Mild Earthquakes Shake Things Up Locally
A 4.2 earthquake centered near Hollister shook up local residents on Monday. A swarm of small aftershocks have been felt in the area since that time.
In the past four days, more than 39 tremors have hit the area on a section of the San Andreas system known as the Calaveras Fault. Between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, 39 quakes greater than 1.0 have occurred and 20 more than 2.0, seven over 3.0, one 4.1 and one 4.2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. On Wednesday, tremors continued to gently shake the area, and the USGS recorded two 3.0 earthquakes. One hit 12 miles southeast of Hollister at 5:14 a.m. and another two miles southwest of San Juan Bautista and nine miles west of Hollister at 7:08 a.m. No injuries or damage have been reported.
No truth to the rumor that the earthquakes were the “fault” (like that pun?) of local watchdog group Take Back Santa Cruz, also known for shaking things up locally.
Community Shows Love for SCPD!
It’s really nice to see members of the community turning out and showing support for our local SCPD in light of recent national tragedies involving police officers being targeted and shot. I’d say that kind of thing could never happen here, but unfortunately, it has happened here, and it rings very close to home. Recently in the past week, some moron thought it was a good idea to stencil anti-police slogans on city streets, slogans calling for the killing of cops. I’ve heard ZERO outrage about this stencil from our local “compassionate progressives”. Where’s their compassion for local cops? Not a word of support for SCPD from Don Lane, not a word of disgust from Micah Posner. I’ve heard from outraged community members, one who even took it upon himself to react in his own way. But I’ve heard ZERO public support from those in the community who routinely criticize local law enforcement without any merit, purely for the purpose of fear mongering the public. By the way, I love the flowers, but let’s leave the Krispy Kreme and other danish at home. Don’t be fattening up our cops.
Wharf to Wharf Race This Sunday
This Sunday is the Wharf to Wharf race! Each year, on the fourth Sunday in July, thousands of runners come to Santa Cruz for the annual six-mile race from Santa Cruz to Capitola-by-the-Sea.
More than 50 bands, singers, dancers, drummers, and other classic Santa Cruz acts line the six-mile race route every year providing a festive atmosphere for runners and spectators alike. Race proceeds benefit Santa Cruz County youth sports in general and the running community in particular.
Traffic will be a mess along feeder roads to the race route. The race starts early on a Sunday morning, when most people like me are still in bed asleep, so traffic shouldn’t be too severely impacted, unless you’re driving to the start or finish, or along the race route. Most of the traffic issues will be limited to the east side of Santa Cruz (across the river).
The race route basically follows the Boardwalk to East Cliff and Murray and stays along the coast all the way to Capitola. Here’s the race map below:
Man Shot in Crosswalk Near Downtown Santa Cruz
A Santa Cruz man was shot twice in a crosswalk late Friday night, police said. The victim was shot in his left leg at the intersection of San Lorenzo Boulevard and Riverside Avenue. He was expected to make a full recovery, police said. The shooter was seen leaving the area in a white a sport utility vehicle. Detectives are investigating the shooting.
Transient Campfire Burns 2 Acres in Wilder Ranch
A homeless campsite campfire burned about 2 acres in the Wilder Ranch area on Tuesday night. At least 50 firefighters were called out in the middle of the night to fight the blaze.
Steve Clark Gets Grief for Speaking the Truth
Santa Cruz is so sensitive it hurts. It hurts my head. There’s politically correct, and there’s Santa Cruz, which is politically correct on steroids. A video has been circulating around town that shows SCPD Deputy Chief Steve Clark commenting on predictive policing in Santa Cruz. The video was cut from a longer video that was done to describe how predictive policing works. Predictive policing isn’t anything new. It’s being used by police all over the country. It basically uses data and analytics to create algorithms that predict criminal activity patterns geographically. How terrifying! A police department that applies the latest technology to solve crime and keep the community safe. So what’s the problem?
This video was from 5 years ago. When SCPD began using the technology.
Hello sensitive critics? The proactive presence acts as a deterrent. People are less likely to commit a crime in front of a police car. I don’t need science to correlate that for me. So what are you sensitive critic types trying to say here? Having the police in our community is bad? Appearances are bad? Seeing the police frightens us more than the criminals do? The problem is Santa Cruz is so sensitive it makes my head hurt. Where the community sees better results (facts), the critics (and criminal apologists) counter with alarmist rhetoric and the (predictable) fear mongering.
Here’s the full video. Not some 2 minute excerpt made to make Steve Clark look bad.
“Steve’s like a well meaning police officer. I think he’s a good cop” – Alexis Madrigal, narrator of video at 7:20 minute mark
The other problem I have is this is obviously an attempt by certain “compassionate progressives” to discredit Steve and attack his personal character. A couple of years ago, Steve upset a number of these people by describing their preferred city council candidate (Leonie Sherman, a self identified anarchist) as “an anarchist”. That’s right. He called her what she called herself and people locally got upset with the label. Talk about lame local poser “anarchists”. What kind of true anarchist would be upset at being called an anarchist? Sherman lost the city council race, and some people blame Steve Clark for her loss. Never mind she didn’t have enough votes to win. It’s Steve Clark’s fault she lost. So this is payback for them. Find a video he says something controversial in, edit that part out, twist it around with a dash of fear mongering and rhetoric, and you have a Steve Clark Manufactured Controversy. It’s laughable if you know how desperate the actors are for attention.
Full disclosure: I know Steve Clark personally. We’re not friends, but I do know him. I find him to be a man of integrity, a man who cares for his community, a man who can be sometimes blunt to a fault in a town so sensitive it makes my head hurt. His critics can try to attack his character but anyone who knows him can see what that really is, sour grapes directed towards a man that protects his community and won’t be intimidated by his critics. He’s a tough cop trying to keep the peace in a town full of kooks behaving badly.
West Nile Virus Detected at Neary Lagoon
Santa Cruz County recorded its first positive sample of West Nile virus this summer in a group of mosquitoes collected last week, county public health officials said Monday. Seven mosquitoes caught in traps at Neary Lagoon last Monday in Santa Cruz were sent for testing to a laboratory at University of California at Davis. The county was informed Friday that the results found traces of West Nile virus, which was the first confirmed sample of the virus among mosquitoes this summer, public health officials said. Read more!
Free Concert With Toad the Wet Sprocket at the Boardwalk!
Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. They had chart success in the 1990s with singles which included “Walk on the Ocean”, “All I Want”, “Something’s Always Wrong”, “Fall Down”, and “Good Intentions”. I love this band. They really have this great, summer at the beach feel to their music. Really popular in the early 90s. The Santa Monica sound. Shows as usual at 6:30 and 8:30.
DeCinzotized – Classic Steven DeCinzo
July 27, 2015. Never forget.
Weekly Shoutouts!
Weekly shoutout to Dep. Chief Steve Clark (for reasons see above). Shoutout to Shannon Lenz, who instead of waiting for the city to deal with the rampant graffiti problem contacted all local stores selling spray paint and encouraged them to tighten up the way they sell it. And shoutouts to all the Little Guards who did the “Big Jump” (or whatever it’s called).
Local Food Porn
The Buttery, 702 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz
City Council Election Watch
Well that was quick! Valerie Promise declared last week she was running for city council. Now apparently she’s dropped out of the race! I hope I didn’t scare her off. Buyer’s remorse I guess.
But replacing Valerie, we have 2 new candidates! First up is Robert Singleton, known locally for his work with Civinomics. And we also have James P. (Jim) Davis, who I know absolutely nothing about. That’s not a good omen.
We’re almost into August now, and soon the candidates running for the city council will become much more visible. You’ll start seeing their signs popping up everywhere all over town. You’ll see them at community forums debating local topics. So maybe it’s time to start looking at who they actually are. I’ll start by sharing a bit of what I know. I’m also going to rate them on what I’m calling my “Progress-o-meter”. 1 being a Trump Republican. 10 being Don Lane. I’m not endorsing anyone yet, as more candidates may still declare. But I still have an opinion about the candidates who did declare!
Still Rumors (or being whispered about in small groups):
- Micah Posner
- Sandy Brown
- Mark Primack
- Cynthia Hawthorne
Declared Candidates:
- J.M. Brown
- Jim Davis
- Dru Glover
- Nate Kennedy
- Cynthia Mathews
- Steve Pleich
- Steve Schnaar
- Robert Singleton
- Martine Watkins
J.M. Brown:
Brown is a former reporter for the Sentinel. He works in communications and brand management with a successful local firm, and has an impressive list of endorsements. They include Assembly member Mark Stone, County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty and former mayor Hilary Bryant, also a campaign advisor to Brown. He is currently serving as a City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Commission member and a member of the Santa Cruz County Housing Advisory Commission. I wouldn’t go so far as to proclaim him a “moderate” candidate, but he’s moderate compared to most of the others. He’s close to Katherine Beiers, who I consider a local disaster. She endorses him. He has the endorsements of 4 of the current 7 council members (Comstock, Noroyan, Terrazas, and Chase) and would likely get Mathews endorsement if she wasn’t running against him. So he’s a “mixed bag”. Or as I like to say a “wild card”.
Do I know them personally? No
Progressometer Rating: 7
Jim Davis:
I can honestly say I know absolutely nothing about this Jim Davis. I know he filed 2 days ago. And he apparently lives in the Upper Ocean area. If anyone out there can enlighten me, please do so.
Do I know them personally? No
Progressometer Rating: ?
Dru Glover:
Founder of “Project Pollinate”, a community activism group that likes to throw parties 4 times a year in San Lorenzo Park. Not sure if he works or what his paying job is. Seems to be popular with the younger “progressive” crowd (UCSC students in particular). Has never held public office before. Seems like a very intelligent guy, very good public speaker with charisma. Supports many of the local progressive causes and much of their agenda, though he seems to cherry pick who he works with (doesn’t really work with Norse or the HUFF loons).
Do I know them personally? No
Progressometer Rating: 8
Nate Kennedy:
Nate is a local homeless (or perhaps formerly homeless) guy who is known for making origami cranes out of paper and handing them out to people walking along Pacific Avenue. He seems to have a few past scrapes with law enforcement, and may suffer from ongoing medical issues. But he actually brings some good ideas to the table. He brings some completely wacky ideas to the table too. He has the support of the local progressives (but probably from a distance). I think he’s mostly running so that his ideas get heard. In reality, he has little to no chance of winning a seat. But he brings color and flair to the summer debates!
Do I know them personally? No
Progressometer Rating: 9
Cynthia Mathews:
Current mayor. Long time city council member. Long time property owner and manager. Has been involved in Santa Cruz politics for at least 20 years. Has been Mayor previously. She has had a history of leaning progressive but has become more moderate in recent years. I can’t really say we’re friends but I know her and I have a lot of respect for her. She always seems to have the best interests of the entire community in mind, not just a favored group.
Do I know them personally? Yes
Progressometer Rating: 6
Steve Pleich:
I’ve known Steve for a few years. Not really well but we know each other. I actually like Steve personally, but I have my issues with him on the city council. He seems to try every 4 years and always comes up well short, so I don’t really expect this time to be much different. He loves attention. He loves the limelight. He loves to hear himself talk. He has run twice before, largely on repealing the sleeping ban and other homeless issues.
Do I know them personally? Yes
Progressometer Rating: 9.9
Steve Schnaar:
Founder and director of the Santa Cruz Fruit Tree project, and a volunteer mechanic for the Bike Church. Long time social activist. Has had previous issues with SCPD and the city council. Married to Stacy Falls, longtime progressive advocate for homeless issues and co-founder with Brent Adams of the sanctuary camp project.
Do I know them personally? No
Progressometer Rating: 9
Robert Singleton:
Robert Singleton is the co-founder and CMO of Civinomics. Civinomics is an online platform that allows anyone to submit, vote on and fund ideas for improving their community. He is also apparently the Government Affairs Director at Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS® . In other words, he’s a lobbyist. I’ve met him a couple times and he’s a nice enough guy. He’s smart, ambitious, and idealistic. He organized a survey on local homelessness that contradicted the “county sanctioned” ASR survey and showed better data collection methods that resulted in better, validated data. So he’s not afraid to tackle sensitive subjects and try to identify better solutions. He seems both progressive and pragmatic.
Do I know them personally? No
Progressometer Rating: 6
Martine Watkins:
A mother of two, Watkins works as the senior community organizer in the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. I know Hugh thinks highly of Watkins, and I think highly of Hugh’s opinion. She also has a strong, mixed bag list of endorsements from local politicians and leaders. I think she leans progressive but not when it gets in the way of public safety.
Do I know them personally? No. But Hugh does!
Progressometer Rating: 7
Hugh’s News!
City Council is on break for the month of July. Hugh will be back in August.
Discover more from Santa Mierda!
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
4 Responses
Thanks for the city council candidate information. It’s helpful to know! I was wondering if you or anyone else has heard if Micah Posner is running again? He’s been pretty quiet.
I haven’t heard anything official. But I’ve heard rumors he’s not running.
Some people have had it in for Steve Clark for a long time. All those Occupy people from Wells Fargo hate the guy. Doesn’t surprise me they would try to get him fired.
[…] the tremendous fire hazards presented by non-mobile and abandoned RVs. And I previously covered a recent wild fire that burned 2 acres in Wilder Ranch in the middle of the night that was caused by a transient camp […]