Snow Goose Visits Santa Cruz
Photo and story by TARMO HANNULA
A snow goose is shown, to the left of two Canada geese, at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz on Dec.10. While common by the thousands in California's Central Valley, it is a rare visitor to our area. It breeds in the high Arctic tundra, according to “Field Guide to the Birds of North America” by National Geographic.
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Over the Hill Developers win, Locals Lose
By CHRIS KROHN
Will the new Santa Cruz City Council continue the rush to destroy paradise by approving more housing built for rich folks who don’t live here yet? The chances are high with our current city council and their eager team of out-of-town developers and fixers already in tight with city government.
A rustic wharf stands humbly off the Main Beach. Meanwhile, the Economic Development Director, Bonnie Lipscomb, coolly, coldly, and calculatingly makes her plans to spruce it up by putting in a large, barn-like structure made to hold more stores and rental spaces for high-end weddings, meanwhile covering the sea otter viewing holes. After all, we deserve a more upscale pier, don’t we?
All those folks who will buy second homes from C. Barron “Barry” Swenson of 777 N. 1st Street, San Jose, will require a cleaner place to stroll. They’ll come down for a weekend from wherever, and pick out Gucci sunglasses from one of the Bigger-ed Shoppes, find a deal on Speedo Technical Wear, and head back up to their Bay Area homes right after spending the evening drinking Long Island Ice Teas atop Five55 Pacific.
Longtime Santa Cruz developer Barry Swenson’s son, Case Swenson, appears now to run the company. His interests, according to their website, look to be golf, the Chamber of Commerce, and real estate. Sound familiar? Case, along with David A. Gibbons, Senior VP who’s “responsible for hundreds of projects with Swenson, totaling in excess of $1 billion,” have their sights set on Santa Cruz. The same website that boasts “experience” and “dedication to quality” also carries pictures of several over-50 white guys who are part of their management team. Nary a person of color in the picture. Swenson lists no fewer than thirteen “Santa Cruz Group Development Projects” on his site.
Another major player in the Surf City economic development give-away machine is Devcon Construction, Inc. at 690 Gibraltar Drive in Milpitas. It’s overseen by a management team with, it appears, Gary Filizetti as their man in the Cruz. Devcon thinks big. It began “as an ambitious dream of a group of valley entrepreneurs.” Devcon Inc. appears to have been a major player in the construction of both the S.F. 49er's and S.J. Earthquake's stadiums.
You want big? They got big, and bigger, and they’re coming to Santa Cruz. Again, not a Black or Person of Color on their board, and not even a hint of this town’s core values in their Devcon mission statement. What happened to environmental quality, climate mitigation, affirmative action, and affordable housing? But Devcon Inc. claims they are committed to “exceptional customer service,” according to the website. Well, I guess that means they will be open then to recommendations from Santa Cruz voters on environmental quality, climate mitigation, affirmative action, and affordable housing before they consider building here. Not likely.
Meet the Santa Cruz Fixer, Owen Lawlor. When I Googled “Devcon’s man in Santa Cruz" awhile ago, Lawlor’s name appeared in the first entry titled, “Major downtown Santa Cruz housing project advances.” He seems to have quite the prodigious working relationship with Economic Development Director Lipscomb and presents himself as someone who can get things done in a town that’s known for its luxury building dissenters. He bills himself as a land-use consultant: “Principal, Lawlor Land Use.” My Linkedin account says we share “38 mutual connections.” Ouch. Lawlor’s account states that his firm “offer(s) guidance navigating the complexities involved in both the political and bureaucratic aspects of project approvals." A campaign called YIMBY, Yes In My Backyard, is a favorite tool for the average real estate and developer class Fixers like Lawlor. It looks like he now has his dream council here in Santa Cruz.
He just happens to be a real estate broker too - like I said - the Santa Cruz Fixer. Oh, and by the way, lest you wonder more about how close our Fixer is within two degrees of separation from Michael Cohen, it is through a Rudolph Giuliani connection. Seems like Lawlor donated $250 to Rudolph Giuliani’s Presidential Committee Inc. back in 2007. Yes, that Rudy.
Another big developer with big plans for Ocean Street between Water and Marianne’s Ice Cream, known in planning circles as 908 Ocean Street, is Sridhar Equities, “commercial real estate experts” from 1777 Saratoga Ave. #2 in San Jose. They have assembled 19 parcels, in their quest to build 333 one bedroom, 650 square feet condos. Has there ever been a bigger project than this one in Santa Cruz? I don’t think so. The image on Sridhar’s web site appears frightening. There’s a hazel rectangular blob that descends over this entire stretch of Ocean Street and appears to be leaking its shape-shifting hard edges into the surrounding neighborhoods.
Matt Sridhar’s “team…will also provide fantastic commercial and retail space…as well as providing solutions for issues with traffic and parking.” I kid you not, this language is included in their proposal. Sridhar does deals too; they boast “Deal Size[s]” of $1 million to $35 million,” and if interested, just contact their “Acquisition Team.” Matt says his portfolio has “grown to nearly $200 million.”
Contact Santa Cruz City Council and let them know you want development that adheres to the Santa Cruz values of environmental quality, climate mitigation, affirmative action, and affordable housing.
Editor: This story was edited from a story that appeared in Bratton Online, Dec. 7, where you can regularly read Krohn's insights regarding the going ons of Santa Cruz as well as a lot more.
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A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution
is a struggle between the future and the past.
Fidel Castro
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Rest In Power Bob Rees - Homeless Memorial on Dec. 21
By KEITH MCHENRY, co-founder of the global movement Food Not Bombs
My good friend Bob Rees has been eating with us for years. His belongings dangled from his bike. We became good friends during the Freedom Sleeper’s weekly sleep out at Santa Cruz City Hall in 2015 and 2016.
He listened to the BBC on his transmitter radio most evenings. He followed news of the war on the people of Yemen and talked with me about destruction of Libya and the refugee crisis in Europe. We stood together on the Front Street sidewalk outside Woodstock’s Pizza watching baseball on their patio TVs.
Bob told me of his time as a well-paid master carpenter with a good union and how a family crisis caused him to move to another state where he had to take a non-union job that paid much less. He has never gone into details of how he ended up on the streets of Santa Cruz.
He would thank me after he ate and secret a $5 bill into my hand in appreciation. We commiserated together about the stress we both endured
having lived with a mutual friend. We have much in common.
He was hospitalized for heart failure early in the pandemic and after a short time at rehab he was discharged back onto the streets. One evening he had pitched a tent in the doorway of a shuttered business on Water Street near 24 Hour Fitness. The police demanded he take it down and leave the area as the officers tugged his survival gear into the street.
It wasn’t long after that when he came to eat with Food Not Bombs and gave me the news that he had been found on the side of street passed out from a stroke. He had been on his way to the Emeline Health Center.
Operation Room Key had been announced by Governor Newsom dumping
millions of dollars into Santa Cruz to fund the placement of the unhoused into hotel rooms. The county claimed the most vulnerable people living outside were going to be provided a room at one of the local hotels.
Bob was about to turn 70 and his health was fragile so I called the county every few days seeking a room for him but was told he didn’t qualify. He had to have COVID they would tell me.
After a few months of calling, Bob came to say he had been given a CPAP
machine but had no place to plug it in. I called the Association of Faith Communities to explain the issue and within a week he was granted a space near an outlet at the Methodist Church.
And it happens. I get a text on Monday morning saying Bob had passed away. I was stunned. I called the friend who helped Bob get a place at the Methodist Church to get any details. I wanted to know if he had passed away at the shelter. He reported Bob had finally been placed in a hotel but had not heard the news about his death.
As I was helping pack up Food Not Bombs for the day I mentioned that my
friend Bob had passed away. My co-worker asked if Bob had long white hair and a bike. He had come across a white hair person with a bike surrounded by paramedics on the foot bridge near Trader Joes on Saturday night. They spent nearly 30 minutes doing CPR before he was taken to the ambulance.
An EMT told my helper that they thought he had had a stroke and crashed
into the bridge cracking his skull. I can only wonder if he would be alive today had he been placed in a hotel as soon as he was discharged from Dominican. He certainly qualified.
Bob Rees will be included in the long list of those unhoused friends that were killed by our system of neglect and hate this year at our memorial service organized by the National Union of the Homeless on the longest night, December 21, 2020.
The National Union of the Homeless is holding memorials in cities across
America on the longest night of 2020. Millions of Americas are facing eviction this winter as businesses close and people run out of unemployment insurance. An additional thousand people are likely to become homeless in Santa Cruz County this year. Some of them will die on our streets.
Our local service will be held Monday at Laurel and Front Streets in Santa Cruz starting at 4pm. Everyone is welcome. Rest in Power, Bob Rees.
Editor's note: Seventy-seven people who lived without homes died this year in Santa Cruz County according to Santa Cruz Health Services Agency's Homeless Person's Health Project. This was an increase of 33% over last year. The homeless are 5.4 times more likely to die than housed people in this county. The county needs to mobilize around this issue like they did for the victims of the horrific fires that displaced so many of our local people. Contact Santa Cruz County Supervisors.
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County Covid-19 Report
By SARAH RINGLER
cases that tested positive. That is an increase of 17% from last Thursday. 64 people have now died.
As of midnight last night, we are under Regional Stay-At-home-orders based on the availability of Intensive Care Unit beds in our region, the Bay Area, that includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties. For information on the Stay at Home Orders, go here.
The data distribution has remained mostly stable over time with percentages rarely changing by more than one percentage point. The county's Effective Reproductive Number continues to be above one. See chart below which is continually updated. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
To get tested without a doctor’s request, call 1-888-634-1123 or go online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting. The testing clinic is at at Ramsay Park in Watsonville. Other testing sites that may have restricted access can be found here.
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Known cases tested positive by age/% of population:
19 and under - 18%/25%
20-34 - 30%/22%
35-44 - 16%/12%
45-64 - 24%/27%
65 or older - 11%/15%
Tested positive by ethnicity/% of population:
Multi-Race - 2%/3%
White - 18%/58%
Latinx - 57%/34%
Black - .4%/.9%
Asian - 2%/4%
Other - 9%/.4%
Unknown - 12%
Tested positive by gender/% of population:
Female - 52%/50%
Male - 45%/50%
Other - 0%
Under Investigation - %
Tested positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 20%/12%
North county - 17%/60%
South county - 6%/29%
Under investigation - 4%
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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%
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%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Mexico City's Buda burgers
By SARAH RINGLER
I found these burgers in Aire Magazine in the seat pocket in front of me on an AeroMexico flight when I flew back from Zacatecas a few summers ago. Buda Burgers are from the We Love Burgers Cafe in the Hipodromo Condesa Colonia in Mexico City. I have never been there but the photograph and the description made this burger look really good. When I made them at home, they tasted as good as they looked.
You will need to know a tiny bit of mushroom anatomy for this dish. The smooth top of the mushroom is called the cap. The underside has a stem and the grayish brown strips that radiate out from the stem are called gills. When you buy a Portobello mushroom, the gills should look firm and healthy. When you buy smaller mushrooms, the fresher ones have not yet opened to show their gills and are enclosed in a white membrane.
This recipe makes four burgers. Because the flavor of a mushroom is not as pronounced as beef, it's the marinade, pesto, sweet dried tomatoes and cheese that really make these burgers taste great. You also need to give yourself some time to marinate the mushrooms for a few hours. Choose buns that are soft and have a mild flavor. Finally, you can use store bought pesto, but the easy recipe below can be made and the leftover stored in the freezer and used on pasta later.
Buda burgers
4 large Portobello mushrooms, one for each burger
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced thyme
16-20 dried tomatoes, 4-5 for each burger softened
Goat cheese or blue cheese
4 buns, English muffins, light whole wheat buns, or Francese rolls
Lettuce leaves, butter, green or red leaf
Walnut basil pesto:
2 cups packed wash and dried fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt - optional
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic and thyme. Add mushrooms, seal bag and gently turn the bag so the mushrooms get coated. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
Add 1/3 cup of white wine and a pinch of sugar to a small saucepan. Add the dried tomatoes and simmer, covered until they have softened, in about 10-15 minutes.
Use commercial pesto or make your own in a blender or food processor. Add the clean and dried basil leaves, olive oil, walnuts, garlic and a little salt. Blend until smooth. Add the cheese and continue to blend until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors. Freeze any remaining pesto.
Drain mushrooms and discard the marinade. Grill mushrooms, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 inches from the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until tender.
Heat the buns or bread. Spread pesto on heated slice buns. Put mushroom gill side facing the bottom bun. Cover with slices of dried tomatoes. Sprinkle plops of cheese. Serve with lettuce leaves.
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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 © 2020 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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