Disaster preparedness event planned Saturday in Aptos
The Long Term Recovery Group of Santa Cruz County, Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the Community Emergency Response Team will host a disaster preparedness event Saturday, June 6, at the Aptos Grange.
The event is scheduled from 1-5pm and comes as California enters wildfire season and after a recent magnitude 4.6 earthquake centered near Brookdale that was felt across the Bay Area.
Organizers said the event is designed to provide residents with emergency preparedness information and connect them with local organizations that can help them improve evacuation readiness and disaster response plans for their families and communities.
Presentations and workshops will focus on topics including home and property hardening, evacuation planning and disaster recovery. Speakers are expected to include representatives from United Policyholders, the Resource Conservation District, the Fire Safe Council’s Home Ignition Zone Program, local FireWise and MURS radio communities, the Santa Cruz County Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, and Central Fire District.
“Preparedness and community resilience are more important than ever,” said Tonje Wold-Switzer of the Long Term Recovery Group. “We hope the community will join us in leading this important conversation and gaining the tools necessary to stay safe.”
The Aptos Grange is located at 2555 Mar Vista Drive in Aptos.
Concertino Strings performs free concerts in Boulder Creek
Concertino Strings will present its final concerts of the season before its summer break on Wednesday, June 10, and Saturday, June 13, at the 150-year-old Boulder Creek United Methodist Church.
The 25-member classical string orchestra, whose musicians come from throughout Santa Cruz County, will perform a program titled “Both Sides Now: Music from Star Seekers.”
The concerts will feature Symphony No. 8 by 18th-century composer and astronomer William Herschel, as well as “Concerto Pastorale” by contemporary composer and astronomer Martin Gaskell of UC Santa Cruz, with oboe soloist Randi Barzee. The orchestra also will perform Kevin Mendoza’s new “Janus Suite Part 2,” arranged from compositions by Max Reger.
The June 10 concert begins at 11:30am, and the June 13 concert is at 3pm. Performances are approximately one hour long and are free to attend. More information is available at concertinostrings.com.
Santa Cruz County approves immigration enforcement policy
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on May 19 approved a new countywide policy establishing procedures for County staff when interacting with federal immigration enforcement agents and took additional steps aimed at protecting staff, clients and public access to County services.
The new Federal Immigration Enforcement Engagement and Oversight Policy establishes protocols for County departments, facilities and staff to ensure interactions with federal immigration enforcement are handled consistently and lawfully. The policy expands on procedures already in place in several departments, including Health Services and Human Services.
The policy states that County staff are not authorized to assist federal agents in enforcing federal immigration law and designates trained Response Liaisons to manage interactions with immigration enforcement personnel. It also establishes procedures for protecting confidential information, responding to requests for access to nonpublic areas, documenting enforcement activity and maintaining continuity of County services.
“The goal is to ensure every County employee understands the law, understands their responsibilities, and has clear guidance for how to respond if federal immigration agents appear at County facilities,” Board Chair Monica Martinez said.
The board also directed countywide employee training on the new protocols.
In a separate action, supervisors received an update on implementation of County Code Chapter 10.07, which prohibits the use of County property for civil immigration enforcement activities. The County Executive Office identified 20 County-owned or County-controlled sites where bilingual signs will be installed stating that County property may not be used for civil immigration enforcement operations.
The board also accepted findings from an independent Office of Inspector General review of the Sheriff’s Office use of Automatic License Plate Recognition data. The review found no evidence that Sheriff’s Office personnel used the system for immigration enforcement purposes or improperly shared data with federal immigration authorities.
