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Propublica Article Confirms:
Critical Items Taken in Sweeps Not Returned
BY SARAH RINGLER
During Santa Cruz sweeps of homeless camps, this Propublica article by Nicole Santa Cruz Asia Fields and Ruth Talbot confirms what has been witnessed here. People's property, some of it obviously from a disabled person - like a wheelchair - and some of it labeled with the person's name, was taken away and is still yet to be found. Their research found that this happened in other cities as well.
The article begins with the story of Stephenie who lived at a homeless encampment in Portland, Oregon. She returned to the camp one day and found it had been cleared and all her belongings were gone. She was told that all cleared items were bagged up and taken away. She pleaded that she needed one item back, her purse that contained her cash and food stamp card. The crew refused to look for her bag and handed her a card with a phone number she could call.
When she called, no one answered the phone. She left a message. Eventually she talked to a person who set her up with an appointment time and an address where her belongings allegedly were. It took several buses to get there. She found a bag with her belongings but the purse wasn't there. Nor was her cooking stove, tarp, prenatal vitamins, engagement ring or notes from her late fiancé.
This issue is occurring in the cities around the country. In Santa Cruz City’s Camping Ordinance 6.36 explains that the procedure should go as follows:
(e) If items remain at an encampment site after the relevant notice period has expired, prior to discarding items, appropriate city staff shall make a good faith attempt to identify and remove personal effects from the encampment. Any personal effects identified by city personnel shall not be discarded.
(f) At the time of removal of any personal effects from an encampment, city personnel shall conspicuously post a dated notice (either at the exact location from which the personal effects were removed or at another nearby location) with the following information:
1. A statement that personal effects were removed;
2. A telephone number for information on retrieving personal effects;
3. An address where the personal effects are temporarily stored;
4. That personal effects will be stored for ninety days.
California Civil Code Section 2080.10 details that same procedure:
(a) When a public agency obtains possession of personal property from a person for temporary safekeeping, the public agency shall do all of the following:
(1) Take responsibility for the storage, documentation, and disposition of the property.
(2) Provide the person from whom the property was taken with a receipt and instructions for the retrieval of the property. The receipt and instructions shall either be given to the person from whom the property was taken at the time the public agency obtains the property or immediately mailed, by first-class mail, to the person from whom the property was taken.
You can email the Santa Cruz City Council here and tell them to respect people's property and follow their own ordinances.
PHOTO BELOW CONTRIBUTED
Photos are from items that are labeled during a July 29 sweep of the Pogonip. The story appeared in the Sept. 13 issue of the Serf City Times.
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Policies Than Can Curb Plastic Pollution
BY SARAH RINGLER
PHOTO BY TARMO HANNULA
Drip tape plastic pulled from strawberry fields in the Pajaro Valley.
The 5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution just met in Busan, South Korea Nov. 25 - Dec. 1 and hoped to agree to a treaty that would deal with the world wide problem of plastic pollution. Various news agencies reported on it and you may have read some of the pros and cons; roughly, oil producing countries are mostly against restrictions on plastic production and small island countries, governmental and health organizations are for regulations. No treaty was agreed upon but the group will meet again next year.
Jennifer Mcdermott from the Associated Press reported "The production and use of plastics globally is set to reach 736 million tons by 2040, up 70% from 2020, without policy changes, according to the Intergovernmental Organization for economic Co-operation and Development. Research published in Science this month found it is still possible to nearly end plastice pollution."
Policies that can make the most difference are:
- Mandate that new products be made with 40% post-consumer recycled plastic.
- Limit new plastic production to 2020 levels.
- Invest significantly in plastic waste management, such as landfills and waste collection services.
- Implement a small fee on plastic packaging.
Contact Senator Alex Padilla and Laphonza R. Butler and ask them to promote these policies.
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Newswatch Column from Labor Notes Nov.-Dec. 2024
WITH PERMISSION FROM LABOR NOTES
-The world's 10 richest bosses made out like capital-B billionaire bandits after Donald Trump's re-election, raking in $64 billion on Nov. 7, the single largest increase in wealth since Bloomberg started its Billionaire Index in 2012. The numbers kept rising — while we were editing this paragraph, Tesla's Elon Musk, the world's richest man, went from $290 billion to an eye-popping $335 billion, followed by Amazon's Jeff Bezos at $228 billion and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg at $206 billion. Find the latest figures at HERE. Stock values rose 61% for lending company MoneyLion — investors are anticipating the shredding of consumer protections so can fleece workers with high-interest installment loans — and 60 to 70 percent for private prisons, counting on jailing immigrants. Meanwhile cryptocurrency companies, which bet big on the election, expect free rein to leave workers holding the bag when their speculation bubble bursts.
-In possibly the worst turn of a phrase ever heard, a Forbes article lauded "polyworking" — that is, working multiple jobs — as the future of work, touting suppose benefits like "more control over work schedules" and, somehow," a better work-life balance." The article got roundly roasted online. We'll stick with UNITE HERE's refrain: "One Job Should Be Enough.
Editor's note: UNITE HERE is a labor union that represents 300,000 hard working people in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation and airport industries in Canada and the US.
-A Kansas City rent strike has put landlords on notice. One hundred tenants are withholding $60,000 in rent payments, marking one of the largest rent strikes in decades. Tenants report roaches, holes in ceilings and walls, and malfunctioning windows; in one tragic incident, a three-year-old fell to his death from a faulty window that tenants had reported to building management for months. Renters are demanding national rent caps, new ownership, and collectively bargained leases: "I will not be paying one cent to these slumlords," a tenant tolkd KSHB 41 News.
From Labor Notes Nov. 2024. Subscribe or donate HERE.
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Warming Center Opens
BY BRENT ADAMS
Warming Wednesday, the hypothermia protection gear distribution program is now open. It runs every Wednesday from noon to 3pm, at 150 Felker St., Santa Cruz, at the river side gate.
The following items are available: jackets, blankets, tents, clothing, shoes/socks, hygiene and bath sundries, rain gear and hypothermia gear. Available items are limited to those who sleep outside. Those in shelters, 1220 River St., and the Armory are not included in this program.
Donate items to the Donation Barrel at REI Sports, Commercial Way and 150 Felker St. where there is a Donation Portal through the fence.
Donate funding support:
At warmingcenterprogram.com or write a check and send to:
Warming Center Program
PO Box 462 Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Contact:
Emergency Homeless Info Hotline: (831) 246-1234. Office: (831) 588-9892
warmingcenterprogram@gmail.com IG: @warmingcenterprogram
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Rise, Act Unite: Your Voice, Your Future - Dec. 14
BY INDIVISABLE SANTA CRUZ
After the national election, many of us feel angry, afraid, and anxious. Indivisible Santa Cruz County stands with you! Join us for Rise, Act, Unite: Your Voice, Our Future on Sat., Dec. 14, at 10–11:30am at the Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz.
This event aims to connect community groups, foster collaboration, and build solidarity. We have invited many local organizations and groups for you to meet and connect with to learn what you can do to help unite to strengthen our community and prepare for the challenges ahead.
The goals of the event are: education, build community and connect with each other.
There will be a brief welcome by a few guest speakers followed by community dialog and tabling with groups and organizations.
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Jan. 20 - Santa Cruz March for the Dream
CONTRIBUTED BY NAACP SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
MLK Jr. People's March for the Dream has become a powerful tradition, symbolizing the ongoing pursuit of justice, equality, and civil rights for all in Santa Cruz County.
The march will begin at 10am on Mon., Jan. 20, at Pacific Ave. and Cathcart St., Santa Cruz, and will culminate in a program at the Civic Auditorium, 11am –12 noon. Please note that the march will happen rain or shine.
This year, we are gearing up for an impactful event and need your support to make it truly extraordinary. We are seeking sponsors, volunteers, and groups to march with us. Click here to become a March sponsor; click here to sign your group up to march; click here to volunteer to help at the March. Or just visit our website.
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Fight Back, Jan. 19 in San Francisco
BY MARK GINSBERG
For those of you who may not be able to travel to Washington, DC for the big march on Jan. 20, I urge you to participate (and bring friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers) to the rally on Jan.19 in San Francisco.
The day before Inauguration Day, Jan. 19, people from across Northern California will come together in San Francisco to demand a future that centers on the needs of the people over the interests of the wealthy elite. With voices raised for workers’ rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, and an end to the genocide in Gaza, we will stand for working people, not a billionaire’s agenda-from the local to the global, from defending people at home to ending the U.S. war machine.
We are gathering endorsements. If you or your organization would like to endorse the SF action, please reach out to answer@answersf.org.
We also encourage our supporters to attend the SF MLK Day march the following day, on Mon., Jan. 20, 9:30am at 700 4th St., San Francisco.
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CARTOON BY ELIZABETH WILLIAMS | |
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Confessions of a Lapsed Moonwatcher
BY WOODY REHANEK
I could almost touch the moon
anchored by your window.
Rosequartz, nougat, Plaster of Paris,
Navajo white:
the moon has its ways.
Soft landscapes wrapped in velvet,
moonsvelte.
Newtonian camshafts greased
with moonlight
splicing romance & obsession.
The moon ricochets,
bruising winedark waters.
Brocades the earth with white chrysanthemums.
Unhinges shadows.
Just outside your window
a water bucket caught the moon,
its silver thick as blood.
******
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PHOTO AND STORY CONTRIBUTED BY JAN MCGIRK
A rare white peacock, nicknamed Albert, and beloved of Boulder Creek for the past 36 years, has disappeared and the whole town is in mourning. It seems that the aging fowl was devoured by a mountain lion. At the trailer park fence, a pile of distinctive white feathers was found. Some were smudged with blood. Longtime locals are calling for memorial murals to honor the leucastic peacock — not considered an albino because of bright blue eyes — who inhabited the Santa Cruz mountains for decades. The peacock had “lived in a redwood tree a block north of Grove St. And in the bed of any random pickup truck in nice weather,” according to Vince Kirk of Boulder Creek.
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The Albino Peacock of Boulder Creek
Beneath the redwoods, strong and wise,
A pale white peacock caught our eyes.
Its feathers shimmered, pure as frost,
A fleeting treasure we thought we’d lost.
Through decades long, its grace remained, A quiet symbol, unrestrained. Of spirit bold, yet soft and meek, It claimed the heart of Boulder Creek.
When pressure weighed upon our town, When storms would rise and dreams fell down, The peacock walked with steadfast pride, A ghostly guide we held inside.
When holidays came in ash and flame,
The CZU fire carved its name.
Through smoky skies, its beauty stayed,
A sign of hope that never swayed.
Children ran to catch its trail, Its mystery like a whispered tale. And though it vanished, gone from view, Its spirit lingers, strong and true.
For in our hearts, it still takes flight,
Through forest green and starlit night.
A symbol rare, its memory deep,
The soul of Boulder Creek to keep.
PHOTO BY BRUCE BAKER
AND POEM CONTRIBUTED BY JAN MCGIRK
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Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report - Covid Cases are Increasing
By SARAH RINGLER
The California Department of Public Health and Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly release data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county as well as information on influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and Mpox. Since cases of Covid are still appearing, and there are still vulnerable people, I will continue reporting the graphs below.
The three graphs below were updated on Dec. 4.
The first graph is the Effective Reproductive Number. When the line rises above one, it shows that the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
The second graph below shows data that the Health Department collects for Covid from wastewater at the City Influent, for the city of Santa Cruz, and from the Lode Street pump stations for the county.
The third graph below shows hospitalizations.
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PHOTO BY PAT KOREN
Fashion Street - Pat Koren took this photo on March, 2020. It was painted on a garage on Guerrero St. in San Francisco and describes the Trumpian form of government, kakistocracy. Koren has lived in the Mission District since the 1970s is currently compiling a book of her photos.
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Labor History Calendar - Dec. 6-12, 2024
a.k.a Know Our History Lest We Forget
Dec. 6, 1907: 361 coal miners killed at Monougah, West Virginia.
Dec. 7, 1918: 100,000 textile workers strike in Lancashire, UK.
Dec. 8, 1962: 114-day newspaper strike begins in New York.
Dec. 9, 1842 Birth of Peter Kropotkin.
Dec. 9, 1869: Knights of Labor founded.
Dec. 10, 1886: American Federation of Labor formed.
Dec. 10, 1906: First sit-down strike in US called by IWW at General Electric in Schenectady, NY.
Dec. 11, 1995: 40,000 workers strike in London, Ontario to protest cuts in social programs and labor rights.
Dec. 12, 1995: 1.5 million march across France protesting austerity plans. Government agrees to negotiate.
Dec. 12, 2011: Occupy pickets close West Coast ports in solidarity with Longview, Washington workers.
Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Welsh Rarebit with Cauliflower
By SARAH RINGLER
Welsh Rarebit is basically a cheese sauce on toast or in this case, cauliflower. The name comes from the British since the Welsh call it “caws pobi”, meaning baked cheese. The original name, Welsh Rabbit, referred either to the Welsh preference for cheese over rabbit or a slur that referred to their poverty insinuating that they couldn’t afford meat like rabbit, so they ate cheese instead. Later, the name was changed to Welsh Rarebit, possibly an attempt by the British to weaken the slur.
During a time of culinary excess, this dish makes for a quick lunch or evening snack. The beer and mustard give a nice tartness to the cheese. It goes well with a whole grain slice of bread or the cauliflower. Cheese these days isn’t that cheap so it’s not that much of a money saver.
This is the time of the year for cauliflowers and they look beautiful. The lobes or curds of tightly compact flowerets resemble a brain, which is probably the inspiration for Mark Twain’s quote that “the cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a brain.” They are from the same family as broccoli, kale, cabbage and Brussel spouts and come in the colors orange, green and purple as well as white. They are grown as decorative flowers as well. Unlike most of the food we eat that predate written history, the cauliflower is relatively new to the human diet. It originates in Europe and the name comes from the Latin words for stalk and flower.
1 whole cauliflower, wash and cored
Place the cauliflower on a steaming basket in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and steam for about 1 minute. Check to see when it is done. Keep covered while you make the cheese sauce below.
Welsh Rarebit
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup beer
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Use a double boiler or a very thick bottom saucepan and watch carefully. Melt the butter. Break the cheese in to small pieces or grate. Add to the melted butter with the seasonings. After the cheese melts, carefully and slowly add the beer. Stir until thick. Serve immediately over toast or steamed cauliflower.
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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
Send comments to coluyaki@gmail.com
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To subscribe or contact, email coluyaki@gmail.com.
To find back issues to to the website https://serf-city-times.constantcontactsites.com
Thanks, Sarah Ringler
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