Climate Crisis Demands a Light Rail System
By LANI FAULKNER
Photo provided by COAST FUTURA
Free rides on a similar streetcar to the one shown in the photograph will be available Oct. 16-17 in Watsonville and Oct. 21-24 in Santa Cruz. Reserve your space here.
With the sobering news that we are at Level Red Crisis per the recent report from The Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is logical that Gavin Newsom has identified implementing a statewide rail transit network as a top priority from the ten guiding principles for addressing sustainable transportation in his recent July 12 report. Santa Cruz would stand to gain a substantial amount of money earmarked only for light rail projects and busses which access the rails. If we do not use the funds paid by taxpayers, they go to other cities who are ready and willing to build their light rail system.
Rubber tires are one of the top environmental polluters. These and numerous other toxic materials are used in single use vehicles, including self-driving electric vehicles. It is clear that long-lived rail systems that produce zero emissions are our best option for transit in the future. We must do everything we can to get cars off the roads and adjust our transportation needs towards light rail transit, biking, and walking in order to reduce the dramatic impacts of global warming. Other countries have been well ahead of us in this realization and implementation.
A well implemented integrative public transportation system addresses equity issues. According to Pew Research in 2019, “Americans who are lower-income, black or Hispanic, immigrants or people under 50 are especially likely to use public transportation on a regular basis.” I have spent time communicating with members of our elderly, disabled, Hispanic, African American and other underrepresented members of our community. Well-designed public transportation is the great equalizer as it allows people in economically challenged communities to travel to work and school affordably, not having to buy a car and pay for gas or expensive repairs. Students, families and workers are so excited by the idea of electric light rail because it would make commuting to Santa Cruz so much easier.
Electric light rail in Santa Cruz County would give many disabled people added independence in traveling to doctor's appointments, shopping, work, school, and getting out to engage socially. There are many of us who would appreciate hopping on light rail in Santa Cruz to head down to Monterey for the weekend. More regularly, I see myself taking the light rail to shop or eat dinner across town, not having to worry about who is going to be the designated driver. I would take my mountain bike on light rail to get to Wilder or Nisene Marks to get onto the trails. As a cyclist, having a 32-mile trail alongside light rail means I can bike 32 miles one way and take the train home if I am tired, if it rains, or it is too dark to ride home.
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Cartoon by STEVEN DECINZO |
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Watsonville Report - Nowhere to go
By MONIKE TONE
Photo by MONIKE TONE
I have been spending a few days in Santa Cruz down at San Lorenzo Park just to see how homeless people are being treated there and see what kind of services they have. I am very disappointed at how Watsonville has treated their homeless people.
First, I can see that it has become big issue now that the Vets’ Hall has closed. It provided a lot of people with shelter. You can't just give somebody a comfort zone and then all of a sudden rip it away. Personally, I do not understand why it closed. A lot of people have been put out onto the streets and now we have business owners in downtown Watsonville complaining about homelessness. I have a big issue with that because there is nowhere for people to go. A lot of homeless people have physical, mental and emotional problems and yet that is not looked at when putting these people back on the streets
Also, Watsonville is still doing sweeps of the homeless camps which bring more people onto the downtown streets. The Pajaro River is an old homeless camp that is the county's as well as the city's responsibility. If the sweeps don't stop, the homeless folk will continue to reside downtown.
A woman, Maria, is a resident of the Pajaro River homeless community. I have seen her place get destroyed five times in one week. I feel that she is being picked on by Watsonville PD as well as the Watsonville cleanup crew.
I have recorded the city of Watsonville and Monterey sheriffs coming onto the Pajaro River banks dumping dirt on to the campsites - see photo above. We have people who work in the agriculture fields that are being robbed of their things by the city of Watsonville. These hard-working women and men come home sometimes to find nothing wondering where their camp went. They are scared to go to work the next day. We are people and we deserve our things. Just because we are homeless at this time doesn’t mean we don't have our Fourth Amendment right to be able to have things that are ours not to be taken from us.
I'm fighting for our rights as people. I have already talked to the Good Times, the Washington Times, the LA Times and the New York Times about these issues and I will keep on going public with these issues until it stops. We don't deserve to be treated less than others because we don't have mansions and yachts.
As one of the few public voices from the homeless community, here is what we need. The sweeps of the homeless camps need to stop until there is a place for people to go. People need a place to go where there are bathrooms and sanitary stations – one of each for each 10 people. We also need containers where we can safely store our valuables. Homeless people who are fortunate enough to have an RV or trailer also need safe places to park.
I'm a person of different cultures. I am a part of the homeless society and I will keep on fighting until we have the dignity and the respect that we deserve. Thank you for taking your time to read this. I know it's a lot but maybe one person can come up with some kind of solution instead of causing problems.
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Visit Russell Brutsché's Studio
By SARAH RINGLER
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Santa Cruz County's Open Studios is an opportunity to visit artists in their natural habitat, their studios. Russell Brutsché is a local artist who paints it as he sees it and combines expert technique with political commentary. His studio at 133 Glenwood Ave, in Santa Cruz will be open Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 5, 6,19 and 20, from 11-5. He encourages you to "come on by!" Click here for more information.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Note the dramatic curve of the Osprey's wings as she/he takes off in flight at Struve Slough in the Pajaro Valley.
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Secret Garden Women's Shelter Need Help
By MARY CLARK
We've just wrapped up our second successful month at the Secret Garden Women's Shelter. As we move into this new season, we need a few more support volunteers to help with one 2-hour shift per week. Secret Garden Women's Shelter is a community supported, community-oriented 9-bed women's shelter.
This is a part of the Warming Center Program; the goal is to provide much-needed shelter for women at a time when there are more women outside than ever.
If you're available or know of someone who might be interested, please reply only to marymomalicious@yahoo.com or call 831-588-7230.
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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 19,481, up 378 from last Thursday's 19,103. The number of deaths rose to 213. The latest death, on Sept. 17, was an unvaccinated male in his early 40s. It is the fifth death since the arrival of the Delta variant. There were few changes overall. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
On Sept. 29, the Centers for Disease Control, updated their COVID-19 Data Tracker to show that Santa Cruz County moved to Moderate (yellow) community transmission. Under the County’s Face Covering Order, County face covering requirements are rescinded, effective immediately.
On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Sept. 26, 71% of the county have had at least one dose and 65% have had two doses. Those with one dose increased by 1% from Sept. 23 and those with two doses increased by 2%. 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.
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:
White - 55%
Latinx - 36%
Black - 1%
Asian - 7%
American Native - 1%
Unknown - 1%
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 50%/50%
Male - 50%/50%
Other - 0
Under Investigation - 0
Deaths by age/212:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 2%
45-54 - 2%
55-59 - 1%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 22%
85+ - 45%
% tested positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 11%/12%
North county - 51%/56%
South county - 36%/32%
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%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
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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%
Sept. 2-9 - 2%
Sept. 10-16 - 1%
Sept. 17-22 - 1%
Sept. 23-30 - 2%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - Matching Father and Son Wear
The 136th year of the Santa Cruz County Fair had something for everyone and was an excellent way to spend time with the family.
By SARAH RINGLER
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Labor History Calendar for September 24-30:
Oct. 1,1910: LA Times building blown up; James McNamara arrested.
Oct. 1, 1949: 500,000 steel workers strike.
Oct. 1, 1997: Pickets in solidarity with striking Liverpool dockers turn back Neptune Jade, a scab-loaded ship from the Oakland Port.
Oct. 2, 1889: London tailors win shorter hours.
Oct. 2, 1968: Massacre at Tlatelolco when 500 peaceful demonstrators protesting police brutality were killed in Mexico City just before the Summer Olympics were due to begin.
Oct. 3, 1909: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn arrested in Missoula, Montana in a fight for free speech.
Oct. 3, 1945: Seven state Greyhound Bus strike.
Oct. 4, 1887: Louisiana militia lynch two and shoot 35 black strikers.
Oct. 4, 1916: General strike against conscription in Australia.
Oct. 4, 1946: US Navy seizes oil refineries, breaking 20-state strike.
Oct. 5, 1934: 40,000 miners and iron workers strike seizing towns near Gijon, Spain - 3,000 killed.
Oct. 5, 1990: 75,000 service workers strike against austerity in Costa Rica.
Oct. 6, 1845: First US co-op store opens in Boston.
Oct. 6, 1986: 1,700 female flight attendants win 18-year lawsuit collecting $37 million in damages from United Airlines which had fired them for getting married.
Oct. 7, 1879: Birth of Joe Hill in Gavle, Sweden.
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Photo by PetrohsW
Every year, a memorial march is held in Mexico City to remember the 500 people who died in Tlatelolco Square on Oct. 2. The photo above is from 2014.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Lazy Morning Sticky Buns
By SARAH RINGLER
Have you ever watched a magician and wondered, “How does she do that?” I feel that way about food.
This week’s recipe is a simpler imitation of a wonderful, gooey, pecan schnecken made by Gayle’s Bakery and Roticcceria at 504 Bay Avenue in Capitola. Schnecken is German for snail, and describes the spiral shape of the bun. Although not quite as spectacular, this recipe is easy to make and can be mixed and assembled in the evening, then baked fresh for breakfast in the morning. It’s from the Epicurious cookbook and makes two, ten-inch round pans, enough for a big gathering. Cut the recipe in half for one pan of twelve buns, enough for four to six people.
Note that this is a yeast bread so you will need to set aside time for the first rising. But, after you assemble the buns, the second rising will be overnight in the refrigerator. Note also to not over-bake the buns because burnt sugar will make them difficult to neatly remove out of the pan, and give you a bigger mess to clean up.
Dough:
¼ cup warm water
Pinch of sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup warm water or 1 cup of warmed milk and omit nonfat milk powder
½ cup dry nonfat milk powder
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
4 ¼ cups flour
Glaze and filling:
1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ cup honey
¼ cup dark corn syrup
¼ cup water
2 cups pecan halves or walnuts
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 – 10-inch round cake pans
First, make the dough. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar. Stir in the yeast and let set for about 10 minutes until it is foamy.
In a large bowl or stand mixer using the dough hook, mix remaining sugar, room temperature (butter, milk powder(omit if using warmed milk) and salt. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until you have a smooth mixture.
Add the rest of the warm water(or warmed milk) and the yeast mixture, and blend. Then add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Mix well. Gradually add about 1 more cup of flour until dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Use the dough hook on a stand mixture or remove the dough from the bowl and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth, springy and supple. Add more flour as needed. Form into a nice smooth ball.
Butter a bowl. Add the dough and turn it once to coat the top. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let sit until doubled in a warm place for about 2 1/2 hours.
Butter the cake pans generously. Beat the brown sugar, ½ cup of butter, honey, corn syrup and ¼ cup of water. Spread ½ of the glaze on the bottom of each pan. Sprinkle ½ of the pecans on top of the glaze.
Punch down the dough. Divide in half. Roll out each half into a 12 inch by 9-inch rectangle. Brush off any excess flour. Mix 4 teaspoons of sugar with the cinnamon. Sprinkle that over the rectangles.
Starting at the long side, tightly roll up the rectangles into 12-inch long roll. Cut each log into 12 rounds. Place the 12 rolls, facing up, in the cake pan. Repeat for the second pan. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled for about an hour. You can refrigerate the unbaked rolls at this point and bake the next day. The next day, let the rolls come to room temperature before baking. If you don’t want to refrigerate the dough, let rise again for an hour before baking.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls until they are golden brown for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the sides of the pans.
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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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