Photo by TARMO HANNULA

This pickup, on the streets of Zacatecas, Mexico, with assorted dented body parts is an example of trying to keep a car on the road. Inside it has only a driver's seat and a short bed, so it also seems to be more than just trasportation.

What is Transportation Poverty - Focus on Watsonville

By RICK LONGINOTTI

It is widely accepted that our dependency on automobiles is a potent contributor to the climate crisis. What is not so well understood is how auto dependency initiated a new phenomenon: transportation poverty. 

Prior to the automobile revolution, walking was how both rich and poor got around. The walking mode of transportation determined urban land use. As long as you could walk, you had access to jobs, stores, school and recreation. Beginning in the late 19th Century, streetcars created a small transportation gap, as a nickel fare was not affordable for some people as an everyday expense. Although streetcars expanded the urban layout, walkable neighborhoods remained intact and new development occurred within walking distance of streetcar stops.

The automobile revolution, and the frenzy of road building that made it possible, created a huge transportation gap. It expanded the distance between homes and jobs, stores and services, making car ownership a practical necessity. 

The Housing + Transportation Index finds that 0% of Watsonville's neighborhoods are “location efficient,” meaning “compact, close to jobs and services, with a variety of transportation choices.” The Index finds 100% of San Francisco neighborhoods to be location efficient, not surprising for a city that grew up around streetcars.

In Watsonville a third of the people who need to get around are not drivers: 13% are youth aged 10-17, 9% are disabled and 9% are households without a car. METRO has no bus service in Watsonville that is considered “frequent” by state standards. Only 2% of commute trips are by bus.

The practical difficulties of getting around without a car result in high car ownership rates in Watsonville, at 1.9 cars per household. The large expense of car ownership means the average Watsonville household spends 20% of income on transportation. In San Francisco the average household owns 1.1 cars and spends 9% of income on transportation.

The automobile impact on pedestrian safety has been truly revolutionary. In 1922, 10,000 children marched in the streets of New York to protest pedestrian injuries. A thousand of the children marched in a group symbolizing the number killed by autos the previous year. In 2020, Watsonville scored #1 out of 106 California cities of similar size in rate of injuries to pedestrians under 15 years of age.

By reducing walking, auto dependency increases our risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In our county, only half of Latino children score in the Healthy Fitness Zone by body mass index.

On Aug. 26, the public is invited to the Transportation Justice Conference at the Unitarian Church on Freedom Boulevard in Aptos. See the poster below. Speakers from the Bay Area will join local advocates to address the topics: Prioritize Transit; Safe Streets; and Transit Oriented Development Without Displacement.

Transportation Justice Conference - Aug, 26, 9:30am-3pm, Unitarian Church, 6401 Freedom Blvd., Aptos. Lunch will be provided. Register HERE. 

Monthly Study/Discussion Group: End of Life Options

By SHEILA CARRILLO

Join a free monthly drop-in group of people who gather on the third Wednesday of the month from 12-1:30pm in the Live Oak area to study and sensitively discuss all aspects of dying with dignity. 

Learn about MAID, Medical Aid in Dying, the California law that provides legal medical support for the terminally ill with a prognosis of 6 months or less to live and FEN, Final Exit Network, for those with non-terminal but irreversible, progressive, debilitating illness such as Parkinson's, ALS, and early stage Alzheimer’s, who don’t qualify for MAID. 

Guest speakers are sometimes invited, and the September meeting features a woman who provides aid and comfort at the end of life. She will present information about green burials, home funerals, and share her experiences with loss and grief.

All are welcome. For information, contact group facilitator Myriam Coppens, LMFT. (831) 454-8467

Safe Ag Safe Schools Report

By YANELY MARTINEZ AND MARK WELLER

People’s Tribunal on Pesticide Use and

Civil Rights in California

Sept. 12, 1– 4pm. With travel and eating this is an all-day event. Lindsay Wellness Center, 860 N. Sequoia, Lindsay, Tulare County.

The Tribunal – like a mock trial -- will be attended by residents of agricultural communities from across California. It will end with a preliminary statement by the judges (including our own Dr. Ann Lopez and Robert Chacanaca) on the evidence presented, followed by an Advisory Opinion based on witness testimony. The goal of the Tribunal is to bring the experience of thousands of workers, students, and residents to the forefront so that legislators, agency staff, organizers, attorneys, and the public can consider necessary reforms.

Reserve a seat on the SASS van! Call or email Yanely!

Assembly Bill 652: Environmental Justice Advisory Committee in the Department of Pesticide Regulation

Our bill to demand that farmworker community voices be heard inside the Department of Pesticide Regulation through an Environmental Justice Advisory Committee has passed the Assembly and has advanced to the Appropriations Committee in the State Senate. Assemblymember Pellerin was an original sponsor, and Senator Laird has joined as a co-sponsor. Please call on Senator Caballero as well as the members of the Appropriations Committee to support AB 652! An AB 652 toolkit can be found HERE.

Dacthal: Half of all California use is in Monterey County. The US EPA thinks it should be banned.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared that current regulations on the herbicide dacthal (aka DCPA or chlorthal-dimethyl) do not sufficiently protect human populations, especially pregnant women and children. The EPA admits that banning it could take years. Dacthal is used on broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and rapini. Half of all dacthal use in the state occurs in Monterey County, especially in the southern Salinas Valley. SASS has called on the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner to regulate dacthal, including 1-mile no-use buffer zones around schools, residences, and other sensitive sites; and 30-day re-entry interval before people are allowed back into fields where dacthal has been applied. See our attached SASS letter.

Safe Ag Safe Schools Monthly Meeting Aug. 25, 6– 8pm, El Michoacan Restaurant, 5 El Camino Real, Greenfield. Food provided!

Monterey Bay Central Labor Council Annual Labor Day Picnic

Sept. 4, 11am – 3pm

Romo Park 335 Main Street, Watsonville

By SARAH RINGLER

Labor is getting back on its feet with gains that haven't been seen in decades. Workers in high demand areas like UPS drivers and pilots are using their union muscle to wrestle high profits that would have gone to shareholders to the people who are actually doing the work.

United Postal Service and the International Brotherhood(sic) of Teamsters representing 340,000 workers approved a tentative contract on Aug. 22, avoiding a strike that would have shut down about one-quarter of the package deliveries around the country. With 86% of the members voting for ratification, it showed the highest support ever given for a Teamster contract. Some of that high support came from a change in IBT leadership that occurred two years ago when the union replaced James P. Hoffa, son of Jimmy, with Sean M. O'Brien, endorsed by Teamsters for a Democratic Union and who was fired by Hoffa in 2017 for reaching out to members who were opposed to Hoffa's reelection as Teamster general president.

According to Associated Press, a tentative agreement increased pay by $2.75 an hour for both full and part-time workers with a $7.50 increase by the end of the 5-year contract. Starting pay increased to $21/hour. UPS also agreed to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a full holiday, ended forced overtime on drivers' day's off, to cease using driver-facing cameras in the trucks, eliminated two-tier wages, and agreed to safety issues like adding air conditioning units to trucks when needed.

American Airlines pilots just ratified a contract that will increase pay by 46% by Aug. 2027 with 21% increase upon signing and retroactive pay. Pilots also will receive more vacation pay, better life insurance, long-term disability and retirement benefits according to the Niraj Chokshi in the Aug. 21, New York Times.

Take Survey on Santa Cruz Downtown Expansion

By SARAH RINGLER

Senior Planner for the city of Santa Cruz, Sarah Neuse, wants everyone to know that an online survey is available that is looking for community input for the next round of the Downtown Expansion Plan.

The survey is open through Sept. 1. A community meeting to review the results will occur in September or early October. Information is on the project website.

Open to residents outside the city, I took the survey and one easy request for me was for the city to increase the number of public toilets. For information, contact Sarah Neuse below.

Sarah Neuse, Senior Planner 

City of Santa Cruz | Planning & Community Development

809 Center St – Room 101, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phone: 831-420-5092

Email: sarahneuse@santacruzca.gov

www.cityofsantacruz.com

The Orange Vendor

 By WOODY REHANEK

Every day, there he is

under the giant ceiba tree

with his sacks of Chinese oranges,

sharp knife & wooden stand.

He places them in a simple machine

that turns the fruit like goat on a spit

& does the most intricate thing:

it skins the orange, shaping the peel

 into long coiled spring-like spirals.

The viejo takes infinite care

to cut the oranges in exact halves,

then boldly heaps on powdered chile

like a close poem, carefully written,

 that suddenly breaks out 

on the open page & almost 

gets away. 

Photo by TARMO HANNULA 

A sanderling searches the shores of Moss Landing for an evening meal.

Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report - Ninth week rise in Rt Number

By SARAH RINGLER

The California Department of Public Health reports on Covid-19 for The Santa Cruz County Health Department. They regularly release data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Since cases are still appearing, and there are still vulnerable people, I will continue reporting the graphs below.

I just checked the state's website and it has been updated since I last looked in July; the current total of confirmed Covid deaths in Santa Cruz County is at 324, up from my previously reported 276.

The three graphs below give a picture of what is happening currently. The first graph below shows the Rt Number. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing. The last 9 weeks have risen above one.

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. This graph shows wastewater level to be below Center for Disease Control's moderate risk threshold.

The third graph below shows hospitalizations. Click to see more information on hospitalizations HERE.



The vaccination data for the county has stayed fairly constant increasing very little over time. Go HERE for new information on vaccination records, treatments, vaccines, tests, safety in the workplace and more.

Photo by TARMO HANNULA

Fashion Street - Graffiti on a wall on the streets of Zacatecas, Mexico. This year's Pride Parade in that city was the largest in Mexico.

Labor History Calendar - August 25-31, 2023

a.k.a Know Our History Lest We Forget

July 25, 1867: Das Kapital published. 

July 25, 1890: New York garment workers win closed shop and firing of scabs after 7-month strike.

July 25, 1987: Firings break US Postal strike.

July 26, 1877: 30 workers killed at the “Battle of the Viaduct” by Federal troops in Chicago.

July 26, 1912: Battle of Mucklow, West Virginia, in coal strike.

July 27, 1913: 20,000 Barcelona textile workers, mostly women, strike for shorter hours. Win 60-hour week in September.

July 27, 1918: Goon shoots Mine Mill (former WFM) union organizer Ginger Goodwin in Cumberland, BC.

July 27, 2022 UK train workers have 1-day strike.

July 28, 1989: Women shoemakers in Lynn, Massachusetts demand equal pay.

July 28, 1992: Volkswagen locks out 14,000 workers in bid to break union in Puebla, Mexico.

July 29, 1970: United Farm Workers win grape strike contract after five-year strike. 

July 29, 2010: Jail blockade forces sheriff to postpone immigrant raids in Phoenix. 

July 29, 2013: Fast food workers strike for living wage in seven US cities. 

July 29, 2019: Unpaid Kentucky miners blockade train hauling their coal.

July 30, 2010: Four days of riots protest new Bangladeshi minimum wage of $43/month; 4,000 workers arrested. 

July 31, 1909: Government crushes general strike, kills hundreds in Barcelona, Spain.

July 31, 1978: Italy general strike vs. fascism.

Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.

"They never stop, they will fight like hell to disrupt anything [aimed at] making that policy successful.”

Eric Crosbie, associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, speaking about the dozens of legal challenges brought by corporations against Mexico's healthy labeling laws in recent article in STAT.

Photo by TARMO HANNULA

Portable Spinach Pies

By SARAH RINGLER 

Diana Abu Jaber, in her memoir "The Language of Baklava," describes this spinach pie made by her father as "A nice snack to take on a journey." The book explores, through recipes and stories, the relationship between her Jordanian immigrant father and her mother, who describes herself as "Irish, German, maybe Swiss? Or Dutch?" Her father moves the family between Jordan and the United States several times as he tries to find a career and an identity, sometimes confusing his family, but at the same time giving them many unforgettable and rich experiences. 

Like an empanada, fetayers are portable and can be eaten anywhere at any time without fuss. The crust is a simple and a crispy cover for the savory spinach filling. 

What gives these pies a unique Middle Eastern flavor is the sumac and pine nuts. Sumac is made from the ground up fruit from the bush, or small tree, by the same name. It grows in warm areas around the world and has a tart taste that when added to a dish, livens up the flavor. It goes really well on hummus. It is available in many grocery stores and keeps very well. I have kept mine in the freezer for quite awhile. There are many plant varieties of sumac and some with white flowers cause a severe allergic reaction similar to poison oak.

I think that the delicate little pine nuts are near the top of my list for favorite nuts. Carefully toasting them makes them slightly crisp and brings out their smooth and rich flavor. When I made these fetayers, I put the leftovers in the freezer and later reheated them. They still tasted fine but pine nuts lost their distinctive flavor.

Spinach stuffed fetayer

Dough:

1 package yeast

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

3-4 cups flour

Filling:

1 pound fresh spinach, washed, drained and chopped

2 medium onions, minced

5 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted 

3 teaspoons sumac - optional

In a large bowl, add the warm water and sugar. Stir in the yeast to dissolve and let sit for a few minutes. Add the olive oil and salt and stir. Add the flour in batches until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead on a floured board for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Pour a little olive oil in a ceramic bowl if possible and put the ball of dough into the bowl. Then turn the ball of dough over so it has a light coating of olive oil. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put into a warm area until dough doubles in size - about 1 hour. Punch dough down and let rise again for about 30 minutes. 

While dough is rising make the filling. First set the oven to 350 degrees and lightly toast the pine nuts for about 5-10 minutes watching carefully to avoid burning. In a medium frying pan, sauté the onions in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add the spinach, salt, pepper, sumac, lemon juice and pine nuts over medium heat. Mixture should not be watery so carefully turn up the heat for a minute to dry it out. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide dough into about 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 5-inch square. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling into the square and fold over into a triangle. Pinch ends together sealing in the filling. Put onto a baking pan. Brush with olive oil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until brown. 

Welcome to Serf City Times Our county has problems and many people feel 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 © 2023 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved