Cartoon by STEVEN DECINZO
Living the Housing Crisis
By SARAH RINGLER
My husband and I just experienced the housing crisis. We have been renters all of our adult lives with forty of the past years here in Santa Cruz. When our landlady died last fall, the heirs decided to cash in and we had to find a new place to live.
We had been extremely lucky with this place; 70's ranch style with three bedrooms, two baths, a big yard near Harbor High that I should have had when I was raising two kids and renting a basement in a house in Vancouver, BC or pretty much a shack that was condemned out from under us in Bellingham, Washington. You really never know what you're going to end up in and affordabililty is the main goal. And luck. The rent on our place kept going up, but it was $2,100 a month when we had to leave.
There was not much available. People needed houses after last year's wildland fires and a steady stream of wealthy individuals, like the one who bought our place, were pushing housing and rental prices in this county to record highs.
We have many close friends in the area and my husband still works in Watsonville so moving to be near kids, grandchildren or great grandchildren into a cheaper area wasn’t a possibility. In fact, the adult grandchildren had already left Santa Cruz County years ago because of the lack of economic opportunities and unaffordable housing.
We got a two month reprieve from the 60 day eviction notice because of the COVID eviction moratorium, but there still wasn't much time to find a place. We were down to the wire to when we had agreed to leave our place and faced taking an overpriced rental so we could continue to look. Not wanting to do that, we finally found a place that we had to accept as the new home. We were nervous wrecks by then.
We finally bought a place in an age 55 and over area in Watsonville where we paid $60,000 over the asking price, had to turn down all contingencies, and paid a couple of hundred thousand over what the same houses were going for a few years ago. It hurt. But, amazingly, our mortgage is less than any rental in the county that we looked at. In this case, it paid to be old.
With the rent we had been paying and my job as a teacher, we had been able to save enough money over the last two decades that allowed us to afford the down payment. We had no inheritance and this has nearly wiped out our savings.
This is a white middle class story with a happy enough ending; we have a place to live. It is also an indication of the vulnerabilities that so many people face. Our biggest and most essential political battle is to end homelessness and provide for decent housing for everyone. It's not going to be easy.
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Santa Cruz for Bernie Supports Bell Removal Ceremony
By JEFFREY SMEDBERG
Years ago, Santa Cruz for Bernie, SC4B, gave our support to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band's campaign to save their traditionally sacred Juristac lands near Gilroy from becoming a gravel pit. That struggle still continues.
Today we support our region's first nations by inviting you to attend the following events this weekend hosted by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Santa Cruz is the first city in California to agree to remove all mission bell markers from city property.
The first event is part of the UC Critical Mission Studies Conference on Northern California Missions held today at 1pm, entitled "Telling And Teaching The Truth of the California Missions." It will be live-streamed from the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park. Click here details and to join live-stream.
The second event, the Bell Removal Ceremony, will be held tomorrow, Saturday, beginning at 1pm at Mission Plaza Park, on Awaswas Territories, also called Santa Cruz. Healing begins with telling the truth. At 3pm, there will be a procession to 303 Soquel Ave. for the Bell Removal Ceremony.
Some of the speakers will be Rudy Ortega (Chair of the Fernandeño Tataviam Tribe), Stan Rodriquez (a Kumeyaay Ipai elder), Louise J. Miranda Ramirez (Chair of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation), Valentin Lopez (Chair of the Amah Mutsen Tribal Band), Caroline Ward (of the Fernandeño Tataviam Tribe), Merri Lopez Keifer (San Luis Rey Luiseño Native American Heritage Commission), Corrina Gould (Confederated Villages of Lisjan), Kanyon Sayers-Roods (Indian Canyon Mutsun), Tony Gonzales (American Indian Movement West) and Shannon Rivers (Akimel O’odham).
Contact here for more information on Removing the El Camino Real Bellls
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A dark-eyed junco perches on a utility line in Santa Cruz.
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"It is not the nature of man, as I see it, ever to be quite satisfied with what he has in life.... Contentment tends to breed laxity, but a healthy discontent keeps us alert to the changing needs of our time."
Frances Perkins (1882-1965), Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roosevelt and the first woman to hold a US cabinet position.
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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 17,792, up 129 from last Thursday's 17,663. One male in his early 60s who was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions died on August 15 bringing the number of deaths to 210. (Aug. 25 press release) There were few changes overall. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Aug. 22, 68% of the county have had at least one dose and 60% have had two doses. The number who have had one dose increased by 1% from last week and the number with two doses 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. I got mine two 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 fell below one. See chart below. 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. Other testing sites that may have restricted access can be found here.
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/209:
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%
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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 - 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%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - Rockin' Shiny red pickup
By SARAH RINGLER
A man shows off his truck's hydraulic lifts at the Overlook Shopping Center in Watsonville.
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Labor History Calendar for August 27- September 3:
Aug. 27, 1950: President Truman seizes railroads to block strike.
Aug. 28, 1968: Black bus drivers call a wildcat strike against racist union and management in Chicago.
Aug. 28, 1995: Boise, Idaho construction workers "wobble," several IWWs black listed.
Aug. 29, 2009: 3,000 garment workers end two-day strike against wage cuts in Cambodia.
Aug. 29, 2013: Strikes across US continue fast food workers' living wage fight.
Aug. 30, 1834: National Trade Union founded to unite US craft unions in fight against economic inequality.
Aug. 31, 1942: General Strike begins against annexation of Luxemburg into Nazi Germany, conscription.
Aug. 31, 1946: 79-day strike begins breaking power of Hawaii sugar plantations.
Aug. 31, 1992: South Africa outlaws national metalworkers' strike.
Sept. 1, 1903: 30,000 women from 26 trades march in Chicago Labor Day Parade.
Sept. 1, 1920: 500,000 Italian metalworkers occupy their factories.
Sept. 2, 1917: Mass arrest of IWWs ordered by US Attorney General Palmer.
Sept. 2, 1921: Mineowners in West Virginia bomb stikers by plane.
Sept. 2, 2016: World's largest strike: 150 million government workers in 1-day strike against privatization for higher wages in India.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Chinese style baked Buns with Mushroom Filling
By SARAH RINGLER
If you like keeping your hands busy, these little buns are fun to make. And, you will have some flavorful little buns to eat alongside a soup or salad for a light lunch or dinner. They also can be frozen and are easy to reheat.
Bao-zi or mantou, as they are called in China, are common street food attracting customers with steaming stacks of circular bamboo containers filled with varied fillings of meats, custard and vegetables. Barbecued pork, cha siu bao, is one of my favorites. They also come in different shapes which sometimes represent the filling inside, but all are made with yeast and flour dough.
Written records that mention bao-zi go back over 1,000 years to the Song Dynasty when they were invented by a military strategist, Zhuge Liang. Their portability made them useful to take into battle.
Although bao-zi are usually steamed, this recipe from Daniela Anderson at mygorgeousrecipes.com, are baked and save you from having to buy the bamboo steamers. The dough is light and fluffy and can surround any filling that you can dream up. I have provided a couple of inspirations below. Serve with a sprinkling of soy sauce or the sauce mixture below.
Dough:
2 cups plain flour and more as needed
2 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
Filling base:
2 green onions, minced
1-inch fresh ginger root, grated or minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Filling choices:
½ pound mushrooms, washed, dried and minced or ½ cup dried shitaki mushrooms soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and minced
1 carrot, peeled, grated or cut into tiny cubes
1/4 grated daikon radish turnip, peeled and grated
1 large roasted Japanese sweet potato (roasted for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, skin on)
2/3 cup whole edamame beans removed from the pod
½ cup, purple cabbage finely grated or minced
2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil
Sauce mixture:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 tsp water
To make the dough, stir the water, yeast and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes until mixture becomes frothy. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Mix in the yeast mixture, beaten egg, oil and salt, and knead well for about 5 minutes. Add more flour until the dough becomes elastic and does not stick to your hands. Shape the dough into a ball.
Lightly oil a bowl, add the dough, cover with clingfilm and a clean damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours until the dough doubles in volume.
If you decide to use the Japanese sweet potato, roast for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When done, set aside and add to your vegetable mixture after it has been stir fried and before you fill the buns.
Make the filling base of green onions, garlic clove and ginger. Then separately prepare the filling of your choice using instructions above.
Make the sauce mixture in a small bowl and mix well.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil over medium high to high heat. When pan is hot, add cooking oil and when oil glistens, add prepared green onions, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 1 minute.
Then add your vegetable filling and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until done. Remove from heat and let cool. If you use the roasted sweet potato, stir it in after the filling cools.Taste filling and add salt as necessary.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll it to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a round 2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut dough into rounds. Place a tablespoon of the mushroom filling in the middle of each circle. Pull up the edges and seal well with your fingers making a small ball.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the balls on a baking tray and brush with the egg wash mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Serve warm with sauce.
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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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