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If you’re feeling penned in these days, you should check out a new park!   Discovery Park, located next to the new Felton Library, is now open! Nancy Gerdt, President of the Felton Library Friends and Friends of Santa Cruz County Parks’ board member, was eager to share more details with me. “When we began our whole library campaign in 2005, it went through many iterations.  It wasn’t until 2015, when the county bought land on the other side of Bull Creek that we thought of a new park, which worked so well with our theme of environmental conservation.”

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.

Santa Cruz City Schools, San Lorenzo Valley Unified, Scotts Valley Unified, and Pajaro Valley Unified recognize that athletics is an integral part of the high school experience, positively contributing to students’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Proper training and conditioning are essential in order to provide a safe and healthy environment. In collaboration with the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency, Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League (SCCAL), and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), all four PK-12 school districts have developed the following outdoor facility use guidelines for athletics summer conditioning. This document was developed using the California Interscholastic Federation’s Return to Physical Activity/Training Guidelines, and the California Department of Education Stronger Together Reopening Guide. These documents provide guidance that allows student-athletes to condition and develop skills while following physical distancing guidelines. Following the guidelines established below, beginning the week of July 6, 2020, athletic conditioning/workouts will be permitted providing all guidelines are followed. All coaches must provide a health screening plan, and sanitation protocol before conditioning sessions may begin. Any component that is not adhered to will jeopardize ongoing summer conditioning at the school site or across the individual school district.

Mr. George Wylie, Trustee of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District, delivered his resignation letter to the County Office of Education and SLVUSD effective, July 1, 2020.

With sheltering in place and not working for the past three months, I have had the opportunity to better notice the natural rhythms of my body. I’m surprised to discover that my energy is not consistent, but ebbs and flows from day to day. With time on my hands, I am able to honor these natural rhythms, and I am feeling so much more balanced, healthy, joyous, and calm. This made me think of all the times I have forced my body or my mind to be in a place that, naturally, it is not. How many times, because of my busy schedule, have I jacked myself up with caffeine, dark chocolate (my drug of choice), carbs, or sugar to get my body and mind to perform at the same high level every day?

In 2019, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., and other California utilities instituted massive preemptive power shutoffs in 30 counties, designed to prevent wildfires during strong and dry winds.

Social media has been awash in videos capturing the use of 911 as an abuse against Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). We’re not talking about the George Floyd incident, but instances where Caucasians summon law enforcement as a means of leverage against BIPOC. These callers (women are referred to as “Karen”) inflate a reasonable conversation or simple request into a call for assistance, generally asserting that an assault or crime is taking place—or will be soon unless the police respond. •    Amy Cooper, who has since become known as “Central Park Karen,” called 911 when a Black man asked her to leash her dog in a birding area in the park where signage required such restraints. Her call to the police (which was recorded by Christian Cooper, no relation) was preceded by Amy Cooper saying, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.” On July 6th, Amy Cooper was charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. •    On June 29th, a Hampton Inn employee in Williamston, North Carolina called the police to report “trespassers” in the hotel pool. The two children and their mom, who were visiting from Raleigh, are Black; the Caucasian hotel employee is no longer with the company. •    Twitter user “Jamietoons” posted his interaction with a Caucasian couple on June 11th. James Juanillo, who identifies as a BIPOC, was stenciling “Black Lives Matter” on the retaining wall in front of his San Francisco home when the man and woman approached him and accused him of “committing a crime.” Juanillo said what the woman did is, “polite racism. It's respectable racism. 'Respectfully, sir I don't think you belong here.’" Assembly member Mark Stone has had enough of incidents like these. In February of 2019, he introduced amendments to Assembly Bill 1472, which would make false reports to police, including 911 calls, a violation of the Ralph Civil Rights Act when made against a person because of that person’s race or other protected characteristic. This bill would also allow for civil action against persons who make false police reports or claims, regardless of discriminatory motives. The specific language of the amendment includes: “A communication between a person and a law enforcement agency in which the person makes a false report that another person has committed, or is in the act of committing, a criminal act or is engaged in an activity requiring law enforcement intervention, knowing that the report is false, or with reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of the report.” Stone said, “Across California and across the country, people are again demanding that those of us in elected office deal with the systemic, institutionalized racism inherent in law enforcement and other governmental systems. Black Americans are over-policed and subject to higher rates of police brutality, use-of-force, harassment, arrest, and incarceration. This violent oppression is devastating to Black communities and contributes to higher rates of mortality and poverty, among a multitude of other negative outcomes.  In addition to Black communities, American Indian/Alaskan native and Latinx communities are also disproportionately affected by policing in America.” 10th District Senator Bob Wieckowski is a coauthor, and it was amended in the Senate on June 24, 2020. Stone and Wieckowski are talking to other members of the Senate to gather support, and they have until the end of August to get the Bill through the process.

Santa Cruz County historians have a few bragging rights regarding famous residents of the past.  Zasu Pitts and Alfred Hitchcock represent the movies; Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, and Neil Young left us a musical legacy.  Sports not so much.  A few baseball players reached the big leagues.  Harry Hooper eventually was enshrined at Cooperstown—Hal Chase will never be.  This year, however, we can applaud another Hall of Famer—a golfer—and it’s about time.