EDITOR’S NOTE
Around here, we argue over who gets to do stories about Tandy Beal.
If you’ve talked to her for even a few minutes—and really, everyone should—you understand why. She has a way of thinking about things that’s not like anyone else; even the sound of her voice, the way she floats words into a room with a whisper-y, musical lilt, is unique. I’ve written in-depth about her a couple of times, and there are things she said to me years ago that I still think about regularly.
But I don’t think any of the pieces we’ve run before are quite like the cover story Christina Waters has written about Beal this week. She’s known her longer than any of us, and it comes across not only in the words themselves, but also between the lines. Even though the story is primarily about Beal’s newest show, I’ve never read anything about her that radiates such familiarity, and provides so much insight into Beal’s old-soul artistic genius.
Just as Beal’s shows should be a part of every Santa Cruz holiday, so should Santa Cruz Gives. Be sure to read our story in the news section this week about Community Foundation Santa Cruz County—their new sponsorship of SCG is only one of the ways they’re expanding their philanthropic universe. And go to santacruzgives.org to give to one (or more!) of the participating local nonprofits. We are off to an incredible start—thanks to your generosity, SCG has already raised $130,000 for these amazing local groups. Keep the giving revolution rolling!
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Read the latest letters to the editor here.
WILL WE MAKE IT?
Will we make it this year? Had a close call last week for fires in our area. With no rain the past months, the whole area is so dry. Good thing we have not had the big dry winds that have hit north and south of us, with thousands of homes lost. Something needs to be done soon and fast in the Santa Cruz area. The CAL Fire Forest Division has got to start doing large fire breaks around the cities of Felton, Bonny Doon, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Boulder Creek and Scotts Valley now! PG&E sends Davey Tree trucks out everyday and they do the least amount of tree trimming around wires, etc. Time to bring in the bulldozers and clear a safe path and take out dead dry trees that help a fire spread. Don’t let our great Santa Cruz Mountains area go up in smoke because of bad forest management.
Terry Monohan
Felton
Re: Jaron Lanier
I am not addicted to social media, but I feel I must participate in some ways as a person involved in ecommerce. I actually abhor Facebook for the most part, but do like to interact with my high-school friends and family; mostly I have to have a FB account to use Instagram. I’m a photographer and have two Instagram feeds; one to promote an eBook I wrote to publicize Jamaican music (it’s a book for tourists and visitors there) and the other to share about health, cancer and self-realization. I’m working with network marketing, so interacting online we find people that are looking for what we have to offer. For example, I plan to share about nitric oxide and why it’s good to prevent heart attacks.
When I comment on blogs like this or on YouTube, I find lots of people that are supportive and empathetic. I skip over the hater people, they are not usually commenting on the content I appreciate and seek. I have a label of stage four terminal breast cancer, and I have found tons of resources and people on the internet to support my healing, don’t know why Jaron and his wife had difficulty.
I am paying attention to what Lanier says about fake news and bots, because I did not realize the fake people, etc. were so extensive. I’m not a big Twitter person and probably never will be. I do think there is danger of internet police, but how are we to create community if we become isolated again by our physical locations?
As an artist, not so known as Lanier (LOL) I think the internet and social media is one of the greatest ways to get exposure, make new relationships and gain inspiration. I’d like to get paid for my “data,” but how is that going to work?
I think this is much more complex than Lanier makes it out to be; I’d like to hear more solutions such as encrypted browsers or networks, and how we can minimize the spying. I think with his knowledge, perhaps he could share about specific methods to combat the coming challenges to internet “freedom.”
— Dona
Re: Housing Measures
“Measure H is what we all agreed upon,” Singleton says. No, he must be working in an echo chamber. Despite outspending opponents 100 to 1, Measure H lost by well over 10%.
If Singleton had read your story in August, he’d know that proponents got this on the ballot even though two polls showed that it would fail. Our county must pay the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars for a doomed election. What a hasty waste of public funds by the Board of Supervisors.
The precinct-by-precinct returns show that Measure H got closest to 2/3 in the City of Santa Cruz. Since Pogonip Park is closed as of yesterday, why not put a $140 million affordable housing project at the end of Golf Club Drive? And call it Keeley Lane. It could house the same folks living there already.
— Bruce Holloway
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
Submit to [email protected]. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.
GOOD IDEA
Allterra Solar is donating solar systems to four local nonprofits for its first-ever Power Positive campaign. The systems each have a $20,000 value and will be 100 percent free to the winners. Allterra hopes to help the organizations cut their electricity costs and carbon footprints. Nominations are open through Dec. 31. “We really want to give back to those who give,” Allterra CEO James Allen said in a promotional video. For more information, visit allterrasolar.com.
GOOD WORK
Students from Gault Elementary School have been making the one-mile trek to Seabright Beach to pull the invasive ice plant and replace it with native alternatives. Once thought to help stabilize cliffs, the ice plant has since been shown to actually increase coastal erosion. The students’ work has been successful enough that threatened animals like the snowy plover and burrowing owl have returned to these dune ecosystems to nest.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
When Jacob Peirce called Justin Cummings and Drew Glover far left, he broke a rule in journalism. He is supposed to report the news not bias it with framing. Neither of these new city council members are far left. The problem in Santa Cruz is that there are a lot of Republican politicians claiming to be Democrats. For example: Cynthia Matthews, Richelle Noroyan, etc. How could local Democratic Women’s endorse Republican candidate Ashly?