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Scotts Valley
October 11, 2025

Carolyn Marie Ryder

(October 12, 1946 – August 3, 2015) On August 3, 2015, Santa Cruz County lost a precious daughter, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. Carolyn Marie Ryder (previous married name: Neathery) passed away with her family by her side. Carolyn was the sixth generation born in Santa Cruz County and attended Santa Cruz High School, Fremont High School and Foothill College. Carolyn spent many years employed at the Santa Cruz Medical Clinic in Scotts Valley as an X-ray Technician and Medical Assistant.Carolyn enjoyed all types of music and dance. The smile on her face when she was dancing would warm your soul. Carolyn also really enjoyed playing bridge with her friends. She was known for always looking her best with matching jewelry every time she left the house.Her greatest joy in life was spending time with her family. Her grandkids gave her much happiness. Some of her favorite things throughout her life were becoming a mother and grandmother, gardening, swimming, camping, visiting Hawaii and living in Boulder Creek. Carolyn is survived by her father, William Ryder; her brother, Robert Ryder; her daughters, Denise Neathery Rinnert and Jennifer Neathery Thomas; her sons-in-law, Christopher Rinnert and Ryan Thomas; and her granddaughters, Amanda Rinnert, Natalee Thomas and Shelly Thomas. Carolyn was preceded in death by her loving mother, Elizabeth Decoto Neaves. Carolyn and her smile will live in our hearts forever and will be greatly missed.

Dispatch

Scotts Valley Police DepartmentAugust 1910:08 p.m. Health & Safety Offense.Subject contacted for trespassingon property from which he had beenrecently evicted on Mt. Hermon Rd.,SV. Evaluated for narcotics, testedpositive. Arrested.August 2000:09 a.m.: Battery at Best Western,Scotts Valley Dr., SV. Victim wasattacked by two suspects. Arrested.August 213:28 p.m.: Urinating in public at PG&EPlant on Mt. Hermon Rd., SV. Suspecthiding in bushes, possibly trying to cutfence to enter PG&E site. Arrested.9:19 p.m.: Male subject detained for theft outside K-Mart onMt. Hermon Rd., SV. Arrested.10:09 p.m.: Male suspect detained fordriving under the influence at Union 76gas station on Mt. Hermon Rd., SV. Arrested.Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s OfficeAugust 186:36 p.m.: Female detained for prostitutionon 6000 block of Scotts Valley Blvd, SV. ArrestedAugust 205:50 a.m.: Male subject in Felton foundto have two outstanding warrants aswell as approximately 4.3grams ofsuspected methamphetamine. Arrested.9:25 a.m.: Male subject on GrandviewStreet in Felton accused of criminalthreats and domestic violence. Arrested.4:00 p.m.: Publicly intoxicated male subjecttaken into custody on 6000 block of Graham HillRd., in Felton. Arrested.August 221:35 p.m.: Male subject in Felton in possessionof open container, under the influence ofalcohol, and in violation of his probationterms. Arrested.5:07 p.m.: Subject with outside agency mis-demeanor warrant on 6000 block of GrahamHill Rd., Felton. Arrested.

San Lorenzo Valley Water District to support a merger with the Lompico County Water District

At their August 20, Board Meeting, San Lorenzo Valley Water District presented Resolution 8 (15-16) to support a merger with Lompico County Water District. The terms of the resolution specify how the “capital financial considerations are (to be) enforced.”

San Lorenzo Valley Water District might finally merge with the Lompico County Water District

In May, 2015, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District extended their agreement with Santa Cruz County’s Local Agency Formation Committee to merge with the Lompico County Water District. A prerequisite of that original agreement was that appropriate funding for capital improvements would be arranged. The latest proposal is for LCWD to raise a $2.75 million capital cost, a component of the latest agreement, by forming an Assessment District across all of the parcels that would benefit from having the capital improvements built.The original plan was to be executed over a five year plan, but the new agreement spreads out over a 10 year schedule.Brian Lee, District Manager of SLVWD recommended that the Board of Directors — “authorize staff to send a letter to Lompico County Water District providing a commitment to merge upon successful formation of an Assessment District for the collection of $2.75 Million of capital costs.”“Staff has been working with Lompico and the County regarding how to utilize Lompico’s recently passed $50 per month charge as a funding mechanism for the $2.75M (million) Capital component of the LAFCo Application,” said Lee.It is unclear if the terms of the original agreement would free SLVWD to fully manage the construction of the capital improvements of if they could be hampered in some way. It is also not clear if there might be additional costs associated with the projects or in terms of loss of interest due to a slower rate of revenue collection.At their August 6, meeting, the SLVWD Board sent the topic back to committee for further discussion regarding these issues. On the August 20, board meeting, they are expected to decide if substituting an Assessment District plan for the original bond issue plan is acceptable. If SLVWD agrees that this is agreeable, they will be expected to vote in favor of merging with LCWD.Lee said that “Current estimates put the time to successfully form an Assessment District at six to nine months. If successful, the District’s could complete the merger as early as February of 2016.”The procedure for forming an Assessment District begins with a petition being signed by the property owners who want the public improvements. The proposed district will include all properties that will directly benefit from the improvements that will be built. A public hearing is held that gives the property owners the opportunity to protest the formation of an Assessment District. It would take a negative vote of 51% to prevent the process from succeeding.If the process succeeds, the property owners have the right to prepay the assessment prior to bond issuance. After the bond is issued, the cash prepayment period is concluded and a Special Assessment lien is recorded against each property with an unpaid assessment. Each parcel will be billed on their property tax bill for annual installments until the assessment has been paid off. Property owners have the right to prepay any remaining balance of the assessment plus any prepayment fees at any time.If Assessment District property owners fail to pay their tax bill on time, the bondholders have the right to foreclose on property when taxes are delinquent for a period of time — usually 90 to 180 days. The delinquent property owner must also pay for any penalties and collection costs.

Newsbriefs

Affordable housingcommunity forumAffordable Housing Now! will host a community forum on Saturday, August 29th, from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, 5271 Scotts Valley Drive in Scotts Valley. The forum will include presentations on affordable housing plan updates for Santa Cruz County and the cities of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley. Fifth District CountySupervisor Bruce McPherson, Scotts Valley City Council Member Stephany Aguilar, and city and county senior planning staff will participate in the event. Assembly Member Mark Stone will be on hand to discuss affordable housing legislation moving forwardin Sacramento.The forum will also include presentations on local innovative housing solutions including a senior housing project to be located on St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church property, Habitat for Humanity’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) pilot project, and a Section 8 ADU.Community members will learn about opportunities to get involved and help find creative solutions to the current affordable housing crisis. This is the second community forum organized by AHN! dedicated to implementing actionable policies to create more affordable housing options for people who live and work in Santa Cruz County.Co-sponsors of the community forum include Habitat for Humanity; CommunitiesOrganized for Relational Power in Action (COPA); People’s Democratic Club, and the Crosson North County Democratic Club.For more information, call 465-8272 or go to Facebook.com- Affordable-Housing-Task-Force. Graniterock’s ballgame contestGraniterock is giving away three sets of five San Francisco Giants game tickets each day, for five days, to highlight the launch of their new website. That’s 75 tickets in all to AT&T Park that they want you and your crew to be a part of!Just check out the great new Graniterock website, take a look at the revamped RockBlog and enter to win. Sign up to win your Giants tickets. And they hope you’ll take a moment to explore the many benefits of our new digital home and come back often to see the latest in Great Products, Great Projects and Great Lives atwww.graniterock.com.No purchase necessary, but entrants must be at least 18 years old. Winners will be announced on Graniterock.com and Facebook.com/Graniterock. Contest runs August 31 - September 4. For more information, contact: Janae Thomas [email protected]. Mountain Community Resources programStarting September 22 and 23 Mountain Community Resources is offering a Teen Program on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at San Lorenzo Valley Middle School.The program offers a supervised place for students to hang out after school and receive help with homework, if needed. There will be an outing or a fun activity planned for the last Wednesday of the month.At SLVMS’ Back to School Night on September 17 at 5:30 p.m., Courtney Sondreal will be representing MCR’s Teen Program and answering questions. Please feel free to reach out with any questions about the Teen Program or Mountain Community Resources. Call 335-6607. Road Work on Alba RoadJohn Presleigh, Director of Public Works, County of Santa Cruz, has announced that Alba Road, 1.4 miles west of Highway 9, will be subject to traffic delays with potential lane closures between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday, August 24, through Friday, August 28, weather permitting.These delays and lane closures are necessary for guardrail installation. The Department of Public Works would like the motoring public to avoid this area, if possible, or be prepared for delays of up to twenty minutes.For up-to-date information onCounty maintained roads inSanta Cruz County, please visit:http://www.sccroadclosure. Board of Supervisors calls local road fundingThe Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution calling on Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Legislature to identify and passa sufficient and stable source of funding to maintain the state’s network of roads and highways, including funding for local roads. Nearly two-thirds of Santa Cruz County’s local roads are rated as “at risk,” “poor,” or “failed,” according to the 2014 California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment.The county’s average pavement condition index of 55 is far below the statewide average of 66, and without further action, a quarter of county roads will fall into “failed” condition within ten years. While Gov. Brown showed leadership in calling an extraordinary session to locate “permanent and stable funding to adequately and responsibly maintain and repair the state’s transportation and infrastructure,” he unfortunately made no mention of funding sources for local roads.While the county has worked hard to replace aging bridges and repair damage from the March 2011 storms, it is struggling with cuts to gas tax funding and a lack of new grant money from state and federal sources. More funding is needed to make streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles alike.With debate on transportation funding expected to begin in the state Senate this week, the county is ready to get to work repairing neighborhood streets. It has a five-year work plan for local road projects which would be considerably aided by new funding proposals that could mean millions annually for local projects. “Based on the current condition of our roadways, we would put the money to use as soon as possible,” Santa Cruz County Public Works Director John Presleigh said. Dancer Isadora Duncan - Still a Role ModelLois Flood, authority on Isadora Duncan, will perform a series of authentic dances passed down from those who knew Duncan and were taught by her. Flood will also share her fascinating insights into Duncan’s life of fame and tragedy. She will be joined by Connie Kreemer, noted Santa Cruz dancer, teacher, and former UCSC lecturer, at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, August 29th, at Park Hall in Ben Lomond.One of the most remarkable and influential dancers of all time, Isadora Duncan, provided a new model for women, education, and dance in the United States, Europe and Russia during the late1800’s and early 1900’s. She was an advocate and example for women seeking freedom and independence during a time when society placed severe limits on women’s behavior and rights.All are invited to this free performance, brought to the community by the Women’s Issues Committee of The Valley Women’s Club (www.vwcweb.org).Local arts and crafts will also be featured and refreshments will be served. Park Hall is at 9400 Mill St., just off Hwy 9; street parking.For information, please call Roz Alley at338-9748.

Randall Dennis Birch

Randall Dennis BirchMarch 3, 1962 – August 7, 2015Randy Birch passed too soon from a world that needed him. He was born in Salinas, CA, but lived most of his life in Felton and Santa Cruz. Twenty minutes after he was born, the hospital staff pronounced him hyperactive and that’s how he lived his life, as if he had too much to do and not enough time.He was the first non-athlete to be voted Homecoming King at San Lorenzo Valley High School. He navigated a rainy football field in a white tuxedo without collecting a spot of mud.He was a founding member of San Lorenzo Valley’s Mountain Community theatre. He captivated audiences with his portrayals of Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man, Nathan Detroit in Guy & Dolls, and many others. Even with bit parts, he could steal the show. He coaxed his shyest friends — and even his mother — to join him on stage. He was known for his great singing, but even more for his infectious laugh. Actors loved to have him in the front row.He worked 70 and 80 hour weeks, first as manager at Color Tile, and later, as a Quality Assurance Manager at several computer technology companies, armed only with a high school diploma, amazing intelligence, and irresistible charm. In addition, he was a regular in a community TV program, The Chick Show, which ran for 8 years.His real family recently learned Randy was an honorary member of many other families, all of whom miss him terribly. He delivered warm soup when someone was sick, a listening ear when someone was troubled, and the unfailing patience to fix anyone’s computer.He is dearly missed by his parents, James and Rosemary Birch of Felton, CA, and his three siblings, Kathleen —Dan — Sherman in St. Joseph, MI, Luanne (Paul) Oleas in Cupertino, and William Birch in Cottage Grove, OR. He was adored by his two nieces, Katie Sherman and Natalie Oleas.If you were lucky enough to know him, his family requests your attendance at “Remembering Randy: A Musical Tribute” which will be held from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Saturday, August 29, 2015 at Park Hall, 9400 Mill Street, Ben Lomond. Bring a song to share, a picture, or a memory.

Obituary

Theta Francis Armstrong Theta Francis Armstrong passed away on Sunday August 16, 2015, in Santa Cruz, CA. She was born in Cimarron, New Mexico on April 15, 1929. She was a resident of Scotts Valley for 32 years. Graveside services will be at the Oakwood Memorial Park at 3301 Paul Sweet Road in Santa Cruz on Friday August 21, 2015 at 11:00 am. If you would like to offer condolences to Theta’s family, share your memories and light a candle in her honor please visit www.scmemorial.com

Dispatch Log (August 21, 2015)

Scotts Valley Police Department August 12 3:08 p.m.: A texting related traffic stop resulting in the arrest of a suspect for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia near Kings Village Shopping Center in Scotts Valley. 5:04 p.m.: A report of assault with a deadly weapon was taken after a road-rage hit and run incident involving a car and a motorcycle on La Madrona Drive in Scotts Valley. 8:17 p.m.: A purse was stolen from a locked vehicle after the window was smashed outside of a café on Scotts Valley Drive. August 13 8:37 p.m.: A traffic stop for reckless driving on Granite Creek Road near Highway 17 resulted in the suspect being cited for a misdemeanor. August 14 2:07 a.m.: A suspect was arrested after a deputy conducted a search of their vehicle pursuant to the terms of their probation and found controlled substances on Coast Range Drive in Scotts Valley. Later the suspect was found to be concealing methamphetamines on his person at the County Jail.  Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office August 12 9:49 a.m.: A suspect was arrested on West Zayante Drive in Felton after failing to comply with his sex offender registrant terms. 10:50 p.m.: A suspect was arrested for public intoxication on the 6100 block of Highway 9 in Felton. August 13 7:52 p.m.: A fight occurred at Covered Bridge Park. A male was arrested for public intoxication and a female was arrested for local warrants. The male was transported to the Sobering Center and the female was transported and booked into County Jail. August 14 11:08 a.m.: A male subject was in possession of a meth pipe and in violation of his probation terms in Felton. 11:37 a.m.: A juvenile was detained on Glen Arbor Road in Ben Lomond after deputies determined them to be a danger to themselves or others. 3:01 p.m.: Suspect was arrested for public intoxication and a probation violation on the 13100 block of Central Avenue in Boulder Creek. 4:24 p.m.: Two males detained for public intoxication at the Felton Covered Bridge Park. 7:46 p.m.: A suspect on a searchable probation for paraphernalia was arrested after a motorcycle stop on the 11000 block of Highway 9 in Boulder Creek. 11:16 p.m.: A vehicle was burglarized while a victim was hiking in Henry Cowell State Park. August 15 8:37 p.m.: An intoxicated subject was detained in Felton after deputies determined her to be unable to care for herself. 11:02 p.m.: Two subjects were arrested for assault on Clear Creek Road in Brookdale after an altercation resulted in $500 in damage and injuries to both parties. August 16 8:48 a.m.: Suspect was arrested on Conference Drive in Felton after deputies found them to have two outstanding warrants while on probation for burglary. The suspect was also in possession another’s financial and insurance information, burglary tools, a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia. 6:04 p.m.: A female was detained for public intoxication on Mills Street in Ben Lomond. August 18 4:10 p.m.: A wallet was stolen out of a parked car on Hihn Street in Felton.

Prostate Cancer Awareness

Santa Cruz County Prostate Cancer Support Group’s website says that after lung cancer, prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men.There are a lot of fund-raising efforts and information available for breast cancer; however, it is rare to see anything about prostate cancer awareness. Is it because women are more inclined to talk about their health issues and seek support but men tend towards macho silence?Thankfully, now in the 21st century, things are changing. Men are starting to open up and talk about their health issues. The Santa Cruz County Prostate Cancer Support Group’s website, with informational help from the American Cancer Society, is a source of vital information. Their newsletters are archived. The last issue talks abut the role of food in increasing/decreasing prostate cancer risks. There is also a list of useful online resources.The group meets on the last Tuesday of each month 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Dominican Hospital’s Bennett and Suzy Katz Cancer Resource Center in the Education Center, Room D. Dominican Hospital, located at 1555 Soquel Drive, Santa Cruz, is now called “Dignity Health.”From Dignity Health’s website: “Our certified oncology nurses (RNs) provide guidance in sorting through questions about cancer, assistance in coordinating care, and referrals to support services, individuals with cancer and their families may set up an appointment to meet with a KCRC (Katz Cancer Resource Center) oncology nurse to discuss and personalize a program for support education and guidance.”The SC County Prostate Cancer Support Group is presenting their 7th Annual Songfest for Prostate Cancer Awareness on Saturday, September 5, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Kuumba Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. This is a free concert. Donations will be accepted. Please see their ad in this paper.

Scotts Valley Art, Wine and Beer Festival a Big Hit at Skypark

It was hot! Temperatures ranged between the high 90's and low 100's, but that did not keep visitors home. Family groups were engaging with their children while the kids enjoyed the petting zoos and many other attractions. Some of the kids had their faces painted. Even leashed dogs were seen following or leading their families around the Festival grounds.

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Scotts Valley police promote pedestrian safety this month

October is National Pedestrian Safety Month, and Scotts Valley Police Department is urging drivers to exercise extra caution to protect pedestrians. According to the National...