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The above notice was received two days ago by Monike Tone at her campsite by the Pajaro River. Photo by MONIKE TONE
What it Looks Like to get Evicted When You Don't Have a House
By SARAH RINGLER
When my husband and I were evicted from our home in Santa Cruz in February because our landlady died and her family wanted to cash in on the big bucks and sell the place, at least we legally had a few months to find a place. (We had the legal two months plus we had a few months more because of Covid.)
Our Serf City Pajaro Valley River reporter, Monike Tone, just found this notice yesterday nearby where she camps on the Monterey County side of the Pajaro River.
Please contact Monterey County Supervisors and let them know that this is not the time of the year to remove people from their meager campsites unless there are decent and humane housing options. Also, it is not fair to make sheriff officers do the dirty work as they are not responsible for housing policies.
Monterey County Supervisors:
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3 Things To Do For Pesticide Reform In Our Area!
By MARK WELLER
Photo by MARK WELLER
Safe Ag Safe Schools is on a campaign to call attention to the dangerous use of poisonous chemicals near our schools and communities. Here are three actions you can take to support them.
Attend the Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) informational forum on the use of toxic pesticides in the Pajaro Valley, Nov. 14 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. at the Watsonville Community Room (4th Floor of City Hall, 250 Main St.). It will also be live-streamed online.
Join our year-end 40th Anniversary celebration of the of the first Skull & Crossbones field post pesticide warnings with some of the people who made it possible, members of the old Monterey County Pesticide Coalition. It will be held on Dec. 2, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. in Salinas at a place to be announced. Join us for a reunion, discussion, food, music, and more!
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Dear Department of Pesticide Regulation:
I am a _____ (farmworker, advocate, concerned citizen) commenting on how the pesticide notification system can best protect our communities. I strongly encourage DPR to adopt the following when designing the system:
- Create a fully transparent web-based system available to all without sign-ups, sharing our information or where we live.
- The deadline of 2024 is too long and unacceptable. DPR should phase-in parts of the system rather than waiting years and begin immediately with posting Notices of Intent that farmers already file with DPR when planning to apply restricted pesticides.
- Notify about other harmful pesticides, beyond restricted ones, including Prop 65, BeeWhere, and others identified as harmful by scientists.
- Post notification information in multiple languages, including but not limited to Spanish, Mixteco, Zapoteco and Triqui.
- Create an option for opt-in alerts through email or text or app.
- Include maps, graphics and links to safety data.
- Include at least 72-hour advanced notice.
- Establish a community-led working group that would develop the pesticide notification system alongside DPR.
I hope DPR seriously considers these points. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
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Pajaro Valley Arts and Writers of Color Virtual Poetry Event "Zoom bombed" online
By VIVIAN VARGAS
On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the virtual Poetry Event sponsored by Pajaro Valley Arts and Writers of Color – Santa Cruz County was shut down by attackers who made loud noises, “bombed” the meeting with flashes of light and shared raw, hardcore pornography on the screen preventing the writers from reading.
We wonder why we could not have had an open event without attracting this element. If this had been a European Poetry Event would it have been trashed in the same way?
It was obvious that this was a planned attack by a group of people. There often is, in these situations, comments that these are only a few miscreants causing trouble. We acknowledge the support we received for this event from so many organizations and people in this County. But we can’t deal with this issue by saying that it’s only a few individuals. The tip of the iceberg does not reveal the size of the danger beneath the surface.
We will reschedule this event, with added security, and give voice to our stories.
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“Nature doesn't ask your permission; it doesn't care about your wishes, or whether you like its laws or not. You're obliged to accept it as it is, and consequently all its results as well.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County
By DANI DRYSDALE
It has been a long year already, marked by big wins, difficult moments, and a whole lot of hopeful news for the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County, HRCSCC. Our organization's goal continues to be to support postive changes in the lives of people who use drugs, remove syringes from the community, slow the spread of preventable blood-borne viruses and other injection related infections and to prevent overdoses thereby improving the health of the entire community.
We are coming into this holiday season feeling ready to celebrate our growth and success. Our program has already expanded massively in 2021, and we expect 2022 to bring yet more.
We need your support to build our program and ensure we continue thriving. This is why we are hosting a lovely fundraiser this autumn, intended to raise funds towards more life-saving supplies, more incredible staff, and to launch new projects under our umbrella.
This fundraiser will be held on Nov. 21, from 6pm to 9pm at the Bargetto Winery in Soquel at 3535 N Main St, Soquel.
This event will feature a series of speakers who will share heart-warming stories of our work and why it matters. There will be ample time for mingling with our esteemed donors and supporters, enjoying artisanal small eats from Mattia’s Pizza, and drinking wine provided by Bargetto.
Attendees will be provided with a full dinner and wine and will be given a chance to donate to support our work. This event will also include a silent auction including artwork donated by local artists! All donations, including your ticket cost, will be tax-deductible and matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous local philanthropist.
Click here to get your ticket now on Eventbrite, and contact us if you need accommodations relating to the ticket price, accessibility, or simply have a question about the event.
If you cannot join us, we would deeply appreciate a donation from you for the holiday season. All donations to HRCSCC are matched dollar-for-dollar and go towards supplies including harm reduction equipment, PPE, wound care and safe sex supplies, and more. These funds also sustain multiple staff positions which pay a living wage and are critical to ensuring the long-term stability of our program. See poster below.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
An oak titmouse enjoys a sunflower seed at a birdfeeder in Santa Cruz.
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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, Nov. 11, totaled 20,374 up 164, from last Thursday's 20,210. The number of deaths has risen by one to 221. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Nov. 8, 72% of the county have had at least one dose and 68% have had two doses. The number with two doses increased by one percent and the number with one dose stayed the same. 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 below one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
There are many COVID-19 testing locations around the county and a few sites have free testing. For information on how to get tested, 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 - 55%
Latinx - 37%
Black - 1%
Asian - 7%
American Native - 1%
Unknown - 1%
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 49%/50%
Male - 51%/50%
Deaths by age/221:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 1%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 21%
85+ - 44%
% tested positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 12%/12%
North county - 59%/56%
South county - 29%/32%
Under investigation - 1%
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%
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%
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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%
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%
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Story and Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - The Pianist
Recently I wandered through the front lobby of the historic Lettunich Building in downtown Watsonville. To my surprise, there was an early day upright piano standing near the wall by the front door. As I moved in closer to read the piano's brand name, a woman stepped out the rickety elevator.
She told me the piano was on the move and being hauled downstairs to the lobby because the music store in the building was closing.
She then related a touching story. One day a homeless man, pushing his cart full of things along Main Street, spotted the piano through the open door. He left his cart outside, came in and struck up a tune on the keys. She said that it was absolutely beautiful music that filled many floors of the building, wafting up through the stairwell. Scores of folks gathered to listen as the man treated them to his impromptu concert. At one point, as he wrapped up a song, people cheered. The man shot a look around the room and stairs and was shocked to see his music had drawn a crowd. With that, he quietly closed the keyboard cover, collected his things and moved on.
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Labor History Calendar for November 12-18, 2021:
Nov. 12, 1815: Early feminist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton born in Johnstown, New York.
Nov. 13, 1945: GM strike closes 96 plants.
Nov. 13, 1974: Unionist Karen Silkwood killed traveling to give reporter documents on power safety violations.
Nov. 14, 1799: Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power, ending the French Revolution.
Nov. 15, 1911: IWW general strike in Tampico, Mexico demanding release of organizers, is crushed by the army.
Nov. 15, 1922: Soldiers fire on protest demanding release of imprisoned unionists, 300 are killed.
Nov. 15, 1923: German mark collapses after long slide. Takes 4.2 trillion marks to but a single US dollar.
Nov. 16, 1849: Russian Fyodor Dostoevsky sentenced to death for socialist activities; later commuted to four years of hard labor in Siberia.
Nov. 17, 1866: Voltairine de Cleyre born in Leslie, Michigan.
Nov. 17, 1878: Australia Maritime strike.
Nov. 17, 2011: 30,000 march across New York City protesting Nov. 15 eviction of Occupy from Zuccoti Park.
Nov. 18, 1918: Four-day general strike against cost of living in Portugal.
Nov. 18, 1919: Seattle printers refuse to print anti-labor ad in newspaper.
Nov. 18, 1993: American Airlines flight attendents strike.
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Voltairine de Cleyre
BY SARAH RINGLER
Voltairine de Cleyre was an American born in Leslie, Michigan on Nov. 17, 1866 and died from septic meningitis in Chicago on June 20, 1912.
Upon reading her Wikipedia entry, it appears she was a truly independent 19th century thinker. Raised in poverty as a Catholic, she became an atheist, an anarchist and a feminist.
At 12 years old after being put into a convent school in Sarnia, Ontario, she tried to run away by swimming across the St. Clair River to Port Huron, Michigan and hiking 17 miles before friends of her family found her. As to why she escaped the convent, she said, "it had been like the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and there are white scars on my soul, where ignorance and superstition burnt me with their hell fire in those stifling days."
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Stuffed Cabbage and Perogies Means Winter
By SARAH RINGLER
With the right balance of meat, rice, onions and herbs, this is my favorite stuffed cabbage recipe. It's ideal on a cool winter evening and is from the Whole Earth Cook Book by Sharon Cadwallader and Judi Ohr.
The cookbook and the restaurant emerged out of the Whole Earth movement in the sixties. The lead proponent was Stewart Brand and at the time, he seemed to be everywhere. In the early sixties he associated with Ken Kesey and the "Merry Pranksters." He produced some of the first combination rock music and light shows featuring The Grateful Dead. He worked with inventor Richard Buckminster Fuller to publicize and distribute a photo of Earth from space taken by the ATS-3 satellite in 1967. That photo was on the front cover of his first Whole Earth Catalog in 1968. That catalog was the do-it-yourself guide to living as a self-sufficient hippie.
The philosophy coalesced here in Santa Cruz with the UCSC Farm and Garden Project and the Whole Earth restaurant. Growing, cooking and serving naturally produced foods were their goals. Out of the restaurant came the cookbook. The cookbook survives although the restaurant closed in 2002. My original copy had disintegrated years ago. I lucked out few years ago at a book fair and festival in Corralitos where someone who was more careful than I, or didn't cook as much, donated an intact copy that I quickly snapped up. I'm very grateful to that person.
Buy a big cabbage. Pull off about fourteen leaves in case some tear and aren't usable. You're going to chop up and use the leftover ones anyway. I added the perogie recipe too since the two dishes go so well together. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated and taste nearly as good.
Stuffed cabbage rolls:
1 large cabbage
Sauce:
2/3 onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 medium can tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dill weed
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lemon
Stuffing:
1/2 pound Italian pork sausage, mild
2 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cup cooked rice
2 eggs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper
Carefully remove 12 to 14 whole leaves from the cabbage. Steam on a steaming rack above 1-2 cup of water until leaves are tender and bend without tearing. Save the water and thinly slice the rest of the cabbage and set aside.
Make the sauce by sautéing the sliced onion in the oil. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients plus 2/3 cup of the water from steaming the cabbage. Then add the remaining sliced cabbage. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
To make the stuffing, mix the rice, minced onions, eggs, paprika and thyme in a large bowl. Brown the sausage with the garlic, salt and pepper in a little oil. Cool and add to the rice mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of stuffing to each cabbage leaf. Put more stuffing in the larger leaves. Put the stuffing on the thick, bottom part of the leaf, fold in right and left sides and roll upwards. You should make about 12 rolls. Place in a deep, heavy pot.
Cover with the sauce. Simmer gently or bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with perogies and sour cream. Serves 5-6.
Perogies
Stuffing:
3 cups of mashed potatoes
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
Leftover mashed potatoes are perfect. I prefer Yukon Gold mashed with one small clove of garlic, salt, pepper, enough milk to keep it from being dry and about 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the sliced green onions and taste to make sure there is a good potatoes flavor. Potatoes should be room temperature
Dough:
2 1/2 cups bread flour plus extra flour for kneading and rolling out
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups water
Stir the salt into the flour. Add the water and mix well. The mixture should not be dry. Add more water if necessary to make dough that is soft and pliable. You are going to roll it out into a flat sheet so it can’t be too stiff or too sticky. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until you have a smooth ball. Let it sit for a few minutes and then you can start to roll it out.
I cut the dough into quarters and roll one quarter at a time. Roll to about 1/8 inch and use a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter to cut out the rounds. Brush the edges of half the rounds with a little water. Place about 1 tablespoon of the mashed potato mixture into the center of the rounds and fold over. Press the edges to seal and place on a floured board until you are ready to cook them.
Put a large saucepan full of lightly salted water to boil on the stove. When the water is boiling, cook the perogies in batches of 4 to 5 for about 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove and place in a bowl. Add a little butter to keep them from sticking. You can serve them immediately with the cabbage rolls and a little sour cream or you can take the extra step of frying them in a little oil. They are good either way. You should have enough leftover to freeze.
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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.
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 © 2021 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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