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Jose Rafael Santiago (Col. U.S. Army ret.)-320“A light from our family is gone, a voice we loved so much is stilled, and God who has loved him best has taken him home.” The Santiago family mourns the loss of Jose Santiago, who at80 years old, passed away at a San Leandro Hospital following a lengthy battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).Born in Puerto Rico, Jose earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico. He came to the United States in 1960 and served in the US Army completing two tours in Vietnam. He retired following a combined 30 years in active and reserve capacities, earning the rank of Colonel.Upon completion of his service to his country, Jose enjoyed a career as a real estate agent and office manager in Santa Cruz and real estate at Cabrillo College.He was a loving and devoted husband and father, with many hobbies, civic responsibilities, and affiliations that he cherished. In Boulder Creek, he was a Boy Scout and Cub Scout Leader, San.Jose is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Juliana Santiago of Boulder Creek, his children: son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Adrienne Santiago of Reno, NV; daughter and son-in-law Andrea and Frank Cardini of Watsonville, CA; son and daughter-in-law David and Maurine Santiago of Auburn, CA; and daughter and son-in-law Teresa and Jeff Kindred, of Ben Lomond, CA and eight grandchildren.A mass will be held at San Agustin Catholic Church (257 Glenwood Drive) in Scotts Valley beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday September 5, 2015. Committal Services will be private. Any kind acts of charity can be made in his memory to Knights of Columbus Council #15705 of San Agustin Catholic Church of Scotts Valley or to help find a cure for ALS @ www.alsa.org. Share a memory or your favorite prayers with his family through the website @ www.pacificgardenschapel.com

Helen Alice SaavedraNovember 14,1938 - August 2, 2015  On August 2, Helen Saavedra, 76, of Boulder Creek passed away unexpectedly in her home. She is survived by her lovely daughters — Carmen (Steven) Vera, Diana Saavedra and Valerie (Anthony) Saavedra-Do; her six grandchildren — Amanda, Rey, Danielle, Michael, Lauren, and Adam; and four great-grandchildren; her sisters — Sue Walters and Marie Barber; ex-husband-friend — Ray Saavedra and her beloved dog Charlie. Helen was known to many as “Grandma Helen.” She was a kind, gracious and loving woman who had a zest for life. She was a sage and true friend and lived her Christian values to the fullest. She spread joy wherever she went.She volunteered at Valley Churches and was a Red Hatter. Her family was her life and she was a tremendous Mom.Helen’s legacy is as bright and beautiful as she was. A touching and beautiful family Celebration of Life was held at the Junction Park. You were a beloved member of our community, Grandma Helen, and we will miss you beyond words so rest in peace, dear friend.

San Lorenzo Valley High School English teacher, Shane Sutcliffe, is in his 10th year of coaching girl’s golf. He has also been the Cougars' baseball coach for the past 15 years. While he only played baseball in college, his dad was a PGA Professional. “I picked [up] a lot from him,” said Sutcliffe last week at the Pasatiempo Golf Course. Coach Sutcliffe was there to attend a pro-golf workshop with the Lady Cougars.

After a disappointing 2014 campaign, hopes are high among Scotts Valley High School football fans of a strong rebound in 2015. Head coach Louie Walters, the only coach the school has had since its opening in 1999, promises an experienced squad this year, long on athleticism, big enough where they need to be, and with a dedication to sacrifice that’s unusually strong. He also expects Scotts Valley will contend for the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League championship.This is a cohesive group,” Walters says. “They like to hang out together. They’re buddies on and off the field, which is huge in football.”“There’s no down in our practices,” Walters continued. “They’re all about picking each other up when somebody makes a mistake.”Walters expects a stingy defense to once again be a hallmark for the Scotts Valley squad, where the team’s large number of returning seniors is especially strong (nine of the 11 likely starters, including all four defensive backs.) But big things are expected from the offense this year, both from the offensive line and skill position players.Quarterback BattleTwo seniors are jockeying to call signals for the Falcon this year: returning 2014 quarterback Nick Reyes, who also started as a defensive back last year and is a three-time wrestling champion, and Dawson Danner, who is generally acknowledged to be the team’s best wide receiver.As of this writing, Walters said the top slot was up for grabs, praising both for their high football IQ as well as quick feet. Junior Tyler Stow figures to backup the winner as he gets ready to helm the Falcon offense in 2016.Returning all-league running back Troy Menna, who Walters says is one of the strongest players the school has ever had, figures to start at halfback. He will be rested or complemented by two situational runners: last year’s JV MVP Tanner Gilton, known for his great cuts and good field vision, along with the speedy Liam Rapoza.Fullback will likely be handled by a committee approach, including Tristan Leonetti, Tyler Stone and Josh Eskew (Leonetti is one of three team captains, along with Reyes and Menna.) All three are tough, hard-nosed football players who will be playing lots of defense as well, so they’ll be rotated to keep them fresh on both sides of the ball.If he’s not the starting quarterback, Dawson will see plenty of time again at wide receiver along with three-sport Star Tim Wagner and 6 foot- two inch Dalton Locke, a third year varsity player.Walters has historically relied heavily on one or two tight ends in his offensive schemes, and this year will be no different, especially with six foot-seven inch tall 230 pound senior standout Tanner Spence holding down the position. Despite tearing his meniscus in last year’s pre-season, Spence immediately proved to be a force upon his return, and is certain to dominate the thinking of opposing defensive coordinators throughout the season. The NCAA Division I prospect will be complemented in double tight end formations by six foot-four inch tall Matt Murray, who started ably for Spence while he recovered last year. Ethan Emanuelson, recognized as one of the team’s hardest workers in the offseason, will also see playing time at end.Walters expects the offensive line to be a clear strength of the team this year, boasting two league championship wrestlers. Cooper McElrone will start at center, and be flanked much of the time by guards Patrick Conte and Matthew Boe, a junior voted the most valuable offensive lineman on last year’s JV squad. Both McElrone and Conte didn’t play football last year to focus on their IB studies, but Walters says they’re strong and ready for 2015. Tyler Bogner and Bradley Mead will also be in the mix at guard. Tackle will be handled by Thomas Williamson, Chris Wright and Frankie Graves.Defense: Experience and athleticismDefensive Coordinator Jeff Metter, who like Walters began his SVHS coaching career at in 1999, expects to have a well-conditioned, speedy squad again this year, which is perfect for the aggressive, blitzing style he prefers.The team’s front will consist of defensive end Stone, who started ten games for the varsity team last year as a sophomore. Mead will anchor the line as nose guard, while the JV team’s most valuable defensive lineman last year, Jason Bucio, holds down the other defensive line slot. Graves and Bogner will also see plenty of playing time on the defensive line.Walters called three-year starter Leonetti, who was an all-league standout as a sophomore and holds the school’s record for the bench press, the heart and sole of the team’s defense. He’ll be one starter at inside linebacker, Menna the other and they’re backed by Kyle Marriner and Gilton. Spence will star at outside linebacker, with his outsized wingspan, along with Conte, while Emanuelson, Eskew and Evan Carvalheria will rotate in and out regularly. The secondary is led by all-league free safety and track star Kyle Giguiere. Strong safety features Coll Sitton, Ryan Johnston and Trevor Ponos all fighting for the starting slot while all figure to see plenty of action. Returning cornerbacks Jordan Tuck and Rapoza will head that group.Emanuelson will handle both kicking and punting duties, while Danner and Ponos are expected to return kickoffs and punts.His strength on both sides of the ball has Walters feeling optimistic that this year’s team could return to Scotts Valley’s glory days, when the team won four straight SCCAL titles from 2006-2009.“We worked this team harder than any of our previous teams in the off-season because they bought in,” Walters said. “There’s a lot of parity in our league, and if we stay healthy, I love our chances.”

ELECTRICAL RATE REDESIGNATION IS SOUGHTI am working with the Valley Women’s Club on an important request to the California Public Utilities Commission to change the PG&E baseline designation for the San Lorenzo Valley.The goal is to reduce the cost of electricity and reduce air pollution from woodstove smoke. Currently, due to the high cost of electricity, many area San Lorenzo Valley residents use wood-burning stoves as their primary heat source, resulting in smoke particulate pollution.The requested change in the electrical baseline designation would align San Lorenzo Valley with areas with similar average temperatures. It would also correct the mistaken designation made years ago which effectively locked our costs to almost double the surrounding areas, in spite of our extremes of severe cold in the winter and heat in the summer. WATER DISTRICT MERGER MOVES FORWARDSan Lorenzo Valley Water District has resolved to move forward to merge with the Lompico Water District, a commitment which is good government, a good neighbor policy, and a critical step in the eventual solution to Lompico’s water problems.The SLV Water District recently voted 5-0 to recommit to merge based on the successful formation of a $2.75 million assessment district by current Lompico Water District customers.I’m absolutely elated. I want to credit the two water districts for sticking with this to solve a critical issue. I can’t say enough about each of the boards and want to express my appreciation for their committed efforts to come up with this proposal.The water districts submitted an application last year to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) which requires Lompico Water to make improvements to their water system prior to the merger. Lompico Water District conducted a vote to sell bonds to fund those capital improvements. That election fell short of the needed two-thirds approval by one vote and subsequently failed.Since then, the water districts and County officials have worked to find a different, acceptable funding mechanism for the $2.75 million, which is required as a component of the still pending LAFCO application.It appears that the answer is to have Lompico form an assessment district to pay for capital projects identified in the LAFCO application. Current plans call for a ten-year assessment to be placed on the County tax roll for the "Lompico Assessment District."The proposed district will include all Lompico properties that will directly benefit from the improvements that will be built. A public hearing will be held to give Lompico property owners the opportunity to protest the formation of an Assessment District. It would take a negative vote of more than 50 percent to prevent the formation. If formation of the assessment district is successful, the merger could be complete as early as February of 2016. BOARD APPOINTS CANNABIS CULTIVATION CHOICES COMMITTEEA 13-member Cannabis Cultivation Choices Committee, also known as C4, has been appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The C4 group is charged with trying to shape a new marijuana cultivation law for the Board of Supervisors to review by December. The committee includes marijuana industry leaders, a former County attorney, a former County Planning Director and community members. I appointed Eric Hammer as the Fifth District representative on the committee.This most recent effort to draft a cultivation ordinance follows a successful petition drive to repeal the ordinance the Board of Supervisors approved in March. Leaders of a ballot initiative collected more than enough signatures to repeal the ordinance. Rather than go to a costly election, we have instead chosen to craft a new law with the help of C4.While the C4 works to come up with consensus on a County policy, six bills are also moving through the State Legislature. In addition, it is expected that one or more proposals for legalizing recreational marijuana use by adults will be on the 2016 statewide ballot. SAN LORENZO VALLEY TRAFFIC UPDATEEveryone in the valley knows by now that traffic on Graham Hill, Mount Hermon, and Highway 9 was much worse during the month of August. Caltrans, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, and PG&E were completing infrastructure projects all at the same time, projects that – as beneficial as they are for the community – have caused daily frustration for drivers for months. When I saw the timing of the projects, and realized we were about to have a “perfect storm” of traffic impacts, the agencies involved met at my request to juggle schedules and delay long-scheduled projects. The results were perfect, but it was better than it would have been.The good news is that the SLV Water District anticipates wrapping up its intertie pipeline project, relieving traffic until the final paving at the end of September, which will close Graham Hill Road for two days.PG&E has finished both projects involving Graham Hill Road. First, the Meyers Lane gas line project is complete. And the big PG&E gas line testing project, which involved trucks going in and out of the parking lot next to Roaring Camp, is done. The good news is that the gas pipe passed the tests; the extra good news is that the large project – the largest of its kind on the west coast – went very smoothly with very little disruption to traffic and residents. The most noticeable part of the project was the helicopter which flew over the gas line everyday to make sure that there was no unauthorized digging around the pipelineCaltrans has announced that the most recent target date for completing the Highway 9 project south of Felton is mid-October. As painful as the congestion has been for the entire valley, we may be seeing the light at the end of the back-up tunnel. COUNTY UPDATES PERMITTING FOR SPECIAL EVENT BUSINESSESThe Santa Cruz County Planning Department has been working for the past several years on modernizing and streamlining the permits for special event businesses, such as wedding venues and wine tasting rooms. The County is hosting several upcoming public meetings to present the draft updates, answer questions, and hear your comments and questions. A key part of the process is to engage affected business owners and interested residents so that the final regulations reflect the needs of the community.Community meetings are scheduled for September, including one for the San Lorenzo Valley from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, at the Zayante Fire Station Community Room, 7700 E. Zayante Road in Felton. If you are concerned about this issue, please come to the meeting to learn about this issue and provide your input.Bruce McPherson is the Santa Cruz County Fifth District Supervisor