Volume 2 Issue 30, Jan. 14, 2022
2022 MLK Youth Day in Santa Cruz
By SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BRANCH NAACP

Join local youth and community organizations for speakers, performances, music and fun on Sat. Jan. 15 from noon - 4 pm. This event is cosponsored by NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch and the Resource Center for Nonviolence.
It will be held outside in the parking lot at the Resource Center at 612 Ocean St., Santa Cruz. Masks and social distancing required.

For further info, click here  or email here.
Back on the streets with no place to go
By MONIKE ILENE TONE

The Pajaro River and Watsonville Homeless Union, and people we represent are now back on the streets with no place to go. We tried to set up a community Warming Center near the rock quarry off of Highway 129. There were more than 40 individuals who were at this location. We have welcomed all who are in need of shelter from the winter weather. On Jan. 9, we were forced to move from there. 

For years we camped on the Pajaro River. In December, we were moved off the river and formed a camp in a parking lot at Bridge and Highway 129 in Watsonville. After a few weeks, we were provided with motel vouchers for a week's stay. We asked the city to extend our vouchers but they never even reach out to us like they said they would. 

It is important to me that people understand that the so-called services that the city and county say they have, are run-around services that have no value to anything that really supports housing for the homeless. We keep hearing about the government funding and that we are all on a wait list for housing, but at this point, it has us back to square one.

Some of us work and like myself, I am going to school at UCSC and American InterContinental University. It's not like we are not trying; housing is not cheap.

The holidays have passed and its a new year. Shelters are full and COVID 19 still has a hold. We do our best to stay warm and clean and my A Team and I are providing a place for unsheltered individuals to be and feel safe. We would like to run our own Warming Center.

We thank everyone who has been supportive. We are not a resource, but we are at least doing more than our government-funded city and county. We actually provide services. We pay for our tents, blankets and tarps and the county provides nothing but street sweeps. We even pay for our own trash removal. And when the city comes and sweeps our encampments, they don't show you how clean it was before. They show you the mess they made. 
Well, it's cold and I'll now end this. Please know that I am thankful for your time.

Click on green to contact:
Getting high with the Dead
By TARMO HANNULA

San Francisco Fire Department's Haight Street Station 12 got permission from the Grateful Dead to use their logo on the stations's t-shirt. My stepson was stationed there for several years. Photo by TARMO HANNULA>


There are scads of stories revolving around Grateful Dead concerts and the thousands of Dead Heads that followed the famed San Francisco band around the globe. While I never felt I rose to the Dead Head status, I did catch several dozen of their shows when they played close to where I was living - that included San Diego, San Francisco (Winterland), Oakland, LA, Portland, Oregon, once in Boston (while visiting), and lastly, at Levi Stadium a few years ago in Santa Clara.

Most memorable, however, was the first time I saw them around 1970 at the Community Concourse Theater in San Diego. I was hanging out with my then girlfriend Lori, and her mom, Sally in LaJolla. We were at their friend’s house, Don Pierre, who claimed to know members of the Dead from early days in the Bay Area. Since the Dead were playing in downtown San Diego that night, Don suggested going to the show, saying he could get us in the back door for free since these were his friends.

Only one person in our group had a car, a small Triumph sports car. That meant cramming four us into that car for the first trip downtown, and then the remaining three on a second trip.

I’d never heard of the Grateful Dead so Lori kept peppering me with a few lines from their only radio hit at the time, “Truckin',” in hopes of stirring up some fraction of memory of who they were during that sardine can Triumph ride downtown.

As a group, we approached the loading dock of the Concourse and Don spoke with a security guard. A moment later Phil Lesh, the Dead’s bassist, appeared on the loading dock and threw a warm hug around Don. We were then ushered into the back hallways of the Concourse by Phil and into a backstage dressing room. There, the entire Grateful Dead band was hanging out, sitting on amplifiers, musical instrument cases and the like, passing joints back and forth. Phil handed me a joint. I took a puff and handed it off to lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, completely unaware of the mountain of fame surrounding me. This was when the band member known as Pigpen was still alive, so he was there as well. In the background were the live sounds of The New Riders of the Purple Sage who were on stage and part way through their warm-up set. A stage hand appeared and beckoned Jerry to the stage where he joined them on peddle steel guitar. Phil then suggested we catch the show right up front, so he led to to some empty seats right off the edge of the stage where we settled in to watch the rest of the New Rider’s set and then the Dead.

The crowd was fully ablaze with the pulse of the roaring music and our group fell into the trance, especially after getting blasted on the amazing weed the Dead shared with us.

After about an hour of the New Rider’s music, the Dead wandered onto the stage, plugged in and launched into a nearly five-hour set that swept the crowd into the wild orbit of Never Never Land. That evening, the Dead’s style of exploratory music with one song magically blending into another, Garcia’s spider step guitar leads and Phil’s crushing bass licks stretched my imagination and understanding of music into something my 17-year-old mind had never stumbled into. I told someone once that it was like being strapped onto the nose of a rocket and blasting through a black hole with no road signs or map.
Then we crammed back into the Triumph for the “long, strange trip” home.
Food Not Bombs vs. the city of Santa Cruz
By KEITH MCHENRY

It is Friday, Jan. 7 at 3:30pm, when I finally get a call from Larry Imwalle, the Santa Cruz City Homelessness Response Manager. He never returned my calls about moving people to higher ground before the Benchlands flood or after my desperate efforts to get two families into housing. He is paid $150,000 a year to “manage the homeless.”

I was buying two more sets of Industrial Steel Shelving at Home Depot to place in our new shipping container. See above photo. We are rushing to remove our back stock of rice, lentils and other dry goods from India Joze’s Restaurant before he closes down to make way for a luxury apartment complex to be built in its place.

“I’m following up on our phone conversation a few minutes ago, in which I let you know that the city will require that Food Not Bombs (FNB) vacate Lot 27 by Tues. Jan. 11 at 2pm.”

Larry tells me as can be read in his email that, “The Pure Water Soquel Construction Project will be working in this area and requires use of Lot 27 and the surrounding area to accomplish the project and stage equipment. “ I suggested he have the project manager call me so we can make this work and pointed out that there is another parking lot next to Wheelworks that is always vacant.

As soon as Larry and I hang up I start getting calls from our volunteers at Lot 27. The police have arrived and are handing out papers saying we have to leave by Tuesday.

This is not the first late Friday afternoon eviction from Lot 27 during our 664 days of sharing meals with the community during the pandemic.

We received notice late Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, that we would have to move to the lot across Front Street because the need to use it to park construction equipment for a levee project. We did move across the street. The city fenced off Lot 27 and three months later not one piece of construction equipment was ever placed on the lot. A New Years Eve march removed the fence and returned it to the police department steps and we have been sharing food there at Lot 27 everyday since.

The police told our volunteers and those camping around our meal that we have to go to the flooded Benchlands.

The number of just evicted is increasing and the increase in those seeking food is shocking, but expected, as the economy for working people fails. We distributed $2,000 in cheap pup tents in December. It is heartbreaking to see the desperation in peoples faces and learn there is no place for them to sleep. People cry with relief when you hand them their tent.

Our volunteers have been preparing for this increase for months seeking a location for our third shipping container and lining up more sources of food. We have had to increase our orders of paper products and deliveries of dry goods to share with the people at the Benchlands and Depot Park.

If we stopped providing food for even one week it is likely the over 400 people who depend on us every day would be forced to seek extra legal means to meet their needs. This would not be good for anyone.

The city has no business interfering with Food Not Bombs. We are not stopping them from feeding the hungry. Let the City of Santa Cruz know how you feel about their hostility towards Food Not Bombs:

Food Not Bombs is now sharing its daily meal at 440 Front and Cathcart streets from noon to 4pm. Please feel free to drop by donations of clothing, tents and blankets. Everyone is welcome to join us. Contact Food Not Bombs at 575-770-3377 or menu@foodnotbombs.net
Footbridge Services Center needs volunteers
By BRENT ADAMS

Warming Center Program's Footbridge Services Center needs help providing basic services like showers, laundry and more to over 300 clients weekly. This is a great way to help reduce the hardship experienced by people who sleep outside. With our helpful staff and support, you'll be in direct contact with people as you offer them various transformative services.  

Everyone is expected to wear a mask while in the Services Center and we encourage our clients, staff and volunteers to be vaccinated. 
Email warmingcenterprogram@gmail.com if you're interested in helping with this beneficial work, or call 831-588-9892. warmingcenterprogram.com

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Wild turkeys forage for food in a field in Moss Landing.
Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report
What to do about testing?
By SARAH RINGLER

The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Total known cases as of Jan. 13 were 25,651 up 9% from last week's 23,543. If you have a feeling of "deja vu," this is the largest increase since this time last year. There have also been four new deaths this week.

Because of all the home tests currently available, these numbers are underestimates according to Corinne Hyland, County Health Services Agency spokesperson. Hyland also stated that many people are going to the hospital emergency rooms to be tested. If they don't have serious life-threatening symptons, it can impact the hospital's ability to treat other patients who made need their care. She recommends people with minor symptoms stay home, isolate and rest.

Confused about testing? Lisa Krieger's Jan. 13 front page article in the San Jose Mercury News has comprehensive information gleaned from various sources on how to make some sense of the various tests, incubation periods, contagion, viral levels, etc.

Hospitalizations increased by 1% from last week. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.

There have been some changes in the last week. Active cases in south county dropped by 2%. Mid county dropped 2% and and north county increased by 4%. See details in the chart below.

On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Jan. 9, 78% of the county has had at least one dose and 72% has had two doses. That is a one percent increase in each category since Jan. 2. Here are more details on the county's vaccination data

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.

The county's Effective Reproductive Number is now above one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.

To get information of COVID-19 testing locations around the county visit this site. Click here to make an appointment to get tested.

Any Californian age 12 or up can get vaccinated for free. For information on getting vaccinated, click here.
% deaths by ethnicity:
White - 56% 
Latinx - 36%
Black - 0% 
Asian - 7%
American Native - 0%
Unknown - 0%

% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 49%/50% 
Male - 51%/50% 

Deaths by age/228:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 1%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 19%
75-84 - 22%
85+ - 43%

% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 13%/12% 
North county - 61%/56% 
South county - 24%/32% 
Under investigation - 2%
 
Weekly increases in positive tests: 
June 12-19 - 7% 
June 19-26 - 23%
June 26 to July 3 - 22%
July 3-9 - 23%
July 9-16 - 40%
July 16-23 - 20%
July 23-30 - 27%
July 30-Aug. 6 - 13%
Aug. 6-13- 12%
Aug.14-20 - 16%
Aug.20-28 - 10%
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - 10%
Sept. 3-10 - 6%
Sept. 10-17- 8% 
Sept. 17-24 - 7%
Sept. 25- Oct.1 - 5%
Oct. 1 - 9 - 4%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
Oct. 23-29 - 4%
Oct. 30-Nov. 5 - 6%
Nov. 5-12 - 10%
Nov. 12-19 - 11%
Nov. 19-26 - holiday
Nov. 19-Dec. 3 - 29% 2 weeks of data for this week only
Dec. 3-10 - 16%
Dec. 10-17 - 17%
Dec. 17-24 - 14%
Dec. 24-31 - 19%
Jan. 1-7 - 13%
Jan. 7-14 - 14%
Jan. 15-21 - 11%
Jan. 21-28 - 5%
Jan. 28-Feb. 4 - 5%
Feb. 5-11 - 2%
Feb. 11-18 - 2%
Feb. 18-25 - 1%
Feb. 25-March 5 - 1%
March 5-11 - 1%
March 11-18 - 2%
March 18-25 - .5%
March 25 - Apr. 1 - .7%
Apr. 1-8 - 0.1%
Apr. 9-15 - 1%
Apr. 16-22 - 2%
Apr. 22-30 - 2%
Apr. 30 - May 6 - .3%
May 6-13 - 2%
May 13-20 - 0%
May 24 - Data readjustment by county means percentages cannot be calculated this week.
May 27 - June 3 - 0%
June 3-10 - 0%
June 11-17 - .25%
June 18-24 - 0%
June 25-July 1 - 0%
July 2-8 - .3%
July 9-15 - .2%
July 16-22 - .5%
July 23-29 - 1.2%
July 30-Aug. 5 - 2%
Aug. 6-12 - .7%
Aug.13-19 - 4%
Aug. 20-26 - .7%
Aug. 26-Sept. 2 - 3%
Sept. 2-9 - 2%
Sept. 10-16 - 1%
Sept. 17-22 - 1%
Sept. 23-30 - 2%
Oct. 1-7 - 0%
Oct. 8-14 - 1%
Oct. 15-21 - 1%
Oct. 22-28 - 1%
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - 1%
Nov. 5-11 - 1%
Nov. 12-18 - 2%
Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 - 2 weeks 2%
Dec. 2-9 - 2%
Dec. 9-16 - 1%
Dec. 16-23 - 1%
Dec. 24-30 - 2%
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6 - 5% Growth of home tests underestimates cases-see above
Jan. 7-13 - 9%
Photo by TARMO HANNULA 
Fashion Street -
A man heads to A&A Recycling on Beach Road in Watsonville with his payload that would typically fetch around $40.
Labor History Calendar for Jan. 14-20, 2022

Jan. 14, 1914: IWW Ford-Suhr trial begins in Marysville, CA.
Jan. 14, 1970: Spanish government drafts 55,000 postal workers to crush strike.
Jan. 14, 1995: Pennsylvania Court rules ok to fire worker for being gay.
Jan. 15, 1919: Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg murdered in Berlin.
Jan. 15, 1919: Three-day strike for 8-hour day won in Peru.
Jan. 16, 1919: Argentine general strike crushed in blood with hundreds killed.
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - Jan. 17
Jan. 17, 1915: Lucy Parsons leads hunger strike in Chicago. IWW songwriter, Ralph Chaplin writes his most famous labor song, "Solidarity Forever" for that march.
Jan. 18, 1984: General strike demands end to military rule in Uruguay.
Jan. 18, 1996: General strike in Bolivia demands a living wage.
Jan. 19, 1812: Luddites burn Oatlands Mille in Yorkshire, England.
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: Neofascists shoot, nearly killing protesting Wobblies in Seattle, WA.
Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.
Photo by TARMO HANNULA

Swiss Chard and Lamb Torte with Pomegranate Relish
By SARAH RINGLER                            
 
A meat and rice pie with a steamed chard crust makes this an unusual looking recipe. It resembles a giant dolma except the wrapping is chard leaves instead of grape leaves. Add pistachios, mint and cinnamon to the filling, top with pomegranate relish and you have a flavorful pie that combines the Ukrainian, Middle Eastern and Polish heritage of Erez Komaravsky. 

Israeli chef, Erez Komaravsky, was featured in a Sept. 13, 2017 New York Times article by Joan Nathan. She describes how he learned various techniques and flavor combinations from around the world by working at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Acme Bread in San Francisco, the Metropolis Baking Company in Berkeley as well as studying kaiseki cuisine in Gifu, Japan. He is most famous for his baking and currently runs a cooking school out of his home in Mitzpe Mattat in Israel.

This is the end of pomegranate season. The best ones have dark red, leathery skin. Watch out for flat soft spots, but it is better to have a few rotten seeds than light colored tasteless ones. 

The recipe below is cut in half from the original and should feed four people. It is important to have the right pan; it should be shallow and have a tight lid. Short grain brown rice gives the dish substance, so don't substitute with white rice. I used Lundberg's short grain organic brown. Pomegranate syrup has a nice combination of sweet and sour flavors. It's used in Middle Eastern dishes and keeps well.

There are a lot of ingredients and steps.  You can start the torte in advance but you will need 1 1/2 hours to cook it. I think it's worth it. The sweet and savory flavors of spiced meat with the crunch of pistachios goes well with the curious crust of wrapped leaves. 

Torte:
1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
10 medium sized leaves of Swiss chard
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup roasted and shelled pistachios
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
2 cups chicken stock

Relish:
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped, save fronds for decoration
1/2 Serrano chili pepper, remove seeds
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup
1 cup pomegranate seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt to taste
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

You will need an 8-inch diameter heavy low-sided frying pan with a tight fitting lid. A cast iron fry pan with a lid or shallow Dutch oven would be great.

Prepare the torte by bringing 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Put the rice in a heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the rice and set in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

While the rice is precooking, prepare to soften the chard by setting up a large saucepan of boiling water, a bowl of ice and water and a dishtowel. Wash chard, cut off the stems and set aside. Put a few leaves at a time in the boiling water for about 20 seconds. Remove with tongs and add to the ice water bath. Then put on the dishtowel to dry. Leaves should still be bright green.

Chop the onions and the chard stems. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, onions and chopped chard. Fry for about 10 minutes and until onions are soft and starting to brown, then set aside to cool.

Drain any remaining water off the rice. It should be slightly soft. If it's too firm, let it sit a while longer. Put it into a large bowl. Add the cooked onions-chard stems, the lamb, pistachios, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seeds, mint leaves and the rest of the olive oil, 3 tablespoons. Mix very well. Use your hands. 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the Dutch oven or frying pan and oil with olive oil. Line the bottom and the sides with 2/3 of the steamed chard leaves making a bowl shape with the leaves. Leaves will drape over the sides of the pan. Add the filling to the middle and flatten into a disk shape. Pull the sides over the filling and cover with the remaining leaves shaping into a round flat cake.

Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan. When it is hot, pour it over the torte, put the lid on and put the pan in the oven. Let bake for 30 minutes. Then, lower the heat to 275 degrees and continue to cook for another hour until liquid is absorbed and rice is done. 

Make the relish using a food processor. Put chunks of fennel and the Serrano chili into the processor and pulse until you have finely chopped them. Do not overdo it. Put into a medium sized bowl and add lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, pomegranate seeds and salt. Add olive oil, taste, and add salt if necessary. Add the mint just before serving. 

When torte is done, let sit for 5 minutes covered. Invert on a flat plate, sprinkle some relish over the top and decorate with the fennel fronds. Serve with relish on the side. Serves 4-6. 
Send your story, poetry or art here: Please submit a story, poem or photo of your art that you think would be of interest to the people of Santa Cruz County. Try and keep the word count to around 400. Also, there should be suggested actions if this is a political issue. Submit to coluyaki@gmail.com

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Thanks, Sarah Ringler
Welcome to Serf City Times Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feeling 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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