The Weekly Dump 5.24.19

Harm Reduction Shit Show Pulls Their Application

I guess someone could see the writing on the wall. For unexplained (but obvious to anyone who’s been watching) reasons, the local group that was applying to the state for permission to keep dumping thousands of needles into the Santa Cruz community has withdrawn their application. This comes just 2 days before the public comment was scheduled to end, when public opinion has been overwhelming against the application and public comment has been brutally honest about how people are feeling. And those feelings mostly run from anger to exasperation at the level of tolerated stupidity here. This application woke up and poked the bear. And the bear really doesn’t like being poked, especially by dirty needles. We had over 3500 signatures to our petition alone against this application. The locations they listed were done so without permission from groups like the Salvation Army, who publicly denounced this group and their application. And in what seemed to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back, they listed a fiscal sponsor who denied being their fiscal sponsor, so they basically lied on their application (numerous times).

So what’s next? Some people think the group pulled this before the deadline in order to avoid having it publicly denied, and think it might be re-submitted. Good luck there. No flying under the radar anymore. People will be watching this closely now. And any re-submitted application requires giving local law enforcement notice, so it will get noticed. Another rumor I’ve heard is the Santa Cruz city council might take up the matter and offer it as a city run program, run by the same group that just pulled their application. To that, I say BWAHAHAHAHAHA. GOOD LUCK THERE! Isn’t it obvious how politically radioactive this matter is right now? Is Glover and his little band of misfit kids from UCSC so oblivious they want to hitch their wagon to this mule? Has anyone seen John Leopold lately? No, because he’s not getting anywhere near this publicly, despite having his hands all over it behind the scenes. Same with Mark Stone. The only reason she gets meetings with people like Paul and Herb is because she’s dropping their names as supporters, I’m assuming with their permission (but we know her history about getting people’s permission!). I can’t see Justin Cummings, armed with his new found pragmatism and assertiveness to do what’s best for the majority, getting anywhere near this. If If he was smart, and I know he is, he will point back to the county and say he supports the county program and the oversight the county already provides for this service. And given so many people on the county side have publicly opposed this, why burn bridges with the county when you don’t have to?

Missing Man’s Body Found in Moran Lake

The body of a man reported missing was found in Moran Lake last Friday morning. Sheriff’s deputies were investigating the missing person case, and 15 minutes into a search, his body was found in the water. At this point no foul play is suspected, but the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating.

Home Invasion Burglary in Aptos

Early Monday morning, a homeowner in Aptos called 911 to report someone was inside their home burglarizing them. When Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies responded, they found a male and female inside the house stealing stuff. After seeing the deputies, the pair tried to run but were quickly caught. Deputies found stolen property on each of them. Deputies also found the pair’s vehicle stuck in the mud behind the property. During the investigation, deputies learned the vehicle was stolen out of Santa Cruz County and had stolen license plates from a vehicle in Campbell. Inside the vehicle, they found more stolen stuff, possibly from neighbors or other nearby residents.

The Usual Hot Mess at the Downtown Metro Station

Last Friday around 1:30PM, a 39 year old male was arrested near the downtown Metro station at Pacific and Cathcart for apparently making some kind of bomb threat, as well as disorderly conduct and being under the influence.

Early Morning Stabbing in Aptos

Saturday morning around 2:30AM, a man was reportedly assaulted and stabbed in the leg on the 10100 block of Soquel Drive in Aptos. The victim did not see the person who assaulted him. The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s office is investigating, and I haven’t heard of any suspects or arrests.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

Tuesday afternoon around 12:30PM, SCPD responded to a disturbance involving a drunk and disorderly 27 year old man on the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue. When they tried to arrest him, he fought with and kicked at least one officer in the process. He was eventually arrested and charged with drunk in public, resisting arrest, battery on a peace officer, and of course a PROBATION VIOLATION.

Fire Torches the Hideout in Aptos

Monday morning around 5AM, a fire was reported at the Hideout on Soquel Drive in Aptos. Soquel Drive was shut down from the 9000 block to the Rio Del Mar Boulevard intersection. It is unknown if anyone was inside the building at the time of fire.

He Should Be Playing Bingo at the Old Folks Home

Tuesday morning around 1:30AM, a man was arrested for battery on the 100 block of Coral street in Santa Cruz. “Skid Row”. The block in front of the Homeless Services Center. Nothing new. It happens pretty much every day. Except in this case, the guy arrested was 81 years old! How freaking sad and pathetic is that? We shouldn’t have 81 year old transient homeless people wandering skid row at 1:30 in the morning being arrested for battery. That’s called “systemic failure”. He was “cited and released”. In other words, he was kicked to the curb with a ticket and left to fend for himself on skid row. Predictably stupid.

Inmate Dies in Watsonville Rehabilitation Facility

Early Monday morning, a 35 year old Watsonville man who had been staying at a rehabilitation and re-entry facility since December of last year was found unresponsive and later died. Correctional Officers and medical staff onsite first responded and attempted to resuscitate the man. Paramedics and the Fire Department were also unsuccessful in their attempts to revive him. Investigators say they found no evidence of trauma or foul play.

Forgetting Your Needles and Stolen Property

Monday around noon, Santa Cruz Sheriff’s deputies got a report of found property at a business on the 2600 block of S. Rodeo Gulch road in Soquel.  The property included syringes, a credit card, and a drivers license, both of which were apparently stolen. When the vehicle that left the stolen items returned, the occupants were detained and were arrested for various drug charges along with parole violations.

It Doesn’t Mean You’re Allowed to Camp There

Monday afternoon around 12:30PM, a 36 year old female and a 40 year old male were arrested near Roaring Camp and Graham Hill road in Felton on a number of charges, including being drunk in public, resisting arrest, and battery on a peace officer. Deputies had to pepper spray at least one of them in order to arrest them.

New Public Safety Center Opens in Aptos

This past week, the new “Public Safety Center” opened in Aptos Village. The new facility will include offices, equipment, meeting space, and an outreach center. There will be a Sheriff’s Office substation, as well as offices for the Santa Cruz County District Attorney, the County Probation Department, and 2nd District County Supervisor Zach Friend.

Car Takes Out Pole at Mission and Bay

Saturday morning around 2:30AM. a car ran into a signal light pole at Mission and Bay and knocked it over into the roadway. Drivers along Mission street were forced to deal with broken traffic signal lights for a few days until Tuesday morning, when work to repair the traffic signal lights began.

Rail Trail Over Lost Boys Bridge Completed

The new pedestrian and bike pathway that crosses over the Lost Boys trestle bridge next to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is officially open to the public after work to extend the path was completed. The project to widen the pathway from four feet to 10 feet took about five months to complete. The trail leading from the Boardwalk to East Cliff Drive marks the first complete section of the proposed 32 mile rail trail. It looks great and certainly is a huge improvement of the single lane path that existed before. Job well done!

Three Years and Counting!

This week marked the third anniversary of the Weekly Dump. For the past 156 straight weeks, I’ve been bringing the vibrantly honest truth (or at least how I see it) about Santa Cruz. Thanks to everyone who reads it, who shares it, who comments here, who loves it, who hates it, who talks about it, who subscribe to it, and who listen to me on my podcasts. I love Santa Cruz, you’d have to drag me from here, and I’ll keep sharing my tough love for it.

The Santa Mierda Podcast Network

Be sure to check out the Santa Mierda Podcast Network! We’ve got the latest “Unfiltered” by yours truly, as well as a new podcast, “Untreated” from Sharona. You can find the Santa Mierda Podcast Network on SoundCloud. And Apple Music. And Spotify. It’s free so check it out and give it a listen! Next new podcast should be coming this Sunday night!

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23 Comments

  1. Thank you for your three (3) years of brutally honest happenings of our beloved Santa Cruz.
    Cheers to you ?

  2. Hey Ben!
    I am so glad that you keep doing this for our community! 3 years and still going! Obviously a labor of love, and we appreciate all of your efforts on our behalf! Thank you so much! And remember, we only get what we are willing to tolerate! ?

  3. Congrats on 3 years and I have been a strong follower and advocate for all that time. You provide a much needed perspective and please keep it up.

    How come no commentary on Reed Gallogy resignation?

  4. I appreciate the effort you put into this, and the archives are invaluable. Well done my friend.

  5. Thank you so much! So helpful! I appreciate all the work that goes into these weekly updates!!!

  6. I laugh, and I cry (sometimes both at the same time) when I read the Weekly Dump Thanks so much for all your hard work. Appreciate it veryo much.
    Kathy

  7. Elizabeth Yznaga

    Always look forward to the weekly dump. Thanks

  8. Love The Dump! Thank you for the work you do. You certainly made a difference regarding the Harm Reduction Roadshow. I know I wouldn’t have known about it until it was almost too late.
    Also, following up on poked bears, momma bears are still on alert and pacing. This is from a commentor on The Sentinel. Important it seems to me.

    “Please come June 11, 2019 to the County Board of Supervisors meeting at 9am to support the County Syringe Services Program. County HSA will be giving their Biannual report and they need our full support to provide wrap around services. We need to make sure the County shuts down Elerick’s secondary needle handouts for good and Dr. Leff is retiring on June 1st. This is our chance to make sure the program continues to be the ONLY program in Santa Cruz.”

  9. Jill Holdaway

    Interesting article about the causes and complexities of homelessness. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/homeless-utah-end-america-salt-lake-city_n_5cd1cac0e4b04e275d511aba

    • Thank you for that address. I read the article & found it very interesting. The problem in Finland was the most interesting. What Finland has done is what we all should be doing. Especially the idea of setting aside a person’s addictions and 1st get them housed, then address the addictions. We, the non-homeless, like to vilify the homeless because of the choices they’ve made instead of coming up with viable solutions. This should be read and discussed @ council mtgs. Maybe Santa Cruz could, following the Finnish plan, reduce its problem & perhaps eliminate animosity towards homeless folks.

  10. Three cheers for three years! Congrats and thanks for keepin’ it real.

    (Hhmmm… new slogan idea: Keep Santa Cruz Real)

  11. greenweenie

    Happy Birthday Santa Mierda!!! Make a wish (love to hear those details) and blow out the candles!

    Regarding the degenerate “Harm Reduction” people, does anyone really think these Merchants of Death will cease and desist simply because they withdrew a permit application? Permits? They don’t need no stinkin’ permits.

  12. Congrats on 3 years of helping to inform the locals. I wonder what your issue is with Leopold? He is having an outreach to his constituents next week and I plan to attend and express my opinion about the stupid needle give-away program….maybe more people than just me are waking up to what is happening to our beloved Santa Cruz. If so, you can give yourself some kudos for making a difference. Keep reporting, especially making it so funny…did you make up that “hitch your wagon to a MULE”???? Good one!

  13. Congrats, Ben. You are providing a worthwhile service to this community. I’m glad you are here and selfishly hope you will be informing us for many more years.

  14. greenweenie

    We had to go south on Highway 1 this morning. While the Ross drug camp has been vacated, the denizens are remetastisizing along the wall of the “bums don’t wanna live there” homeless shelter.

    Now they will be even more conspicuous to anyone entering Santa Cruz from elsewhere. This is fitting and appropriate for a city that wants to prove it can out-shitshow any other community in the nation. Welcome to Santa Cruz.

    As a counterpoint, we had shopping to do at the Capitola Nob Hill shopping center. We did not see a single bum, beggar or bicycle thief the entire time. I guess Capitola recognizes it can’t compete with Santa Cruz in the shithole category.

  15. greenweenie

    Here’s a new expose’ on the Bum/Industrial Complex:

    https://californiaglobe.com/uncategorized/the-homeless-industrial-complex/

    • Ben please note greenweenies link above. It’s excellent and unique because it talks about solutions, has data and supports the concept of “sorting” the homeless that I’ve been talking about for so long.

      I can see our clowncil thinking that seeding local neighborhoods with homeless shelters [converted residential houses] is a good idea but it isn’t.

      You were very instrumental in getting the needle giveaway stopped. Is there any chance you can “take the lead” in the Homeless Solutions that greenweenies link talks about? We can’t enable the “destruction of our city in the name of compassion”. The recall is absolutely needed! We have to get rid of at least two if not three.

      God knows what the clowncil is going to do when the bus loads of central Americans start arriving courtesy of DHS.

  16. …….just as an aside, the busloads of Central Americans would not be homeless, entitled, drug addicted and/or mentally ill. Those refugees are survivors who have overcome horrible odds and want to work and earn money for their families. They would not be squatting in tents for long, IMO!!! But I do completely agree that the article of Greenweenie’s is very informative and and speaks of solutions and not just a rant.

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