Photo by MARK WELLER

After Wednesday's Department of Pesticide Regulation hearing on relaxing regulations on the use of cancer-causing Telone in Sacramento, the protesters, shown above, marched to the statue of United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez. United Farm Workers' representative Olga Reyna recalled a speech Chavez gave after his 36-day fasting protest against pesticide harms in 1988: “Cesar said, ‘What is the worth of a man or a woman? What is the worth of a farm worker?’ Well, we are not worth 14 times less than other Californians, and we shouldn’t be treated like we are! Cesar also said, ‘In the old days, miners would carry birds with them to warn against poison gas. Hopefully, the birds would die before the miners. Farm workers are society’s canaries. Farm workers -- and their children -- demonstrate the effects of pesticide poisoning before anyone else.’ Well, DPR, we refuse to be your canaries!”

Farmworker Communities Call on the State to Rewrite Regulation of Cancer-Causing Pesticide that Exceeds State Risk Levels

By MARK WELLER

Sacramento—Approximately one hundred farmworker community residents and their allies, plus zoom participants, filled California Environmental Protection Agency's Byron Sher Auditorium, protesting the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s proposed regulation for the cancer-causing pesticide 1,3-dichloropropene (aka 1,3-D, brand name Telone). The Wednesday morning public hearing saw testimony from dozens of speakers asserting that their lives were “not worth 14 times less than other Californians.” The phrase was in reference to DPR’s choosing a 1,3-D regulatory target concentration 14 times higher than the “safe harbor level” established by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment last June.

“While much of the world is banning 1,3-D, California is allowing for even more to be used, by eliminating the use caps,” said Yanely Martinez, Greenfield City Councilmember in Monterey County. “And now DPR has given us a number for how little they value farmworker communities. According to them, we’re worth 14 times less than other California residents, because that’s how much more cancer DPR is willing to allow by exposure to 1,3-D than our state toxicologists at OEHHA say is safe. This is a racist policy.”

1,3-D is a cancer-causing fumigant pesticide and Toxic Air Contaminant that is banned in 34 countries, but is the third most used pesticide in California by pounds.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazards Assessment (OEHHA) on June 21, 2022 issued a Prop 65 safe harbor level – the maximum exposure amount determined to keep risk below one extra cancer per 100,000 lives. For 1,3-D, that converts to a daily air concentration of 0.04 parts per billion. The 1,3-D air concentration at the six active state pesticide air-monitors has exceeded OEHHA’s safe harbor level for cancer every year since testing started in 2012, averaging 2.5 to 29 times higher than the safe level. 

Among the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s proposals heard at the Jan. 18 hearing were the adoption of a cancer risk level that at 0.56 parts per billion is 14 times more lenient than the level recommended by OEHHA scientists. The proposal also eliminates "limits on use" (previously capped at 136,000 pounds per 6x6 mile “township”), with the assumption that the new experimental emissions reduction measures, including increased soil and water saturation and deeper injections, will be strictly followed and will greatly reduce air emissions.

The main concerns expressed by the majority of speakers from farmworker communities were that DPR must revise its plan to regulate 1,3-D to a) follow the state toxicologists’ scientifically derived safe harbor level, b) reduce not eliminate the annual 1,3-D township cap allowances, and c) include and protect farmworkers who work in neighboring or nearby fumigated fields, as they were not addressed in DPR’s proposal.

“It is an outrageous environmental injustice for DPR to continue to allow farmworkers to work for full days, even multiple workdays, up to the very edge of the treated field in adjoining fields immediately after and even during the fumigation while occupied structures except for barns and other farm work structures are protected by setbacks of 100 to 500 feet. DPR’s pilot studies show that peak levels can be over 140 ppb next to fumigated fields,” said Anne Katten, Pesticide and Work Safety Project Director with California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation.

At the end of the hearing, about 80 participants marched out together, chanting “We're not worth 14 times less; your Telone plan is a racist mess!” They gathered outdoors in the Cal EPA courtyard for several more minutes of protest chants.

For a detailed Californians for Pesticide Reform report on 1,3-D and DPR’s proposed regulation, click here. 

Mountain Resource Center Turns People Out Into the Rain

By HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom)

Many people living without legally sanctioned shelter lost all of their belongings recently during the extreme weather emergency. Since New Year's Eve, at least twenty have have been sporadically seeking shelter under an awning at the Mountain Community Resources center in downtown Felton. 

Mountain Community Center website asserts, “Our compassionate staff build a warm, friendly, safe place for San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley residents, offering stability and hope for the future. Mountain Community Resources is part of the Community Bridges family of programs."

"We seek to meet the needs of families through bi-lingual, bi-cultural support on both a long and short-term basis. Our drop-in advocacy support aims to help our community access resources and set goals to address issues such as housing, employment, education, domestic violence prevention, childcare and more.” 

"We partner with professionally pre-licensed clinical counselors to offer free counseling and advocacy to youth, families and individuals. Our services provide support for people to learn and access healthy coping skills, stress management techniques and work on other issues as needed.”     

Despite these promises of assistance, the manager of the center has called the sheriff on these houseless individuals for loitering on at least four different occasions forcing these human beings into the storm under the threat of arrest. The sheriff has only come to drive them out after receiving a complaint from the manager of the center. These people have little to no possessions or resources, and literally no legal place to go.

Please join us in contacting the following individuals and groups below to investigate these actions and make the following demands:

·       Immediately cease and desist in forcing these people out from under their only shelter and into this terrible weather, or provide them with an alternative place to shelter.

·       Implement policy changes in accordance with the mission statement of the Mountain Community Resources center, Community Bridges and the funding that they receive for services to youth, families and individuals including, and not excluding, those who have no access to legally sanctioned shelter.

·       Implement a plan of action in the event of extreme weather and emergency conditions that provides warmth, shelter and a safe place to sleep for the above-mentioned demographics. 

·       Actively seek to provide or find provision for a legally sanctioned and safe place to shelter for youth, families and individuals living in an extreme degree of poverty and without other options.

Email the following:

Mountain Community Resources

Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors 

5th District Supervisor Bruce McPherson 

Or call Mountain Community Resources: 831-335-6600, Community Bridges: 831-688-8840, Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors at 831-454-2200 or Supervisor  McPherson at 831-454-2200

Or write to:

Mountain Community Resources: 6134 Highway 9, Felton, CA 95018

Community Bridges: 519 Main Street Watsonville, California 95076

Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors: 701 Ocean Street, Room 500, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Contact HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) 831-423-4833 www.huffsantacruz.org 309 Cedar PMB #14B  S.C. 1-16-23

Youth Day Rescheduled for Jan. 28

By NAACP SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

The Santa Cruz Resource Center for Nonviolence will once again collaborate with the NAACP of Santa Cruz County to invite the community to join us on Youth Day. This year's theme is "Daring to Dream: The Radical Imagination of a New Generation." The event will be held at the RCNV at 612 Ocean St., noon-4pm. It is free, open to the public and will feature musical and dance performances from youth organizations from around the county. Youth Day is a great way to meet and learn about many of these organizations. 

Children, youth, and their families are welcome. Click here for information and to register youth organizations for Youth Day or email NAACP Santa Cruz County.

Photo by TARMO HANNULA 

A chestnut-backed chickadee clings to a planter in Watsonville.

Santa Cruz 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. Go HERE for details on covid vaccines. 

There were no new deaths in the county over the past week.

Because of the availability of home testing I don't report on changes in the active cases in the county. The Health Department is now collecting data for Covid and Mpox from wastewater at the City Influent, for the city of Santa Cruz, and from the Lode Street pump stations for the county. See webpage HERE. The first chart below shows the latest county data. The fourth chart below shows wastewater projections.

The county's Effective Reproductive Number is below one. See the second chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing. The chart, released from the California Department of Public Health below shows several predictions from different agencies. For information, click here.

The third graph below shows hospitalizations. Click to see more information on hospitalizations HERE.



Here are details on the county's vaccination data. Vaccination data has not changed in months and doesn't include the boosters.

This webpage also has a link where you can get a digital copy and scannable QR code of your vaccination record. Keep track of your four-digit code because that is your access to the site.

To get information on COVID-19 testing locations around the county visit this site. You can make an appointment for a Rapid Antigen Test here.

Photo by TARMO HANNULA

Fashion Street - This man, adorned in classic Santa Cruz style, passes by Dazzling Details Women's Apparel on Pacific Aveue in downtown Satna Cruz.

Labor History Calendar - Jan. 20-26, 2023

a.k.a Know Your History Lest We Forget

Jan. 20, 1932: El Salvador government murders 30,000 peasants to end uprising.

Jan. 20, 1986: Motor blockade closes struck Hormel plant.

Jan. 20, 1997: International dock strike backs Liverpool dockers. 

Jan. 20, 2017: Neofacist shoots and nearly kills protesting Wobbly in Seattle.

Jan. 21, 1946: 750,000 steel workers walk out, largest strike in US history at that time.

Chinese New Year Jan. 22, 1849: Birth of Terrence Powderly, leader of the Knights of Labor. 

Jan. 22, 1905: Czarist troops kill 500, wound 3,000 in St. Petersburg Bloody Sunday.

Jan. 23, 1960: 5-week general strike against austerity ends in defeat in Belgium.

Jan. 24, 1911: Labor journalist Shusui Denjiro Kotoku and 11 others anarchists hanged in Japan.

Jan.25, 1851: Sojourner Truth addresses first Black Women’s Rights convention.

Jan. 25, 1926: 16,000 textile workers strike in Passaic, New Jersey.

Jan. 26, 1990: South African railroad workers win 12-week strike but 30 are killed.

Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.

"No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Photo by TARMO HANNULA

Eating Glass Noodles and Enjoying It

By SARAH RINGLER

This is an interesting vegetarian dish with flavor and full of carrots. It's from the cookbook, “Florence Lin’s Chinese Vegetarian Cookbook”. These noodles have many names but all are made from mung beans, small green beans that are often soaked and made into bean sprouts. The sprouted beans are widely used in Asian cooking. 

The noodles have many names across Asia. In English they can be called cellophane, bean threads or glass noodles. In China they are called saifun. The Filipino name is sotanghon and in Vietnam they are called bán tàu or bún tào. Using one of these names, you should be able to find them in your grocery store.

Out of the package they are stiff clear threads that lose their stiffness when soaked in water. They absorb flavors well. In this case, the woody taste of the mushrooms combine well with the sweet flavor of the carrots. You can also make this as a side dish. 

Ch’ao Fen Szu

6 dried shitake mushrooms

½ cup warm water

2 ounces sai-fun or cellophane noodles

2 cups shredded carrots

3 tablespoon corn oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon soy sauce

Wash mushrooms and soak in warm water for 30 minutes or until soft. Remove the mushrooms, save the water and cut off the tough stems and throw away. Simmer the mushroom water until you have about 1/4 cup. Slice the caps into very thin strips and set aside.

Put 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Add the cellophane noodles and soak for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Use cooking shears to cut the noodles into 3 inch pieces. Set aside.

Cut the carrots into very thin strips or shred using the large holes of the grater. The larger holes will make the carrots into mush. 

Heat wok or a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add the oil. When the oil is shiny, stir-fry the carrots for about 2 minutes. Then add the cellophane noodles and mushrooms. Cook for about another 2 minutes. Add salt, soy sauce and reserved mushroom water. Stir and mix well over high heat for a minute. Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves about 4. 

Welcome to Serf City Times Our county has problems and many people feel 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, health, 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 a self-funded enterprise and all work is volunteer. 

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