. 7, 1893: 2 locked out coal miners killed while picketing in Featherstone, England.
Sept. 7, 1993: Chemical workers occupy Crotore, Italy plant to block closing.
Sept. 8, 19009: Victory for IWW McKees Rock, Pennsylvania strikers.
Sept. 8, 1911: National Federation of Labor founded in Spain.
Sept. 8, 1965: UFW begins grape boycott.
Sept. 9, 1919: Over 1,000 Boston police strike when 19 union leaders are fired for organizing activities.
Sept. 9, 1991: Canadian gov't workers launch eight-day strike.
Sept. 9, 2016: Prisoners strike across the US demanding end to unpaid labor.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Purple Pasta with Mozzarella and Smoked Fish
By SARAH RINGLER
Imagine creamy mozzarella covered with brilliantly colored purple pasta, topped with smoked fish with a final garnish of chopped pistachios and watercress. Again, “Pasta Modern,” the cookbook by Francine Segan at Watsonville Library, imaginatively presents this wonderful pasta dish. Puzzled by the purple pasta? You take regular linguini pasta and treat it with red cabbage juice. The color is spectacular.
Red cabbage is also known as purple cabbage because it can be either red or purple depending on the acidity of the soil in which it is grown. If the soil has a lot of acid, the cabbage will be red. If it is neutral soil, it will be purple, and if it is alkaline, the cabbage will be greenish yellow.
The last time I blended up a red cabbage was for an 8th grade science class where we were studying acids and bases. Students used an eyedropper to drop different liquids like lemon juice, baking soda and cream of tartar and water and vinegar - which they labeled - onto watercolor paper. Then they added drops of cabbage juice onto the different liquids. They got to watch the color changes that occurred according to the acidity or alkalinity of the original liquids. The results were quite beautiful. Red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin, an anthocyanin. This pigment is also found in apple skin, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and grapes.
This recipe makes enough for two or three people. You can double the recipe but you will need a large frying pan that can hold a pound of pasta. In Italian, this dish is called linguuine cotte all’estratto di cavolo rosso, and is from Lombardy and northern Italy.
1½ cups red cabbage juice, or juice 1 small head of red cabbage, about 2 pounds
8 ounces linguine
salt
Olive oil
4 ounces burrata or fresh mozzarella and 3 tablespoons cream
3 ounces smoked trout, smoked salmon or whitefish, flaked
¼ cup toasted pistachios
Watercress or Italian parsley, a few sprigs
Use an electric juicer to make 1½ cups of cabbage juice. Or, if you don’t have a juicer, chop the cabbage and stuff into a blender. Start with ¼ cup of hot water and blend until you can get the cabbage as liquefied as you can. Add more water if you have to. Drain the contents of the blender in a cheesecloth over a sieve to collect the juice. You need 1 cup. In a frying pan that can hold 8 ounces of cooked pasta, bring 1 cup of the cabbage juice to a boil.
In another pot, boil the pasta in salted water for two minutes less that the recipe on the box requires. Drain and add to the boiling cabbage juice, adding a little more cabbage juice if necessary. When pasta is just about done, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mix well, and cook over high heat for a few seconds to form a glaze over the pasta.
In a blender or food processor, purée the cheese with a little milk, olive oil and salt until it is creamy.
Spread the creamy cheese on the bottom of a platter, top with the pasta and garnish with the fish, chopped pistachios and watercress leaves. Serves 2-3.
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YOUR STORY OR ART HERE: Please submit a story 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 possible. 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.
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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 © 2021 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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