The Weekly Dump 3.31.17

Operation Surf Santa Cruz Comes to Cowell’s Beach and Capitola

Amazing Surf Adventures is bringing Operation Surf Santa Cruz to Cowell’s Beach and Capitola from March 30th through April 5th, 2017. Severely wounded active duty and veteran service members from various branches of the U.S. military who served in Afghanistan and Iraq will take part in the experience at beaches across the Santa Cruz coast. For many participants, the trip to Santa Cruz is their first time leaving the hospital since being injured in Iraq or Afghanistan, making this unique and highly effective healing tool an invaluable part of their early recovery. You might have seen them coming into town early Thursday with a police escort to the Dream Inn. Terrific program and awesome work to all involved.

Job Fair For Veterans Coming to Downtown Santa Cruz Next Week

Nearly 20 local employers will participate in a job fair for military veterans on April 6th from 1-4PM at the Veterans Memorial Building on Front street in downtown Santa Cruz. UC Santa Cruz, the County of Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Seaside Company, and the City of Santa Cruz are all expected to participate. In addition, Santa Cruz Nutritionals, Fox, Santa Cruz Bicycles and S. Martinelli & Co. will also be recruiting. Granite Rock, Bright Vision Solar, Comcast, Allied University Security, Dignity Health, and New Leaf Community Markets will also be in attendance. Two unions will also be on hand, International Order of Electrical Workers and Operating Engineers Local 3. Workforce Santa Cruz County recommends job-hunters check the websites of participating employees to find out what positions are available. To help vets translate their military experience into private-sector job skills, one-on-one resume reviews will take place from 2-4 PM on April 4th, with mock interviews from 3:30-5:30PM on April 5th. Both activities will take place at the Veterans Memorial Building.

FOPAR Scholarships Still Available!

For one more day! FOPAR (Friends of Parks and Recreation) offers scholarships to city run summer youth programs for low income residents. It’s a great program. If you know anyone who you think might benefit, please share this link with them. Applications are due Friday, March 31, 2017 by 5:00 pm. If you have questions, please call Parks and Recreation at 420-5270. Applications and proof of city residency may be faxed to 831-420-5271.

SENSE OF URGENCY ALERT: TODAY (FRIDAY) IS THE FINAL DAY TO APPLY.

New Rides Coming to the Boardwalk

The Boardwalk got a facelift and new rides for 2017! The new rides are part of a $14 million Boardwalk project that will also make over the park’s central entrance near Neptune’s Kingdom and upgrade several buildings, including the home to the Fright Walk, which will expand and move under the Boardwalk. The new “Shockwave” will rise some 65 feet in the air on top of an expanded upper deck overlooking the main entrance. The ride will feature 24 “motorcycle-style” seats arranged around a large disc. The ride’s disc will spin while rocking riders back and forth on a curling, wave-shaped track, according to a park release. Just inside the entrance, the 60-foot “Typhoon” will swing riders upside down on two spinning arms. This ride is similar to a former ride of the same name that was removed in 2009.

The Boardwalk will be open daily from April 1st through April 15th for spring break.

Live Oak Traffic Stop Yields Drugs and Guns and Ammo

What started with a foot chase after CHP Officers observed drugs inside a car during a traffic stop resulted in a series of weapons charges. CHP Officers pulled over a 35 year old Santa Cruz man Sunday night in Live Oak on East Cliff Drive for a traffic violation and noticed illegal drugs inside his Toyota Corolla. Before they could detain him, the man fled on foot but was quickly caught and arrested by CHP. Officers on scene located weapons and ammunition inside his car. The individual was booked into county jail.

Homeless Man Dies on Pacific Avenue

Monday afternoon, a number of people enlightened me to the body lying under a yellow blanket at the entrance to Pacific Avenue near the clock tower. There doesn’t appear to be any sort of crime involved here. What I heard was that the victim, a male, may have fallen out of his wheelchair and hit his head on the street or maybe the curb. Apparently there were a number of witnesses, and a couple folks may have tried to help him by rendering CPR until emergency crews arrived on scene, where he was pronounced dead.

Man Dies After Falling From Cliff in Davenport

An 18 year old man from Hercules was walking with friends when he came too close to a cliff’s edge and fell to his death above Panther State Beach in Davenport on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. Cal Fire rescuers were dispatched about 5:15PM. The UCLA freshman was with a small group when he fell from the roughly 150 foot cliff, Sgt. Chris Clark said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Shirtless Man Melts Down on Squid Row

I got a report that a local tweeker was having what can only be described as drug fueled meltdown near Squid Row on Thursday afternoon around 4PM, breaking windows and causing general mayhem towards anyone in the area. He was reportedly bleeding from the arm he cut through someone’s window. White male, thin, no shirt, no shoes. He reportedly went into Sentinel Printers, raised hell, left, came back. SCPD found him on Chestnut and Center street on the median in the middle of the road. He was apparently well known to SCPD. He was arrested for misdemeanor vandalism.

Two Detained at Gunpoint in Front of Burger King on Mission

Two people were detained at gunpoint last Friday night around 8:30PM. Right across from U-Save Liquors on Almar. So basically right at the busy intersection of Mission and Almar. Another 2 people apparently got away by running down Younglove before SCPD arrived. All 4 were described as young Hispanic males.

Tire Slashers Target Public Safety Vehicles

Late Saturday or early Sunday morning, at least 4 vehicles had their tires slashed and SCPD believes the 4 incidents are related. Multiple first responder vehicles for Santa Cruz, Aptos-La Selva Beach, and Cal Fire were deliberately damaged. The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office is investigating one of the incidents in Live Oak. SCPD is investigating the incidents that took place in the city limits.

Keep Your Briquettes Off the Beach

The City of Santa Cruz has decided to start enforcing one of the many laws it’s chosen to overlook and not enforce over the years. Thanks for letting us know! They decided last week to start enforcing a law prohibiting charcoal fires on Cowells and Main beaches. The biggest reason (excuse for now enforcing the law) is PUBLIC SAFETY! Apparently, the concern is a large number of people are just dumping their hot coals in one of two places: the sand (usually burying them) or the trash cans. The first option should have obvious concerns for anyone who likes to walk barefoot on the beach. It’s bad enough we have to worry about stepping on needles all the time, we shouldn’t have to worry about needles AND scalding hot fire nuggets buried in the sand. The 2nd option usually results in the plastic trash cans eventually catching fire, usually full of trash, which then washes back into the ocean. I guess they’ll still allow propane/butane stoves of some types, but no more charcoal. The word is enforcement will begin after Memorial Day.

Fence Remains Around Downtown Post Office

It’s been a couple weeks and the fence is still up around the post office. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a different answer as to why it’s there. It’s there because we can’t have nice things in this town. The same reason we don’t have 24/7 public bathrooms downtown. It’s for the same reason. It’s because the city and county willingly and negligently allow the type of unlawful behavior that forces decisions like this to be made in the first place. We over tolerate bad behavior advocates like blowhard carpetbaggers and their sugar mamas and let them decide what rules apply or don’t apply to “protests” or “demonstrations”. We simply have weak city leadership unwilling to prioritize public safety of the community at large over anyone’s perceived civil liberties grievance. It starts at the top here. It ends at the top here.

Homeless sleep in front of city hall. Nasty, half eaten Food Not Bombs food container left outside overnight to feed the rats.

Sign the petition. Stop allowing anarchists to dictate what we have to tolerate.

Santa Cruz County Probation Department Studies Recidivism

The Santa Cruz County Probation Department is preparing data on repeat offenders to analyze methods that could reduce criminal recidivism, a department official said last week. JUST WHAT WE NEED HERE. ANOTHER STUDY TO TELL US WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW.

The evaluation plan will help the agency, which employs roughly 130 people and operates with an annual $21 million budget, establish a baseline for recidivism. The California Department of Justice defines “recidivism” as an arrest within three years of release from incarceration or supervision for a previous criminal conviction. A “BASELINE” FOR RECIDIVISM. HOW ABOUT ZERO AS THAT BASELINE?

About 25 percent of all probation cases are repeat felony offenders, according to Chief Probation Officer Fernando Giraldo. The agency has about 2,000 cases. Adult Probation Division Director Sarah Fletcher said most of the department’s 230 current AB 109 cases are high-risk cases for potential repeat offenses. AB109 cases constitute about 10 percent of the department’s caseload. “They keep us busy,”

“The top two problems we see are mental-health issues and substance-abuse problems,” Giraldo said. “Our folks have chronic physical and mental-health problems.”

Santa Cruz County’s arrests per 100,000 adults have been steady with about 1,200 felonies annually from 2011 to 2014, the latest totals available, according to data provided by Giraldo. He said the probation department is working to reduce the number of misdemeanor offenders who end up in Santa Cruz County Jail. “A large number of those are drug, and alcohol-related and many are released in four days,” Giraldo said. “For those cases, you have to look at it as a health issue.”

Hugh’s News

Santa Cruz City Council Meeting: March 28, 2017
Not a whole lot to report this week. Council blazed through the agenda this evening. Council rejected unspecified damage claims made by the family of Sean Arlt who was killed in an officer involved shooting in October 2016. Should Arlt’s family chose to move forward in their claim they will need to file a civil lawsuit against the city. My heart still and always will go out to everyone that was involved in this tragedy. Council unanimously voted to extend a pilot program that eases restrictions on food trucks. I personally love having food trucks around. We have some great restaurants in Santa Cruz and variety is a good thing. A gentleman representing Shakespeare Santa Cruz spoke in favor of Food Trucks. Great entertainment and great food. Sign me up. Of course our friend in the bathrobe said he didn’t review this topic but then used it as a platform to shame council.
The most controversial topic of the evening was charcoal on the beaches. Charcoal bbqs are not allowed on the beach. It’s been this way for some time by the way. Butane and propane bbqs are ok. Charcoal on the beach is harmful to the environment and there are dipshits that put charcoal in the sand and people with bare feet step on them. Currently if the rangers see someone using charcoal, they inform them that it is not allowed. If people comply, everyone moves on. If people don’t, they get a citation. Of course Khron thinks the citation is too harsh. Really? Someone doesn’t comply with a law and a citation is too harsh. Eyeroll. This isn’t about ruining someone’s day, this is about helping the environment. There were a few people that chimed in during public comment. The final verdict was to have plenty of signs warning people that charcoal bbqs are not allowed on beaches, maybe Seaside Co. could also put that information on their website and brochures. Council asked that staff report back to them at the end of the Summer not only on how many warnings/citations were issued on charcoal issue but on all warnings/citations issued on beaches. Litter, drinking etc. Public comment. – Anti semite came in and spewed his usual conspiracy theory bullshit. I read an interesting article the other day that says conspiracy theorists are narcissists that have low self esteem. It really makes sense doesn’t it? You know what doesn’t make sense? Bellowing at City Council to do something about said conspiracy theories. The perfect counter-balance for all that hate was our friend that thinks sidewalk chalk should be legal on Pacific Avenue. I agree.

Guerreros

by Ernie Douglas

Golden State Warriors:
The Kings came to Oracle last Friday night with a new look (no DeMarcus Cousins) but the usual result. They stayed close to the Warriors for the first 3 quarters, mostly from bad shooting (and bad defense) by the Dubs. But when your best 2 players are Ty Lawson and Buddy Heild, it’s an uphill battle all the way. They ended up winning 114-100, with Curry pouring in 27 points and Draymond adding 23. Last Sunday they took on the Grizzlies of Memphis. Klay made up for a poor night’s shooting the previous game by dropping 31 on the Grizzlies as the Dubs won 106-94. Curry added 21, and Iggy had 20 off the bench. Then came the litmus test, 2 games on the road against arguable the next 2 best teams in the NBA in the Rockets and Spurs. The Rockets game was never really close, as Curry had 32 and Klay added 25 points in their 113-106 win. In the much anticipated matchup against the Spurs, the Warriors started the game down 15-0. But they came back and ended up winning the game 110-98. Curry had another big game with 29 points, and Klay added 23. David West also had a huge game off the bench, and Iggy contributed nicely as well. The Warriors have won 9 straight games now and are peaking at the right time. When KD comes back in limited minutes, they’re gonna roll.

Upcoming games this week:  3/31 vs. Houston, 4/2 vs. Washington, 4/4 vs. Minnesota, 4/5 at Phoenix

Santa Cruz Warriors:
The Santa Cruz Warriors took on the LA Defenders in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Santa Cruz won 134-124, and was guided by a pair of 32 point performances from Phil Pressey and Jabari Brown. Forward James Southerland added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors as a total of six players scored in double figures. Then Monday they travelled to Salt Lake City to take on the Stars. The Warriors were again led by Jabari Brown who finished with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting with four 3-pointers made. Damien Jones contributed 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. As a team, the Warriors shot 58.1 percent from the field. Warriors are now at 30-19 for the season and have clinched a spot in the playoffs this year! Great job to the Sea Dubs and all the fans that have made selling out Kaiser a consistent thing this year.

Upcoming games this week:  3/31 vs. LA at Kaiser

Weekly Shoutouts

Weekly shoutouts is back and we’re shouting! Shout outs to all the volunteers at Operation Surf. And a weekly shoutout to Eric for speaking the truth at the last city council meeting. We need an army of like minded speakers to remind the folks sitting up there about the daily truth.

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