Where Would Jesus Sleep in Santa Cruz?
By KEITH MCHENRY
Bedding swirled into the San Lorenzo River as people in a panic dragged
their soaked tents to higher ground, the shame of Santa Cruz officials
indifference to the homeless for the world to see. Merry Christmas.
We all knew the flood was coming. But city and county officials and their allies in local vigilante hate groups like Santa Cruz Neighbors and Take Back Santa Cruz have aggressively pushed the message that those who live outside are less than human - unwanted pests - making sure that the solution for housing our neighbors is so far impossible.
The Santa Cruz Homeless Union and Food Not Bombs have been warning the
city about the need to move the Benchlands Camp to higher ground for
nearly a year. We argued this eventuality in Federal Court before Judge
Susan van Keulen. The city gave her vague promises of finding a solution
before the deluge. That didn’t happen. Anyone who was found setting up a tent on higher ground was threatened with arrest and told they wouldn’t be harassed if they moved to the Benchlands. That was city policy.
City policy also included forcing people into tents adding to the numbers who had to locate in a flood plain. The police have been systematically forcing people from their vehicular homes by aggressively ticketing them until their housing is towed and scrapped. These older victims of a bah humbug city government find themselves at Food Not Bombs seeking a tent, a tarp and direction of where to set up.
But because city officials don’t seem to view the people living in the Benchlands as fully human, they didn’t make any plans. They didn’t announce a higher ground location the week before the catastrophe. They didn’t arrive with trucks and offer to move those who wanted to go to Harvey West or the garages, as bleak as that is.
They couldn’t because their campaign of hate towards the homeless that
they have generated during city council meetings and in the media would
mean immediate push back from their allies.The people on the Benchlands did what they could to prepare for the floods.
Benchland campers have been dragging palettes to their sites for weeks.
Water diversion trenches have been excavated. Food Not Bombs has spent
over $4,000 in cheap pup tents and tarps to aid in the effort.
Our contingency plan for the Benchland was a move back to the area of last year’s Holiday Evictions at least during the flooding. Those plans were blocked by the police even as the San Lorenzo River flowed across the camp.
California has a $30 billion surplus and HUD claims they could end homelessness in all of America with less. Millions pass through the hands of our local bureaucracy every year dedicated to solving the "homeless problem." This global spectacle of shame could have been averted.
A town named Santa Cruz would have found the homeless baby Jesus laying
in a manger and told Mary and Joseph to go find a scrap of mud in a flood zone and pitch a cheap pup-tent.
The photo below shows last week at the benchlands camp by the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz after heavy rains but before the recent washout,.
Photo by SARAH RINGLER
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The unknown world: How I tracked Bigfoot through the Malaysian jungle
By JAN MCGIRK - LOCAL SANTA CRUZAN PROVIDED THIS SPECIAL TO THE SERF CITY TIMES FROM THE INDEPENDENT, A BRITISH NEWSPAPER - 2/22/2006
Local Bigfoot investigator and curator Michael Rugg, stands beside a wooden sculpture of a Bigfoot that was stolen Nov. 9, 2020 from the Bigfoot Discovery Museum at 5497 Highway 9 in Felton. Sherifs later found Bigfoot tossed by the road and returned him.>
Photo by SARAH RINGLER
Jan McGirk joined a team of paranormal investigators to check out reports of 10 foot giant apes in the rainforest near Kota Tinggi. This is what they found...
At first glance it might have seemed like nothing. A four-inch impression in the mud of the Malaysian rainforest. On closer inspection, however, it seemed as if it might be the astounding find the expedition had been hoping for. A footprint of the creature known variously as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the tropical Yeti or - to locals - the Mawas.
Said to grow up to 10-feet tall, with an awesome arm span, a trio of these undiscovered hominids were at the center of a flurry of unconfirmed sightings by frightened plantation workers three months ago. And in the fading light of the Bukit Lantang woods on the fringe of dense forest in Johor state, a single splayed print appeared to offer the most compelling evidence yet that we were on the trail of the mighty beast.
The Mawas appears to have grabbed for support when it teetered off-balance, because tree branches 11 feet overhead had been damaged, directly above the spot where the animal's left heel had sunk four inches into a muddy puddle. A stick had snapped beneath one of its toe depressions.
A second fresh footprint proved impossible to find but recent damage to a rotting log, located a couple of strides away, suggested it had might have borne a prodigious weight.
For the excitable team of Yeti hunters, mainly a mix of Singapore enthusiasts and volunteers from the capital Kuala Lumpur it was vindication. Even the skeptics, including this reporter, were secretly impressed.
As with the two extremely faded footprints that had been found preserved in fresh tar on a nearby road, this print measured nearly a triple handspan across, roughly 11 by 19 inches. The Australian tracker Tony Burke, part of the Singapore team, estimated that to make such a print, an animal would have to weigh at least 240 kg, almost 530 lbs.
"I'm a cynic, but if we could see a right footprint as well, we could at least measure its gait. Maybe if we had some scat, I could be totally convinced," he said. "I am about 50 per cent there. Let's see what the lab results are."
An official government committee of research scientists, appointed by Abdul Ghani Othman, chief minister of Johor state, has been trying to verify Bigfoot's existence since late January, by interviewing witnesses, setting up camera traps in its likely haunts, and collecting evidence from tribal informants in the national parks.
But our paranormal investigators' search party, tailed by an excitable science-fiction film crew from Los Angeles, was anything but stealthy. Kong Kam Choy, a 40-year-old construction worker who likes to trek through the jungle in his free time, convinced the gaggle of researchers to tramp through a leech-infested grove near a palm plantation where he had come across unusually big tracks that he could not readily identify.
It was just two hours before dusk, thunder was rumbling and the group was disappointed, having made a futile afternoon voyage upriver to examine a set of tracks discovered on 10 January near the Tanjung Sedili creek. These had since been washed away by tropical downpours and overrun by wild boar.
Then we struck gold. Kenny Fong, an e-commerce professor who founded Singapore Paranormal Investigators five years ago, came running when Josh Gates, a sci-fi documentary maker, summoned him to check out the peculiarly large footprint.
Professor Fong considers himself a debunker who is keen to spot a hoax. Using a police crime scene kit designed to preserve footprints for court evidence, he set about the job. A technician required three full bags of plaster (at about 1lb a bag) to fill the huge depression made by the single footprint. The muddy size 20 footprint was doused with hairspray before quick-setting plaster was poured into each crevice.
As the group gawked and cameras whirred, the print took on that unmistakable and almost comically ominous Bigfoot shape - the flat foot with four rounded digits, plus a gorilla-like big toe jutting out from the side. "People say Bigfoot doesn't exist, and I have had my doubts. But what else could it be?" asked Professor Fong, who promptly toppled off a hillock in his excitement to photograph the group in front of the fresh paw print.
According to Vincent Chow, a Malaysian bio-diversity expert, this area of diverse rainforest has been rife with Bigfoot sightings all month. "An elephant has been foraging in those woods for food, so farmers set off explosives to frighten it away from their fields," he said. "But animals get accustomed to these blasts and ignore them. Now we think a Bigfoot family of three may be shadowing the elephant, who clears the way.
"Fourteen large footprints were found nearby on Saturday. Then at 4am, workers were awakened by 10 minutes of weird hooting, a kind of call and response session, while they were asleep at a palm oil plantation." The planter, Abdul Rahman Ahmad, said his terrified workers at Komping Lukut described the eerie night cries as long drawls in three distinct pitches. "They said it sounded like squeals of wild pigs mixed up with the deep barks of gibbons - but not like owls," he recounted. They also heard heavy crashing through the underbrush. Mr. Chow speculated that at least three different animals, which the local tribes call Hantu Jarang Gigi, or "snaggletoothed ghosts", must have been involved in this curious chorus.
Historical records show eight claimed sightings of enormous ape-men in southern Malaysia that date back to 1871, and the Orang Asli tribes who inhabit the forest famously dread an encounter with these shy, oversized apes, known variously as Sasquatch in Canada, Yowie in eastern Australia, Bigfoot in the western US or the Yeti in the Himalayas.
The creature is almost ubiquitous and many cultures throughout the world have legends about man-beasts. Recorded sightings in North America date back to the early 1800s. According to some Native American tribes, the Sasquatch are not flesh-and-blood creatures in the first place but spirits which appear to humans in times of crisis. But despite numerous sightings, photos and footprints of often questionable origin, there has never been conclusive proof that these creatures exist. No droppings, no bones, no hair and no bodies found - alive or dead.
So far, the same remains true of the Malaysian Mawas.
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“Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than to be in bad company.”
― Booker T. Washington
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24 times more likely to die in Santa Cruz County from homelessness than from Heart Disease
By SARAH RINGLER
Tuesday on Zoom, the National Homeless Persons Memorial Day held its 23rd Annual Memorial Service in conjunction with Housing Matters, the Santa Cruz County Homeless Persons Health Project, Wings and the Salvation Army. In Santa Cruz County this year, 95 people died, 76 men and 19 women. That is a 23% increase over last year. In addition, another 56 died this year who had been previously unhoused during the year. David Davis, of the SCCHPHP noted that this as been the worst year in its 23 years.
At the time of death, 26 died outside, 35 in the hospital or in a skilled nursing facility, 11 with friends or family, 10 in a shelter, five in their vehicle and it is unknown at this time for the remaining eight. Each name was read out and afterwards memories were shared.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A juvenile black-crowned night heron huddles in the low branches of Struve Slough in Watsonville.
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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, Dec. 23, totaled 21,964 up 256, from Dec.16. The number of deaths rose by two to 227. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.
There have been some changes in the last week. Cases in south county rose by 8%. Mid county stayed the same and north county decreased by 7%. See details in the chart below.
Locally, as of Dec. 21, two samples of COVID-19 were detected that contained the Omicron mutation. Both were North County residents in their mid-20s.
On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Dec. 19, 77% of the county have had at least one dose and 71% have had two doses. Cases with one and two doses rose 1 % since Dec. 12. 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 now below one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
There are many COVID-19 testing locations around the county and a few sites have free testing. For information on how to get tested, visit this site. Click here to make an appointment to get tested.
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 - 37%
Black - 1%
Asian - 7%
American Native - 1%
Unknown - 1%
% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 49%/50%
Male - 51%/50%
Deaths by age/227:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 1%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 22%
85+ - 43%
% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 12%/12%
North county - 44%/56%
South county - 43%/32%
Under investigation - 2%
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
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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%
Oct. 1-7 - 0%
Oct. 8-14 - 1%
Oct. 15-21 - 1%
Oct. 22-28 - 1%
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - 1%
Nov. 5-11 - 1%
Nov. 12-18 - 2%
Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 - 2 weeks 2%
Dec. 2-9 - 2%
Dec. 9-16 - 1%
Dec. 16-23 - 1%
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Fashion Street - A Balanced Diet
Santa Cruzan, Thomas Sperance, aka Mr. Hedge in his radio days, performs his art on Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz. Go to YouTube to see more of Sperance's Musical Saw and Balancing Act.
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Labor History Calendar for December 24-30
Kids burning an effigy of a landlord during the Dec. 26, 1907 New York Rent Strike.>
Dec. 24, 1913: 72 miners’ children killed in panic in Calumet, Michigan.
Dec. 25, 1919: IWW forms Chilean administration
Dec. 26, 1907: Massive NYC rent strike begins, 10,000 families participated by withholding their rent. Between 1905-1907, average rents rose 33 percent. Pauline Newman, a 16-year-old immigrant from Lithuania and seamstress worked with the families to protest. Landlords fought back by shutting off the water and ordering evictions. Some landlords agreed to lower rent but it took twenty years more for New Yorkers to get rent control.
Dec. 27, 1831: Christmas rebellion in Jamaica escalates, 60,000 of the country’s 600,000 slaves rise up against slavery. Over 800 were killed either during the revolt or afterwards in revenge. The rebellion was brutally crushed but some historians credit the passing of the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act in the British Parliament for ending slavery in most of parts of the British Empire.
Dec. 27, 1911: UK cotton mills lock-out 126,000 workers until Jan. 19.
Dec. 38, 1936: GM sit-down strike begins at Fisher Body plant.
Dec. 29, 1890: Wounded Knee massacre of Oglala Sioux, Pine Ridge, SD.
Dec. 30, 1936: GM sit-down strike spreads to Flint, Michigan.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Persian Dip, Mast-o-Khiar
By SARAH RINGLER
Before my mom died earlier this year, I traveled south to north San Diego county to visit her and help my sister with her care. My sister's neighbor, Luisa, also helped with our mom and we would all visit together. Sometimes she would bring food she had cooked. Luisa is from Rome so sometimes it was Italian food, but she also lived for a while in Iran. That is where she learned to make these dips.
My mom had told me about these dips and Luisa agreed to come over and share the recipe. But, we had to wait for the day that the herbs and bread came in fresh to the local Iranian market. San Marcos has a large Iranian population. Friday was that day and Luisa arrived with bags full of ingredients and the sangak bread.
Luisa chopped each of the herbs separately. The smell was like fresh air over a grassy field.
I don’t think sangak bread is available around here. It is shaped like a bath mat and is as large. It is dimpled with brown spots that come from the stone it is baked on and from which the name of the bread comes from. It is slightly chewy and wonderful but the dip is so amazingly good, you can eat it with cardboard.
Mast-o-Khiar, yogurt and cucumber
English or Persian cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped into ½ inch cubes
3 cups of whole milk yogurt, drained or 1 cup Greek style yogurt or Labna
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped green onion
1 tablespoon chopped mint – washed and dried
2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill – washed and dried
1 tablespoon chopped small, fresh basil leaves– washed and dried
2 garlic cloves minced
4 tablespoons walnuts finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup raisins, optional
Garnish with fresh mint or 2 tablespoons fresh rose petals cut into ribbons.
Put the whole milk yogurt into a strainer that is lined with cheesecloth. I used Pavel’s brand whole milk yogurt. It separates easily. Other brands have a more consistent texture and can take longer to separate. Cover and let it sit for 6 hours or so. Pour off the liquid or save for baking. When the yogurt has solidified, put into a small bowl.
Wash and dry all the herbs. Chop the green onion, dill, mint, basil and garlic together until finely minced then stir into the yogurt cheese. Add the sour cream, salt, pepper, walnuts and raisins if you want. Chill and serve.
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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
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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