Santa Cruz is a Homeless Dump For Other Cities
It’s the other “Weekly Dump”! In one of the worst kept, non secrets in the city of Santa Cruz, it came to light last week that other cities are dumping their homeless here. Really?! Santa Mierda! It’s been going on since I don’t know….forever? The new pearl clutching by the Mayor is just to cover his progressive ass over the fact that Santa Cruz has rolled out the homeless welcome mat for DECADES. This past week, the City of Santa Cruz had a press conference “voicing concerns” about the Hanford Police department driving almost 4 hours to dump a homeless person in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz leaders claimed the homeless person was dropped off in the parking lot of a city-run shelter (the Armory) without any plan or prior contact with the city. The city called the move “irresponsible”, and now they are working on a new ordinance to make it illegal for this type of homeless dump to take place in the City of Santa Cruz. Oh good! They plan to create another city ordinance that they won’t enforce! How exciting and pathetic and predictable!
Hanford Police claimed the homeless person refused homeless resources from Hanford Police, and requested to be transported to multiple locations that weren’t feasible like Hawaii (hey they asked!), before settling on Santa Cruz, the home of the free everything gravy train for the homeless. We have a homeless campus here. Hanford Police then drove the person to Santa Cruz.
It’s a minimum of 3.5 hour drive, more likely 4 hours with a food and pee break somewhere along the way. They couldn’t dump them closer to home? Are we that much a homeless magnet and progressive patsy that we have just become the state’s homeless dump? It appears that way. Hanford Police dropped her off at the Armory. Then they DROVE 4 HOURS HOME. Hanford Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston gave a bunch of ridiculous bullshit excuses about how this happened, while their city officials admitted it was not normal practice for Hanford Police to transport a homeless individual anywhere. According to the proposed ordinance, “If an officer, employee or agent of a government agency, is acting on transporting and dropping off an individual on public or private property when that person lacks a fixed regular in adequate nighttime residence it would make the act of doing so a misdemeanor”. Insert yawn emoji here. The ordinance is set to be discussed on Tuesday at the city council meeting.
Aptos Says No to Housing Convicted Rapists
According to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, an Aptos homeowner has shut down and pulled the plug on any idea of housing a convicted kidnapper and rapist in her rental property, forcing state officials to put him somewhere else. Michael Cheek was found guilty of kidnapping, rape and forcible oral copulation in 1980. Shortly after he was sentenced and his prison term began, he escaped from a Contra Costa County jail facility and raped a 15-year-old child in Lake County. He was then sentenced to more time in prison. He was supposed to be placed in a rental on Forest Drive in Aptos. The public recommendation was made by officials from the California Department of State Hospitals and Liberty Healthcare, which runs the state’s conditional release program for declared sexually violent predators. Met with opposition from the District Attorney’s Office and local residents, the homeowner requested to rescind her agreement to rent to Mr. Cheek. The District Attorney’s Office was thrilled, saying that the proposed location for Cheeks placement will no longer be considered. According to prosecutors., there are currently no proposed placement locations pending Court approval. Cheek continues to get sex offender treatment through the Department of State Hospitals in a locked psychiatric facility.
A New Business is Actually Opening in Downtown Santa Cruz
Imagine that! With all the closures and vacancies lately, including the soon to be vacant building where New Leaf has long held down that corner, it’s nice to hear news that a new business is actually opening in downtown Santa Cruz. Nico’s Ice Cream, which is based in Oregon, specializes in a treat of ice cream mixed with real fruit. Their first California location will be opening soon on Cannery Row in Monterey, and this will be their second California location. The Santa Cruz location will be at 111 Locust Street, across from the parking garage and next to the Kaiser offices. They hope to open by the end of the year.
Midtown Loses a Local Treasure
I stopped by The Guitar Shop on Soquel this week, to have one last look before it’s gone. I had heard it was closing. I had a good visit with Steve Crisp, owner and local guitar set up guy legend. I had a problem with one of my guitars, and was hoping to have Steve do some modifications, but he’s not taking any new customers at this time while he’s in the process of shutting down the Soquel store. Yet he still took the time to take my guitar apart and fix it AND set it up while we chatted (and I tipped him of course!). Really nice guy and kind of a local legend when it comes to guitar service.
For many years, Steve was located in the little cluster of shops where 11th Hour Coffee is, before he moved and opened his shop on Soquel. Having a retail store in Santa Cruz is tough. Having a music retail shop in Santa Cruz is REALLY tough. We have Sylvan Music, one of the best high end music shops in the entire country. And we the Starving Musician for the cheap shit. And of course, everyone orders online now. Steve told me he’s moving to a new location which I won’t reveal right now, I’ll let him announce it. He’s done with retail but he’ll still be doing guitar sets ups and service. Pour one out for The Guitar Shop in Santa Cruz.
The Progress Report
I figure with all the new housing and commercial development going on, I’ll pick a different project and give an update.
This week, we’re visiting the affordable housing development proposed for a vacant lot at the corner of Thurber and Soquel Drive, across from Chanticleer and near Dominican Hospital. For about 48 weeks of the year it’s a fenced vacant lot, and for about a month in November they sell Christmas trees. So it seems like a pretty good place to put this, and and pretty good use of the space. It’s on a major bus line. But the neighbors of course don’t like it. Oh well. It’s not like the really have any say in the matter anymore. Live Oak voiced their concerns that the complex is too large and will exacerbate traffic.
The latest updated plans, submitted in late August, are for 181 apartments across five buildings. An interest list for potential tenants has also opened. New plans submitted by Sacramento-based developer Anton Development (who also just built that monster of a housing project on Pacific and Laurel):
- One, two, and three bedroom units
- Two five-story buildings, two four-story buildings and a three-story building
- Space for offices, shops and restaurants on the ground floor of one building
- Parking for 257 vehicles
- A walkway along a wooded area and 2 acres of open space
- All apartments would be offered below market rate as “workforce housing
The project requires environmental review and approval by the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission. A date for the planning commission review has not been set. If the planning commission’s decision is appealed, the project would go to the Santa Cruz County Supervisors for final approval. State laws designed to address the California housing crisis allow developments with enough affordable housing to exceed local height restrictions. They also limit local officials ability to deny or change proposals. A state-mandated county plan to build more housing envisions more than 6,000 new homes in unincorporated Santa Cruz County over the next eight years.
The Weekly Seen
Actor extraordinaire Bryan Cranston was seen breaking bad and seemingly enjoying himself last week at the Brookdale Lodge.
In My Ear
You can read it in the Sunday papers.
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)
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18 Responses
What’s the latest on the “imminent arrest” expected in the Crows Nest shooting? I’m assuming by now that’s the Last Word on this until someone remembers to ask again in about 10 years.
Good question! I’ll see what I can find out this week.
Ben you have a genius way with words. This week I particularly liked:
“They plan to create another city ordinance that they won’t enforce! How exciting and pathetic and predictable!”
and
“progressive patsy.”
Concerning the recent Facebook ban on Santa Cruz Keepin It Real it sure does reek that in some way shape or form that Sheriff Jim Hart and SCPD Chief Bernie Escalante and Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Roswell are behind this incident. I would love to hear your take and your readerships views on this since we can no longer view his Facebook page. What is Facebook’s justification for this ban ? I almost feel like we are living in Russia ! I reached out to local news outlets the Lookout and the Good Times and Santa Cruz Local hoping that they can take a deep dive into finding out more about the ban because we all know that the Santa Cruz Sentinel will never ever ruffle the feathers of the local entities like law enforcement and the city of Santa Cruz.
As far as I know his page is back up and was only down for less than a day. I don’t think anyone local had anything to do about it. What’s likely is someone who read him complained to Facebook about something he (or maybe someone else commented) and FB yanked him for a terms of service violation. But he probably appealed it and won, because his site was only down for a few hours. And they never give an explanation for it. It’s happened to me before. Thanks for reading!
Have you considered reporting the latest Santa Cruz dump? Actually going on for quite some time with no assistance from the local sheriff or CHP. There are hundreds of abandoned vehicles along my road and others in downtown Boulder Creek. Some have severe body rot and attract homeless persons to crawl in and sleep. Some are blocking roadway curbs causing residents’ guests to have to park further away.
If you send me some photos I’ll share them! Thanks for pointing it out.
“The others who come into community who
weren’t sent here by some other government, we receive folks the way they are, like all communities do”. That’s really the scariest part of Mayor Keeleys answer. We are taking in those who hear from the grapevine that it’s a free for all from all over the country. I want my tax dollars excluded to serving anybody that doesn’t have local ties. But at least, this is a start.
The city has made their required responses to several Grand Jury findings, and as usual they disagree with the recommendations, despite pretty thorough investigation by the dedicated citizens who volunteer to give their time. Disheartening, to say the least.
The Thurber housing project does seem to be a good location, on a bus route, not overly tall.
“But we will continue to receive others as they are, like all other communities” (Mayor Keeley. That’s the bigger problem we have, we are so much more tolerant than other communities. Word is over the grapevine all over the country that Santa Cuz is the place to come and have the ability do what ever you want. I have no problem using my tax dollars supporting struggling locals. But that’s where I want to draw the line. But at least this is a start in the right direction.
What was Bryan Cranston in town for? Keanu Reeves will be here on Sept 15, playing with his band.
Apparently a friend’s wedding.
“Pour one out for The Guitar Shop in Santa Cruz.”
I took both of my electrics there for a tuneup years ago. He made them sound better than the day I bought them.
Little known fact: Steve was once Stevie Ray Vaughn’s guitar tech. That says it all.
Unknown fact: My best friend (who I played with in 3 bands over the years) hooked up with Steve many years ago, and contracted him to build the “Guitar Bar” in his basement. It’s a 6-foot long masterpiece: half of a Stratocaster with a gold-orange-tan-brown sunburst finish. It’s a beautiful thing, and nobody else on Earth has one like it.
The shipping of people has been going on for many years. We send them to Bakersfield and they send they back. There are city workers driving around looking for people to ship out to a different city .
This happened to my friends cousin. Next thing he knows he is in Fresno.
We no longer live in the area, but follow Santa Mierda as it’s the best source for SC news vs. fluff in the local media.
It’s great that a new business is opening downtown, but a lot more of this needs to happen. We were back to visit family during Spring Break and the state of downtown on a Friday night was shocking and sad. Outside Abbot Square (which was hoppin’) the rest of downtown was eerily quite, more pan handlers than not, lots of shuttered store fronts. If I were paying rent on a downtown space I would be livid about the street vendors with zero overhead cluttering up my store front.
Reviving downtown should be top priority at every city council meeting. I don’t mean some half-baked feel-good initiative to attract businesses owned by favored groups, which severely misreads the situation. The city needs to attract business of various types to fill vacancies to ensure a critical mass of amenities. Fill the old Logos space with SOMETHING! Power wash the sidewalks and benches. People should not be sleeping/inhabiting doorways. Hopefully the new apartments support more businesses as these fill up. But in the meantime the city needs to do its part in not letting downtown spiral into a shell of its former self. Because in its current state (at least as of 6 months ago), it was a very poor experience for us as visitors.
I’ve always wondered how the murderer of Shannon Collins got to Santa Cruz after being released from Atascadero State Hospital in San Luis Obispo County. By the way, he was welcomed here with open arms by the Homeless Services Center on Coral St. then operated by supervisor candidate Monica Martinez. Not much has changed.
Mayor Keely is a serious embarrassment. He was offended by another city dumping a transient here — what’s he doing about transients who manage to get here on their own? And commit crimes: stabbings, assaults, theft etc. Why are they welcomed? When is the City going to prioritize the safety of it’s residents??