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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Last Saturday's "Kite Flying for the Kids of Gaza" held at the Main Beach in Santa Cruz brought out dozens of kite flyers. The event was held in memory of the time in 2011 when Gaza broke the world's record for the most kites flown at once, 12,350 kites.
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Tenant Sanctuary: Know Your Rights
BY TENANT SANCTUARY
On Apr. 18, 6:30-7:30pm, at the Santa Cruz Public Library Community Room, a tenant lawyer will explain the changes in the Tenant Protection Act and talk about how new law protects renters from eviction and rent increases. The talk will be followed by questions and answers.
For example:
- An owner who evicts a tenant to live at the property themselves, must occupy the property for at least 12 continuous months, or face penalties.
- An owner who evicts a tenant to substantially remodel a unit first must give the tenant a specific description of the remodeling and its duration, with copies of permits required to remodel, or face penalties.
- An owner who violates state-wide rent control laws may face damages up to three times the amount exceeding allowable rental increases
Renter's Rights: Changes in the Tenant Protection Act You Should Know
Thurs., Apr. 18,
Santa Cruz Public Library Community Room
224 Church St, Santa Cruz
Accessibility: wheelchair, restrooms, parking, elevator
Contact: (831) 200-0740. info@tenantsanctuary.org
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PHOTO BY WARM REDUCTION COALITION
Harm Reduction Coalition at River Park in Watsonville coordinating services with local people in need.
Harm Reduction Coalition Report
BY DENISE ELERICK
After the temporary de-authorization of the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County volunteer-run needle exchange program due to the lawsuit filed by The Brereton Law Group, we have been working to keep in touch with our participants making sure they can access supplies and safety services at the County Syringe Programs. We have been very busy. We have offered transportation and referrals as we troubleshoot during this strange time.
That damn lawsuit! Many of you have asked where we stand. On one hand, the lawsuit has been settled. The state department of public health lost in the appellate court. The petitioners (The Brereton Law group that includes David Terrazas and Gabrielle Korte) have been awarded over $1.5 million dollars—this was reduced from the original $2.4 million they attempted to collect. As of now, we are no longer being sued, but we will remain concerned and be looking over our shoulders for a very long time in the aftermath of this attack on our services.
In late February, Santa Cruz Local published a story about the impact of our programs, our absence and the work we are doing in partnership with the county. You can read it here.
We appreciate the support of Dr. Lisa Hernandez, our returning Health Officer. “Programs that include mobile exchanges, such as the Harm Reduction Coalition’s programs, provides equity across the county and reaches those most in need, linking them to services.”
In much better news in a good lawsuit, the state has finally pushed back in support of syringe services programs, SSP's, statewide. Immediately after the appellate court decision that forced canceling our program, several communities approved ordinances to ban programs and several programs closed before they really had a chance to become operational. Unfortunately, comments made in the media by David Terrazas (and other opponents of evidence-based services for people who use drugs) were taken very seriously by the Attorney General's office. You can read a publicly available brief here.
Detractors made comments intimating statewide "successes" in the shutdown of SSPs, when in reality these closures put the health and safety of Californians at risk. More fortunately, in excellent news that just dropped, the state is pushing back! El Dorado County, and the city of Placerville have been served with a lawsuit for banning their local syringe programs. David Terrazas and Denise Elerick are both quoted in this article in the LA Times on the subject of this newest phase in the battle for the future of California's SSPs.
Where are we now? On a local level, we are currently fighting through multiple outbreaks of communicable diseases —Santa Cruz County is experiencing two public health crises. These crises are a threat to everyone but they are directly impacting many of our unsheltered neighbors most severely, and we are doing our best to mitigate further spread as well as reducing the harm done to those already impacted. You may have read about a Shigellosis outbreak in the Harvey West area that has impacted over 30 people. To compound matters and strain our public health department and clinicians at Homeless Persons Health Project even further, Watsonville residents near the levee are experiencing a Syphilis outbreak that requires an all hands on deck response to prevention, testing and treatment. The state has sent investigators and has provided over 90 doses of the scarce Bicillin antibiotic that is used to treat Syphilis.
Here comes the really really good news: in April, following consultations with interested Law Enforcement leadership, we will be moving to the 45 (business) days public comment period of our reauthorization.
This is where you come in. Keep an eye out for when the next public comment period opens and be prepared to comment. After the 45-day public comment period the state will have 30 business days to respond.
This has been a long haul with extensive back and forth and legal review to finalize our new application. We are incredibly appreciative of our friends who have been working so hard for us in the Office of AIDS at the California Department of Public Health.
We want to extend our deepest appreciation to those of you who have recently contacted us, as well as those who have donated and bought T shirts. We do feel the love and support from you and all of our participants who are ready to fight for this program, and it helps keep us going during the harder times. Our 'sustainer' donors are incredible! Donations range from $5 a month to $100 per month. Each and every one is deeply appreciated. It is an honor to receive your support in all forms.
Order Shirts here Donation link
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Auxiliary Lanes in Aptos and Electric Bikes on West Cliff
BY RICK LONGINOTTI
Forty people turned out at the Aptos Library last weekend to learn about a highway expansion project that would have no enduring impact on congestion but would demolish over 1,100 trees. Could it be the start of the Great Aptos Freeway Rebellion? Come to celebrate Yesterday's Freeway Fighters and support our lawsuit against Caltrans on May 3 (invitation below).
I will present Why Stop the Auxiliary Lanes in Aptos on Zoom on April 16th. Register here for this free event.
Care for a stroll on West Cliff without worrying about collisions with electric bikes? Sign this email to the Santa Cruz City Council supporting a one year pilot program for a portion of West Cliff: one way for cars and a two-way bike lane separate from the pedestrian path.
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We All Go......
BY SARAH RINGLER
GRAPHICS BY MORGAN CORREIA
Watsonville Community Members for Public Restrooms is asking Watsonville and the Parks Department to provide and maintain bathrooms that are open 24 hours a day. To meet that criteria, public restrooms need to be designed so that they are always open and easy to clean.
The East Bay Regional Park District has met that criteria in their public restrooms at Martin Luther King J. Regional Shoreline Center at 7250, Doolittle Drive in Oakland. See photos below.
If you agree that more public restrooms are needed, call the City Council and Parks Commission in your town. In Watsonville, call the Watsonville City Council at 768-3040, Watsonville City Manager at 768-3010 and the Watsonville City Parks and Recreation Commission at 768-3240. weallgowatsonville@gmail.com
PHOTOS BY TARMO HANNULA.
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Vote NO on SB 1011 (Jones)
BY SARAH RINGLER
There is no evidence that homelessness is going away anytime soon. Instead, it is growing. What is needed, according to Equal Rights for Every Neighbor is housing and services. Unfortunately, a punitive bill called SB 1011, is coming up for a hearing in the California Senate on Apr. 16.
Equal Rights for Every Neighbor says SB 1011 is wrong for California:
1) SB 1011 will do nothing to address our houselessness crisis.It is the kind of response to houselessness that Trump, Texas, and other conservative states favor. No jurisdiction can show these laws reduce the number of people living unsheltered or lower crime. Reports show the opposite. For example, LA passed a 2021 ordinance similar to SB 1011, and though the City spent millions of tax dollars on enforcement, 81% of people removed forcibly from city streets, ticketed, or arrested returned to the same location where police cited them.
2) SB 1011 will actively harm efforts that do work. Nationwide, overwhelming research show that housing, outreach, and services work to end houselessness. SB 1011 offers none of these proven interventions. Charging Californians with misdemeanors, ticketing and moving them out of sight will cause unhoused people to lose touch with case managers, reduce their trust in systems, add financial strain and new barriers to obtaining housing, and exacerbate trauma.
3) SB 1011 will encourage racist policing practices and worsen racial disparities. Reminiscent of “stop and frisk”, Jim Crow laws, and Antebellum vagrancy campaigns, empowering police to stop people when they sit, use, or place personal property on a street or sidewalk would encourage racial profiling and criminalization of Black boys and men of any housing status who congregate on street corners or wait at transit stops after school.Police already disproportionately target Black and Brown people, as well as unhoused people who are disproportionately Black.
4) SB 1011 will just “move” houselessness to the suburbs and residential areas. SB 1011 is unworkable. SB 1011 would ban people who are unhoused from 80% of many cities, providing incentives for them to move out of urban cores and rural areas into suburban areas, away from services. This bill would tie the hands of local governments, forcing them to spend millions on ineffective police responses rather than proven solutions that meet the needs of their local communities. SB 1011 would make it a crime for unhoused individuals to exist in any public space (including simply sitting and standing) if any shelter is “available”. Regardless of shelter availability, SB 1011 would also make it a crime to exist in public spaces within about 1.5 football fields of a transit stop, open space, or school.
To take action, you call the following legislators and ask them to vote no on this inhumane, racist and ineffective proposal:
Senator Wahab (chairperson): (916-651-4410) – SD 10/represents Fremont, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, parts of East Bay
Senator Weiner: (916-651-4011) – SD 11/represents San Francisco, Daly City and parts of South San Francisco
Senator Skinner: (916-651-4009) – SD 9/represents Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond, cities in Contra Costa and Alameda counties
Senator Bradford: (916-651-4035) – SD 35/represents Inglewood, Carson, Compton, Gardena, San Pedro, parts of Torrance and Long Beach
Organizations opposing SB 1011 include: CSH, Disability Rights California, Housing California, ACLU California Action, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Public Advocates, Western Center on Law and Poverty, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, National Homelessness Law Center, Compass Family Services, Downtown Women’s Center, California Housing Partnership, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Chispa, Inner City Law Center, and Lived Experience Advisors and Unhoused United.
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Flashmobs in the Teahousei
BY WOODY REHANEK
Pop loved local Bay Area auctions.
One day he brought home three
4x6-foot lattice window casements.
He planted four 4x4s in adobe soil
beneath the poplar grove at the end
of the swimming pool (installed in
the 60s). Then he mounted the windows
on the north, east, & west sides so
he could walk in facing the house
& pool to the north. There, he would
dream away, contentedly smoking his
pipe. Usually he would just stand there,
musing through the lattice windows.
"Woody, you're living in a dream world,"
he would sometimes say to me. Or,
"Off we go, into the wild blue yonder!"
Or "Lily, this is LIVING!" Other times
he might shout non-sequiturs like
"By the horns of the great Wapiti!" or
"It's something fierce...!" I think I
inherited my love of wordplay--
linguistic linguini--from Pop:
words running like flashmobs
through the teahouse of our minds.
************
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Architecture elements on a Pajaro Village home imitate the cacti.
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Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report
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.
At-home Covid-19 test kits are currently available at the Watsonville Public Library, Main St.
The three graphs below were updated on Apr. 10.
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.
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.
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Photo ELBINA RAFIZADEH
Fashion Street - Front of a t-shirt worn by an individual at the Apr. 7 showing of "Larry, the Musical" at the Brava Theater in San Francisco. The play, which was a sold out performance, was about Larry Itliong, a Filipino farmworker labor leader, who led a walk-out of Filipino farmworkers at grape farms that in 1965, initiated the Delano Grape Strike.
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Labor History Calendar - April 12-18, 2024
a.k.a Know Our History Lest We Forget
April 12, 1900, Birth of Florence Reece, active in Harlan County, KY, coal strikes and author of the famed labor song Which Side Are You On.
April 13, 1873: Colfax massacre in Louisiana.
April 13, 1920: General strike by half million workers in Italy.
April 13, 2016: 63,000 Verizon workers strike against outsourcing.
April 14, 1930: Over 100 Mexican and Filipino farmworkers arrested for union activity — 8 convicted of criminal syndicalism — in the Imperial Valley, CA.
April 14, 1939: John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath published.
April 15, 1915: IWW union Agricultural Workers Organization formed in Kansas City, Missouri.
April 15, 1996: Portuguese dockers begin solidarity boycott of Liverpool shipping.
April 16, 1968: Memphis sanitation strike ends.
April 16, 1912: Daily Herald founded, a British labor paper.
April 17, 1905: US Supreme Court overturns New Jersey 9-hour day.
April 17, 1961: Bay of Pigs invasion.
April 18, 1908: IWW poem “ We Have Fed You All For a Thousand Years” first published.
April 18, 1912: West Virginia coal miners strike; defend selves against National Guard.
Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Sweet Coconut Rice Pudding
By SARAH RINGLER
The word pudding used to refer to a meat mixture stuffed into a tube or casing and boiled. It came from the French word “boudin,” which came from the Latin “botellus” meaning small sausage. In French, “boudin” still refers to a sausage. Over time, the technique of boiling a mixture of ingredients came to be used as the descriptive name and included not only salty meats but sweets as well. Most people in the U.S. and Canada relate the word pudding to a cooked, sweet, milk based dessert like I’m highlighting here, as do Spanish speakers with the word “budín.”
This homestyle recipe is from the El Farol Restaurant on the chichi Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They specialize in tapas which are small servings of hot or cold food that are eaten café-bars in Spain.
Mexican markets usually have cinnamon bark and star anise seeds in little clear plastic bags in their herb and spice section. Using the actual seeds and bark as opposed to the powder imparts a subtler flavor that suggests cinnamon and anise but doesn’t knock you over the head with it. I also like to use piloncillo, the dark brown cones of sugar from Mexico, for a deeper sweetness.
1 1/2 cups whole milk
14 ounce can coconut milk or 1 ¾ cups
1/3 cup white rice
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick of cinnamon bark, or 1/4 teaspoon powdered
½ teaspoon of lemon zest or 2 long strips of lemon rind
2 teaspoons ground anise seed or 1 star anise
1/4 cup white sugar or equivalent amount of piloncillo
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Garnish: orange slices, lightly toasted shredded coconut and/or sliced almonds
In a medium saucepan, combine milk, coconut milk, cinnamon and lemon rind. Bring to a boil. Add salt, rice, anise and sugar. Stir. Add the almond and vanilla extracts. Cook on low heat, uncovered, for about an hour. Stir occasionally. Remove the cinnamon stick and the lemon rinds if you added them.
Divide into serving dishes and chill. Add the garnishes before serving. Serves four.
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Send your story, poetry or art here: Please 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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Subscribe, contact or find back issues at the website https://serf-city-times.constantcontactsites.com
Thanks, Sarah Ringler
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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 © 2024 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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