The Weekly Dump – 8.30.24

Celebrating a Love of Labor

Let’s talk about labor. We spend most of our adult lives laboring over something. Maybe it’s a job. Maybe it’s a calling. Maybe it’s a hobby. Maybe it’s a side hustle. Maybe it’s raising children, arguably the hardest job of all. But there’s a sense of purpose when we labor over something. They call it a “labor of love” for a reason. It’s work we love despite the work involved. Speaking now as an “old person”, it feels to me like working hard to achieve something has slowly regressed over each successive generation. Technology has made things easier for everyone, so we don’t need to try (or work) so hard to achieve something that in the past may have required significant labor and money to achieve. Does this easier path create a sense of entitlement now? Hard to say in this age of social media influencer for a living world we now live in. 

The generation of my grandparents fought in World War II. This generation is considered by many to be “the greatest generation”. They were selfless and worked extremely hard to support the war and their families, they lived through the great depression. These people worked really fucking hard just to make a living. And it feels like with each passing generation, things got easier and people worked less hard. Which is a good thing. Working less hard is a good thing but taken to extremes, the easier it is to achieve, the less someone wants to work hard to get it. 

The poor and struggling and middle class understand hard work. That’s why they are known as “the working class”. They have no choice. It’s all they know. They work multiple jobs, and when they aren’t working they sleep for a few hours before they get up and do it again. The rich get richer and as that happens, they work less and delegate more. which is still kind of work, but it’s not physically hard work. We need managers. But more importantly, we need the people they manage to have a decent life, good working conditions, some kind of hope for something better as a result of hard work. So celebrate Labor Day by just saying thank you to the people that work hard for you every day, the folks in the grocery store, the public servants like the police and yes, even the traffic enforcement folks just doing their difficult jobs. To all the people who make my life easier through your dedicated and hard work, thanks!

Keeping Sex Offenders Out of Aptos

Thanks to the Community Program Director at Liberty Healthcare of California, Inc. and the California Department of Mental Health, the Superior Court of California is considering sticking a twice convicted rapist and sexually violent predator in a rental home in Aptos. I mean, fuck the neighbors right? Gotta accommodate the rapist in Aptos of all places. How about sticking his ass in Bakersfield, or Lemoore, or so other armpit community in California. Where’s the logic in sticking him in one of the most affluent geographic areas in the country? He has no connection to this area. He didn’t grow up here. He has no family here. Why here? This is the same guy they wanted to stick in Bonny Doon. Nobody wants him around here. And for good reason! He’s a piece of crap who’s likely to offend again given the opportunity. 

Michael Cheek’s connection to Santa Cruz County comes from his gunpoint kidnapping and rape of a 21 year old Los Gatos woman near Seabright Beach, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. After he escaped from a Contra Costa County jail facility, he raped a 15 year old girl in Lake County. He was later recaptured and convicted, and served out his prison sentence from 1981 through 1997. He then waived his right to a trial seeking an unsupervised release, and told the judge he wanted to be sent to a mental hospital for treatment. The court system deemed him to be a “sexually violent predator” under a then-new state law. Those who complete their prison terms and qualify as violent offenders at risk of reoffending under parole due to a diagnosed mental condition may then be transferred to psychiatric care. He remained in the state hospital for continued rehabilitation until Oct. 7, 2019, when Judge Stephen Siegel granted Cheek a conditional release to begin supervised outpatient treatment upon recommendation from the facility. Yes, if you were wondering, Judge Stephen S. Siegel is a judge for the Superior Court of Santa Cruz County. He was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2012. Appointed by the same guy who grifted us with Props 47 and 57. 

Let’s keep this guy out of Aptos and out of Santa Cruz County. Maybe he can stay with his deliverer Judge Stephen Siegel? Here’s a link to the official court document where you can read all about this. Public comments must be submitted by September 24th. Send comments to criminalinfo@santacruzcourt.org or snail mail to Superior Court, 701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060.  A court hearing to review the sustainability of the Aptos location is scheduled for Oct. 18th at 1:30 p.m. in Department 6 of the courthouse.

Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors Bypass Voters on Picking a New Sheriff

The Sheriff of Santa Cruz County is supposed to be an elected position, but as usual, the voters really have no say in the matter. In typical, good old boy fashion, the “undersheriff” has been hand picked to succeed the Sheriff when he quits early in December. Retiring Sheriff Jim Hart was only 2 years into his 6 year term when he decided to retire early. The Santa Cruz County board of directors unanimously voted to appoint Clark as the new sheriff. He’s set to begin this new role on December 7th. Now we’re stuck with someone nobody voted for. For the next 4 years. I have nothing against Chris Clark. I’m just against entitlement over voter choice. When publicly questioned about why Clark was appointed and not elected by voters, the county response has been something along the lines of “Because Hart is retiring before his term is up, the county’s board of supervisors is tasked by law to vote for the appointment of a new sheriff when an elected sheriff steps down mid-term”. Hm. Smells like collusion to me. Anyways, I’m fine with Jim Hart leaving. He’s always been too politically compromised for me. I really don’t expect any better from the new same old guy either. In 2028, when Clark’s term is up, the community can vote for an elected sheriff. Yeah right! Unless he leaves 3 years in and we play this same stupid game all over again. I’ll believe it when I see it. 

Soquel Hit and Run Sends Woman in Wheelchair to Trauma Center

Last Tuesday morning around 7:30AM, a woman in a wheelchair was struck by a gray Toyota SUV on Soquel Avenue near Pennsylvania. The 25 year old woman had to be airlifted to a trauma center for multiple fractures. Police had a good description of the vehicle and the plate number, so I’m hoping they actually caught the guy who did this. If anyone happened to witness the incident, please let me know so I can pass that information along to friends of the victim. 

Woman Drowns Off Scotts Creek Beach

Wednesday morning around 10:30AM, CAL FIRE, state park rangers and county and Santa Cruz city firefighters responded to Scotts Creek Beach after receiving a call that someone had seen a person floating in the water near the southern end of the beach. Once the victim was brought to the shore, life saving measures were attempted but the 63 year old woman died at the scene.

Burglars Hit Brookdale and Boulder Creek Businesses

Tuesday morning, burglars broke into the market store at the Brookdale Lodge. The Brookdale Lodge has surveillance footage of a suspected burglar loitering outside the lodge’s market store before kicking the door in. They stole the cash register and vandalized the point of sales system before leaving. The next day, burglars hit the Boulder Creek American Gas Station. Although the two incidents are similar and close in time, the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office said there is nothing that shows the two are related right now.

The Community Speaks!

The Question of the Week is back and this week we’re talking groceries! Locally, we are blessed with a wealth of good grocery store options. But as I found out, one grocery store in particular is overwhelmingly loved by the locals, and that would of course be Shoppers Corner. Not only is it an institution, they still have great stuff! And people love to shop there. 

QOTW: “What’s your favorite grocery store in Santa Cruz?”

“Shoppers/Traders and Westside farmers market”
Carol

“Deluxe Foods in Aptos. Best produce & sushi made daily”
Sean

“Light shopping at Dekes on 7th Ave…Safeway 41st”
John

“TJs, New Leaf, Grocery Outlet & Nob Hill”
Heidi

“Trader Joe’s Capitola, Capitola Produce and Deluxe Foods in Aptos”
Tristan

“Shoppers Corner Best, Costco best bulk supplier”
Tom

“You can’t go to one store in Santa Cruz. Shoppers, Trader Joe’s, Costco and the Farmers Markets with a sprinkle of Grocery Outlet and Safeway on top”
Lisa

“Shoppers Corner!”
Edward

“Shoppers Corner, fer sher”
Jeff

“Staff of Life for me!”
Douglass

You read read everyone’s favorites over here!

In My Ear

Merle Haggard – Working Man’s Blues

New Santa Mierda YouTube Channel!

I started a new YouTube channel for the Weekly Dump. It will host all my videos going forward. I’ll also put the podcast over there too if I can ever get that going. Go check out some videos if you haven’t seen them yet, and thank you to all the subscribers! (you can subscribe over there)

Check Out Our Twitter Feed for More Mierda!

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