The passage of most laws is a reactionary measure to reduce or eliminate harm due to lax safety standards. Bicycle helmet laws were passed to reduce traumatic brain injuries from bicycle accidents. Seat belt laws are meant to decrease injuries and increase survivability in a car crash. Thanks to Richard Reid, we all have to remove our shoes at the airport to ensure safety when flying. And in September, 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB-2178 in response to illnesses spread by unsafe food preparation and distribution by charities. Operation Turkey, which aims to feed the hungry and homeless on Thanksgiving Day, was founded by Richard Bagdonas (this reporter’s brother) in Austin, Texas in 2000. Since then, the nonprofit has spread to eight states, including right here in Santa Cruz County. 19-year old Andy Wise (this reporter’s son) has taken it upon himself to support the nonprofit’s mission, and is embarking upon his second season as captain of the only Operation Turkey chapter in California. So it was with great shock and surprise that Wise was contacted by Felton Bible Church last week, and told that the whole show was a no-go. “Apparently, AB-2178 limits the ways you can prepare and distribute food,” says Wise. “The new law says that groups like Operation Turkey would be limited to serving food prepared in a commercial kitchen or could only share whole, uncut produce and prepackaged, “nonhazardous foods” in its original packaging. Well, that’s not what we do,” said Wise. “We hold a Turkey Tailgate the day before Thanksgiving, and we barbecue and smoke our turkeys in personal equipment. The next day, we create an assembly line with those turkeys, and all the sides, and we load up boxes of food to deliver to people in the community. This entire event is now in jeopardy of not happening because we need to operate out of a commercial kitchen. Thanksgiving is a big day for most restaurants—who is going to give up their kitchen the day before so we can cook 130 turkeys?” Wise understands the position of Felton Bible Church—“They don’t want to break the law anymore than we do”—but the late notice on an operation of this magnitude is more than worrisome for this Cabrillo College student, EMT and volunteer firefighter with Boulder Creek’s Fire Department. Wise has reached out to employees at the Office of Environmental Health, including Director Dr. Marilyn Underwood. While the office seems to be sympathetic to his plight, their only recommendation is to find a commercial kitchen to operate out of. And the clock is ticking. Valley residents, Operation Turkey needs your help. In order to feed 2,500 hungry county residents on Thanksgiving, the nonprofit needs to find a commercial kitchen that will grant its use on Wednesday, November 27th and Thursday, November 28th. Funds have been raised. Volunteers have signed up to help. Homebound residents have registered to receive a meal from the organization. And 19-year old Wise is hoping that a generous benefactor comes through to offer Operation Turkey a saving grace. If you have any connections, or are willing to help facilitate the use of a commercial kitchen, please send an email to [email protected].

The recreational attractions and environmental wonders of Santa Cruz County draw visitors from all over the world. Tourism in the county is a $1 billion industry with over 3 million visitors annually according to Visit Santa Cruz County and Visit California, nonprofit organizations that promote and develop tourism in the region. A large part of that economic impact reaches the Santa Cruz Mountains in the form of lodging, shopping, dining, events, entertainment and outdoor activities.

At approximately 3:45am on July 3, Chief 2300, Engine 2311 and Water Tender 2350 responded with Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, and CALFIRE to the area of Felton Quarry Road for a vehicle fire involving an RV, spreading to a storage unit.

A long-debated flight path shift from one part of the county to another is in design phase according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives. The current path, called SERFR, has been in place since the FAA rolled out their NextGen initiative in March 2015. NextGen is a realignment of airspace that purports to increase safety and predictability, reduce fuel consumption, and supports anticipated increases in traveler capacity. The SERFR path carries 180+ airplanes each day, all funneled into a concentrated corridor. This increased concentration and frequency has caused discomfort for residents under the path in Santa Cruz County with complaints to the SFO Aircraft Noise Abatement Office tallying in the hundreds of thousands.

Disc golf players and fans have reason to celebrate with the opening of a new 9-hole course in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Boulder Creek Golf & Country Club's Redwood Run Disc Golf Course hosted a ribbon cutting with the San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley Chambers of Commerce recently to commemorate the opening of the course. Event Manager Keira Mulder-Encinas said, "The course is in one of the most beautiful settings in the county for a disc golf course. Attendance has been great and lots of local golf people are raving about it." The idea for the course percolated after last year's Boulder Creek Blizzard Run Tournament hosted by Santa Cruz Disc Golf School on the back nine. Mulder-Encinas says it is what prompted the idea for a permanent course. "After hosting a few disc golf tournaments with temporary baskets, a decision was made to develop Redwood Run for the local disc golf scene,” she said. Redwood Run is a par 31 course featuring a par 5 hole over 940 feet which is unusually long. Players love it. Disc golf participation is picking up steam with renowned courses throughout the county including Black Mouse in Felton, DeLaveaga in Santa Cruz for more seasoned players, and Aptos and Harbor High School courses for beginners. Disc golf is played similarly to golf, but instead of clubs and balls, players use weighted plastic discs to hit a series of targets along a course. The player with the fewest number of throws is the winner. The course is open Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. only $5 per player with an optional cart fee of $9. Visit www.bouldercreekgolf.com for more information.

I know, kids, I know. Summer can be a bummer, right? Sure, you get to sleep in, and you don’t have any homework, but let’s face it: day after day with nothing FUN to do can get boring, right? So, what can you do to make the most of your time away from school?

Felton resident Lew Farris was unanimously chosen as a new director by the San Lorenzo Valley Water District Board from a field of eight worthy applicants. Farris has worn several hats in his long career that lend well to serving as a board member. He formerly worked at Beckman Instruments in the Clinical Division, where he received guidance from skilled mentors. One mentor asked only that at some point in his life he give back and invest in someone else’s future. Lew says that working for the community, is exactly that. “I want to listen to what people say because the District serves the ratepayers,” Farris said. He values inclusivity and meets with members of the public regularly. He is interested in how water systems, society and human interactions work and feels that joint opinions make for better, well-rounded decisions. 

After years of community concern about safety along Highway 9 between SLV schools and Felton, culminating in 22-year-old Josh Howard’s death in a vehicle vs. pedestrian accident, progress is gradually taking form. The Highway 9 Corridor Plan is to be voted on by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on June 27 at Santa Cruz City Hall. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 community members have signed a petition urging the RTC to expedite safety improvements.

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The outdoor space at the Boys & Girls Club in Scotts Valley has a brand-new turf playfield thanks to a partnership between the San Francisco 49ers and Bothman Construction with funding from an NFL Foundation grant.