Vote! Santa Cruz County
By SARAH RINGLER
Be informed, voting has changed. Because of Covid-19, all ballots will be mailed out to registered voters. Once you vote, you have many ways to submit your ballot. Just make sure it’s in by Nov. 3.
You should have already gotten a postcard in your mail with a large blue X and O. It is a kiss and a hug to you from Gail Pellerin, Santa Cruz County Elections Clerk. She spoke online to the People’s Democratic Club, Sept. 10, and gave a thorough overview of elections in Santa Cruz under Covid-19.
Ballots will go out in the mail on Oct. 5. Pellerin is very confident that the US Postal Service can handle the job. You should receive it by Oct. 12. You can return them right away and voters can go to any location to vote or drop off their ballot. There will be fifteen bolted-down drop boxes around the county that will be emptied daily. Check locations here. There are also many options for voting in person. No longer do you have to go to an assigned polling place and stand in line to vote.
Oct. 31- Nov. 3, there will be nineteen locations around the county where people can register, vote and turn in ballots. If there are long lines at a polling station, you will be able to sign up for a text alert with the attendant at the site, and they will text you to let you know when you can return. There will be a check in and check out system.
On Oct. 12, a Pop-up Vote-Mobile will travel around the county ensuring that hard to reach communities like senior centers and out of the way areas of the county are able to participate. After Oct. 12, check for locations.
Mail-in ballots need to be postmarked by Nov. 3. To mail your ballot on that day, get it postmarked inside the post office. Sometimes mail in the blue boxes doesn’t get postmarked until days later. To be counted, it must be received by Nov. 20. Ballots will be tallied. Votes will be finalized, certified and released Dec. 1, as required by state law.
If you're worried about where your ballot goes once you have submitted it, sign up for “Where’s My Ballot?”
Get familiar with who the elected and appointed officials are in our county, their jurisdictions and contacts. Under the Public Officials menu you can find election maps at Santa Cruz County District Maps.
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ENTERTAINMENT
"Jerusalema" - listen, dance and eat
By SARAH RINGLER
Take a break, put on your dancing shoes, grab a plate of food and try a little listen. It is guaranteed to calm your nerves. This upbeat gospel-style song by South African DJ and record producer Master KG, Kgaogelo Moagi, and vocalist Nomcebo was release on YouTube, December 2019. As of Aug. 27, it has passed a 100 million views.
The song was originally sung in IsiZulu, one of South Africa's 11 national languages. The dance steps, that include carrying plates of food, were created by a group of young people from Angola. Since then, many groups have recorded their version on YouTube from kids on the streets in Africa, a family barbecue in Utah and twenty or so members of a law firm in Kenya.
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Jerusalem is my home
Guard me
Walk with me
Don't leave me here
My place is not here
My kingdom is not here
Guard me
Walk with me
This is a rough, shortened translation.
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Public Forum to address equitable economic spending in Santa Cruz
By SARAH RINGLER, IVY MCBRIDE AND NAYTHAN RAMOS
The UCSC NAACP will hold a community forum Sept. 19 from 2-4 pm to address economic spending in Santa Cruz and how it can be more equitably distributed. Black, Indigenous and people of color business owners have suffered disproportionately from the effects of the pandemic. We've seen a 41% drop in Black owned businesses, a 32% drop in Latinx owned businesses, and a 36% drop in immigrant owned businesses nationwide.
As Santa Cruz begins to plan for its economic recovery, it is essential that we keep the specific needs of BIPOC communities in mind. The forum will also cover equity in housing and plans for a Community Refund. To join this forum, contact Naythan Ramos.
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“The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts." James Joyce
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Sarah's 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. As of Sept. 17, there were 2,175 cases that tested positive, an 8% increase from Sept. 10. Eight people have died.
To get tested without a doctor’s request, call 1-888-634-1123 or go online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting. The testing clinic is at at Ramsay Park in Watsonville. Other testing sites that may have restricted access can be found here.
To visit the website for the Santa Cruz County Health Department:
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Tested positive by age/% of population:
19 and under - 16%/24%
20-34 - 32%/23%
35-44 - 17%/12%
45-64 - 26%/26%
65 or older - 9%/15%
Under investigation - .41%
Tested positive by ethnicity/% of population:
Multi-Race - 1%/3%
White - 18%/58%
Latinx - 62%/34%
Black - .4%/1%
Asian - 1%/4%
Other - 2%/.4%
Unknown - 15%
Tested positive by gender/% of population:
Female - 52%/51%
Male - 48%/49%
Other - 0%
Unknown - 0%
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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%
Tested positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 17%/12%
North county - 15%/60%
South county - 63%/29%
Under investigation - 5%
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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, 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 not a profit-making enterprise and all work is volunteer.
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