County Scoop - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Growing Up In Santa Cruz, Literally

growingupsc — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 05:40:01 +0000

When the University of California came to town in the 1960’s, our then conservative town thought the worst they were getting were boys in letter sweaters and girls in bobby socks, who may get a little rowdy at fraternity or sorority parties. Well, weren’t they surprised when every public university campus in the United States immediately became a hot-bed of liberal and radical politics: anti-war, pro-feminism, anti-establishment, and pro-environment. But, the changes did not stop there. Newly arrived folks associated with UCSC in some way or other became active in City politics, electing radicals such as Mike Rotkin, Bruce Van Allen to the city council, and Gary Patton to the board of supervisors. Growth management became their hallmark, and restricting growth everywhere except inside the “urban services line” (think no development on the mountain side of Highway 1). Fighting against off-shore oil drilling, abandoning growth dreams such as annexing property between the city’s western edge and Davenport for the construction of 30,000 homes, and on and on. And these were successful efforts. No off-shore drilling today, and the establishment of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. No 30,000 house community from here to Davenport, but the establishment of the Cotoni-Coast Dairy National Monument. All sounds quite wonderful, but virtually no housing was built in the last 30-40 years. One does not need to be the Chair of the Federal Reserve Board to understand what then happened to the price of real estate: It has been growing like crazy, thus pushing out or blocking from entry, moderate and low income individuals and families. Unsurprisingly, that also includes teachers, retail workers, some public employees, and many, many in the service industry. Santa Cruz is not the only community to establish such tools for managing their growth and thus, driving housing prices (both rental and for sale) into the stratosphere. Now, the State of California has grown tired of this statewide situation, and has begun passing laws to make it harder for local governments to turn down housing in general and affordable housing in particular. Now, cities and counties must plan for very significant amounts of new housing. For example, the City of Santa Cruz is required by state law to plan for and encourage development of nearly 4,000 new housing units in the next eight years (500 new units each year, 42 units each month). While all of this is going on, Santa Cruz voters approved a new governance structure: six city council districts and a directly-elected mayor. This complicates achieving the 4,000 new unit goal. Why? Because newly elected council members will be loath to add 666 units of new housing in their districts. So then what is the solution? It is time to grow up! Like most communities that embrace smart growth, Santa Cruz has a chance to site nearly 45% of all of that new housing in our existing urban core downtown. South of Laurel Street, it is proposed to construct 1,800 of the 4,000 new housing units. This will also add to the vitality of our small business core (which is the beating heart of our local economy). But, even with all of that, there is a serious question about whether or not sufficient housing can be built for those either experiencing homelessness or living in low and very-low income circumstances. In order to cure much of that, a two-part housing bond is being prepared. Working with affordable housing developers, for-profit developers, homeless advocates, realtors, contractors, the building trades, and neighborhoods throughout Santa Cruz, it is hoped that we can have a really solid and meaningful bond for the 2024 ballot. Please contact me if you wish to be part of that effort. Fred Keeley is the Mayor of Santa Cruz. He has also served as a county supervisor, county treasurer, and California Assembly member. He is a founding member of Housing Santa Cruz County. fkeeley@santacruzca.gov

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Community Loss

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 19:23:23 +0000

Help Save Watsonville Community Hospital Not only is it the place most babies are born, but it provides invaluable emergency services countywide. By TONY NUÑEZ When news broke late last year that Watsonville Community Hospital was facing imminent closure there was a panic among people that understood what the loss of the 106-bed acute care facility would mean for local health care. Quickly, a coalition of public entities and nonprofits—now known as the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project—formed to purchase the hospital and stave off what would have been a catastrophe for the Central Coast. The hospital employs 620 people and has a medical staff of over two hundred physicians. It provides a range of services to roughly 70,000 residents in the Pajaro Valley, including an emergency room, OB-GYN, pediatrics, medical-surgical care, wound care, gastroenterology, orthopedics and cardiovascular care. And it provides these services to some of the most vulnerable populations: Around 80% of its patients are on MediCal and Medicare—this includes older adults living on fixed income, and blue-collar workers and their families that are the foundation of our service and agriculture industries. In addition, Watsonville Community Hospital delivers more babies than any other hospital in the county. Leadership from the County of Santa Cruz, City of Watsonville, Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley and Salud Para La Gente have raised roughly 75% of the $63 million needed to complete the purchase of the hospital by a fast-approaching Aug. 31 deadline. Jurisdictions such as Santa Cruz ($5.5 million) and Monterey ($3M) counties have already chipped in. So, too, have health care organizations: Kaiser Permanente ($3M), the Central California Alliance for Health ($3M), Stanford Children’s Hospital ($1M), Blue Shield of California ($1M), and Dominican Hospital ($300,000) have all contributed. And, not to be outdone, the Pajaro Valley community—and the greater Santa Cruz County—has also pitched in. Driscoll’s berry company ($1.75M), Dobler & Sons ($100K), the hospital’s medical staff ($55K), the Chinese Community of Watsonville ($50K), Rowland and Pat Rebele ($50K), and the Simpkins family ($50K) have all made significant donations. Along with these monetary investments, our state representatives have pulled off Herculean tasks to get us to this point. This includes State Senators John Laird and Anna Caballero, and Assemblymembers Robert Rivas and Mark Stone.In all, around 300 donors, advocates and contributors—big and small—have realized that losing Watsonville Community Hospital would be devastating for our region. Three months ago I was appointed by the County’s Board of Supervisors to the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD), the new public agency tasked with providing oversight of the hospital once the purchase is completed. I serve alongside John Friel, former CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital who has overseen multiple California health care district hospitals; Jasmine Nájera, licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of experience working for the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency; Dr. Katie Gabriel-Cox, OB/GYN Chief of Watsonville Community Hospital and with Salud Para La Gente; and Marcus Pimentel, fiscal expert and a former Board member of Salud Para La Gente currently serving as Budget Manager for Santa Cruz County. Together, we have worked tirelessly with a stellar group of consultants to complete the purchase of the hospital. Importantly, we believe we have a clear, strong, and achievable roadmap to not only buy the hospital but turn it around after more than two decades of jarring administrative turnover and ensure that Pajaro Valley residents have access to the health care that they deserve.Some of the initiatives we plan to implement to increase revenue include strengthening billing procedures, resulting in reduced denials of payments; adjusting the hospital’s billed charges to better align with insurance reimbursement; and renegotiating commercial insurance contracts. Initiatives relating to decreasing expenses include improving in cost of supplies; aligning physician payments to market rates; and more efficient staff scheduling. Other initiatives include subletting of vacant non-hospital space; using excess space for skilled nursing, rehabilitative services, or behavioral health care; and building volume through physician recruitment and health care partnerships. The hospital has undergone 21 administrative turnovers in as many years. This volatility has made it all but impossible to adequately serve the community and run a sustainable operation. Our new not-for-profit model will give us access to funding sources that were previously unavailable to the hospital, and it will give the community oversight of the direction of the hospital. Perhaps most importantly, it will also guarantee that all of the profits will be reinvested back into the facility and the community. If you have not yet donated, I urge you to do so. Don’t think of your contribution as charity. Rather, think of it as an investment into a promising startup that will provide a sustainable service. Because of our hard-working, nose-to-the-grindstone mentality, we Pajaro Valley residents don’t often ask for help. But this situation is the exception. We need help to accomplish this feat. I’m asking everyone in Santa Cruz County—and the greater Central Coast and Bay Area—to help us complete the purchase of Watsonville Community Hospital. The health of your neighbors, coworkers, employees, friends, and family depend on it. Tony Nuñez is a member of the Board of Directors for the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, regional newspaper editor and lifelong resident of Watsonville. Contact Nuñez at tony.nunez@pvhcd.org. For information on the health care district, visit PVHCD.org. To donate to the Project, visit PVHDP.org. Read More Parenting Articles

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Solar vs Big energy

growingupsc — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 21:41:54 +0000

Is California Attacking Local Solar Customers? by Casey Beyer, CEO, Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce For more than two decades, California solar energy companies, installers and customers have benefited from an incentive program known as Net Metering. What is Net Metering? It is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. For example, if a residential customer has a PV system on their roof, it may generate more electricity than the home uses during daylight hours. If the home is net-metered, the electricity meter will run backward to provide a credit against what electricity is consumed at night or other periods when the home’s electricity use exceeds the system’s output. Customers are only billed for their “net” energy use. On average, only 20-40% of a solar energy system’s output ever goes into the grid, and this exported solar electricity serves nearby customers’ loads. But the billing system is about to change if the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) makes the shift to reduce the credit benefits from the customer back to the utility provider. CPUC wants to slash payments for rooftop solar power, saying the changes would help the state achieve 100% clean energy while keeping the lights on, preventing electricity rates from rising and encouraging people to install batteries. However, solar executives are fighting back and are furious with the changes, saying they would backfire and curtail a thriving industry. And the hot debate that has been brewing for more than a year plus is on the precepts of this change. The proposal from Martha Guzman Aceves, one of five members of the California Public Utilities Commission, would revamp an incentive program called “net energy metering” that has helped the state become a national solar power leader with more than 1.3 million rooftop and other small-scale systems installed. Solar industry and climate change advocacy groups are lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom and his appointees on the utilities commission to keep the program’s basic tenets unchanged. As always there are two sides to the policy discussion. Let’s break them out for you. According to Commissioner Guzman Aceves, “Net metering needs to evolve to reflect California’s changing energy needs. The Golden State’s power grid is increasingly flooded by solar energy during the afternoon but strained on hot summer evenings when millions of people throttle up their air conditioners to cope with high temperatures made worse by the climate crisis.” Her idea is by reducing demand for fossil fuels during net peak periods in the evening, it reduces carbon emission – her primary goal. She and her staff crafted a plan to phase out net metering that will encourage new and existing solar customers to add battery storage systems that can bank clean energy for after dark, she said. Among other provisions, a new “storage evolution fund” would offer payments for homes that already have solar panels to add storage. Other elements of the commissioner’s proposal would prompt Californians to switch from gasoline to electric vehicles, and from natural gas furnaces and stoves to electric appliances fueled by solar and wind energy, Guzman Aceves said — key pieces of California’s war on climate change. For instance, homes and businesses that add solar panels would be allowed to build much bigger systems than are currently allowed under net metering, to support lifestyles that are increasingly powered by electricity. Guzman Aceves’ proposed decision, which was released Monday, endorses the argument made by the state’s largest investor-owned utility companies — Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and Sempra Energy — that net metering subsidizes richer households that can afford rooftop solar at the expense of lower-income households that can’t. Those big utilities are pushing the policy change. They argue that since rooftop solar arrays are mostly owned by upper-income Californians, the current policy, in effect, gives them a subsidy, of as much as $3.4 billion a year, from the pockets of less affluent ratepayers. They also contend that since owners of solar panels use the grid, they should pay something to maintain it, hence the $57 monthly fee. The companies that install personal solar systems counter that the new policy proposal would make them less affordable to middle- and low-income homeowners. They and their environmental allies also contend that changing the rules would have the overall effect of reducing solar generation and thus hamstring California’s efforts to wean itself from carbon-based energy. Both sides have waged public relations and media campaigns to sell their messages, but so far, with the release of the draft, the utility-led faction is prevailing, which is not surprising given the CPUC’s historic slant. According to Abigail Ross Hopper, the President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association: “Only the wealthiest Californians will be able to afford rooftop solar, shutting out schools, small businesses, and the average family from our clean energy future.” “The only winners today are the utilities, which will make more profits at the expense of their ratepayers. We urge Governor Newsom to act quickly to change this decision — at risk are 65,000 solar jobs, the security of our electricity grid, and the health of California residents and our planet.” Let’s get a local perspective from our solar companies in the region. Scott Laskey of Sandbar Solar states: “It’s devastating to see this proposed ruling against independently owned residential rooftop solar and storage from the CPUC. Now it’s really an opportunity for us to see where our State leadership stands on this issue. They have the voices and input to the Governor who will determine the outcome of this proposed decision. Are they for the big utilities and their monopolistic energy delivery strategy, or in favor of a local distributed energy grid that provides resiliency and renewable energy within reach of everybody? The decision can either move California’s renewable goals and job economy forward or result in tremendous local job losses and making independently owned solar and storage cost-prohibitive.” James Allen of Allterra Solar also offered his comments: “If the current proposed decision for NEM-3 holds, solar installation companies like Allterra will be in a very tough place. Homeowners and businesses would be penalized for adding solar with monthly fees and lower credits, which makes no sense at all considering the race to fight climate change. We are working with our industry allies, elected officials, and the community to pressure the CPUC to modify the proposed decision to make it more solar friendly. There is a small window between now and the end of January to help protect the future of clean energy in California.” An ironic twist happened this week as well. Commissioner Guzman Aceves was just appointed by the Biden Administration as the director of EPA Region 9 starting next week. She won’t be a commissioner when this decision comes before the CPUC commission. Adding more fuel to the debate, the full CPUC is expected to vote early next year, but the battle is not over and it now shifts to Governor Newsom, who appoints its members. He’s already nominated a new chairperson, Alice Reynolds, who is now his energy advisor and will take the new position before a final vote on the policy. Politically, therefore, it is very clear that the revised Net Meter policy will only be adopted if Newsom wants it to be adopted. Setting aside the major interest groups in the conflict, it involves two sub-factions that have close ties to the governor — unions and environmentalists — although the latter are also divided into pro and con camps. My bet is on the solar companies and their customers. If you are concerned about the future of California’s solar industry, I encourage you to comment on the proposal and view documents related to the issue here: https://calssa.org/ Read More Parenting Articles

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Youth Bill of Rights

growingupsc — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:08:36 +0000

City of Santa Cruz Children & Youth Bill of Rights By Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Renee Golder If passed, the Bill of Rights will help us promote youth-adult partnership, amplify youth voice and integrate youth voice in City decision making, and foster youth leadership development. Children and youth well-being is a topic that we can all get behind, right? Each of us has some relationship with children – we have our own grandchildren, aunts and uncles, and caretakers. Yet repeatedly, we as adults, organizations, and the government fails to prioritize youth in our decisions and actions. Case in point-In 2019, the federal government spent only about nine percent of the federal budget on children. This is consistent with the level of spending on children over the last several years. Over the next decade, all spending categories on children except health are projected to decline relative to GDP. The Surgeon General’s Protecting Youth Mental Health Report released in 2021 urges us to proceed differently regarding youth and children. The report highlights recent national surveys of young people have shown alarming increases in the prevalence of certain mental health challenges. In 2019, one in three high school students and half of the female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an overall increase of 40% from 2009. Additionally, the report shares that early estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics suggest more than 6,600 deaths by suicide among the 10-24 age group in 2020. We are not exempt from these numbers here in Santa Cruz County. In 2019, 31% of Santa Cruz County students who participated in a California Healthy Kids Survey said they’d had feelings of chronic depression in the previous 12 months. Among the LGBTQ population, that figure was 64%, and 78% among students who identified as transgender. The Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy, has given us a call to action: “This is the moment to demand change—with our voices and with our actions. Only when we do will we be able to protect, strengthen, and support the health and safety of all children, adolescents, and young adults—and ensure everyone has a platform to thrive.”As councilmembers and youth advocates, we respond to this call and ask our City to prioritize children and youth through the City of Santa Cruz Children and Youth Bill of Rights. Aligned with similar efforts at the State and across the State, the City of Santa Cruz Children and Youth Bill of Rights will ensure that leaders keep the needs of young people at the forefront of decisions about budgets and government policies. In preparation for this initiative, we reached out to hear the voices of the youth in our City. One student took the time to email us. Hearing from youth via email is few and far between, and stated, “Investing in youth is important to me because it affects me personally as I, myself am a youth and it would benefit my younger sisters in the future.Thank you for prioritizing youth and investing in all of our futures.” The Bill of Rights provides the foundation that helps our community make children and youth a top priority so that: They have a healthy mind, body, and spirit that enables them to maximize their potential. They develop a healthy attachment to a parent, guardian, or caregiver and an ongoing relationship with a caring and supporting adult. They have a safe and healthy environment, including homes, schools, neighborhoods, and communities. They have access to quality education that promotes future success in school, career, and life. They have training in life skills that will prepare them to live independently, be self-sufficient, and positively contribute to their community. They have employment opportunities with protections from unfair labor practices. They have freedom from mistreatment, abuse, and neglect. They voice opinions in matters of interest, develop their leadership capacity and engage in their community. They feel supported by the larger community and maintain a sense of hope for the future. They are encouraged to explore and express their innate curiosity and creativity. This Bill of Rights was presented to the full Council and the community in partnership with local youth at the December 14th, 2021 City Council meeting. If passed, the Bill of Rights will help us promote youth-adult partnership, amplify youth voice and integrate youth voice in City decision making, and foster youth leadership development. These efforts strengthen youth community connectedness and, ultimately, youth well-being. In fact, the Surgeon General’s report highlights that school, family, and youth connectedness “have been shown to promote positive mental health and reduce the risk for violence, suicide, substance use, and sexual risk during adolescence and well into adulthood.” We have dedicated our professional careers to youth well-being in one form or another-as an educator, a community organizer, and a grant writer. We are bringing this commitment to proactively invest in future generations of leaders in our community. “If we seize this moment, step up for our children and their families in their moment of need, and lead with inclusion, kindness, and respect, we can lay the foundation for a healthier, more resilient, and more fulfilled nation.”−Dr. Murthy  Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Santa Cruz City Councilmember, Grant Writer and Co-Founder of Impact Launch and Renee Golder, Santa Cruz City Councilmember, Principal of Bay View Elementary Martine Watkins, Santa Cruz City Councilmember, Senior Community Organizer at Santa Cruz County Office of Education Read More County Scoop Articles

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Support Local

growingupsc — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 16:38:50 +0000

Supporting Local Businesses This Holiday Season by Zach Friend, Santa Cruz County Supervisor The holiday season is traditionally one of the largest sales times for many retailers. Over the last year and a half, local businesses have been facing additional pressures as a result of the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. Many have faced declines in sales as online retailing has increased and others are having staffing challenges that have required hours to change or owners to work multiple shifts. As a community we have a unique opportunity to show support for our small, locally-owned businesses as they compete with national online retailers – especially during the holiday season. In Santa Cruz County, 82 percent of local businesses have less than 9 employees. Many in the mid and south county work for locally-owned businesses and our local economy is dependent upon a robust small business sector. Some of the local businesses offer online ordering (with same day pick-up) and there are many options (from traditional retail items, to bakery items to hardware) that you can order locally online and pick up straight from the local business. Many in our area are working with local Chambers of Commerce to advertise extended holiday specials that extend beyond the traditional Black Friday or Small Business Saturday events. According to an analysis by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, “locally owned businesses play a central role in healthy communities and are among the best engines that cities and towns have for advancing economic opportunity and building resilient places.” Specifically, they note work from an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta that showed that counties with larger shares of local small businesses outperform their peers on three critical economic indicators: they have stronger per capita income growth, faster employment growth and lower poverty rates. Additionally, an analysis from the Government Finance Review, found that smaller-local businesses (versus box stores) provide more tax revenue on the aggregate while costing less in government services. We have many locally-owned businesses that provide a variety of options for our holiday shopping including kid’s stores, restaurant gift certificates, great coffee shops, clothing stores, jewelers, locally-owned hotel getaway options and more. Some of these small businesses have been recognized nationally for their unique options and all of these businesses employ local residents and many are owned by residents right here in the mid and south county. A number of these businesses are now offering shipping options to you or to those you are purchasing gifts for to save you a trip out and provide an extra layer of safety this holiday season. For example, you can use a local photo store to print your holiday cards or pick up wine at one of our many local wineries as gifts. If you’d like additional information, the Aptos Chamber of Commerce has a businesses directory and holiday specials at www.aptoschamber.com or the Capitola/Soquel Chamber at www.capitolachamber.com and the Pajaro Valley Chamber at www.pajarovalleychamber.com. As always, I appreciate hearing from you. I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at facebook.com/supervisorfriend and you can always call me at 454-2200. Read More County Scoop Articles

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Showing Up For Youth

growingupsc — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 19:59:55 +0000

Showing Up for Youth By Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson Whether or not you’re a parent in this community, each of us has been impacted by the tragic stabbing at Aptos High School that led to the death of a 17-year old child, as well as the arrest of two other children. This has led me to reflect on the impacts of adults in my life when I was a child, and my role, our role as caring adults. When was a time when a caring adult who wasn’t your parent comforted, uplifted and gave you space to grow?I remember my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Donovan. Little in size, big in heart, gray-haired, with red lipstick. I had only been here in the United States for a couple of years and my English was accented, and my grammar incorrect. Mrs. Donovan saw me crying in the hallway. It wasn’t the first time. The other kids were calling me a terrorist. This was 1987. The Iran hostage crisis still permeated my classmates’ parents’ minds. What they heard at home, they repeated at school. She came up to me, put her arm around my shoulder and said, “Shebreh, you can be whoever you want to be. You can and will do great things. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise. So who do you want to be, how do you want to show up, and how can I help you get there?” This incident has stayed with me over the years. It was one of the first times that I saw something different for myself. I’ve reflected on the role Mrs. Donovan had in my life, and undoubtedly so many other children. How do we ensure that every child in Santa Cruz County has the opportunity to meet a Mrs. Donovan? We, as a community, need time to grieve. In our grief and anger, it is easy to jump into blame and shame without pausing and deeply reflecting on how each of us, as individuals, and the systems we are intertwined with, can contribute to a different and better reality for our youth. After giving yourself time to feel the heartbreak of this loss, I invite each of you to reflect on the following questions: What policies, cultural-norms and systems need to shift for us to create safe thriving environments for our youth? What is my role, and how can I contribute to these shifts? We can get stuck in the seemingly impossibility of a task, or we can find the openings that are unique to our role in the community. Here are some of the ways I am engaging:I’m working to bring forward a framework that ensures that the city keeps the needs of young people at the forefront of decisions, including budgets and government policies. This framework will help our community make children and youth a top priority, even during times of political change and financial upheaval. I’m also working with some of my colleagues on Santa Cruz City Council, and committed community members, on the passing of Measure A, which will be on the November 2021 ballot. Measure A will allow the voters of Santa Cruz to make the Children’s Fund law. The Santa Cruz Children’s Fund provides resources for services such as childcare, after-school programs, and scholarships for summer and outdoor learning opportunities to the most vulnerable children in our community (to learn more: https://www.yesonsantacruzchildrensfund.org). Finally, and maybe most importantly, I’ve been asking the children and youth in my life what Mrs. Donovan asked me all of those years ago, “Who do you want to be, how do you want to show up, and how can I help you get there?” I also ask this question to the community. How can we contribute to creating healthy, safe spaces so that all youth can thrive? Each of us, as adults, can create lasting change to uplift children and youth. There are many opportunities in our community, including: Voting on November 2021Volunteering and/or contributing to organizations that support our youth, such as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) ( https://casaofsantacruz.org/) Big Brothers Big Sisters (http://www.santacruzmentor.org/) Community Action Board (https://cabinc.org/) Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance (https://www.pvpsa.org/) United Way of Santa Cruz County (https://www.unitedwaysc.org/) If you’ve made it to this part of the OpEd, you are likely invested in the well-being of our youth, and so I invite your thought partnership. I’m with you. I’m grieving with you. Let’s work together to create a space for all children and youth to thrive. Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson shebreh4santacruz@gmail.com Read More Parenting Articles

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South County

growingupsc — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:00:52 +0000

Expanding Services to South County by zach friend, County Supervisor One of the most significant actions the County took during our recent budget cycle was to authorize the purchase of a new South County Service Center. This purchase will create a second County government building that would provide mid and south county residents equal access to County services – including services for children – in a way that hasn’t been seen before. The building purchase, and subsequent location of many County services in a centralized south county location, will be the largest investment in service delivery for the south county in multiple generations. Where is it located?The new South County Service Center will be located at 500 Westridge Drive (in the former West Marine building) in Watsonville. What would be located at the new center?The goal of the new service center is to centralize current south county services in one location while expanding new offerings that are currently unavailable (or are only occasionally available) to south county residents. For example, the building will consolidate all south county leases (saving an estimated $5+ million over the next 30 years) into one location while providing new services for local residents. While the exact departments and programs haven’t been determined, it’s expected that residents have access to Public Health, Human Services (including safety net programs for children), the Planning Department, County Clerk, Probation, Sheriff’s Office, Auditor/Tax Collector, Assessor, Agricultural Commissioner, the 4th District County Supervisor’s office and more. Currently, south county residents have to drive to 701 Ocean Street in downtown Santa Cruz for many of these services and this will reduce the need to travel to Santa Cruz to access your county government. Additionally, residents in Aptos and other mid to south county locations may chose to do the reverse commute to access services – saving time for residents. When will it open? The County is in process of completing due diligence on the building. Assuming everything checks out the purchase will be finalized, improvements will need to be made to make it functional for County services and it is anticipated to open by the end of next year or the beginning of 2023. What other benefits will the new center provide? Ultimately, the new center provides environmental, equity and economic benefits. It will also provide quality-of-life improvements for both the residents seeking services there as well as from the employees that will be working there. From an equity standpoint, increasing services to the mid and south county is essential. Currently, residents either need to go to multiple locations within the south county to receive services or need to drive nearly 20 miles each way to obtain services from the 701 Ocean Street location. This new location will eliminate much of that need. From an environmental standpoint, reducing car trips for those needing the services and reducing commutes for employees that will work in the center (many of the County’s employees live in south county) is also beneficial. Given that many of the County’s workforce currently commute during rush hour to the Santa Cruz location, having a number of these employees work at the new location (or remote work) will have positive benefits on traffic and the environment. Economically, the project saves a significant amount of money. By consolidating leases and taking advantage of historically low interest rates the County is able to save over $5 million during the life of the loan. As mentioned above, many employees that live in the south county currently commute to the Santa Cruz location. This increases child care costs, makes it harder for them to attend after school sports games and more – all because of the challenges that the commute presents. Eliminating much of that commute for employees will also improve their quality-of-life and is another benefit to the new center. As always, I appreciate hearing your feedback. Feel free to call me at 454-2200 if you have any questions about this or any other County issue. Read More County Scoop Articles

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Expanding Broadband in Santa Cruz County

growingupsc — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 22:31:08 +0000

Expanding Broadband in Santa Cruz County by zach friend, county supervisor It is estimated that as many as 1 in 3 California households lack broadband access with a disproportionate number of those households consisting of seniors, those with low-incomes and adults self-identifying as having a disability The pandemic highlighted the critical need for access to affordable, high-speed internet. For students participating in remote learning, parents attempting to work remotely and our families needing to access tele-health, high-speed internet is an essential resource. Yet, many households in our community, and throughout the state, either have limited bandwidth to meet their needs or are priced out of options. The County has taken some steps to improve the availability of broadband and the state and federal governments are also making efforts to expand access. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 3 California households lack broadband access with a disproportionate number of those households consisting of seniors, those with low-incomes and adults self-identifying as having a disability. Similar challenges exist in Santa Cruz County. For context, 92 percent of households nationwide with incomes between $100,000 and $150,000 have broadband service, while only 47 percent of households making less than $25,000 a year access these technologies. For areas that are covered, most of the lack of service stems from cost, and for those in rural areas (or even relatively suburban areas of our county) there are little to no high-speed internet options – increasing the digital divide. County EffortsThe County of Santa Cruz has developed a series of policies and programs to encourage public and private investment and proliferation of broadband infrastructure. These policies include a “dig once” policy where fiber conduit will be installed whenever public rights-of-way are broached (significantly reducing the cost and also preventing the need to dig up a road that was recently paved in order to add conduit later). Additionally, the County revised permitting fees to directly reflect actual county cost and streamlined the permitting process for fiber infrastructure projects. The County established common technical specifications for broadband infrastructure projects to speed up the process for those increasing this type of infrastructure, created a master lease agreement for companies interested in locating their infrastructure on County assets and the developed a Broadband Master Plan to guide future policy and infrastructure development. Lastly, the Board of Supervisors voted to allocate some of the recent federal relief funding toward increasing broadband access and infrastructure – and previously, relief funds were given to our local libraries to provide for wi-fi hotspots to be checked out by patrons. This has led to a number of areas in the unincorporated area seeing increases in speeds and some reduction in costs. New fiber lines are running through major corridors like Soquel, Freedom, San Andreas and other locations that provide the framework for increased services. State Efforts A recent report commissioned by the California Public Utilities Commission found that the cost of building high-speed internet fiber connections to every unserved building and house in the state could occur with an investment of approximately $6.8 billion. The California State Association of Counties (CSAC), which represents the interests of counties at the state level, has been working with the Newsom Administration to invest $8 billion of the federal relief funding and other new funding made available for this purpose to close the digital divide. As CSAC notes, this level of investment could give households, businesses, schools, and hospitals access to high-speed 100 Mbps broadband and give a giant boost to programs that would spur the adoption of internet service (such as devices, digital skills training, service subsidies, and language access programs and products). What exactly would the state funding do? Most of it would provide 100/10 Mbps fiber optics to buildings and houses currently without it. About a third of it is proposed to construct a statewide middle mile network (to close location gaps where fiber infrastructure occurs) so that any provider could tap in and provide services to underserved areas. This funding would come from the new one-time funds available from the federal relief funding, which includes funding specifically for broadband infrastructure and also more flexible funding that can be applied for things such as broadband expansion. Federal EffortsOne of the largest federal efforts to increase broadband access has been in the recent relief funding. For example, The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households (such as those at 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or that experienced a substantial loss of income during the pandemic). The federal funding also provides significant offsets for schools and libraries looking to provide high-speed internet services and funds will be allocated directly to states to help build out broadband infrastructure projects. Additional federal legislation has been proposed to close the digital divide even further that is currently under consideration. These local, state and federal efforts will help ensure equitable access for broadband and close the digital divide for communities such as ours. As always, I appreciate hearing your feedback on this or any other issue I can help you with. Feel free to call me at 454-2200 with any questions or comments. Read More Parenting Articles

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Vaccine Timeline

growingupsc — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 17:46:53 +0000

Understanding Vaccine Timeline and Questions By zach friend, county supervisor TUES | FEB | 2Supervisor Zach Friend hosts a COVID -19 Tele-Town Hall, 6-7 pm Supervisor Zach Friend will host a tele-town hall on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, from 6-7 pm with Dr. David Ghilarducci, EMS Medical Director and Deputy Health Officer for the County of Santa Cruz. Dr. Ghilarducci is a board-certified EMS Medical Director with extensive public safety and front line experience. Dr. Ghilarducci was previously a Fire Captain and Acting Battalion Chief with the Santa Clara County Fire Department and after transitioning to medicine served as president of the Emergency Medical Director’s Association of California, EMS Medical Director of the Santa Clara County EMS Agency, and later co-director of the Stanford University EMS Fellowship Program. He is also an Emergency/Urgent Care Physician with Kaiser-Permanente. He is one of the leads in the County’s COVID-19 response and will speak about local hospital capacities, the latest vaccine information, local and state COVID trends, and more. Ample time will be made available for your questions. Call-in info is the same: Call in: (831) 454-2222 Meeting ID: 145384# COVID-19 continues to have significant impacts on our local community. As of the time of writing this article, our County has experienced approximately 13,000 local cases, over 110 deaths and has little to no ICU bed availability. Vaccines are one of the strongest elements of hope and distribution has started in Santa Cruz County. While information is constantly being updated I wanted to provide some answers to frequently asked questions regarding the vaccine and timeline. Please visit the County’s vaccine website to look at the latest information in case things have changed: .santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus – click on the “Vaccine” tab. How Effective are the Vaccines? The vaccines developed by Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were approximately 95 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, according to phase 3 trial results. How are Vaccines Distributed? In partnership with the California Department of Public Health and Center for Diseases Control there are currently four avenues to distribute the vaccine. Federal Pharmacy Partnership: Facilities work directly with local pharmacies (CVS and Walgreens) to receive and administer the vaccine. Facilities such as long term care, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities fall within this category. Multi-County Entities: These are large healthcare systems, such as Dignity Health, Kaiser Parmanente, Sutter) that coordinate with the California Department of Public Health directly to receive and administer their allocation of the vaccine. CalVAX State Distribution: CalVax allows individual providers to enroll in the California COVID-19 Vaccination Program and order/administer vaccines. These are for independent physicians or dentists and others. Local Health Jurisdictions: County Public Health coordinates directly with the California Department of Public Health to receive and distribute and/or administer for all other facilities that aren’t within the Federal Pharmacy Partnership or Multi-County Entities categories – regardless of insurance. This may include agricultural workers, for example, or others that fall outside of standard health care settings. When will I receive a vaccine? Vaccines are being distributed through a tier system that provides for priority through risk and other factors determined by the California Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control. At this point, there is no way to know exactly when vaccines will become widely available enough for the entire community to be vaccinated or even when, with the limited weekly distributions that are coming into our County, some of the highest priority tiers will be fully vaccinated. While the tiers have been modified recently by the state, we are currently in Phase 1A which includes acute and healthcare staff, assisted living facility staff/residents, EMTs, paramedics, dialysis center staff, home health and in-home supportive services, public health, primary care staff, Federal Qualified Health Clinics & urgent care clinics, dental/oral health workers, lab workers, pharmacy staff, specialty clinics and those that are 65 years and up. If I am a PAMF, Dignity or Kaiser Permanente Member How Do I Schedule an Appointment? Eligible Kaiser Permanente members can call 866-454-8855 or use their online portal at mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine to schedule an appointment. Sutter/PAMF patients, in the current Phase, can contact 844-987-6115 or visit sutterhealth.org/covid-vaccine for an appointment. Dignity Health patients in the current Phase can contact your primary care provider to schedule an appointment or use the patient portal. For the latest info you can also visit dhmf.org/dominican. How Many Doses are Needed for Each Person?The current COVID-19 vaccines available use two shots. and you must use same vaccine brand for both. The shots are given several weeks apart. According to the CDC, the first shot primes the immune system, helping it recognize the virus, and the second shot strengthens the immune response. How are they Stored? Both of the current available vaccines require very cold storage. The Pfizer vaccine requires storage at -70 to -80 degrees Celsius (which requires a special freezer and/or dry ice for storage). The Moderna is stored at approximately -20 degrees Celsius, which can be done more readily. How can I get more Information? Visit the local vaccine website at .santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus (click on the Vaccine tab) or you can call County Health at 454-4242. Additionally, you can visit the State site at cdph.ca.gov. As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue). I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at .facebook.com/supervisorfriend and during the shelter-in-place order I’m hosting regular tele-townhalls with County and community leaders monthly on the first Tuesday from 6-7 pm. The call in information for the town halls is 454-2222 with the Meeting ID: 145384# – you are welcome to speak about any issue during the town halls or you can always call me at 454-2200.

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Local Transportation Project Funding Approved

growingupsc — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 18:33:25 +0000

The funding works to address a number of issues that are particularly acute in the mid and south county areas.

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