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Josh Howard had a smile people remembered. Whether traversing the halls at San Lorenzo Valley High School, playing with his young sisters or boarding the bus to head to one of his three jobs, Josh had an upbeat attitude and an ear-to-ear grin. It was that smile, his mom Kelley says, that made Josh the light of her life. That smile shines no more, as Josh was killed in 2019. “I want the individuals of the court to imagine if this had happened to their child—that a local community member with a 20 year history in and out of jail for various criminal offenses drove intoxicated and reckless and killed their child.” (Victim Impact Statement (VIS) excerpt.) It’s with a grief-wracked voice that Kelley Howard recalls his memorial service, and tells of the many strangers who approached her that day to share memories of Josh’s positive impact on their own lives. She talks about how her young daughters, Charlotte and Lily, remember things like Josh’s favorite color (blue), or how he loved to play board games with Charlotte, and take Lily on walks. “They only have positive memories of him,” Kelley says, “and I’m so grateful for that.” Gratitude is tough to find when your only son is killed by another human being. Josh Howard was walking along Highway 9 in Felton when a vehicle driven by Jeremy Shreves crossed over the white fog line on the road. The passenger in the car tried to warn Shreves of Howard’s presence on the highway, but Shreves didn’t react as quickly as he should have—a meth-addled brain doesn’t work like a normal brain—and he hit and killed Josh instantly on February 21, 2019, his sister Charlotte’s fifth birthday. “Think of the absolute horror and despair…the unbearable pain that you cannot escape. Think of how you would feel, the guilt that you were not there next to your child, that they were alone.” (VIS) In the nearly 17 months since Josh’s death, Kelley has battled depression as she navigates the court and judicial system in the pursuit of justice and understanding. She has joined MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), met with Assembly member Mark Stone and Supervisor Bruce McPherson; she’s spoken with CalTrans personnel about improvements for pedestrians along the Highway 9 corridor and received support from a victim’s advocacy group. In an effort to prevent a similar tragedy, Kelley has found her voice. “There’s not much I can do with the justice system,” she says. “I can’t change anything, but I need to protect other families and prevent anyone else from going through this.” “Now think how you would feel when you found out just four months after the death of your child this individual was again driving in your community while intoxicated. After knowing this fact, think how difficult it would be to see this individual walking around your neighborhood, free, without a care in the world. (VIS) On July 6th, Shreves was sentenced to seven months in county jail. Seven months. The District Attorney and public defender had made a deal, Kelley said, and though she knew what the elements of it included, it took her breath away to hear it said out loud. First, though, she read her victim impact statement to the judge. “Even with continued grief therapy, you will keep reliving this traumatic time in your life. This is my world.” (VIS) Jeremy Shreves is a known quantity in Santa Cruz County. He has a long county record—he’s been in and out of jail ten times in the last 20 years, and was charged with armed robbery in Santa Cruz about 15 years ago. Before killing Josh, Kelley says Shreves “hadn’t hurt anyone, but was a ticking time bomb.” After Josh’s death, Shreves was still out on the streets pending the results of the toxicology report. Four months later, Shreves got a DUI. “It’s hard to forgive him [for killing Josh] because he made that choice to drive intoxicated after the accident.” The drug results from the February accident came back in December—it took ten months to run his blood panel. Kelley was furious. “The Santa Cruz District Attorney kept checking in with the DOJ. The statute of limitations to prosecute Shreves was one year. The results from the blood panel showed that Shreves had meth in system,” Kelley says. On December 24, 2019, Shreves was picked up on a warrant—he had failed to show up for the second DUI hearing. “Releasing Jeremy Shreves back into the public allows the opportunity for another parent to lose a child. Jeremy has proven that he will drive on a suspended license while intoxicated even though he already took my child’s life. Where is the justice for Josh and our community? The justice system’s job is to protect. Releasing a habitual criminal so quickly after such a terrible and horrendous crime does not feel like proper justice or more importantly protection for the community. Habitual offenders are very likely to re-offend and I fear for the safety of my two young girls and this community. The system is failing in keeping our community safe.” (VIS) Shreves has been in jail since last December, charged with misdemeanor manslaughter in Josh Howard’s death. Misdemeanor manslaughter is synonymous with unintentional manslaughter—it’s killing without intent, so the penalty is greatly reduced. In Shreves’ case, his one year sentence was reduced by half. Jails that are prone to overcrowding generally offer time off for good behavior—as a result, Shreves will be released back into the community by the time this edition goes to print. And the kicker? Kelley says that because Shreves served over six months, he’ll have a credit for the next time he gets incarcerated. “I don’t believe time of sentencing should be shortened for “good behavior.” Not being problematic in jail does not change the fact that Jeremy Shreves’ choice and actions led to a crime that killed my son. How am I to live in my community with seeing him? How would you feel?” (VIS) Kelley says that if community members have suggestions on how to start to change our laws, she wants to be involved in that. “I don’t know where to start,” Kelley says. “I want to make a change and be a voice that is heard. We hear about jails being overpopulated and that’s not okay—we can’t just let people go free so they have the opportunity to commit more crimes. It shouldn’t take a death for things to change. Even with a death, nothing has changed.” Kelley is quiet for a moment. “I miss him no matter what. I want to tell his story and make a change for the better.” Next week: Part II, a deeper dive into criminal justice and sentencing guidelines.

Five wrestlers from Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley high schools won individual league titles during the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League finals at Santa Cruz High School on February 17. In the team competition, Aptos won the meet with 241 points, followed by Scotts Valley with 146 points. SLV took fourth with 122.5 points.

Santa Cruz 66 Beats SLV 21 played at Santa Cruz. Sophomore Abby Lahey had six points and six rebounds for SLV. Senior Abbie Monroy contributed with four points, five rebounds, and three steals for the Cougars. Freshman Amelia Sizemore had five points. It was "Go 4 the Goal" helping kids with cancer achieve their goals.  SLV hosts SV on Tuesday.

So far this year, my travels have taken me up the coast of California and parts north. Then I headed a bit east to explore the Sierra Nevadas.

Earth Day celebrates the natural beauty of our planet and reminds us that we need to keep it healthy. Always on April 22nd, Earth Day is a day of education about environmental issues. This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and while we’ll not be gathering together you can plant a tree, clean up litter, garden, hike in the woods, marvel at emerging wildflowers, be in contact with the soil and breathe fresh air outside on this day.  Celebrate Earth Day in your own backyard by being outside. It’s your own personal outdoor living room - a safe place for pets and kids to play. Just get outside, maybe trim some shrubs, plant something for the birds and pollinators. When you become a steward of your own yard, you are helping to preserve you own corner of the ecosystem. Our connection to the earth is one of the most valuable lessons we can share with our children.In a garden, children can breathe fresh air, discover bugs and watch things grow. And, of course, a garden offers kids and everyone else fresh, tasty homegrown food. What better place for kids to play than in a place where they can use their hands and connect with the earth? Where else can they make a plan for a plot of land and learn the lessons of hope and wonder, suspense and patience and even success and failure? In a garden you can have conversations about life and even death in a way that doesn't seem so sad.  Finding things to do in the garden is easy. You probably already have some edible flowers in your garden. Tuberous begonia petals taste like lemon. Calendulas are spicy as are carnations and marigolds. Dianthus are clove-flavored, nasturtiums give a hint of horseradish and violas, pansies, hollyhock, squash blossoms and johnny-jump-ups taste like mild lettuce. You can also freeze flowers like violas, fuchsias, geranium, stock and thyme in ice cubes.  Flowers that kids can cut will be interesting for them, too, especially when planted in their own garden. Cosmos, planted from six packs, provide instant color as well as attracting butterflies. Zinnias come in a rainbow of colors and are a favorite of swallowtail butterflies. Another easy to grow flower for cutting is the snapdragon.Besides flowers, fragrant foliage plants like lemon basil, lemon verbena, lime thyme, orange mint and other herbs engage the senses and can be included in a kid's garden. Pet-able plants are a sure hit with kids. Usually we tell them, "Don't touch", so to actually have someone encourage this is a rare treat. If your own garden doesn't have plants that look and feel so soft that you can't resist petting them, consider adding lamb’s ears which are soft and furry, artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ or fountain grass. All kids love lady bugs. Make your garden a more inviting place for these and other beneficial insects by planting lots of flowers and herbs to attract them. Lady bugs will patrol your plants looking for tiny insects and their eggs.Flowers with umbrella shaped clusters of small flowers such as cosmos, zinnia, black-eyed Susan and yarrow are favorites of butterflies. Kid friendly gardens should not contain plants that are poisonous. Sounds like a no brainer but even some of our common natives like the berries of snowberry and the leaves of Western azalea are poisonous. Non-toxic plants include abelia, abutilon, liriope, butterfly bush, Hens and Chicks, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis and black-eyed Susan. Better to check the poison control website if in doubt.  http://www.calpoison.org  and search "plants". To share one’s excitement and knowledge of the outdoor world with a child is fun and rewarding. The wonder on a young person’s face as they discover a swallowtail butterfly, a flower just starting to open or a bird feeding in the garden is priceless. And be sure to leave some time after a busy day out in the garden for kids to draw what they’ve enjoyed outside.  Get a kid into gardening and nature and they'll be good stewards of the land for a lifetime. Plus you’ll have a lot of fun in the process.  

New president at Cabrillo College balks at Governor Brown’s funding plan

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