Opinion

The Corona Virus will go pandemic. Not maybe but will. The U.S. has around 30 million people over 60-69 years of age. Mortality so far is 3.6% for this group. That means over 1 million Americans in this group would be expected to die. In the 50-59 group we can expect over 500,000 deaths. For those older the numbers are much worse. Hospitals will be overwhelmed. The economy at minimum goes into recession and possibly a depression. We should have hand cleaners required at every public entrance. Masks and gloves should be manufactured in the 10's of millions and mailed to every home address to use in public when around others. Test kits should be developed in the millions. Drug companies should be subsided to develop a free vaccine. Congress spends 700 billion on military "defense." How about spending some real money on some a real defense of this country? Please call your local representative and voice your concern. This is the most serious immediate problem we face.

We support Measure S for our local schools! The Valley Women’s Club is a long-standing civic organization based in the SLV with goals of community action, awareness and leadership in environmental, educational, social, and political concerns that affect the health and welfare of the San Lorenzo Valley and our community.

 I am writing to express my full support for Jack Gordon, who is running for Judge. My family and I are long time Watsonville residents, and have known Jack for many years. Personally, I have served with him on the Santa Cruz County Civil Service Commission. I have seen his intelligence, consideration and focused reasoning in different administrative and employment law matters. In each and every situation, Jack has brought his best effort to our Commission work, understanding and appreciating the impact our decisions have in people’s lives and in their workplace. He is an exceptional listener, compassionate, strong communicator and respectful colleague.  I am certain that Jack Gordon would be a terrific Judge, who would engage with fairness and dignity in his duties, and I urge you to support him with your vote. Go to www.jackgordonforjudge.com

Scotts Valley is a wonderful town.  There are so many reasons why all of us live here and I’m certain that safety is on everyone’s list.  Unfortunately, our great police department is challenged with higher wages offered elsewhere that makes it difficult for them to retain good talent right here.  Plus, it’s difficult for an officer to afford to live here.   We need to come up with several solutions to remedy what the city council calls a budget crisis. 

A VOTE FOR JACK GORDON IS A VOTE FOR OUR BEST GOOD!

If you were not bothered by airplane noise around February 2018, the rest of this letter may seem irrelevant. Noise report counts compiled by SFO showed a clear spike from residents in SLV and the western part of the county at that time. Noise complaints from Felton jumped from 698 in January to 4300 in February 2018 and from 168 to 1395 in Boulder Creek. For the month of February, the airport flagged the city of Santa

Flight Paths: Here We Go Again

I'm going to have second thoughts about going to Scotts Valley fireworks next year due to the LOUD music overpowering the fireworks enjoyment. Anyone know who to contact to complain about the LOUD music during the fireworks? Preventing us from hearing the fireworks or the crowd cheering and having conversation?

The traffic moving to or from Boulder Creek through Ben Lomond and to or from Felton was insane the day before 4th of July due to tree trimming. Possibly required by PG&E. While I can understand the need to trim around electric Lines, I really don't understand doing it on that day, which brings me to the scary part. Alba Road is designated as an evacuation route. 

I would like to publicly call on the City of Scotts Valley, in organizing this year's Fourth of July fireworks, to tone down the noise level very significantly. Last year's fireworks show was beautiful, but SO loud that I ended up going inside before the show was over, it was so awful. I felt really sad about that, as I enjoy sitting on my front porch to watch the show. A number of friends shared the same experience, and also related stories about animals getting freaked out by the noise level, including one tale of a small herd of deer getting hit while fleeing in a panic. Such decibels have a negative effect on mammals' nervous systems, triggering the sequence of fight/flight responses in the body. Some people have grown to associate this with a sense of power. When we face a true threat, and our body is flooded with adrenaline, it IS powerful, and we are able to do incredible things to save ourselves and others. I have experienced this personally, so I have a real appreciation for it. However, when there is no actual threat, it is highly detrimental to our physical, emotional, and mental health to have this physiological sequence triggered; and in those instances, it is a false sense of power. Also, excitement triggers the dopamine pathway in the brain, which is integral to the processes of addiction and depression, rather than actual happiness. This is too complicated to explain in the space of this letter, yet it is a neurological reality. Moderate levels of excitement are great, yet decibel levels like what was heard in last year's fireworks show are extreme, and any pleasure that some may derive only serves to trigger unhealthy neurological processes. Thank you for considering my request.